#American pies addition

[froody]

#American pies addition #poll #last one for now #polls #it’s between sweet potato apple and brown sugar for me idk.

[heavencanbeaprisontoo]

Living with Alfie Solomons

Warnings: Fluff, angst, references to religion and violence.

Domestic Alfie Headcanons

Alfie owns many different properties all over London and Margate. To your shock, only two were in Camden. One was what you could only describe as a “bachelor’s apartment,” which strongly resembled his office with the addition of a lumpy mattress. He took you to see what he considers his “home,” a one-story brick house surrounded by the lush green of the English countryside. Alfie had built this home after deciding, “Me and stairs, right, we ain’t made for each other.” The home also comes with a sweet little guesthouse behind it for his mother to live in. At which point he had a short rant about how his aging mother refuses to move in and still lives in her tiny flat in Camden. 

When he’s not being a “baker,” he does like to do some baking. Real baking. Bread, pudding, cake, pies, you name it. He likes having to measure his ingredients, put on the perfect temperature for the perfect amount of time. He likes to collect cookbooks too, and will have a gleam of almost childlike delight when he finds one he doesn’t already possess. 

Alfie has a tendency to develop very strong interest in a very specific thing and then drop it months later. He retains all he’s learned from it, but it can be a bit annoying as he will fill the house with his latest obsession. A short list of obsessions he’s developed are: American cowboys, jewelry making, stamps, coin collecting, eastern meditation practices, and Italian opera. 

You had to get used to his slight OCD involving things in his home. Everything has a place, and he gets very grumpy if you move something, a spoon for instance, and he can’t immediately find it. 

Children in the neighborhood are equal parts frightened and delighted by Alfie. They think he’s funny but intimidating. He gives out money and gifts to the Jewish families of Camden, and the children know that. Your dear man will huff and puff about the kids bothering him… but also throw them a coin or a sweet when he’s in the mood. Alfie is sort of like Santa Claus and the Boogeyman at the same time to them. After you started living with him, these children started to follow you around the neighborhood to ask questions about him. Some are quite tame, like “Does Mr. Solomons like cake?” or “Is Mr. Solomons your husband? Will you have lots of children?” while others are, “Did Mr. Solomons kidnap you?”

Relationship Headcanons

Mr. Solomons is quiet in his moments of romance with you. He likes to cup your cheek in his palm and touch his forehead to yours. Trace your face with his thumb as if to memorize it by touch. He places slow kisses on your cheeks and lips, gentle and almost reverent. His world is very brutal and without loyalty, you become his sanctuary. He sleeps best with you in his arms or laying directly on top of him. If you need to get up for any reason, expect a lot of complaining in at least three different languages from Alfie. He hates to be left alone in bed now that he’s had you. 

Thomas Shelby had no idea Alfie was married, until Alfie felt like telling him. Tommy now knows far too much about you. And you know far too much about Thomas Shelby. The first time you meet in person is very awkward.

Alfie is the sort of person that likes quality time and good conversation. He likes to go on strolls with you on the beach of Margate when his knee isn’t too painful. Going to the museum or a library are all tip-top dates in Alfie’s opinion. However, his favorite place to take you is back home. Home is where he can make you dinner and listen to you laugh at his strange stories. He loves to banter and bicker with you. You are one of the few people to make him laugh. Everyone at the port knows when Alfie’s had a nice evening with you because he comes to work in such a grand mood. Newer employees have to be warned not to get too comfortable, as he could come in like a bull if you argued that morning. 

He has a bad habit of dropping surprises on you. These surprises normally revolve around security and protection. Alfie will buy or arrange things for you and then completely forget he did it until you storm into his office asking for an explanation. For some reason, this man won’t admit these things are for self-defense. He just acts like it’s perfectly normal to take your lover out to a gun range or teach her how to stab a man between the ribs. He’s just being a fun, quirky man! 

A marriage proposal is never far off, he’s just waiting for you to convert. If you do not want to convert, prepare to be a secret. He is a religious man and he treasures his faith. Alfie will never forsake you (though he may jest) for not believing what he believes. His reason for hiding you is simple, his mother. Mrs. Solomons wouldn’t speak to her son if she found out he was living with an unwed gentile! 

That said, Mrs. Solomons adores you before and after you marry her son. She’s a delightful old Russian woman who is constantly ordering Alfie around. Mainly, she tells him he glares too much, and he needs to give her a grandchild soon. 

You were surprised by how touchy he is behind closed doors. In public, you could pass for an employee with how distant he is before marriage. After marriage, he likes to walk with arms linked. As a married couple, it is more appropriate to be seen touching each other and he takes full advantage of it. As a matter of fact, he’s almost clingy. He’ll call the house from his office and make up an excuse to talk to you. 

#peaky blinders #peaky blinders headcanon #peaky blinders x reader #Alfie #alfie solomons #alfie solomons x reader

[fatehbaz]

Americans [...] would sip the rich cocoa as a hot drink. Cocoa made its way to North America on the same ships that transported rum and sugar from the Caribbean and South America [...] and was heavily reliant on the labor of enslaved Africans throughout the diaspora. [...] [B]y the early 1700s, Boston, Newport, New York and Philadelphia were processing cocoa into chocolate to export and to sell domestically. Chocolate was popular in the coffeehouse culture and was processed for sale and consumption by enslaved laborers in the North. Farther south, in Virginia, cocoa was becoming [...] so popular that it is estimated that approximately one-third of Virginia’s elite was consuming cocoa in some form or another. For the wealthy, this treat was sipped multiple times a week; for others it was out of reach. [...]

The art of chocolate-making – roasting beans, grinding pods onto a stone over a small flame – was a labor-intensive task. An enslaved cook would have had to roast the cocoa beans on the open hearth, shell them by hand, grind the nibs on a heated chocolate stone, and then scrape the raw cocoa, add milk or water, cinnamon, nutmeg or vanilla, and serve it piping hot.

---

One of the first chocolatiers in the Colonies was an enslaved cook named Caesar.

Born in 1732, Caesar was the chef at Stratford Hall, the home of the Lees of Virginia, and in his kitchen sat one of only three chocolate stones in the Colony. The other two were located at the governor’s palace and at the Carter family estate, belonging to one of the wealthiest families in Virginia. Caesar was responsible for cooking multiple meals a day for the Lees and any free person who came to visit. [...]

---

The work was oppressive in the plantation kitchens at Christmas time. [...]

[T]hose working in the big house kitchen and as domestic laborers were expected to work around the clock to ensure a perfect holiday for the white family. The biggest task at hand was to cook and serve Christmas dinner, and chocolate was a favorite addition to the three-course formal dinner. [...] Oyster stew, meat pies, roasted pheasant, puddings, roasted suckling pig and Virginia ham are some of the many dishes that would be served in just one course. The night would finish with the sipping of chocolate: toasted, ground and spiced [...] and served in sipping-cups made specifically for drinking chocolate. [...]

---

Decades before the two well-known enslaved chefs, Monticello’s James Hemings and George Washington’s Chef Hercules, [...] Caesar was running one of the Colonies’ most prestigious kitchens inside of Stratford Hall, and making chocolate for the Lees and their guests. [...] [H]is son, Caesar Jr., lived nearby and was the postillion [...].

The stress of cooking the most important dinner of the year was combined with the fear of what was to come on Jan. 1. New Year’s Day was commonly known as heartbreak day, when enslaved folks would be sold to pay off debts or rented out to a different plantation. Jan. 1 represented an impending doom, and the separation of families and loved ones. [...] Caesar disappeared from the records by the end of the 18th century. By 1800, his son Caesar Jr. was still owned by the Lees, but as that year ended, Christmas came and went, and Caesar Jr. was put up for collateral by Henry Lee for payment of his debts.

---

The world Caesar lived in was one fueled by the Columbian Exchange, which was built from enslaved labor [...]: pineapples, Madeira wine, port, champagne, coffee, sugar and cocoa beans. These items traveled from plantation to dining room via the Atlantic trade, and were central to securing the reputation of Virginia’s plantation elite. The more exotic and delicious the food, the more domestic fame one would reap. Having cocoa delivered directly to your home, and having a chocolatier in the kitchen, were exceptional. It was through Caesar’s culinary arts that Stratford Hall became well-known throughout Colonial Virginia as a culinary destination.

---

All text above by: Kelley Fanto Deetz. “Oppression in the kitchen, delight in the dining room: The story of Caesar, an enslaved chef and chocolatier in Colonial Virginia.” The Conversation. 21 December 2020. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

#abolition #ecology #imperial #colonial

[hooked-on-elvis]

ELVIS' DEBUT ON TV — 📺 [CBS] The Dorsey Brothers 'Stage Show'

Elvis with Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey at CBS Studio 50, New York, March 17, 1956 [that would be Elvis' 5th appearance on their TV show, out of 6 total.].

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By December 1955 Elvis had still not made an appearance on national television. His manager Colonel Tom Parker negotiated a deal through Steve Yates with CBS's "Stage Show" for four appearances on the show in January 1956 at $1,250 each and an option for two more at $1,500 each.

On the January 28, 1956, Elvis was broadcast for the nation for the very first time, performing "Shake, Rattle and Roll", "Flip, Flop and Fly" and "I Got a Woman".

[ABOVE: the January 28th 1956 FULL PERFORMANCE]

On Elvis' first appearance on American television, Bill Randle, one of the most influential disc jockeys of the time, was the man who actually presented Elvis Presley to the nation. He said:

"We'd like at this time to introduce to you a young fellow, who like many performers, Johnnie Ray among them, come up out of nowhere to be overnight very big stars. This young fellow we met for the first time while making a movie short*. We think tonight that he's going to make television history for you. We'd like you to meet him now - Elvis Presley. And here he is!" — Bill Randle, Disc Jockey, the man presenting Elvis Presley to America for the first time. January 28, 1956.

After this, things would never be the same, specially the society. Such a good beginning for a year, that special day in a January month! ♥

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🎞️THE SHORT-FILM THAT NEVER SAW THE LIGHT OF DAY (for the general public... at least until now...)

The movie short Bill Randle referred to during his introduction to Elvis was "The Pied Piper Of Cleveland - A Day In The Life Of A Famous Disc Jockey" a short film made by Universal pictures about Bill Randle himself. Filmed on October 20th, 1955, at a concert in Brooklyn High School, Cleveland, it featured the stars Bill Haley & The Comets, The Four Lads, Pat Boone, plus the addition of a little-known Elvis Presley.

The original forty-eight-minute film was supposed to be cut down to a twenty-minute "short" for national distribution, but never made it that far. We're in 2024... 69 years went by since this shortcut was produced but the movie remains unreleased.

There is some dispute over whether or not this film actually exists, although it's said it was shown publicly, albeit only once in Cleveland, and excerpts were also aired on a Cleveland television station in 1956. Marshall Lytle, bass player for Bill Haley's Comets, corroborates the existence of the film in his memoir, "Still Rockin' Around the Clock", but he makes the unsubstantiated claim that Colonel Tom Parker, Presley's manager, bought the film and destroyed the existing copies. According to historians, tho, DJ Bill Randle, before his death in 2004, sold the rights to the film to PolyGram (it has been reported that Universal Studios has the negatives of the film in its vaults).

Much uncertainty about this short film, but can you imagine this film being release in Elvis' birthday centenary celebration? We watched, and listened, on Elvis' 89th birthday a few days earlier this year, to them playing during his birthday celebration at Graceland the original "That's All Right" record as it was cut at Sun Records studio in 1954, so who knows? There's always rare things surfacing here and there, so... we better keep our hopes this Bill Randle's 1955 movie, with some new 'baby Elvis' footage, will be release any day now [such as we know there's 'Elvis On Tour' and 'Elvis: That's the Way It Is' never seen before footage coming our way, as confirmed by the "Elvis" 2022 biopic's film director, Baz Luhrmann — finally! We hope it will be released soon].

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But enough daydreaming... Back to Elvis' 1st television appearances.

After the premiere on America's television on January 28th, 1956, Elvis would do five more appearances on 'The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show" for the next eight weeks. Those would take place on February 4, February 11, February 18, March 17 and March 24th, 1956.

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February 4th, 1956 | "Baby Let's Play House" and "Tutti Frutti"

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February 11th, 1956 | "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Heartbreak Hotel" *

* This is a special arrangement for 'Heartbreak Hotel', so good! Jazzy, dramatic, really rarity. I loved this! ♥

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February 18th, 1956 | "Tutti Frutti" and "I Was The One"

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March 17th, 1956 | "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Heartbreak Hotel" *

* This is the usual arrangement for the "Heartbreak Hotel" song. On February 11th, 1956, Elvis performed this same song onstage of 'The Dorsey Brothers Show' but it sounded something more… dramatic (I guess it matched the lyrics after all, but I love the usual arrangement better yet).

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And the last one... the 6th appearance on 'Dorsey Brothers Stage Show':

March 24th, 1956 | "Money Honey" and "Heartbreak Hotel" | [FULL PERFORMANCE]

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We can see how on those first TV shows Elvis still looks quite shy. Although he moves the usual lot, he doesn't flirt with his audience as much as he would on the upcoming TV appearances (and throughout his life, actually). It's funny how he grew comfortable with being in front of the cameras so fast tho. As his photographer Wiliam Speer said, "I guess you must really like being photographed."

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Elvis with Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey at CBS Studio 50 in New York, on March 17, 1956. That would be Elvis' 5th appearance on their TV show. 'The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show' (CBS) was the place Elvis debut in his TV appearances, on January 28th 1956. He would appear on the show for 6 times total, from January to March 1956. ♥

Performing on the 'Dorsey Brothers Stage Show' at the CBS Studio 50, New York City, on March 24th, 1956. His 6th and final appearance on the show.

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EDIT: THE BLUE MOON BOYS

I hate it when I forget to mention such important, trivial, facts — and this shouldn't be footnote info and I feel guilty it is now but I forgot mentioning — The Blue Moon Boys. I love them so much! I watch those footage looking at them as much as I look at Elvis.

Like, I love Bill Black's energy onstage! I love him hollering, vibing to their sound, as loud as Elvis (on occasion). I love how he seem to love chewing gum (Bill is chewing gum in some of those footage), because it makes me look at the Blue Moon Boys and Elvis as a unit, real close friend who look alike, just how it should be. We know although EP for obvious reasons can't chew gum while singing, he loooooved gum and kept this - should I say "habit?" - throughout his life. It's sounding silly what I'm saying, I know, but I think this Elvis habit in fact date from back when he was rocking onstage with Bill, Scotty and DJ Fontana and it makes my heart warm how close and similar they seem to be, as friends, real friends. Bill is actually said to be the one cheering the crowds onstage when they first begun performing, when Elvis was still learning how to be the great leading man he became. When EP was still learning how to act onstage, how to manipulate the audience, creating the mad passionate reactions he learned to create whenever he wanted, Bill was the one heating things up, joking with the audience, cheering, hollering. Bill is amazing! His energy is intoxicating, and we can see it clearly on those first TV appearances performances. ♥

--

I also love how hot Scotty Moore looks! I kinda laughed thinking 'Oh my goodness' ... So this thing about rock and roll bands always having hot vocalists and hot guitar players as a rule, it looks like it all started from the 50s with EP and Scotty! (really, at least the singer and guitar player in most rock bands are hot AF, am I lying? *lol*). I have a thing for Scotty... When he smiles at times on those footage, I'm like: 🤤🥹🥴🫠 And I also love how he's elegant but at the same time menacing looking holding and playing his guitar like the guitar hero he was. Really, if you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and read Scotty's book "THAT'S ALL RIGHT, ELVIS: The Untold Story of Elvis' First Guitarist and Manager, Scotty Moore", by Scotty as told to James Dickerson (1997). Scotty's life story is fascinating and as interesting as Elvis'. ♥

--

And last, but never least, I love how together, calm and concentrated DJ Fontana looks. Ok, unfortunately being the drummer has it's disadvantages. We can't see DJ Fontana as much as we see the other boys onstage, but I listen to the songs until the very last minute and it's amazing how the music always has the closing, the important and dramatic ending, done by DJ's talented hands. I love that guy. ♥

Elvis Presley and The Blue Moon Boys were the best rock and rollers! I love their energy together. As much as I adore 70s Elvis onstage, the TCB Band, the Sweets Inspirations and all, if I only had one performance of Elvis' I could attend, just one to choose, I would go for - undoubtedly - the 50s ones, when those guys, The Blue Moon Boys and Elvis, were playing together.

That's Rock and Roll royalty. ✨👑 ♥

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There you go. All the videos together so you can watch of them easily. ♥

#elvis for the first time on America television #imagine seeing this baby for the first time out of the blue and then watching him skyrocketing in less than a year... #and then testify as he only grew bigger and bigger and even when he's no longer walking in earth how people still love him #man how I wanted be an old lady just because i would have lived and breathed Elvis Presley 🥹 #all i can do is imagine #elvis the king #elvis #elvis presley #the blue moon boys #bill black #scotty moore #DJ fontana #Youtube #elvis fans #elvis fandom #elvis history #50s elvis #tv history #tv shows

[lotus-flower-writes-history]

The Unofficial Black History Book

Huey P. Newton (1942-1989)

'The Revolution has always been in the hands of the young. The young always inherit the revolution.' - Huey Newton

This is his story.

Huey Percy Newton was born on February 17th, 1942, in Monroe, Louisiana. The youngest of seven children to Armelia Johnson and Walter Newton, he was named after former Governor of Louisiana, Huey Long.

His family relocated to Oakland, California, in search of better economic opportunities in 1945. His family struggled financially and frequently relocated, but he never went hungry or homeless.

Growing up in Oakland, Newton recalled his white teachers making him feel ashamed for being African-American, despite never being taught anything useful. In his Autobiography, ‘Revolutionary Suicide’, he wrote – “Was made to feel ashamed of being black. During those long years in Oakland Public Schools, I did not have one teacher who taught me anything relevant to my own life or experience. Not one instructor ever awoke in me a desire to learn more or to question or to explore the worlds of literature, science, and history. All they did was try to rob me of the sense of my own uniqueness and worth, and in the process nearly killed my urge to inquire.” 

He also had a troubled childhood; he was arrested several times as a teenager for gun possession and vandalism.

Huey was illiterate when he graduated from high school, but he taught himself to read and write by studying poetry before enrolling at Merritt College. 

During his time there, he supported himself by breaking into homes in Oakland and Berkeley Hills and committing other minor offenses. He also attended Oakland College and San Francisco Law School, ostensibly to improve his criminal skills.

He joined Pi Beta Sigma Fraternity while still a student at Merritt College and met Bobby Seale, a political activist and engineer. Huey also fought for curriculum diversification, the hiring of more black instructors, and involvement in local political activities in the Bay Area. 

In addition, he was exposed to a rising tide of Black Nationalism and briefly joined the Afro-American Association, where he studied Frantz Fanon, Che Guevara, Mao Zedong, E. Franklin Frazier, James Baldwin, Karl Marx, and Vladimir Lenin.

Huey had adopted a Marxist/Leninist viewpoint in which he saw the black community as an internal colony ruled by outside forces such as white businessmen, City Hall, and the police. In October 1966, he and Bobby Seale founded The Black Panther Party for self-defense, believing that the black working class needed to seize control of the institutions that most affected their community.

It was a coin toss that resulted in Newton becoming defense minister and Seale becoming chairman of the Black Panther Party. Newton’s job as the Minister of Defense and main leader of the Black Panther Party was to write in the Ten-Point Program, the founding document of the Party, and he demanded that blacks need the “Power to determine the destiny of our Black Community”. It would allow blacks to gain “Land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, and peace.”

The Panthers took advantage of a California law allowing people to carry non-concealed weapons and established armed patrols that monitored police activity in the Black Community. 

One of the main points of focus for the Black Panther Party was the right to self-defense. Newton believed and preached that sometimes violence, or even the threat of violence, is required to achieve one's goals. 

Members of the Black Panther Party once stormed the California Legislature while fully armed in order to protest the outcome of a gun bill.

Newton also established the Free Breakfast for Children Program, martial arts training for teenagers, and educational programs for children from low-income families. 

The Black Panthers believed that in the Black struggle for justice, violence or the potential for violence may be necessary.

 The Black Panthers had chapters in several major cities and over 2,000 members. Members became involved in several shoot-outs after being harassed by police.

On October 28, 1967, the Panthers and the police exchanged gunfire in Oakland. Huey was injured in the crossfire, and while recovering in the hospital, he was charged with killing an Oakland police officer, John Frey. 

He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter the following year.

Huey was regarded as a political prisoner, and the Panthers organized a 'Free Huey' campaign led by Panther Party Minister Eldridge Cleaver. And Charles R. Geary, a well-known attorney who was in charge of Newton’s legal defense.

Newton was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in 1968 and sentenced to 2-15 years in prison. However, the California Appellate Court ordered a new trial in May 1970. The conviction was reversed on appeal, the case was dismissed by the California Supreme Court, and Huey was acquitted.

Huey renounced political violence after being released from prison. Over a six-year period, 24 Black Panther members were killed in gunfights with the police. Another member, George Jackson, was killed in August 1971 while serving time in San Quentin Prison.

The Black Panther Party, under the leadership of Newton, gained international support. This was most evident in 1970 when Newton was invited to visit China. Large crowds greeted him enthusiastically, holding copies of "Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung," as well as signs supporting the Panther Party and criticizing US imperialism.

In the early 1970s, Newton's leadership of the Black Panther Party contributed to its demise. He oversaw a number of purges of Party members, the most famous of which was in 1971 when he expelled Eldridge Cleaver in what became known as the Newton-Cleaver split over the party's primary function.

Newton wanted the party to be solely focused on serving African-American communities, whereas Cleaver believed the party should be focused on developing relationships with international revolutionary movements. The schism resulted in violence between the factions and the deaths of several Black Panther members. The Black Guerrilla Family (BGF) was one of several factions that had broken away from the main party.

Then, in 1974, Newton was accused of assaulting a 17-year-old prostitute named Kathleen Smith, who later died, raising the charge to murder. Instead of facing trial, Huey fled to Cuba with his girlfriend at the time, where he remained for three years. The key witness in the trial was Crystal Gray. And three Black Panther members attempted to assassinate her before she gave her testimony.

Huey returned to the States in 1976 to stand trial but denied any involvement. The jury was deadlocked, and Newton was eventually acquitted after two mistrials.

In 1978, he enrolled in the History of Consciousness program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and earned his Doctorate in 1980.

"War Against the Panthers: A Study of Repression in America," his dissertation, was later turned into a book.

On charges of embezzling Panther Party funds, Huey P. Newton was sentenced to 6 months in prison followed by 18 months on probation in 1982.

On August 22, 1989, Newton was assassinated by a member of the BGF, named Tyrone Robinson.

Huey was 46 years old at the time of his assassination. Robinson was convicted of Huey’s murder in 1991 and sentenced to 32 years to life in prison. 

His wife, Fredricka Newton, carried on his legacy. 'Revolutionary Suicide,' his autobiography, was first published in 1973 and then republished in 1995.

Huey Newton was not perfect, but he did fight to protect the rights of the Black Community. The rights that we're still fighting for today.

__

Previous

Ruby Bridges

Next

Henry "Box" Brown

___

My Sources

#huey p newton #black community #the unofficial black history book #black activism #black history #black female writers #black history matters #black history is american history #black stories #black tumblr #black culture #history #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #black power #black consciousness #black liberation #learn your roots #learn your history #black leaders #writeblr #black writblr #black writers of tumblr #black history 365 #know your history #black panther party

[blacklister214]

Headcannon Patrick's Hidden Floor Safe

I have a quick Head Cannon about what else was in the additional hidden safe, based off of the fact Patrick told Clarence not to tell Eliza about it. Because honestly why would she care about the money and the travel documents? Malone the American PI had fakes for undercover work and he knows Eliza is too honest to rob him.

My prediction is that the safe also contained Eliza's dossier, which at this point is so full of pictures, notes, and press clippings it makes him look like a obsessed fanboy.

#scarnash #patrick nash #headcannons #miss scarlet and the duke

[brb-on-a-quest]

Things That Don't Sound like that belong together but do-- Tolkien Did Not Like Disney.

From a letter to his publishers, after he was told that the Americans wanted to employ an American illustrator to make additional illustrations for The Hobbit:

"It might be advisable, rather than lose the American interest, to let the Americans do what seems good to them--as long as it was possible (I should like to add) to veto anything from or influenced by the Disney studios (for all whose works I have a heartfelt loathing).

Later he said of German illustrations:

"[They] are I fear too 'Disnified' for my taste: Bilbo with a dribbling nose, and Gandalf as a figure of vulgar fun ."

He also said about the Disney movie The Pied Piper:

"I am sorry about The Pied Piper. I loathe it. God help the children! I would as soon give them crude and vulgar plastic toys. Which of course they will play with, to the ruin of their taste. Terrible presage of the most vulgar elements in Disney.

#brb-life #brb-learning #JRR Tolkein #Lord of the Rings #The Hobbit #Tolkien on Disney #idk im fascinated

[gemsofgreece]

Hello, a bit of a strange question. I can't eat goat/sheep/strong cheese. If I visit Greece, will Greeks feel disappointed or offended by this? Is there something I should say to politely communicate this? If it makes a difference, I am ethnically Chinese and nationality American (so I look Chinese but sound completely American when I talk). I really tried to eat it well but have a physical reaction to the flavor :(

What are the odds that this ask came today that I just had the most feta cheesy dish in ages … like it has both a feta sauce and chunks of feta it’s almost like a feta soup lmao

Hello! No worries, you are not going to have any issue. There is not a very strict food etiquette in Greece. You can refuse anything as long as you don’t act like you are disgusted or something.

Cheese will be offered to you only if you order it yourself or rarely as a welcoming starter on the table but you don’t have to eat it. Cheese is mostly featured in many appetisers and some salads. Some other salads and most main dishes do not have cheese inside so you won’t have an issue finding a variety of dishes to choose from. But even if a dish seems otherwise great but has cheese in it, you can ask whether it’s possible that the cook makes it without the cheese. Nobody will ask you why you don’t want it, unless idk you are in a pretty traditional, remote place or some village in Crete. But you don’t owe an explanation to anyone anyway. In the unlikely case this happens and you feel compelled to answer for some reason, say something like “Thank you very much but goat / sheep cheese messes up my stomach / causes me stomach ache”. It doesn’t have to be the exact truth. You can also just say that you generally don’t eat sheep / goat cheeses but avoid expressions like “no it’s gross / it tastes so bad” because this will naturally make people offering it as an enjoyable treat feel uncomfortable.

I am however almost certain you will not have to explain yourself. If you are meeting people you know in Greece, friends won’t care that you don’t like it, you can be clear and honest with them, just avoid overdramatic reactions (“ewww how do you eat that?!” type of stuff).

Also, your ethnicity and nationality won’t affect the situation at all!

Greek cheeses are overwhelmingly made of sheep / goat milk, however I can recommend you three famous types of cheese made of cow milk, if you eat those. These would be:

Graviéra of Naxos. I think it might be my very favourite cheese or the second favourite! It is popular and common. You will find it mostly in Graviéra cheese pies in pie and bakery shops and in cafes and bars offered with wine. Then in some salads in restaurants. And in markets. Don’t confuse it with the Graviéra of Crete and the Kefalograviéra because those are sheep / goat. Some naxian Graviéras also have like a 20% goat / sheep milk addition maximum but perhaps you won’t have an issue with this because the flavour profile is clearly that of a cow cheese.

San Michele. A cheese exclusively from Syros island, you will find it only there and in upscale urban restaurants of the country. And in large supermarkets.

Metsovóne. A smoked cow cheese produced in the mountain town of Métsovo. You will find it there, elsewhere in certain restaurants and taverns with both hearty traditional and fancy cuisine and in markets.

#greece #cuisine #Greek cuisine #Greek food #food #cheese #travel guide #tourist guide #food etiquette #anon #ask

[sunwarmed-ash]

Spiderverse/MCU Masterlist

(every single one is explicit so I'm only adding additional archive warnings)

🕸Spiderverse🕸

Separation Anxiety (SpideyVenomBrock) He can't do it on command (Petercest-1/2/3) Deja Vu (Parksborn, Peter 2/Peter 3) Angst The New Kid (Parksborn) Graphic depictions of violence Mirror Images Part 1 (Petercest-1/2/3) Mirror Images Part 2 (Peter 2/Peter 3) Mirror Images Part 3 (SpideyDevil & Petercest- 1/2/3/DareDevil) Cat got your tongue? (SpiderCat, Felicia/Peter/MJ established) For your entertainment (Starker, Parksborn) I'm a bad guy (Starker- Tony/Peter) Onyx Vinyl (Starker, Parksborn) Tony Stark: Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist, Daddy (Starker) Underage Peter Parker: Student, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Daddy's boy (Starker) Underage Pandora's Box (Starker) If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint (Parksborn)

🦹🏾‍♂Marvel Cinematic Universe🦹‍♀️

Love born from temperance and trust (Gammafrost, Bruce x Loki) Rape/non con, GDofViolence Help me (Stony, Science Bros) DubCon It was an accident! (Stony) Lend a hand, would ya? (Stony) Merry Christmas my sun (Thorki) There's no place I could be, but here in your arms (Thor/Bruce) Restrain me (Stony) Waltz of the stars (Science bros-TonyxBruce) The heat of the moment (Tony/Bruce) Rape/non con, GDofViolence, underage Home alone; a slice of american pi in bed (Steve/Bruce) Yoga kiss; Green tea american pi (Steve/Bruce) Skinny vanilla dip pi, with a cherry on top (Steve/Bruce) Rape/non con The breaking in of Bruce Banner (Steve/Bruce) Rape/non con

#spiderverse masterlist #mcu masterlist #all peter parkers #parksborn #peter parker #spideydevil #spidercat #spideybrock #spideyvenom #peter 1/peter 2/peter 3 #petercest #peter 2/peter 3 #starker #aged up peter parker #harry osborn x peter parker #harry osborn #peter parker x tony stark #find me on ao3 #ao3 link in bio #sunwarmed ash #i post new stuff every sunday #reblogs are free ways to support me! #sinful sunday #gammafrost #stony #science bros #american pi #thorki #fanfiction #tony stark

[fukanouna]

thinking of you (wish you were here)

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Natasha Romanoff

Rating: G

Word Count: 787

Warnings: Fluff with Angst

A/N: Happy Thanksgiving! Please enjoy some WandaNat angst :)

---

Wanda thought back to her first Thanksgiving after moving into the Avengers Compound.

As a Sokovian, American traditions were still very foreign to her. She understood the holiday sentiment and what the occasion brought to American families, but she felt very out-of-place to be spending it with the people she once fought against, and truthfully, she thought they'd feel the same way towards her.

Yet here Wanda was assisting with meal prep in the kitchen. She and Vision were tasked with cutting the vegetables for the stuffing.

Steve and Sam were arguing about how the turkey should be prepared, the latter insisting they season it the way they do in Louisiana. Rhodey left the compound to grab some pies at a local bakery that he swore on his life made the best pies in the world while Tony would stop by later with Pepper with a wide selection of wine, courtesy of Pepper's friend who owned a vineyard.

And Natasha? She was in charged in making the mashed potatoes.

Temporarily leaving Vision's side to take a break, Wanda curiously peaked over Natasha's shoulder. "Is that cereal?" the brunette asked with a puzzled expression as Natasha sprinkled the cereal over a layer of shredded cheddar cheese that sat atop the garlic herb mashed potatoes.

"That's right. They're plain corn flakes," Natasha responded, her eyes never leaving the dish to ensure every spot was covered. "Gives it a nice, satisfying crunch after you put it in the oven."

"I take it that this strange addition to mashed potatoes was something you learned here and not in Russia."

Natasha chuckled. "Definitely not. The idea actually came from Cooper, Clint's oldest son. He suggested it a few Thanksgiving dinners ago, and I thought, why the hell not? Let me give it a go. The end result was surprisingly delicious, and I've continued to perfect it since."

Wanda had to admit that the presentation alone was pleasing enough. "Your praises have made me more excited to try your mashed potatoes than the actual turkey."

"If you can wait about thirty minutes for this bad boy to be warmed and toasted, your taste buds will be knocked right out of the park," the redhead grinned.

After patiently waiting, the glass serving tray of Natasha's mashed potatoes was taken out of the oven. The spy insisted that Wanda received the first plate, eager to know the witch's thoughts. When Wanda tasted the cheesy buttery goodness of the potatoes and the light crunch of the corn flakes, her eyes widened by the simple blend of flavors and textures, which made Natasha smirk in satisfaction.

"This is too good to only be cooked once a year," Wanda praised. Her eyes shone with a childlike wonderment that Natasha found endearing.

"I'll gladly make these mashed potatoes whenever you want, Maximoff. All you gotta do is ask."

But Wanda never did.

She never got the chance to, not when the world needed the Avengers not too long after.

And now, Natasha was gone.

Forever.

After Tony's funeral, Clint invited her to have Thanksgiving at his home with his family. Wanda refused several times, but when Clint said, "it's what she would have wanted", it was impossible to deny the invitation any longer.

Laura was a sweetheart and welcomed Wanda into her home with loving, open arms. The Barton children were as welcoming and friendly as their parents. Cooper was polite and kind, no longer a boy as he was almost as tall as Clint. Lila was an adorable yet sweet girl. As for Nathaniel, the youngest Barton wasted no time clinging to Wanda, and she had to do her best to keep smiling and not to cry when looking at the small boy whose name was inspired by the two people Wanda loved the most and lost.

What Wanda didn't expect at the table was Cooper setting down a small bowl of cheesy mashed potatoes that were covered with toasty corn flakes in front of her. A wave of nostalgia washed over her.

"This is..." Wanda trailed off, swallowing hard.

"Auntie Nat taught me how to make her famous mashed potatoes once Mom said I was old enough to cook in the kitchen on my own," Cooper explained, fidgeting slightly. "It's definitely not as good as hers but Dad said you really liked Auntie Nat's mashed potatoes so... I hope I did them even a little justice."

Wanda placed a small forkful into her mouth and the familiar taste sent her back in time to a period when she was happy with her Natasha.

A teardrop slid down her cheek, but Wanda gave Cooper the brightest smile she could muster.

"It's perfect, Cooper. Just the way Natasha used to make them."

#wandanat #wanda maximoff #natasha romanov #natasha romanoff #scarletwidow

[digitalnewberry]

Pass the three varieties of squirrel, please: Thanksgiving in 1870

Menu for Thanksgiving Day, Everett House hotel, Chicago, November 24, 1870

While many think of Thanksgiving Day as a timeless American tradition, it did not become the federal holiday celebrated on a late November Thursday until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War. The Newberry's Graff Collection includes the printed menu for the Thanksgiving Day meal served seven years later, on November 24, 1870, at Chicago's Everett House hotel, located at the corner of Clark and Van Buren streets. The details of this nineteenth-century menu may shock a twenty-first-century palate. Some of today's usual suspects are here: roast wild goose and turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed and sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie all appear on the menu. In addition, however, there is an assortment of "side dishes" of roasted or broiled game, including black bear, buffalo, sandhill crane, "oppossum" (sic), nine varieties of duck, and three of squirrel. "Maccaroni" (sic) appears as a dessert option, after the pastry course of pies, cakes, and puddings.

Read the full post by Will Hansen, Vice President for Collections and Library Services and Curator of Americana

View this item or more items from the Everett D. Graff Collection of U.S. Western Expansion at Newberry Digital Collections

#newberry library #libraries #special collections #archives #chicago #thanksgiving #collection stories

[happiness-of-the-pursuit]

9 favorite books

Thanks for the tag @daisymae-12!!! Much like you I have read more fanfic than books as of recent, plus I have the very bad fun habit of re-reading books I love rather than starting new ones. So a lot of these I read in middle school/high school but continuously come back to. Apologies in advance for the length. Also, this isn't in ranking order, this is in reverse chronological order of me reading them I've decided.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - pretty obvious, but long story short: I've never seen myself so much in a character before meeting Alex Claremont-Díaz. I held out on reading this book when it was first popular b/c I didn't know what it was about and it was "trendy." When I learned what it was about I was like wait, duh, I'd love that. So that'll teach me.

Tattoos on the Heart: The Powers of Boundless Compassion by Father Greg Boyle - Read this my senior year of college for a class and was literally lying on the couch crying reading some of these stories (I don't cry often from books either). These are stories of a Jesuit priest who runs Homeboy Industries, a gang intervention program in LA.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - I haven't re-read this since my senior year of high school but I absolutely devoured this book, which is saying something because it was summer reading. This author is blowing up for writing Demon Copperhead, which I haven't read yet, but this story about a missionary family who moves to the Belgian Congo in 1959 was impossible to put down.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel - Also read this in high school for class when I was struggling with religion and figuring out my relationship with it. I found a lot of comfort in this book and the beautiful storytelling.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - The second book on this list that made me absolutely SOB when reading (still vividly remember sitting and cyring while reading the chapter at like midnight on a school night alone in a dark kitchen). Beautiful, not sure a book has ever made me feel so much (also loved learning about a different part of the world), don't think I could read it again (but you should absolutely read it once if you're cool with the contents).

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - First up: this author is a huge bigot, full stop, way worse than JKR. So don't read (or if you want to read but don't want to support the author don't buy the book). However, I read this as a middle schooler before knowing his background and it is an all time favorite because of one of its messages: "I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves." Aka this idea about empathy and that to truly understand someone you have to love them - too bad the author missed his own point.

Psion Beta by Jacob Gowans - A favorite dystopian series that's super niche (I think he originally self-published on Amazon before it was common). A plague, super powers, world governments, the Western Hemisphere are the bad guys in an unusual role reversal for books written by Americans, what more could you ask for???

Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart - If you are a nerd and want to feel like a bigger nerd/be proud of that nerdiness this is the series for you. Seriously one of the best YA series out there, plus there's a recent new addition (2019) of them grown up if you missed it!!!

Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan - I love these books so much and could go on forever about them, probably the books I've read the most in life outside of HP (exception being The Lightning Thief-I was a teacher and taught this book so I've read this book like...a minimum of twelve times). I can't wait to bring #1 and #9 from this list together for our massive WIP, "Super Six and the Siren's Call" for the fan fic of the century lmao (co-writing with @read-and-write- and @inexplicablymine).

Wow, I had so much fun choosing this list, thank you!!! If you love one of these books lmk let's talk :)

Tagging @mudbloodpotter05 @read-and-write- @kiwiana-writes @inexplicablymine @14carrotghoul @littlemisskittentoes and anyone else who wants to do this!!! I'm sure some/most of y'all have already been tagged and maybe even posted, I just want to know what y'all are reading :)

#red white and royal blue #tattoos on the heart #life of pi #the kite runner #ender's game #psion beta #mysterious benedict society #percy jackson #heroes of olympus #favorite books #tag game

[icestarphoenix]

Michigan and/or Tennessee headcanons please

Tennessee will be worked on after Michigan :D

Michigan Headcanons

Michigan’s State Spirit is blue snow or ice. When he’s in more of a Yooper mood, it becomes snow. When he feels more like a flatlander, it becomes ice. [#3391E4]

Blue is for water and the lakes as well as red vs. blue contrast with Ohio.

The snow and ice relates to freshwater ponds and lakes and the wintery vibe of being a northern Midwest state, the Mitten State, and the Water-Winter Wonderland.

Snow is for the upper peninsula because I thought of snow capped mountains, ice is for the lower peninsula because I thought of ponds and lakes frozen over (flat hehe)

The form having two distinct states relates to how Michigan’s shape has two distinct peninsulas that split it into two landmasses.

Ohio spitefully interprets his Spirit as proof that Michigan is a coldhearted and hostile [technical glitch].

Michigan’s fake human name is Michael Ford.

Ford is from the river crossing meaning the word and name has as well as a nod to the Ford Motor Company that was founded in Michigan.

He has been called Misha before to cover slip-ups, and this seems to be the only name of his that Alaska can remember, even more than his real state name.

He likes working on cars. As such, his clothes often smell of grease and oil. In addition, he also likes building model car sets and has a collection of his finished ones.

Detroit is also the Motor City for being the center of the American automobile industry.

Has a sweet tooth and loves chocolate fudge and cherry pie. A proud fudgie, he always comes back to the Statehouse with a big ol’ batch that he’s willing to share with anyone except for Ohio.

Mackinac Island is the fudge capital of the world. Ten thousand pounds of fudge can be made daily during tourism season.

Michigan is the top producer of tart cherries in the country as its climate is one of the best for growing them. Traverse City is considered the cherry capital of the world with its own week-long National Cherry festival. Tart cherries are more suitable for pies than sweet cherries.

Quite proud of having the University of Michigan being the Harvard of the West (before Stanford) and often holds this title over Ohio and his Ohio State.

The University of Michigan had been called the Harvard of the West so much that JFK jokingly referred to himself during a presidential campaign speech as being “a graduate of the Michigan of the East, Harvard University.”

California often holds their tongue whenever Michigan refers to it as they see Stanford as the Harvard of the West. Michigan hasn’t been that mean to them yet and they don’t want to give him a reason to.

#replies! #welcome to the table #welcome to the statehouse #ben brainard #wttt #wttsh #wttt michigan #headcanons #dont worry i havent forgotten about you #just been struggling to get creativity flowing where i want it to

[foreficfandom]

Tears Of Themis Headcanons - Chinese Culture

Never forget, western audiences ... the boys are irrevocably Chinese!

Luke Pearce, 夏彦 (Xià Yàn)

His go-to foods include burgers and fries, but Chinese burger chains offer different fares than classic Americana. McDonald’s has a double-sausage in-between two burger buns, KFC has multiple curry rice dishes, pizza chains offer corn, country ham, and peas as toppings, etc. Breakfast menu items are congee and fried doughs, not egg and bacon croissants. You can get boba tea, sweet red bean soup, and taro pies. His favorites are the meat-heavy, double patty, triple sausage items.

It’s becoming trendier in China to join fancy gyms and work out for the sake of working out, wearing luxury brand compression suits and sport watches. Luke, on the other hand, is a government secret agent, so other muscleheads look down on him for using equipment that’s not top-of-the-line, god forbid his ratty old shorts and shirt.

Alcohol allergies are common amongst Asian people. Luke is the only one out of the three ethnically Chinese boys to NOT have an intolerance to booze. He loves a good beer on tap, which can be hard to find in a city that likely prioritizes bottles. It’s not like the American Midwest where 1-3 bars have proper kegs.

China’s gun laws are pretty strict. The vast majority of civilians will never touch a gun. Even those authorized the use of firearms, like Luke, cannot keep their guns and are only allowed use during specific scenarios.

Like many city folk in China, he appreciates the finer details of a good coffee. And like many of them, he doesn’t drink it regularly every morning like Westerners do. It’s more analogous to an ‘afternoon tea’ occasion, or to pair with dessert.

China’s government isn’t some villainous underground dictatorship like Westerners have been brainwashed into thinking. It’s actually pretty one-to-one with America’s police state. Luke being a secret government agent would be like if he was part of the FBI, or CIA. With all the iffiness it implies.

Artem Wing, 左然 (Zuǒ Rán)

Much of China can speak multiple dialects, like Cantonese, Mandarin, varieties of Hokkien. Artem’s main dialect is Mandarin, but he grew up also knowing Cantonese and Min Chinese, which is what his mother grew up speaking. This is on top of him knowing German (and presumably English, going by his education)

So from his mother’s side, he’s ethnically Hoklo - a sub-ethnicity of the Han. Those living in the metropolises sometimes don’t speak the older Hokkiens, but instead the more urbanized Min.

If Stellis isn’t based off of Macau or Hong Kong (and I seriously doubt it is), then Artem is working under the typical Judicial System Of China; it’s pretty similar to America’s, there’s the three branches of law and cases go through different courts of type and severity. Biggest difference is that there’s no jury, but instead the people’s assessors which act as additional judges on a panel.

His favorite sci-fi classics are The War Of The Worlds and Ringworld. The more fantastic and science-based, the better. Sci-fi lites like Logan’s Run or 1984 isn’t as eye-catching. He’s even read trashy ones like the Halo novels. When he reads, he always does so in its original English. He buys both Mandarin and English translations of his favorite books.

I feel like Artem represents the Asian ‘born to work’ mentality that a lot of people grew up with. You study hard ‘cause you have to, find a good job ‘cause you have to, and after that .... who are you really? You have to essentially find yourself and what you actually enjoy in life. Many Asian people start doubting this life around Artem’s age.

Everyone knows Artem can cook. But he’s not defaulting to chicken noodle soup or lasagna like many players write him doing, he’s making savory pea jelly, fried rice noodles, and wrapping his own xiao long baos with super thin homemade wraps that never pop in the broth. Of course he knows how to make beef stroganoff or whatever, but it’s not his specialty.

The people of China are more willing to get into other people’s business if they see something they think is not right. Not like America or the UK, where strangers will largely just duck their heads and walk right past. So Artem has, more than once, stepped into some escalating argument on the street to speak his piece as a Proper Lawyer. Once, it was when a mom was threatening to beat her son’s ass. Another time, it was when some guys were planning on scamming a visiting foreigner.

Marius von Hagen, 陆景和 (Lù Jǐnghé)

It’s kinda gross, but he’s got the patented Thick Earwax Gene that some Asians have. He literally has to regularly dig ‘em out using small wooden scoops, or it’ll impact his hearing. He dreams of one day lying atop his love’s lap as they clean his ears for him, which is one of the weirder Asian traditions, but no one can deny it feels great.

Even today, some Chinese people look down on those who wear China brands of clothing, rather than foreign imports. Marius actually gains a bit of infamy for having some China-born brands in his closet. He’s not making a statement, he literally just buys stuff he thinks is cute, and sometimes it’s from an ANNAKIKI boutique, fuck the haters.

At 188cm (6′1 ft), he towers above the average crowd. Other men are jealous, women find it especially attractive, but he considers it more of a hindrance. His legs suffer greatly in any car that’s not, like, a BMW or something, and none of the college lecture furniture offer any sort of wiggle room for his long limbs. He’s lucky he’s rich, ‘cause very little ready-made clothing is fit for his build.

It’s relatively common for Chinese men to wear makeup like foundation, powders, and light lip tints, but not even the women tend to go for the wilder, colorful eyeshadows and glosses. Whenever Marius puts on his purple liner, every gossip rag in the country gushes over his ‘innovative’ look. Every time. Not like it’s innovative anymore, after the 40th time he’s put on bold colors.

Calling an unknown girl ‘jie-jie’ is flirting with her. ‘Missy’ isn’t the proper contextual translation, it’d be more like ‘sweetheart’, something that can be pretty condescending.

Unlike tattoos, piercings are more frowned upon in old Confucius tradition. So Marius having an entire lineup of conches and helixes was more scandal-worthy than his little ankle tat. His liberal dad doesn’t care, but some of his PR keep telling him to leave off the rook studs, at least.

Vyn Richter, 莫弈 (Mò Yì)

The only foreigner - and white guy - out of the four. I headcanon Svart being based off of Lithuania, so Vyn grew up speaking Lithuanian, Russian, Ukrainian, English, and Polish (wow!). He took Mandarin throughout his education, and he further refined his fluency as a citizen of China Stellis. No one ever mentions that he has an accent, and none of his voice actors ever fake a shitty European lilt, so his Mandarin is completely natural sounding.

But he only knows Mandarin. Even Luke can read some Cantonese. He’s got enough languages bouncing around his noggin, and it was hard enough trying to grasp Mandarin in a medical/academic setting.

Speaking of being a white guy, it was weird in the beginning to live in a country that actually doesn’t cater to his hair texture, or peach skin tone, or high bridged nose. Many luxury brands don’t stock a diverse range of goods like mid-range boutique names do, so it takes him a while to track down a salon quality shampoo that doesn’t sap his scalp of all moisture.

The English translation of the game seems to flip-flop between Vyn’s job as either a psychologist, or psychiatrist. None of the other translations do. To be clear; a psychologist is like a therapist with a doctorate. A psychiatrist’s only job is to prescribe meds and not therapy. Since Vyn is only seen doing the latter and never the former, it’s pretty clear that he’s a psychologist.

Going by the CN voice actors, Stellis is likely located in Southern China, which makes the botanist in Vyn very happy because of how temperate the weather is. Winters get snow, but no frost. Summers are humid. This kind of weather can support a huge variety of flora, so Vyn goes ham on his garden.

White people don’t necessarily stick out in the bigger metropolises of China, but white people with platinum blond hair and super light eyes will turn heads everywhere except in, like, Scandinavia, probably. He grew up under the scrutinizing public eye, so he’s used to it. What really gave him pause was when some old conservative grandpa insisted he dye his hair black.

#tears of themis #mihoyo #luke pearce #artem wing #marius von hagen #vyn richter #tot headcanons #tot imagines

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

SUPERHERO CHOOSINESS

It’s strongly being suggested that the superhero movie bubble is bursting…

There’s the more mixed critical reception of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s remarkably stuffed but hasty Phase Four, and then there’s the equally fast Phases Five and Six… whose ending feature AVENGERS: SECRET WARS is still set to open in the summer of 2026… Meaning that this Multiverse Saga only will last five years, compared to the eleven year span from IRON MAN to SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME… Like, wow!

And not only are there a lot of movies, but there were plenty of shows. So many from 2021-2022 alone: WANDAVISION, THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER, LOKI Season One, WHAT IF…? Season One, HAWKEYE, MOON KNIGHT, MS. MARVEL, and SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW. In addition to those, you had the “Special Presentation” featurettes WEREWOLF BY NIGHT and the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY HOLIDAY SPECIAL.

For me, it was starting to become homework to keep up with what was going on. And this is coming from someone who has seen all but two Marvel Cinematic Universe movies in a theater. The two that I missed were THE INCREDIBLE HULK, and BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER.

Then of course you have the DC movie-verse, which is being hard-reset in a few years under the new leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran. Prior to that, it was an always-changing mess of visions and intentions. Faithfuls kept up with the series, some left afterwards because of these changes, general audiences seemed to stick around for most of the movies. It’s a clustercuss of its own, and further discussing that will likely get me into hot waters… But what happened with The Rock and his apparent strong-arming of the DC movie-verse with his BLACK ADAM project and plans really shows just what kind of directionless mess the whole thing was for ten years…

So we’re now left with a few movies that were locked and ready to go before the Gunn/Safran take-over, the first of which, SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS… Opened with roughly $30m. A pretty blah take, and well below the $53m take the first SHAZAM! took in back in 2019. It’s been said before, but the whole “these won’t matter in the long run” attitude has probably deflated attendance… But many other things do as well… People being choosier with movies, ticket and concession prices being absurdly high… A statistic in 2014 stated that the average American family hits the flicks four times a year. I believe it. I’ve been working at a movie theater since August of 2015, and I see what I charge my customers… Both movies and for snacks… Yeah, I do not wonder why… Especially in the pandemic era, that people are choosier with movies. I feel we see the same thing with animated movies as well. Those are also usually four-quadrant family titles... And then around the corner, them being on streaming. Be it Disney+ for an MCU movie, or HBO Max for a DCU movie.

A month earlier, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA opened pretty great with $106m. That was way above ANT-MAN AND THE WASP’s mid-70s opening weekend haul, and an overall fine opening for an MCU movie... but the legs? Abysmal so far. It looks to barely score a 2x multiplier, which is pretty bad… It might be the first MCU movie to completely miss that. I don't even know if I'll make time for it, myself. (I've missed a lot of movies in theaters lately because of other lifestuff going on at the moment.)

What does this all tell me?

Is it truly superhero movie fatigue? Are audiences catching on to the perceived problems of these big budget shared universe movies?

Here’s what I think is happening…

Choosiness...

I, in true form, am going to relate this to animated movies… And I mean “animated movies”, because let’s face it… There’s lots of animation in your average MCU or DCU movie. QUANTUMANIA, from the looks of it, is an animated movie with some real people in it. Much like GRAVITY, AVATAR and its sequel, Jon Favreau’s THE JUNGLE BOOK, LIFE OF PI, etc. etc.

Once upon a time... $100m at the domestic box office was a magic number for an animated feature film. And I mean a $100m gross on the film's first ever theatrical release, not $100m via the original release and added theatrical re-issue totals (like classic pre-Renaissance Disney films, like SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS and 101 DALMATIANS)...

Only Disney scored $100m domestic totals for their animated movies. Hybrid WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT, released through Disney's Touchstone banner, broke the barrier first and grossed $156m in the summer of 1988. Then, an all-animated movie broke the barrier nearly four years later in early 1992... That was Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, which got to its high total through strong word-of-mouth and legs throughout the holiday and post-holiday season. It was slow to start in November 1991, because back then... Theater-to-video release windows were longer. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was released in American movie theaters in November 1991, and the videocassette and LaserDisc release wouldn't be until... October 1992!

So, an unreachable number for everyone else. Don Bluth, former Disney animator and hot competitor, seemingly peaked with AN AMERICAN TAIL and THE LAND BEFORE TIME, both of which collected in the upper-40s at the domestic box office. His last box office hurrah, the 20th Century Fox-released ANASTASIA (now owned by Disney), grossed $57m by the end of its run in early 1998. Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes hybrid movie SPACE JAM came very close with $90m, two years prior. BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD DO AMERICA put up a decent fight, with over $60m in 1996/97. That was a record high for a TV-to-movie animated adaptation back then, beating out A GOOFY MOVIE, JETSON: THE MOVIE, DUCKTALES - THE MOVIE: TREASURE OF THE LOST LAMP, and plenty of others.

In fact, Disney *themselves* missed $100m on occasion. HERCULES, made up at Feature Animation, the mainline studio, just missed it with a $99m domestic gross in 1997/98. The Disney MovieToons GOOF TROOP movie, A GOOFY MOVIE, made less than $40m stateside. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS made an impressive $50m back in the day, and became a massive cult classic through video and TV. Hybrid JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, which was also a Henry Selick-Tim Burton Skellington Productions joint, missed $30m.

Then there was a little movie called TOY STORY... The first-ever all-digital animated feature film.

By the end of its theatrical run in early 1996, TOY STORY grossed $191m domestically... No doubt helped by being a Disney release and being the first of its kind, and a genuinely really good movie that audiences loved. So in a way, the only movies to make $100m domestically *before* TOY STORY were Disney Feature Animation movies (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN, THE LION KING, and POCAHONTAS), and a hybrid movie made by Amblin and Richard Williams Animation but released by Disney...

So Disney still had $100m under lock and key, and TOY STORY was their first non-Feature Animation endeavor since ROGER RABBIT to get it...

Believe it or not, the first-ever animated movie that was a NOT a Disney release, to score $100m domestically... Was... THE RUGRATS MOVIE. No doubt getting there off of the show's sheer popularity at the time. Despite first airing on Nickelodeon in 1991, some seven years earlier, RUGRATS seemed to be at the peak of its popularity in the late 1990s, after the show was renewed for more seasons following highly successful re-runs and the few specials that Nick and studio Klasky-Csupo did after the show's early seasons. I was there. I was 6 when THE RUGRATS MOVIE came out, and I felt the hype. Everybody I knew back then watched and liked the show, I watched it frequently with my sister back in the day. RUGRATS was one of those cartoons that everyone knew and everyone watched. Almost as ubiquitous as THE SIMPSONS, I'd argue. Paramount released THE RUGRATS MOVIE, and it broke that barrier, in addition to being the highest grossing TV-to-movie adaptation animated movie... By a country kilometer.

THE RUGRATS MOVIE came out in November 1998, just one month before DreamWorks rolled out THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, the second animated movie to cross $100m domestically... Two months prior... ANTZ came out, and grossed an impressive $90m. Pixar's sophomore feature A BUG'S LIFE opened, infamously, amidst this four-movie fall shakedown, and won the race with $163m.

So two not-Disneys made $100m domestically, and two not-Disney Feature Animation movies made $100m domestically... This was a turning point in theatrical feature animation, and it would come to benefit - for a brief while - all CGI animated movies.

We'll focus on those now...

1999 saw the release of Pixar's TOY STORY 2, which broke $245m. That was above every Disney animated movie *except* THE LION KING. Wow!

In 2000, Disney released their hybrid live-action/CG feature DINOSAUR, which has been counted as a Walt Disney Animation Studios canon movie since 2008... While that movie didn't make enough money to justify a sequel or to keep the collaboration studio behind it (The Secret Lab) alive, it still broke $100m domestically.

2001... DreamWorks' SHREK and Pixar's MONSTERS, INC. break past $250m domestically. Paramount/Nickelodeon's pilot movie JIMMY NEUTRON: BOY GENIUS takes in a respectable $80m. 2002... Newcomer Blue Sky's ICE AGE makes over $175m domestically. By this point in time, several hand-drawn animated movies... From all the studios: Disney, DreamWorks, 20th Century Fox, Columbia, etc. Largely losing money theatrically, with few exceptions in between. Many of them are missing the titan $100m threshold. For context, only Disney Feature's LILO & STITCH broke that barrier in mid-2002. CGI movies seemed foolproof. Guaranteed blockbusters...

2003 brought Pixar's FINDING NEMO, which became the highest grossing animated movie of all-time, unseating THE LION KING... Then SHREK 2 came out the year after, made that record look like nothing, becoming the first animated movie to break **$400m** domestically. In addition to SHREK 2, 2004 saw the release of DreamWorks' other CG hit SHARK TALE ($160m+), Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES ($260m+), and Warner Bros.' motion-capture pic THE POLAR EXPRESS ($160m+). In 2005, DreamWorks' MADAGASCAR came super-close to $200m, Blue Sky's ROBOTS cleared $120m...

So, unstoppable, right?

The one exception seemed to be the 2001 release FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN, a mocap feature based on the game series of the same name. That one puttered out at $32m domestically, and fell well below its hefty budget with all the worldwide take factored in... But this seemed like an anomaly more so than anything. You also had a few super-limited releases of foreign CG films, like KAENA: THE PROPHECY, which was a French film.

2005 was when it all seemed to be up... VALIANT, a British animated movie distributed stateside by Disney, performed quite badly... Despite it being a CGI movie and touting "producer of SHREK" cred. Disney Feature's first all-CG feature, CHICKEN LITTLE, managed to make more than $100m domestically, but its worldwide total didn't measure up to the budget. HOODWINKED!, an independent venture that only cost $8m to make, was released by The Weinstein Co. at the end of 2005. It made less than $60m domestically.

Then... 2006 happened...

The features that crossed $200m domestically: Pixar's CARS, and only CARS. ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN and Warner Bros.' HAPPT FEET came very close. ICE AGE 2 won the race worldwide.

The features that crossed $100m domestically: DreamWorks' OVER THE HEDGE.

Everything else... Missed $100m. Some movies got by on being lower budget, like Sony Animation's debut picture OPEN SEASON, and the Nickelodeon TV show launcher BARNYARD. But some of the big flops included DreamWorks/Aardman's FLUSHED AWAY, the Disney-released Canadian feature THE WILD, and Warner Bros.' THE ANT BULLY. CGI and celebrity casts and talky scripts couldn't save them. Then you had movies that just did abysmally, like Fox's EVERYONE'S HERO, and DOOGAL: the Weinsteinized version of THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT.

For a little while, computer animated movies were a novelty for audiences. No one had seen anything like TOY STORY when it first came out in Thanksgiving 1995. Like, this wasn't an episode of REBOOT or a glossy production company ident... This was over 70 minutes of fully animated 3D characters in convincing 3D environments, that stayed watchable the whole time, and on top of that... It was really well-written! Lots of people tend to make remarks about TOY STORY's more, dated, visual qualities... But it remains a classic because of the passion that went into it. And despite some of the aspects that didn't age well, it still *looks* appealing and watchable. Woody and Buzz and the rest of the gang have pretty much kept the same designs over the sequels and shorts/specials, only the human characters have seen slight design changes that matched the much-better rendering over time. (It's already a big difference with Andy and his mum from TOY STORY 1 to 2.)

But enough about that. My point is, audiences ate CGI up circa 1995-2005. Big time. It was the future, it was the **way** to make animated movies. Even with CG incorporated into them, hand-drawn movies failed to keep up. Whether the movies did actually appeal to audiences (TARZAN, LILO & STITCH) or not (TITAN A.E., TREASURE PLANET)... It just wasn't enough. $171m from TARZAN just didn't compare to, say, SHREK's $267m haul. When even your best isn't enough...

Capitalism, ya know?

But soon, audiences began choosing what computer-animated family movies they'd go to see, not seeing all of them each and every calendar year. In 2007, for every RATATOUILLE, there was a HAPPILY N'EVER AFTER. Even a good film like SURF'S UP that year had trouble. Release that movie in 2002, it would've made **bank**... In 2007, it had a hard time appealing to audiences. Let's apply this to 2008 as well. WALL-E and KUNG FU PANDA do great, THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX - a book adaptation - makes $50m and fails to double its budget. So every year, there are the family-friendly CGI movies that do pretty great! And then the ones that lose money.

And eventually, it caught to everybody. Even the heavies.

Pixar saw their first money-loser in 2015 with THE GOOD DINOSAUR, breaking an astounding 15-film hit streak.

Disney Feature Animation's CHICKEN LITTLE did so-so, MEET THE ROBINSONS two years later outright lost money. BOLT did so-so as well. They wouldn't have a genuine CGI flop until STRANGE WORLD, because we gotta mulligan RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON and ENCANTO. Ya know, COVID and release strategies and such.

DreamWorks suffered badly in the mid-2010s, with money-losers like RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, TURBO, and MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN... It was to the point where it seemed like the lights would go out.

Blue Sky's final film, SPIES IN DISGUISE, lost money. After a streak of successes (the ICE AGE sequels) and respectable hits (FERDINAND). That likely played a big part in its shuttering, after Disney had bought 21st Century Fox's film and TV assets.

Sony Pictures Animation had some financial losses, too. The aforementioned SURF'S UP was one such flop, and there was also their Aardman collaboration ARTHUR CHRISTMAS.

So much, like a good hand-drawn animated movie, a competently-made CG film wasn't gonna cut it every single time... Even from a big studio. That's why many of those studios got smart with budgets... Especially Sony Animation and DreamWorks.

Now... Superhero movies...

Superhero movies have been around for a while. Serials, yes, all the way back to the Golden Age of Hollywood. Max Fleischer's SUPERMAN cartoons from 1941-42, every modern superhero movie owes it to those in particular. Long-form superhero movies, I believe, really got their start with the 1978 SUPERMAN movie... But you'd get a big superhero movie every once in a while, or a comic book action hero movie if you will. In the 1980s, you had SUPERMAN II - starting off the decade, and then Tim Burton's BATMAN ending the decade with a blockbuster gross. A big phenomenon. What else was in-between? Well, there was Lucasfilm's infamous adaptation of Marvel's HOWARD THE DUCK that tanked hard. You did see a brief boom in this kind of movie in the 1990s because of BATMAN '89, but plenty of those movies actually went belly-up. DC adaptation STEEL did poorly, movies like THE PHANTOM didn't make much of a mark, but you did have the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES movie doing quite well, ditto BATMAN RETURNS and BATMAN FOREVER. BATMAN & ROBIN's not-so-great performance in 1997 put the Caped Crusader's theatrical future in limbo. SUPERMAN puttered out back in 1987 with a badly-received fourth movie. So, this was a bit of a false start, if you will? Batman, Ninja Turtles, maybe something else that did okay-ish at best... That was about it, circa 1999.

Then along came BLADE in 1998, which would be the first Marvel movie to do pretty well. HOWARD THE DUCK bombed back in 1986, and the 1989 PUNISHER and 1990 CAPAIN AMERICA went straight to video in the states.

Then, X-MEN came out in 2000, that did even better.

Then, SPIDER-MAN came out in 2002, made a **gargantuan** amount of money...

After the release of X-MEN and SPIDER-MAN, both Marvel adaptations, you saw **some** action going on. More Marvel movies came along. HULK, an ambitious film from Ang Lee, opened big in summer 2003 but had trouble staying afloat. FANTASTIC FOUR did okay in 2005 despite poor reception. GHOST RIDER did okay in 2007. SPIDER-MAN 2 and SPIDER-MAN 3 made biiiig money, and there was also a FANTASTIC FOUR sequel that also did okay. The next Batman-inspired DC movie, CATWOMAN, came about in 2004 and bombed quite badly. The year after CATWOMAN came BATMAN BEGINS, Christopher Nolan's then-bold new take on the Caped Crusader *and* the superhero movie in general. It did pretty well, a sleeper hit that relied on strong word-of-mouth. Then in 2006, a year later, you had an attempt to reboot SUPERMAN with SUPERMAN RETURNS. While it made money, it wasn't enough to cover its then-titanic budget, so it seemed like a non-starter. The other DC adaptation released amidst this was CONSTANTINE, whch did pretty well (and is finally getting a sequel after all these years). Funnily enough, amidst these Marvel and DC movies, you had Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES... A then *rare* animated superhero movie, and it did great business. There was also HELLBOY, too. Non-Marvels and non-DCs had their time to do pretty okay, too. So, superheroes had a healthier time in the early-to-mid 2000s...

But where it really all took off was in 2008...

IRON MAN started the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a BANG! in May of that year, and BATMAN BEGINS sequel THE DARK KNIGHT - no doubt accelerated by the tragic passing of Heath Ledger, who gave his iconic performance as The Joker - was **massive**. It was the first movie since TITANIC to clear $500m at the domestic box office, and make the then-magic $1b worldwide... Only TITANIC, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST made that amount of money... Nowadays, it seems like there's one billion-dollar smash every year, excepting 2020 of course... Back in 2008, though? Magic number. Very few movies did **that** well...

And from there... Lots of hits. The MCU had barely a stumble, and their highest highs at the box office went very high. They had no trouble getting audiences to come out in big numbers for... Checks notes... Movies based on THOR, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, and ANT-MAN. Warner Bros. had tried very hard to keep a consistently successful DC movie-verse going, but despite the valleys (JUSTICE LEAGUE, BIRDS OF PREY), they too saw some big peaks: WONDER WOMAN and AQUAMAN. BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE and SUICIDE SQUAD made a lot of money, too, despite not meeting particular expectations. Animated superheroes brought home bacon, too! BIG HERO 6, INCREDIBLES 2, SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, need I say more? Sony's own Spider-Man villain movies VENOM and its sequel did very well, too! Almost everybody was winning the superhero sweepstakes post-2008, with very few actual losers in-between.

But now... Well, with so many of them around, and both cinematic universes from the heavies... Again, Marvel and DC. Known commodities... We don't see any movie-verse for, say, Image Comics, no do we? Well, again, money is tight, theater visits are costly, and the movies aren't always delivering satisfying experiences when other endeavors are next door...

Last year, we saw TOP GUN: MAVERICK, a legacy sequel to a 1986 blockbuster that isn't a superhero movie in any way, mop the floor - domestically and even worldwide - with both Marvel and DC's most anticipated movies. AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER was in second place domestically, top dog worldwide. We're starting to see other movies have a say again, and smaller movies are having their fun again, too. ELVIS and NOPE did very well, as did BULLET TRAIN and THE LOST CITY. Bread-n-butter movies that used to fill up the yearly box office charts quite nicely. We see that nowadays in the form of things like WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, THE BLACK PHONE, THE WOMAN KING, TICKET TO PARADISE, BARBARIAN, SMILE, VIOLENT NIGHT, A MAN CALLED OTTO, M3GAN, CREED III, etc.

So... With QUANTUMANIA and SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS past us... Here's what I think... Much like in 2006, where some computer animated family movies did great and others not-so-much... That'll happen with this year's crop of superhero movies.

I think the guaranteed hits are GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 and SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE. The former? Well, those two movies functioned well as a standalone story not connected to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like you had some things here and there, like an Infinity Stone or the presence of Thanos, but they're both self-contained, VOL 2 even more-so. They're genuinely good space adventure movies that audiences actually quite dig, the characters are so likeable, and the movies have director James Gunn's authorship all over them. That's a night and day difference from many of the other MCUs... SPIDER-VERSE... Need I say more? The original is beloved, it was a passion project for everyone involved. It was not just a great Marvel or great superhero movie, it was a great movie, period. Rian Johnson himself described it as "The Velvet Underground of superhero movies." That is *high praise*.

Those are both poised, I feel, to make beaucoup bucks.

Everything else? Well... The DC movies coming out this year are much like FURY OF THE GODS. They don't really matter, because the hard reset is coming up with SUPERMAN: LEGACY two years from now. I suppose THE FLASH could do well because of Michael Keaton **and** Ben Affleck's Batman returning, in a sort of NO WAY HOME-esque manner. I don't think much of the general public is in tune with star Ezra Miller's controversies and wrongdoing, so I think this one's appeal hinges on whether fans/audiences see it as pointless or not. I think the novelty of both Batmen being back, alongside some other DC faces (such as Michael Shannon's go at General Zod from MAN OF STEEL), could help it a bit. BLUE BEETLE? I couldn't tell ya, it'll probably come and go. AQUAMAN made over a billion back in 2018/19, and is the highest-earning DC film ever... But will fans and audiences be back for, again, a movie that seems pointless in the long run? Also at the end of the year comes the MCU film THE MARVELS, the sequel to CAPTAIN MARVEL and also a follow-up to the MS. MARVEL TV series... Plus you have Monica Rambeau in it as well, who - as an adult - was a major character in WANDAVISION. That all could help it, but I'm starting to think it falls quite short of CAPTAIN MARVEL's impressive take in 2019. CAPTAIN MARVEL had the benefit of opening right before AVENGERS: ENDGAME, the penultimate episode to the big climactic event... THE MARVELS is just, well, the sequel... With two other faces. I think it'll do pretty well, but not excellently. Disney and Marvel Studios were smart to delay the film from July to November after the CEO-switcheroo with Bob Iger this past autumn. I can only hope they delay all of the other movies, too. Like, two a year is fine, guys. AVENGERS: THE KANG DYNASTY and AVENGERS: SECRET WARS can wait. They don't need to come out in 2-3 years from now, in addition to like 10 other movies and 10-20 other Disney+ shows...

And next year, I think, will show as well where this is all going... Like, I don't see the likes of CAPTAIN AMERICA 4, THUNDERBOLTS, DEADPOOL 3, and BLADE hogging up the top slots anymore. I forgot to point out that these movies seem a lot more frontloaded. Big fans and those who were always going to be there *will* be there on opening weekend, but it collapses after that, as OTHER audiences save their money for other things that they'd rather see... Maybe the JOKER sequel, not really a superhero movie but still based on a DC villain that's tied to one of their most well-known superheroes, could repeat the massive surprise success of the original. Maybe not. BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE should do pretty great... I think other biggies are what's gonna surprise this year and next year, and take the Top 3 slots... A new INDIANA JONES movie, a MARIO movie, a two-part MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE epic, AVATAR 3, maybe even something like GLADIATOR 2. 2025 is when the DC hard-reset comes, so it'll be interesting to see how SUPERMAN: LEGACY does, in addition to whatever Marvel movies end up coming out that year. KANG DYNASTY or no KANG DYNASTY...

If anything, the budgeting should be smarter from here on out. Then these movies can come and go, make adequate amounts of money, give *other* kinds of movies the Top 3-5 for once, and then the wheels will spin. Something new will come along and spam up the top slots, even. Maybe we're in for an area of legacy-quels following TOP GUN 2's massive success. I really do think INDY 5 has the chance to somewhat repeat that, and GLADIATOR 2 even. How long till, say, another sequel to a beloved '80s or '90s movie drops? And then too many of those happen and they get tiresome?

All a cycle in Hollywood...

But yeah, I do see the parallels between superhero movies now and CG animated family movies circa 2006...

#box office #superheroes #marvel #dc #comic book movies #animation #animated movies #opinions

[usafphantom2]

RAF fighter pilots test dogfight skills in Poland

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 10/24/2023 - 14:00 in Military

The pilots of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoons jets have been testing their air combat skills, completing air-to-air training with and against Polish F-16 and Italian F-35 fighters.

Based in Poznan, Poland, the two-week detachment codenamed Operation Carson involved joint training with the Polish, American, Spanish and Italian Air Forces, conducting several air combat exercises throughout Poland and Lithuania.

Typhoon pilots of Squadron 2 (Army Cooperation), usually based on the Lossiemouth RAF, completed training series of Dissimilar Combat Air Training, informally known as 'dogfighting', and Basic Hunting Maneuvers with Polish F-16 and Italian F-35 fighters to improve skills and compare tactics with NATO allies.

The Typhoons also operated with U.S. and UK Joint Terminal Air Controllers who, from the ground, directed the combat action when the jets provided close air support to ground troops.

“During Op Carson, the RAF crew was able to promote important relationships and build a greater understanding of how the other Air Forces employ their resources, while exploring the challenges and opportunities of Employment in Agile Combat. Although most fighter pilots are trained in the same way, the opportunities to learn from each other are invaluable,” said Flight Lieutenant Lyle, an RAF pilot.

Agile Combat Employment or ACE is the concept of overcoming an opponent by being flexible, in constant movement and able to maintain operations with minimal support.

In addition to training in the Polish skies, the RAF Typhoons met with the Spanish Typhoons in Lithuanian airspace, operating with NATO surveillance systems, to perform close positioning maneuvers. The Spanish Air Force is currently conducting the Baltic Air Policing, a NATO operation that the United Kingdom delivered to them in August of this year.

“This partnership-building effort increases interoperability between the Polish F-16s and the British Typhoons and the training allows both sides to engage in realistic practices in the demanding air domain. The base is pleased to welcome friends from the United Kingdom to allow this highly beneficial training with us and other NATO countries. Together we are stronger," said Colonel Pi? tek, Commander of the 31ª Polish Tactical Air Base.

Tags: Military AviationEurofighter TyphoonNATO - North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationPAF - Polish Air Force / Polish Air ForceRAF - Royal Air Force/Royal Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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