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dreamteamspace · 3 years

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We hit 400 so here’s a- ✨ DREAM APPRECIATION ESSAY ✨

(by Yours Truly. Much thanks to the one, innocent anon who just wanted to ask a small talk question but hit my serotonin-providing hyperfixation.)

1. Self-esteem

I love the way he’s confident in his abilities when it’s become such a “trend” to either be completely and utterly self-depricating about your own skills out of fear of being labelled an asshole or overconfident nowadays.

At the same time you can still tell he doesn’t want to pull anyone down ever, and will always be really careful with that and take every oppertunity to lift up the people around him. Dream has a very emotional voice that gives him away a lot, so you can really tell he genuinely admires the people around him and he’s never afraid to say that they could totally easily beat him in something if he doesn’t have practice with it.

He tends to be a bit too hard on himself, so his friends always encourage him in his abilities, and that’s just. So nice. He celebrates his victories! He gets so so excited and happy when he wins in the manhunts, and I think celebrating your hard-earned victories isn’t something that should be villanized.

He won, and we should KNOW by now that doesn’t mean he thinks he’s somehow better than everyone. He has a pretty good eye on his abilities, and that allows him to really use them to the max.

2. Morality

He isn’t afraid to change the game! His adhd picks out a Cool New Thing and he just goes, You know what? Why not! His adhd goes “do this thing repeatedly another 3847 times” and he’s like, yeah sure!

Nobody expected him to release a song, but he just went for it! He’s been speedrunning so much, but he isn’t afraid to stream it every day 5 days in a row for hours while his friends bicker in the background.

Dream genuinely does the things he finds fun, but at the same time puts in so much effort to make them good and entertaining to watch and never forgets about his viewers.

He’s kidfriendly because he wants to be! Fame-wise, at this point he could definitly swear more if he wanted to (and he does when in other people’s content who don’t care about swearing), but despite that he doesn’t swear on his main because he wants his content to be accessable for everyone.

Sure, on one hand it could be for clout/money, but consider: Dream doesn’t stream the DSMP because he doesn’t want to take attention away from other people. He participates in the videos of his friends. He lets compilation channels and the like do whatever they want and even monetize his content. He lets his friends stream Road Trip on twitch as much as they want for free.

Dream doesn’t not swear just for his fanbase, but he does it because he has so so much respect for people. No matter how high he goes, he’s always consciously focused on respecting and admiring the people around him.

He has genuine respect for creators so much smaller than him, and he has respect for people in his fanbase that are younger than him. He isn’t afraid to go against the norm and STAND for that, either (see the video where he defends his stans).

And he defends his friends so much too! So much so it could almost be a little bit of a flaw sometimes, but I feel like he truly wants to learn from his mistakes. He apologizes for things even when nobody asked him to, and that just shows that he does it out of genuine guilt and fear of hurting someone.

He’s always seemed like someone who is genuinely willing to change to be a better version of himself, who isn’t afraid to challenge what he thinks and what other people think and what the norm thinks in order to improve everything for everyone.

Dream also doesn’t let any of the fame get to his head! As I said before - he’s confident in the things he’s good at, but in a way that doesn’t pull other people down, and he still remains firmly admirable of other people.

And even when OTHER people let fame get to their head (it was a while ago, but there was a video he made about five block jumps, where he added in a clip of a video of another guy doing it complete with credit and link etc. The guy was 100% alright with it at first, but when his video started getting more views because Dream’s video blew up, he started accusing Dream of “stealing” his content (when dozens of other videos of the 5 block jump already existed, and Dream could’ve just put in a clip of himself doing the jump)),,, but he insisted in his reponse that fame gets to people’s heads sometimes, nobody should blame anybody, he genuinely was never upset at him and just said that this just... happens sometimes.

He’s a very forgiving person all around, in part due to being willing to challenge his own norms and give people the benefit of the doubt JUST in case he’s wrong. He lets people enjoy things so long as they aren’t hurting anybody, like allowing people to ship him w people who are also alright with shipping, but at the same time taking a hard stance on, say, how shipping minors is absolutely wrong and should not be done ever (and he’s right).

3. Fandom

He appreciates said fanart and fanworks as well! He thinks dnf fanart is cool and he even appreciates the fanfic part of his fandom, something many ccs wish to ignore or forget it exists altogether (and it IS ofc in their right to do so or be uncomfortable with such content!), but Dream sees the work put into it and how people find connections and friendships through the fandom and appreciates it all the same.

He loves his fandom. So much. But not in the overdone, fake-feeling way I’ve seen other ccs be,,,, he’s just. Quiet and shy and genuine about it but not afraid to defend it.

He’s said before - and I QUOTE - “If you send hate to people or have sent hate to people, in the form of hateful comments or DMs, you aren’t welcome in my fandom. You’re no fan of mine”, which is the HOTTEST take he’s ever uttered and I love that. He really just went and said that. And he’s right. I like that despite how he’s usually more held back and waits things out before taking a stance, he chose this topic to really take a hard stance on and not budge and stick to it.

Pmbata has also said that he believes his fans have his back no matter what!! And that he really loves them a lot!!! And I am!! Emotional!!!!

4. ND/Adhd

He has adhd which is something I relate to personally (I have it as well sdlkfj). He gets excited sometimes!! I love how he shows being fidgety in mc, always pacing and parcouring around,, the way that in manhunts you can SEE when he’s thinking or bouncing back and forth between two options,,, or the way he gets close to people in mc to laugh with them.... He shows so much with his movements by them being quick and daring and calculated (and it’s especially hilarious to watch other people react to it in the video “mc but three people control one player”, where he’s the one moving and Sapnap and George will gasp or go “Dream!!” in surprise when Dream was THIS close to falling off a ledge, but he just laughs sdlkfjsdf).

When he’s not moving around he stands perfectly, perfectly still (which, idk if thats what all adhd ppl have, but I know I have something similar? Like when I’m nervous I’ll sometimes just. Freeze in place. No movement at all). He’s just relatable sdkjf.

There was one Manhunt extra scenes where he,,,,, stims by clapping,,,,,, the lil excited clap in the background,,, I’m gonna cry. I’m so soft for excited Dream that one is such a comfort clip for me!

He also tends to stim by getting under trap doors and then jumping back out of them, or jumping up a block and then walking back down over and over (especially noticable in The Village Went Mad tftsmp episode, where they were all discussing who the murderer could be and he was the only one moving, hopping up the log and then running back down again).

Also it is. Really Soft when he starts rambling and overexplaining something. What’s even better is that George, who is usually present at such moments, will laugh a little at his antics, and Dream will automatically laugh with him.

5. Rp/Uplifting other ccs

Dream wasn’t all THAT into the rp at first, but his server has been so strongly supporting and giving attention to smaller creators that he’s since completely rolled along with it. Being a villain in the RP is a difficult role because you will, inevitable, as much as it is just roleplay and all scripted, always get some amount of dislike from people for it.

Despite that, he’s basicly the main big villain on his own server where he let a bunch of theater kids beat him up in character and imprison him on his OWN SERVER. He wasn’t as into the rp at first, but has obviously been practicing and joins every Tales of the SMP when he can, despite getting zero clout for it.

What Dream also tends to do is find small content creators, see their talent and lift them high. His entire discord server is dedicated to give smaller ccs a place to grow, and when he first found Tubbo, Tommy, Ranboo, etc., they were much much smaller than they are now. He truly wanted to help them make it big.

He’s also added Foolish Shark and Hannah onto the SMP, both much smaller ccs (not tiny, but you get what I mean), allowing them to grow. He doesn’t stream on his OWN SERVER. He let himself get imprisoned to let the good guys win on his OWN. SERVER. He’s willing to play the villain and everything.

An interesting thing though! A lot of people used to/still do clown on Dream a bit for his sometimes uncertain acting,,, but when he’s around people he knows well (Sapnap and George, Tubbo and Tommy) we’ve seen him go ALL OUT. I have the theory Dream might be genuinely afraid to accidentally be mean to someone in character and have them misinterpret it sldkfjsdf,,, so he’s rly careful when he goes into the rp, and sometimes even when he’s in it he goes quiet, especially with other people around.

But also the fact that he needs time to feel comfortable around ppl is,, a mood,,, and adorable,,, sdlfkjsdf-

Apparently he’s also shared his youtube algorithm secrets with Tommy?? Which he had only shared with Sapnap and George before?? Dream took one look at that chaotic kid and immedietly adopted him as his little brother. He literally got up super early to rp the prison visit. Idk about ya’ll but I would die for someone first and get up horribly early for them second-

6. Friends!!

Dream?? Considers so so many people his friends?? And despite having so many friends, he also has his few closest friends (George and Sapnap) whom he would absolutely die for in a heartbeat. He WILL defend them with everything he has and loves them so so much.

He listens to them and really, truly wants them to succeed. He respects them so much and will go OFF about how good they actually are and how talented they are and how important they are to him.

I can’t even COVER everything about how much he is SOULMATES with Gorg. They live in each others heads rent-free. He mentions him all the time. They get!! So happy when they’re around each other!!! Their voices get so soft,,

And I can’t even BEGIN to explain the energy of Sapnap and Dream just moving together permanently. Imagine moving together with your best friend. Like, permanently. Into one house. They’re best friends Your Honor,,,,

Also,, remember the Techno and Dream rivalry? And Dream has recently said that he’s hesitant to make a serious manhunt against Techno because he doesn’t want there to be any feud between them or have them be compared to each other. He said that while he absolutely wanted nothing more than to beat Techno at first, now that he knows him better he just wants to be friends with him. He wants to be FRIENDS. With his, essentially, mc RIVAL. Friendly rival, but still. He doesn’t even wanna fight Techno or have ppl compare them cause he,,, wants to be friends with him,,,,

7. Vulnerability

What I feel like really sets Dream apart from some other ccs for me is that he’s willing to be vulnerable. He will tell George he loves him. He defends his friends. He sounds so, so genuine when he tells his fandom that he loves them.

What’s just really rare to see, especially in male ccs, is that vulnerability. It’s becoming more acceptable as time goes on, but it’s certainly not easy, and a lot of people become and stay long-term fans BECAUSE they can see how genuine he is.

I know Dream looks up to Mr. Beast a lot, for example, but honestly? I think he’s a little better than Mr. Beast. Because he feels more genuine, more bound to what he believes is right. I’m sure Mr. Beast isn’t a bad content creator! But ultimately they have different target audiences and I’m very glad Dream is the way he is.

Less of that insecure masculinity and more willing to be vulnerable, to care about things, to get emotional and to encourage and uplift the people around him.

8. Pure Brainrot

Green boi has nice deep calm soothing voice. Little shy laugh. Wheeze laugh. Gorg live in his head rent-free. He lov friends. He lov block game. He good at block game,,, a little shy but confident,,, big heart,,,, soft voice,,,,, rambles sometimes....

He also Gender. He’s so gender. I don’t know how else to describe it. I want That. Whatever That is. My gender is Dreamwastaken

#mcyt #mcytblr #dreamwastaken #dream #dream appreciation #long post #dreamteamspace speaks #space writes #yes this goes in my writing tag #this is Way too many words to only be in my normal tag #but how many dream apreciation essays have you written fear huh? Huh?? /lh #mr beast critical #adhd tw #adhd #just in case?

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aquaticalay · 5 years

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Siren .Chapter Three.

Bucky Barnes x Sonic Screaming!Reader

Summary: Bucky Barnes fancies you, a singer who performs at a local bar every Monday and Friday night. After a few months of attending your gigs, Bucky finally got the chance to talk to you. One problem: you are New York's sonic screaming vigilante. And the avengers have been trying to figure out who you are for months. (Post-Endgame)

Warning/s for this chapter : cursing lol, mentions of violence

Warning/s for the series: cursing, violence, eventual smut (which you can skip)

Word count: 1800+

Disclaimer: I do not own the Marvel characters.

Note: I'm uploading on mobile for the third time, still won't show up in the tags. Help

I will post a new chapter every two days. Let me know if you'd like to be on the taglist!

"This person did what?" Sam asked, making sure if he heard Bucky correctly. The two of them were in the Avengers meeting room the next morning.

"Screamed," He confirmed. "And it was inhuman. Even I hurt all over."

Sam studied the gun he brought back, then looked back at Bucky, an interrogative look on his face.

"What?" Bucky furrowed his eyebrows, "You don't believe me? Well–"

"Oh, I believe you," Sam said blankly, "In the last three months, there have been five reports on a high pitched noise. In the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Newark. The fifth was from Harlem last night, your encounter," Sam breathed, "I have been looking into it alone. I thought it was some sort of device. I… didn't even think it might be a person."

Bucky's finger anxiously tapped on the table. He hadn't seen who the person was. The hood she was wearing had given the person the features of a shadow— it's like they weren't even real. It was ghostly, the way they disappeared.

"If you find this… Siren, tell me. I want to be the one to find them," Bucky demanded, and he wasn't taking no for an answer.

You were the first to wake up. Still in the apartment, you noticed everyone around you was a mess, sleeping and snoring like college kids after a long night of partying. Vince and Luna stayed up until four, both of them in a state of panic. They were worried about getting caught, even after Lando reassured them that it was incredibly hard to track you, thanks to the layers and layers of security that he has set for your online presence. Lando fell asleep on the computer desk, after a long night of fortifying the security.

You decided to leave them a note saying that you were going home. You changed into a white shirt and sweatpants, stuffing all your things in a duffel bag.

You took the subway to Manhattan, where your apartment was.

Your home was not small— not at all.

It was a penthouse in the center of Manhattan, but some sort of guilt always haunted you when you step in. The penthouse wasn't yours, not really. You inherited it from your father, who was allegedly killed after he created you.

You've always loved to sing, ever since you were a child. Three years ago, a desperate ex-KGB spy, who has descended into madness, held you hostage in exchange for your father's money. When he found out your father has secretly contacted the police, he slit your throat, then commited suicide by stabbing himself.

They were able to salvage your life, but your vocal cords has been badly damaged, and every doctor you met told you the damage was beyond repair. You couldn't even talk, let alone sing.

Your father one of the four founders of Viseur Corps, a scientific research corporation. The other three owners were parents of Vince, Luna, and Lando.

Your father urged a bioengineering project to fix your vocal cords called project 'vox.' After a year of extensive surgeries, you could finally speak again.

The side effect, however, was unexpected.

A small miscalculation allowed your vocal cords to vibrate at the speed of sound itself, sometimes even faster.

A week after, all four scientists were found dead, cyanide poison in their systems, and the bioactive particles and chemical radiation used to restore your vocal cords has been stolen. Thankfully, without a proper application method, the sonic characteristics of the vocal cords were hard to replicate. Hard, but not impossible.

The killer has never been found. Two years later, the sonic formula finally popped up in your radar. If you got the formula, you could stop anyone else from weaponizing the vox formula, and you could finally track the murderer.

You laid down on the couch, feeling utterly useless. You've got a gig to play a day after tomorrow, you could get some well-needed rest today. One problem: you could not rest. Not mentally. The burden of being somewhat responsible for your own father’s death, and your inability to catch the murderer so far has urged you to do more physical activities. Running, swimming, anything to get your mind off the stress. It has been an effective way to deal with negative energy.

You took a shower, and decided to go for a jog. You had your earphones embedded in into your earlobes, shielding you from any conversation attempt. It was a nice day. The sun was not too bright, the wind was not too hard. In the middle of your run, the music stopped. The tune changed into your ringtone, and you slowed down to look at your phone. It was Lando.

You stopped running altogether and started walking as you answered the call.

“Hey,” you greeted.

“(Y/n),” he said over the line. You could tell he was tired, “Got home safe?”

"Yeah," you told him shortly, "What's up?"

"You're on the news," he told you urgently, "well, not you. The other guy. You know, your alter ego.."

"Shit," you whispered, "How bad is it?"

"It's the headline on every news channel," he said worriedly.

As you were approaching a cafè, you did not hesitate to go in. You saw a TV in the corner, and sure enough, there was footage of your confrontation with James Barnes on the screen.

'The Avengers has started a nationwide manhunt for what they call 'The Siren,' said a reporter.

"(Y/n)?" Lando said through the phone. You were struck, you forgot you were still on the phone.

You snapped back to life, "I'll call you back."

Without waiting for an answer, you turned off the call.

You were in the middle of the cafè staring at the TV.

So yeah, some people were already looking at you funny.

When you noticed, you decided to get coffee. It would be weird just to burst in, stare at the TV, and just leave. You ordered a latte and took a seat, where you had a good view of the screen.

You listened intently, taking a good sip of your coffee.

They were describing what they could about your physical features, but with your suit on, the description weren't very accurate.

When you felt a hand on your shoulder, you froze.

"I didn't expect to see you here," said James Barnes. He was wearing a dark denim jacket and jeans, but he was missing his gloves and sunglasses.

He wasn't in 'disguise.’ He wasn’t trying to hide his identity, unlike last night.

Some people looked at him and whispered in awe that there was an avenger in the room, but no one really said anything. He still had his metal arm in his pocket, but it was probably more of a habit than a conscious act.

"Hi," you managed to give a smile. He ran his human fingers through his brown locks of hair nervously, "Do you mind if I…" he pointed to the empty seat in front of you. You tried your best not to panic, "Go ahead."

He sat, a paper cup of coffee on his hand.

Your heart was beating fast, thumping out of your chest. What if he found out it was you? What if he knew? What if he was here to confront your identity as the so-called 'Siren' the news has been talking about?

"Busy day, huh?" You said without thinking, tilting your chin towards the TV.

"Oh, right," Barnes said, pleasantly surprised that you knew who he was.

You had to hold back a sigh of relief. He didn't know it was you. You had to make sure it stayed that way.

"Yeah, I didn't recognize you last night, James," you forced a smile, but it came out sincere, "probably because of the sunglasses, and it was dark, too."

"I don't blame you," he let out a hearty laugh, "and please, call me Bucky."

"Well, Bucky," you said, and you have to admit your mouth liked the sound of his name, "what brings you here?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, "I come here every once in a while. Best coffee in all of New York," He sipped his coffee again, "and you?"

"Just passing by," you told him. In your defense, it was the truth, to some degree.

"I've been meaning to tell you," he said, and you could've sworn his cheeks turned a slightly redder shade, "you have a great voice."

"Thanks," you chuckled, and this time, you didn't need to fake it, "I try."

"No, really," he insisted, "and your performance was incredible. How long have you been doing this?"

Somehow, this was the beginning of a long chat, way longer than you expected. You were trapped in a three-hour long conversation with the charming man. Little by little, your worries fade away until it completely disappeared. You started enjoying his presence, laughing at his childhood stories as well as telling your own.

Before you knew it, it was four in the afternoon.

"I probably need to get back," he said, a tinge of disappointment in his voice. He masked it quickly with a curve on his lips.

"Oh," you said, followed with a smile, "See you around?" You asked with uncertainty.

"I hope so," he gave you a smile and walked out the cafè. You watched him go through the window, where he gave you one last small adorable wave. You found yourself giggling, waving back.

When he was nowhere out of sight, you noticed a scribble on your napkin. It was Bucky's number, followed with an old fashioned handwriting. 'Text me?'

You did not text him right away. You found yourself pacing back and forth in your apartment, frustrated. You had a good time. Such a great time, in fact, that you forgot he was in the middle of hunting you down.

Was it a smart move? You tried to convince yourself that it was a good idea. That this could be one one of those 'hiding in plain sight' tactics. He would never suspect someone he knew, right?

You flopped down on the couch, and grabbed your phone. You already saved his number. All you needed to do was type out the words.

'Hey, James. This is (Y/n). Got your number :)'

You hit send, telling yourself again and again that this was a good idea. It probably wasn't, but you only told yourself what you wanted to hear.

"You seem happy," Sam teased, raising eyebrows at Bucky, who just entered the room. Bucky shrugged, "Maybe I want to be happy."

"Whoa, what?" Sam said. Was this Bucky? Sam wondered, The same anti-social Bucky who only drank black coffee and only expressed his true emotions once in a blue moon?

"What's going on, man?" Sam urged, grinning at his friend's joy, which radiated in his smile.

"You know that bar I've been going to?" Bucky asked. Sam nodded, "The Mermaid- something? Didn't you say you've been crushing on a singer there for months?"

Bucky nodded, "I met her at a cafe," he beamed, "I spent some time getting to know her."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Sam jokingly exclaimed, "Old man Barnes is back it the game, folks!"

Bucky chuckled, hoping to get a notification sometime soon.

A few hours later, his phone gave off a little noise. For the first time in a long time, he couldn't stop smiling.

@thejourneyneverendsx @ispepeagain @magykal-777 @sfxsucker @moli1497 @justanothergirlwithdemons @ciochesono @allonszassbutt @hennessy0274-blog @chubby-dumplin @talk-geek-to-me @sebastian-i-stan @iwishthatiwasbuckysgirl @thelureabove @womanontheedgeofnothing @snugglemedaddy @perrythefrickinplatypus @missursulacalmet @angryknightstatesmantrash

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superman86to99 · 4 years

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Action Comics #692 (October 1993)

In this issue: Superman goes to the doctor and finds out why he's not dead anymore! But, before that, he's clearing some of the debris left by his fight with Doomsday when he finds... Clark Kent? Lois Lane is very happy to see Clark again, but Superman himself doesn't look very thrilled in these panels.

Turns out Clark wasn't dead as everyone believed, he was simply trapped in the basement of a collapsed building! The basement happened to equipped with plenty of food and gym equipment (explaining why he's still jacked, like Superman), but unfortunately not a single pair of scissors (explaining why his hair is now long, like Superman's).

Later, Superman bumps into Lex Luthor Jr., who demands to know where Supergirl is, but Superman gives him the runaround. Hmm, where could Superman's good friend who can change shape and pretend to be other people be? Anyway, Superman then meets Lois and Clark and... holy crap! Mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent is secretly Supergirl!

So yeah, Supergirl pretended to be Clark for a while just so he and Superman would be seen together and no one would question why both are suddenly alive again. Then Supergirl leaves and we move on to the second dilemma solved in this issue: How the hell is Superman alive again? To address that question, supernatural DC character (and fellow Jerry Siegel/Joe Shuster creation) Doctor Occult appears out of nowhere and rudely teleports Lois and Clark to a black void, where he replays moments from Superman's life... and death.

Occult explains that Doomsday DID punch Superman's spirit out of his body, but there was still solar energy keeping the body just barely alive. Superman's ghost ended up stuck between the living and the dead, attracting some nasty soul-eating demons. Fortunately, Pa Kent happened to be dying of a heart attack at the same time, so he and Superman teamed up to fight off the demons (as seen in Adventures #500). Superman’s soul returned to his near-corpse, which was taken to the Fortress of Solitude by the Eradicator and lovingly nursed back into health. (Okay, more like “coldly,” but you can’t argue with the results.)

Anyway, the point is that Superman's resurrection happened due to a convoluted series of events that could never be repeated, unless someone's willing to sneak behind Pa Kent and blow an airhorn in his ear or something. As the mystical exposition dump ends, Occult teleports Lois and Clark to Smallville, and the issue ends with the Kents finally reuniting. A tender moment...

...until two seconds later, when Ma smacks Clark in the back of the head for taking two whole issues to come see them (or that’s what I’d do).

Plotline-Watch:

Doctor Occult reveals that the moment when Bibbo shocked Superman’s body with a hyper-charged defibrillator in Adventures #498 actually helped keep him alive. Once again, Bibbo is the real hero of this saga.

Supergirl has a lot of experience posing as Clark, since she was stuck in that form between 1989 and 1992. That was also her in the only other photo of Superman and Clark together, taken in Superman #34.

While Superman is being interviewed by a news crew after rescuing "Clark", that lawyer from Action #689 barges in and demands that they stop calling Superman Superman, since that name is now trademarked by Superboy's manager. Damn, maybe he's gonna have to start calling himself "Supreme" or something?

Aww, Lex is happy to see Superman again. Sure, it's only because he wants to be the one to kill him, but still.

S.T.A.R. Labs is examining the Eradicator's corpse when they realize he's alive! Sort of. Later, Doctor Occult remarks that the Eradicator sacrificed himself "in mind, if not in body". Hmm. The doctors overseeing his condition are Kitty Faulkner, who can turn into an orange She-Hulk called Rampage after a workplace mishap, and a new character called David Connors, the only S.T.A.R. employee without superpowers. So far.

The JLA returns from the little space vacation the Cyborg sent them on, and we get the first instance in all of comics of Guy Gardner admitting he was wrong. Character growth! Don Sparrow says: “Nice to see some follow-up to the characters around the DCU and how they react to Superman’s return. No mention of the fact that they got suckered into a mission into space that went nowhere.”

When Doctor Occult shows up, Superman is like "aw, not this guy again!", referencing that classic tale of Superman's first encounter with the supernatural... which hasn't come out yet. Don: “It’s a neat forward call-back (is that a thing?) when Superman references his first encounter with Doctor Occult, given that we won’t see it happen until 1995, when DC does a line-wide ‘Year One’ series of stories. And wouldn’t you know it, that story is written by none other than Roger Stern (and even involves tentacles, as in the thumbnail image)!” #rogersternplaysthelonggame

Don Sparrow's section, on the other hand, can be read NOW, after the jump!

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

We open with the cover, and it’s one of the top ten best of this era, for sure. Drawn by Kerry Gammill and Butch Guice, DC used this drawing on the “Return of Superman” cards. I tend to favour simpler, iconic covers, even when they don’t necessarily represent the story within, but in this case, it’s showing exactly what the heart of the story is about: Clark Kent is back.

Inside, we open with a full page splash of Superman’s shield, through tons of rubble, and it’s a great image, but without the face, it allows us to focus on the title of the story, a callback to the speech introduction of the old Fleischer Cartoons.

I don’t know if it’s from the writing, or the artist, but Action Comics has always seemed the most romantic of the Super-titles, and this one is no exception, as Clark and Lois have their hands all over each other for basically the whole comic. While it is a bit weird to remember that it isn’t Clark that Lois is caressing (more on that in a bit) in the early part of the story, it always feels intimate and romantic more than it feels graphic or titillating. A tricky balance that this team pulls off well, particularly in their “reunion” on page 3. [Max: Every time I read this issue I think it’s Martian Manhunter posing as Clark and when they start flirting I’m like “ew”. Then I remember who it is and I’m like “nice”.]

I always enjoy seeing Superman flying upside-down, which I consider to be a Byrne innovation—I don’t remember him doing it pre-Crisis. It always seems so joyful and carefree, and it’s nice to see Superman savouring his powers.

Jackson Guice uses tone very well in the scenes with Lex Luthor II in his aviators, and I quite like the sense of motion to Superman’s pose as he approaches the helicopter—almost like he’s swimming in the sky rather than floating.

It’s a good drawing of the Eradicator getting the post-Hoth Luke Skywalker treatment, with David Connor and Kitty Faulkner getting an eyeful. My copy has a slight colouring error that makes it look like the Eradicator is awake in the tank, even though he’s supposed to be catatonic. [Max: Still looks like that in the collections. Maybe he’s one of those people who sleep with their eyes open?]

Superman embracing Lois after the ruse of “Clark Kent” is very cutely drawn, as is the Ghost-like backward embrace on the following page.

The entire sequence replaying Superman’s death and rebirth is drawn well throughout, especially the dreamlike staging, and the darkness as Lois knocks the flashlight away. It’s also moving that Superman can see the heroic lengths that Bibbo went to try to save him once Superman succumbed to his injuries.

Lastly, it was wonderful to see Clark reunited physically with Ma and Pa, especially with the nice touch of the poem by DH Lawrence as the only narration. Stern was always the best at referencing secondary texts in his stories, and it’s well used here.

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

Is it me, or is Matrix/Supergirl a little too into this Clark Kent act? I get that making their performances light and funny keep it from seemingly overtly dishonest, but “Clark” is pretty tender in these scenes. Lois does a good job of playing along, but it’s hard for me to fully forget that all this canoodling is actually with Supergirl. So as a helpful tool, I created these graphics: [Max: Nice.]

It was cool that Lois specifically mentioned that Jimmy got a shot of the returned Clark Kent next to Superman, I always like it when that can happen.

In previous posts, I’ve talked about how creepy it is that Luthor has a sexual relationship with Supergirl/Matrix, when she is in so many ways (mainly mentally) a child, and I can’t help but read the scene where Lois chooses Superman over “Clark” this way. The laughing and clapping has a whole different feel if you think of her as mentally diminished somewhat.

So it’s not exactly a continuity error that Clark says on page 13 that he has to call Ma and Pa to let them know that “Clark” is alright (even though he already called them in a previous issue). It could be that they want to tell the Kents the cover story of Clark’s return has now taken place, and they can act like their son is alive again when they go to the corner store, etc. [Max: Yeah, that’s how I took it. It would be awkward if their neighbors saw them all cheerful while their son is still “dead”.]

I like to imagine that Dr. Occult looks and sounds like Robert Stack. [Max: It’s impossible for me to hear him as anyone other than Humphrey Bogart after Lois calls him “Sam Spade”.]

We’ve mentioned previously Jackson Guice’s tendency to use photo reference for his characters. In this issue, Superman looks a lot like Jason Patric to me, who would have made a pretty great Superman had there been movies being made in this time.

I also appreciated this issue explaining both the physical and metaphysical reasons Superman was able to return—and that there’s no back door to the story—if Superman ever died again, he would be unable to return.

#superman #roger stern #jackson guice #denis rodier #supergirl #justice league #guy gardner #rampage #eradicator #doctor occult #pa kent #ma kent #bibbo bibbowski #S.T.A.R. Labs #cat grant #captain marvel #roger stern plays the long game #nice

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happy-haunts · 4 years

Text

Emily DeClaire Pt.2

EMILY DECLAIRE Pt. 2

Chapter one | Constance pt.1 : Constance pt.2

Chapter two | Mister Topper pt.1 : Mister Topper pt.2

Chapter three | Madame Leota pt.1 : Madame Leota pt.2

Chapter four | The Hostess

Chapter five | Captain Blood pt.1 : Captain Blood pt.2

Chapter six | Emily DeClaire pt.1 : Emily DeClaire pt.2 : Emily DeClaire pt.3

Chapter seven | Finale

!! WARNING THEMES OF VIOLENCE AND ABUSE !!

I can recall one night when I was eighteen, still hurting after William left, his stepmother and father were downstairs arguing with my grandfather about trying to bring William home when they heard about a rising threat in mutiny in the Naval forces.

“If you bring that bastard back to this town I will kill him.” I was relieved to know he was at least not dead, that meant he could return on his own.

“You have no power over the Gracey name.” Another man’s voice, Mister Gracey. “If you try to stop us we will ruin you, you may be the mayor but we have the town’s trust.”

“Do not cross me George, I would hate to see you and your dear wife get hurt.”

The next week I looked out my window and saw Vincent and Dorian in the graveyard at their parent’s funeral.

It had been eight years since then.

Eight years since I left the house.

Eight years since Grandfather started to love me.

This house had become a sense of complacency, it felt as though this was the safest place for me.

If I never left I was never hurt, if I never left no one else would be hurt, if I never talked to anyone else they wouldn’t disappear.

My grandfather and I had begun having dinner together at the beginning and the end of every month, since those were the only dates when no parties were thrown or events seemed to be held.

He would have Delilah bring me a red dress, it had clearly been worn before so I suspected that it once belonged to grandmother.

We would eat and he would hold my hand, and then he would bring me to the living room where I would sing for him.

Grandfather would smile, his eyes taking in all of me.

I didn’t like it when he looked at me like that, but he assured me that it was because he loved me.

He would escort me back upstairs with his arm around my waist, then kiss me before leaving me to go to bed.

One night I had pushed him back, I told him I didn’t like when he kissed me like that.

“You wanted me to love you, Emily.” He held my arm tight as he pressed my back against the doorframe. “Or would you prefer to upset me?”

“No…”

“As I thought.” He was much more aggressive when he kissed me that night, pulling me close to him by the waist.

It all felt so wrong, my parents loved me and they didn’t treat me this way, not even William had treated me as such when I was young.

But still I stayed, because I had a family now that I had lost. Grandfather wouldn’t hurt me as long as I didn’t leave, as long as he never saw me leave.

The day was warm, even inside my room as I rested my head against the window the rays of the sun scorched me. But I didn’t much mind it, the warmth was a comfort to me.

But while I sat there I began to hear things which, I assumed might have just been my mind slowly creeping into insanity.

I was happily wrong about that though, for the sound became more clear and I made out a tune which sounded like it was coming from the street in front of the house.

“Damn it all!” I heard grandfather scream downstairs, “Those damn gypsies are going to disappear!”

Gypsies? I had never met a gypsy before, I wondered what they were like, they already seemed to have wonderful music.

I stood up and started to count the beats, then I stepped in time. Oh it felt so wonderful to dance again, I almost felt the shadows in my room materializing around me and joining in the dance, moving me around them as I kept rhythm, moving and moving until I bumped against my window.

Luckily it had been closed otherwise I may have fallen, although, as I looked down at the roofing above the porch I assured myself that even if I would have fallen it would have caught my landing.

It would have caught my landing.

No, I wouldn’t.

I won’t.

Even so the music called and I opened the window.

No.

I leaned out and felt the warm summer air stroke my cheeks. The feeling of the sun and the breeze felt like when mother and father would run their fingers through my hair.

Yes.

I stepped up onto the window ledge.

I jumped.

I stumbled a bit at first but soon found the edge of the overhang and wobbled off the edge, falling into the wildflowers which decorated the hill in grandfather’s backyard.

As I gathered myself I realized I had lost my shoes, but I brushed that off and headed toward the music.

The town was so full of people! Children pointed to the band of gypsies which danced in the street just beyond the front of Grandfather’s house. Couples glanced at them with silent amusement, I could tell from some smirks and gawking they were impressed by the group.

Unfortunately the awe was short-lived when the authorities showed up, they knocked over boxes and hats used to collect money, they poked and antagonized the gypsy entertainers, and when one of the men began raising his fist they hit him with a club.

I covered my mouth to muffle my gasp while onlookers hurried to walk past the scuffle, they were ignoring them.

I had to duck into the shadow of a building when I noticed grandfather come out of the house, he surveyed the scene and smiled.

“Officers, I trust you have this handled?” He tipped his head as thanks and the officers replied in kind with eager nods.

‘I should go back to my room while he is out of the house.’ I had thought, ‘No, he’s gone into the town square, you should stay.’

I pressed my back against the building I hid beside, panic was filling my chest as I urged myself to not do something reckless.

But I am selfish, and I did not listen.

I hurried toward the scuffle and stepped between an officer and a gypsy man, the officer was confused for a moment and then gave a devious grin.

“Look at the little canary boys,” I instinctively clutched the fabric of my yellow dress. “What’s a little birdie like you gonna do?” That was an excellent question, I hadn’t thought that far. I knew I needed to act but how I would act never crossed my mind.

“Why did you hit him?”

“What is this your daddy?” I furrowed my brow at his taunt.

“My father is dead, I want to know why you believe physical violence would suit you better than words?”

“They are not allowed to be here, in the town.”

“And who says that?”

“Mayor DeClaire, which means you and your little gypsy friends had better get out.” He leaned closer to me, making me arch myself backwards.

“Is it a law?” He hesitated for a moment, I took advantage of that. “If it is not a law then how can you enforce such an act? Would you do the same to the townsfolk?”

“Of course not! You are gypsies! You’ve come here to rob us and ruin our town.”

“Are you?” I asked the gypsy man behind me, he seemed rather shocked that I was asking at all.

“N-no! We are entertainers, we have nothing else to sell but our talents!” I looked back to the officer who I could see was under pressure.

“The mayor told me about these thieves and they are not allowed in this town!” I saw him adjusting his club as though he was itching to strike me.

But the town was crowding around and some of the amused on-lookers from before started in on the officers.

“If there is no law forbidding gypsies then why are we barring them from our town?”

“Why does the mayor believe they thieve and ruin our town?”

The discourse had begun now between the town and the officers- I took this moment to turn to the group of entertainers and file them away to the woods.

“Thank you,” the man I had stood in front of said to me, “I am Joshua, I lead this group of misfits.”

“A pleasure to meet you, I’m Emily, it’s my first time in town.”

“Well that much is obvious, you could have gotten yourself killed for speaking out like that.”

“But why?”

“Because of this town’s beloved mayor, you’ll need to be careful not to run into him after this- he’ll have your hide.” I began squeezing my fingers, Joshua didn’t know the half of it. “But if you need to seek shelter you are more than welcome to stay here, if you had not have stepped in we would have brawled with those damn corrupt trash.”

“Now, it’s not their fault it seems to be that they’re only doing what the mayor says. I’m sure if I talk to him then-.”

“Have you forgotten what I’ve said? He’ll have your hide!”

“Well I would like to help somehow, if you are not allowed to go into town then I will.”

“Ha! They will have a manhunt out after you! You’ll be caught within a week.” I gave him a playful smirk and crossed my arms proudly.

“I like those odds, I wager I’ll raise money for you and have you living like kings!” Joshua couldn’t hold back his laughter, he slapped me on the back.

“You got a deal Miss Emily, say, if you win then I’ll make you a gypsy like us.” As we approached the camp I began to take in the area, wagons with busted wheels which needed repair sat in a semi-circle around a large fire, clothes hung pinned to strings that were attached between wagons, and the people… Oh the people… They were dancing.

I took an excited step forward but stepped back - not wanting to intrude on their festivities.

“We don’t have much, but we celebrate every day nonetheless.”

“How wonderful!” The excitement was building in my chest, I grabbed Joshua’s hand and met his gaze. “Won’t you join me in a dance?”

“I am more of a look-out-.”

“Just one dance?” I begged, the music called me just as it called me this morning.

“Alright, one dance.” He chuckled.

It was liberating.

I twirled, pivoted, and glided.

I soared.

Before I knew it the sun was going down and the light turned all the trees golden, I bid the entertainers farewell and danced all the way home. People on the streets would whisper about me and called me ‘gypsy’, in response I would take their hands and have them join me in a dance. This would either result in flushed faces or reluctant laughter, I climbed the tree in the backyard which was planted close enough for me to walk up the overhang and back into my room.

I flopped onto my bed with a satisfied smile, what a wonderful day.

———

The coming days were similar, I would go out of my window and into the streets of Liberty Square and perform.

I would stand near the back of the town by the tree line which held the gypsy camp inside and sing.

“Alas my love you do me wrong,

To cast me off discourteously;

And I have loved you oh so long

Delighting in your company.”

People would gather near and throw coins, some would throw coins and continue listening. It felt good to sing to someone else, even more satisfying was that it would provide for the gypsies.

As the days turned to weeks I grew bolder and began asking the butcher for leftover meat he could not sell, I bought stale breads, and stale cakes.

I had won the bet, and I was now an official gypsy.

I remember one of the best days I had was when I had seen grandfather in the town, he was arguing with the officers about me.

“If I paid you for your morality, Gail, I would have given you a cross not a badge! Find that gypsy and rid this town of her lies!”

So I ducked into the only shop beside me, which was the Haberdashery.

That was the first day I met Mister Topper, he tried to keep as busy as he could and ignore me but I convinced him to see me the next day! And the next day.

And the next day.

But I think you get it.

Right from the start I had slipped and told him I was a DeClaire, but I told myself I wouldn’t say anything about grandfather just like before. If he didn’t ask then there was no sense in bringing it up.

However, that was what set Mister Topper apart from William, he always asked about me. Topper would be working on his hats and I would sit beside him asking about his family, his life, and of course hats.

“Well, my life is rather boring I suppose.” He had said while he brushed one of the hats, “When I was sixteen or seventeen my mother and father disappeared after leaving to help a friend of he family - he’s died young from what I heard, god rest his soul.” Topper sighed, “So I took over the family business and my brother, Ezra, hitchhiked out of town. I did everything possible to advertise the Haberdashery seeing as it controlled whether I would eat that night or not, I gained quite a reputation. I’ve been to Persia, Tokyo, Paris, Milan, Egypt, and many more all just to make hats for the rich and noble.”

“Oh! That sounds so grand, what was it like?”

“It was the same as every other country, it was shit, this hat makes my head feel like a pea - this one has too much fabric. Everyone's a critic.” He grumbled and placed one of the hats inside a hatbox to wait for it’s owner to arrive.

“I don’t know, I think it would be lovely to see the Nile river, I hear it goes on for Niles and niles!” Mister Topper chuckled and placed his hand over mine, he leaned in for a kiss and I instinctively drew back.

“Oh, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have-.”

“No! No! It’s not your fault! I just have a …” I looked away to try and think of the words, “A bad history with … affection.” He was silent for a moment, I could feel his eyes on me- surveying me.

“May I ask why? If it’s not too much?”

“Oh no, no!” I laughed and waved my hand, giving a small shrug. “It’s just this man I know … He …” I was shaking, as though speaking about it might cause me to drop dead. “He kisses me … And I’m too scared to stop him.” I winced thinking about it, “I’ve tried before and he -.” I looked at Mister Topper now and was unable to speak, his brown eyes were warm as they intently kept attention on me. “I don’t want to think about it anymore, I … I can’t think about it anymore.”

“Of course, Emily.” He took my hands and gave my knuckles little pecks, “We’ll take all the time you need, I promise.”

“Thank you, I’ve never told anyone about this before, I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? Silly girl.” He laughed and gave my knuckles more kisses, “I can’t say I don’t want to know, I can’t say that I wish you would have told me sooner, but I can say that I am glad you are comfortable enough with me to tell me.” He smiled, his smiles were more than comforting - they told me someday all that I worried about would be gone. “And I’ll be here when you’re comfortable enough to finish the story.”

“I love you.” I blurted but pursed my lips when I realized I let my words get away from me. Mister Topper turned red and he tightened his grip on my hands.

“I love you too, Emily.” tears rolled down my cheeks as I smiled.

“Thank you, thank you…” He hushed me and pulled me into his arms. “Thank you, Horatio.”

Everything was perfect, my life was as close to perfection as it was humanly possible to get. I was in love, I had wonderful friends and making more!

Even that evening when I was getting dressed for dinner with grandfather I didn’t feel as drained, in fact as we sat at the dinner table I listened to what he was saying.

“And those damn gypsies are still pestering me, they’ve recruited one little whore to seduce my officers and render me powerless.”

“But why do you hate the gypsies?” Grandfather paused as he was about to eat a mouthful of stew, I normally only nodded when he spoke to me. “What have they done?”

“They’re thieves and vandals.”

“How do you know?” I could tell he was getting annoyed, but if there was a chance I could change his mind I would try.

“Because of their blood, they were born from poverty and thieves - so they will always be in poverty and resort to thievery.” He grabbed his wine and began angrily gulping it down.

“That’s not true.”

“What did you say to me?” He snarled.

“I-I just think that perhaps they’re more than that.” I smiled while stirring my stew, “Maybe some of them strive for more, like being great musicians… And as far as the canary goes -.”

“I never mentioned the canary.” I quickly ate a spoonful of my stew, grandfather had set down his spoon and took off his napkin. “They say she has an exceptional voice, a little gypsy girl …” He stood from the table and walked around behind my chair. “With a crown of wildflowers decorating her hair, and a yellow dress complimenting her frame.” He placed his hands on my shoulders, which had begun trembling. “Emily… Won’t you sing for me?”

“I-I’m not quite finished-.”

“Emily.” He growled.

“Yes, sir.”

Tonight was different as I sang ‘Greensleeves’ to grandfather, usually his gaze looked dreamily over me as if I were a serving of juicy steak. Tonight his gaze was filled to the brim with rage, but more than that his rage was unsure. Grandfather was more than ready to lash out at me, but could not confirm that I was the person he wanted to lash out on.

But then he relaxed, he smiled, and escorted me to my room as he usually had - moving to kiss me but I placed two fingers on his lips.

“Oh-um… Sir, I think I must be coming down with a cold from the dust in my room.” I said rather sheepishly, “I would hate for you to catch it.”

His rage began creeping up once more, as red began spreading from his neck to his face. But once more he was unsure if his anger was rightly placed and he took hold of my chin tighty. “Fine then, I will take double once you are better.” I said nothing and instead slipped into my bedroom, he did not leave just yet. Instead grandfather gave a long look over my barren room before resting his gaze upon my yellow dress which rested on my bed. “Goodnight, Emily.” And he closed the door.

------

I decided to lay low for a day or two before heading back into town to collect more money for the gypsies, when I went to deliver my goods to them they had invited me to stay and dance - and who was I to argue?

I danced with them till the sun went down and then began my walk home in the dark, swinging myself around lantern posts and humming. The last thing I expected on my walk home was a group of pirates, they were grouped together along the sidewalk holding sacks filled with something. What’s worse is one of them looked at me and gave a hoot and holler.

“Oi! What is this we have here? A pretty little treasure walking all on her own?”

“Henry, leave her alone.” A large man said, to the other who had a face like a turtle.

“No, no Henry’s right! She’s wearing gold, Charlie, so that means she’s free to take with us.” They circled me while I backed up to a lamppost.

“Like that little canary everyone is talking about, tell me little birdie do you sing?”

“Guys! Come on let’s go.” Charlie insisted.

I mustered up every ounce of courage in my body and belted out a song I hadn’t had a chance to perform just yet.

“Got a whale of a Tale to tell ya lads! A whale of a Tale or two!” They looked rather astonished, but more so when I began dancing around them. It was my turn to be surprised when they even joined in the song with me.

I heard clapping once we had finished and when I turned to see who it was, I couldn’t believe it.

William.

“WILLIAM!” I screamed and ran for him, tackling him in a hug as we laughed.

----

“Wait, that’s not how He told it.” Terra furrowed her brows in confusion.

“No it’s not.” I looked at the pirate which had been put on trial, he was glowing a deep blue while he refused to look at us. “William is rather private when it comes to emotional moments, but I …” I linked my arm around his, “I don’t mind.”

-----

“Emily! You’re much shorter than I remember!” He twirled me around in his arms, I giggled.

“I think you’ve gotten taller!”

“After all this time, I can’t believe I would find you here.” He set me back on my feet and placed his hands on my shoulders. His ocean blue eyes were so much brighter than when he was in that house, he was different now than before - matured perhaps? “They’d convinced me you went to a convent and you will not BELIEVE the nunsense I’ve been up to.”

Still William.

“Oh? You’ll have to tell me.” He cocked his head to the side as he examined me.

“What’s wrong? You’ve gotten so serious Emily.”

“No I haven’t!”

“Dancing with pirates aside, you don’t seem as carefree.”

“Well we were children then, I’m obligated to grow into a young woman.” He looked me up and down and grinned.

“You surely are, and I’ve enough gold to take us wherever we want to go! I have a ship now, and oh! Remember how you always wanted to go to Spain?”

“I wanted alot of things back then, William, I was a rather selfish child.” I rubbed my arms and gave a little smile, I didn’t like thinking about when we were younger.

“Emily?” He smoothed my shoulders with his hands, “You can say whatever you need to, okay? Like if… You moved on.”

“Well, I have… His name is Horatio Topper, and he is so sweet, you would love him William.”

“Horatio, huh? Sounds like a priest I probably pissed off.”

“William!”

“What are you doing out here so late anyway? Do you know what kinds of goons you could have come across? Bandits? Gypsies?”

“Oh stop it, the Gypsies are wonderful people, I just got done dancing with them.”

“Ah, dancing with gypsies and pirates - there’s the Emily I remember!” We started walking back to grandfather’s house, reminiscing on old times and filling each other in on our lives as of late. For me that meant telling William about the gypsies and the canary.

“I’ll have to stop by one of your shows, I missed hearing you sing.” He lingered a moment as I stood before grandfather’s house, “Well, I ought to let you go- I know how protective your grandfather is.”

“Yes… I’ll try to visit you William.”

“You’d better, little one!” He chuckled and gave a small wave before leaving.

----

The next evening was important to me for two reasons, I had met Madame Leota that evening and we made our deal, as well as Mister Topper and I …

I had been watching him work, his hands glided over the smooth fabric, sewing, mending, and determined to make this hat - which looked similar to all of his fantastic hats- the best hat among them. He always strived for perfection in his work, that is what made him the best.

But as he glanced over to me and smirked, I knew I was ready… I knew.

I placed my hand on his cheek and kissed him.

The kiss was long and deep, it felt as though it only lasted a few moments but the reality was we were kissing so long that we had not heard William come in to purchase a hat.

Perfect.

My life was perfect.

The coming days Mister Topper and I danced, we visited William, we were in love.

I stayed till closing with Mister Topper one night and went with him upstairs to his living quarters, we had dinner and I laid with him on his bed while I hummed to him.

“Lovely, you have a lovely voice, Emily.”

“That’s what they pay me for.” I stated rather proudly, I snuggled closer to him and bit my lower lip. Was I ready to tell him? Was I ready to show?

I sat up on the bed and began unbuttoning my dress, making Mister Topper panic and grab my hands.

“E-Emily!”

“No, Mister Topper please.” I whispered, my back to him. He hesitantly released my hands and I took off the yellow dress, I sat before him in my undergarments the Chemise I wore scooped low enough that the ‘B’ which decorated my spine was visible.

“Dear god … Emily what is this?”

“When I was Seventeen.” I shut my eyes while I focused on getting the words out. “My grandmother was grieving over the loss of my father and I know she … she must have been missing him so much, and she must have hated that I have his eyes. So one day after she had been pushed too far, she branded me.”

“Emily …” He held me close to him, rocking me back and forth while kissing my head. “I’m so sorry that this happened to you.”

“It’s okay,” I smiled up to him, “I’m okay now.”

What more could I say?

I didn’t want to make him anymore concerned.

“Can I stay with you tonight?” I whispered, resting my head on his chest once more.

“Of course, my dear, would you want me to sleep on the floor beside you?”

“No!” I gripped his shirt, “Please, I want to hold onto you.”

I had never slept so soundly, I had never felt so satisfied, I could never go back to that house.

I should have never gone back to that house.

The sunlight filtered into the room, Mister Topper and I woke in eachothers arms. We made breakfast and I had spent the day with him once again, keeping him company on his work bench and exchanging kisses every so often as he worked.

As the sun set I gave him one long kiss on the lips before leaving to the house, climbing into my window and flopping onto my bed with a delighted sigh. I didn’t even bother to shake the wildflowers from my hair as I slept and dreamed of being back at the Haberdashery with Mister Topper.

———

The next morning I woke by hearing my door opening, thinking it was Delilah bringing in the leftovers from breakfast I rolled onto my side with a dreamy smile.

“Good morning.” Came my grandfather’s voice, I snapped my eyes open and saw him standing there with his hands clasped behind his back- face a bright red. “And where have you been, I wonder?”

“What do you mean?” I could only whisper now it seemed.

“The late Mrs. Harper could not host her party this week, due to the disappearance of Mr. Harper, so I had thought we might have dinner together as a treat.” My heart sank, I thought perhaps I could vomit. “But when I came to your room you were not here, and again still in the morning you were gone.”

“I’m sorry I just … I was just…” I couldn’t think of a lie.

“It was remarkable timing as well, since I had just been to the Haberdashery this week…” I could feel my eyes widen as I sat up on the bed now. “I was hoping to ask you about it over dinner, but I have my answer now.” He stepped toward me, plucking a dry petal from my hair and pulling a small journal from his pocket. Within the pages of the journal he revealed wildflowers pressed inside, the petals matched the ones in my hair. “You must be quite infatuated, staying there for two days.” He snapped the journal shut, but I reached out for it- to grasp the only thing of Mister Topper’s. Grandfather grabbed my hand and pulled me up to his face, placing the journal under my chin to keep my eyes trained on him.

“Please, you said you loved me, then love me enough to leave him alone.”

“You dumb little whore.” He growled and threw me back onto my bed. “You belong to me, how dare you!” He dropped the journal as he grabbed my throat, his fingers burned on my skin, my vision had white sparks flickering within it’s corners. “I PROVIDED FOR YOU, I GAVE YOU A HOME! YOU BELONG TO ME!” He threw me on the ground and pressed his boot on my leg, I thought for sure he would break it. “I’ll do better than I did with William, I’ll make sure he can’t return.”

“No!” I screamed and grabbed his leg in an attempt to push him off of me- but he was built like solid brick.

“You wanted this.” He growled, “You wanted me to love you.”

He stepped away and picked up Mister Topper’s journal, walking out of the door.

I heard the lock snap into place.

My throat hurt but I wasn’t going to waste any time, I jumped from the window, stumbling down the overhang and landing on my back in the wildflowers - I ran to the Haberdashery and burst through the door.

Mister Topper dropped the bowler he had been working on and looked at me, “Good lord Emily I-.” He looked me over a little more and hurried to my side. “Emily what’s happened?”

“We need to leave, we need to leave now!”

“What? Why? I can’t just leave … My work…” But he trailed off as he touched my neck. “Emily, what happened? Who did this?”

I shook my head while tears rolled down my cheeks, “There is no time! We must leave!”

“You must tell me why! Someone has hurt you Emily please, just explain.”

“Because… He’s coming to kill you Mister Topper and I won’t let him take you away from me.”

“Who? The King of Persia? Because he is the only one who actually stood a chance.” Mister Topper chuckled but I grabbed his coat.

“We must leave, you have to trust me.”

“Emily, who hurt you? Who is coming to kill me?”

“My grandfather! He’s stolen your journal and he is coming to kill you!” I felt like a thread that had been pulled taut and split in half. “He treats me like a possession and you’ve tainted it! He puts his lips on me and no one else! He makes me feel DISGUSTING!” My voice was shrill as I stepped away from Mister Topper, “AND HE IS COMING TO KILL YOU!”

“Good god Emily…” I rubbed away the tears with my palms, avoiding his gaze.

“Please don’t tell anyone, I just want to leave here with you.”

“And we will, Emily, I’ll leave here with you tomorrow evening.”

“What?” I finally brought my gaze to his, “But what if he comes here? What if he takes you?”

“I’d like to see him try, he may be built like a redwood but he’s still older than I.”

“I-I suppose… But I don’t want him to find me here, if he catches me out again I…” Mister Topper rested his hands on my shoulders and kissed my head.

“My sweet Emily, I can’t believe all this… So much has happened and how your spirit is still so alive.”

“It hardly feels like it..” I whispered, “I must go before he discovers me again, you promise I’ll see you tomorrow evening?” I hesitated a moment before adding, “Promise me everything will be alright?”

“It will, everything will be fine, Emily.” He gave me a long kiss and I went right back to the window.

#Emily DeClaire #Emily De Claire #Emilydeclaire #the haunted mansion #wdw #disney parks #disneyland #disney world #trigger warning #trigger #ghosts #william gracey #Captain Blood #Constance Hatchaway #horatio ernest topper #The Hatbox Ghost

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karazor--el · 5 years

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Supergirl’s David Harewood Teases His 'Significant' Role In Crisis

David Harewood has been an important member of the cast of Supergirl since its first episode. Since then, his character, the Martian Manhunter J’onn J’onzz, has been through a lot both as the head of the DEO and as a son and brother reconnecting with long-lost family. Yet, one thing we haven’t seen Harewood do is play a large role in past Arrowverse crossovers. With "Crisis on Infinite Earths," that’s about to change.

CBR spoke to Harewood about what it’s been like to get to know his character’s family on Supergirl, the “significant” role he plays in the upcoming "Crisis" and the crossover’s impact on J'onn J'onzz going forward.

CBR: On Supergirl we’ve been learning a lot about J’onn J’onzz’s family over the past few seasons. What has that been like for you as an actor?

David Harewood: Well I keep getting these surprises. I always thought I was the last son of Mars, but I’m not the last son of Mars. There’s quite a few. So it’s been great. The writers always seem to come up with these relatives that are… challenging in some way.

But it’s been just wonderful in terms of acting to be able to work with the likes of Carl Lumbly, particularly Carl Lumbly but also Phil LaMarr. But working with Carl on Season 3, I believe it was, that’s probably one of the… highlights of my career just working with Carl.... And I feel very, very lucky and blessed that Supergirl has given me the opportunity to work with such a great actor.

When did you learn J’onn would be dealing with this brother he betrayed leading into “Crisis on Infinite Earths?”

I kind of knew something about it towards the end of last season [that] it might happen. But it’s been great. I’ve been aware of the character, obviously, for many years. It’s always nice to be able to reach back into J’onn’s mythology.

He’s such an incredible character with such a great pay-off. It’s been a real pleasure playing him and exploring him. As an actor it’s been great to explore the mythology of the character. Maybe one day somebody’ll play him in a movie. He deserves it. He’s such a fabulous, fabulous character.

Did you draw on any personal experience for J’onn’s familial squabbles?

Oh, always. Not necessarily squabbles, but I would say, in the past, exploring J’onn’s character, he was very much alone and you use the experience of being away from your own family and what that would be. So, I guess you do get to use your own experiences in that way.

And Carl Lumbly, I mean, just wow! I mean he actually looked just like my dad at some point. It was really odd ‘cause I lost my dad… about three or four years ago to the same condition [his character lost his father to], dementia. It was really, really amazing to work with [Lumbly] on that and kind of explore that.… Things like that have just been fantastic.

I’m sorry about your dad.

Dementia’s just terrible isn’t it?

Supergirl hasn’t been as “Crisis”-centric as The Flash or Arrow this season but in the mid-season finale we learned that all of J’onn’s trials with Malefic had been a test set up by the Monitor. Why was it J’onn specifically that was being tested?

I think as you’ll see throughout the "Crisis," J’onn… has many capabilities and I think one of them specifically is going to be highly important. And I think perhaps the Monitor was… testing J’onn to make sure his skills are honed because during the Crisis he plays a significant role, and it is specifically because he’s a Martian that he’s able to do that. I think the Monitor is probably right to think of J’onn when he was thinking about… exactly what was happening.

The Monitor told J’onn that his vulnerabilities were his strengths. Can you elaborate on what he might have meant by that?

I can’t particularly elaborate on it for J’onn but I think all of us need to acknowledge our vulnerabilities… And be aware of… putting up these fronts of “everything’s okay, I’m fine.” People do feel vulnerable. People should be free to reach out. I don’t think it is a weakness. Society always thinks that being vulnerable is a weakness and I don’t think it is, I think it’s a sign of openness.

Speaking of going into “Crisis,” this is a massive crossover. When you were shooting it what was it like being on set with all of the people that are involved?

Just fantastic! Very, very, very, very exciting… They’re all such individuals. They all bring their own individual energies and it’s great! It’s really wonderful… spending so much time with them all. I haven’t really featured in many of the previous crossovers, so it was interesting to sit across from this guy and this girl.

And I think we’ve all got some fantastic pictures to post, which we didn’t really want to do or couldn’t do because obviously we didn’t want to give away stories, so I think people are going to look forward to some really nice photographs over the next couple of weeks.

Oh, very cool! What was your response to the part you got to play in the crossover?

It was very exciting. As I say, having not previously featured in the crossovers to suddenly be very much a part of what is happening was satisfying and gratifying. Also a double-edged sword because not having been in the previous crossovers I’ve managed to go home and see my family, which is always nice. So, I couldn’t do that this time. That’s why it was so nice getting home [over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend].

Can you speak to J’onn’s relationship with any of the other heroes or villains in the crossover?

It’s always nice to see Tyler [Hoechlin, who plays the Arrowverse’s Superman]. He’s such a fantastic, fantastic actor and such a wonderful representation of Superman. I think he completely nailed it. And I really wish him well with his new show [Superman & Lois]. That’s going to be really exciting, really excellent. So it’s always nice to be around him, and with some of the other guys…. I’m amazed at how many of them have musical backgrounds… Every now and again there’s a little bit of a number. It’s quite exciting to be around them.

What will the impact of the crossover be on J’onn or Supergirl going forward?

The Crisis is going to affect everybody. So I think specifically with J’onn there is a fundamental change with J’onn that I think will be interesting for fans and interesting for me as a character and an interesting direction… to take the character. So I’m excited to see what these next scripts are going to be.

[Supergirl star] Melissa [Benoist] recently posted a video about being a survivor of domestic violence. What were your feelings about her story and her decision to speak out?

I think she’s incredibly brave and I was really, really proud of her. I love her to bits as an actress and as a person. And I’m 100 percent behind her. And I think we’re incredibly blessed in this company to have people who speak… their truth and are unafraid, as I said before, to show vulnerability… I was really proud of Melissa that day for owning that, being honest. It’s incredibly encouraging and will help other people… be honest about what their own situations are. [Former Supergirl actor and Benoist's husband] Chris [Wood] was a wonderful advocate for mental health, as am I. We’re really lucky to be a part of a cast of actors who are really unafraid to speak their truth and I was very proud of Melissa that day.

"Crisis on Infinite Earths" begins Sunday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Supergirl, then continues in Batwoman on Monday, Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and in The Flash on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. After the winter hiatus, the crossover will conclude on Tuesday, Jan. 14 in Arrow at 8 p.m. ET/PT and in DC's Legends of Tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, Supergirl stars Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers, David Harewood as Martian Manhunter, Mehcad Brooks as Jimmy Olsen and Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers.

CBR.

#Crisis on Infinite Earths #Supergirl #David Harewood

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blackgirlsuperherorants · 6 years

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This may be a little stupid, idk. Personal thing.

But, I'm really starting to hate actors coming into superhero roles and saying they weren't familiar with the characters beforehand.

Like, okay, on the one hand, I get it. Not everyone read comics growing up, and some people are even from countries where DC and Marvel haven’t been very popular until recently with the influx of movies. Like, I know Sebastian Stan had no access to American comics in Romania, so of course he didn’t know who Bucky Barnes was.

But on the other hand, sometimes it feels a little dismissive or disrespectful, or even out of touch. Like, I know I’m a superhero fan. I know I am probably more aware of obscure characters that the average person, even well versed in pop culture, may never have heard of. Like, I wouldn’t be surprised if an actor said they’d never heard of Adam Warlock.

But, then you have the Teen Titans. And, you know, they’re not the MOST ICONIC DC characters, but they’ve had a popular cartoon on for at least 15 years (first Teen Titans, and now Teen Titans Go). I feel like if you’re between the ages of like 8 and 30 and grew up in the United States, you should at least, in passing, know who the Teen Titans are. Like, I remember when the original cartoon was coming on, and I heard a lot about it even before I started watching it. It was popular enough that teens and kids and adults were watching it. It was popular enough that I BELIEVE that’s why Cyborg is in the Justice League movie (because who would’ve thought to include Cyborg in that film until he got so popular through Teen Titans? If that movie came out in 2005 or something, it probably just would’ve been Green Lantern or something. Or even Martian Manhunter.) I digress. Let’s get back on track.

When I hear actors say in interviews that “I wasn’t familiar with the character before I got the role”, sometimes I wonder why they even went for the role. And, I’m an actor, too, so in some ways, I get it. You just want work. You want roles that are dynamic, interesting, fun. You want to make money and support yourself. You want roles that look good on your resume and make you desirable to cast in other work in the future. And right now, superheroes are hot and are star-making roles. You go from being “that guy in that thing” to “OMG THERE HE IS!” I get it. But also, like... there are thousands of actors registered in the Screen Actors Guild. Out of all of those actors, there have to be some who have actually heard of these characters. Why do we ALWAYS end up with actors who have never fucking heard of... the goddamn Teen Titans?

Like, I understand some of the more obscure characters not being heard of. Like, maybe Danai Gurrira never heard of Okoye before her audition, but also Okoye is obscure as hell, before the film. Even people who knew who Black Panther was didn’t necessarily know who Okoye was. Most people who thought of Black Panther thought of Storm, maybe Shuri, and maybe like Monica Lynne. Ayo, Okoye, Nakia... all of them are more obscure secondary characters in the Black Panther universe.

I’ve been trying not to call out specific actors... but I’m going to say this, and let me tell you all and be clear, I still support her casting and am happy for her. But...

Starfire is too well known to have cast someone who didn’t already want to play her in the first place. Who didn’t already know the character, at least in passing.

Sidenote, IDK where Miss Diop is from, so she might have grown up where they didn’t show the Teen Titans cartoon on TV. Which might be why she didn’t know who Starfire was. So, there’s that.

And, I know everyone can’t be Michael B. Jordan or Grant Gustin (superhero/comics fans long before they got their roles in their respective comicbook movies/shows.)

But, it would be great if the studios and networks could start casting people who maybe had some idea who these characters were beforehand. Even if they aren’t fans. Like, even someone who is like “Yeah, I knew about this character and had seen them in cartoons/comics before I even read for the role.” It seems like the only time we get that is if it’s Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Batgirl/Batwoman, Catwoman...

Y’all can’t find actors who have heard of Starfire? I’m an actor, and I’ve heard of Starfire. I’m an actor, and I’m black, and I’ve heard of Starfire. Like, I... don’t understand why so many actors, in my age range, have simply never heard of popular superhero characters unless they’re fucking Batman or Superman.

The hell y’all been? Even before I considered myself a true superhero/comics fan, when I was a child I watched superhero cartoons. Spider-Man and X-Men and Batman and Justice League and Avengers.... they came on regular TV, in blocks with other cartoons. Not even cable. Fox and WB(now CW). Even Teen Titans, it came on Cartoon Network, and was a popular series at the time (though I was already actively a self-professed superhero fan at that point.)

Like, would someone get cast as Sailor Moon and be like “I’d never heard of Sailor Moon before this audition”? I seriously doubt it.

And, I’m not saying the work suffers for it. Some of these actors do really good jobs and become iconic for their performance of the characters. Like, Sebastian Stan is probably the definitive Bucky Barnes and probably will remain that way.

And, again, I’m not talking about really obscure characters, like the Guardians of the Galaxy (and 90% of the characters from their movies: Ego, the Collector, Yondu, etc.). Most of the time, in those cases, their performances become so iconic they change the way the comics versions of their characters are portrayed. Like, Chloe Bennett with Quake. (Not saying all of those characters were the most obscure things ever. I think Collector, for instance, is pretty well known among Marvel readers. Just saying if you went to anyone on the street and said “Who is Iron Man” they’ll know what you’re talking about, but if you said “Who is Ego the Living Planet?” they might look at you crazy.)

Like, I don’t think it’s bad that someone playing Ego might have never heard of Ego.

Just, like... it get annoyed when someone is cast in some iconic thing, and we’re all excited about it, and then the interview with them is like “Lol, I never heard of this weird comics thing, but the fans are passionate, lol, don’t wanna piss them off! So, I read some comics!” Like... It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I know I’ve talked like this about Elizabeth Olsen, but she actually became an expert in Wanda stories. (Her only problem, now, is acting like she’s above the whole thing in interviews.)

And I’m sure the actress that inspired this rant will do her best to make this character great, but honestly. I’m just really, really tired of hearing actors say they didn’t know anything about the thing before they were cast.

There are a lot of us who are comics fans who knew about the thing since we were kids. It would be so easy to cast actors who at least have some context.

I’m just saying, as long as we’re getting people playing characters that are well known and beloved, it would be great if they could have some prior knowledge. Even just a little. Like, I doubt Grant Gustin was a Flash superfan before he became Barry Allen. But I know he knew who the Flash fucking was. I know Chris Evans didn’t necessarily know everything about Captain America before he became Cap, but he knew who Cap fucking was.

And, even if they didn’t and they had to be sent a stack of comics and read up to understand, I wish they would just... omit that part. Because saying it in interviews, to me, comes across as dismissive. Like, when actors in book movies say they didn’t read the book, I feel the same way. But it’s worse when it’s superheroes/comics, because it always comes across as looking down on the source material. Like “of course I wouldn’t know about this weird ass shit, but since it has weirdo fans who care too much...”

Like, their paychecks come from people who grew up with this stuff and love it. At least don’t treat us like freaks for caring about Starfire. Or any of our other characters.

Also, Teen Titans, specifically, seems to be really popular with people in my age range. Even people who I wouldn’t consider comicbook fans. My Facebook (which is full of people I went to high school and college with, not just superhero friends) is full of conversation about this Teen Titans series because so many of us grew up watching the original animated series. I have no curated my Facebook to be superhero rich or anything. In fact, I barely post there, because, like most people’s FB, it’s full of people I know/knew IRL and know/knew in different contexts. Actor friends. Mom’s friends from church. Family members. Classmates. People I barely know who just went to my High School. And still, I see people around my age talking about this series, because so many of us grew up with and love the Teen Titans. And so many of us have grievances with TTG. (I get why it’s the way it is, and I think it’s a perfectly funny cartoon, but I still have grievances with it.)

And, like, black folks I know have been defending Miss Diop from people who were just mad that she has brown skin.

So, like... I just wish she wouldn’t be in interviews talking about how she knew nothing about the character. Just say you did a lot to prepare, and don’t make it weird.

IDK. Again, it’s dumb, and it’s just me... I’m just really tired of hearing this from actors. I obviously watch a lot of superhero content, and I watch interviews with a lot of actors from this stuff, and a good percentage of them say they never heard of their character before they were cast, and a good chunk of that percentage of actors says it in a dismissive way as if the content is weird and they were ... “not a nerd” or are too high brow, an Actor! serious about their craft who would, of course, never have heard of Bizarro Superman, or whatever. (Like, I’m an actor, serious about my craft, with a degree in theatre, and studied the avant garde and have mostly only acted in avant garde pieces or serious dramatic plays, and you know what my cute ass does after curtain? I go to my cast dinner, then I go home and watch fucking Arrowverse shows or read Captain Marvel comics. None of those things are mutually exclusive, and it doesn’t make you a more serious actor to pretend liking comicbooks or superhero content is beneath you. Ask Michael B. Jordan and his many acclaimed performances.)

And, like, it’s such a privilege to even be an actor with the opportunity to be in a huge show or movie about DC or Marvel superheroes. Y’all don’t even understand. Acting is a HARD business, most of us will be lucky to even make a few hundred bucks a year acting, and have to supplement with other work. Getting steady work on a TV show is like winning the lottery. Getting steady work on a TV show that almost guarantees success, like a branded show about characters with a following already is like winning the Mega Millions lottery, and not just the couple hundred bucks scratch off. Marvel and DC are HEAVILY curated. They don’t just greenlight shows and movies. These concepts are worked on for years, from the idea, to the script, to the casting, to the filming... They don’t, for the most part, license out their characters to just anything. And, today, they pretty much have a hand on everything that is branded with their names. So, being an actor, seeing other actors get once in a lifetime opportunities to star in HEAVILY CURATED superhero content from the two biggest comics entities in the US, probably the world... and then treat it like it’s fucking stupid and beneath them? It really annoys me.

Like, trade with me, y’all. I’ll play Starfire, you come take my roles in my small, Important, Serious Theatre off off Broadway. Since you want to be an artiste, and superheroes are beneath you.

I guess that’s probably the main reason it annoys me, lol. These roles are a big deal. Nobody just randomly gets hired by DC. I can’t just waltz into an audition and suddenly I’m Nubia. They’re heavily curated projects. People sit down at tables and discuss which casting will work and why. These people won the fucking actor lottery, and they behave as if it’s nothing, and they’re better than it.

And, I respect them. Maybe they are better than it, in some ways. Maybe she dreams of holding that Oscar statuette, and this Starfire role is just to get her name more recognition.

And also, maybe she, in particular, feels soured on it because of the racist douchebros being asswipes about the orange alien she plays being played by a black actress. (DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THAT BULLSHIT).

But.... I’m still over hearing actors talk about how much they didn’t know a thing about their characters before being cast. I mean, goddamn... What am I supposed to think about this?

Anyway, fuck me up, if you need to. I’m being nitpicky. And, like I said, I still am happy for her and support her casting. Black women gotta work, and nothing makes me happier than seeing racist fanboys shit their pants when the character they fapped to is played by a black woman. Dunno why they thought Starfire’s alien ass was white, anyway. Aliens aren’t white, kids.

Superman ain’t white, nor is Kara. None of these aliens are white. Better not hear anything about the race of the actors cast as them... But ESPECIALLY Starfire, who is fucking ORANGE. At least Superman has skin similar to European humans in the comics. Starfire has ORANGE SKIN.

Anyway, done. Still salty, but done.

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diarrheaworldstarhiphop · 7 years

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In 2015, as the threat of radicalization became an increasing issue in Edmonton's Somali community, RCMP counterterrorism investigators received a tip about a man in his late 20s who had been "espousing extremist ideology," and launched an investigation that included interviews with the man and others – but which was ultimately closed without further action.

This weekend, that same man emerged as the suspect in a violent rampage that left a police officer and four other people injured in Edmonton, and which investigators believe was an act of terrorism. Police have identified the man as a 30-year-old Somali refugee but did not release his name on Sunday because he had not yet been formally charged.

Police sources have identified him as Abdulahi Hasan Sharif.

"At the end of that exhaustive investigation, there was insufficient evidence to pursue terrorism charges or a peace bond," said RCMP Assistant Commissioner Marlin Degrand, speaking about the 2015 investigation at a news conference in Edmonton on Sunday afternoon. "Further, the suspect was not deemed, at that time, to pose a threat to the security of Canada based on the information that was available to investigators."

He said the suspect showed no active signs of recruitment or radicalization to violence at that time, had no record of criminal interactions with police, and that investigators had no intelligence that warranted keeping him under investigation. Mr. Sharif is now in police custody facing charges including five counts of attempted murder and terrorism offences after a string of violent incidents that sent a police officer and four others to hospital in Edmonton on Saturday night.

Police have said evidence from the scenes, including an Islamic State flag found inside the suspect's vehicle, has led them to believe it was a terrorist act.

"From all indications, it appears that this was a single individual acting alone," Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht said at the press conference on Sunday, though he cautioned that police are exploring several leads, and that the situation could change. "We are actually less than 24 hours into this investigation. We have no reason to believe that there is any threat to our city, but we encourage citizens to be vigilant and to report any unusual or suspicious activities to our police complaint line."

The incident began around 8:15 p.m. when a white Chevy Malibu plowed through a barricade into a police officer directing traffic near Commonwealth Stadium, where the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were playing the Eskimos.

A surveillance video released by police shows the officer being tossed through the air after being hit by the car, which then rams into a police cruiser. While passersby run to the officer to help, the suspect can be seen getting out of his car and repeatedly stabbing the injured officer lying on the pavement. The officer and attacker can be seen struggling before the attacker flees the scene on foot.

Chief Knecht said the police officer, 48-year-old Constable Mike Chernyk, fought off a knife attack with one hand while holding his gun with the other, and suffered multiple stab wounds to his face and head from a large knife, and significant abrasions to his arms from being struck by the vehicle. Despite the severity of the attack, Chief Knecht said the 11-year member of the force has been released from hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Hardeep Singh was working behind the counter inside the store at the corner of 107A Avenue and 92nd Street when he heard a collision out front.

Mr. Singh, who moved to Edmonton from India 41/2 years ago, immediately went outside. By then, he said, the assailant that had struck the police officer with his car was on top of him and attempting to stab him.

"It was scary," Mr. Singh said. "I've never seen any activity ever anything like that."

Mr. Singh retreated to the store with a customer who had just left it.

"She told me, 'Somebody has a knife' and said, 'Lock the door, lock the door.' "

He locked the door and watched through the front window as Constable Chernyk wrestled with his attacker and eventually overpowered him. The man then fled.

Shortly before midnight, in the midst of a citywide manhunt, a police officer stopped a U-Haul truck being driven by a man whose name appeared to match that of the suspect in the earlier incident.

The U-Haul driver then sped away with several police cruisers in pursuit, at points driving on the wrong side of the road, almost T-boning a vehicle and deliberately swerving into pedestrians in downtown Edmonton, hitting four people.

Chief Knecht only had limited details about the condition of the other victims, but that their injuries range from "broken limbs to brain bleeds." He said one person has been upgraded from critical to stable condition, and another has regained consciousness after suffering a fractured skull. He said two of the victims have been released from hospital.

The chase ended when a tactical police manoeuvre caused the U-Haul to overturn on Edmonton's Jasper Avenue. Tactical-team weapons police deployed a stun grenade and a taser to arrest him. He said the chase was warranted given the grave risk of the situation.

Austin Elgie, manager of The Pint bar just west of the downtown core, said he was outside on Saturday night when he saw a truck zoom by and turn speeding into an an alley where people were smoking. As the van came around the corner, it hit a man who was one of the bar's customers.

"I thought at first he was pulling over for the cops coming by, but he was clearly the one they were chasing," he said.

Mr. Elgie ran inside to get Nena Powell, a fourth-year nursing student who works as a bartender at The Pint every Saturday.

"I need you to stay calm, but I need you outside," he told her. "A man just got hit."

Ms. Powell said she found the man lying unconscious, and instinctively stabilized his head and checked his heart rate. "His vitals [signs] were normal," she said. "That's all that mattered to me. At least he was still alive."

The three scenes remained roped off with lines of fluttering police tape on Sunday, as word continue to spread about what happened, and residents grappled with an apparent terrorist attack in their city.

Jim Gee said he was out to dinner when he saw all the police cars speeding toward the stadium, and wondered if there had been a terrorist attack. On Sunday morning, he walked his dog over to one of the scenes to see for himself.

"I am a little leery about jumping to conclusions," he said. "Sometimes, I know things aren't what they appear to be."

Ralph Goodale, the federal Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, said on Sunday that the country's threat level remained at "medium," but is constantly reassessed and evaluated.

"The threat level has been fixed at medium since the fall of 2014. There is nothing known at this moment that would cause that threat level to be changed," he said.

He acknowledged the suspect "apparently had some appearance on a police watch list," but said authorities will continue to investigate and that, "there are no conclusions that can be drawn at this present time."

The investigation is being conducted by both Edmonton police and the RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, or INSET, counterterrorism unit, which got involved minutes into the incident.

The Edmonton Police Service also has a specialized counterterrorism unit, which was launched in August of 2016 amid what Chief Knecht described at the time as a marked increase in radicalization in the city.

The simmering risk of dangerous extremism in Alberta has become apparant several times in recent years, including the murder of an Edmonton police officer, Constable Daniel Woodall, in 2015 by a man identified as a Freeman on the Land, which espouses an extreme anti-government and anti-authority ideology. Constable Woodall, 35, was an investigator with the EPS Hate Crimes unit, and had been investigating the suspect for anti-Semitic harassment.

In 2014, members of Edmonton's Somali community spoke publicly about the need to address young Somali men being radicalized in the city.

In other incidents, a 17-year-old from Beaumont, a rural community just outside Edmonton, was charged with attempting to leave Canada to join the Islamic State to commit murder, and three men from the city are reported to have been killed fighting for IS that fall. A young woman who left Canada to fight for IS in 2014 had been recruited through an online course offered by a woman based in Edmonton.

Testifying before the Senate national security committee in 2015, Chief Knecht said counterterrorism efforts were "woefully under-resourced" in Edmonton. He told media around that time that some cases were not being investigated by the RCMP's terrorism unit, which he described as basically operating at full capacity.

In a statement on Sunday morning, Premier Rachel Notley said extremism in all its forms must be condemned and rooted out.

"There is no place for terrorism in Alberta," she said. "And we will do everything possible to stop it in its tracks in our home."

Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said he believes Edmonton is a safe city, and urged residents not to be intimidated by violence.

He said he reached out to leaders of the Muslim community Sunday morning, who are as "upset and appalled as we are," and urged Edmontonians to attend a vigil to support their fellow citizens regardless of cultural orientation or faith.

"This is something that touches all of us," he said.

Jibril Ibrahim, president of the Somali Canadian Cultural Society of Edmonton, said he was shocked to learn of the attack and stressed that it was the action of an individual, and not reflective of the broader Somali community.

"We want the rest of Canadians to know that this is not related to the community …" he said. "We want to keep it that way because the community is a peaceful part of this fabric of society in Edmonton."

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wr8tur · 7 years

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SUPERGIRL RANT TIME FULL 1

WARNING THIS IS GOING TO HURT FANS SO PLEASE SKIP IT

I’ve been trying so hard not to disparage any pairings because I don’t want to hurt people’s feeling since we are all entitled to our opinions. And this is just my opinion so please do not hate and stop reading my fics because you don’t agree.

I knew this show would not be pushing boundaries and it’s sad because they missed a lot of opportunities to. I wanted it to because we got a heroine stand alone TV show when we couldn’t even get a heroine stand alone movie! But then it wasn’t even a heroine stand alone TV show because Martian Manhunter is there and Superman and Flash appear too.

And I know other heroes made cameos on Smallville but that was like later on when the writers needed to extend plot and audience interest because Clark saving the day by himself wasn’t captivating enough.

The only reason I stayed as long as I did was because of Cat Grant! I freaking loved how unapologetic she was, a perfect contrast to Kara, and a contributor to her personal growth as a character. And no, I didn’t ship them. I kind of saw it as a cross between a mother/daughter and a master/padawan relationship.

And yes we have Sanvers but like I said that isn’t pushing boundaries. Alex is a character created for the show and Maggie is already out and proud in the comics.

Doesn’t mean I don’t like either of them. I just mean that their homosexuality is a safe and obvious writing choice.

What boundaries were really pressed when CW already greenlit Clexa (who I know ended but I’m blaming Fear the Walking Dead for that), bisexual White Canary, and Rafael Solano’s crazy ass sister? Point is girl on girl loving’s been around the CW for a while.

But for Kara be with Mon El? The cliché of the girl next door falling in love with the bad boy while she’s helping reform him so he may change the error of his ways? I mean, come freaking on!

That might have worked if this were a show about teenagers! But this isn’t The Breakfast Club or Dawson’s Creek because despite her name, Supergirl is not a girl. She’s a young woman who should know better than to fall prey to love interests who offer her no growth as a character because the only thing Mon El taught her is that MAYBE not all Daxamites are douchebags.

And even then, that’s not a very big moral lesson for Kara to learn, seeing as she should already know it! She’s spent enough time on Earth to know about racism, sexism, and whatever else ism there might be.

I suppose she’s learning to forgive, a lot. Because Mon makes a plethora of mistakes that people are supposed to just brush off because he’s from a distant planet and doesn’t know better. Basically, he’s like a child learning the ways of people on Earth hence why I think he’s infantile and frequently acts immature when he doesn’t get his way or he doesn’t understand why he’s wrong.

I think the intention was for Mon to be a character that would push Kara to see the worst in herself so that she and the audience will realize she has faults and is far from perfect.

He’s supposed to humanize her, make her more relatable for audiences because we don’t want pure and perfect. We want them a little damaged, broken along the edges. We want to be able to empathize, put an aspect of ourselves or something we aspire to be in a character so we’ll love them more.

But I feel like the reason it doesn’t work is because it feels like he’s attacking her, who she is at her core and not just simply challenging her beliefs and ideals. He’s putting her down and it feels as though it’s so he can justify how cowardly and self centered he is. I find it hard to sympathize with the words of someone who really has no moral standing to be teaching a lesson seeing as it is coming from a petulant and narcissistic need to be right and superior than Kara rather than an actual helpful approach.

I mean take Snapper Carr. He’s harsh with Kara but we can sense it’s because he wants to push her to be better. Mon just feels like he’s lashing out, retaliating, because Kara’s been calling him out on his obvious character flaws.

Lena is the one who challenges not out of spite but out of a desire to educate. And maybe yes, she’s looking for sympathizers to her cause but her opposition mainly stems from intellectual differences and not solely emotional. Lena’s managed to engage Kara’s mind by offering different views about the bad aliens and bad people. Lena is teaching Kara that there are sides to every story, Lena is showing a different path/view than the one she knows and always follows, Lena is encouraging her to dig deep and think about things from another person’s perspective.

If that isn’t character growth, I don’t know what is!

Ugh… Let’s put this in genderless terms for those who may claim that I’m being biased because of the Katie McGrath issue.

On one corner, we have someone who, may or not come from royal lineage which means they’ve been entitled their entire lives, gets stranded on a planet after discovering they might be the only one of their species left, has to adapt to the ways of the new habitat.

Then on the other corner we have someone who’s been disparaged all their life, who has been earning the right to their name because they felt like they didn’t deserve it but then to find out that they do and now is solely responsible of bringing their entire lineage to the light, to rectify the mistakes of their entire family, by whatever means necessary, all on their own.

And this person is choosing to do it simply because they believe it’s what they should be doing, not just because they are worried what a potential love interest/ best friend might feel.

Because Lex spent a lot of his time feeling sorry for himself, only stepped up his game in Smallville after he met Clark. Besides, that episode where Lex got split in two made it seem like his evil side gained dominance over his good so it’s quite different from what Lena’s going through where she’s choosing the path for herself.

Tell me, which character arc you’d want to see more?

Because I’ve seen similar characters of the first one but I have yet to see a character who has been so close to actual darkness and have no one in their corner yet manage to retain some semblance of light all on their own?

Because that’s who Lena is, a person who’s been struggling with darkness even before she met Kara, even before she may or not have fallen for Kara/Supergirl. She’s been alone because she’s been cast aside, repeatedly reminded she’s worthless and undeserving, but finds the strength within her to constantly prove everyone wrong and succumbs to no one’s ideals but her own.

Which I know is hypocritical of me to demand since in my fics Lena’s reason for wanting to be better/good/not really evil has something to do with Kara.

Then again she’s a proficient conniver in Winning Ways thus retaining the whole she’s not totally bad but she’s not totally good either thing I think she has going for her. Plus, she didn’t really change who she is so she can get Kara. I mean she totally used Kara’s weaknesses to her advantage so maybe not so hypocritical?

Then again, my Lena’s never masked her intention in my fics. She’s always managed to let Kara know she’s her reason for doing things as opposed to Mon El’s approach of wanting to change just so he can be around Kara.

I digress…

Lena is a much more interesting character because even before the Luthors episode, her character already had so much going for her. She was already going through a struggle we hadn’t seen before because her freaking brother was a murderous psychopath who didn’t care who was in his way as long as he killed Superman. And yeah, Lionel killed his parents in Smallville so I’m guessing this universe’s Lionel is just as seedy.

I didn’t even know Lena’s adoptive mom was alive, though I suspected, but I still wanted to see whether or not Lena was on the light or dark or gray. I was captivated by her character already.

And now she’s wasted as secondary plot device….

Maybe Mon is supposed to be the character we sympathize with? Maybe he’s the flawed individual who’s dripping with potential but needs guidance to realize his true purpose.

Maybe if they had focused more on his adapting to human ways instead of combining the hero element, he would work more as a character because right now there are too many heroes on the field since we got a glimpse of Superman and now James wants to be a hero as well.

Maybe I wouldn’t mind Mon and Kara KaraMel relationship if I didn’t feel it was so infantile and shallow and utterly predictable.

Maybe if Mon was the rebellious headstrong beginner hero they intended him to be instead of the ignorant and arrogant conformist he’s coming off to be I wouldn’t feel such a need to ship Lena with Kara.

Maybe if Mon had more time to grow, if they gave a full season for him to learn and evolve, he’d be a better character.

Maybe if it felt like he would still be trying to be a better person and a hero regardless if Kara wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with him or not, hence the conformist comment, or confessed to Kara that she’s his reason for wanting to change then I’d respect his character.

Maybe I’m just disappointed I haven’t found an on screen canon girl on girl couple I can totally be in love with.

Maybe I’m just being greedy.

Or maybe I just long for the day when I shouldn’t have to be grateful for a semi main gay character to be on a television show.

In this day and age, I’m sick of the breadcrumbs.

I know I’m just an amateur fanfiction writer and perhaps I’m being too harsh and critical and I’m sorry if it feels like I’m saying the cast and crew aren’t doing their jobs right. I know how hard writing can be. I know the writers are doing the best they can but it doesn’t feel like it’s enough.

RANT TIME DONE

#supercorp #lena luthor

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therealimpala67 · 7 years

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Hung Up

A/N: Hey guys it’s been for freaking ever in a day!!! I’m so sorry about not updating in literally a god damn year as many excuses as I have I can’t using them as an excuses!!! Anywho I’ve been working on this fic for over a year and every chance I got to write, I always had to stuff to do, I was tiree, or I got writer’s block (which is fucking annoying by the way). I dont know why I finally got my groove back tonight of all nights but I had to take advantage of it because I was on a roll and had to stay up to finish it. I really am proud of this 1 and while I miss writing smut (I promise I’ll do a smutty fic next) I just loved the prompt and thought it writing it through Crowley’s pov would be fucking hysterical!!! So here ya go peeps!!! Hope you enjoy and please, please, PLEASE, feel free to give me feedback of any kind because we all know I need it!!! I love you guys so much and am glad to be back!!! :D

Here’s the prompt: Prompt: Crowley calling Dean to talk to him about some business but then hears your voice in the background.

8 hours, 8 fucking hours you’ve been attempting to get in touch with them now and by them you mean, those bloody Winchesters. All of hell knew that you were practically besties, let’s face it. You were constantly working together and while you have your moments: fighting and almost killing each other because of the whole Heaven, Hell, Winchester feud, you’ve definitely grown to hate them a little less, even though you didn’t want to admit it; however, this doesn’t excuse their actions; I mean, honestly, how hard was it to answer the damn phone?! You kind of expected this type of move from Moose, considering his girly haired head was always shoved in a book but not from Squirrel, you have each other on speed dial after Demon Dean days and you were feeling a wee bit fed up by their lack of attentiveness. You could only angrily pace around hell’s premises and take your anger out on your henchmen for so long before waiting for a response. You felt like a bloody school girl waiting for the boy next door to ask you out. You decided to check and see if your daughter Y/N was home in the meantime, you haven’t heard much from her lately and she always knew how to take your mind off of these things. You walked down the corridor to her room, knocking on the door. No answer. Strange. You knocked again a little more impatiently this time. She couldn’t have snuck out, she knows better than to disobey your rules. Finally you decided to force the door open, you’ll replace it later, and realized that your precious angel wasn’t there!

You were steaming at this point now trying to get in touch with her and just like those damn Winchesters, no fucking answer! Why the hell is it so damn hard to answer a bloody phone call?! Do people not know who you are, yet alone what you’re capable of?! Just as you were about to start a manhunt for your little girl, your phone beeped. You immediately swiped left and discovered a text from Y/N:

“Stayed over at Grannie’s. Will be home later tonight for dinner, love you!” You knew you raised her right and while you’re relieved knowing where she’s at, you always questioned why she loves her grandmother so much. Even though you hated your mother for not being the mum you always needed growing up, at least she was able to be for your daughter. When she first found out about Y/N, she was definitely stunned to say the least saying she never expected her little Fergus to successfully procreate and despite knowing your mother abandoned you and her history with the Coven, Y/N made quite the impression and just as you first fell for her, so did your mother, who had a lot of lost time to make up for. While you both had different parenting views over your daughter, Y/N always made it very clear that you were a family and that it was high time you started acting like one so you both put aside your grudges for her, at least while she was there. You left her room walking back to your throne room when your phone started buzzing.

Would you look at that: Dean Winchester, it was about bloody time! You exhaled loudly as you clicked the answer button preparing for the inevitable conversation.

“Only 9 hours late, Squirrel. Were you busy stocking up on nuts for the winter,” you taunted.

“Ya know some of us need this thing called sleep, I don’t know if you’ve heard of it before,” Dean groggily remarked.

“I don’t care if you’re on your bloody death bed, you answer when I damn well call,” you hissed throwing a wine glass shattering it against the brick wall. Your guards awkwardly stared before quickly showing themselves out, smart.

“Yes dear,” Dean sarcastically rebuttled.

“Don’t sass me,” you growled, “That’s Moose’s job and you are well aware that it’s around noon.”

“And,” Dean yawned as he got up and put on his robe leaving his room. “And normal humans like yourself are up around this time doing something somewhat more counter productive than laying around,” you lectured.

“Look I had a late night last night,” Dean sighed as he walked into the kitchen and started making coffee, “So please spare me the lecture.”

“The point is I’ve been calling you and Moose the past 9 hours straight to no avail until now when you suddenly decide to be available to your own liking not mine and if it obviously wasn’t important,” you started.

“God damn it then Crowley, get to the god damn point,” Dean barked slamming his fist roughly on the counter accidentally causing a coffee mug to slide off and shatter on the floor, “Son of a bitch!”

“You know, I don’t like your attitude Winchester,” you stated very matter of factly while Dean was trying to clean up the mess from the shattered coffee cup, “All I’m trying to do is relay some important information that could potentially help you and Moose stop Amara and this is what I get? I’m going to make this very quick and hope that your acorn sized brain can understand everything…”

“Yea yea yea,” Dean ignored before hearing footsteps approaching the kitchen, “Hey give me a sec. Sammy just found a case,” he halted you before you could continue and quickly hit the mute button and put his phone in his robe pocket. You have got to be bloody kidding me. Doesn’t he know by know that nobody puts the King of Hell on hold? You’re not their booty call and the fact that he’s treating you as such infuriates you even more. You sigh in frustration angrily drumming your fingers against the arm of your throne hoping that he makes it quick because you’re a very busy man with a kingdom to rule.

“Hey is everything alright,” a feminine voice asked in concern.

Didn’t he mute you and as much as you joke about Moose’s girlishness that voice sounds way to feminine to be Moose. Very strange indeed but you proceeded to listen in since you had the opportunity.

“Just a broken coffee mug, everything’s fine. Sorry baby I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Dean apologized before the woman wrapped her arms around his neck.

Baby? That’s what he meant by late night, he brought home some hussy and showed her his “family business.” Repulsed by the thought you shook your head in disgust while trying to remain as quiet as possible to continue your eavesdropping.

“Don’t worry about it,” she smiled as she started pressing light kisses along his neckline, “I’ve woken up to way worse, trust me and I’m just glad you’re okay. Are you hurt anywhere,” she asked checking up and down to see if there were any cuts on Dean’s body. “Not at all and you know I’m tough,” he chuckled before nibbling gently on your earlobe as she sighed in pleasure, “Although I don’t mind playing doctor again,” he winked as he squeezed your breasts in his hands as she moaned and threw her head back..

You rolled your eyes, he’s like a horny teenage boy trying to get into some girl’s pants with cheesy one liners.

“Just call me Dr. Sexy,” she grinned as she untied his robe, “And based off of that phone call, you sound pretty stressed so I’m ordering you to bed rest for the rest of the day,” you trailed your fingers all the way down his chest stopping right above his package.

There was something familiar about this woman’s voice and you just couldn’t put your finger on it. Maybe because it was so muffled and couldn’t hear much of what she was saying but you were kind of curious as to who this mystery woman was that has Squirrel so wrapped around her finger.

Dean bit back a moan and and wrapped an arm around your waist pulling you closer, “Oh sweetheart, as much as I’d like that Crowley has some news about possibly stopping Amara.”

“Psh yea right,” she scoffed while scratching her nails down his back, “He’s just telling you that in hopes that you could do his dirty work for him and he can take all the credit. Believe me, I know how my dad works.”

“Very true the fact that he still hasn’t caught onto us yet is pretty fucking hysterical if you ask me,” Dean grinned as he squeezed your breasts in his hands as she moaned and threw her head back.

Who hasn’t caught onto what yet? You suddenly had a very bad feeling about eavesdropping onto this conversation.

“I told him I was staying with Grannie Rowena and he fell for it hook, line, and sinker,” she giggled as Dean slid his hands down her hips resting on her clothed pussy, “Daddy’s overbearingly overprotective but he’s also very gullible. The only way he’d ever find out about us is if he overheard us or saw us which I doubt will ever happen.”

That better not be who you bloody think it is. You’ve never prayed a day in life up until this moment but for the love of Chuck please don’t be…

“Hey Y/N,” Dean smirked wiggling his eyebrows at you while slamming your back against the fridge as you gasped at the roughness, “Who’s your daddy?”

Oh. Hell. No.

Dean was suddenly thrown against the wall and being beat in face repeatedly.

“Y/N,” Dean yelled between each punch, “What the hell is going on?! So my joke went a little far but is it worth trying to fucking kill me?!”

“Are you bloody serious right now,” she yelled in disgust as she kept slamming her fist into his face, “Out of all the people you decide to boink right now you choose my fucking daughter you bloody cocksucker,” her eyes flashed red.

“Oh fuck,” Dean gasped in realization, “Crowley.”

“Damn right it’s me in here,” you spoke through her vessel.

“Crowley this has gone too fucking far man,” Dean projected.

“This has gone too fucking far,” you scoffed in disbelief, “You’re seriously going to accuse me of going too far when you’ve been sleeping with my god damn daughter?!”

“Look Crowley I can explain,” Dean started before you grabbed him by the throat lifting him up so his feet were dangling.

“Explain what,” you hissed, “That you’re using my little girl for your own sick, twisted pleasure?! I know you Dean Winchester, I know your type, I know your life. You’re just a play boy looking for a new toy until you get tired of it and toss it aside like trash! Your life never allows for settling down, yet alone happy endings, look at your bloody family and the rest of your loved ones you let die!”

“Don’t you dare speak for her,” Dean coughed out his face starting to turn purple, “She’s an adult Crowley and can make her own decisions, including who she wants to be with! Let her out to speak for herself and we’ll talk this out!”

“Like hell we will,” you spat out in rage, “She’s my little girl Dean! If you think for one second I’m going to let you use or hurt her you’ve got another thing coming! I’m not letting you put her in more danger than she’s already in being my daughter and if that means staying in her vessel the rest of time I damn well will!”

“Well I’m not going to let you use her and destroy her fucking life just because I’m in love with her,” Dean professed. A tear slid down her face and her grip slowly loosened as Dean fell onto the floor gasping for breaths. You felt her fighting back for control as you increased your restrains.

“I’m in love with your daughter. I know I’m not worthy of her; hell, I don’t come fucking close but she’s the greatest woman I’ve ever met and the best thing that’s ever happened to me! Look I get it, she’s your little girl and I have no idea what that’s like but I would do absolutely anything for her: die, go back to hell or purgatory, lose my soul, face you, you name it! I just want what’s best for her and for her to be happy whether it’s with or without me and even though I’m scared outta my fucking mind I’ve never wanted something so much in my entire life! So don’t think for one second I’ll ever stop loving her, because I won’t so please just let her out.”

God damn it. He gave a fucking romantic speech and everything and you can feel your daughter coming undone. It was only a matter of seconds before she broke free of your control. You quickly fled her vessel and quickly transferred back to yours and poofed back into the bunker.

“Dean is what all you said true,” she asked still in complete and utter shock over his confession.

“Meant every damn word,” he confessed as she looked over towards you. “Y/N, darling,” you started.

“Don’t,” you stopped him, “I’m talking now. I really should hate your guts your taking advantage of me like that.”

You looked down. This was the moment you were always afraid of: the one where you pushed your one and only daughter away.

“But I won’t,” she sighed, “ Look daddy I know that you’re just looking out for me but I’m a grown woman and can take care of myself now and just because I’m growing up doesn’t mean I’m not your little girl anymore and that I won’t need you anymore. I love him so much daddy. Will you please give him a chance?”

“You’re not little mermaiding me right now. I don’t want you dating a bloody Winchester and that’s final,” you order before she looks up at, “Don’t you dare give me the hell hound eyes.”

“Please daddy, for me,” she begs.

You’ve always been the one to give your little girl any and every thing she’s ever wanted and even though the thought of Squirrel being romantically with your daughter completely and utterly disgusts you…

“Fine,” you admit begrudgingly under your breath.

“What was that,” she grins, “I couldn’t hear you under your complete and utter defeat.”

“Don’t make repeat myself Y/N,” you counter back as you walk over to Dean, “I will be doing routinely visits to see if you’re treating her to my liking. Oh and if you hurt her in anyway shape or form Squirrel I swear Amara and Lucifer will be the least of your worries,” you quietly threatened before looking over at your daughter, “I expect you at dinner tonight.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” she smiles as she walks over to you and gives you a hug, “I love you daddy, thank you for everything.” Normally you would show more affection around your daughter but you had to keep your King of Hell persona up.

“See you at home,” you departed and poofed back to your lair.

“So that was a thing,” Dean stated uncomfortably.

“Yep,” she sighed in relief as she walked over to him and gently caressed his face with her hand, “Man he really got you good.”

“Don’t remind me,” he winced, “You have a killer left hook by the way.”

“Like father like daughter,” you grinned as you grabbed him by the hand leading him to his bedroom,

“Come on let’s get these patched up, daddy.”

“Oh I’ll show you who’s your daddy baby girl,”Dean smirked as he shuts the door and pushes you onto the bed.

“Hey guys what did I miss OH SWEET CHUCK!”

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anti-otherkin-confessions · 7 years

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I know this is cringy cause I’m 15, but me and my brother and some of our friends like to go into the woods sometimes and pretend to be werewolves and basically it turns into the game manhunt, where the goal is to turn everyone onto your team to werewolves or back to humans. It’s dumb but it’s actually really fun and we laugh a lot and make melodramatic jokes and pretend to howl and basically act like idiots and it’s all innocent and fine. Just bros hanging out.

Everyone in our school knows about it and they really don’t care because we’re great guys imo and they know we’re jokin. Sometimes other kids want to join in and that’s cool too. It gets a bit crazy but none of us actually believe any of it cause it’s game.

So my younger brother has this friend who is a therian, or says he’s one and he started talking about it a few months back. He calls himself a wolf sometimes which is silly and all but he’s an okay kid. I looked up therians and they seem like pretty chill people who just happen to have a different spiritual outlook about past lives. There’s some that are way out there but most I’ve seen who aren’t on cringe blogs seem harmless enough and have their heads on right.

My brother’s friend, this kid, let’s call him Wolf has always been a bit odd to me like ridic shy, but he’s 13 and my brother is just silly too but hooooo boy, what a rabbit hole this became. I still am to this day not sure whether or not this kid was yanking us around since he told my brother a lot about ‘being a wolf’ and things a wolf in a human’s body needs, and my brother is a great listener and really supportive guy and he didn’t think this kid was lying.

Not sure how he got his parents to agree to this but he only eats things like steak at school (why do otherkin do this?!) and won’t touch hamburgers in the cafe because they’re too human or tainted or smething. I literally never see this kid with some wholesome damn veggies. I don’t know a lot cause I don’t see him a lot but jesus christ eat some fucking fruit at leaset.

My brother says since Wolf started saying he’s a therian he is really jumpy in class and will interrupt things if he sees an animal outside and sometimes lick his lips and whine and just generally fuck with the class’s time by being a disruptive little fuck. He shuts up when the teacher tells him and then bitches to my brother about how unfair it is after and therians are so misunderstood.

Remember how I mentioned we like to play manhunt as werewolves and hunters at the start?

Wolf was never interested in my friend group before but now he asks my little bro if he can join in and since my brother thinks he’s still kind of yanking us, and he still likes this kid, he says yeah. And the first few games we alright. Wolf got really into character and didn’t like our joking (our jokes are rude af to be fair) but if he thinks he has a spirit of a wolf, okay, maybe he just has more fun with it and has a different sense of humor. So I kind of pass that off as whatever and assume he’s just a little shit in class.

Last time though he text my brother and asked if we to planned to go out manhunting like normal but since it was a full moon we should do it early so it’s more real. Why not, right?

We meet him early cause it’s just me, my little bro, and my best friend this time and I guess that got him feeling less self conscious, but this time he’s wearing this weird triangle thing he shows us which he says is the therian symbol so they can all know each other if they see it. While we’re walking he starts going on about how he’s fucking chosen to teach therianism to people and because we pretend to be werewolves in A FUCKING GAME we need to take it moe seriously cause it’s not a game!?! We just haven’t awakened to our true natures as wolves. He says he’s got all these fucking books and something called the GODDAMN THERIAN FUCKING BIBLE and there’s a therian temple idfk. He’s got so much detail on all this bullshit that I stopped thinking he was joshing us cause it’s just gone too far.

It was so awkward that my friend pretended he got a text from his mom and she was pissed he’d left at night without saying where he went and we all escaped by agreeing oh yeah our fams will be pissed.

Sorry this is long. I been holding it in because it’s too stupid to share with my other friends and we didn’t want to get him all bullied an shit but dear god I kind of wish someone would tell the rest of the group so he’d smarten the fuck up from bein embarrsed.

#submission

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kartiavelino · 5 years

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Joyce Mitchell rips Ben Stiller over ‘Escape at Dannemora’

The “Shawskank” says Hollywood’s portrayal of her — as a lovesick jail seamstress who helped her inmate boyfriends escape — is past redemption. In two 45-minute jailhouse interviews final week at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester, a seething Joyce “Tillie” Mitchell denied she ever had consensual intercourse with the convicted killers, and railed in opposition to director Ben Stiller for the “lies” he perpetrates in Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora.” “I by no means had intercourse with them,” she hissed, referring to killers David Sweat and Richard Matt. “Ben Stiller is a son-of-a-bitch liar identical to the remainder of the world. He doesn’t care in regards to the fact. All he cares about is making hundreds of thousands off me. He’s an fool.” The interviews have been Mitchell’s first for the reason that hit sequence started airing in November, and the one time she’s spoken publicly since 2015. “For a very long time I didn’t settle for any guests whose names I didn’t acknowledge,” she mentioned, however met with a Submit reporter as a result of she was “curious” to see if the go to had something to do with the present. Mitchell, 54, is serving a seven-year sentence for her position within the 2015 made-for-TV jail break, which set off a 23-day, $20 million manhunt involving 1,300 regulation enforcement officers. It ended with Matt being shot useless and Sweat’s recapture. The 2 sawed their method by means of the partitions of the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY, close to the Canadian border, with the assistance of hacksaw blades and a drill bit Mitchell smuggled in. Mitchell admits she purchased the blades for “99 cents at Walmart,” however mentioned she did it as a result of she was petrified of the 2 — not as a result of she was in love with them. ‘I want I may take all of it again. If I needed to do it over, I might have advised someone.’ “At that time, I needed to do it,” mentioned Mitchell, carrying drab inexperienced jail slacks, an identical wrinkled T-shirt and her notorious dark-rimmed glasses. “I used to be silly. They took benefit of my kindness. “I want I may take all of it again. If I needed to do it over, I might have advised someone.” In “Escape at Dannemora,” Mitchell is depicted by Patricia Arquette — who gained 40 kilos to develop into a near-clone of the folksy, stringy-haired mother-of-one. Arquette has mentioned she didn’tneed to meet with Mitchell as analysis for the position, in case she tried to spin her story. “The reality doesn’t promote,” mentioned Mitchell, theorizing about why the forged by no means visited. “Everybody thinks I’m only a whore who wished it.” Arquette’s character has common jailhouse intercourse with Matt, performed by Benicio Del Toro, and Sweat (Paul Dano), in a storeroom of the jail stitching store the place Mitchell supervised the inmates. The storyline intently mirrors the one jail insiders have advised about Mitchell’s trysts with the 2. She and Sweat have each denied any bodily relationship. Nevertheless, Mitchell did inform investigators that she supplied nude photographs of herself for Sweat, and was compelled to present Matt oral intercourse. She additionally advised investigators she received “caught up within the fantasy” of one other life with the 2 — an admission she refuses to cop to now. “I don’t bear in mind saying that,” she mentioned. This aerial photograph reveals the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y.AP Mitchell, who hasn’t seen the present, mentioned she has heard all about it from the guards at Bedford Hills and her husband, Lyle, who was a tailor-shop employee at Clinton, and never an electrician, because the TV present portrays him to be. “The [guards] ask me, ‘Did you actually have intercourse with them?’” — a feat she mentioned would have been “not possible” within the real-life tailor store closet the place Arquette’s character sneaks almost-daily romps with the convicts. “It has an air compressor in it,” she defined. “I went again there to show it on and off, however I used to be at all times on my own.” One element within the present that’s correct, Mitchell mentioned, is its portrayal of Matt as an untouchable determine contained in the jail — and his cozy relationship with Correction Officer Gene Palmer. David Sweat, left, and Richard MattEPA “Matt and Palmer have been like this,” she mentioned, crossing two fingers. “[Matt] may have something he wished in that jail.” Palmer was sentenced to 6 months in jail for delivering hamburger meat — which Mitchell used as cowl for hacksaw blades and the drill bit — to the felons. He was launched after 4months — and Mitchell is furious he received a lighter penalty. She alleges he was favored as a result of he was a correction officer. “It’s as a result of he wore blue,” she mentioned. Mitchell, who pleaded responsible to selling jail contraband and facilitating felony exercise, was denied parole for a second time final 12 months. She’s eligible once more for early launch in June. Her max sentence would take her by means of June 2022. Mitchell mentioned she is exhausted by the renewed media consideration from the present and so is her household — in a cellphone name Thursday, Lyle knowledgeable her {that a} Submit reporter had stopped by their upstate house. And he “was not blissful” when he discovered about Mitchell’s jailhouse interview. “The media doesn’t give a rattling about my household,” she mentioned. “Don’t f–ok with my household. You may f–ok with me, however don’t f–ok with my household. I put them by means of sufficient.” Lyle, who Mitchell refers to as “loyal” and “great,” has stood by his spouse of 17 years — and believes she didn’t cheat, Mitchell mentioned. “He comes to go to me each two weeks. He will likely be right here on Christmas Day,” she mentioned, cracking a uncommon smile. Mitchell mentioned she hasn’t had any contact with convicted cop-killer Sweat, who’s serving a life sentence at 5 Factors jail in Romulus, NY. The state tacked on Three and ¹/₂ to 7 years to his life sentence for the escape. Matt, convicted of killing and dismembering his boss within the ’90s, was shot useless by Border Patrol cops on Day 21 of the statewide manhunt. In search of “closure,” Matt’s daughter — who would talk together with her dad by means of Mitchell whereas he was in jail — came around her at Bedford Hills. “At first, I didn’t acknowledge her. She mentioned, ‘Have you learnt who I’m?’” Mitchell mentioned. “She appears identical to him. Their eyes are the identical.” Jamie Scalise, who launched a e book about her dad, wished to know the way Matt acted within the last weeks earlier than his escape, Mitchell mentioned. Her reply? “Controlling.” Regardless of his “manipulative” methods, Mitchell is wracked with guilt over his dying. Lyle Mitchell (left) in court docket and Eric Lange in a scene from “Escape at Dannemora” on Showtime. AP; Showtime by way of AP David Sweat (left) at his arraignment in 2015 and Paul Dano in “Escape at Dannemora” on Showtime. Reuters; Showtime by way of AP Joyce Mitchell in 2015 (left) and Patricia Arquette in a scene from “Escape at Dannemora” on Showtime. Reuters; Showtime by way of AP 3 View Slideshow “If it wasn’t for me, her dad would nonetheless be alive,” Mitchell mentioned, eradicating her glasses to wipe tears from her eyes. Crying is a each day exercise for Mitchell, who mentioned she leads a lonely life at Bedford Hills. “I cry on a regular basis, as a result of I’m in right here alone with out my household, and I put them by means of all of this,” she blubbered. “My granddaughter is four years previous now. I’ve solely seen her as soon as in three years.” Mitchell hardly ever leaves her cell, she mentioned, and claims she has by no means been to the jail yard, as a result of she fears she will likely be framed for any humorous enterprise. “The state hates me,” Mitchell mentioned. She mentioned she has no buddies in jail, however sympathizes with one other femme fatale she sees round: Pamela Sensible. Sensible is serving a life sentence for serving to her 15-year-old lover homicide her husband. It was a headline-making case that, like Mitchell’s, caught Hollywood’s eye — and have become the 1996 Nicole Kidman film “To Die For.” “No one believes her both,” Mitchell mentioned. Mitchell mentioned she identifies with Sensible, as a result of Mitchell was additionally accused of wanting her husband useless — one other lie peddled by Sweat and Matt, she claims. “Sweat is the one who gave my husband that nickname: ‘the glitch,’” she mentioned, including that she is indignant at Sweat for telling investigators Mitchell was behind a plot to kill him. Mitchell claims she is dubbed an “escape threat” at Bedford Hills, and has restricted work privileges. She will’t do yard work or be a instructing assistant, she mentioned. “They are saying I can’t work within the nursery, as a result of I’m a excessive media profile,” she mentioned. “I like to work with children.” When she will get out, Mitchell mentioned she appears ahead to “spending time with my husband and my children” and “having fun with the gazebo [Lyle] constructed me.” As for the meals she’s most trying ahead to? “I like sweets. Cookies, brownies” — the identical treats she allegedly snuck into Clinton Correctional for Sweat and Matt. She’s additionally planning a e book: “Then the reality will come out.” Share this: https://nypost.com/2018/12/22/joyce-mitchell-rips-ben-stiller-over-escape-at-dannemora/ The post Joyce Mitchell rips Ben Stiller over ‘Escape at Dannemora’ appeared first on My style by Kartia. https://www.kartiavelino.com/2018/12/joyce-mitchell-rips-ben-stiller-over-escape-at-dannemora.html

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Film Review of The Circle

I’m going to confess that I’ve never seen Emma Watson in a movie before. I haven’t seen the new live-action “Beauty and The Beast.” Hadn’t seen Aronofsky’s “Noah” or the indie films “The Bling Ring” or “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” I have also never seen any of the “Harry Potter” films. I was already in my thirties when those books came out and had no children to motivate me to get interested in the topic of adolescent magicians. I just never got around to reading the books or seeing the films and probably never will. Wait – I just realized upon inspecting Watson’s IMDb page I have seen her in one movie: 2012’s “My Week with Marilyn” and I literally can’t conjure up a single memory of her from that film. So, I don’t know her as an actress, but I am certainly aware of who she is. I know that she’s known to be a very thoughtful and intelligent young woman who is inspiring others with her literary campaign “Our Shared Shelf.” I appreciate that Watson is an admitted feminist with a bright, creative future who wants to inspire other young women. But I’m going to admit that I don’t think she’s a movie star. That probably sounds cruel and petty as if I were bashing her, woman-to-woman. My criticism of her, however, isn’t about her looks or her intelligence. I’ll explain in a bit. In “The Circle” Watson stars as Mae Holland, a mid-twenties gal living with her parents in the San Francisco Bay area. She works a meaningless temp job for the Water Department, likes to kayak alone and perhaps relies a little too much on her handy neighbor Mercer. Mercer and Mae have grown up together, and when her car breaks down, she gives trusty old Mercer a call despite the fact that she kinda knows that he cares for her and she’s using him. Except this exchange which happens in the first scene of the movie, we know nothing more about Mae or her interests or beliefs.

Film Review of The Circle

Mae’s parents, Bonnie and Vinnie (Glenne Headley and the late Bill Paxton in his final big-screen release) are clearly just getting by. You know this because their house is dirty. I don’t mean messy but dirty – you see dirt and grime and fingerprints on their walls and light switches which are something you never see in a typical Hollywood movie unless it’s intentional. Vinnie has Multiple Sclerosis, and Bonnie spends her life in a kind of servitude to her husband who clearly isn’t being proactive with his health since he likes to drink canned beer. Suddenly Mae receives a phone call from a friend who works for a social media company called The Circle, and she’s just gotten her friend an interview. Mae is elated and eager because she’s clearly been hearing good things about The Circle for a long time. Even her parents are over the moon because they’re telling all their friends about her salary and amazing dental plan. Mae takes a simple customer service position. She gets a tour of the campus from her friend Annie, played by Scottish actress Karen Gillan (a “Dr. Who” veteran) who quite literally bounces as she excitedly shows Annie the bocce court and coffee bar and play yards of The Circle’s campus. What Annie’s job is isn’t exactly known, but clearly, she has some real responsibility at this firm and shares access to some top-secret stuff with Mae. Mae heads home one weekend to spend some quality time with family and friends, and her old buddy Mercer comes by. Mercer (Ellar Coltrane of “Boyhood”) has that scruffy-but-sensitive look on his face like you just know that he has read “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” while working on an actual motorcycle. Mae learns that Mercer is making antler chandeliers. They chat and spar, Mercer and Mae, but then she heads back to work on Monday morning. There, curiously, a duo never named come up to her to inquire about her weekend. They’re not just making idle chit-chat, mind you. They want to know why she went home for the weekend. (It isn’t explained to the audience at the inception of Mae’s career that she will live on campus). Why didn’t she tell anyone where she was going? Why didn’t she post all about the experience on social media and why, in fact, is she not in The Circle? The Circle is a social media site, clearly modeled on Facebook. It’s important, they tell Mae, that she become a part of this family. That she does not just work here but share her life with the rest of the team. Why Mae is the only human being on the planet who clearly isn’t already in The Circle is not explained, but of course, the two magpies hovering at her desk quickly sign her up for an account. Now, Mae wanders the hallways of The Circle’s campus while text bubbles appear on the screen showing her likes and comments and communications. Once, feeling particularly effusive after a video chat with her mom, she uploads a photo of one of Mercer’s antler chandeliers so everyone online can enjoy it. Except, they don’t. In fact, in this ooh-so-sensitive world that Mae inhabits, her social circle is in fact horrified. Does Mercer, like, kill the deer to get those antlers!? Understandably, Mercer cuts himself off from Mae. Meanwhile, she also submits to a rigorous and invasive health screening. She discloses information about her family including her father’s health status and is elated to discover that The Circle would like to add her parents to her health plan. She doesn’t ask any questions about this. Does she think this is a good thing? Bad thing? She continues on her merry way, ingratiating herself into the group at The Circle. She meets a thoughtful young man, (John Boyega from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) who seems to know a lot about what happens behind the scenes at The Circle. And of course, Mae is just one of many hyper-enthused employees who is inspired by the work being done by Bailey, the CEO of the company. Tom Hanks plays Bailey as a nod to Steve Jobs, walking casually out on the stage with his ever-present cup of regular-guy coffee to introduce new ideas and technologies to the team. Like the idea of teeny, tiny cameras installed on the beaches to ensure the safety of swimmers. Or those same tiny cameras scattered throughout a city block somewhere in the Middle East, trained to watch for a high-level terrorist. Backing up Bailey is his trusty COO, Stenton (a sadly under-used Patton Oswalt who does little in the film beyond lurking). Does Mae think installing cameras everywhere is a good idea? Maybe, although we don’t know her thoughts. But she’s smiling and happy and gives no outward appearance of her inner thoughts. And that’s my complaint, or issue with Emma Watson as a leading actress. She is a fine thespian, a remarkable young woman, a talent and a mover and shaker in the world of conscientious youth but her inner workings never come across on the screen. The greatest actors are not celebrated for their demeanor or their looks or their ability to emote. They are noted for their ability to bring us into their world, and that starts with their thoughts. The greatest actors of any generation are known for capturing the experience and making it universal. If they can’t, they’re usually relegated to supporting or character roles. Which is fine. When Mae takes the kayak out at night, unprepared and for an unexplained reason, she sets off a chain of events that will put her front and center into the issues of personal and professional privacy. She is recorded for all waking hours, with the exception of some bathroom time, so that the world will see everything she does – an idea that The Circle and Bailey/Stenton are trying to get political support for. But despite the hyper-visibility, I know nothing of what is inside Mae’s brain. The whole time I was watching this movie I kept wondering “What is she thinking?” Does she truly believe that transparency is the answer? Does she have any feelings for Mercer? Why is she going kayaking at night? What does she think is going on with Annie’s behavior? Etcetera. I hadn’t read David Eggers’ novel “The Circle” upon which this film was based but while the film does pose some truly thought-provoking ideas about social media and the privacy line between work and personal lives and the issues of global manhunts and consumer transparency, “The Circle” not only didn’t tell us what we might think of these notions – it also didn’t really explain how the so-called protagonist felt. All in all, a dud of a film. A rare miss for an actor like Tom Hanks. And personally, I think that Emma Watson should stick to rom-coms and the light, fanciful film work that she began her career with. Again, I know that sounds mean but acting is as much about the inner work as how it appears on screen, and both this film and its leading lady never take us beyond the surface.

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