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namesareunimportant · 3 years

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Episodes related to each entity (up to and including episode 120)

This has been sitting in my drafts for ages and since I’m not planning on returning to the series, I might as well publish it.

The Stranger a. 1. Angler Fish (March 2010) b. 2. Do Not Open (1996-1998) c. 3. Across the Street (7 April 2006) d. 28. Skintight (January 2015) e. 34. Anatomy Class (January-March 2016) f. 39. Infestation (29 July 2016) g. 44. Tightrope (November 1952) h. 54. Still Life (early 2013?) i. 61. Hard Shoulder (24 July 2002) j. 77. The Kind Mother (August 1994) k. 78. Distant Cousin (late 90s, pre-2001) l. 79. Hide and Seek (16 February 2017) m. 83. Drawing A Blank (September-October 2013) n. 87. The Uncanny Valley (September 2014) o. 96. Return to Sender (1993-1996) p. 101. Another Twist (May/June 2017) q. 104. Sneak Preview (August 2013) r. suspected 114. Cracked Foundation (23 April 2009) s. 116. The Show Must Go On (October 1787) t. 118. The Masquerade (6 August 2017) u. 119. Stranger and Stranger (6 August 2017)

The Buried a. 2. Do Not Open (1996-1998) b. 15. Lost Johns’ Cave (14/15 June 2014) c. suspected 41. Too Deep (mid-August - September 2016) d. 50. Foundations (1836) e. 51. High Pressure (August 2006) f. 61. Hard Shoulder (24 July 2002) g. 66. Held in Customs (19 January 2000) h. 71. The Buried (6 January 2017) i. 88. Dig (pre-November 2003) j. 97. We All Ignore the Pit (June 2008) k. 99. Dust to Dust (April 1935)

The Web a. 3. Across the Street (7 April 2006) b. 8. Burned Out (November 2006) c. 16. Arachnophobia (early 2015) d. 19. Confession (November 2006) e. 56. Children of the Night (2009) f. 59. Recluse (early-to-mid 1960s) g. 69. Thought for the Day (pre-2010) h. 78. Distant Cousin (late 90s, pre-2001) i. 81. A Guest For Mr. Spider (1995) j. 100. I Guess You Had To Be There (2017?) k. 110. Creature Feature (2012) l. 114. Cracked Foundation (23 April 2009)

The Vast a. 4. Page Turner (10 November 2012) b. 21. Freefall (3, 5, 7 June 2002) c. 46. Literary Heights (1997-1998) d. 51. High Pressure (August 2006) e. 75. A Long Way Down (early October 2006) f. 91. The Coming Storm (at least from 1996-2017) g. 97. We All Ignore the Pit (June 2008) h. 106. A Matter of Perspective (September 2007)

The Spiral a. 4. Page Turner (10 November 2012) b. 8. Burned Out (November 2006) c. 19. Confession (November 2006) d. 20. Desecrated Host (November 2006) e. 26. A Distortion (1 April 2016) f. 27. A Sturdy Lock (July 2003) g. 38. Lost and Found (March 2012) h. 46. Literary Heights (1997-1998) i. 47. The New Door (around early-to-mid 2016) j. 65. Binary (late 2016 - early 2017?) k. 74. Fatigue (pre-June 2015) l. 78. Distant Cousin (late 90s, pre-2001) m. 79. Hide and Seek (16 February 2017) n. 85. Upon the Stair (between 1980 and 1990) o. 91. The Coming Storm (at least from 1996-2017) p. 100. I Guess You Had To Be There (2017?) q. 101. Another Twist (between October 2009 and 2011, May/June 2017) r. 115. Taking Stock (mid-to-late 2017)

The End a. 4. Page Turner (10 November 2012) b. 11. Dreamer (12 March 2015) c. 29. Cheating Death (17 June 1775) d. 43. Section 31 (August 2011,18 July 2014) e. 62. First Edition (1955) f. 64. Burial Rites (2012) g. 70. Book of the Dead (2003) h. 94. Dead Woman Walking (around 2000s-early 2010s) i. suspected 95. Absent Without Leave (after 1946, 1977?) j. 113. Breathing Room (around 2012)

The Flesh a. 5. Thrown Away (8 August 2008) b. 14. Piecemeal (early 2011) c. 17. The Boneturner’s Tale (1996) d. 18. The Man Upstairs (22 October 2007) e. 20. Desecrated Host (November 2006) f. 30. Killing Floor (12 July 2013) g. 49. The Butcher’s Window (June 2007) h. 58. Trail Rations (October - November 1845) i. 72. Takeaway (27 September 2009) j. 90. Body Builder (2013) k. 103. Cruelty Free (2014) l. 115. Taking Stock (autumn 1999)

The Corruption a. 6. Squirm (20 November 2014) b. 16. Arachnophobia (early 2015) c. 22. Colony (March 2016) d. 26. A Distortion (1 April 2016) e. 32. Hive (pre-2014) f. 36. Taken ill (August - September 2011) g. 39. Infestation (29 July 2016) h. 45. Blood Bag (spring 2010) i. 55. Pest Control (2011, 2014) j. 68. The Tale of a Field Hospital (1 June 2003) k. 84. Possessive (pre-1982, late 1970s?) l. 93. Containment (1995) m. suspected 95. Absent Without Leave (after 1946, 1977?) n. 102. Nesting Instinct (early 2014)

The Slaughter a. 7. The Piper (1917-1918) b. 28. Skintight (January 2015) c. 42. Grifter’s Bone (autumn 2013) d. 76. The Smell of Blood (late 2016?) e. 82. The Eyewintesses (pre-2007?, 18 February 2017) f. 95. Absent Without Leave (after 1946, 1977?) g. 105. Total War (1862) h. 116. The Show Must Go On (October 1787) i. 117. Testament (1919, between 2016-2017?)

The Desolation a. 8. Burned Out (November 2006) b. 12. First Aid (23 December 2011) c. 19. Confession (November 2006) d. 37. Burnt Offering (August 2009) e. 43. Section 31 (August 2011,18 July 2014) f. 55. Pest Control (2011, 2014) g. 59. Recluse (early-to-mid 1960s) h. 67. Burning Desire (October-November 2006) i. 87. The Uncanny Valley (September 2014) j. 89. Twice as Bright (1989-1991) k. 100. I Guess You Had To Be There (around 2015-2016?) l. 107. Third Degree (January 2010)

The Dark a. 9. A Father’s Love (1990-1995) b. 25. Growing Dark (January - 11 March 2015) c. suspected 41. Too Deep (mid-August - September 2016) d. 52. Exceptional Risk (1 November 2002) e. 63. The End of the Tunnel (26 March 2014) f. 73. Police Lights (10 February 2017) g. 86. Tucked In (1983) h. 98. Lights Out (1864) i. 100. I Guess You Had To Be There (2017?) j. 109. Nightfall (Jluy 2010)

The Hunt a. 9. A Father’s Love (1990-1995) b. 10. Vampire Killer (1959-) c. 31. First Hunt (31 November - 1 December 2010) d. 36. Taken ill (August - September 2011) e. 56. Children of the Night (1982, 1996, 2009) f. 61. Hard Shoulder (24 July 2002) g. 107. Third Degree (mid-2017) h. 109. Nightfall (July 2010) i. 112. Thrill of the Chase (November 2011)

The Eye a. 12. First Aid (23 December 2011) b. 23. Schwartzwald (winter 1815) c. 53. Crusader (November 1941) d. 60. Observer Effect (April - July 1972) e. 62. First Edition (1955) f. 82 The Eyewintesses (pre-2007?, 18 February 2017) g. 92. Nothing Beside Remains (9 April 1824, 28 April 2017) h. 118. The Masquerade (6 August 2017) g. 120. Eye Contact (9 August 2017)

The Lonely a. 13. Alone (30/31 March 2015) b. 33. Boatswain’s Call (late November 2010) c. 48. Lost in the Crowd (around 2009 - early 2010) d. 57. Personal Space (September 2007) e. 92. Nothing Beside Remains (9 April 1824, 28 April 2017) f. 100. I Guess You Had To Be There (2017?) g. 108. Monologue (August 2009)

The Extinction a. 65. Binary (late 2016 - early 2017?) b. suspected 114. Cracked Foundation (23 April 2009)

All entities/general plot a. 35. Old Passages (pre-2002) b. 80. The Librarian (1994, 16 February 2017) c. 111. Family Business (September 2008, 30 June 2017) d. 117. Testament (2-4 August 2017)

#the magnus archives #tma #tma podcast

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revengerevisited · 3 years

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So I’ve been kinda dancing around my original story idea for a little while, and I got this idea in my head of ‘what if I release chapter 1 and then get feedback without telling anyone what the story is about first so it’s more of a surprise?’ But honestly? I’m realizing since I already released a preview-of-a-preview for chapter 1, and it might be a little while until I finish chapter 1, plus I honestly kinda feel like I’d rather work on sketches of my character designs than write at the moment, I might as well go ahead and tell you guys. X’3

So! I watched a couple anime recently both centered around the premise of... monster girls! These being Monster Musume and Monster Girl Doctor, but then I noticed there’s also Interviews with Monster Girls, A Centaur’s Life, and the infamous Interspecies Reviewers, and I asked myself... Monster girls are pretty popular right now, yeah? But where’s all the monster boys?! And that’s how I got the idea! I re-watched some of my favorite anime based on Otome Games, Kamigami no Asobi and Uta no Prince Sama for inspiration as well, and a few ones I hadn’t seen before like Dance with Devils and Magic-kyun Renaissance for inspiration as well.

So now I’ve got my premise that I shared earlier: This is the story of Millie, a young woman down on her luck who happens to live in a world where monsters aren’t just real, but commonplace. She started working as a maid in a mansion-turned-art-school whose students are a group of very attractive monster boys. The twist is that these aren’t just any monster boys; they belong to various rare and exotic species with deadly reputations...

Note that character and place names are technically place-holders for now and may change if I come up with better ones. Now, I don’t wanna spoil anything story-wise, but I think I can introduce my setting and some of the characters that you’re gonna meet. The story is set in a modern setting, though it’s vague if it’s actually Earth or just some generic world similar to it, as I try to avoid referencing real-world places or events. This is a world where humans and monsters live together after a Great Interspecies War happened in the past, but tensions have mostly relaxed by the time the story takes place. The war could be thought of as the equivalent of our own World War One, one in which there was a truce decided after many years of stalemate fighting.

The city everything takes place in is tentatively named Dullahan, and was built directly after the war to commemorate peace between human and monster kind. It’s considered an artistic cultural center, and it’s got a lot of interesting entertainment places to go to, arcades, theaters, aquariums, etc, that the characters can have a lot of different shenanigans in. The other main setting is the Beaufort Academy of the Arts, which was actually a mansion that was converted into a small private school. This is where all the characters live, and our main character Millie works as a maid there.

Before I go into the characters, I should start with the various monster species. There are 12 species, divided into 2 groups: common monsters and exotic monsters. The common monsters are centaurs, harpies, lamias (snake people), kobolds (dog people), ogres, and merrows (mermaids). These species are all pretty standard, and will be mostly background characters and npcs. The main characters, and love interests for Millie, will be of the exotic variety: arachnes (spider people), sirens (deep-sea mermaids), mandrakes (plant people), dragons, manticores (with a liontaur body-type), and scyllas (octopus people).

So what differentiates a common monster from an exotic one? Well, while the Interspecies War was between humans and monsters in general, some monsters were already at least partially integrated into human society, and the rest followed soon after the war ended. These monsters were almost as common as humans, and either herbivorous or omnivorous, with the exception of the carnivorous lamias who prefer to eat eggs over anything else. On the other hand, the so-called ‘exotic’ species were not only much more rare, but they had a very different food preference... one which earned them the now derogatory nickname... man-eaters.

Naturally, most ‘man-eaters’ weren’t exactly welcomed into human --nor common monster-- society with open arms, not that most of them wanted to. For the most part, species as powerful and dangerous as them didn’t want to play nice with those they had once --and in some cases still do-- regard as prey, and so hid away into the furthest reaches of the world. Which of course makes them perfect material for all our leading men and Millie’s various love-interests!! Oh yes, while all of these monster boys are perfectly civilized --well, for the most part-- they still belong to species that many both human and monster alike continue to fear to this day. While they aren’t exactly fish out of water (well, except for the siren) there’s still plenty of awkward misunderstandings and interesting scenarios that can be played out.

So! Let’s have a quick run-down of the characters, keep in mind that none of these names are final and could change later on. First there’s Millie, a hardworking young woman who’s had a recent streak of bad luck. Through a misunderstanding she gets hired as a maid in a mansion-turned-art-school. She’s very sweet and tries her best to help others, but she’s not as innocent as she appears; she’ll understand your innuendos just fine, even if she doesn’t really say any herself! Next is Richard and Lara Beaufort, a husband and wife who run the school. Richard is rather laid-back, yet he’s also a master of all kinds of art, painting, sculpture, photography, dancing, singing, you name it! Lara is his arachne wife, a rather boisterous woman who owns a high-class fashion company. The secret to her clothing’s success?? Arachne silk, of course! The school was her idea, a way to help better integrate exotic species into society. Will her mission succeed? Only time can tell.

Richard and Lara have a son named Simon, our first love interest and a human-arachne hybrid who takes almost entirely after his mother in the looks-department (hybrids tend to look like one species or the other, rather than a mix of both). He’s a bit withdrawn due to dealing with bullying as a kid; most people --human and monster alike-- are afraid of his spider-like appearance, so he doesn’t get out much-- to the point his parents worry about him being a shut-in for life! He’s also a gamer boy, and has a secret soft side for gothic poetry, although he doesn’t want to join his parents’ art classes. He actually disapproves of his mother’s exotic species integration plan, as from what he’s experienced he feels it’s a waste of time.

Simon’s best friend and Millie’s second love interest is Louis, a mandrake who lives in the woods behind the manor. Louis is extremely shy and more than a bit lonely, even more so than Simon, and he doesn’t speak very often out of fear that the sound of his voice will hurt others around him. Mandrake screams can induce insanity or even kill those that hear them, hence his fear. Being part plant, Louis has mild shape-shifting abilities and is able to transform between child and young adult forms at will, although he’s actually the oldest of the group. He also isn’t a student at the art school, although he has an interest in floristry.

Now for our actual students! Forrest is a manticore, which in this world means he has a body similar to that of a centaur, but with the lower half of a lion instead of a horse, and a scorpion-like tail tipped with a deadly venomous stinger. Despite his species’s name literally meaning ‘man-eater’, Forrest is extremely friendly and cheerful, and is very sporty too. His passion is photography, and he also loves eating food-- any sort of meat dish is fine by him! He’s also a fan of fantasy tabletop roleplaying games, and will often make references comparing them to everyday life; he always plays the knight who saves the princess!

Anthony is a childhood ‘friend’ of Forrest’s, though he’s loathe to admit it. Highly intelligent and highly snobbish, Anthony fancies himself an intellectual-- and he’s not exactly wrong. Being a dragon, he likes to hoard things-- in his case, knowledge. Anthony loves to read, and is most often found in the library. His skill is in drawing and painting, and all his paintings’ invariably morose subject matter worry Millie. Still, this haughty dragon could definitely learn to loosen up a little, and be a little more kind; perhaps his stay at the academy --and his interactions with Millie-- will open his mind to appreciating the feelings of others. He does, at the very least, greatly respect Master Beaufort as a master of the arts.

The other two students are denizens of the sea, and have been friends for a very long time. Emil is a scylla, and like all scyllas he’s a little eccentric, and just can’t seem to keep his tentacles to himself! While Forrest is obsessed with eating, Emil’s true calling is cooking, and he loves making all kinds of dishes, especially anything seafood and/or foreign. Emil also is highly appreciative of women’s fashion, and absolutely adores everything to come from Madam Beaufort’s clothing brand-- so much so that he actually wears them himself! His pretty-boy looks and penchant for wearing women’s clothing actually has Millie mistake him for a girl at first, though he’s very much unafraid to show her his romantic side, or at least what he interprets as romantic...

Keeping Emil’s pervy antics in check is our sixth and final monster boy, Oswald! As a siren, Oswald spent most of his life in the sea, and still has a lot to learn about humanity. He’s a pretty cool guy but gets a bit embarrassed about his species’s troublesome past as the cause of many shipwrecks at sea, and would prefer to not discuss it. His passion is rock music, and his main instrument is the guitar. He also loves to sing, but refrains from doing so due to the hypnotic effect it has on other species. His lack of legs, tentacles, or a snake-like tail means that like other merrows and sirens he requires a wheelchair to move around on land, and often feels frustrated that he can’t show off how adept he is at traversing water. He’s also easy to embarrass and obsessed with not allowing anything to ‘ruin’ his manly image, including allowing Millie (a girl!) to help carry him around.

So there you have it, all my monster boys! I left out a few things, as those would be major spoilers, but those are my ideas for the characters for now! I’ll try to draw and post some sketches of their designs later. Hopefully I haven’t forgotten anything, but this won’t be the last time I talk about monster boys. Any questions or comments would be very much appreciated! Nsfw questions are allowed (all the boys wear pants for a reason, after all), though I’m currently not sure if this series will be 16+ or 18+, if you catch my meaning. Lemme know how interested you are in this story, or if you’re not interested please let me know that too!

#writing #monster boys #maddie's monster boys #if you ever wanted to see a merman wear pants... here's your chance XD

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davidmann95 · 3 years

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Comics this week?

pretenderoftheeast asked: Comics this week (8/25/2021)?

comics-and-videogames asked: Comics this week?

Anonymous asked: Comics this week? (08/26/2021)

Anonymous asked: Thoughts on this week's comics? Our guy was really busy this week

Anonymous asked: Die 19? and awhatever else came out this week too I guess?

Anonymous asked: Comics this week (8-25-21)?

deathchrist2000 asked: Thoughts on this week’s comics?

veronicajames asked: Did I miss the This Week's Comics?

Wasn't feeling writing much this past week, but getting around to it now:

Batman: Reptilian #3: The good version of Ennis thinking all of this is so stupid.

Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #3: Fine, the last two stories were pretty nice.

Wonder Woman #778: Still fun! Boy does this feel like a failure of coordination with Action Comics though.

Batman/Superman #21: Yang better be getting something AMAZING to be leaving this.

Superman '78 #1: As expected, perfectly passable story elevated by Torres.

Superman vs. Lobo #1: Fun enough, didn't blow me away like some or bug me like others.

Action Comics #1034: Remains great but missing Sampere already.

Superman: Son of Kal-El #2: Mostly good but OOF. I assumed when I saw that in the preview that it was some kind of bit because that's a Mark Russell level of weird caricature that isn't quite what Taylor does - even if I questioned how much it would matter - but I guess not?

Project Patron #5: Sure is counting on getting another mini it seems, but this was still a lot of fun.

The Blue Flame #4: Unless it's wrapping up with #6 I think I'm done.

Ice Cream Man #25: Same as ever, only one note but very good at hitting it, glad to see it looks like it's moving towards an endgame.

The Department of Truth #12: You're in or you're out.

Once & Future #19: Probably the most I've vibed with the book thus far? Couldn't tell you why.

DIE #19: I'm not sure how Gillen follows up on that last page in the final issue without then being unable to do stories-about-stories ever again.

Echolands #1: We're not here for a good comic, we're here for JHW3 vomiting all over pages, and friends does he ever deliver.

Cable: Reloaded #1: Can Al Ewing even do 90s comics good? TRUE BELIEVERS, LET ME TELL YOU

Spider-Man: Life Story Annual #1: It's Zdarsky doing JJJ again, you know it's got the goods. Wonder if they'll keep putting these out every couple years? A Ben Reilly issue, a Miles issue, an Aunt May issue?

#Week's Comics #Opinion

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lastsonlost · 4 years

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Oh gasps, I'm shocked.

Who would have thunk it?

The story:

Updated with Sunday figures: In the wake of Terminator: Dark Fate’s failure at the B.O., and Paramount’s recent decision to make Beverly Cops 4 for Netflix, we have the further breakdown of cinema IP in Sony’s Charlie’s Angels reboot, which is tanking with a God-awful $8.6M domestic opening, $27.9M worldwide (from 26 markets), 3 Stars on Screen Engine-Comscore’s PostTrak, and a B+ Cinemascore.

The Elizabeth Banks-directed-written and produced pic is also opening in 27 offshore markets,

China being one where it’s also bombing,

with a $7.8M 3-day take in third place behind No. 1 local title Somewhere Winter ($13.1M).

All of this is primed to further spur a WTF reaction and anxiety among film development executives in town in regards to what the hell exactly works in this have-and-have-not era of the theatrical marketplace. Many will make the hasty generalization that old, dusty IP doesn’t work, or is now deemed too risky when it’s not a superhero project. However, moviemaking is an art, not a science, and annoying as it might sound, good movies float to the top, and this Charlie’s Angels reboot didn’t have the goods going back to its script.

<Maybe somebody should have been working on a good story instead of pushing an agenda.

We’re going to break down for you what went wrong in another graph, but we don’t want to bury the success of Disney’s release of Fox’s James Mangold-directed Ford v Ferrari, which looks to be coming in at $31.5M, well ahead of the $20M+ many were seeing, with an awesome A+ CinemaScore and 4 1/2 stars and a 68% definite recommend on Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak. After a franchise-laden summer which buried originals, now an original pic is sticking it to the IP.

When it comes to the bombing of Charlie’s Angels, the takeaway is this is what happens when you have IP, but there’s no reason for telling the story.

In the walk-up to developing Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and in the wake of its near $1 billion success, a fever broke out at the Culver City lot in the post-Amy Pascal era to reboot former Sony franchises or extend them, i.e. Zombieland: Double Tap (well over $103M at the global B.O. now), the upcoming Bad Boys 3, and, of course, Spider-Man, the latter electrified by Disney’s Marvel. Development studio executives define their being by getting films greenlit, and whenever that happens, it’s 90% of the job.

And the pressure is on to fill a 10-12 picture annual slate in a world where Disney vacuums up all the best IP. A third Charlie’s Angels with McG directing and Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu starring, wasn’t made immediately after the second chapter, 2003’s Full Throttle, as the sequel turned out to be 29% more expensive than the 2000 original at $120M, and also made less worldwide, $259.1M to $264.1M. With Elizabeth Banks coming off her hot feature directorial debut with Universal’s Pitch Perfect 2 (which over-indexed in its stateside opening at the B.O., going from $50M projections to $69.2M, and finaled global at $287.1M); after she expressed interest in September 2015 in taking on a Charlie’s Angels reboot with a modern feminist spin, there was no question in Sony’s mind that the project should move forward.

<Yeah Sony, how's that working out for you? You think they would have learned their lesson...

Guess not.

Back to the story.....

However, there were script problems, I hear, that could never be resolved. A few months after Banks boarded, Evan Spiliotopoulos came on to write. By the time cast was assembled in July 2018, Banks had penned the latest draft off a script by Jay Basu (The Girl in the Spider’s Web), and earlier drafts by Craig Mazin and Semi Chellas. Andrea Giannetti oversaw the project on the lot. However, I hear that the script for Charlie’s Angels didn’t really attract top talent, i.e. Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone and Margot Robbie (a trio that would have potentially jazzed up business). Hence, why the production opted to go with largely a fresh face cast outside of Kristen Stewart. While we overwrite that stars mean nothing at the box office, they do, sometimes, when it comes to propping IP, and unfortunately and arguably, no one in Middle America knows who British actress Ella Balinska is, and they’ve only became recently acquainted with Naomi Scott from Disney’s Aladdin and Lionsgate’s Power Rangers. Stewart, who is hysterical in the movie and even needed more funny bits, is in a different place in her career professionally, publicly, and privately. It’s unfair to think that she could delver her Twilight fans now.

Had she done Charlie’s Angels promptly in the swell of the Twilight whirlwind (like Snow White and the Huntsmen) then maybe it would have popped.

But she has largely been dormant from popcorn wide releases for the last seven years since 2012’s Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, busy excelling and wowing in specialty awards season and festival fare like Clouds of Sils Maria, Still Alice, and this year’s Seberg, to name a few. Stewart needed to be paired with equal or bigger-name actresses.

was a one quadrant movie, eyed at women 13-39, especially given its lack of action scenes, and wisely limited their exposure to what I hear is 50%, with co-finance partners 2.0 Entertainment and Perfect World. Sony claims the budget is $48M net; we’ve heard in the mid $50Ms. Tax incentives were taken in the pic’s Berlin and Hamburg shoots. Perhaps Sony should have spent more, because Charlie’s Angels biggest problem is that it has very low-octane, we’ve-seen-it-all-before action scenes. Heck, there’s more action in a 1980s Chuck Norris movie. After watching Charlie’s Angels earlier this week, I put the first two McG movies on Netflix, and it was like watching Star Wars in comparison to this reboot, with his sharp production design, camera movements, unique action, and comedy set pieces, and, of course, the first movie blasted Sam Rockwell out of a cannon. Understand that the first two movies in the series were able to compete and hold their own in an action space where, yes, Mission: Impossible and Fast & Furious (the first two films came out in 2001 and 2003) also thrived. Mission and Fast sequels distinguish themselves on multiple 10-minute action sequences that we’ve never seen before on screen; it doesn’t matter who the villain is. This Charlie’s Angels doesn’t have that. And not even a super-duper hit song “Don’t Call Me Angel” for the movie from Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Lana Del Ray can trigger lines at the multiplex; the music video clocking over 116M views on YouTube, per entertainment social media monitor RelishMix.

Some will claim that Banks’ version was never intended to emulate the meat and potatoes version of McG’s films; that this version was expected to be more comedic, and more feminist. Unfortunately, after McG set the table here with the franchise as an action film, you can’t reverse it. You can only outdo him. And with a franchise movie like Charlie’s Angels, you can’t make it for a one quadrant audience.

The film arrived on tracking with a $12M-$13M start, and really never budged, but sank. That means marketing didn’t work. I heard that a $100M global P&A was first planned on Charlie’s Angels, with the studio now reducing that overall cost greatly to around $50M and pulling back on expensive ads. Another hurdle in activating the young girl demo is that much of the pic’s cast isn’t on social media. RelishMix says that Banks is the social media star with over 6.6M followers across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, with Scott counting 3.4M.

Sony kept pushing Charlie’s Angels, which in hindsight means there were development issues. In May 2017, a release date was announced for June 7, 2019. When the cast was locked down in July 2018, Charlie’s got moved to Sept. 27, 2019. In October 2018 when Warners pushed Wonder Woman 1984 from the first weekend in November to summer, Charlie‘s took over the autumn spot, which was the same exact place the original 2000 opened. However, when Terminator: Dark Fate moved onto the same first weekend in November, Charlie‘s relocated to this weekend as they vied for a China release which they ultimately got.

Charlie’s Angels drew a 66% female crowd, split between 36% over 25 and 30% under 25. But both demos respectively graded it low at 68% and 79%, with men at 35% giving it a 68% grade on PostTrak. Diversity breakdown was 52% Caucasian, 21% Hispanic, 14% Asian/Other, & 13% African American. Charlie’s Angels best markets were on the coasts and big cities. But again, nothing to brag about in Friday’s $3.2M gross, which includes $900K from Thursday and Wednesday previews.

Says RelishMix, which also foresaw this disaster approaching on social media chatter, “Angels is the latest example in a ‘woke’ effort to reboot a franchise that many were not all that interested in to start with. In fact, many references to the 2000 version get a call-out as a reason this one doesn’t seem to compare – whether it’s the cast or the action teased from the film.

And, as observed with other recent films, some action/adventure, unfortunately fans say they’re steering clear of this one because of its ‘girl power’ messaging.”

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bringbackwendellvaughn · 3 years

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Some Light Christmas Fun

i saw a bunch of my posts had been flagged as inappropriate by tumblr and appealed all of them so they now can show up. even the one about my obsession with psylocke. one i couldn’t appeal though (because it was a reblog) was a reply trying to identify all the characters depicted in The Raft as candidates for the Thunderbolts in Thunderbolts #155.

So now I am going to repeat some of what I said, add some more thoughts and try and identify them all.

This is actually one of my favourite past-times working out what stock background space fillers could reasonably be established characters. Let’s be honest, most of these were probably not meant to be anyone and were just people Kev Walker drew to fill up a room. But, within the story itself, they all have to be established super-villains who would be considered as applicants for the Thunderbolts. For identifying these, there are a few things to refer to here - the characters who are ultimately chosen to join the team are probably there, the next issue identifies some of these people who don’t make the cut, there was a poll featuring a vote for who you wanted to join the team (Shocker won, i voted for Madame Masque), some of the characters appear in other issues of Thunderbolts, some star in a preview story in Enter the Heroic Age and then in Heroic Age: Villains, Steve Rogers proposes several inmates of the Raft as potential future recruits for the Thunderbolts - some shown here.

1. Bison (Billy Kitson) or Man-Bull (William Taurens) Bison is a Thunderstrike enemy who later showed up on Crimson Cowl’s Masters of Evil in Kurt Busiek’s run on Thunderbolts. What we can see here is that it is an orange furred man, but the face cannot be seen. I am inclined to say that this would be Bison since Steve Rogers recommended him as a potential addition to the Thunderbolts in Heroic Age: Villains. This would be slightly off-model for him and it seems we should see his horns poking out here, but Bison is confirmed as being at The Raft and has that reason for being there. Alternatively it might be Man-Bull who is later shown to be at the Raft in some issues of Hercules. Then there is also Griffin (John Horton) who was a poll choice but like Bison’s horns, we should be able to see his wings, so I am definitively removing him as a possibility here..

2. Shocker (Herman Schultz) Shocker joins the team next issue and is depicted with this hair. I’d lock him in as a definite.

3. ? We don’t have much to go on here besides a sort of faux-hawk hairdo. I’ve ran down the list of who could be there and turned up squat. Maybe in prison, Badd Axe grew a mohawk style. Badd Axe was another of the characters Steve Rogers proposed as a possible team candidate. Blizzard is confirmed as being there next issue - maybe he shaved his head like this to try and look more tough in prison.

4. Bloodshed (Wyndell Dickinson) Bloodshed is a Spider-Man baddie and another member of Crimson Cowl’s Masters of Evil (there’s a lot of them here). He’s apparently grown a goatee but I’d be confident to lock him in as another definite here. He was another of Steve’s candidates from Heroic Age: Villains.

5. Grizzly (Max Markham) I am a bit obsessed with shoving Grizzly into the background of this run. It’s not without precedent, he is depicted in Enter The Heroic Age as being at the Raft, Steve Rogers nominates him as a team member and before this run he was a full-fledged member of the team. This character design mostly suits being Grizzly, he’s the right size and has his soul-patch. The one thing stopping me from saying it’s definitely him is he appears to have some form of faceplate on him. Maybe this was an inking or colouring error? Maybe - just maybe - it is bandages from when Ant-Man climbed into his ear and beat up his ear-drums in Thunderbolts #143. That’s really reaching, especially considering Grizzly had appeared since without his ears being wrapped, but I really want to say this is Grizzly.

6. ? This character receives a fair amount of dialogue bullying pre-transformation Mr. Hyde in the next issue. Possibly trying to deflect their own lack of power by bullying Mr. Hyde when he thinks that Mr. Hyde is a weak timid guy worse off than him. We have a very generic black-haired guy who would bully a weakling, so who could it be?

7. Mr. Hyde (Calvin Zabo) This is kind of how he is depicted next issue when he is in his non-Mr. Hyde form. A small man with black hair cropped at the sides. He is also shown in front of 6 in a line and is bullied by him for looking weak and nerdy. Here he is shown stood in front of 6 again, so this would make sense as being Mr. Hyde.

8. Amazon (Katrina van Horn) or Titania (Mary MacPherran) I want to say this is Amazon, formerly Man-Killer, as she is an ex-Thunderbolt who despite only being on the team briefly always kept showing up in the book. She was again recommended as a possible Thunderbolt in Heroic Age: Villains and while her hair has grown a bit longer here, this would make sense as being her. I’d still hazard a bit to say lock this one in though because, alternatively, it could just as easily be Titania who is seen as an inmate in Thunderbolts #144.

9. ? This one has been bugging me for a while. I so know this character. Has black vertical lines on the eyes, right? Or it might be Armadillo (Antonio Rodriguez) which someone seems to have identified as being in this issue on terrible website ComicVine (I think they just confused 11 with Armadillo though). He’d be a good choice to be here though.

10. ? There is a few characters this could be. Next issue depicts a character with a hairless head with a less human face which might have been the intention here but it’s in the back so never required this detail. If we’re going with that one, the guess would be Headlok (Murray Singleton). At the other end, if you want to say he’s wearing a mask and again it’s the result of lack of detailed, Scarecrow (Ebeneezer Laughton) - next issue shows his mask as being biege. He was a poll choice and actually receives dialogue next issue.

11. Blood Brother The survivor of the two Blood Brothers, we saw this character in Enter The Heroic Age and in Thunderbolts #156 he is identified and given dialogue. He is depicted speaking to 6 and Mr. Hyde (7) next issue. There’s no area of debate this isn’t Blood Brother.

12. ? Short guy with long hair. This seems like it could be an easy one but I’m coming up empty. Dare I suggest this could be Grizzly again?

13. ? A tall woman with nice black hair. Possibly Titania again. Otherwise, the best I can think of is that Moonstone acknowledges Black Mamba as being there next issue. It’s maybe a bit too built for her but it’s also the one that looks the most like Black Mamba.

14. ? I’m pulling this one out of nowhere but this could be Asp. The hair matches and she is Black Mamba’s bff, so it’d make sense they’d be near each other.

15. Powderkeg (Frank Skorina) Powderkeg is a real Z-list villain fodder guy. He is confirmed as being a Raft inmate in Avengers Academy #4 (a light crossover issue with Thunderbolts) and I want to say this is definitely him even if it requires a little bit more footwork.

16. Super-Skrull (Kl’rt) Confirmed next issue.

17. Skeleton Ki (Alisher Sham) One of Steve Rogers’ picks and this one is wearing a skeleton face mask so it seems quite evident it is him. Lock in Skeleton Ki as number 17.

18. ? This character is also depicted next issue, stood behind Blood Brother and 6 during the Mr. Hyde bullying scene. Based on that, it’s clear he is a male with long hair.

19. ? Absolutely no idea. Woman with corn-rows.

20. Dark Beast (Hank McCoy) AOA-verse evil version of Beast. Jeff Parker originally wanted this character to join the team but was blocked by the X-offices. Centurius filled his role instead. Dark Beast is shown on the cover to #156, was also one of the poll choices and him being drawn a bit poorly here might have been a last-minute alteration to try and change it to NOT be Dark Beast. This is definitely meant to be Dark Beast though.

21. Poundcakes (Marian Pouncy) Poundcakes is shown as a inmate of the Raft in Thunderbolts #159. The body type is a match and the hair is consistent with how she is shown in #159. Lock her in.

22. Boomerang (Fred Myers) He joins the team next issue. This is another case where this is obviously the character. 100% definite here.

23. Ox (Roland Bloch) Member of the Enforcers (and briefly the Thunderbolts Army). This is how Ox was drawn in Enter The Heroic Age. The colour of his hair has slightly changed but put him in the definite machine.

24. Mandrill (Jerome Beechman) This is Mandrill. Easy.

25. Troll (Gunna Sijurvald) She joins the team. This is undebatably her.

26. Bushwacker (Carl Burbank) Bushwacker is a former Daredevil and Punisher foil. This is definitely him. He was depicted exactly like this in Enter the Heroic Age. Definitely lock him in.

Here’s the bit in issue #156 which features some roll-call with not necessarily the character models depicted.

Of those I can’t identify the first one (Blizzard because she mentions him? Really, any number of other bad guys listed below can fit this design), the next one is either 6 or 7, then up-front in that mask is Scarecrow (confirmed next 2 panels). Next that would b Bloodshed/4, and then possibly a miscoloured Ana Kravinoff, and finally Headlok and Super-Skrull.

Extra notes: - Centurius (Noah Black) is not depicted but joins the team. - Blizzard (Donnie Gill) is confirmed as being there in this room as seen above but I don’t see any character that could really really be him. - Scarecrow (Ebeneezer Laughton) is as well but he’s been speculated all over the place. - Black Mamba (Tanya Sealy) likewise. - The leftover Steve Rogers’ suggestions from Heroic Age: Villains are Absorbing Man (Carl Creel), Answer (Aaron Nicholson), Badd Axe, Hydro-Man (Morris Bench), Lady Stilt-Man (Callie Ryan), Mad Dog (Buzz Baxter), Redeemer (Shep Gunderson), Ruby Thursday (Thursday Rubinstein) and Vector (Simon Utrecht). Some of them like Ruby Thursday are clearly not there. - He also recommended the Young Masters but none of them were ever even arrested. - The cover to issue #156 also features Abomination (Emil Blonsky), Absorbing Man, Batroc (Georges Batroc), Ana Kravinoff and Sandman (William Baker/Flint Marko) - none of these appear to be there and Abomination had been dead for a few years by that point. - I can’t find the poll itself, I can find a link to it but it just redirects to Marvel.com, and other than the winner (Shocker) and who I voted for (Madame Masque), the other choices are sourced from a forum post. Absorbing Man, Batroc, Brother(s?) Grimm, Dark Beast, Doctor Demonicus (Douglas Birely), Griffin, Ana Kravinoff, Living Laser (Arthur Parks), Madame Masque (Whitney Frost), Mr. Hyde, Sandman, Scarecrow, Shocker and Other. Noticeably nearly all the ones on the cover to #156 were listed. Other allowed you to write-in a choice but they shouldn’t really count towards this. Of these ones, Absorbing Man, Doctor Demonicus (deformed face with horns), possibly Griffin, Ana Kravinoff, Living Laser (stuck in energy form), Madame Masque and Sandman are obviously not there. - Some other confirmed Raft inmates at this time from other Thunderbolts issues include Axe (Jerome Hamilton), Corruptor (Jackson Day), Mr. Fear (Alan Fagan), Mo Money, Purple Man (Zebediah Kilgrave) and Titania. #159 gives us 3 previously unseen characters: Big Roy (a Walrus monster man), Man-Mountain Mario (Man-Mountain Marko’s cousin) and Indali (a normal looking woman who is the Queen B of the women’s wing of the prison). In other books we see Basilisk (Basil Elks), Blackout (of the Lilin), Crossfire (William Cross), Griffin, Hecate, Man-Bull, Vermin (Edward Whelan) and probably much much more but those are the ones that come straight to mind from Avengers Academy #4, Hawkeye and Mockingbird and a Hercules story. - While Crossbones (Brock Rumlow), Hyperion, Nuke (Frank Simpson) and Norman Osborn are all being held at The Raft, they are not eligible for the team.

Feel free to contribute or ignore this.

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the-magnus-archives-wiki · 4 years

Text

I did one of them lists of primary fear for each episode, idk if it exactly matches what the wiki says since it’s mostly from memory but it was fun to go over and see how much you remember just from episode titles

and customary disclaimer that they cant really be separated, etc, etc, but i went for what felt like the primary influence

Ep. 1: Angler Fish - Stranger

Ep. 2: Do Not Open – Buried, secondary Stranger

Ep. 3: Across the Street – Stranger, secondary Web

Ep. 4: Pageturner – Vast

Ep. 5: Thrown Away - Flesh

Ep. 6: Squirm - Corruption

Ep. 7: The Piper - Slaughter

Ep. 8: Burned Out – Desolation, secondary Web, tertiary Spiral

Ep. 9: A Fathers Love – Dark, Hunt

Ep. 10: Vampire Killer - Hunt

Ep. 11: Dreamer - End

Ep. 12: First Aid – Desolation, secondary Eye

Ep. 13: Alone - Lonely

Ep. 14: Piecemeal - End

Ep. 15: Lost Johns' Cave - Buried

Ep. 16: Arachnophobia - Web

Ep. 17: The Boneturner's Tale - Flesh

Ep. 18: The Man Upstairs - Flesh

Ep. 19: Confession – Mixed, Web, Flesh, possible Spiral, Eye

Ep. 20: Desecrated Host - Mixed, Web, Flesh, possible Spiral, Eye

Ep. 21: Freefall - Vast

Ep. 22: Colony - Corruption

Ep. 23: Schwartzwald - Eye

Ep. 24: Strange Music - Stranger

Ep. 25: Growing Dark - Dark

Ep. 26: A Distortion – Spiral, secondary Corruption

Ep. 27: A Sturdy Lock - Spiral

Ep. 28: Skintight - Stranger

Ep. 29: Cheating Death - End

Ep. 30: Killing Floor - Flesh

Ep. 31: First Hunt - Hunt

Ep. 32: Hive - Corruption

Ep. 33: Boatswain's Call - Lonely

Ep. 34: Anatomy Class - Stranger

Ep. 35: Old Passages – Mixed, tangentially all of them

Ep. 36: Taken Ill - Corruption

Ep. 37: Burnt Offering - Desolation

Ep. 38: Lost and Found - Spiral

Ep. 39: Infestation – Corruption, secondary Stranger

Ep. 40: Human Remains – Corruption, Eye, Stranger

Ep. 41: Too Deep - Leitner

Ep. 42: Grifter's Bone - Slaughter

Ep. 43: Section 31 – Desolation, End

Ep. 44: Tightrope - Stranger

Ep. 45: Blood Bag - Corruption

Ep. 46: Literary Heights – Spiral, Vast

Ep. 47: The New Door - Spiral

Ep. 48: Lost in the Crowd - Lonely

Ep. 49: The Butchers Window - Flesh

Ep. 50: Foundations - Buried

Ep. 51: High Pressure - Vast

Ep. 52: Exceptional Risk - Dark

Ep. 53: Crusader - Eye

Ep. 54: Still Life - Stranger

Ep. 55: Pest Control - Corruption

Ep. 56: Children of the Night - Hunt

Ep. 57: Personal Space - Lonely

Ep. 58: Trail Rations - Flesh

Ep. 59: Recluse – Web, secondary Desolation

Ep. 60: Observer Effect - Eye

Ep. 61: Hard Shoulder – Buried, Hunt, secondary Stranger

Ep. 62: First Edition - End

Ep. 63: The End of the Tunnel - Dark

Ep. 64: Burial Rites - End

Ep. 65: Binary - End

Ep. 66: Held in Customs - Buried

Ep. 67: Burning Desire - Desolation

Ep. 68: The Tale of a Field Hospital - Corruption

Ep. 69: Thought for the Day - Web

Ep. 70: Book of the Dead - End

Ep. 71: Underground - Buried

Ep. 72: Takeaway - Flesh

Ep. 73: Police Lights - Dark

Ep. 74: Fatigue - Spiral

Ep. 75: A Long Way Down - Vast

Ep. 76: The Smell of Blood - Slaughter

Ep. 77: The Kind Mother - Stranger

Ep. 78: Distant Cousin - Stranger

Ep. 79: Hide and Seek – Stranger, Spiral

Ep. 80: The Librarian – Leitner, Pipe

Ep. 81: A Guest For Mr. Spider - Web

Ep. 82: The Eyewitnesses – Eye, Slaughter

Ep. 83: Drawing A Blank - Stranger

Ep. 84: Possessive - Corruption

Ep. 85: Upon the Stair - Spiral

Ep. 86: Tucked In - Dark

Ep. 87: The Uncanny Valley – Stranger, secondary Desolation

Ep. 88: Dig - Buried

Ep. 89: Twice as Bright - Desolation

Ep. 90: Body Builder - Flesh

Ep. 91: The Coming Storm – Vast, Spiral

Ep. 92: Nothing Beside Remains – Lonely, Eye

Ep. 93: Contaminant - Corruption

Ep. 94: Dead Woman Walking - End

Ep. 95: Absent Without Leave – Slaughter, possible End

Ep. 96: Return to Sender - Stranger

Ep. 97: We All Ignore the Pit - Buried

Ep. 98: Lights Out - Dark

Ep. 99: Dust to Dust - Buried

Ep. 100: I Guess You Had To Be There – Desolation, Dark, Spiral, Web, Lonely

Ep. 101: Another Twist – Stranger, Spiral

Ep. 102: Nesting Instinct - Corruption

Ep. 103: Cruelty Free - Flesh

Ep. 104: Sneak Preview - Stranger

Ep. 105: Total War - Slaughter

Ep. 106: A Matter Of Perspective -Vast

Ep. 107: Third Degree – Desolation, Hunt

Ep. 108: Monologue - Lonely

Ep. 109: Nightfall – Dark, Hunt

Ep. 110: Creature Feature - Web

Ep. 111: Family Business – End, Gerry

Ep. 112: Thrill of the Chase - Hunt

Ep. 113: Breathing Room - End

Ep. 114: Cracked Foundation - Web

Ep. 115: Taking Stock - Flesh

Ep. 116: The Show Must Go On – Stranger, secondary Slaughter

Ep. 117: Testament - Eye

Ep. 118: The Masquerade - Stranger

Ep. 119: Stranger and Stranger- and Stranger

Ep. 120: Eye Contact - Eye

Ep. 121: Far Away - End

Ep. 122: Zombie - Stranger

Ep. 123: Web Development - Web

Ep. 124: Left Hanging - Vast

Ep. 125: Civilian Casualties - Slaughter

Ep. 126: Sculptor's Tool - Spiral

Ep. 127: Remains to be Seen - Eye

Ep. 128: Heavy Goods – Stranger

Ep. 129: Submerged - Buried

Ep. 130: Meat - Flesh

Ep. 131: Flesh – Flesh, secondary Spiral

Ep. 132: Entombed - Buried

Ep. 133: Dead Horse - Hunt

Ep. 134: Time of Revelation – Extinction

Ep. 135: Dark Matter - Dark

Ep. 136: The Puppeteer - Web

Ep. 137: Nemesis - Slaughter

Ep. 138: The Architecture of Fear - Eye

Ep. 139: Chosen - Desolation

Ep. 140: The Movement of the Heavens - Dark

Ep. 141: Doomed Voyage – Spiral, Vast, maybe others

Ep. 142: Scrutiny - Eye

Ep. 143: Heart of Darkness - Dark

Ep. 144: Decrypted – Extinction

Ep. 145: Infectious Doubts – Desolation, Eye

Ep. 146: Threshold - Spiral

Ep. 147: Weaver - Web

Ep. 148: Extended Surveillance - Eye

Ep. 149: Concrete Jungle - Extinction

Ep. 150: Cul-De-Sac - Lonely

Ep. 151: Big Picture – Simon Fairchild

Ep. 152: A Gravedigger's Envy - Buried

Ep. 153: Love Bombing - Corruption

Ep. 154: Bloody Mary – Eye, End

Ep. 155: Cost of Living - End

Ep. 156: Reflection - Extinction

Ep. 157: Rotten Core - Corruption

Ep. 158: Panopticon – Stranger, Hunt, Lonely

Ep. 159: The Last – Lonely, Eye(s)

Ep. 160: The Eye Opens - Eye

#tma #the magnus archives #i should make a spreadsheet #long post #.txt

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kitaychan · 3 years

Text

White Flame

Chapter 12

Warnings: Blood, Psychological Horror

General Summary: Royal/ Magical AU. As their two Kingdoms get closer to a war, the past keeps on hovering around their choices. Prince Ivan has a hard time controlling his magical powers while being tormented by a mysterious ghost and Prince Alfred embarcs in seeking a revenge that might cost more than it’s worth it.

Preview: Alfred frowned, approaching the table. “Why do you know all that?”

“Because that law concerned all magic holders, it was a direct threat that took the lives of thousands, Ludwig’s father applied that law in his early years of reign, the sorcerers in the Middle and East Kingdoms were purged. It is an antecedent for us in the Islands as we received some of the refugees that fled from there.” Arthur took the book and the candle from the table, not bearing the smell of iron anymore, he motioned Alfred to follow him upstairs.

Knowledge

A single drop of water fell every now and then, echoing in the small basement, Arthur was sure it had been a dungeon before, for what purpose did the King have a dungeon in his palace? Arthur didn’t want to know. The place was damp, the door’s lock was so rusty, he didn’t have to use a key to open it.

Inside, the darkness was unbearable, he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face, Arthur had to light a candle but it only seemed to worsen the gloomy atmosphere the small room had.

Cobwebs covered the shelfs, the rusty chains on the floor were sticky, he hoped that the red splotches on them were oxide and not blood, the smell of iron was enclosed after years of not opening the room, Arthur had to breathe slowly so as to not gag.

The sooner he got to work, the sooner he’d be able to leave. He opened a shelf, a lone spider running away at the sign of him trespassing its home, the books inside were crumpled, the lower ones were wet, his eyes traveled over the faded letters in the covers, putting some over the table, Arthur frowned, that looked more like a dissection table but he had no right to question predecessors, not when he was guilty of usurpation.

The light flickered slightly, shadows dancing around the scattered books laying on the large table, tha yellow pages and the dusty covers showed the deteriorated state of the texts, Arthur cursed mentally, whoever had the nerve of putting books in here.

So far his search was futile, there was no mention of the creature he saw at the ball. Though his mind had pointed to the obvious label of ‘ghost’, its presence was beyond the forces of a mere spirit.

The wooden door cracked, the light from the candle merely revealed the person that stood in the entrance, Arthur would have been more cautious but the thunderous laughter that filled the small room was unmistakable.

“I can’t believe you are here, when I said that the old books were in the dungeon, I was joking.”

Arthur didn’t glance back, setting aside another useless book, diary was a better way to describe them, the handwriting was messy, barely legible, though they had some beautiful illustrations, the purpose of that book was merely botanical, nothing he could use. He sighed, a headache beginning to form in his head. “Alfred, why are these books here?”

“Because I said so.”

Arthur turned to him, crossing his arms. “This is not the moment for your games, I need a serious answer.”

Alfred shrugged, looking around, covering his nose with his hand as he entered. “That’s the answer, I got these books from a merchant, he said they were from the royal library in the east, I thought, “royal library of the east” as in books regarding their culture, geography and such, it was a scam, they are diaries from Ivan’s grandfather. What an irony that it is me who acquired them.” He picked up one from the pile, toying with the pages. “This guy should have been an artist, look at how realistic this looks. Do you think it is a self- portrait?”

The page Alfred was showing him was an illustration of a man, his haunting eyes looked directly at the observer, the traces were precise and resembled the same face he saw in the ball, Arthur eyes widened. “Bloody hell, Alfred, you have the best of luck. Let me see.”

Alfred raised an eyebrow, passing the pages rapidly as Arthur observed him with dread. “I found it first, I get to look at the drawings before you do. Look, it’s Yekaterina!” He held the book for him to see again.

A drawing of a young woman was there, her hair tied in a braid, it was barely a sketch but her face was detailed, her expression was soft, she was smiling.

At the end of the page, Arthur glanced at what seemed to be a poem, though he couldn’t distinguish all of the words. He sighed. “That’s probably her grandmother.”

Alfred observed the page again, nodding slightly, flickering through the book. “True but the resemblance is astonishing. There are more drawings of her, looks like he really loved her, right?”

Arthur grimaced, averting his gaze from Alfred. “He kind of killed her.”

The book was dropped on the table, making the pile of unrevised books shake. Alfred’s words held a speck of derision in their tone. “What? No way, is there anyone in that family not a murderous lunatic?”

“I don’t think he meant to do so.”

“What’s on your head, Arthur? Now, the whole notebook filled with portraits of his dead wife, places this guy into a creepier level.”

“Firstly, those portraits might be from before, she is really young in those. Secondly, he didn’t directly kill her, there was a law during his reign that declared all magic related activities forbidden. He didn’t happen to know that she was a sorcerer too. When the rules in the east are upheld, they apply to everyone, without hesitance and without privileges. That Alfred, is why they don’t usually change laws, it can be counterproductive for the royalty. After that incident the law was abolished, probably to save his son from that same fate.”

Alfred frowned, approaching the table. “Why do you know all that?”

When they were reaching the first floor, Alfred cleared his throat, a sheepish smile on his face. “Nice story time, you should enlighten me more about this and not those wacky tales of invisible creatures. Let’s get some dinner.”

“They are not tales and they are heavily connected with your own Kingdom’s history. In fact, I believe that man you showed me earlier had something to do with the behaviour of this King, such paranoia can’t be fortuitous.”

Entering the dining hall, Arthur noticed Madeline was already there waiting, the table was arranged and the food was served. Was Alfred looking for him so they could eat together? Arthur’s stomach twisted, reminding him how starved he was.

Alfred shook his head, patting him on the back. “What are you talking about this time, a ghost?”

The food looked astonishing but his appetite was spoilt, the smell of iron was lingering in his nose. “Perhaps” he replied, frowning at the sight of Alfred, he was giggling.

Noisy laughter echoed in the room, eclipsing Madeline’s greeting. “You are proposing a mighty opponent, Arthur. You can’t punch a ghost, you can’t kill it ‘cause it’s dead and you can’t even see it. How do you get rid of one?”

Arthur grimaced, taking a sip of the wine, Alfred always managed to formulate questions with answers that he could not give.

---

Ivan wandered around the hallways, the silence broken by his footsteps. Every now and then he found himself returning to the same place.

The trophy hall was tidy, the gray wolf had been covered again, it was an order he gave after his father died, even when he couldn’t bear to see the animal, he couldn’t bring himself to throw it away. What would that knight say if he could choose? Surely he wouldn’t want to be dead but if he were a ghost..

Ivan shook his head, he had to get some rest or else those silly thoughts would end up as a nightmare again.

Light footsteps echoed in the hall, a soft voice greeted him. “Good evening.”

Ivan turned around to see Natalya, she was holding her hands together, her blue dress was impeccable. He sighed, greeting her back. “Hello, Natalya. Do you like hanging around the palace?”

She nodded, approaching slowly, a frown in her face. “It is a beautiful place. How did the celebration go?”

He shrugged. “It was fine, the treaty was signed and Gilbert threatened us, the usual diplomacy."

She lowered her head, knitting her eyebrows. “That doesn’t sound very well, I hope it's nothing serious."

Ivan dismissed with his hand and shook his head, turning to watch the silhouette of the wolf, feeling Natalya's gaze on him, he asked. "Is there something you need?"

She nodded. "Yekaterina, she is looking for a seal, she asked me to retrieve it from you, said that you knew what she was talking about.”

Ivan pondered on what that could mean, but he hadn't entered the office since their arrival. "I don't understand. She must be confused."

He frowned, Natalya was still observing him, an awkward silence filled the room and she made no sign as to leave. She had another motive, didn't she?

Clearing his throat, he asked. "What do you like the most about the palace?”

Natalya shifted uncomfortably. “I… I like the gardens, they are colorful and the servants said that there was a peacock around, though, I haven’t seen it.”

Ivan chuckled, pacing around. “It’s a cunning animal. My father brought it from the east but just as the people from there, it does not trust us.”

Natalya observed the fabric covering the mounted animal. Placing her slender fingers on the wolf’s head, her voice betrayed her calm demeanour. “Why did you bring her back?” she huffed.

So, that was what she wanted to say.

Ivan glared at her. “Why did you take the letter? It wasn’t for you.”

She shrugged. “I delivered, Tolys was busy running away with Feliks. I had to read it for her, why did you think it was a good idea to send a letter to an illiterate person?”

Ivan’s eyes widened, he averted his gaze from her. “Well, you know why she’s here, why do you ask then?”

She hummed, lifting the fabric slightly. “Why her?”

He shook his head, taking Natalya’s hand and moving it away from the wolf. “There is not a single magician that would come here after what happened before, they are too scared and she may help me.”

Natalya took a step back, retreating her hand and muttering her question. “Why are you seeking magical power? Don’t you have it already?”

Ivan frowned, the fabric sliding swiftly from the animal, revealing the soft gray fur. “I can't control it as I wish.” The wolf’s blue eyes were staring back at him and he stepped back, his voice quivering slightly. “It can be quite dangerous.”

“It is foolish to ask that much from her, what if she knows nothing?” Natalya huffed.

Ivan locked his gaze with Natalya and she fumbled with her hands. “She has to, Natalya or I’ll have to ask help from Alfred’s sister.”

Looking back at the wolf, his hands trembled, those blue eyes, he couldn’t just throw the animal away, those eyes weren’t a beast's eyes, even after these years those blue orbs were still haunting.

Natalya’s voice changed abruptly, raising her volume. “Why do you ask the help of strangers when you could have relied on me? Am I that abhorrent to you?”

Ivan flinched at the sudden outburst, focusing on Natalya's expresion, her eyes were blue too, aside from the tears threatening to fall, her eyes had a glint of audacity now, strange as she didn’t seem to have enough will to contradict him before, Ivan wondered if he could trust her to be honest for once. “Natalya, do you love me?”

Her eyes widened but her answer came without hesitation. “Yes.”

Ivan grimaced, he was hoping she’d doubt, he approached her slowly. “I don’t think I can return your love the way you expect me to, Natalya, I do love you, just like I love my sister, we are family. You don’t have to submit to my wishes so easily, it makes me uncomfortable and it’s unnerving to deal with falsehood if it comes from you.”

She nodded, embracing him forcefully and sobbing. “I hate you.” her voice was shaky, she inhaled deeply after every sob. “I hate all of you, I try to keep everyone happy but Katya is cruel, my mother wants to get rid of me, my father doesn’t take me seriously and you… you don’t love me. You all should suffer more than I do.”

He waited for her to finish, her words were harsh, deep inside, Ivan was relieved, Natalya’s words were true, she was pouring her thoughts to him without worrying about his opinion.

When her voice stopped, she pushed him away, hiding her face with her hands and turning her back.

They stood for a while in silence, Natalya pacing around the room, she faced him, clearing her throat. “I can look for a mage in the firebird, my father said that the inhabitants were docile and well learned.”

He sighed, giving her a small smile and nodding. “We should go and look for the peacock, it must be hidden.”

She leaned to his side and took a hold of his arm, Ivan watched her wearily but did not push her aside.

“What is that you wish to know?” She asked, lifting an eyebrow. “About magic” she added.

“Anything about fire.”

Natalya chuckled, showing him a small smile. "I like that wolf, you shouldn't hide it, it's magnificent."

Ivan tried to stop himself from frowning while Natalya's grip tightened, perhaps it wasn't a good idea to rely on her.

---

The fireplace cracked, the wood inside gleaming with a bright yellow before turning red, Alfred liked to watch the flames consuming the logs, there was nothing better than sitting beside the warmth after a long day, that smell in the basement has left him dizzy.

He could lay beside the fireplace and rest, the carpet was soft and thick, the dim light emanating from it was an invitation to close his tired eyes, way before his father’s death, he found himself struggling to get a clear view from afar, this led him to abandon the hopes of mastering archery, how could he shoot if he didn’t see the target clearly?

He sighed, closing his eyes, soft footsteps approached, he didn’t have to see who it was, the steps were familiar, Madeline was always delicate, even when walking, she was an expert at sneaking around without getting caught.

Her voice broke the silence, “Is the light bothering you again?”

Alfred opened his eyes, her concerned expression was hard to distinguish with the low light, what he could see was the cream color of her dress and the book she was holding. He yawned, pointing at her hands. “What are you reading about this time?”

She sat by his side, showing him the book, the cover was green adorned with golden leafs, Madeline beamed. “It’s a book of spells, there is one that claims to conceal you from dangers.”

He hummed, his eyelids closing again. “Does it have one for my eyes? I could use some eagle vision or something.”

Madeline giggled, placing her hand in his forehead. “I don’t think that’s possible, to perform magic one has to give something, perhaps such a deed would require leaving you blind in the first place, in order for your vision to be changed.” She moved her hand over his closed eyes. “Let’s see.”

Alfred moved away rapidly, widening his eyes at Madeline's mischievous smile, he whined. “What? I don’t want to be blind!”

She laughed, reaching to touch him again. “I promise I’ll give you the eyes of an eagle, they could be yellow too.”

Alfred jerked away, laughing nervously. “No way, I like them blue, stay away.”

Madeline retreated her hands, “You have some correspondence” opening the book, she showed him several envelopes and a folded paper. "I have written a letter for Yekaterina,” she added.

Alfred raised an eyebrow, eyeing the letters, trying to read with no avail. “Ugh, I can’t read this late, what do they say?"

“I didn't open your letters, though, there is one from Ivan, what do you think he wants? I thought they'd be colder towards us."

He squinted his eyes, extending his hand to receive it, the blue seal was untouched. "No idea, I'll read it tomorrow. Why are you writing to Yekaterina?”

Madeline frowned, her gaze lowering to the folded paper. "Their father died, we have to send them condolences perhaps that's why he wrote to you.”

“We don’t really have to reply, they didn’t send anything to us before” He sat up, and clicked his tongue, waving the letter in his hand. “Wait, they did, they sent us a horrible treaty with the threat of more confrontation unless we accepted.”

Madeline frowned, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It is the right thing to do, besides Yekaterina is lovely and I want to keep contact with her. I just want you to sign it.”

Alfred glanced at the fireplace, he could throw the letter into the fire easily, a small chuckle escaped him. “Are you sure you wrote that letter to her?”

She retreated her hand, her voice serious. “What does that mean?”

He rolled his eyes, “Oh please, you spent most of our time with Gilbert, Ludwig or Ivan. Why would you write to Yekaterina if you were pleasantly talking with her brother the whole time?”

Madeline smiled, closing the book and standing. “I can write to him if that’s what you want. He sure makes some good and interesting questions, give me the letter and I will reply to it too.”

Alfred shook his head, why was she annoying him? “No, I do not want you to do that!”

She pursed her lips, dusting her dress. “You don’t like me talking to other people, I see.”

Alfred stood up, looking at the book in her hands. “To other guys whom I barely know anything about, No.”

She sighed, smiling again. “Do not worry. I wrote for Yekaterina and I didn’t mention how much you like her.”

Alfred gasped, shaking his head vigorously. “I don’t.”

Madeline laughed, pointing at the letter in his hand. “You said she was beautiful and it’s fine, think about how useful it would be if you married her, I’m sure his brother wouldn’t dare to declare a war on her or the other way around, you can’t attack your brother in law. Perhaps that's why he is writing, I'm sure he noticed how you were doting over his sister.”

“I said that she was beautiful because she is, that doesn’t mean I like her!”

She rolled her eyes, handing him the paper. “Whatever you say, just sign.”

Alfred frowned, taking the paper, he gaped at his sister's handwriting, it was so neat and elegant, unlike his. “No.” he paused, “You wrote the letter, is your doing, I will send one tomorrow but this is your work and I won’t take credit for it, let her read both letters and see how bad my writing is.”

Madeline giggled “Fine, I was going to save you from the embarrassment but have it your way.”

Alfred smiled as she walked away, he turned to the fireplace, the flames were dying alongside the light they provided, Alfred saw himself alone in the room, he traced the blue seal with his finger, opening the letter, squinting his eyes, some of the letters gained a bit of clarity, the words uprising, secrecy, aid, were registered by his brain, a cold feeling settled in his spine, he shivered folding the letter and ran behind his sister, calling out to her. “Wait Madie, you can’t leave me alone.”

She observed him quietly, a soft smile graced her face. “Quick or the ghost will catch you.”

When she halted her steps to look back at him, Alfred was relieved, the wrenched feeling in his gut disappearing slowly while a headache grew noticeable.

#hetalia #aph russia #aph america #aph england #aph belarus #aph ukraine #aph nyo canada #aph lithuania #hetalia fanfiction #hws russia #hws america #hws england #hws nyo canada #hws lithuania

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collectorscorner · 3 years

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CC Blogger - New Arrivals @ Collectors Corner : Wednesday 12/30/20

#NewComicsWednesday #NewComicsDay #LocalComicShop #LCBS #CollectorsCornerMD #MarvelComics #DcComics #ImageComics

CC Blogger - New Arrivals @ Collectors Corner : Wednesday 12/30/20

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weirdsciencecomics · 4 years

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Here is the weekly release schedule for all new releases of Marvel Comics appearing throughout the month of September. So, take this article with you to your local comic shop and you’ll be more prepared than a COVID-19 toilet paper hoarder. All of this is brought to you by your AMAZING friends at Weird Science Marvel Comics. Now, if you’d like to get each of these issues without going to the shop, simply click the Amazon Link below.

ON SALE Wednesday September 2nd 2020

BLACK WIDOW #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

CABLE #4 (click HERE to get a copy)

CAPTAIN BRITAIN: MARVEL TALES #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

EMPYRE #6 (click HERE to get a copy)

FANTASTIC FOUR #23 (click HERE to get a copy)

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #6 (click HERE to get a copy)

IMMORTAL HULK #0 (click HERE to get a copy)

MARVEL ZOMBIES: RESURRECTION #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #18 (click HERE to get a copy)

NEW MUTANTS #12 (click HERE to get a copy)

TRUE BELIEVERS: X-MEN MISTER SINISTER #1

TRUE BELIEVERS: X-MEN NANNY & ORPHAN MAKER #1

TRUE BELIEVERS: X:MEN SATURNYNE #1

WOLVERINE #5 (click HERE to get a copy)

ON SALE Wednesday September 9th 2020

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #48 (click HERE to get a copy)

CAPTAIN MARVEL #21 (click HERE to get a copy)

EMPYRE: AFTERMATH AVENGERS #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

EMPYRE: FALLOUT FANTASTIC FOUR #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

HELLIONS #4 (click HERE to get a copy)

IMMORTAL SHE-HULK #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

MARAUDERS #12 (click HERE to get a copy)

STAR WARS #6 (click HERE to get a copy)

THE RISE OF ULTRAMAN #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

TRUE BELIEVERS: X-MEN – EMPATH #1

TRUE BELIEVERS: X-MEN – SCALPHUNTER #1

WEB OF VENOM: WRAITH #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

X-FACTOR #3 (click HERE to get a copy)

X-FORCE #12 (click HERE to get a copy)

ON SALE Wednesday September 16th 2020

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: THE SINS OF NORMAN OSBORN #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

CAPTAIN AMERICA #23 (click HERE to get a copy)

EXCALIBUR #12 (click HERE to get a copy)

GIANT-SIZE X-MEN: STORM #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

IMMORTAL HULK #37 (click HERE to get a copy)

IRON MAN #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER #5 (click HERE to get a copy)

THOR #7 (click HERE to get a copy)

TRUE BELIEVERS: X-MEN CYPHER #1

TRUE BELIEVERS: X-MEN HAVOK #1

TRUE BELIEVERS: X-MEN MAGIK #1

VENOM #28 (click HERE to get a copy)

X-MEN #12 (click HERE to get a copy)

X-MEN: MARVELS SNAPSHOTS #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

ON SALE Wednesday September 23rd 2020

DAREDEVIL #22 (click HERE to get a copy)

DOCTOR DOOM #7 (click HERE to get a copy)

FANTASTIC FOUR: ANTITHESIS #2 (click HERE to get a copy)

JUGGERNAUT #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

MAESTRO #2 (click HERE to get a copy)

MARVELS X #5 (click HERE to get a copy)

SPIDER-MAN #4 (click HERE to get a copy)

SPIDER-WOMAN #4 (click HERE to get a copy)

STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS #5 (click HERE to get a copy)

TALES OF SUSPENSE #39 FACSIMILE EDITION (click HERE to get a copy)

TRUE BELIEVERS: X-MEN SATURNYNE #1

TRUE BELIEVERS: X-MEN SOULSWORD #1

X OF SWORDS: CREATION #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

ON SALE Wednesday September 30th 2020

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #49 (click HERE to get a copy)

AVENGERS #36 (click HERE to get a copy)

FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER #3 (click HERE to get a copy)

FANTASTIC FOUR #24 (click HERE to get a copy)

GIANT-SIZE X-MEN: TRIBUTE TO WEIN & COCKRUM #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

IMMORTAL HULK: THE THRESHING PLACE #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

MARVEL ZOMBIES: RESURRECTION #2 (click HERE to get a copy)

SHANG-CHI #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #4 (click HERE to get a copy)

STRANGE ACADEMY #3 (click HERE to get a copy)

X-FACTOR #4 (click HERE to get a copy)

X OF SWORDS HANDBOOK #1 (click HERE to get a copy)

Finally, if you’re looking for something else to read, check out my Amazon Online Comic Shop by clicking HERE. Thank you all for the read and continued support. Stay safe and stay healthy.

Check out our other Reviews HERE

Check out our other Previews HERE

September Weekly Marvel Comics Release Schedule: #september #marvel #comics #marvelcomics #xofswords #xmen #avengers #fantasticfour #hulk #ironman #thor #captainamerica #houseofx #powersofx #hoxpox #spiderman #art #info #previews #reviews Here is the weekly release schedule for all new releases of Marvel Comics appearing throughout the month of September.

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mostlysignssomeportents · 4 years

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#8yrsago Nursery Rhyme Comics: Great comic illustrators do Mother Goose

FirstSecond's new Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists is one of those rare parental treasures: a picture book that kids and parents can really enjoy together. Editor Chris Duffy invited some of the greatest names in comic illustration to choose their favorite Mother Goose classics and illustrate them to their taste.

The result is an absolute delight from the first page to the last. How can you not love a book that includes Jules Feiffer's "Girls and Boys Come Out to Play"; Lucy Knisley's "There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe" (a fantastic rock-n-roll reinterpretation of the original); Richard Thompson's "There Was An Old Woman Tossed Up in a Basket"; Gahan Wilson's (!) "Itsy-Bitsy Spider"; Mike Mignola's "Solomon Grundy"; Jaime Hernandez's "Jack and Jill"; Jordan Crane's "Old Mother Hubbard"; Vera Bosgol's "There Was a Little Girl"; Gilbert Hernandez's "Humpty Dumpty" and Gene Yang's "Pat-a-Cake"?

That's nothing like a comprehensive list, by the way -- the table of contents for this set my mouth watering as soon as I saw it, and the live-fire bedtime exercise has been an unqualified success. My three year old is all over this like fudge on sundaes.

FirstSecond were kind enough to let me include a selection of opening pages from the book -- click through below to get a preview!

Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists

https://boingboing.net/2011/10/12/nursery-rhyme-comics-great-com.html

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fascinatedfae · 4 years

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TMA Opinions Time: S3 Edition

I cannot BELIEVE I’m more than halfway through season 4 and completely forgot to do this. Anyways we love gerry keay and tim stoker in this household (thought a guest for mr spider would be higher up but the episodes were so good this season, sorry jon). The sorter is here and it’s super useful!

@vonlipvig

rank options 1 TMA 111 - Family Business 1 TMA 113 - Breathing Room 3 TMA 104 - Sneak Preview 4 TMA 101 - Another Twist 5 TMA 119 - Stranger And Stranger 5 TMA 120 - Eye Contact 7 TMA 118 - The Masquerade 8 TMA 117 - Testament 9 TMA 116 - The Show Must Go On 10 TMA 81 - A Guest For Mr. Spider 11 TMA 82 - The Eyewitnesses 12 TMA 91 - The Coming Storm 13 TMA 94 - Dead Woman Walking 14 TMA 93 - Contaminant 15 TMA 98 - Lights Out 16 TMA 97 - We All Ignore The Pit 17 TMA 102 - Nesting Instinct 18 TMA 108 - Monologue 19 TMA 106 - A Matter Of Perspective 20 TMA 89 - Twice As Bright 20 TMA 90 - Body Builder 22 TMA 87 - The Uncanny Valley 23 TMA 83 - Drawing A Blank 24 TMA 85 - Upon The Stair 25 TMA 103 - Cruelty Free 26 TMA 107 - Third Degree 27 TMA 84 - Possessive 28 TMA 110 - Creature Feature 29 TMA 109 - Nightfall 30 TMA 88 - Dig 31 TMA 86 - Tucked In 32 TMA 115 - Taking Stock 33 TMA 114 - Cracked Foundation 34 TMA 112 - Thrill Of The Chase 35 TMA 92 - Nothing Beside Remains 36 TMA 105 - Total War 37 TMA 95 - Absent Without Leave 38 TMA 99 - Dust To Dust 39 TMA 96 - Return To Sender 40 TMA 100 - I Guess You Had To Be There

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ducktalkspodcast · 5 years

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Fanboy Expo begins tomorrow July 12th and runs through Sunday July 14th in Knoxville, TN. Several months ago Fanboy started advertising that this year would include several animators and voice actors from Disney and other production companies. I started watching the convention very closely at that point.

Fanboy Expo 2019 will be held at the Knoxville Convention Center and World’s Fair Park. The convention is extremely accessible and in a beautiful part of the city. You can check out the convention’s maps below.

Fanboy Expo will include vendors, cosplay, celebrity guests and Q/A panels. For those of us in the Disney Duck Fandom there are quite a few things to attend. Let’s start with the guests. Fanboy Expo 2019 has delivered some great guests.

The announcement that I have been most excited about has been Mike and Patty Peraza. The married couple are currently Disney Imagineers working on concept art for attractions and they provide artwork for Disney galleries. They both have rich Disney portfolios, and Mike’s work has recently been featured in the recent DuckTales series (the credits in “Last Christmas!” and the Drake Mallard origin in “The Duck Knight Returns!”). Mike was the art director on the Disney features The Great Mouse Detective and The Little Mermaid. He was also a creator on many Disney Afternoon shows including DuckTales, Goof Troop, Darkwing Duck, and TaleSpin! Patty has the honor of being the first woman to be hired by Disney’s CalArts Character Animation program. She has worked on many features including The Black Cauldron, The Great Mouse Detective, and Tron. Patty was also the production manager on 1997’s Beauty and the Beast, and she worked the animated series DuckTales and TaleSpin.

Not only will Mike and Patty be set up on the show floor, but they will also have a Q/A Fan Panel on Friday July 12th from 2:50-3:35. I took off work and plan on attending this panel.

Frank Welker will forever be the voice of Megatron to me, but Disney Afternoon fans also know him as Bubba the Caveduck and Bigtime Beagle. Frank has hundreds of credits to his name. He will be at the convention Friday and Saturday. His autographs are $95 and he has photos available at an additional cost. Frank will also be in a Q/A Panel with Grey Griffin in the Main Room from 4:00 – 4:50 on Friday July 12th. Frank will have a photo opportunity at 2:45 Saturday at Booth 2.

Tara Strong is known for her many voice acting credits over the past few years. From My Little Pony to Rugrats she has voiced many of today’s most popular animated characters. For those of us in the DuckTales community she voiced Briar, one of the kelpies (“murder ponies”) from “The Missing Links of Moorshire!” Tara will be on the floor and has photo ops available. There will be a photo opportunity with Tara on Friday July 12th at 4:30 at Booth 2, at Booth 1 on Saturday at 5:00, and at Booth 2 at 11:30 & 3:00 on Sunday.

Only an elite group of individuals have voiced the legendary character Mickey Mouse. Bret Iwan has been the official voice of Mickey since 2009 following the death of Wayne Allwine. Bret has voiced Mickey in Kingdom Hearts III, Disney Infinity, and the recent Mickey and the Roadster Racers. Bret’s autograph can be purchased for $40 at his booth. Bret will have a Q/A Panel on Sunday on the Main Stage from 11:15 – 12:05.

Jodi Benson is the voice of Ariel from The Little Mermaid. She was the speaking and singing voice of the character in pretty much every version including the series! She was also the voice of Barbie in Toy Story 2 & 3. Jodi will be signing autographs at her booth for $50. At 4:00 on Friday July 12th Jodi will be doing photos at Booth 1 with C.D. Barnes, Saturday July 13th at 1:15 and Sunday at 1:20. On Saturday July 13th Jodi will be on the Main Stage for the Little Mermaid Q/A Panel from 12:20 – 1:10.

Fanboy Expo really went after the Little Mermaid theme. Christopher Daniel Barnes will also be in attendance. He voiced Prince Eric and Spider-Man/Peter Parker in the 1994 animated series! C.D. will sign autographs for $30.

Outside of the Perazas the Star Wars Resistance area has me the most excited. Children’s Hospital will benefit from the proceeds of the autographs sold. Christopher Sean (Kaz Kazuda) and Suzie Mcgrath (Tam Ryvora) will be in the area and their autographs are $25 each. Admittedly, I had a hard time getting into Resistance, but the season ended strong, and I can’t wait for season two to begin. Sean and Suzie will also at the 200 Rooms Saturday July 13th from 3:50 – 4:35 for the Star Wars Resistance Q/A Panel.

Additional Panel Schedule to note

Friday July 12th 3:40 – 4:25 Disney Sing Along in 200 Rooms.

Saturday July 13th 12:55 – 1:35 Disney Sing Along in 200 Rooms.

Do you plan on attending Fanboy Expo? I’ll be there all day Friday. Find me for a free DuckTalks button! Let us know if you are coming, and what you are most excited to buy, see, or attend.

Fanboy Expo Knoxville Preview! Fanboy Expo begins tomorrow July 12th and runs through Sunday July 14th in Knoxville, TN. Several months ago Fanboy started advertising that this year would include several animators and voice actors from Disney and other production companies.

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