#excelsior television

[stra-tek]

More Roddenberry Archive musings...

This is supposedly the launch configuration of the Prime universe U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701's main bridge. It's based on the first piece of concept art for the TOS set, and is one of several weird not-quite-canon things the Roddenberry Archive has decided to consider canonical. 2 command chairs and the whole centre console and chairs spins to face the very minimalist 60's scifi perimeter consoles or viewscreen. Try to imagine Captain April and first officer Chris Pike on this bridge, it's weird.

Behold! The top of the Jeffries Tube.

FERENGI ATM MACHINE ON THE PROMENADE!!!!

The view from OG Captain Pike's bed, featuring his awesome TV, his laser gun and his Starfleet hat. We wouldn't get hats back in Trek for 50 years.

This is inside the Ringship Enterprise XCV-330, circa 2100. The Ringship in canon was seen only in picture form or a desktop model, we never saw inside. The ship was actually designed for a non-Trek Roddenberry scifi show called Starship which never came to be, and there was actually concept art made for the interior which the RA people decided to import to Trek too. Predating the transporter, here is the Metafier.

Discovery Season 2's U.S.S. Enterprise has a cool corridor running around it. Walk around it and... it goes nowhere😂 the Archive tries to balance the reality of everything being a television show with the fantasy of a 100% accurate in-universe museum, it'll give sets ceilings to make them into a believable spaceship but doesn't want to go nuts inventing too much of it's own stuff and that sometimes leads to weird stuff like this dead end

Speaking of ceilings, here's the ceiling and lights of the classic TOS Enterprise's corridors. I think they did a decent job keeping to the TOS aesthetic. The sets TOS was filmed on didn't have ceilings at all.

The Enterprise-B actually had a red carpet for special guests Kirk, Scotty and Chekov

Strange New Worlds has the coolest transporter room of all. Just look at it😍

The TNG Enterprise battle bridge has it's own ready room! And it's super tiny, ultra cramped and Picard probably never used it because there's no replicator in there and thus no access to tea.

The 1st version of TNG engineering's big Master Systems Display as seen in "Encounter at Farpoint". Ten Forward wouldn't be a thing until season 2, and you can see here an earlier deck layout and the original concept for the saucer rim, a corridor walkway with windows above and below. You'll also note Ten Forward would actually be on deck 11 had they not changed the diagram by then.

Kirk's quarters on the TOS Enterprise has dresser drawers full of uniforms for when his gets torn

Walking around the Roddenberry Archive ships is eerie as hell. You're the only one on board, exploring corridors and poking your head into rooms. These starships are liminal spaces. This for me adds to the atmosphere greatly.

Here's the link (enjoy before it vanishes again!):

Roddenberry.x.io

Here's my original post about the Roddenberry Archive:

Also a clarification, I was wrong when I said it won't be in VR. There is one VR setup it was designed for - the $3,000 Apple Vision Pro. More details here, although it appears to only show a 2D window rather than be fully immersive 3D, possibly confirming what I was told previously that no current 3D setup is capable of doing a true VR experience:

#star trek #star trek the original series #tng #starship design #behind the scenes #roddenberry archive #deep dive #ringship enterprise #the next generation #strange new worlds #apple vision pro #uss enterprise #enterprise

[fearsmagazine]

A BKBX FRANKENSTEIN - Review

Dates: November 17th to 20th, 2022 Company: Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) | www.brokenboxmime.com Theater: 14th St Y, 344 E 14th St New York, 10003 | www.14streety.org Actors: Julia Cavagna, Duane Cooper, Blake Habermann, David Jenkins, Marissa Molnar, Kristin McCarthy Parker, Regan Sims, Leah Wagner, & Josh Wynter . Crew: Artistic Director - Becky Baumwoll; Associate Artistic Director - Tasha Milkman; Stage Manager - Celina Revollar; Lighting Design - Annie Liu; Composer, Music Director, Sound Design - Jack McGuire; & Resident Stage Manager - Esti Bernstein

SYNOPSIS: The production takes many themes of Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein” and incorporates them into seven contemporary tales:

“The Opening” - A scientist works on her creature and faces her entity, its reception, and the consequences of the clashes.

“The Answers” - In what feels like a tale taken from the headlines, an individual joins others participating in a self-improvement group that transforms into a cult-like experience where the group becomes the body of the creation.

“Automatic” - An interesting examination of society’s compulsion with military indoctrination, weapons, and the fear that can rise out of it.

“M-Pop” - An engaging look at the exploitation of boy bands, the extremes that it can go to, and in the final act presents a dark extreme that feels like an eventual finale.

“Starship Excelsior” - A sci-fi take on the “Frankenstein” story as the production’s take moves from an Arctic setting to outer space. The tale takes several interesting twists and turns as it pauses before the final confrontation.

“Our Corporate Promise” - What opens with lighter notes transforms into a dark comment on corporate America and our individual responsibility as contributors to climate change.

“Survival Mode” - A compelling blend of themes that looks at the modern family and how it is impacted by monsters, technology, and alternate realities that can offer an escape.

“Starship Excelsior” - in the conclusion the company brings the performance to an end as they address the issues of what it means to be responsible for what we create, the concept of what it means to be alive, and our place among the stars.

L to R - Back Row: David Jenkins, Marissa Molnar; Front Row Becky Baumwoll, Blake Habermann, Dinah Berkeley | Courtesy Bjorn Bolinder

REVIEW: I was intrigued that the concepts in Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein” were adapted into contemporary themes and presented using the art of mime. Sure I was familiar with mimes and remember seeing the most famous mime Marcel Marceau on television in my youth. Still, I went into the performance with an open mind and limited expectations.

14th St Y Black Box Theater is an impressive space. I’ve been to many off-off Broadway productions over the years in spaces that were converted into makeshift theater spaces. The Y’s space feels like a smaller version of St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, NY. Not something I would expect to find in a Y, known mostly for its physical fitness space and pool. The venue has an excellent sound and lighting system, and an impressive floor to ceiling screen, and the production adeptly took full advantage of the space.

The production did an excellent job of weaving in lighting and original musical pieces to marvelously enhance the tales. Jack McGuire composed the majority of the music for the production and there are some other compositions provided by additional contributors. It’s interesting how the pieces fit together so well as there is a homogeneous sound design to the music. It’s not quite new age music, but there is a tone and feel that nicely complements the pieces. The music and the lighting are the only elements to augment the performances as the art of mime employees no other props or set design. Those elements brilliantly add to the magical spell the performers weave over the audience.

L to R - Blake Habermann, Joel Perez | Courtesy Bjorn Bolinder

The performers are dressed all in black and it delightfully works with the science fiction themes of the stories. Unlike traditional mimes, their arms are exposed, they are not wearing gloves, and their whiteface is minimally accentuated with black lines. The makeup is not a thick, heavy, pancake makeup. Mime is known for exaggerated facial expressions, but this makeup, combined with the lighting, allows many of the subtle facial expressions to come through and convey a wider array of emotions. Also, the short sleeves and lack of gloves adds to their performances as you see the emotional state is reflected in their musculature. It elevates their performances from mime to a physical modern dance.

The cast is mesmerizing. Again, their performances transcend the mime art form and are as fluid and poetic as modern dance. I couldn’t help but think of the Pilobolus dance company. There are movements and positions that require a dancer’s strength and agility, as well as grace and fluidity. Their movement clearly channels the themes of each piece, feels like physical poetry, and is equally hypnotic. They seamlessly move between pieces creating unique characters. They create lighter moments where and allow the pieces dark moments to organically rise up. There are numerous haunting moments that resonate after the show.

I loved the concept of each piece and how that applied to the “Frankenstein” themes. It was interesting how there was a cohesiveness to all the performances and pieces, even though the opening and Starship Excelsior part one and two are more directly linked. There are no spoken words but you feel the story arcs and understand the narrative. The work transcends spoken language and is an exceptional storytelling experience. It affects the head, the heart, and the stomach presenting a complex emotional palette.

L to R - Blake Habermann, Regan Sims, Joel Perez | Courtesy Bjorn Bolinder

A BKBX FRANKENSTEIN is an extraordinary theater experience that, without question, has the attributes of a Broadway production. A talented cast is put through the paces of award worthy choreography that is intensified by effective musical pieces and magical lighting. I was blown away and left the theater feeling both invigorated and introspective. The production enthralled me right from the opening and held me to the end. Unquestionably an unparalleled production company, I eagerly await what they deliver next. A BKBX FRANKENSTEIN was a remarkable theatrical experience.

Review By: Joseph B Mauceri

#theater #review #bkbx #broken box mime theater #14th st y #frankenstein #new york city #monsters #villians #technology #science fiction #mimetite #Mary Shelly #joseph mauceri #joseph b mauceri

[partly-cloudyskies]

Pretty rough day today, so instead of bashing my brain against the Excelsior I decided to go do something familiar, so time to open up one of the remaining NX models.

Putting the dry fit together didn’t take long since I already know how it all goes together.

We’ll be doing a variation, the NX refit, with a larger deflector dish on the front of a lowered and expanded engineering hull. This never showed up on television and was only ever a concept, but I think it’s a pretty cool design.

The major parts, primed in gray.

One of the reasons the Excelsior still frustrates is that I’m worried about screwing up the pre-shading since I’m still new to the technique, so trying out on a model I’m familiar with makes sense to me. Here I’m spraying pre-shade of dark gray and then we’re gonna put Enterprise gray-green on top of it:

It turned out pretty nice! So nice, we’re gonna do the bottom half of the saucer too:

So far so good.

I also want to start thinking about custom color schemes and how to plan them, so I opened up a picture of my finished NX in a free svg editor and started planning.

Original:

Plan:

Pretty simple. If I go through with this it will just be a question of using masking tape and being very patient while masking. Actual designs will follow.

#pcs puts pieces together #nx refit

[scottishdreams]

Shock images show Dundee Utd and Airdrie fans exchanging punches on field as ugly ...

Dundee ^ | HERE'S the shock moment ugly scenes followed the televised clash between Dundee Utd and Airdrieonians.United fans spilled onto the Excelsior ... http://dlvr.it/T667PT

[tailsrevane]

[movie review] star trek: generations (1994)

we watched this around the christmas season because it’s a much hotter christmas movie take than die hard or even batman returns. literally no one is talking about how star trek: generations is a christmas movie! justice for star trek: generations, you guys!

i like the tos movies even though they’re pretty un-star trekky, so when i was a kid i would actually oftentimes watch the beginning of this movie just because it was a nice little 15 minute tos movie, you know? it was funny, it was action-packed… i don’t know a lot about the production of this movie, but it really does feel like people who worked on the tos films worked on this opening scene and people who worked on tng worked on the rest of it? that might not be remotely true, but it’s what it feels like.

also like… the enterprise-b is just gorgeous? over the years i do think i’ve come around to the basic bitch version of the excelsior class as my preferred version of that ship, and honestly my appreciation for that class of ship in general has skyrocketed, but like idk it’s always very fanservicey as a star trek fan to get to see a new enterprise, you know? and filling in all the little gaps in the franchise’s history is just always something that’s gonna be inherently appealing.

it is weird as fuck how obvious it is that they originally wrote scotty & chekov’s parts for spock & mccoy and barely changed them, though. like, i think there were a few very small rewrites for scotty (or, hell, some of them might’ve been ad-libs by james doohan for all i know), but yeah then you have distractingly weird stuff like… dr. chekov??? taking charge of sickbay??? and just blatantly acting the way mccoy would in that situation? like, it isn’t too much of a stretch to imagine chekov jumping in and helping with that because no one else has the training or whatever, but the way he acts like it comes that naturally to him and he had bones’ personality transplanted onto him is just so weird.

lastly in the tos era prologue, it is pretty obvious that someone involved in the writing of this movie has some serious beef with journalists??? like, uh, wow? and that whole angle with the swarm of reporters with vlogger headcams just felt weird & out of place for a star trek story, though i guess props on predicting the whole headcam thing?

while i did love this part of the movie as a kid, my trek preferences have shifted emphatically in the opposite direction over the years, so that when we get the “seventy-eight years later” transition it feels to me now like the movie is finally getting started. more than that, i just wholly question the necessity of a “passing of the torch” movie, you know? i felt like the ending of star trek vi was the perfect swan song for the original cast, and kirk’s final captain’s log explicitly passes the torch to future crews of ships called enterprise (a metatextual nod to tng, which had already completed four seasons of television at that point).

i really don’t think tos’s inclusion in generations added anything to either series. i assume the thought process is that the general moviegoing audience hadn’t formed a relationship with the tng crew the way they had the tos crew, but i really question whether the tos crew was really a particularly strong box office draw by this point? my (admittedly unresearched) assumption here is that this is one of those overly cautious movie exec moves that makes them more comfortable with a movie’s marketability regardless of whether it actually fits the facts of a situation, and it just makes this movie age terribly.

i do really like generations, it’s one of my favorite star trek movies in spite of all of this, but that’s basically entirely because of the strictly tng portions of the movie. at this point i just really find myself wishing tng’s first movie had been strictly a tng movie from start to finish.

both criticisms & praise of this movie often point to the fact that the bulk of it feels like a longer, better-funded episode of tng, and like… yeah! that’s exactly what i love about it, and exactly what made it my favorite tng movie for a minute when i wanted to resist the obvious fact that first contact is the best tng movie. and like… i’m glad we got generations (even in its somewhat adulterated form), but i find myself just wishing we could’ve gotten more of these kinds of tng movies, you know?

i love the enterprise-e, i think it’s a gorgeous ship, but it was really nice seeing some real resources thrown at the enterprise-d. doing more interesting things with the lighting, etc. and like… this is silly, but at the end of the movie jonathan frakes puts his hand on the enterprise-d’s captain’s chair, and says, “i always thought i’d get a shot at this chair one day,” and holy heck we didn’t let jonathan frakes direct a movie set aboard the enterprise-d??? considering he leonard nimoys the next two tng movies, that just feels like a massive missed opportunity, but alas.

before i entirely move on from superficial details that literally no one else cares about, i know there’s a general consensus that the ds9 uniforms look kinda dumpy compared to both the tng uniforms and the upgraded tng movie uniforms (which end up being carried forward into ds9)... but i actually kinda loved seeing a lot of the tng main characters wearing ds9/voyager era uniforms? it’s probably a nostalgia factor because voyager was the first star trek series i actually watched start-to-finish as it was airing, but yeah i’ve always liked those uniforms.

and yeah, this wasn’t the most expensive movie ever or anything, and you can see a few places where they cut corners, but even seeing a fairly cheap movie compared to a tv budget… it was just pretty fucking cool, you know? and it was all just like… heightened versions of shit we already liked. like, tng already had great music, but giving that crew the resources of a movie to make more tng music gave us a fucking awesome score. we got to see new locations like guinan’s quarters and stellar cartography. we got to see ten forward be as crowded as it probably always was supposed to be.

superficial details aside, there’s plenty to love about the tng portions of this movie. as a confirmed worf stan i fucking love that the first thing we get is his badly overdue promotion to lieutenant commander, and how playful and fun that whole deal was. and everyone rushing to the bridge still in costume to answer the red alert was fucking glorious, i love that kind of shit.

and although some segments of it were more successful than others, i liked that there was room for some of the cast to split off and do their own things. deanna gets to do some good therapy shit with picard (and to a lesser extent data), geordi & data get to have their friendship tested & reaffirmed, geordi gets to end up as the damsel in distress for the fucking millionth time, riker gets to be in command during a crisis/space battle… it feels like a lot more characters get serviced in this one than in future movies.

don’t get me wrong, this isn’t perfect. it would have been nice to get more of this, and there are some rather obvious characters on the short end of the stick. like, picard and data definitely have the biggest stories to chew on in this movie, and that’s a trend that will continue throughout the rest of the movies. deanna’s story, while still a better utilization of her character than you get in many of these movies, is still ultimately there to have someone for picard to emote at. (and like… yeah, patrick stewart kicks ass at this because of course he does, but it still bears mentioning.) geordi’s role is as the subordinate character in data’s story… and then there’s dr. crusher, who has literally nothing to do other than be the butt of a joke on two occasions. woof.

like, they all have something to do, and that’s nice, and compares favorably to the other tng movies, but there’s still a pretty pronounced gap here. some of that is almost certainly attributable to the understandable difficulty curve in hammering a tv series into the shape of a movie, but the patterns of which characters get the juicy parts and which ones get the subordinate ones is… well, it’s pretty fucking telling. and before anyone comes at me like “well, it’s just the most marketable actors,” a) that’s been the excuse used to focus on cishet white guys in hollywood for literally forever, and b) you really want to look me in the eye and tell me that levar burton isn’t at least as good of an actor as anyone else in the cast? if you can’t market him, that’s on you.

i mean, hell, this movie brought back (and killed) the duras sisters, and they weren’t even the big bads of the movie! they were subordinated to a one-off appearance by malcolm mcdowell! and while it was undeniably cool seeing him chew up scenery across from patrick stewart, we aren’t just subordinating our own black & women characters to our own white guy characters, we’re importing whole new white guys to subordinate them to!

still, though… this kind of movie with its greater faithfulness to the series that came before clearly allowed for more space for little individual stories to happen, and it only makes me wish even more fervently that we had gotten more tng movies with this same rough format. maybe then we would’ve seen juicier parts for these characters. or maybe not. because, again, while there were definitely pressures pushing the creative team towards making this the picard & data show going forward, in the end those pressures are going to push you towards the things you value the most anyway, right? it’s probable that the shape i wish these movies had taken wouldn’t have ever really been able to happen without some pretty massive changes in both the movie industry and the priorities of the people making them, so it’s all well and good for me to point out their shortcomings, but at the end of the day i can only be so hard on them considering i do genuinely like these movies for all their shortcomings.

a-rank

#star trek #star trek generations #star trek movies #star trek tng #tng #star trek: the next generation #star trek tng movies #reviews #movie review #movies #christmas #christmas movies #star trek generations is a christmas movie

[lamilanomagazine]

Accordo tra Regione Veneto e Veneto Film Commission

Accordo tra Regione Veneto e Veneto Film Commission. In occasione della 79esima Mostra internazionale d’arte cinematografica di Venezia è stato presentato mercoledì all’hotel Excelsior del Lido di Venezia, nello spazio dedicato alla Regione del Veneto, l’accordo di collaborazione tra l’Amministrazione regionale e la Veneto Film Commission. Un protocollo nato con lo scopo di promuovere le bellezze ed eccellenze paesaggistiche regionali da suggerire come location per set cinematografici o da inserire in produzioni televisive. «Il cinema dimostra di essere un potente strumento di marketing territoriale capace di dare risalto alle bellezze paesaggistiche e naturalistiche, a quelle artistiche e culturali di qualsiasi luogo – ha spiegato l’assessore regionale al Turismo -. Riuscire ad attirare l’attenzione di media nazionali ed esteri significa che abbiamo molto da raccontare e che i nostri luoghi ben si prestano come quinte naturali per ambientare serie, film, spot pubblicitari. La sinergia tra Regione e la Film Commission contribuirà non solo alla promozione del Veneto e delle sue peculiarità territoriali, ma produrrà anche importanti effetti sulla crescita del cineturismo e della cultura legata al cinema». L’accordo di collaborazione siglato tra la Direzione Promozione Economica e Marketing Territoriale con la Veneto Film Commission ha come obiettivo quello di unire due settori strategici per lo sviluppo turistico di una destinazione, quello cinematografico e quello turistico. Un binomio che trova enfasi con quelle produzioni audiovisive che hanno continuato a manifestare il proprio interesse partecipando al fondo riservato messo a disposizione dall’Assessorato regionale al Turismo di concerto con l’Assessorato alla Cultura.... Read the full article

[enricaleone91]

Guida Tv Sabato 23 luglio

Guida Tv Sabato 23 luglio

Attenzione! Eventuali cambi di programmazione dell’ultimo minuto, dati da eventi eccezionali, non sempre possono essere riportati!Programmazione delle principali emittenti televisive per la sera: Rai Uno: The voice senior Rai Due: Quarti di finale calcio europeo femminile Rai Tre: La fabbrica del mondo Rete 4: Gran Hotel Excelsior Canale 5: Lo show dei record Italia 1: Superman e LoisLa7: Il…

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[tendie-defender]

Stan Lee

United States Army Signal Corps.

#army #military #veterans day #stan lee #rip #marvel #marvel comics #spiderman #excelsior #captian america #the hulk #iron man #marvel movies #marvel television

[kiryuva]

for those who are interested in Overwatch League, if you link your Twitch account to your Battle.Net account, you will receive Overwatch League Tokens for the matches you watch live.

to connect your accounts on Twitch, go to your Settings, select the Connections tab, then select the check mark to sync your accounts. this applies to all platforms.

there was a test run yesterday, and those who already had theirs linked received Tokens. keep an eye out, as Blizzard intends to reward players soon.

#watching Overwatch League is essentially regular television for me at this point #overwatch #overwatch league #overwatch league tokens #twitch #battle.net #boston uprising #dallas fuel #florida mayhem #houston outlaws #london spitfire #los angeles gladiators #los angeles valiant #new york excelsior #philadelpha fusion #san francisco shock #seoul dynasty #shanghai dragons

[4444ff]

#star trek #excelsior #tech #television #robots #art #science #film #gaming #history #comics

[lyss-writes]

Excelsior (Part 7)

[7/?]

Tom walked home in a terrible mood. His cheek was smarting from the slap, his pride was wounded, and all he could think about was Shiv. Shiv, and her big, beautiful eyes; Shiv, crinkling her nose at him when he proposed, laughing when he scooped her up in his arms and spun her around; Shiv, with tears shimmering in her eyes, telling him that she couldn’t commit to a monogamous relationship on their fucking wedding night; Shiv, head thrown back in the throes of pleasure while Nate fucked into her, in their shower, in their condo.

He slammed the front door behind him on his way in. It rattled loudly in the frame.

“Tommy?” his mother called to him from the living room. The television was blaring at top volume. It sounded like a Vikings game. “Honey, are you all right? Jonas called and said you left early.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re sure? Jonas sounded worr—” His mom stepped out into the hallway and caught Tom shrugging off his suit jacket. She gasped. “Oh my God! What happened to your face?!”

“Huh?” Tom reached up to touch his cheek; the skin was hot to the touch, flaming with a blood blush. “I don’t know. It’s fine.”

“Tommy, what happened?”

“What the hell is going on?” his dad demanded, following his wife’s voice out into the foyer. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Tom. “Jesus. What happened at dinner?”

“Nothing,” Tom said through gritted teeth. “I’m fine. God.”

“That doesn’t look like nothing, son.”

“Would you just leave me alone, for Christ’s sake?!” Tom snapped. “I said I’m fine!”

His parents stared at him, wide-eyed.

And then, as if someone had flipped a switch, Tom burst into tears.

It was uncontrollable. One minute he was fine, and the next minute he was sobbing his fucking eyes out, crying harder than he’d ever cried in his life. It was kind of like standing in the middle of the ocean when the surf was rough, and wave after wave kept coming in, taking him out at the knees, the waves crashing down on him hard enough to send him toppling, and just when he would find the strength to stagger to his feet, another wave would roll in and suck him right back under.

He felt his mom sink down next to him, felt her hand warm and comforting between the planes of his shoulders, and he tried to choke out an apology for cracking up like this but he couldn’t, he was crying too hard, snot was running in thick, slow rivulets down his chin, and distantly he heard his dad asking for Dr. Parfit’s number, but it sounded like his voice was coming from the end of a tunnel, and then the song, the fucking song, came roaring into his ears.

I said I love you, and that’s forever And this I promise from the heart

Tom squeezed his eyes shut, straining against it, but it only managed to make the song louder in his head, and he saw, with perfect, searing clarity, Nate crashing backwards into the shower wall, a smear of blood on the tiles, his fist connecting with that celestial nose over and over and over, black blood on his knuckles, Shiv’s mouth opening in a terrible scream, and the scream rang out in his ears, mixing fluidly into the wail of the saxophone line.

I couldn’t love you Any better I love you just the way you are

His mom was sobbing, too; his dad was practically shouting on the phone, and then someone was pounding at the front door.

A neighbor must have heard the commotion and called the cops, because an officer was standing at their door. He seemed to know all about Tom’s case: the stint at Touchstone, the restraining order Shiv’s lawyers had filed against him in a city outside of this jurisdiction, the incident at Dr. Parfit’s office.

“I gotta write up a report,” the officer told him, after Tom had pulled himself together, and they all gathered in the kitchen to talk calmly about the situation. “I’m sorry about that, I really am, but given the facts here…” He sucked his teeth. “You understand.”

“My son didn’t do anything wrong, Officer,” his dad said, throwing a protective arm around Tom’s shoulders.

“He has a criminal background,” the officer said, not unapologetically.

Tom’s dad rolled his eyes. “You’re pulling my leg. It was a noise complaint.”

“I know, but my hands are tied here.”

“Will Shiv find out about this?” Tom asked. “Because this isn’t a reflection of where I’m at, sir. I’m working on myself, I’m not—”

“Your ex-wife can see the report, yes,” the officer said. “By law, she’s able to see any police report pertaining to the existing restraining order.”

“She’s not my ex-wife,” Tom said. “She’s my wife.”

“I’m sorry.” The officer stood up from his chair at the kitchen table and nodded to Tom’s parents. “Just try to keep the noise down, all right?”

————————

The next morning, Tom woke up feeling horrible. He laid in bed for a while, staring blankly at the ceiling, and rode out the worst of his shame hangover. God, what a mess. It had taken a couple of hours after the officer’s visit for his mom to finally calm down, and then he’d had an argument with his parents (quieter, this time) about his staunch refusal to take his medications, and there were threats, and more tears, until finally, finally, he got up from the kitchen table and poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher and shook his pills into his hand—150 milligrams of lithium; 150 milligrams of Clozaril—and swallowed them in front of his mother and father.

“Happy now?” he’d hissed, and went upstairs to bed.

After about an hour of laying there and feeling sorry for himself, Tom got up and pulled on his running gear, laced up his sneakers and grabbed his Walkman. He wasn’t allowed to have his iPhone or an iPod, or any device with a hardwired Internet connection, but the good thing about old-school music players was that you didn’t need much more than a pair of headphones and an eight-track tape to use them. He popped the lid open and slid in a cassette, clicked it shut. The Eagles, One of These Nights. Not what he’d usually go to for a run, but the moodiness suited him this morning.

He ran, pushing through the discomfort of a stitch in his side, and focused on evening out his pace. The tightness in his chest eased; he kept running, and Don Henley crooned about girls with lying eyes and lovers on the other side of town, and he was so distracted that he didn’t realize that he’d turned a corner onto Greg’s street.

The old Craftsman slid into view. In the daylight, Tom thought it looked a little derelict; there were loose shutters, and the siding needed a good power wash to clear off several decades’ worth of mildew stains. He frowned, slowing his pace as he passed to get a better look. It was still pretty, but damn. Greg couldn’t get up on a ladder and fix those shutters for his mom? Come to think of it, did he even need a ladder?

And then someone darted out in front of him.

Greg.

Tom almost tripped over his own feet but he caught himself in time. He ripped off his headphones. “What the hell?”

“Hey,” Greg said, jogging backwards. He looked ridiculous running in a pair of ratty flannel pajama pants and a White Stripes t-shirt. “Did I scare you?”

“Did you scare me? You almost gave me a fucking heart attack!”

“I called your name,” Greg said. “You didn’t hear me, I guess.”

“What are you doing.”

Greg gave him a stupid look. “Uh. Running?”

“In your fucking pajamas??”

“So what?”

“You’re ridiculous,” Tom huffed, picking up the pace. “You’re a fucking rodeo clown.”

“What happened to your face?” Greg asked, easily falling into step beside him. Those goddamn Roadrunner legs. He didn’t even look winded. Asshole.

Tom shot him a look. “Are you serious?”

“Like, I didn’t slap you that hard.”

“I bruise like a peach,” Tom snapped. “So thanks for that. Why the fuck are you following me?”

“I’m not following you,” Greg said. He was frustratingly cool-headed. “This is my street. I’m allowed to run on my street.”

“Well, this is my route. And I like to run alone, so fuck off.”

“So do I.”

Tom skidded to a stop, and Greg mirrored him. He glared at him, hands on his hips. “Would you stop?”

“What?”

“Stop following me!”

“I’m not following you!”

“Oh, sure,” Tom said, gesturing vaguely with his hand, “so I’m just supposed to believe that you were out for a run in your Converse.”

Greg jutted out his chin, defiant. “Yeah. Like, maybe I was.”

“Pick another fucking road!”

“I like this road,” Greg insisted. “I live here.”

Tom gritted his teeth and set off at a sprint, leaving Greg in the dust. His headphones jostled around his neck; Don Henley’s voice blared tinnily out of the earpieces, barely audible over the sound of his heavy footfalls on the asphalt. He swore under his breath, rounding a corner, and then Greg burst out of a side street and barreled straight towards him.

“What the FUCK.”

Greg caught up to him a little too easily, his hair flopping wildly in the breeze.

“Jesus! Leave me the fuck alone! I’m married!”

“So am I!” Greg shouted back.

“Your husband’s dead!”

Greg sneered. “Where’s your wife?”

“Oh, my God.” Tom barked out an incredulous laugh, slowing to a stop. He braced his hands on his knees and panted for breath. “You’re crazy.”

“I’m crazy? Listen to yourself, dude,” Greg said, glaring at him. “I’m not the one who ended up in the mental hospital. All right?”

“At least I’m not a fucking creep who propositions married men.”

Greg’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m sorry,” Tom said, pinching the bridge of his nose. Clearly he hadn’t learned his lesson last night. “Fuck, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah,” Greg said, nodding. “I’m a creep. I’m disgusting and sloppy and dirty, but I like that, I like who I am. Can you say the same about yourself, dude?”

He shot one last withering look over his shoulder and ran around the corner, and disappeared.

————————

“You had quite an eventful evening last night, I hear,” Dr. Parfit said, frowning at Tom over his notepad.

Tom peeked at him through his latticed fingers.

“Do you remember our discussion the other day?” he said. “Do you remember when I said, ‘Tom, you need a strategy for dealing with these feelings, because I don’t want you falling apart?’”

“I remember,” Tom told him tersely. “You think you could give me a strategy, maybe? What am I even paying you for?”

“Actually, you’re not paying me at all,” Dr. Parfit said. “The state of Minnesota is. I’m your court-appointed therapist.”

“Semantics.”

“You still have to do it, Tom.”

“Easier said than done, Alon.”

“I see what you’re doing,” Dr. Parfit said. “Deflecting. You use sarcasm as a defense mechanism when you’re uncomfortable.”

Tom rolled his eyes. “What are you, my junior high guidance counselor?”

“Why don’t you tell me about that shiner you’ve got there,” Dr. Parfit said, nimbly sidestepping.

Tom sobered. “Oh. Uh, well. That one was kind of my fault,” he admitted. “Jonas’s wife invited her work friend over for dinner, and we got into it a little bit, this guy Greg and me, and after the dinner blew up I walked him home and he asked me if I wanted to fuck him in his garage, and when I said no he asked if I wanted him to fuck me. The guy just lost his husband and he still wears his fucking wedding band and he wants to fuck me in his garage. He’s nuts.”

“You still wear your wedding band,” Dr. Parfit pointed out.

Tom pulled a face. “Well, yeah, but I’m still married.”

“Do you think that this Greg just needs a friend?” Dr. Parfit asked. “Maybe he thinks that by offering you sex, it’ll be easier for the two of you to get to know each other.”

“That’s fucking insane.”

Dr. Parfit tilted his head. “Is it?”

“I mean, it tracks,” Tom said. “He literally said to me that he likes that he’s easy, that he likes all of the messy parts of himself, and can I say the same about myself?”

“Can you?”

Tom frowned. “You’re really asking me that question?”

“I am.”

“You’re asking me if I like myself?”

There was a silence. His therapist watched him expectantly.

“I don’t always like who I am,” Tom said finally, looking at his hands. “For good reason. I mean, I’m impulsive, I’m needy, I desperately need people to like me but I always find a way to piss them off.”

“Don’t you think that you could channel some of that neediness into a real friendship?” Dr. Parfit asked.

“Oh, fuck off,” Tom muttered, dragging a hand over his eyes. “I’m forty-fucking-two years old, guy. I don’t need new friends. I’m not in the second grade.”

“Okay, well, think of it this way.” Dr. Parfit leaned forward in his seat, raising his eyebrows meaningfully. “What if it got back to Shiv that you took someone who was really struggling under your wing? What if that proved to her that you were basically thriving? That you’ve changed in the course of your time apart? Wouldn’t that lead her straight back to you?”

Tom considered.

“Huh.”

“Think about it,” Dr. Parfit advised him.

————————

The next time he went out for a run a few days later, Tom made a point of jogging past Greg’s house.

Sure enough, Greg appeared at his side, materializing out of thin air like magic. Apparently he’d imprinted on Tom like a lost duckling separated from its mother. It really didn’t make any sense, especially not after the way Tom had behaved at dinner, or on their run the other morning, but if Tom was honest, it was a personality quirk that they had in common. The Roys treated him like shit and they still couldn’t shake him off; it was a toxic dynamic, but a tiny part of him was desperate to win them over with his impeccable wit, his small-town charm. Four years in and he hadn’t quite managed it yet, but after this whole mess blew over and he was back with Shiv, he’d do it.

Maybe Greg liked a challenge, too.

“Hey,” Greg said, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye as he adjusted to Tom’s pace. He looked wary, like Tom might snap at him.

“Hey, buddy,” Tom said, and smiled genially.

They ran for a couple of blocks in relative silence, and when Tom paused to tie his shoe, he looked up at Greg. “I’m sorry about the things I said,” Tom said. “About your husband.”

“Andrew,” Greg said, panting a little.

“Andrew.” Tom stood up and looked Greg square in the eye. “Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight?”

Greg blinked at him. His face went blank with surprise.

“Me?”

“Yeah,” Tom said. “No?”

“No, yeah,” Greg said, flushing. “I mean, yes. Uh. Like, yeah, I’d like that.”

“Great,” Tom said. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

#title: excelsior #au: silver linings playbook #tag: tomgreg fic #status: WIP

[thevalleyisjolly]

[Image description: A photo of an episode from Star Trek Picard playing on a television.  On the screen, Jean-Luc Picard (played by Patrick Stewart) is talking to Elnor (played by Evan Evagora).  Elnor is a young Romulan wearing a red Starfleet uniform, standing at attention and looking at Picard intently.  Picard is holding up a green book and saying “This is written by Spock himself.” /end description]

That’s my boy, the Excelsior’s newest cadet!

#star trek #star trek picard #star trek picard spoilers #elnor #good for him! #and glad to hear that the excelsior (or some refitted version of it) is still around and that raffi's in command on it!

[spidey-portilla]

Stan Lee (Cameo) 5 De 5

Este fue el primer cameo que vi en la television en la serie animada de Spider-man de los 90.

En este cameo, Stan lee, estaba hablando con su amigo Jack (me imagino que con Jack Kirby) y aparece Spider-man en su oficina en la que el se sorprende mucho, despues lo lleva columpiarse por toda la cuidad y Spidey le agradece por crearlo y por convertirlo en un gran heroe, y que le gusta mucho su vida, y Stan se sorprende diciendo que ya no es el mismo sujeto que ha escrito durante estos años y Spider-man le dice: "Todos tenemos que crecer alguna vez, aun los personajes de ficción"

Con esto termino con el mes de Stan Lee, espero que les haya agrado estas fotografias, espero que el proximo año se vuelva repetir.¡Excelsior!

Stan Lee (Cameo) 5 Of 5 This was the first cameo I saw on television in the 1990s Spider-man animated series.

In this cameo, Stan Lee, he was talking with his friend Jack (I imagine with Jack Kirby) and Spider-man appears in his office where he is very surprised, then he takes him swinging all over the city and Spidey thanks him for create him and turn him into a great hero, and that he likes his life very much, and Stan is surprised saying that he is no longer the same subject that he has written during these years and Spider-man tells him: "We all have to grow up sometime, even fictional characters "

With this I end the month of Stan Lee, I hope you liked these photographs, I hope that next year it will be repeated again. Excelsior!

#stanlee #mesdestanlee #marvel #spiderman #stan lee cameo #sony #spiderman the animated series #marvellegends #disney

[songtoyou]

Chapter 2: First Meeting

Tolerate It

Paring: Modern!Tommy Shelby x Original Female Character

Story Rating: R (No minors should read this fic).

Word Count: 2,778

Warnings: Mentions of sexual assault. Sexual activity between two consenting adults.

Description: Tommy Shelby is the owner and CEO of Shelby Company Limited. Starting out as a Bookmaker, Tommy had big ideas to expand his riches. In the past ten years, the company has grown rapidly to expand its business ventures from bars to producing alcohol, manufacturing motor vehicle parts, and exporting. One of the richest men in Great Britain, Tommy Shelby, has it all. Unfortunately, the death of his wife, Grace, left the multi-millionaire mogul alone and depressed. He needed someone to fulfill his needs and deepest darkest desires.

A/N: Again, the response to this fic has been wonderful. We learn more about Rose and find out why Lizzie left. Rose meets Tommy for the first time and begins the process of solidifying their arrangement. 

Note: Italics represent the past or past conversations.

Feedback is wonderful. It is nice knowing if people actually like this fic. 

I do not permit my work to be posted on any other site without my permission.

Saturday rolled faster than a blink of an eye. Rose was not nervous about tonight's meeting with her new client. A part of her was looking forward to it. Taking the time to look up Tommy Shelby on the Internet, Rose found out more about the man she would be possibly spending most of her time around. His backstory was interesting. The man started from nothing. It was no wonder Tommy was a massive celebrity within the business community. Inspiring entrepreneurs looked up to him and how he accumulated his wealth.

Rose was aware that Tommy's business practices were not always ethical, just like she knew that Alfie, Luca, and her other clients all dealt in questionable behavior to stay ahead of the game. It was like these guys did not know that the 1920s were long gone, and their little gangs should have considered obsolete in these present times. But it was not her job to question them as part of her did not care. All Rose wanted was to get paid and have a little pleasure herself once in a while. She hoped Tommy was good in bed as Lizzie mentioned he was. She had no reason not to believe her former coworker. 

It was a terrible incident at the club that made Lizzie leave for good. All because of Oswald Mosley and his sick and deviant behavior. Oswald was a Member of Parliament for South Staffordshire and the youngest member of the Conservative party. His influence within the party continued to gain strength as the young politician expressed his outlandish views that tended to lean towards fascism. Many other MPs have tried to rebuke Mosley's power but to no avail. His supporters only rallied behind him more. He was garnering more attention and enthusiasm to start his very own nationalist party within Great Britain. This idea worried many other MPs, even within the Conservative Party.

As Mosley's profile continued to rise, he found himself needing a form of release. It did not take long for him to receive an invitation to join Excelsior. Politicians were another form of clientele for the club. However, word soon spread about Mosley's odd behavior with the girls. The man had a weird fetish for rape and sexual assault fantasies. Not many girls wanted to partake in that act. Rose quickly passed on having Mosley as one of her clients since non-consensual/dubious consent was not something she gravitated towards when it came to pleasure.

Some of the girls confided in Rose they felt after being with Mosley. Many were scared to inform Izabella or Tatiana in fear of getting fired. Unfortunately, it took the incident with Lizzie that left her brutally scarred, both physically and psychologically, to have Mosley permanently banned from Excelsior. What made it worse was that no one could do anything to Mosley outside the club, no police reports, no arrests, nothing. He was too powerful.

The only thing Lizzie said to Rose was that Mosley took it too far and that she was rethinking her time at the club. When Lizzie did not show up for three days, Rose knew that she left the life of escorting for good.

Giving herself one last look in the mirror, Rose opted for the wine-colored long drape dress, with a silver belt to extenuate her hips, and topped it off with silver ankle strap heels. Satisfied with how she looked, Rose grabbed her clutch (silver as well) and walked towards the front door.

"Mom, you are coming home later, right?" asked Louis as he sat in the living room watching television.

"Uh…probably won't be home until late. I'm simply hanging out with the girls. Don't wait up, sweetie," said Rose kissing her son on the top of his head.

"Aren't you a little too dressed up for a girl's night out?"

"Louis, darling, here is some advice about women. We like to look nice now and then. It makes us feel good. So, don't ever question why your mummy is all dolled up, okay. The girls and I are celebrating Ellie's promotion at the firm. That is all. Now, do not stay up too late. See you later, love."

"Bye, mum."

Rose hated lying to her son, but there was no way she would ever reveal the truth to him about how they could afford their lifestyle.

As a teen mom, Rose worked tirelessly from different part-time jobs to get food on the table. She was tired of struggling to make ends meet. Rose wanted more for her son. By Rose's mid-twenties, she bit the bullet and became an exotic dancer. The nerves and humiliation wore off quickly when Rose counted her tips. It was the most she had ever made and all in one night. She had no intentions of ever becoming a high-end call girl. But again, the money proved to be too good to pass up. It also helped the Duchess and Princess give their girls some sense of agency and control over what they do and partake in certain activities. Rose's clients did not seem to understand or realize that she held all of the power. She was not a puppet, nor was she naïve.

Tommy continued to check his watch every fifteen minutes. Rose was not late by any means; it was merely a habit. It gave him something to do since he was not allowed to smoke at The Savoy. He instructed Rose to meet at the hotel's bar and restaurant at precisely 9:00 p.m.

He was not nervous as Tommy Shelby did not get nervous. He wanted to get the night started. The man needed some release.

"Mr. Shelby," spoke the hostess. "I have a Miss Turner here to see you."

"Yes, thank you. Send Miss Turner over, please," ordered Tommy and downed his glass of Irish whiskey in one gulp.

For a second, Tommy thought he forgot how to breathe when he saw Rose walk towards him. He would not deny that she was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Mr. Shelby," she greeted him with a quick kiss on his cheek. Thankfully, no lipstick residue on his face. Men hated when that happened, Rose learned.

"Miss Turner. It is a pleasure to meet you in person finally," said Tommy as he helped Rose into her seat. He could be a gentleman when he wanted to be one.  His Aunt Polly raised him right.

After giving her drink order to the waiter and a refill for Tommy, the two were left alone for the time being. Unsure of where the conversation should start, Rose chose to cut to the chase.

"How do you want tonight to go, exactly? Are we here to talk about, I don't know what you call it, our agreement, our arrangement? Or should we…"

"I say we talk about what we like and don't like," Tommy cut Rose off.

When the waiter brought their drinks, Rose took a sip of her white wine, while Tommy sipped his whiskey.

"My file should have included my interests. What I will and won't do with a man," Rose reminded him.

"Indeed, it did, but a file can only tell me so much. I would rather hear it from you, Miss Turner. So, tell me, what gets you off?" asked Tommy in a low voice as he leaned over the table. Thankfully, the two were at a back corner table with no other patrons around.

Taking another sip of her wine, Rose leaned in as well. "I like being dominated. From your file, you like being the dominant one. I like being tied up, gagged, and made to cum over and over again until I can't take it anymore. Orgasm denial, I like that as well—humiliation or degradation, whatever you want to call it. I don't care for that at all. It has never turned me on."

"What about pain? What is your pain threshold?" Tommy questioned.

"Pretty high."

"So, nipple clamps, whips, floggers…none of that bothers you?"

Rose shook her head 'no' and asked Tommy what kinds of punishment he prefers.

"Spankings with my bare hands and edging. Punishments only occur if I deem you being bratty or don't follow my rules."

Rose nodded, indicating she understood. "Pretty standard forms of punishment for a dominant."

The waiter stopped by again, asking if they wanted another drink or order some food. "I'm okay, thank you," said Rose.

"I liked to order champagne for our room, please," Tommy requested and told the waiter his room number. Rose was not surprised that he was in one of the hotel's suites. On different occasions, she had been to The Savoy Hotel, mostly with her other clients for leisurely visits now and then when they called for her services.

Taking another sip of her drink, Rose started to feel unsure to ask Tommy next. "Is there anything particular that you like or don't like?"

Gulping down his whiskey once again, Tommy stood up from his seat and helped you out of yours.

"Let's head up, and I can show you what I like. You can take your drink with you," mentioned Tommy buttoning up his suit jacket.

Rose gulped down her wine and grabbed her purse. "No need. I'm ready," she said and looped her arm around his. Tommy kept his strides short throughout the walk to the elevator. Rose noticed how the other hotel patrons all seemed to fawn over the man she was with while the employees moved out of his way. Rose found it amusing when in the elevator the people who were already in quickly left, leaving them alone on the ride up to his suit.

"People go out of their way to accommodate you, don't they, Mr. Shelby. Must be nice to have all that power over others," Rose stated admiringly.

Tommy smirked and looked at Rose, "When you come from nothing, you work extra hard to achieve everything, even peoples' fear of you. What about you? Must you find it exhilarating to have powerful men at your fingertips? I would not be shocked that once your clients and I told Tatiana that I have an idea of who they are, well, they are not going to be happy about losing you to me. I have a lot of enemies, Miss Turner, but rest assure that while you are in my company, you will be safe and protected."

The elevator dinged indicated they made it to their destination. Leading the way once again, Tommy steered them down the hall and stopped at the door of his suite. Once he got Rose inside, he took off his suit jacket and opened the doors to the balcony where he could finally get his nicotine fix. He offered one to Rose, but she declined. Tommy watched as Rose looked around the suite. He took this time to look at the woman before him; she would not be deemed the model-type with her 5'7 stature, nor was she skin and bones. Dark brown hair ran past her shoulders, and her skin had a lovely complexion. Tommy took one last drag of his cigarette and stubbed it out on the balcony.

He slowly walked up behind Rose and wrapped his strong arms around, inhaling her scent; he began to grind himself against her backside. Rose promptly reciprocated and matched his rhythm. Trailing kisses down Rose's neck, Tommy moved his hands to squeeze her breasts. He quickly turned her around and began kissing her on the mouth. His dominant side was finally allowed to be released.

When Rose pulled away, it took Tommy by surprise. When he began to pull Rose back towards him, she put her hands on his chest. "I need to freshen up first, is that okay?"

Letting out a sigh, Tommy motioned her towards the bathroom. "I won't be long; I promise," assured Rose. Once in the bathroom, she began to take off her heels and dress. She hung her dress on the door hook, placed her heels to the side, and then looked herself over in the mirror. Smoothing out her hair, Rose dug in her clutch to quickly check her phone. No messages from her son. Now, Rose would be able to focus on the task at hand entirely.

Rose exited the bathroom to see Tommy waiting for her on the couch, no longer wearing his tie and vest, shirt partly unbuttoned. She walked towards him, where he indicated he wanted Rose on her knees. Spreading his legs, Rose kneeled and began unzipping his pants, reaching for his hardened member and gave it a few strokes. She looked up to see Tommy stretch and lay his head back against the couch, indicated he was comfortable and was ready for Rose to begin. Rose licked her lips and opened her mouth to take him in as much as far as possible. Rose did not stop until she felt him at the back of her throat.

Rose pulled away for a second to lick off the precum of Tommy's dick before proceeding to lick the entire length. She went back to sucking once Tommy put his hand in her hair. He bobbed her head back and forth at a fast pace. Tommy felt like he was about to explode his load in Rose's mouth he backed off. Rose took the time to catch her breath. She watched as Tommy took off his shirt and got up from the couch.

"Up," he ordered, and Rose followed obediently.

She never took her eyes off Tommy while he walked to the bedroom.

"Take this off," Tommy ordered, indicating he wanted her bra off.

Once again, Rose followed his orders. She tossed the bra to the side, and Tommy walked closer to her. He reached for her breast and began to squeeze them, tugging on her nipples. When he started to pull her nipples extra hard, Rose let out a little squeak.

"Too hard?" Tommy asked and released his tight grip.

"No. I mean, it hurts, but it feels good too," Rose answered truthfully.

Tommy once again started pulling on her nipples as hard as he could without hurting Rose too much. He pressed his lips against hers. Rose quickly reciprocated the action and ran her hands through his hair. Backing Rose towards the bed, he lightly pushed her, where she softly plopped down. Tugging her underwear down, Tommy tossed them to the side and ran a finger up-and-down her folds.

"Wet, as I expected. Let me see how many fingers you can take, shall we," amused Tommy and slipped, not one, but two fingers inside Rose. He soon began pumping his fingers in and out.

He kept going while Rose emitted more moans from her mouth. She was panting and getting closer to needing release. But she knew a sweet release would not come easy. No, Tommy was going to have Rose work for it. She was about the beg to cum when Tommy pulled his fingers out of her cunt.

Tracing his thumb against her clit, Rose let out a squeal at the new feeling. Tommy smirked. That feeling of control, control over this woman's body, it's what made Tommy feel at ease. It allowed for his head to feel clear. Tommy did not have to worry about business deals or rival gangs; instead, his focus was all on the woman before him writhing in pleasure.

Inserting his fingers back in her cunt, Tommy added a third finger this time. Rose sat up on her elbows to watch Tommy. She saw the looked of deep concentration on his face. When he reached that spot, Rose jerked up, and Tommy used his free hand to push her back down on the bed.

"I'm going to cum. I need to cum," Rose panted out, but Tommy kept going.

"Not yet," he merely said. "You do not cum until I say you can, understood." It was an order, not a question.

"Yes…yes sir," Rose managed to say. She did not know how long she would last.

"Cum!" Tommy commanded and Rose more than happily followed it.

Pure bliss is all Rose felt until Tommy pried her mouth open with the fingers that were in her.

"Lick them clean for me, love. Taste yourself."

When she licked his fingers clean, Tommy took off his pants and underwear. He crawled on top of Rose and began kissing her stomach, each breast, her neck, and finally lips.

"You're not tired out yet, are you love?" he asked her.

When Rose shook her head no, Tommy leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Good. It is going to be a long night for you."

#tommy shelby #tommy shelby x oc #tommy shelby fanfic #peaky blinders #peaky blinders fic

[outoftowninac]

THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH

1942

“The Skin of Our Teeth” by Thornton Wilder was written in early 1942 and premiered on Broadway in November of that year, after tryouts in Philadelphia, Washington DC, and New Haven. It opened at Broadway’s Plymouth Theatre on November 18, 1942. By 1942, Atlantic City was no longer one of the regular cities to host out-of-town tryouts. Baltimore and Washington were also on the try-out schedule, but were dropped when rehearsals were delayed due to cast commitments. 

It was produced by Michael Myerberg and directed by Elia Kazan with costumes by Mary Percy Schenck. The play is a three-part allegory about the life of mankind, centering on the Antrobus family. 

The original production starred Tallulah Bankhead (as Sabina the Maid), Fredric March (George Antrobus), Florence Eldridge (Mrs. Antrobus), and Montgomery Clift (as son George). Bankhead won a Variety Award for Best Actress and the New York Drama Critics Award for Best Actress of the Year for her role as Sabina. When she left the production in March 1943, she was replaced by Miriam Hopkins.  The play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. 

The phrase used as the title comes from the King James Bible, Job 19:20: "My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth."

There were Broadway revivals in 1955 and 1975 with another revival planned for 2022 at Lincoln Center.  There was a production at the Central Park Delacourte Theatre in 1998. 

Although the play was never filmed as a motion picture, a San Diego production aired on PBS TV in 1983. 

There were also television productions in 1951 and 1955 (above with Helen Hayes and Mary Martin), 1959 (UK), and 1961 (Germany).  

The play’s second act is set on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City. Acts One and Three are set in the fictional New Jersey town of Excelsior.  The author, although not born in New Jersey, had ties to the state. He attended Princeton University, and taught school in Lawrenceville NJ.  His now-iconic play “Our Town” had its first performances at McCarter Theatre in Princeton.  

In 1931, Wilder wrote a one-act titled “The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden.”  Almost the entire play takes place during an automobile journey from Newark to Camden, New Jersey by a family on their way to visit a married daughter, who has recently lost a baby in childbirth.

In Atlantic City, the Antrobuses are present for father George's swearing-in as president of the Ancient and Honorable Order of Mammals, Subdivision Humans. Sabina the maid is present, also, in the guise of a scheming beauty queen, who tries to steal George's affection from his wife and family. Children Gladys and George each attempt their individual rebellions, and are brought back into line by the family. The act ends with the family members reconciled and, paralleling the Biblical story of Noah's Ark, directing pairs of animals to safety on a large boat where they survive the storm and/or the end of the world.

The real Atlantic City in 1942.  

The play capitalizes on Atlantic City’s reputation as a popular spot for conventions, beauty pageants, fortune tellers, and gambling (in the form of Bingo) - all things the city is still known for today. Many productions include Atlantic City’s famous rolling chairs in their design.  

Although the original production was set in the present (1942) some modern productions also set the show in the present day, meaning set designers are free to use more modern Atlantic City iconography. 

#Atlantic City #Thornton Wilder #The Skin of Our Teeth #Broadway #Boardwalk #Theatre #1942 #New Jersey #NJ #Stage

[jimintomystery]

Star Trek: Generations

The Enterprise investigates a Romulan attack on the Amargosa observatory, and discover that the researchers there have been developing a trilithium weapon to sell to Klingon renegades Lursa and B’Etor.  But the lead scientist, Tolian Soran, is more interested in using his weapon to destroy stars so he can alter the course of a spatial anomaly known as “The Nexus.”  Captain Picard is unable to stop Soran from destroying Veridian system and the Enterprise, but within the Nexus he finds a second chance with a new ally: Captain James T. Kirk.

I got into the Star Trek films fairly late into the game, and my general attitude was “Captain Kirk’s crew is okay, but I’d rather see a movie about Star Trek: The Next Generation.”  So I was mega hyped for this in 1994.  On top of that, my misgivings about nothing momentous happening on the show’s series finale seemed to be compensated by this flick: Picard meets Kirk!  Data installs his emotion chip!  Secrets of Guinan revealed!  The final fate of Captain Kirk!  Worf gets promoted!  The Enterprise destroyed!  Face it, true believers, this one’s got it all!  Wellll...not quite.

A common complaint about the Captain Picard movies is that they feel less like real theatrical releases and more like double-length special episodes of the TV show.  I can’t argue with that, although I’m hardly a cinephile so I don’t really see that as a major problem.  Besides, I’m pretty sure virtually all viewings of this film have been on a television set for the past quarter century, so I don’t see how “it feels like a TV show” really matters at this point.

The big idea of the film is to tie Kirk’s era (from the original Star Trek series and the first six movies) together with Picard’s era.  Originally they wanted to pit Picard’s Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) against Kirk’s (NCC-1701-A).  They couldn’t make that work, so they scaled back to Kirk, Spock, and Doctor McCoy in a prologue and Kirk meeting Picard in the third act.  Well, DeForrest Kelley (McCoy) was basically retired and Leonard Nimoy (Spock) didn’t see the point, so we ended up with the somewhat makeshift trio of Kirk, Scotty, and Chekov.  I can’t watch the prologue without thinking about how virtually all the lines given to Scotty and Chekov sound like they were written for Spock or McCoy.

In what feels like fanservice, the prologue is set aboard the never before seen USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B).  By 1994 we’d seen the Enterprise-A, -C, and -D (not to mention the original one from the 1960s), so the Enterprise-B felt like a hole in things.  Seeing as the Enterprise-A scheduled to be decommissioned in Star Trek VI, it sort of felt like this movie was the only good opportunity to depict the Enterprise-B on-screen.  I appreciated the effort, although I wonder if more casual viewers are confused that all the ships in this movie have the same name.

The prologue bugs me, in that the Enterprise-B crew--especially Captain John Harriman--are made to look unprepared and incompetent so Kirk’s group can swoop in to be the heroes.  It’s reminiscent of Star Trek III, where Kirk’s crew is put off by the young nitwits bragging about their hotshot new ship, the Excelsior.  Except this is THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE, even if we do only see it for about twenty minutes.  Harriman should have been more than a weak-chinned punchline to put Kirk over.

Between the prologue in 2293 and the holodeck program (set in the 19th century), it seems to take forever to get down to business in 2371.  Which means it takes even longer for Picard’s crew to catch up on what we’ve already learned about Soran and the Nexus so they can get us more information.  Still, I don’t think the pacing really drags until the scenes with Picard and Soran on Veridian III.  Reasoning with Soran is pointless, so we’re left waiting for Picard to wriggle past Soran’s force field and then have a rather pitiful fistfight.  It doesn’t put you in the mood to see Picard go back to do it again with Kirk’s help.

The parts of the movie that really work aren’t very integral to the plot.  Lt. Commander Data coming to grips with emotions in a very android way.  Commander Riker and Lt. Commander Worf working on the trilithium weapon angle.  Lt. Commander La Forge and Doctor Crusher evacuating the ship’s drive section before it blows up.  Captain Picard being visibly, audibly shaken by something, and Counselor Troi finally convincing him to open up about it.  It feels like home for a fan of the TV show, but it’s just window dressing for a story about fifty-year-old men brawling in the desert.

Nevertheless, I do think Kirk’s story arc holds up fairly well.  The bottom line is that Jim Kirk isn’t comfortable being retired with nothing to do or back in uniform as a living legend.  He’s not even content in the Nexus, once the novelty of it has worn off.  What he truly wants is to do what he was best at: getting into goofy-looking fights on desolate planets, and making the big decisions to save lives because the brass is out of communications range.  Kirk would happily spend the rest of his life doing that, which is exactly what he does on Veridian III.

The one part of this movie I simply cannot abide by is the decision to kill of Picard’s brother Robert and nephew René.  Patrick Stewart does a marvelous job portraying Picard’s shock and grief at this news, but it feels egregious and unnecessary.  It’s pretty clear the writers hit on the idea of Picard worrying about being the last of his family line, and then set about getting him there in the bluntest way possible.  So Robert and René both have to die, in the same accident, but Robert’s wife is spared because her fate doesn’t affect the Picard line one way or another.  The only reason this is even sort of necessary is so that Picard will have something to desire (besides performing his duties) so the Nexus can offer it to him.  But that’s only a problem because the showrunners never gave Picard a personal motivation in all these years, so they had to throw this together at the last minute.  It just feels wrong that two characters have to die for such a lazy reason.

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