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archivingspn · 3 years

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Entertainment Weekly Special Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Supernatural 2017

SAM AND DEAN WINCHESTER KNOW "WEIRD." Their entire life has been weird, ever since the moment a demon claimed their mother's life. In case anyone has forgotten over the course of the show's past 12 seasons, Supernatural tells the story of the Winchester brothers, portrayed by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, who fell into the family business of hunting creatures after their mother's murder. What began as their father's journey for revenge has evolved into endless monster slayings, near-death experiences and more than a few actual deaths.

By this point the Winchesters have been to Hell and back, killed Death himself, come face-to-face with God and prevented the Apocalypse. But perhaps more impressively, the series has survived three network presidents, five showrunners, a writers' strike and five different time slots. Turns out the only thing harder to kill than the Winchesters is the series itself. "It's one of those shows that has moved a lot, and yet each time it has found that core audience and built on it," Warner Bros. Television president Peter Roth says. "It's been an unsung hero."

If anyone knows about being an unsung hero, it's Sam (Padalecki) and Dean (Ackles), who've dedicated their lives to saving others and asked for nothing in return. Seriously, how many nights have they spent sleeping in their car?And yet that on-the-road lifestyle has paved the way for a number of the show's riskier episodes, which play a crucial role in keeping the audience engaged. In 2015 "Baby" was told entirely from the perspective of their beloved 1967 Impala, and that's not even close to the craziest thing the show's tried.

Aside from the rules the show creates within its canon—yes, they have a historian in the writers' room to keep them honest—not even the sky is the limit when it comes to story ideas. “[Show creator] Eric [Kripke] used to say, 'Smoke 'em if you've got 'em,' which meant: Anything crazy, don't be afraid to run it by us," executive producer Robert Singer says.

That motto led most famously to season 6's "The French Mistake," in which Sam and Dean found themselves in an alternate universe where everyone mistook them for Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, the stars of a show called Supernatural. "Our show's not bound by reality," Ackles, 39, says. "We're rooted in reality, but we're not bound by it. That gives us a fifth wall almost."

But Supernatural's season 12 finale managed to raise the stakes by somehow introducing the boys to something they'd never seen before: a world in which they don't exist and Heaven and Hell are locked in an eternal war. By episode's end, their allies Castiel (Misha Collins) and Crowley (Mark Sheppard) were dead, and their mother, Mary (Samantha Smith), who was resurrected-by God's sister!-in the season 11 finale, found herself trapped in this new reality with the Archangel Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino). If that doesn't seem bad enough, the birth of Lucifer's son is the very thing that opened the rift to this apocalyptic realm. "The world in which Sam and Dean were never born is not a good world," showrunner Andrew Dabb says. "It speaks to the importance of our guys. The world Sam and Dean live in is certainly not perfect, but it's a whole hell of a lot better than the alternative."

Dabb describes the new run of episodes as more melancholy than last year's, with new threats including some long-dead characters. And somehow Scooby-Doo has a role to play. (More on that later.)

"Last season was, in some ways, a very upbeat season for us," says Dabb, who goes on to explain that season 13 will be "darker." In their grief the boys will butt heads when it comes to both Lucifer's son Jack—Dean wants nothing to do with him; Sam thinks he's worth trying to save— and Mary, whom Sam refuses to give up on despite Dean's having lost hope that she's still alive. "The Apocalypse world hangs over our guys a little bit like a sword of Damocles," Dabb says of the season's beginning. "We're definitely going to spend a little time there."

And of course Sam and Dean have this new responsibility thrust upon them before they've had the chance to properly grieve their many losses, including Castiel, who Dabb says will appear, though maybe not the way fans are expecting. "We're not looking to hit the reset button," Dabb says. "We want to give both our guys an opportunity to react to that and ask the question: How would that affect them if their closest friend sacrifices himself for them? There is a certain amount, especially when you look at Dean, of survivor's guilt."

That being said, there will be at least one (animated!) moment of levity, though it's in the season's back half. Episode 16 will be a much-anticipated Scooby-Doo crossover, for which Ackles, Padalecki and Collins have already recorded the audio. "They've often talked about Supernatural crossing over into something." Ackles says. "I love that it's Scooby-Doo."

But even with exciting new ideas on the agenda, there's always the lingering question of how much longer the show can continue. According to CW president Mark Pedowitz, the answer is as long as the guys are happy and the ratings are relatively stable. As for Ackles and Padalecki, they are focusing on the next milestone: hitting 300 episodes (something that would take them 13 episodes into season 14). However, if Sam and Dean have taught the actors anything, it's that Death can be lurking around every corner (and he's usually eating pizza). "If we don't make it to 300, I think Ackles and I will both be truly bummed," Padalecki, 35, says.

Ackles adds, "They're paying us to bring that little bit of magic to what they wrote, and I still feel that magic. The day that I don't feel that magic will be a very sad day, and I hope that day never comes. I'd like to get to 300 before that day comes."

One thing everyone can agree on is that they want to know when the end is nigh. "I think it would be bad for this show to just ride off into the sunset without a finale," Singer says. "I think we've earned that." Ultimately the only thing that's certain about Supernatural's eventual end is the fate of Sam and Dean's Impala, Baby. "He gets Baby," Padalecki says of Ackles. "I get Baby Two." Ackles makes one correction: "No, you'll get Three. Two is a stunt car. It's beat to s---.”

But nobody gets Baby just yet. For now they'll need all the Impalas they can get as they try to solve the problems of not one world but two.

[pg 10-12]

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

Stars Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins have rolled with rapid changes and some surprising detours during the series' remarkable run. BY SAMANTHA HIGHFILL

JARED PADALECKI CAN STILL REMEMBER THE exact pitch for Supernatural's first season: “Route 66 meets X-Files, brothers on the back roads of America hunting things that go bump in the night.” That was how he and costar Jensen Ackles were told to promote the show, which, in its first year, was just that-Sam and Dean Winchester chasing urban legends from state to state.

But over time that original pitch added a few sentences. Much like with any good road trip, there have been quite a few turns—and the occasional crossroads along the way. Although the show remains about two brothers on the back roads of America hunting things, those "things'' now include everything from vengeful spirits to imaginary friends and even Lucifer himself. After all, a show doesn't last 13 seasons without adjusting its game plan. For Supernatural that has meant an ever expanding mythology, some shocking deaths, resurrected characters, breaking the fourth wall and so much more.

Yet all the while, one thing has remained true: Sam and Dean Winchester will do whatever it takes to save the world and, even more so, to save each other. And they'll do it while navigating those seemingly endless back roads in their 1967 Impala.

Finding John Winchester (portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan) was the boys' goal in season 1, though that ended up being about as difficult as getting John to stick around once he was finally discovered. The Winchester family reunion was short-lived: Season 1 closed with a car crash and the fates of all three men up in the air. And then there was that demonic deal John made with the same monster they had been hunting.

JENSEN ACKLES Everything up until that point was about finding Dad. We found Dad, we continued to fight as a unit, and then we lost Dad, and now we were two orphans.

JARED PADALECKI And I think that was the first time we ever brought back somebody from the dead, and it was you [to Ackles].

ACKLES I died in the car crash, and he traded his life with Azazel.

PADALECKI I think that was the first time we ever saw a major character die and come back. And that was a total leap of faith. So we told the story of Reapers and the veil and what happens to your soul.

ACKLES That's when we got into afterlife.

PADALECKI That was a big title shift in what Supernatural could do...

ACKLES With the introduction of Hell and making deals with demons—which is funny, because you think about that now, and [creator] Eric [Kripke] must've always known because Mom made the deal with the yellow-eyed demon.

The next shift would come later in season 2, laying the groundwork for the introduction of angels far before Castiel spread his wings in that abandoned barn in season 4.

PADALECKI "Houses of the Holy” was the first time we ever talked about angels on Supernatural. [Jensen] and I both were like, “Whatever your religious beliefs, whatever ours, we're not here to proselytize. We're here to make a serialized television show, but we want it to be universal.” So we actually had a conference call with Eric Kripke, and we were like, "Hey, man, we don't know how we feel about this.”

ACKLES We didn't want to be a mouthpiece for writers' religious views, because it wasn't the show that we had signed up for. Our argument was: “We trust you. You've done good by us so far. However, this is our one concern, and we're just bringing it to the table so that we can discuss it.”

PADALECKI And they heard us out, and I think that's why they waited another year and a half before introducing our second and most famous angel. I think it's the one time we've ever called them together with a complaint. Because I'm not a writer. I don't want to be a writer. I enjoy my job as an actor. But that was legitimately like, “Listen, if you're going here about religion, I don't want to be a part of it.”

MISHA COLLINS And now amazingly, 11 years later, so much of the show has been hung on biblical lore and mythology that is actually drawn from the Bible. One interesting thing for us is that we end up talking along the way to priests and pastors and ministers, or even nuns, who love the show.

(...)

ACKLES It was amazing, but my point being that we're in one of the most religious places on earth, and they're catering to people from a show that deals with religiously inspired story lines.

PADALECKI But not telling the story that the Bible tells.

ACKLES That's the out. That's where we get a pass is that we're not trying to tell the story of the Bible. The writers take inspiration from biblical elements and then elaborate on them. So when we got into that original discussion, Eric came back with: “We're not here to tell the story of Jesus Christ. We're here to take that element and use it as inspiration for the story.” I think that alleviated any concerns that he and I had. And at the same time we really trusted Eric and still do to this day.

Another leap of faith came with season 2's "Hollywood Babylon,” which can be considered the show's first meta episode. It opened the door for everything from season 6's “The French Mistake” to the upcoming season 13 Scooby-Doo crossover.

ACKLES “Babylon” was the first time we took the piss out of ourselves and were poking fun at the industry.

COLLINS That has been a huge [help to know] that you can go to these absurd lengths and break conventions. Reading the script where we are doing a Scooby-Doo episode makes me feel proud. Where else can you do that?

Padalecki What other show does that and has the fandom at large excited that they’re going to do that? Can you imagine if JAG or NCIS did a Scooby-Doo episode? People would be like, “What?” Not only do we break the fourth wall, do we go meta, but those end up being some of our best episodes.

The season 5 finale holds the No. 1 spot on EW's episode ranking, but that hour was important for many reasons, one of which being that it was creator Kripke’s farewell.

COLLINS “Swan Song" was another milestone because that marked the culmination of Eric's original vision for the show. He had a five-season arc in mind that tied up perfectly with a bow, and then he moved on and handed the reins over to Sera [Gamble]. That became, “Okay, guys, now let's figure out how to start a new chapter or a new volume in a series of chapters.”

PADALECKI It's the story that we were all born from, those of us who were introduced in the first five years. So to have the creator step away? I would argue that it was the largest shift.

Gamble served as showrunner for seasons 6 and 7, the latter containing another major show moment: the death of Bobby (Jim Beaver), Sam and Dean's father figure.

PADALECKI Bobby was such a big part. Jeffrey Dean [Morgan] was never as much a part of the show. He was obviously a huge part of the story, but he did [just a few] episodes, and Jim Beaver did 60 or something. And there was something about his death that we knew it was final...or final for Supernatural.

ACKLES Because his character said, “I'm done.” So it wasn't like he got killed accidentally and we found a way to bring Bobby back. He was like, “I'm hanging it up, guys." It was heavy.

PADALECKI That probably was the first big death of someone who'd been there for years...

ACKLES [Interrupting] A fan favorite...

PADALECKI Yeah, and I remember [CW president] Mark Pedowitz saying something to the effect of “As a fan, I hated when Bobby died, but it was great television.” That's how I feel.

ACKLES Like when Sam Winchester dies for good, it's going to be good television. But when Dean Winchester lives on, it's going to be great television. [Everyone laughs]

The season 12 finale saw the introduction of an apocalyptic alternate world in which Sam and Dean Winchester were never born and Heaven and Hell are locked in an eternal war. And with that world comes the possibility for a number of character returns. But does it feel like a turning point?

COLLINS Well, I think the rift and the fact that you can go into the apocalypse world and you can all of a sudden revisit every character in a different iteration—there could be a different version of every character—it opens up this incredible panoply.

(...)

PADALECKI And if an alternate universe exists, then how many alternate universes exist? It's hard to say, because I feel like it's impossible to identify a turning point during the turn. In hindsight it will reveal how this story will affect the show, the canon at large and the way we move forward. But I certainly feel like we're opening up doors with the rift and with the son of Lucifer.

(...)

[pg 20-26]

THE CORONER'S VAN JUST PULLED INTO THE driveway. It's the middle of August in 2016, and Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are filming a scene for Supernatural's 12th season at a farmhouse in the Vancouver countryside, which is standing in for Iowa. Sam and Dean Winchester have ditched their flannels and jeans for sweaters and slacks in order to pose as social workers. They're doing what the two brothers do best: lying about their jobs in order to solve mysteries and kill monsters—in other words, saving people, hunting things.

When Supernatural premiered, Sam and Dean Winchester were born into the family business of hunting creatures, and it's a lifestyle that, over the years, has left them with very few people they love. Turns out, when you spend your days battling shape-shifters, witches and the occasional angel—they're not all nice, you know—nothing is guaranteed, especially not tomorrow.

But no matter how crazy the Winchesters' world gets—or how many worlds they have to face—one thing remains unchanged: At the center of it all are Ackles and Padalecki, whose Dean and Sam are the beating heart of the show (whether theirs are beating or not).

(...)

(...) even pulling up their favorite scenes on their phones to watch at the table. Padalecki can easily name the scripts that made him cry—“Heart,” “Sacrifice" and "Baby" all land on the list. The common thread is a heartfelt moment between the brothers where they get to talk about their crazy life as if, say, having visions of Lucifer is normal. “I feel like those situations where we treat the abstract and the fantastical as just part of life is where the show thrives,” Padalecki says. Ackles adds, “I think the show is truly at its best when it doesn't take itself too seriously, then it does take itself seriously, and it gets scary as s---,”.

But whether Supernatural is making fun of itself, scaring the living daylights out of its fans, or just letting the brothers have a moment on the hood of the Impala, it all works because of our central heroes. “It's about the Winchesters," says Crowley actor Mark Sheppard. “We really do care, and it's a testament to the boys that we still care."

(...)

As the sun sets on the Vancouver countryside, Sam and Dean ditch their slacks for jeans and send the coroner's van on its way. It won't be needed—this show, and the brotherly bond that holds it all together, has a lot of life left in it. Not that death has ever stopped it before.

[pg 32-34]

(...)

DEAN WINCHESTER Jensen Ackles

He was always the good son. Dean embraced the hunter's lifestyle, and he idolized his father despite John's many faults. But with the senior Winchester devoted to tracking down demons, it fell to Dean to help parent Sam, and he went to great lengths to protect his younger sibling-at one point even making a deal with a Crossroads demon (at the cost of his own life) to resurrect Sam from the dead. The two have had their differences, but throughout, Dean's brother was his first priority. "Watching out for you, it's kinda been my job, you know? But more than that, it's kinda who I am." Cynical and initially skeptical of the existence of God, Dean has nonetheless managed to become best buds with the angel Castiel (and on first name terms with both God and God's sister Amara). His self-sacrificing nature means he would do literally anything for those he considers family-and that's a short list: Sam, Mary and Castiel.

[pg 38]

Sympathy for the Devil

EVERY HERO NEEDS A HELL, BUT SUPERNATURAL HAS JUST TWO PROTAGONISTS AND HUNDREDS OF VILLAINS. HERE’S HOW THE SHOWRUNNERS APPROACHED SAM AND DEAN’S MANY FOES, FROM WELL-KNOWN URBAN LEGENDS TO SATAN HIMSELF. By Samantha Highfill

[pg 51]

Stairway to Heaven

SAM AND DEAN MET CASTIEL. AN ANGEL OF THE LORD, IN SEASON 4, AND IT CHANGED THE COURSE OF THE SHOW. BECAUSE ANGELS WEREN’T ALWAYS THE PLAN— AND CASTIEL WAS ONLY THE FIRST. By Samantha Highfill

(on page 57 there’s a small box of print on the corner that says: In what executive producer Robert Singer calls one of the series’ most “iconic images,” Castiel (Misha Collins) is introduced as the show’s first real angel.)

WHILE OTHER CHILDREN WERE LEARNING multiplication tables, Sam and Dean Winchester were hunting monsters. “When I told Dad I was scared of the thing in my closet, he gave me a .45!” says Sam to Dean in the Supernatural pilot, recalling an episode when he was 9 years old. Clearly creature encounters were par for the course in the Winchester way of life. And when you grow up battling all the evil in the world, it's hard to believe in the good. But in the show's season 4 premiere, Dean would come face-to-face with the one supernatural entity he didn't think existed: angels.

“[Show creator] Eric [Kripke] wasn't in love with the idea of doing angels,” executive producer Robert Singer says of the early days. “But as things went on and we were getting into demons, I would say to him, 'I don't know how we do demons without doing angels.’”

The show tested the waters in season 2's “Houses of the Holy,” when Sam and Dean worked a case that appeared to involve angels then went in a different direction. It wasn't until late in the next season that the seraphim were finally embraced. When Dean was dragged to Hell, they needed to get him out. And if there's a Hell, it stands to reason there has to be a Heaven. "[The season 3 finale] was the gateway into this whole other world of angels and demons," executive producer Andrew Dabb says.

When it came time to spring Dean from Hell, it was Castiel, the show's first angel, who gripped him tight and raised him from perdition. But Castiel quickly established that he wasn't a typical cherubic angel. Many of the show's angels were, as Sam and Dean would put it, real dicks. “We have our own brand of angels and the idea that they were these warriors of God,” Singer says. “We introduced Castiel, and we just went from there. Heaven opened up different levels of angels.”

The moment Castiel spread his wings, the show expanded its universe. Castiel came bearing news of something much bigger: the Apocalypse, the ultimate showdown between good and evil-or more specifically between Archangels Michael and Lucifer. “We started with archangels and the idea that Lucifer was an archangel and was cast out of Heaven,” Singer says. “We certainly took some license, but it was all biblically grounded. We just took those things and went a step further to make them work for our story.”

From there the show explored all kinds of angels, from Zachariah and Naomi to Gabriel and Metatron, and, of course, it eventually arrived at God-or Chuck, if you prefer. “We didn't really know that Chuck was God when we first started with him," Singer says of introducing the character in season 4. (He wouldn't be revealed as God until season 11.) “That evolved. We wanted a relatable God, a God with foibles.”

Nine seasons later, what started as one angel in a trench coat has evolved into Lucifer, God, Leviathan and even a sister for God. “We play a little fast and loose with religion, but no one has really complained about it,” Singer says with a laugh. “So we'll just keep going.”

[pg 56-58]

CASTIEL Misha Collins

What can you say about the only member of Team Free Will who wears an overcoat? Cas has become a true member of the Winchester family.

[pg 61]

#2017-Sep #2017:September29 #*SMT #*romance #*codependency #*destiel #*TOF #c/m saved the show #Jared Padalecki #Jensen Ackles #Misha Collins #Mark Sheppard #Robert Singer #Andrew Dabb #author: Samantha Highfill #author: Alyssa Smith #Entertainment Weekly #*magazines

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 4 years

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So, Rakepick, and potential redemption for her.

First, a disclaimer. I’m speculating on what may or may not actually happen in the game. Whether or not she deserves to be redeemed is a different question. I’m just going off the hints that Jam City has dropped. This has nothing to do with whether or not I want Rakepick to be redeemed. (I admit, I do, but that still has no bearing on this theory.)

@heleneplays @dat-silvers-girl @missnight0wl As the other members of the Rakepick fan club, I had to tag you in this. Let me know what you think!

As of this point, the Double Agent Theory is seeming less and less likely. If Rakepick was a spy for Dumbledore, or some other force fighting the Cabal, then she would never have actually killed Rowan. Because that’s simply a point of no return. Dumbledore would sever ties with her if that were the case. Now, if Rowan were secretly alive, that would be one thing. But after the Head Kid TLSQ, it doesn’t seem like they’re coming back. So Rakepick really did kill them. How on earth could she be redeemed after that? How would Jam City manage it? Well, I think I might know the answer.

At this point, it’s not about trying to justify her actions. They’re unspeakable. There’s no defending what she did to Rowan and Merula. Someone made the point that Rakepick could simply have “just been following orders.” but not only is that a pitiful excuse that as we know from real world history, doesn’t hold up...it’s also tremendously out of character for Rakepick. And yet, the only reason she would do those things, in a redemption scenario, is because she was ordered to. So it comes down to why she’s serving the Cabal in the first place. Because that still doesn’t make any sense. That is also out of character. Even if Rakepick is shamelessly evil, she’s not the sort of character to try and curry favor with the biggest bully on the playground. She’s not Lucius Malfoy. Good or evil, it just makes no sense for her to do this - even if Rakepick just wants more power, I still think she would go her own way. If she’s serving R in earnest, we have to ask ourselves why. Which returns to my previous point. It’s not about justifying her actions, because she clearly made her choices and she bears full responsibility for them. The question is why she made these choices. What are we missing, what’s the context? Why would pledge herself to the Cabal?

I can only think of one reason. And it would explain the Lioness Patronus, which sticks out like a sore thumb in the Forbidden Forest scene. She saved MC and friends from the Dementors. With a Patronus that symbolizes motherhood, and protecting one’s young. In a scene that was shot to code her as looking almost heroic, with the way she walked through the Patronus. Not only did they specifically choose that animal, and choose to reveal it to us - they chose to shoot that scene in a way that stressed how much the Lioness symbolizes it’s caster. All this, in the scene where Rakepick fires a killing curse at Ben and winds up hitting Rowan. This is what I mean - the writers are still hinting at another side to Rakepick, at a potential redemption for her. It blows my mind, because we all know how that scene ends, but I think we’re forgetting how it starts. There has to be a reason that they shot the scene that way.

There are also other things that we’re forgetting. I know I’ve talked about this a lot, but what the hell happened between Jacob and Rakepick? That journal that MC found in Year 5? The one Rakepick refused to comment on, and broke MC’s wand to stop them asking questions about it. For someone who’s usually a good liar, she had a terrible poker face during that scene. A forgery? Seriously? As if MC wouldn’t know Jacob’s handwriting, and his writer’s voice. Why even pretend that it’s a forgery, when she could have used it to build trust? Because that journal gave a pretty strong case for Rakepick being an unsung hero, at least at the time. Jacob credited her with saving his life, and saving the life of MC. We’ve never come back to that. We never found out when this happened, or what the circumstances were. But if it’s true, and I maintain that we have no reason to assume it’s not, that seriously suggests that there’s more to the story here.

Jacob also talked about the Cabal. Technically, he didn’t say “R,” and I know there’s a theory circulating that there are two different Cabals...but I personally doubt it. That would be kind of confusing, and I feel like Jam City wouldn’t write it that way. I truly believe we’re meant to assume he was talking about R. But in any case, the most important detail here is the Jacob said Rakepick was afraid of them. That’s actually quite startling, because Rakepick has always been the most dauntless character in this entire game. She gives no fucks, she takes no shit. If she’s afraid of the Cabal, there must be something going on here. There must be a reason for her to fear them. And in hindsight? I think we can assume that this reason is directly related to why she joined them. Why she turned on MC and Jacob. Because this journal basically confirms that she was at one point, on their side. So what happened? Why does she have a Patronus that symbolizes motherhood? Why would the ultimate rebel sell her soul to big brother? Why, if she feared them so much that she shared it with Jacob, did she ultimately join them?

All I can think of, is that R must have some kind of gun to her head. Some leverage over her, something to threaten her with. But Rakepick, again, is a renegade. She wouldn’t care. She’s not the kind of person who just complies when someone puts a gun to her head. To continue the metaphor, she knocks it out of their hand, or pulls out a bigger gun. I keep stressing this because everything we were shown during Years 4 and 5 leads me to doubt that she would be easy to control. It would have to be something priceless. R would have to have some card they could play, that Rakepick absolutely cannot afford to let happen. And...thinking back to how she advised MC to watch over Merula. Thinking back to how she saved a young MC’s life, not to mention Jacob’s...well, there’s only one weakness that Rakepick could theoretically have, that would give R this level of control over her. I believe Rakepick has a child. It would explain the Lioness Patronus, and it would be something that R could use against her. If they have her child, they control her.

“Never apologize for doing what you know in your heart that you absolutely must do.” - Patricia Rakepick.

This is why she turned on MC. This is why she murdered Rowan. Because when a shady Cabal is holding your child captive, you do as they say. This is what I mean - trying to justify her actions is going down the wrong route. They’re inexcusable, as I’m sure she knows. The question is why she did it. And I believe this is the answer. Rakepick isn’t the sort of person to show any remorse. Even if she felt regret, she would never speak it aloud, certainly not to MC. But let me ask you, doesn’t this sound like the kind of thing R would do? They have a history of scare tactics, and they’re not above killing children or otherwise using them as tools. They do what they need to, in order to gain control of people. They make serious threats and then they deliver on those threats. Which is why Rakepick knows she cannot defy them openly, if at all. It’s why she warned MC ahead of time about a group that is “not to be trifled with.” (I maintain that she wrote that unsigned letter, it was written in her character’s voice.) Rakepick probably doesn’t believe she deserves forgiveness, nor would she give a damn about trying to earn it. At this point, her only motivation would be keeping her child alive and unharmed.

Whether or not this is enough to forgive her crimes is, again, the wrong question. Because as far as redemption goes, forgiving Rakepick is going to vary from person to person, between the characters and the fan-base. At this rate? No one will care, and everyone will still hate her. But indepedent of that, is it in any way possible for her and MC to fight on the same side again? Well...if this theory is true, then yes, it is. MC might hate Rakepick, but her child is innocent. If R is holding them captive, The Circle of Khanna will surely want to rescue them. Which would give Rakepick and the Circle a common goal. Hell, even if MC is heartless and doesn’t care about the child...rescuing them would enable Rakepick to turn on R, which is beneficial to the Circle anyway. Of course, all of this doesn’t mean Rakepick won’t still die, because she very likely will...but when she does, I feel like the game will have made an effort to put her in a new context. Even after the Infiltration, we’re still getting Dialogue Choices that hint at there being more to Rakepick. Why would MC even entertain the idea that she’s doing what she thinks is right? At least in terms of presentation, she isn’t. But the writers keep hinting that there’s more to her...and this is the only way left, that I can think of anyway, that they could make this happen. After all...hasn’t this series always had a motif about the power of a mother’s love? Wouldn’t it be interesting and make the Cabal stand out if they had found a way to weaponize that power against MC? And if doing so later proved to be their undoing?

No one has to like Rakepick. She’s tortured and murdered children - she’s a villain. But I just cannot believe there’s nothing more to this character than a one-dimensional monster. There has to be more to the story. She was way too interesting prior to her turn, for this to be all there is.

#Patricia Rakepick #HPHM Theory #HPHM Cabal #HPHM Analysis #HPHM R #HPHM Jacob #Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery #HPHM Jacob's Sibling #The Curse-Breaker who shall not be named

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somedaywithflyingcolors · 4 years

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Tymee Thoughts Tuesday #1

February 25, 2020

1. EDSA Revolution and Imelda Marcos

Today, the Filipino people celebrates the 34th year that we were able to overthrow a dictator, Ferdinand Marcos through collective action. And this was not a single dictatorship, it was conjugal. Ferdinand Marcos ruled hand in hand with her wife, Imelda Romualdez Marcos. The “beautiful” and extravagant Imelda.

Under the Marcos Regime, they were able to stay in power for as long as 21 years. They declared Martial Law which lasted a good eight years with the excuse of extinguishing rising communist threats (exaggerated to extend and increase their power). During the regime, 70,000 were jailed as political prisoners. 35,000 were tortured. Almost 3,000 were killed. Human rights were violated.

Luckily, this week, I have had the chance to watch two documentaries featuring the iconic First Lady. Ramona Diaz’ Imelda (2003) and Lauren Greenfield’s The Kingmaker (2019).

While Ferdinand Marcos seems to be very predictable and lawyerly-like, Imelda, with her beauty, wits, and charm, is very spontaneous. The narcissistic woman and her edifice complex seems to make her appear someone not to be taken seriously. This was all part of the act. The 3,000 pairs of shoes, the lavish dresses, the terno, the hair, it was part of her brand. She wants to appear as someone laughable but she does that with the intent to manipulate us.

In the Ramona Diaz documentary, she goes on explaining her absurd theories of life from apple to apple and here obsession with beauty as part of the Circle of Life -- how beauty is love applied. It was funny at first and would make you believe that she needs psychological help (fun fact: in the kingmaker it was revealed that she was actually brought in a psychological hospital in New York where the doctor aid that she’s okay, she just could not take politics, so Ferdinand said that he will give up politics for her, which obviously didn’t happen, but after that incident, Imelda is a new person). Afterwards, it starts becoming horrifying.

This quote from the documentary reveals how out of touch Imelda was with the reality of the situation. Truly, the best villains in a story are those that think they're the hero.

Let’s now jump to the Kingmaker!!! This one talks more about the rise authoritarianism, how the Marcoses are going back power. It acknowledges that Imelda is an unreliable narrator but is a very instinctive and powerful political animal.

A great point that hits home is when a footage jumped on the kids in a high school asking what their thoughts were on martial law. All they said were positive (but untrue) accounts of the Marcos regime. The history was revised. The memory of tortured heroes, forgotten. The children had a Utopian view of the Martial Law Era, seeing it as a time of economic progress and discipline, when it fact it is very far from the truth.

That said, it show the importance of writing our histories, sharing them with the world, because with the rise of authoritarianism, the strong-man narrative of Rodrigo Duterte (our current president), one the only ways that we do not fall to the same mistakes of history is to study it, remember it, and learn from it. It is scary to imagine another Martial Law, but seeing the political climate now, the future is not very far. We need to educate more, be vigilant. Hold our line and contribute in our nation-building. Contribute in defending our freedom.

Another feature of the film that I didn’t know before was how Imelda displaced 254 families, a community in Calauit, an inhabited island, just to house the animals coming from Kenya. Now, the safari and its animals, with no budget, no veterinarians, are suffering. The community in there were suffering as well. This is a metaphor for the Regime’s way of using their power as well as their priorities once in power.

Some key takeaways:

- The EDSA Revolution was not bloodless. The revolution began 14 years ago. Saying that it is peaceful and bloodless disregards the unsung heroes that were killed in the process.

- The Filipinos are very forgiving. What we Filipinos should learn is that while we can forgive, it is also important that we hold those that wronged us accountable. It is almost unthinkable how a family of someone that plundered an estimate of half a trillion peso can still return to power.

- As much we can, we must also continue to speak of the people that were against this dictatorship as someone to emulate. One person from the panel said that for every time we are angry and mention the Marcoses name, we must spread the names of the people who toppled the dictatorship ten times so as to have someone to emulate and be known. People like Edgar Jopson, Archimedes Trajano, Primitivo Mijares, Pete Lacaba, Emmanuel Lacaba, Lorena Barros. They are the heroes that need to be broadcasted more in this narrative. Less of the narcissism of Imelda and more of the injustice and violations of democracies during that time.

-Duterte and Marcos are experts of the Filipino Psychology. While we academics tend to be very rational and logical, these politicians know how to tickle the minds of the Filipinos to allure them into believing that they are someone that they could trust. Now, they not only use the media. They also use weaponize the Internet in a way that would benefit their narrative. Their propaganda continues with all the lies and the fake news.

Sorry this was mostly me talking about Imelda and their injustices during their time in power. I still have so many words and I really can’t help but be outraged. It was just so outrageous to think that (1) they are slowly going back in power, (2) they have no remorse nor guilt over what they did, (3) they have single (double??)handedly affected the influenced major key factors of today’s time, mostly relating to the economic status of the country.

ANYWAY, here are some of the other thoughts that have passed through and plagued my mind through the week!!

2. Valentines Day Podcasts

Because it is still February, go on and check some of the cool podcasts about it!

Here’s Usapang Econ Podcast that discusses the economics of love and valentines!! (In Filipino, sorry international audience :( )

And this episode of Debatable by Nina and Kyle that discussed some debate motions about love and valentines. I really enjoyed their chaotic energy there. I ship the two too, so that’s a plus! (Seriously Kyle, why would you leave Nina hanging on your Valentines Dinner for a Bumble Date??)

3. You will be judged not by what you do but by what you did not do. Some musing on where best to spend my time.

I have been thinking about the organizations that I need to join and the things I need to do to be able to land a good job once I graduate. I want to do an internship. In the my course, an internship is voluntary. In the Philippines, unlike in the US or other Western Countries, becoming an Intern just because you want exposure on something is not the fad. Internships are a mandatory thing needed before you graduate. However, I don’t want to just go with the flow. I want to gain real life experience on real things, especially on the work that I am most interested in. This was triggered by this Rappler Article regarding internship, wherein, apparently, aside from a CV, I also need to pin a portfolio of a work that I’ve done. I am beginning to become convinced that for me to land a good job someday, I need to begin looking for connections related to the job that I want to do. A thick CV won’t cut it. I want to maximize my skills and opportunities here in college while I still can.

Tomorrow, I will be awarded as one of the University Scholars of my University. It can be assumed that I am a good student, I get good grades, pass my work on time. But am I really limited just by the grades that I earned inside the classroom? Should I rush into looking for a workplace or should I just continue doing the things that I’m currently doing (because it seems to be working). Should I dare to be more than what I am now?

Because that entails sacrifice. It may mean less time for family, less sleep, less time for myself. God knows how much I value my time alone. But God also knows how much time I waste for resting and sanity breaks (a little bit too much break tbh). Another fear that I have is going against the harmonious relationship that I think I have now with my family. Saying that I want to do an Internship, which is not included in the curriculum, may raise some eyebrows from the people in my family. I think I need more courage to explain to them the value of doing such things. I remember a saying that I don’t know where I remember from (maybe in the Bible, but I can’t find it): You are judged not by the good that you do, but by the good that you choose not to do. What am I not doing? How can I be better?

#EDSA34 #NeverAgain #NeverForget #EDSARevolution #MartialLaw #TheKingmaker #ValentinesDay #Valentines #Tymee #Thoughts #Filipino #imelda marcos

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aurora-the-kunoichi · 5 years

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I Can’t Do This Anymore

Here’s a little oneshot I wrote for ya’ll

Leo and Reader

It was the middle of the night and sleep had yet to claim you. Flashes and rumbles of the raging storm outside kept your mind active watching the lightning race across the sky. In your bed you lay alone yet again, another night without the warmth of his body, another night without his lips against yours. The bed felt so cold and empty without him but the sheets still held his scent. Sandalwood and blade oil with a hint of peppermint tea invaded your senses appeasing your tormented soul for a few moments. Your hand slipped to the other side of the bed caressing the cool linen that should hold his weight. Too long it had been and your body ached from the distance.

Patrols and the threat of Bishop kept the mutant turtle from you, kept him from your bed. His need to protect this city from the dangers that lurked from within, consumed him. The four brothers were the unsung heroes of an ungrateful city, putting their lives on the line each night for a race that would condemn their existence if found out.

You knew the risks of being intimate with a mutant turtle especially the leader of a group of four. Leonardo, your drug of choice took your heart almost a year ago, stealing it away for only himself. The stoic leader in blue was always in control and that meant as his role as leader and his roll with you behind closed doors. Firm yet gentle he took every moment with you seriously not wasting a single second consuming you whole each moment together. the fire that raged between you both seemed unquenchable.

Pulling back the covers from your naked body you slipped from the warmth of your bed and paddled silently over to the large windows overlooking the city that never slept. Pouring rain drenched the city below making the roads glisten like diamonds. The many lights that illuminated the large city made it sparkle and dance with the heavy sheets of rain.

Then time stood still, the sudden sensation of hot air drifted over your bare neck followed by the warm pressure of lips made your eyes flutter close. You should have been startled but this was a regular occurrence when it came to the ninja. Hearing nothing of his entrance you cared not as the hard plastron pressed against your back, his arousal already apparent.

“What keeps you from the warmth of your bed?” his deep voice questioned while his hand encircled your waist pulling you back into him.

Tilting your head to the side you give the green terrapin access to your throat, he happily accepted the invite sinking his teeth gently into the offered flesh. “The lack of you in it Leo.” You hum softly feeling the fire in your belly ignite when his lips traveled up to your ear.

“I’m sorry, you know where I’ve been.” He husks as his fingers dips down past your navel to the hidden treasure between your thighs.

Those words sting more then he knew cooling the rise heat in your body. You side step away from his touch and turn to look up at the blue banded turtle. “Do I?” the words more of a statement then a question.

Even in the darkness you can see the bright blue pools of his eyes freezing you to the floor. You try not to lose focus or get lost in his unique and captivating features because he knows the hold he has on you. You straighten your back and lock eyes keeping just a few tantalizing inches between you. “You could have been captured, bleeding and broken or perhaps lying dead on a dissection table with Bishop hovering over your cold lifeless corpse? That’s where I thought you were.” The tremble in your voice was unavoidable but you managed to get the words out. Words you had been practicing for two weeks without so much as a text from the leader. Your eyes wandered over his towering muscled form focusing in on a fresh bandage around the thick bicep that was already soaking through with crimson. The already thin pressed line of your lips work further down with the thought of him being injured in battle.

He says nothing making the air around you become uncomfortable and thick. His big doe eyes search yours but the only movement from his mouth is from his tongue moistening his enticing lips. You take the silence and continue your speech.

“It’s been two weeks Leo, two weeks without any kind of word that you and your brothers are alright. I know you’re busy and what you’re doing is important to this city but whatever we have,” You motion to the both of you in the dark room. “Whatever we are, I still deserve to know. The thought of you out every night putting your life on the line with the very real chance you may never come back alive scares me. I won’t stop you, it’s not my place nor will I ever try to stop you but I deserve to know you’re safe.” The heart hidden in your chest thumped wildly beneath your breast threatening to crash through your rib cage. You wanted to reach out to him to touch his skin to make sure he was real. Your imagination had been running wild with horrible scenarios each more terrible then the last.

Then the sudden realization made your heart skip a beat and your blood rush with warmth. Leonardo didn’t just have your heart, he had your soul and everything else that came along with it. You were in love with him. The thought of being without him terrified you to no end and you didn’t want to face the fact that he might not return the sentiment.

Was this all just a fun game for him? Were you just a toy to play with when he needed to release some tension from a long night’s work?

Leo must have sensed the inner turmoil in you because his large hands came up to your cheeks cupping them firmly in his warm expansive palms. You held your breath when a devilish smile curled up the corners of his beautiful mouth. “I’m sorry.” He whispered pressing his lips to yours in an unexpected frenzied kiss. You inadvertently moaned into his enthusiastic mouth getting lost for a moment in the heat of his passion. He was trying to distract you and god help you is was working. The fire you had extinguished moments ago was racing back to a full blown inferno and you nipped at his lip to get his attention.

With a pop he let your mouth go, groaning at the mild discomfort from your hasty bite. “What was that for?”

You swallowed when his pink tongue darted out to catch the blood you had drawn from the full green pedals. “Quit distracting me with your sexual prowess. It’s not fair when you know exactly what it does to me.” You couldn’t help it, but the kiss alone had left you trying to catch a few full gulps of much needed air. Damn him.

His eyes narrowed in on your naked body and stalked forward, “I thought you liked the things I do to you? The sexual things I do to distract you?” he growled seductively as his hand slide around your waist pulling your retreating form back into the folds of his massive arms. His head dipped down while his tongue swirled around your carotid artery nipping at the flustered flesh. His lips worked at your throat, kissing and biting up the long column of your neck as he ground his restrained throbbing shaft against your naked mound.

“God… Leo…..please….fuck.. just listen…” you tried to form a coherent sentence, but the heat of his body and the animalist growls he was making made your mind mush. Leonardo was magnificent and had a rigorous training schedule that did not leave an ounce of fat on his immaculate body. Leo was in his prime and perfect as an alpha make could get. Every inch of your being craved him and at this moment it was shaking with need. Your hands halfheartedly tried to push him from you, but your body screamed for his continuance. It wanted it, needed it, you were on god damn fire!

“No!” you finally focused forcing your mind to work and gathered the rest of your strength pushing the large turtle from your personal bubble, startling him. Your traitorous body screamed at you for stopping him, you could almost hear the ‘Fuck You’ inside your head as it screamed for his gifted body.

“Leo..” You gasped, grabbing a nearby blanket to cover yourself with, to remove the visible temptation from the lustful terrapin. “I can’t keep doing this, I can’t keep sitting here weeks on end not knowing if your dead or alive because you won’t call me. Or wonder whether or not you’ll grow tired of me and forget me like last week’s trash and move onto the next willing woman.”

The tears were coming now whether you liked it or not. Were you ending this exhilarating ride that had turned into something more for you? You guessed it was all up to how the leader in blue responded to the next words that were screaming to come out of your mouth. Leo’s body language was difficult to read, he stood a few inches from you’re his three fingered hands balled into tight fists. Was he angry at you? It didn’t matter at this moment. He needed to know how you felt and if it wasn’t a mutual feeling, all of this needed to end. Needed to end before you got hurt.

“Leo, when this started I knew this was just sex just two people enjoying each other’s bodies, but unfortunately it’s grown into something much more for me.” God this was so hard, looking at him as the storm raged on outside oblivious to the tension on the room. You wanted nothing more than to be wrapped up in his arms entangled in your bed screaming his name.

“Leo, I love you.”

@blossom-skies

#tmnt #tmnt leonardo #tmnt fanfiction #TMNT TMNT fanfiction #tmnt fandom #tmnt fic

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truthbeetoldmedia · 5 years

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iZombie 5x10 "Night in the Zombie City" Review

With just three episodes of iZombie left, we are inching closer and closer to the truth about the cure, and characters are going to more drastic measures as time ticks on.

For this week’s murder, a young sex worker and private eye detective are killed back to back. Liv eats the detective’s brain, bathing the episode in noir. Sad saxophones, light bars across the eyes, and long trench coats. A thunderstorm plays in the background for the whole episode, making every scene feel like a dark and stormy night. The power goes out in the station, giving it a 50’s black and white movie vibe. Bunny, the sex worker, was one of Candy’s girls, so the investigation naturally winds up at Don E Be Good’s. All signs point to the waitress, Jane, who ends up returning to the scene of the crime. Blaine confronts her near the bar, and right before Jane is about to shoot him, Crybaby comes in and knocks her out cold. Blaine eats her brain in hopes of finding out more, and he has a vision. The private eye detective had managed to secure a cure for Bunny, and Jane caught wind of it. Trying to steal the cure for herself, she killed both of them. Of course, getting another cure would be in Blaine’s best interest, and so he eats Jane’s brain in hopes to figure out where she stashed the cure.

Blaine and Liv cross paths at the private eye’s office while working on the case, but tensions finally boil over between the two when they are looking for the cure in the kitchen of Don E Be Good’s. Peyton gets Liv to come out drinking, and Peyton drowns her sorrows and delivers wobbly karaoke. The fun comes to an abrupt end when someone tells Peyton that she was a bad mayor. She tells him exactly what she thinks about that by sockin him right in the mouth. A huge bar fight breaks out. “Seriously? On karaoke night?” Don E moans. If only he knew the knockout, drag-out Liv and Blaine were having in the back. This is certainly not the first time that these two have come to fisticuffs, but this time it gets ugly. Crybaby intervenes again, with more intentions to kill. Right before he brings the bat down on Liv’s head, Clive comes to the rescue. Blaine throws Crybaby under the bus for Jane’s murder, which is what Blaine does, and Crybaby truly should not be shocked about it.

Peyton is also arrested. Poor girl is clearly having a hard time dealing with not being mayor anymore. Now that she’s off the hook for all of Seattle’s problems, what else does she have to do? “Did I ever tell you I wanted to be a paleontologist?” she tells Liv. “Seems hard to get fired from that job.” I hope in the next three episodes, Peyton can get her groove back, rather than taking up an extended stay in Margaritaville and getting arrested for bar fights.

Another character who has been under a lot of stress lately, as well as a new relationship, is Don E. In a bought of frustration, he calls the murders a “hassle” for business, which rubs Darcy the wrong way. Confused about what he said, Liv soothes him while sipping on hard liquor. “Dames got you dizzy, Don E. It’s what dames do.” He has a sweet moment with Candy, where she encourages him to get Darcy back, and it seems a little bit like a final goodbye. Candy has been an unsung hero of this series. She has never had a full plot on her own, unfortunately always at the mercy of the unethical men in her life. We aren’t often in tune with her thoughts and feelings, but she has been with us since the beginning. So when we see her steal the cure for herself and get on the back of a sexy motorcycle, I cheered out loud. Cue the Lucille Bluth “Good for her!” gif! Although it sets our heroes back, yet again ending an episode cure-less, I can’t help but feel like out of all the people to get one of the rare original cures, Candy deserves it the most. Be free, Candy!

Darcy agrees to speak to Don E, and she tells him that she was angry at his reaction to Bunny because his chief concern was finding a replacement for her. Darcy doesn’t have much time left, so she was worried that would be Don E’s reaction to her death as well. Don E has matured the most out of any character on this show, and so when he tells Darcy that he’s hardened by all the death in his life, but still loves her, it feels like a hard won, vulnerable moment from him. He asks Darcy to marry him, which was the perfect mix of corny and sweet. At first I was sure that we would see Darcy die by the end of the season, but I’m beginning to wonder if the show has a future for these two after all. If there’s any zombies standing after Liv and Martin’s showdown, that is.

Ravi wastes no time telling Liv the truth about her father, that he also, in fact, is Father of all Zombie-kind. In turn, she wastes no time confronting him about it. Not only is she angry that he withheld something so major, it also means he holds the key to the cure. He created the recipe for utopium that could be the solution to all their problems. He quickly tells her that he was high all the time in those days, so there’s no way he remembers the recipe. The audience knows this isn’t true, and it’s only a matter of time before Liv and the group find out. But not before Ravi lapses judgement a little and tells Martin he was testing rats with Max Rager, the energy drink that gives extreme psychological effects. When it’s paired with utopium, it turns people into zombies. Ravi explains that it stimulants the frontal cortex. Martin seems incredibly interested at this piece of information, and we found out later that Max Rager is the last piece of the puzzle that he needs to control his army.

At Fillmore Graves, Major is begging for a distraction from the negotiations with the government. His second gives him a note that the keycard system needs to be replaced. While she mentions that it’s “just boring stuff,” it turns disturbing fast. Major catches a janitor with a huge carton of Max Rager with two keycards. When Major tells him that he wants to ask him some questions, the janitor runs into a shower hook, impaling his brain rather than talk. When Ravi hears what the janitor was trying to steal, he brings up to Liv the conversation he had with Martin. Liv proposes sneaking into Martin’s house while he’s in an AA meeting, and boy do they hit the motherlode. Not only do they find the exact recipe from the night of the yacht party that created the first zombie outbreak, but they find the army too. Ravi pulls aside the curtain, hoping for an escape route, and finds a pack of Romeros staring back at him behind a cage.

Meanwhile, two of the weakest plots of the show finally meet each other and seem to resolve. As a little recap, Hi Zombie is the webseries that Peyton got fired for funding. The premise is two families move in next door to each other — one human, one zombie — and they root out all the stereotypes they have against each other. Every clip or scene we’ve seen of this show has been didactic and a little forced, but surely it was a plot device to build some kind of crucial bridge. The threat of nuclear warfare has been looming over New Seattle for quite some time now, and I mean a long time now. I understand this is a big decision, but it’s been stretched to the point of taking the wind out of the story’s sails a bit. I never actually believed that New Seattle would get nuked, and now we know it’s probably not going to. Why? All because of Hi Zombie! The chairman walks in on her grandson watching the show, and leans over to watch it with him for a while. Over the course of the evening, she has a change of heart about the zombie community. When it comes down to a vote on whether or not to nuke the town, she breaks the tie by voting no. “They have the capacity to become monsters” she says, but she can’t base her vote on “for fear for what they might become.” All of this is certainly not good enough for General Mills, who pays a phone call to our favorite local criminal, Dolly. These two make a toxic team up, for sure, but how will they factor in to the grand finale?

Final thoughts:

Ravi does an amazing noir detective monologue that I can only assume is based off Harrison Ford’s Bladerunner voiceover

Was it just me, or was there extra alcohol in this episode?

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead” “You’re already dead.” It seems unbelievable to me this joke hasn’t been played yet

“We’re not talking about your book. By the book. My book.” I’m going to miss Malcolm Goodwin rolling with every brain swing. He’s exasperated by a brain nearly every week, but this one particularly got under his skin. He tells Liv she’s off the case until she eats a brain tube, but that certainly doesn’t stop her.

“That was just a love tap!”

I always feel frustrated when this show uses terribly dated language, like “hooker” and “junkie.” It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

“The classic lamp reveal.” Finally, a brain that matches Blaine for his dramatics.

Don E’s laugh when Peyton starts singing is pure iZombie

“We’re going to Don E Be Good’s.” “Good’s enough!” Again — so obvious but brilliant.

Haley’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝

iZombie airs Thursdays at 9/8c on the CW.

#iZombie #Night in the Zombie City

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mumbal33 · 5 years

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The Warrior Within

Dark, brooding, and burly, one-time badass Ronon Dex has come a long way since he first jumped through the Stargate. Now a trusted member of the Stargate: Atlantis team, Jason Momoa reveals that there’s more to Ronon than just his muscles…

By Byran Cairns, Stargate SG-1/Stargate Atlantis Magazine

Big guy. Big muscles. Big gun. Big attitude. There’s no denying these qualities immediately impressed Stargate: Atlantis viewers about Ronon Dex, a Satedan soldier from the Pegasus Galaxy who was implanted with a tracking device so the life draining Wraith could hunt him down. After easily getting the drop on Lt Col John Sheppard and Teyla Emmagan in the episode Runner, Ronan agreed to help them capture the infected Lt Ford if Dr. Beckett removed the alien mechanism under his skin. Realizing his potential as an ally against the Wraith, Sheppard later invited him to join his team and although they’ve slowly gained his trust and have been a positive influence on him, it has still been a difficult transition.

“To a certain extent, it has,” notes Momoa in his deep, gruff voice. “Ultimately, Ronon is still kind of a loner but has taken direction from Sheppard as long as he thinks it is right. That is the great part about him though. He’s military so he’ll still react and have that instinct within him but at the same time, he’ll still listen to commands.”

Since his inauguration, Ronon has been a key participant on multiple missions and the outings have given him the opportunity to connect with his team mates and adjust to his surroundings.

“Sheppard is Ronon’s commander but to me, he and Teyla are the only ones I can trust,” offers Momoa. “I go to Teyla for everything because Sheppard isn’t big on the emotional things. If I had a problem, I would go to Teyla because we’re both aliens. She’s like my sister. Shep is like my best friend through the whole thing. Weir is just my boss, I don’t know too much about her but at the same time, I respect her. Rodney is the brains and I’m the brawn and it will always be like that between us. I can kick his ass but he’ll outwit me. Beckett saved my life numerous times and in these episodes, you’ll see he’s probably saved me more than anybody. He is someone I trust and Beckett is like a good buddy now.”

The second season concluded with Ronon and McKay captured and cocooned onboard a hive ship awaiting either rescue of imminent doom. Among the Atlantis squad, those two are arguable the most polar opposite as McKay can be annoying and Ronon takes no crap. The unlikely pairing is a guilty pleasure and the new season sees them sharing even more screen time together while engaging in their trademark witty banter and scathing remarks.

“The upcoming Tao of Rodney is really good because there’s stuff where McKay is getting a lot of power and thinks he can beat Ronon,” reveals Momoa. “I’m like ‘Oh yeah? Want to take me on?’ And he’s like ‘Um no.’ It is still very much him eating all the time and me making fat jokes about him, McKay saying I’m not smart enough or I am his big friend with few syllables. He’s been calling me Caveman too and I call him fat ass. He’ll poke jokes at me or I will poke them at him but there’s a mutual respect. When it comes down to it, he’s saved my life and I’ve saved his. I am the Pitt Bull on the show and I can tear anyone apart. If McKay and me are bickering, I would chop somebody’s head off to save him.”

As the muscles on the series, Ronon’s special talent to intimidate, threaten, and kick some serious Wraith butt makes him better suited as a fighter rather than a peacemaker. Unfortunately, such roles can sometimes be limiting to an actor by not providing enough depth and development.

“Well, that is the character and the way he is,” defends Momoa. “You can’t expect him to get real emotional. That’s hard to write for. That is why in Sateda, there is a lot I don’t say but am suffering through. [Robert] Cooper and a lot of the crew guys were coming up and going ‘Wow! That was amazing!’ I don’t necessarily have to say anthing, but that doesn’t mean I’m not acting. As long as there are good things to chew on and you don’t have to ramble off all this mumbo jumbo like McKay. I would never want to say all theat sci fi garbage or Beckett with his doctor terms. I speak through my actions and the way I hold myself. I’m not the way Ronon is in real life so it is still fun to play but it is an an ensemble cast and they write for everyone.”

Luckily, Stargate: Atlantis has no intention of pigeonholing anyone and the talented writing staff has been shattering any preconceived notions by sprinkling juicy nuggets throughout season three for Ronon. The humorous Irresistible was such a case. With Atlantis somehow enthralled by a man named Lucius Lavin, Momoa was thrilled to see his tough guy alterego crack a smile.

“That was great, man,” he enthuses. “The night before, I was talking with my fiance, was a little intoxicated, and she’s making me laugh. I would go ‘Hhon! Hhon! Hhon!’ and it sounds like a motor. I couldn’t stop laughing. It was one of those giggles and the next day, I had to shoot this scene where I’m laughing and we’ve never heard Ronon laugh at all. I thought it would be great to be this big dumb animal and be, ‘‘Hhon! Hhon! Hhon!’. He just has this big, funny, annoying laugh. Irresistible was fun because I got to laugh and be goofy.”

Momoa also appreciated the series shifting from the Wraith-heavy adventures to something more light hearted.

“That is what is great about the show; we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” he admits. “The most serious character on the show is me. In that respect, Joe Flanigan plays the lead so great. He’s this unsung hero. I love the way everyone acts on the show and that it has that comedy element to it.”

However it was the recent Ronon-centric Sateda which truly excited Momoa. Once again, Ronon encounters the Wraith, returns to his home world, exposes his tragic past and vulnerable side while dealing with a dangerous present day threat.

“I had to do so much in Runner and this year, Sateda just blows it all away,” exclaims Momoa. “They finally gave me something to act with. Being an actor, I want dialogue. My guy doesn’t say much, but when he does… Sateda was an amazing episode and worth everything. We shot it as the third episode, it aired as the fourth, and it was like ‘Oh man! Now there’s not going to be anything! The rest of the season is going to suck!’ but it has been really good!”

According to Momoa, Sateda was probably the series’ most ambitious and time consuming production to date.

“Sateda was unreal,” he acknowledges. “I usually do four or five days per episode and if it is every day, it is with the whole group and I have little lines here and there. Sateda was a 12-day shoot when we normally shoot in seven. It was the biggest budget I think we’ve ever had and the most stunts and explosions. We’ve never had that many locations. I was exhausted. We basically shot a full-on movie in 12 days on a movie schedule.”

The experience was further heightened when Executive Producer Robert Copper stepped in to direct the episode.

“Robert was fantastic to work with,” praises Momoa. “I hadn’t talked to much with him before that. He’s a very quiet guy and I never go up to the office unless there is a serious problem. I came with my ideas and when I first met him, they were having a little meeting so I went in and gave him the hugest hug. I had to prove to him that I could act. He was there every scene, if I needed the set to be quiet, he would make sure they were. He gave me my time. Not to float his boat but he is definitely one of the top directors I’ve worked with on the show, let alone my career.”

Not exactly a big talker, Ronon’s right hook or his weapon shoved in your face speaks louder than words. Thankfully, outside of Stargate: Atlantis, Momoa kept in great shape on Baywatch Hawaii and North Shore. Neither series were as physical taxing as playing Ronon yet the gung ho actor immediately embraced that warrior spirit.

“When I was doing Baywatch Hawaii, my cousin was a big toe in surfing and now he’s a full-on stunt coordinator so I’ve done a lot of water stuff that has been pretty heavy in big waves,” says Momoa. “That was the only thing I knew. I had never really been in any fights and my manager is Japanese so I wanted to work with a stick. I basically did that for a bit and watched movies before I got the role. I watched tons of samurai and action movies, studying people’s body movements which is what actors do. I was finding my own way, incorporating them into the role, and listening to Bam Bam who is just a talented artist and can come up with a fight like that [snaps fingers]. We work well together because he’s not, ‘No, do it this way!’ He takes into account what you made for your character and how your body moves.”

For Momoa, that included laying off a previous injury which flared up early.

“I have bad knees, so grappling and going low are very hard for me,” he notes. “Runner just got me because we didn’t have the lighter guns so it was five-plus pounds and it was hammering on my right knee. At the end of the day, you soak in the bath, have some wine, pop some Advil, and you’ll be fine. But we established Ronon isn’t really a kicker and more of a head butt, punch kind of guy. The studio likes it and it is working well. Sateda did rip me apart because I had armor on too.”

Before the SG-1 spin-off geared up, most of the actors reportedly signed a five-year contract. Yet when asked whether he could imagine himself in the series for the long haul, Momoa momentarily pauses.

“Tough call. I don’t know if I would want to play Ronon for five years. Playing a character for four years is a little much for me so I’d like to move on. Ultimately, I’d like to be in movies. It’s kind of up in the air. This was a fantastic role and I’ve never played anything like it but not to expand or try other things would be selling myself short.”

Naturally, Momoa isn’t necessarily vying for those adrenaline charged parts.

“Originally, I did not want to be an action star,” he confirms. “I felt it was a trap I’d get into and it would come easy for me. I’m a pretty coordinated cat. I don’t want to be an action star because I don’t want to limit myself to anything.”

In the meantime, Momoa couldn’t be happier on Stargate: Atlantis. However, with only a handful of episodes to finish, he isn’t prepared to speculate on where Ronon is heading. Yet after adding his two cents on his imposing, dreadlocked character last year, the 27-year-old is hoping to fulfill a growing ambition on the series.

“I’d really like to do a story and have a credit for that,” says Momoa. “If I stay on the show longer, I’d love to do a director’s attachment where you sit down and go through the whole thing with him in post-production. I’d eventually love to be behind the camera, going through the dailies, editing, and enhancing what has been shot. I’d love to do that. Hopefully that may be possible next season.”

#jason momoa aquaman #jasonmomoa #ronon dex #aquaman #stargate atlantis

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oscar-isaacs-number-one-bitch · 5 years

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“Aquaman” Movie Review

Aquaman is DC’s sixth and latest entry into their cinematic universe, and the first since the severely underwhelming box office results of Justice League made us all question whether or not this attempt at replicating Marvel Studios’ success was ever actually going to succeed post-Wonder Woman. This film finds Insidious and Conjuring director James Wan helming the story of Arthur Curry, the son of a lighthouse keeper from Amnesty Bay and the Queen of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. After the events of Justice League, as well as a submarine rescue in which he encounters the man who will become Black Manta, Arthur returns home to his father. It isn’t long, however, before Princess Mera finds him, and warns him of a coming threat: Arthur’s brother, King Orm, means to declare war on the surface world, and everyone in it. If he is to be stopped, Arthur must put off the grudge he has against his people (whom he has denied because they supposedly killed his mother), and become the hero he is meant to be.

If there were a single word to describe what I felt sitting in the theater watching Aquaman for the first time, I wouldn’t know what it would be. I’ll say ahead of time that Wonder Woman is absolutely still DC’s strongest film to date, but the sheer level of commitment this movie has to its mid-2000’s levels of cheese and pulp give it an affecting charm not too many superhero films find themselves openly sporting in the modern day. Many superhero films, especially when it comes to those put out by either Marvel Studios or Warner Bros, have a particular dispensation towards either hard-hitting emotional drama or outright action comedy, so to see something so bizarre as Aquaman’s singular commitment to its premise that sounds like something a 10-year-old playing with action figures would have written significant portions of is really something quite special to witness.

This is all thanks to the visionary direction of James Wan, a man so adept at building worlds and creating wholly unique atmospheres for actors to play in that he might as well have actually gone underwater to the kingdom of Atlantis just to get some primary location photography. Seriously, the underwater worlds in this thing are genuine stunners with easily the best bioluminescent environments and effects on screen since James Cameron’s Avatar (not that anyone’s really tried all that hard since anyhow). Traveling through the kingdoms of Atlantis, the Brine, etc, is wonderous and somewhat frustrating, but only because you’re taken through it so quickly you never stay long enough to drink in every bit of visual beauty this movie has to offer. But if you thought the visuals and central premise of an Atlantian superhero having to find a trident and fight a war against his brother underwater for the safety of the world is the most absurd thing in Aquaman, you are not prepared for the hurricane that’s about to hit.

About one third of the way through the second act, there are a number of montages that occur all within about ten minutes of each other and feature the only three songs in the entire movie whilst the rest of its runtime is filled with a mostly workable but never-quite-finds-its-footing score from Harry Gregson-Williams. These montages begin with a sort of half-committed Baywatch tribute that features a cover of Africa by Toto (sung by musical artist Rhea), which is mixed in with a rap by Mr. Worldwide himself (Pitbull). Not even half an hour later, the film sports another fantasy tribute by setting a Tangled-esque scene between Arthur and Mera in a shoreside town near the same beach. It really is quite something to witness this movie simply take a break from itself in the middle of the second act just to play three music video montages in a row and then get right back to the action that brought the characters there.

Speaking of action, this is some of the most unique and kinetic the DC Extended Universe has ever had. Given the premise that most of the fighting in Aquaman is based around one-on-one trident warfare and hand-to-hand combat, what of the action isn’t grandiose superpower grandstanding has to be very up close and personal bow staff style fight choreography, and the way it plays out is a beautiful thing to see. It’s wonderfully edited during the up close and personal stuff, and some of the tracking shots during the larger battles between civilizations are truly some of the best in DC’s pantheon. I suppose if there were any negatives to the action sequences, it would likely be that most of them start the same way, with the characters getting quiet and then an explosion rocking them back to preparedness, which wouldn’t be a problem except that it occurs four or five times throughout the film, thus costing each subsequent surprise attack its effectiveness by making it too much of a habit.

But enough about the action and visually stimulating underwater worlds; how are the characters? A film can have all the spectacle in the world, but without proper character, it’s going to flounder. The characters in Aquaman? They’re…fine. Truth be told, anyone who wasn’t already on board with Jason Momoa’s bro culture rendition of the title character isn’t necessarily going to be won over by his mostly stilted but badass-in-action-scenes performance here, but they do tone down a lot of his more annoying quirks he was introduced with in Justice League, and that should count for something. Momoa is a physically dominant force as Arthur Curry, but whether it was some of the line he was given or because maybe he’s just not been with the right directors yet, his performance here really only reaches dynamic screen presence levels; there’s not a lot of room for nuance in his acting, and while that may be for the best given the kind of performer he is, it does hurt the film a bit overall.

Showing up again as well for round two is Amber Heard as Princess Mera, who more than fits the part as the woman trying to get the reluctant hero to do the hero’s arc because it’s important for him to know he can do it on his own (and she easily has the best costume design in the entire thing), but part of her arc has to do with her relationship to Arthur, and it gets a little confusing because this had supposedly already been covered in Justice League. She does really well for what she’s given to work with, but unfortunately Momoa just doesn’t give off a lot. Also here is veteran Wan-man Patrick Wilson, turning yet another leaf in the journey of acting circles around everyone even with a somewhat messy script to work with. As King Orm, he’s act once fiercely commanding and brilliantly emotive, but he never takes his performance so far as to overshadow Arthur’s main narrative. Willem Dafoe is in…something, but it’s not Aquaman. Seeing him show up as Valko is a real treat to watch, but largely because he’s such an interesting performer, it’s almost like he’s brought back his Norman Osbourne character to teach Jason Momoa how to swim. I’m sure the character probably matters more in the comics, but here, he just feels unnecessary, despite the joy just seeing Willem Dafoe on screen brings.

The unsung hero of this movie, though, at least in terms of performance, is unquestionably Nicole Kidman, who runs the emotional gambit from motherly chiding/affection to kick-ass warrior queen to awestruck-but-terrified literal fish-out-of-water in just her first fifteen minutes of screen time so smoothly and so expertly you’d think she might actually pull an Oscar nomination out of this. She really is having a great year performance-wise between this, Big Little Lies, Boy Erased, and the upcoming Destroyer, and it’s really been quite something to see her come back mid-50’s and show up everyone on any screen she shares by her sheer level of talents and commitment to character. In fact, her part in this movie might not just be the most compelling of the character turns, but also of the plot threads – it actually moved me, and cut right to the heart.

Some negatives about the film (besides what I’ve mentioned already) would include fairly subpar editing and lack of narrative focus; it’s not exactly bad most of the time right up until the second act where the music video montages come in and feel incredibly out of place in this already two and a half hour long movie (that you absolutely do feel the length of during the transition to act three), but it is somewhat off-putting, especially when certain scenes seem to either just start right in the middle of what was probably a longer take, or they’re just strangely placed as if they’re out of order and the editor just forgot about it. It kind of seems like part of the time, it doesn’t know what it wants to be about, and this is particularly felt during the scenes with Black Manta, who (while cool) doesn’t seem like he really was necessary to include this time around. The sound design also sometimes makes things difficult to hear since a lot of it takes place underwater, and while I certainly understand the need to communicate that, it might have been better left to the visuals to communicate, as the effects sometimes blurs certain lines and entire character monologues get lost. In addition, some of the visual effects (while there are a lot that are incredible to see) are actually pretty subpar, particularly wherein green screen is used to give location background to actors that are clearly acting against nothing during a beach training scene where most of the close up shots are straight on rather than from the side or done with two people in frame.

Still, despite its somewhat obvious flaws, Aquaman is the sort of rock and roll good-time superhero movie 10-year-old me would have eaten up. It’s cheesier than a white man’s casserole and pulpier than Tarantino’s back catalogue, but its sheer commitment to the dumb fun of it all really makes it a charming wave to ride. The visuals and costume design are all (mostly) immaculate, and the overlong runtime, while noticeable, doesn’t overshadow the film’s fair share of crowd-cheer moments so cool you wanna jump out of your seat. It may be quite bizarre even for DC, but their innate faith in James Wan’s filmmaking prowess and risk-taking shows they’re taking a few steps (or swims) in the right direction.

I’m giving “Aquaman” a 7.8/10

#Aquaman #Movie Review #The Friendly Film Fan #Jason Momoa #Amber Heard #Willem Dafoe #Patrick Wilson #Dolph Lundgren #DC #DC Comic #Warner Bros #Warner Brothers #Film #Movie #Review #DCEU #DC Extended Universe

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every1studio · 6 years

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“stray kids as DAY6 songs”

genre: none

ficstyle: comparison + analysis

summary: it’s just for fun since all I’ve been listen to is Stray Kids and Day6; song on the right of their name and reasons why under gifs

note: ʕ♡˙ᴥ˙♡ʔ -> trying to finish 3 requests today..

WOOJIN + [”Hi Hello~”]

okay first off, he says hi hello~ a lot and it’s frigging adorable

lots of soft but strong vocals; just like him

he gives me calmer vibes than the other members but isn’t quite

def soft rock for soft boy

have you ever seen someone so beautiful you just wanted to greet them twice? it’s Woojin for me

this is an underrated song but it’s such a good song; sadly that’s like my boy Woojin

so please give this song and Woojin lots of love and support (as well as the other members)

CHAN + [”I Smile”]

an upbeat song with sad lyrics; it’s so like him

I feel like the lyrics are what he was thinking when he was training

how come he was left behind as they debuted before him?

he still worked hard and smiled through his sweat and tears

but look where he is now

most trainees would give up after a while, let alone 7 years

living up to the leader position; he deserves the whole world because he does everything for every member in his group and even idols who trained with him

he’s such a selfless person

so much respekk for BangChan

MINHO + [”When You Love Someone”]

he dedicates this song to Jisung

sorry not sorry

members love him a lot

even when he was eliminated; they still reacted as a group of 9

“I’d rather cry instead of letting you cry, I want to be hurt instead of letting you be hurt”

imagine the members feeling like this when he got eliminated

during those times, the melody of this song kinda flows with it

the members needed to continue on but they couldn’t when they left their hearts with someone who was left behind; soft rock

CHANGBIN + [”What Can I Do”]

the dark bass in the beginning makes you believe that it’s going to be a dark song

turns out to be an upbeat song about being in love with Felix ehhem

the bass is definitely stronger with this song than the others but it’s overall a cute song

which very much so reminds me of the man with a dark concept: Binnie Binnie Changbinnie

sometimes catches you off guard with talent (like Jae’s vocals @2:48)

well rounded song for a well rounded piece of talent like Changbin

HYUNJIN + [”Dance Dance”]

although this is a fun and upbeat song; the MV doesn’t have any storyline

what I’m trying to say is that even though it’s a beautiful song it doesn’t need a beautiful storyline to go with it

I feel like Hyunjin doesn’t just want to be known as a visual but also as talented

this boy has a nice tone when it comes to rapping and his dancing is very structured and powerful

please don’t sleep on his talent

he works really hard to showcase his talent but I feel like in the end, people still talk about his visuals more than his talent

JISUNG + [”Surprise!”]

“SURPRISE!!” -Jisung on his way to buskering

the song starts upbeat and fun and it ends the way it begins

just like Jisung; when you first see him, you instantly smile

honestly his presences is so contagious; he’s always laughing, jumping around and making jokes

but you shouldn’t neglect his talent either; like most of Day6 songs, there an acapella-aspect followed by a strong presence of instruments but they don’t overpower one another

just like Jisung

his dancing, singing and rapping are all better than average; a true triple threat

FELIX + [”I’m Serious”]

this Aussie always gives me summer vibes even in the winter, like this song

this song STRONGLY screams his feelings towards Changbin the audience

some people doesn’t take this boy seriously

although he is soft-looking boy, his deep, deep voice takes people by a storm

“are you gonna keep acting ambiguous? just laugh it over? is this what you’re gonna be doing everyday?”

things I would like to ask people when they think he’s just a pretty face

SEUNGMIN + [”I Would”]

honestly.. I just want Seungmin to sing this song with his beautiful voice

which is the man reason why he’s this song

he isn’t as powerful as Woojin

but he still has an amazingly good voice; just because you don’t have a powerful voice doesn’t mean that you can use your voice to give impact powerfully

there’s a lot of unsung talent in this band and it makes me mad

I’m sick of hearing people say, “oh I like Stray Kids because they are cute/handsome,” yes they are

but I want to hear, “I like Stray Kids because they are all talented and passionate about what they do”

back to Seungmin; the song is pretty soft and mellow but gives an impact in lyrics

JEONGIN + [”Pouring”]

this song gives me “young high school boy” feelz

fairly upbeat

like the lyrics; Jeongin just makes me want to pour all my love onto him

protect our maknae/baby/son/etc

he always has a good laugh when he’s with his hyungs

this songs is also giving me old-school rock; which reminds to me add in that our young Jeongin is a trot lover/singer

I think it’s such an interesting combination but it’s still a great one

END + OUR TALENTED BABIES PLEASE

ʕ •́؈•̀)

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bloomingnightskty · 4 years

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These all sound amazing!

Utopia Falls

It's not every day that we get a sci-fi drama series about young people in the future discovering hip hop and using it as a tool for freedom, but in 2020 that's exactly the kind of out-the-box programming coming to CBC Gem. Utopia Falls is the brainchild of R.T. Thorne, the award-winning filmmaker behind a ton of your favourite music videos (and episodes of Degrassi). With Boi-1da serving as executive music producer and choreography by the iconic Tanisha Scott, this is an Avengers-level assembly of Canadian talent, and I for one am super excited to see their collective vision manifest. It begins streaming on CBC Gem Friday, Feb. 14.

The Negroes Are Congregating

First of all: amazing title. Second of all: if you're in Toronto in March, you should make time to see this play. Written by Natasha Adiyana Morris and celebrating its world premiere at Theatre Passe Muraille in March, The Negroes Are Congregating is a poetic yet scathing deep dive into racism in Canada and around the world. I had a chance to see a workshop production and I'm telling you, this play asks certain questions that will stick with you long after the curtains close.

Transcendent Kingdom

Yaa Gyasi's debut novel Homegoing took the literary world by storm. Transcendent Kingdom is the follow-up to that bestseller, and it tells the tale of a Ghanaian family living in Alabama as they cope with depression, addiction and grief. The protagonist, Gifty, is studying neuroscience at Stanford University, trying to understand the source of her family's troubles. But when science can't provide the answers, she turns to faith. I'm excited to snuggle under my covers and read this one.

Flags of Unsung Countries

The Art Gallery of Southern Manitoba recently made a commitment to prioritizing the work of Black Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) women artists in the Prairies, and they have an exciting lineup on the way. It begins with an exhibit by the brilliant Liz Ikiriko, a Saskatchewan artist now living in Toronto. Flags of Unsung Countries originated at the Dunlop Art Gallery in Regina but will make its Manitoba debut January 16.

Initiated as an attempt to understand the journey of her father — a Nigerian immigrant living with mental illness in the Prairies — this photographic installation explores questions of migration, ceremony and the concept of home. Ikiriko's work as an artist and curator is constantly inviting viewers to question the relationships and systems that we so often take for granted and this exhibit promises to do much of the same.

Zola

In 2015, the internet was introduced to one of the greatest Twitter storytellers to ever grace the platform: Aziah "Zola" Wells. In a string of 148 tweets, she told the epic tale of a road trip to Florida that includes sugar daddies and pimps, stripping and prostitution, murder and a suicide attempt. Super serious topics, I know, but as told by Wells, it was an edge-of-your-seat social-media thriller that boasted famous fans like Ava DuVernay, Solange Knowles and Missy Elliott. The film version is coming to Sundance later this month. Directed by Janicza Bravo (who's also directed some of your fave episodes of Atlanta and Dear White People) and written by Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris (the man who shook up Broadway with 2018's Slave Play), this movie promises to be a hell of a ride.

Lovecraft Country

Produced by Jordan Peele, you say? That name is all it takes to spark my interest, but this new television series also has a number of other factors in its favour. It stars Jonathan Majors (one of my new favourite actors) alongside Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Aunjanue Ellis and Michael K. Williams, and is a drama-horror that takes place in the 1950s Jim Crow American South (definitely a period ripe with material for horror). Misha Green is the showrunner, and if you ever watched Underground (which was tragically cancelled after just two brilliant seasons) you'll know why this is a very, very good thing. It comes to HBO later this year.

Controlled Damage

Viola Desmond's story deserves all the treatments: novel, major motion picture, rap songs, poems and, of course, the stage. Andrea Scott's play Controlled Damage has its world premiere at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax this February. What better way to celebrate Black History Month than by reliving a Canadian Civil Rights hero's courageous act of bravery?

Love is the Message the Message is Death

Condensing 400 years of history into a seven-minute looped video scored by Kanye West's "Ultralight Beam" sounds like an impossible task. But under the purposeful eye of Arthur Jafa, one finds a collage of images that showcases the nuance, pain, joy, sexuality, spirituality, mess, love and grief of Black life in the United States of America.

Hearing Kanye sing, "This is a God dream, this is a God dream, this is everything," while watching Jafa's meticulously edited array of images is an experience you don't want to miss. The installation is on now at the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal to March 3.

Untitled Fred Hampton Project (formerly known as Jesus Was My Homeboy)

If you don't know the story of Fred Hampton — the young, charismatic Black Panther activist who was identified as a threat by the FBI and assassinated in his home by the police — please do some research before this film drops. His story is one that is both inspiring and tragic, enraging and mobilizing. It needs to be told and seen on the big screen.

Directed by Shaka King (a member of the dream team behind Random Acts of Flyness), produced by Ryan Coogler (oh, you know, just the genius who gave us Black Panther, Creed and Fruitvale Station, no big deal) and starring LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya, I am counting down the days until this film arrives. (It's scheduled for August, but since it still doesn't have a name...who knows!)

Soul

Seriously, Disney: can we get an animated movie with Black characters who get to stay human beings for the entirety of the film?

As skeptical as I am, I'm going to give this new one a chance, only because it boasts a cast filled with so many of my faves, including Jamie Foxx, Questlove and Phylicia Rashad. The start of the trailer also hints at some great jazzy numbers and a storyline about following one's artistic passion (I'm always a sucker for narratives like that). It comes to theatres in June.

Corrections

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Boi-1da ccomposed the score for Utopia Falls. The composer is Nikhil Seetharam.Jan 13, 2020 11:55 AM ET

#blackhistorymonth #black history month #black history #black history in canada #CBC #cbcarts #blackmedia #blackhistoryevents #blackshows #blackcommunity #fortheculture #mustsee #utopiafalls #blackhistory365 #blackpride #bhm #Canadian

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awed-frog · 7 years

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Stuck in the Middle (with You)/Awesome Crowley

[For a meta about Reservoir Dogs and Tarantino’s use of gay subtext, click here.]

I don’t want to be the person who ruins everyone’s fun, so I’m saving my one big criticism of this episode for last. This meta is completely positive, even saccharine, until the very last paragraph. Also, I’m borrowing one of my favourite AO3 tags as a title because, let’s face it, Crowley was the real hero of this episode and where the action was, and that’s perfectly okay and long overdue. Crowley’s been around for years now, and he’s gone through huge bouts of character development, and yet we still know next to nothing about him and he’s often treated like an afterthought, both by our heroes and by the writers. This episode finally (finally!) corrected that, because no matter how intriguing and plain beautiful everyone was, Crowley was magnificent - as I fully expected him to be.

After all, they’re good - but he’s Crowley.

Like anyone with eyes, I loved everything about this episode, and especially how it was filmed. I have to say - this is the first episode in a long time that actually had me in tenterhooks about a possible character death, because you never know, right? Theoretically, Crowley could die, and so could Cas. Theoretically. And also the music, did I mention the music? I think that scene of Cas crawling away from Ramiel and the shot of Ramiel stabbing him - that’s just become my favourite Supernatural scene ever, bar none. It was so powerful and dramatic and visually magnificent and that damn music - wow.

I adored that symbolism, because Cas’ been a Christ figure for a while now, and seeing him like that, on his back, defeated and stabbed by a lance - you can’t get more Golgotha than that. Beautiful stuff.

I also loved that this episode was, in a way - off-centre. Sam and Dean were there, of course, but the story was not focused around them. The real protagonist was the supernatural world itself - Cas, Crowley, Ramiel; even Lucifer, to me, was more present than he’s been in a while, what with this vague threat of his child hanging over the world, and him taunting Crowley and flashing his red eyes at this most undemonic demon in the very last scene. The truth is, I love everything about Sam and Dean, and that includes the incredibly talented actors who play them, but I feel the show could benefit greatly from approaching their story from a different perspective every once in a while. I’d love to know more about their childhood, for instance, or about this world of monsters and hunters around them; and a completely Outsider POV episode is, at this point, something I’d probably sell half my soul for.

Anyway - lately, this show reads like very good fanfiction, and considering how engaged, loving and talented this fandom is, this is high praise. I particularly appreciate the fact they’re going back to important plot points and filling them in with completely new details - after all, we’ve been wondering for years what’s up with demonic eyes, or how Crowley became king in the first place (or, at least, I know I did). This new class of demons appearing out of nowhere - creatures powerful enough to wield an archangel’s weapon - that’s incredible stuff. I’m guessing we’ll see more about them, and I can’t freaking wait.

So, yes - Ramiel was spot-on. Jerry Trimble managed just the right mixture of underwhelmingly normal and terrifyingly amoral - so much so I’m sort of sad we didn’t get to see more of this character, even if everything about him, including his death, was handled just right - there was no room for anything more.

My one slight criticism there would be the fizzling nature of Cas’ abilities. For instance, didn’t we establish that Cas can smell lies? So why couldn’t he guess Mary was hiding something? And what about demons’ true forms? I always assumed Cas could see that (was it ever stated in canon? it must have been), and I was therefore almost disappointed that Cas couldn’t recognize Ramiel for what he was. Maybe it can be explained away by him slowly becoming closer and closer to a human being - I don’t know. In any case, I’m truly appreciating how obsessed everyone seems to be with him lately. After years of taking angels for granted, we’ve got two characters in short succession fangirling over angels (in a creepy, murderous and definitely non-con way, but still) - and, yeah, I know that basically everyone spent the entirety of Supernatural pointing out how different and unique Cas is, and I’m grateful for that, but it’s also nice to get a reminder that angels are awesome (in the other sense of the word) in and of themselves.

(I’m still loving Mr Ketch, by the way. Aaaaaw.)

Let’s now come to our unsung hero: Mr Crowley.

Crowley was magnificent in all this. And we’ve now learned he never seriously planned to become King of Hell - my headcanon, which I’m considering confirmed, is that Crowley simply wants control. He’s been tortured for a century or more as some demon tore his human soul out of him, and he’s never putting himself in that position again, which is very sensible of him, and also very Scarlett O’Hara.

(Then again, he is his mother’s son.)

So, well, there he was, sort of loyal, licking the right boots, quietly ammassing a fortune in paintings and cursed objects and rumours and secrets on the side, when suddenly one of his craziest schemes actually works and Lucifer disappears and Ramiel doesn’t want the throne and Crowley realizes he’ll probably be safer sitting on it than he would be taking orders from some mindless, blood-thirsty underling who doesn’t know the first thing about governing a kingdom.

It breaks my heart, really.

And this is why I’m guessing, really, that the reason that demon was so gleeful about the possibility of killing Sam - I mean, sure, he’s Sam Winchester and all, but she had to know, because everyone does, that Sam and Dean are under Crowley’s protection. That no matter what he says, he considers them friends. And since he basically stole the throne from her (sort of), I’m thinking she was careless because this was a kill she was really relishing.

(Sigh.)

Also - look, as happy as I am with Cas finding his place - with his speech, with Dean’s soul-shattering Let’s go home, this dark side of the mirror is now hurting more than ever, because Crowley keeps risking everything so that Dean can live, and can keep choosing someone else over him. And I don’t think Dean is rude and obnoxious because he doesn’t notice - I think he’s rude and obnoxious because he does notice, and he doesn’t know what to make of it. Like Cas, Crowley sees right through him and loves him for who he is, and that’s something Dean just can’t accept.

(“Your problem is that nobody hates you more than you hate yourself.”)

This doesn’t mean Crowley’s love isn’t skewered, borderline toxic and an enabling mess, but it’s still love, and it’s still directed at Dean’s true self, and it’s still - this is now definitely confirmed - completely selfless, like human love is supposed to be.

(Breaking the Lance of Michael to save Cas - that was -

Also: recognizing Dean’s impatience and anger for what they were, and choosing to do the right thing even against his own interests -

- because, of course, Dean’s got a history of saying the wrong thing when he can’t deal with reality and other people’s feelings. That We don’t have time for your - for you was Nobody cares you’re broken all over again, and Crowley already gave his answer to that when he pointed out the Winchesters - and especially Sam, of course - have got plenty of faults of their own: And yet, I endure.)

And maybe Lucifer’s still got it, or maybe he simply watches the show, because he knows exactly where it hurts: “Do you really think they care about you? I mean, think about it, Crowley. They kill your kind. And you know... you know...it's only a matter of time before they come for you.”

(What worries me the most about this statement is that there’s no traditional happy ending in sight for Crowley; there never was. The only question at this point is which way this is going to go. Will Dean be forced to kill Crowley? Will Crowley sacrifice himself for Dean? Or will he, finally, become human? After all, Lucifer’s right: no matter what Crowley does or doesn’t do - and saving Cas’ life by destroying the most powerful weapon left on Earth, that’s a big favour to pay back - as long as he’s a demon, the Winchesters will never fully trust him, or even accept him. But if he were to become human...

It’s a big gamble, sure. Then again, Crowley’s much less calculating than he’d like people to think.)

From a Destiel point of view, someone should probably look at that diner scene again and check how it was shot - because I’ve got this feeling that the first time, it was from Cas’ perspective, and we spent a lot of time learning about what Dean wants in his sexual partners - but the second time, we saw it from Mary’s perspective, which means we spent more time actually noticing the way Dean looked at Cas. Also hearing Dean describe Cas as ‘shy, but devastatingly handsome’. Mh.

Again, all the kudos to the title, which basically refers to everyone except Sam and Dean, because, as I said, this wasn’t about them and yay!

The weapons and the gadgets and the special effects! Heart-eyes and grabby hands over here. More, please.

(Though I’m slightly disappointed that the Lance didn’t break the shovel’s handle on impact, but whatever.)

Immortal creatures collecting paintings instead of repeating high school for all eternity - much love for that.

Crowley calling everyone out on their shit, including the screenwriters’ indulgence in silly rhymes - aaaaw. You do you, sweetheart.

(The fact Crowley was genuinely saddened by the prospect of Cas dying - *cries forever*.)

“I don’t have friends.”

Mary - Mary continues to be an interesting character and also someone I wouldn’t invite over for dinner, which is perfectly fine and much better than the alternative. Though I am slightly disappointed by the fact she didn’t even try to come clean about the Colt. Guess her brand of unhinged is the same as John’s, after all - birds of a feather and all that.

Finally: the big Destiel moment. Look, I have to say - I’m as excited as anyone that Cas was fully recognized as family (because, yeah, no matter what Dean said, this was like the first time they don’t leave Cas out somewhere to die?) and I’m ecstatic by this confirmation that Cas understands what love is and feels it himself -

- but one, I’m worried about the effect this will have on Dean and two, I’m getting really tired of the ambiguity.

Because, well - this is the first time Dean hears it flat-out: he changed Cas, he destroyed Cas in almost every way that matters, in fact, and Cas is grateful for it and considers him family. Will this lessen the guilt Dean’s been experiencing for years, or will it increase it? Knowing Dean, I’m not optimistic.

And as for the other thing - look, no way that I love you was a singular, and directed at Dean. I’m just thinking from a translator’s point of view here - if I had to dub or sub something like this in a language with normal pronouns, I’d never use a singular - not in a million years. Cas’ never said anything like this before, he wasn’t looking at anyone when he said it, the sentence was preceded and followed by plural yous, and imo the only reason they included it at all (instead of going directly from You’re my family - which was clearly a plural - to I love all of you) was the usual subtextual bs they’ve been having fun with for eight seasons. Because this episode, like so many other Supernatural episodes, could have been 10/10 TV instead of the 9.6 it got on IMDb if they’d only stopped being weird about this. Don’t get me wrong - I love the uncertainty and the drama and the UST and this classic I’m not good enough for you so I won’t even try trope - love them - but they could still make it textual without ruining any of that. One conversation between Sam and Mary would be plenty enough. Two sentences and a half, and it’s canon, and Dean and Cas are still oblivious, and we’ve still got everything - but BAM - it’s not possible or probable queerbaiting anymore, it’s not this thing that mostly makes me bitter and gives me anxiety - no, now it’s a beautiful love story and everything’s alright with the world.

At this point, it’s incredible how little it would take, really. Or, well - not incredible: supernatural.

#spn 12x12 #stuck in the middle (with you)#spn meta #crowley #destiel #season 12 continues to be AWESOME #i'm still flailing a bit #sigh

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immortalpramheda · 7 years

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The 100 ‘The Tinder Box’

From the title of the episode I thought it was going to be about how Jaha downloaded the Tinder app onto his iPad and went out to meet someone and was kidnapped/murdered. Just me?? Haha, in all seriousness this episode was insane!! I think I’m still in shock.

Raven randomly started floating and it bought back series S2 feels to when Finn took the blame for Raven’s spacewalk. It made me happy to see her smile again, but of course it was only a hallucination. She was having a seizure and it broke my heart. When is Raven going to get a break??? When is she not going to be in pain anymore? Well, this episode answered that question and the answer is never. When they used the EMP to get ALIE out of her head it gave her some serious brain damage. I loved the analogy she gave about how what happened to her is like when you turn off something, like a computer, the wrong way instead of shutting it down properly. So in Raven’s case ALIE was not taken out of her head completely and there’s still some of her left in there. That’s why she’s super smart. Well, she figured out that Becca created nightblood in space and then she found a rocket in Becca’s lab! A rocket!! My theory since the S3 finale is that they’re going to go back into space somehow. I just don’t see how they can survive on the ground. Of course the rocket is not big enough for all of them. But creating nightblood up there might be the solution.

I am so worried about Raven. As Abby said, if she keeps pushing her brain it’s going to kill her. But we know Raven and there’s no way she’s slowing down or resting. That’s just not who she is. She’s the type of person who would sacrifice herself for the greater good. And I think that’s where her journey is heading. I have a feeling that she is going to die before the end of the season. And the thought of that breaks my heart. Raven is the unsung hero of the show. She has done so much but she never gets any credit for it. Poor Raven.

The EMP was used on Abby too and she’s starting to have hallucinations too. She imagined Clarke with lesions all over her face. Shit. Raven and Abby. No, they can’t die.

Ilian saved Octavia! He brought her back to Arkadia! What was he doing around that area though? Perhaps he was planning to attack Arkadia and it was just luck that he came across Octavia and got a free ride into Arkadia. Hmm. Clarke doesn’t know him of course and sees him as the hero who saved Octavia. Why did they leave him alone in the Ark?? That was just a disaster waiting to happen. This Grounder who they don’t know left alone in the Ark, free to do whatever he wants? Yeah, I knew he was gonna do something stupid. Clarke giving mouth to mouth to Octavia was something I never thought I’d see. I’m just so happy that Octavia is okay!! She managed to warn them about Azgeda coming. But the real threat was already inside the gates. Ilian. Lol, everyone just forgot about him.

Niylah is back! There’s definitely sexual tension between her and Clarke still. She’s a great character. I love how her and Octavia teamed up.

I loved the scene of Clarke, alone, waiting for King Roan and Azgeda to arrive. And they had snipers aiming their guns at Roan. But thankfully the old Roan we love was back and agreed to talk to Clarke. Bellamy realised that someone warned Arkadia and that it must have been Octavia and his face lit up and that made me so happy.

But Riley. Oh Riley. We were blessed with your presence 3 episodes ago and have really gotten to know you and how important you are. So why did you have to go and almost fuck everything up? I’m so disappointed Riley. Luckily his BFF Bellamy (seriously were they best friends on the Ark? That might explain things lol) was there to calm him down. I legit thought he was going to shoot Roan. That scene was intense!! Thank god for Bellamy! If he’d killed Roan all hell would have broken loose. What were you thinking Riley? I get that you were a slave and all and I feel for you, but killing Roan would have started another war. Just calm down Riley. He wasn’t even meant to be there. Haha I love how everyone kept saying that. I see now why Clarke didn’t put him on the list. He has serious anger issues.

Oh, and Monty was the other hero. He warned them that Riley was going after Roan. Monty and Roan were the heroes of this episode. And Ilian I guess, for saving Octavia, but then he went and fucked everything up but I’ll get to that. And Echo didn’t tell Roan what almost happened. Maybe I’m starting like her. Maybe she’s not so horrible after all.

Roan finally listened to Clarke and they made a deal. Yes! Skaikru and Azgeda will get 50 places each on the Ark. That’s a fair deal I guess. I get that Roan felt betrayed. I get it. Clarke has felt betrayed too. I’m glad they found peace. And he mentioned Lexa and that made my heart hurt because it reminded me that it’s almost been a year since she died.

Ilian, oh Ilian. I’ve liked him since he was first introduced. Maybe it’s because he’s super hot, but that’s beside the point. He’s a very interesting character. Well, he wants to destroy all the tech, which is basically the entire Ark. Grounders are so unconnected from technology that he can’t see the difference between ALIE/CoL and high tech equipment. And so he fucking blew up the Ark!!! Now they’re screwed. It is kind of sad because he didn’t know. He just wanted revenge on Skaikru and he had no idea that he’s now doomed them all. Why couldn’t Octavia have told him just as he was about to set the Ark on fire? Oh right, she almost died and could barely speak. Side note, I love how Niylah and Octavia teamed up!

I was in shock that they blew up the Ark. I could not believe it. This show is just so frustrating that nothing ever goes to plan. They’re basically screwed. But that’s why I love this show. It’s a tragedy.

Luckily Ilian saved Octavia and Niylah. Maybe he has some redeeming qualities? He’s saved Octavia twice now. Although it was his fault that she was in danger the second time. Bellamy was reunited with Octavia! And the best scene of the episode was Bellamy holding Octavia while Clarke held her hand as they looked up at the Ark burning. Awww!! That was truly a beautiful scene.

Roan and Echo don’t look happy. Clarke is in shock. I’m in shock. Everyone is in shock. Was anyone in the Ark when it exploded? I low key kind of hope Jaha was in there haha. They’re screwed. Now what? I guess Nightblood is their only hope now. Raven is going to be the hero. As I said before, I think she’s going to figure out how save everyone but at the sacrifice of herself. I don’t think I’m ready to see that.

That was just an insane, explosive episode. I did not expect that at all. And we’re not even half way through the season!! Shit. I love this show so much. It continues to blow my mind each and every episode. I don’t know how I’m going to survive this 2 week break. I blame Riley for having to wait 2 weeks. I blame him for everything to be honest.

#the 100 #the 100 season 4 #the tinder box #bellarke #t100recap

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michellelinkous · 4 years

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‘It’s not fear mongering, it’s the truth.’

With COVID-19 cases on the rise, Ryan Thatcher hopes people take the virus seriously.

He knows firsthand how deadly the virus can be. In April, Ryan cared for patients in New York City, one of the nation’s first coronavirus hot spots.

“It was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen as a nurse,” Ryan said. “It was essentially a war zone. It’s the only way to describe it. Everybody was sick. All the hospitals were at or above capacity— it was crazy.”

A Navy reservist, Ryan was activated to serve for six weeks as a med-surgical nurse at Bellevue Hospital.

The oldest public hospital in the nation, Bellevue Hospital is also one of the largest with more than 800 beds. In April, at the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City, patients filled its hallways and rooms.

Ryan became one of more than 200 Navy Medical Support Team reservists called upon to care for people in New York City hospitals. About 30 nurses and doctors deployed to Bellevue Hospital.

When he got the call, help was needed immediately, and Ryan had only a day to pack his bags. He learned on Saturday, April 4, he’d be flying out of Detroit the following day.

He needed to inform his employer. Ryan works as a clinical regulatory specialist for Spectrum Health Big Rapids and Reed City Hospitals.

And he had to say goodbye to his husband of six years, Christopher, leaving him to take care of the chores on their busy 40-acre farm in Mecosta County.

‘OK, love you, bye’

Christopher, a nurse at Spectrum Health Kelsey Hospital in Lakeview, grew up in a military family and understood the drill when duty called.

“I know all about the military, so when you have a loved one who is in the military, you’re in the military,” Christopher said. “When the military calls, you’re like ‘OK, love you, bye’ and you just roll with it.”

But he had natural concern that Ryan would be exposed to the virus.

“It worried me, because being a nurse, I knew what the virus could do to people,” Christopher said.

Ryan said by the time he arrived in New York, hospitals had already learned tough lessons regarding the proper use of personal protective equipment, commonly called PPE.

“I was a little worried in the beginning, but by the time we got there, the PPE was in place, and donning and doffing was drilled into our heads before we even touched a patient,” he said.

Ryan worked on 14 North, a 40-bed progressive care unit full of COVID-19 patients.

The unit nurse manager died of the virus the week after he arrived. “From what I understand he was a very, very nice guy.” Ryan said. “They all loved him.”

The loss devastated the unit staff members.

“They were all heartbroken and terrified,” Ryan said.

“Even if you didn’t die, people were so, so sick,” he said. “It was very random. It wasn’t always the unhealthy people. We would have some fairly healthy adults come in and end up on a ventilator for 30 days and then die.”

Because there is no treatment for the virus, Ryan said that made caring for the patients more frustrating. “It was a lot of supportive care; giving oxygen, medicating for pain—those type of things, but there was no treatment.”

Ryan worked 12-hour shifts, two days on, two days off for the six weeks.

‘New York was a ghost town’

When not working, he stayed in his Manhattan hotel room or within a mile radius of the hotel. When he ventured over to the nearby Times Square to check it out, the eerily empty streets chilled him.

“The city was closed; there was nothing to explore,” Ryan said. “New York was a ghost town.”

Ryan received a lot of support from home.

“Tons of people reached out and were worried about my well-being,” he said, noting the level of concern rose far beyond that of his prior deployments. “My husband and my mom worried much, much more … because I was in a hot spot.”

His colleagues back home, led by Big Rapids emergency department nurse Michele Lehman sent some home cooking – more than 200 pounds of cookies for Ryan to enjoy and share with his new team at Bellevue Hospital.

At the same time, he felt frustration with some friends back home because there weren’t many COVID-19 cases in West Michigan, and the threat of COVID-19 did not feel as real to them as it did to him in New York.

“Emotionally, the hardest part was social media back home,” Ryan said. “It’s crazy. The people didn’t think it was real.”

He tried to convince people of the danger of the virus.

“I fought, and I fought, and I fought with people, then I just decided… you can only do so much,” he said. “People don’t believe it because they didn’t see it. I did see it. I know what it’s like. It’s not fear mongering, it’s the truth.”

He continues to educate folks, but only if he’s asked.

I wear a mask to protect you

“If you ask me, I will tell you,” he said. “But I don’t have the energy or willpower to tell people to make the right decision anymore.”

“People need to remember that social distancing is important, masking is important,” he said. “I don’t wear a mask to protect myself, I wear a mask to protect you.”

Ryan completed his assignment in New York on May 14, and then spent 17 days in quarantine at the Virginia naval base before returning home.

Christopher is happy to have him home safe and appreciates sharing the work again on their farm, named Two Men and a Hen.

They have 11 Nigerian dwarf goats, 27 baby goats, more than 300 chickens, 50 head of cattle and 20 pigs.

“It’s definitely not a hobby,” Ryan joked.

In looking back on his experience in New York City, Ryan believes he and members of the Navy Medical Support Team may have been some of the unsung heroes of the COVID-19 response.

While their efforts didn’t get the national media attention like Navy hospital ships Comfort and Mercy or the Javits Convention Center used as a field hospital, they supported 11 hospitals in the city.

“They were very grateful to have us, the staff, the patients, the community were all receptive to us,” he said. “They really needed us.”

‘It’s not fear mongering, it’s the truth.’ published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.tumblr.com/

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gordonwilliamsweb · 4 years

Text

‘It’s not fear mongering, it’s the truth.’

With COVID-19 cases on the rise, Ryan Thatcher hopes people take the virus seriously.

He knows firsthand how deadly the virus can be. In April, Ryan cared for patients in New York City, one of the nation’s first coronavirus hot spots.

A Navy reservist, Ryan was activated to serve for six weeks as a med-surgical nurse at Bellevue Hospital.

Ryan became one of more than 200 Navy Medical Support Team reservists called upon to care for people in New York City hospitals. About 30 nurses and doctors deployed to Bellevue Hospital.

When he got the call, help was needed immediately, and Ryan had only a day to pack his bags. He learned on Saturday, April 4, he’d be flying out of Detroit the following day.

He needed to inform his employer. Ryan works as a clinical regulatory specialist for Spectrum Health Big Rapids and Reed City Hospitals.

And he had to say goodbye to his husband of six years, Christopher, leaving him to take care of the chores on their busy 40-acre farm in Mecosta County.

‘OK, love you, bye’

Christopher, a nurse at Spectrum Health Kelsey Hospital in Lakeview, grew up in a military family and understood the drill when duty called.

But he had natural concern that Ryan would be exposed to the virus.

“It worried me, because being a nurse, I knew what the virus could do to people,” Christopher said.

Ryan said by the time he arrived in New York, hospitals had already learned tough lessons regarding the proper use of personal protective equipment, commonly called PPE.

“I was a little worried in the beginning, but by the time we got there, the PPE was in place, and donning and doffing was drilled into our heads before we even touched a patient,” he said.

Ryan worked on 14 North, a 40-bed progressive care unit full of COVID-19 patients.

The unit nurse manager died of the virus the week after he arrived. “From what I understand he was a very, very nice guy.” Ryan said. “They all loved him.”

The loss devastated the unit staff members.

“They were all heartbroken and terrified,” Ryan said.

Ryan worked 12-hour shifts, two days on, two days off for the six weeks.

‘New York was a ghost town’

When not working, he stayed in his Manhattan hotel room or within a mile radius of the hotel. When he ventured over to the nearby Times Square to check it out, the eerily empty streets chilled him.

“The city was closed; there was nothing to explore,” Ryan said. “New York was a ghost town.”

Ryan received a lot of support from home.

“Emotionally, the hardest part was social media back home,” Ryan said. “It’s crazy. The people didn’t think it was real.”

He tried to convince people of the danger of the virus.

He continues to educate folks, but only if he’s asked.

I wear a mask to protect you

“If you ask me, I will tell you,” he said. “But I don’t have the energy or willpower to tell people to make the right decision anymore.”

“People need to remember that social distancing is important, masking is important,” he said. “I don’t wear a mask to protect myself, I wear a mask to protect you.”

Ryan completed his assignment in New York on May 14, and then spent 17 days in quarantine at the Virginia naval base before returning home.

Christopher is happy to have him home safe and appreciates sharing the work again on their farm, named Two Men and a Hen.

They have 11 Nigerian dwarf goats, 27 baby goats, more than 300 chickens, 50 head of cattle and 20 pigs.

“It’s definitely not a hobby,” Ryan joked.

In looking back on his experience in New York City, Ryan believes he and members of the Navy Medical Support Team may have been some of the unsung heroes of the COVID-19 response.

“They were very grateful to have us, the staff, the patients, the community were all receptive to us,” he said. “They really needed us.”

‘It’s not fear mongering, it’s the truth.’ published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

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josephkitchen0 · 6 years

Text

Does a Guard Goose Need Training? (Book Review and Giveaway!)

Does a guard goose need training to be ready to protect your other poultry? If you are having trouble with small predators, or even nosy neighbors, a guard goose might be able to help you keep your flock safe. Learning more about geese before you jump into owning a guard goose will help you be successful in keeping your future geese happy and healthy. I recently received a copy of Kirstin Lie-Nielson’s new book, The Modern Homesteader’s Guide to Keeping Geese. This new book contains much valuable information that will help you decide if adding geese is right for you.

How Does a Guard Goose Operate?

A guard goose is a good idea if you are having a problem with pesky predators. While the goose is also at risk for predator attacks, they are likely to charge any animal that poses a threat to the flock they are imprinted on. What is imprinting? Geese have a strong tendency to closely bond with their “family”. The family can be a flock of ducks, chickens, mixed poultry and people. Imprinting is important to the development of a healthy goose.

Three particular traits make geese worthy of being guards.

The goose has keen eyesight.

Geese react to what they see by making loud, aggressive honking noises.

The goose knows what is considered it’s territory or home area. They are very defensive of home when they perceive a threat.

One Guard Goose Per Flock

While reading The Modern Homesteader’s Guide to Geese, Nielson explains how geese react and if the rumor that they attack all the time is true. Turns out this is not true for the majority of geese you raise on your homestead. In fact, while the guard goose might be awesome at intimidation, they rarely attack full force. Sending up an alarm by honking, wing flapping and a defensive stance is enough to bring the human reinforcements running.

Two factors I did not know were explained in the chapter on the guard goose. If you want to have your chicken flock protected by a goose, it’s better to have only one or two geese and raise them with the flock. The imprinting will bond the goose or geese to the chickens, making them protective of the family flock.

Second, a large flock of geese will innately take on the job of protecting your “territory”. Better than any driveway alarm or door bell, the geese will let you know that someone unknown is on the property. But a large flock of geese may not bond as tightly to a flock of chickens. Nielson recommends one or two geese for each flock of chickens, for optimal guarding.

For the last few years, I have seriously thought about adding geese to our homestead. After reading this book, I think the best course for us will be to only have one or two geese. Now I have to convince the ducks that it’s a good idea to have geese move in!

The Giveaway……

Homestead Bloggers Network is holding a very sweet giveaway this week. Keep reading to learn more. The prize pack is not only an amazing value, you get this wonderful book and your own starter pack of goslings! Continue reading to learn more about Homestead Bloggers Network’s thoughts on Kirsten Lie-Nielson’s book and the full details about the giveaway. The entry form is at the end of this post.

From Homestead Bloggers Network:

While chickens preen in the spotlight, geese are the historic unsung heroes of small farms and homesteads. Providing weed control, large eggs, and entertainment, and acting as “security” over other animals, geese are the ultimate modern homesteading companion.

The Modern Homesteader’s Guide to Keeping Geese covers everything you need to know to raise geese, including:

Profiles of breeds and how to select the best one for your needs

How to “imprint” goslings on a person

Feeding, housing, animal health, and cold weather care

Using geese for weed control, soil improvement, and as “watch-geese”

Cooking with goose eggs and meat

Additional coverage includes a look at the rich history of geese on farms in North America and Europe that will enhance any goose keeper’s enjoyment of these intelligent and unique birds.

This practical guide is a must-have essential for the kitchen table of homesteaders, small farmers, permaculturists, and professional farmers looking to add the power of geese to their land.

The Prizes!

Keeping Geese Prize Package Valued at Over $200!!

One (1) copy of The Modern Homesteader’s Guide to Keeping Geese by Kirsten Lie-Nielsen

https://www.newsociety.com/Books/M/The-Modern-Homesteader-s-Guide-to-Keeping-Geese

Retail value $19.99 – This 144 page book covers everything you need to know to raise geese.

Eight (8) White Chinese Geese from Hoover’s Hatchery*

https://www.hoovershatchery.com/WhiteChinese.html

Retail value $91.20 – Chinese geese are a classic, smaller breed known for their excellent forager and alert behavior.

And That’s Not ALL……

One (1) Cozy Coop Heating Tile

https://www.cozyproducts.com/collections/all/products/cozy-coop

Retail value $69.99 – Flat-panel poultry coop heater keeps birds warm and prevents frostbite during cold months using both radiant & convection heat.

One $20 Gift Card to Tractor Supply or Atwoods for Starter Feed – Winner’s Choice.

* Hoover’s Hatchery will work directly with the winner to coordinate a ship date of goslings (baby geese) best for your regional area and climate. As with all live animal shipments, some losses may occur. Homestead Bloggers Network is not responsible for any delays in shipping due to weather or unforeseen incidents. If the selected winner is not able to safely house 8 geese a new, secondary winner may be selected for the live animal portion of the giveaway only – solely at the winner’s discretion and preference.

https://www.newsociety.com/Books/M/The-Modern-Homesteader-s-Guide-to-Keeping-Geese

And http://homesteadbloggersnetwork.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Does a Guard Goose Need Training? (Book Review and Giveaway!) was originally posted by All About Chickens

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