#I based her off the last few decades of the 1900s!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chirpsythismorning · 2 years

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Penholdergate is pretty much bones at this point, but I'm bored so

Now, I'm not saying that cryptic game the ST writers had going on was actually at all related to the pen of possibility from Anne with an E.

Initially, I thought it was weird they put this emphasis on it being a penholder. Like yes, you can put pens in it, and it can be referred to as such, but idk. I've just never heard it actually be called that, especially when it's surrounded by expo markers on a whiteboard? But anyways, whatever.

Could it all be a joke? Yes. Could it be hinting at something we have to look at deeper in order to figure out? Perhaps.

But, because I literally couldn't think of anything, my brain went straight to the pen of possibility and that took me on a whole different trip.

When promoting season 3 of Anne with an E, Amybeth hinted at the pen of possibility playing a significant role, even sneaking the pen emoji in a q&a, which she posted a week before the final episode aired.

Basically this whole penholder fiasco reminded me of AWAE in general, which makes this the perfect opportunity for me to ramble about how it could end up being one of many inspirations for ST5.

Them casting Amybeth and the Duffer's making a point to say they were big fans of AWAE means it's on their radar at the very least.

I’m also fairly certain they've watched it after recently finding out that, the first time Vickie was mentioned in ST4, during the boobies scene with Robin and Steve, the song Object of My Desire plays.

I kid you not, when Amybeth was announced for the role, I made a playlist of songs I hoped could potentially play during a Vickie scene (because they were released on or close to 1986). And Object of My Desire was one song in particular that I thought would be a cool easter egg/homage to AWAE, since the title matches fairly on point with Gilbert's letter to Anne in the last episode of the series.

If you haven't watched AWAE, I highly recommend it. It's surprisingly very queer and just beautiful all around. There's a lot of care put into all the storylines, both romantic, platonic and familial. I can see why the Duffer's would be fans because AWAE very much follows similar rules of storytelling as ST.

If you also aren't aware, the show is based on Anne of Green Gables, which is a book from 1908. It ended up being an 8 part book series, spanning decades from Anne's childhood to her adulthood, and with a lot of adaptations made based on it over the next century. One TV mini-series from 1985 in particular is especially beloved.

The original book from 1908 has also been referenced in ST itself, with Hopper having read it to both his daughter and then El later on.

And so it wasn't much of a surprise that the creator of AWAE wanted to do something different than the dozens of versions before it, by going more in depth into what was truly going on back then, but most likely wasn't explored fully for that very reason. And even despite all the backlash from Anne purists saying they ruined the story with woke-ness, the writers didn't give a fuck (sound familiar?).

Also, I want to say that a popular headcanon for Anne is that she was queer, as the writing of her does feel very much like she loved Diana in a way that wasn't acceptable back then (she talks about dreading the day Diana goes off and gets married, like she has literal nightmares about it...). With the books being written in the 1900's, and written by a woman, it wasn't an option to even tell a story from that perspective, without it being at most subtextual.

So honestly, if Anne and Gilbert hadn't been so perfectly written in AWAE, I may very well have shipped Anne and Diana more, similar to how I did with the books and a few of the other adaptations. But alas, the straights won this round.

Personally, I felt this version was building up Diana and Ruby, if anything. The way Ruby's crush on Gilbert was kind of a running joke throughout the series, only for her to drop him completely at a moments notice after developing a sudden crush on Moody? Idk, very comp-het of her. And Diana is like Mike Wheeler only 10x worse. Her entire arc was focused on her need to be normal: her disgust when finding out her aunt was a lesbian in s2 (ITS NOT NATURAL), only to start a fling with Jerry in s3, whom she kissed in private, but basically hurt in the end, when he realized she didn't like him beyond the kissing part. She also had a lot of resentment for the future her parents planned for her, which was finishing school and then marriage.

But honestly, the framing for them alone was just, interesting:

Still, even though I would argue Diana and Ruby were queer-coded, I don't think it was guaranteed to pan out as endgame in the end. Especially seeing as Ruby died in the books. So maybe the show getting cancelled was for the best...

Now, Cole on the other hand, was very much gay in canon.

Within the span of one season (s2), they introduced Cole, somehow managed to make it very clear he was gay, without saying it outright, and in a way that felt natural despite the time period that the show was set in (AWAE also had a lot of emphasis on the words weird/different = gay/freak). Although he went through hardships, Cole did get a happy resolution to his storyline at the end of the season, and I think that's what makes AWAE (and hopefully ST) so special.

Not only did we get a glimpse into Cole's perspective as a gay kid growing up in the late 1800's, we also got a more unfortunate perspective, their teacher, Mr. Phillips. Mr. Phillips experienced dangerously toxic levels of internalized homophobia, going as far as to take it out on Cole, essentially punishing a younger version of himself through projection. Whenever he caught Cole doing something perceived as feminine or out of the norm for men in those times, he would make a spectacle out of it and humiliate him.

He had also just jumped into a relationship with Prissy, the eldest girl in the class (ewwww). Although it seemed like he was interested in her romantically when things were still fairly casual, it's in moments of privacy you can see there is an internal struggle going on there. And as he and Prissy get more serious, talking about marriage, these confrontations with Cole are happening simultaneously with Mr. Phillips getting more and more dejected from reality and his impending heteronormative fate.

Although it wasn't clear to Prissy why he didn't love her the way she deserved to be loved, the audience knew it was because he was gay. Fortunately for her, instead of marrying him and being miserable for the rest of her life, Prissy ran out of the wedding, which lead to arguably some of the most beautiful shots in the entire show.

I can't end this mini gay AWAE analysis though without mentioning the beauty that is Gertie and Joe. It was revealed at the end of s1 that Diana's aunt, Josephine Barry, was lesbian, still mourning her love Gertrude, who had just died a year or so prior. But honestly, I'm going to stop there. That's all I'm gonna say because if I talk about them I'll get too emotional (THEY WERE ROOMMATES!).

Now, Anne and Gilbert. Like I said, if they weren't written and framed to very clearly be endgame all along, maybe I wouldn't have been so on board. But they were, and so here we are. (s/out to antis who are convinced all bylers only ship Mike and Will bc they're 2 boys. Newsflash, people ship byler bc of how they were written/framed to be endgame, just like Anne and Gilbert here. If it weren't for these sorbet bitches, I wouldn't have started shipping Byler in the first place. So, you can blame the straights for this one!.)

For those that haven't read the original books, Anne and Gilbert get together midway through the overall series, with the last couple novels even being from the perspective of their children (they had 7 total).

Now when I say endgame framing, I mean endgame framing.

Although back then, couples did get married fairly young, AWAE was based on the events of Anne's life at a really young age, spanning from 13-16, so marriage was just not in the cards for this adaptation.

Because of this, they used cinematography, specifically the framing of Anne and Gilbert, to hint that they would end up together, ie. them standing before a threshold in the finale of every season:

There's even a shot of them standing in front of the tunnel of love, where you can see a couple that resembles a future version of them walking in the background, foreshadowing the inevitable.

There's a lot of shots like this, and while neither of them are reserved to being exclusively on one side of the frame at all times (besides the threshold shots), it's clear the framing of them in general was intended to capture a chemistry building up over the years, which would eventually lead to a payoff, making all these little moments even more special once you can finally look at the story as a whole (remind you of anyone?).

For those who haven't seen AWAE or just want a refresher for the sake of this analysis, here goes:

During the first season, Anne and Gilbert more so embody the academic rivals to lovers trope. It isn't until the end of that season, after budding heads with Gilbert, that Anne realizes she has feelings for him. Unfortunately, it was too late, as he had apparently left town and probably wouldn't return ever again. Or so she thought.

She runs into him before he leaves, gets all overwhelmed, happy to see him (to his surprise) and they end up chatting over tea. They apologize to each other, argue over who should be apologizing, listen to each other's feelings and concerns, have their classic 'anyway' 'anyway' moment, and end it with a staring contest/their breaths catching, aka endgame coded behavior (remind you of anyone...)

In the first half of the second season, they stay in contact via letters. What I find funny is the way Bash teases Gilbert about the letters to Anne being romantic, all while Gilbert insists that she is just a friend. And at the same time Anne is rambling (unprompted) to Marilla that the letters between her and Gilbert are not romantic WHATSOEVER!

Then, in the second half of s2 they reunite and Gilbert basically implies that he came back to Avonlea bc of her. They start traditions together (Christmas episode my beloved), and even stand alongside each other fighting for what's right (getting Ms. Stacy her job back after being unjustly fired) and it's all just very wholesome (with a mix of academic rivals conflict). The season ends with Bash and Mary's wedding, the last shot being Anne and Gilbert standing in the threshold of the church entrance, talking about the future, with Gilbert repeating back something he overheard Anne say in a rant just a few episodes prior:

Gilbert: Tragical romance and all?

Anne: Remains to be seen.

Essentially, they foreshadow their own fate (REMIND YOU OF ANYONE?)

What follows is the third and final season, which means endgame was fast-tracked and so what we got was peak mutual pining/misunderstanding/jealousy tropes, ending with the classic letters tragically unreceived until the very last second trope.

Initially, at the start of s3, Anne pushes Gilbert towards Ruby, by confronting him about the take notice board in a conversation that leaves both of them slightly hurt and confused. Because according to Ruby, while Anne talked to him about her, his eyes were full of romance. Only Gilbert wasn't smiling because of Ruby, he was smiling because he thought Anne was talking about herself and their future, about the two of them taking notice of each other. The moment Anne says Ruby's name, Gilbert's face falls, no longer interested (*cough* van scene *cough*)

In the following episode, Anne pushes Gilbert away even more, insisting she doesn't need him, but it was only because she was frustrated that she needed a man accompanying her in order to travel. But Gilbert took this as her not needing him at all, and was pretty much just defeated at this point. He'd hoped they could use this opportunity traveling together privately to get closer, but now he's starting to think maybe Anne truly doesn't feel the same. And so he decides to give her the cold shoulder, and proceeds to attempt his 'moving on from my true love' era. He then meets Winifred Rose only a couple scenes later, who he begins courting soon after. They even go out to tea a couple of times...

Mary's sickness and passing is something both Anne and Gilbert struggle with, as they have come to associate each others families as their own. So despite the recent tension between them, they quickly go back into a flow of mutual understanding.

When Gilbert gets upset upon realizing, that if he continues with his passion of becoming a doctor, he'll have to deal with people dying and not being able to save everyone, Anne quickly comforts/encourages him for being the kind of doctor people would want to bring their loved ones to, because he cares so much (Caring deeply will always be the right thing). You can see this means a lot to Gilbert. Then when rehearsing the dance for the carnival, Gilbert messes up the formation of the dance to get closer to Anne, where they enter their own little world. Time slows; it's electric. We then see both of them flustered over what they're feeling afterwards.

The rest of the season is filled with misunderstandings, but also moments that parallel to previous seasons, where they work together to stand up for what's right (Who knew, we'd make such a good, T-E-A-M) and all of these feelings basically build up, making both of them wonder if maybe the other could actually feel the same way.

So, when Gilbert is offered the perfect future, the Sorbonne in Paris (his dream school) completely paid in full by Winifred's father if he agrees to propose to her, his first instinct is to track down Anne to ask her what she thinks. When he finds her, she's drunk at the ruins with all their classmates, celebrating finishing the queens entrance exam. But she's confused and quite frankly speechless over the fact that Gilbert felt the need to get her input at all. The choice seemed obvious to her. And that's when we have this long awaited moment happen, where it's basically confirmed Gilbert does indeed return Anne's feelings, that she's literally the one thing holding him back. Unfortunately, Gilbert interprets Anne's hesitation and confusion as rejection. And Anne also sort of interprets this as making him choose between her and his dreams which, she obviously doesn't want to get in the way of.

But it doesn't matter. Because Gilbert still can't go through with marrying Winifred. He spends the whole day before confronting her, visiting places all over the Island, specifically places that remind him of home (Anne). He even goes to the destroyed Avonlea Story Club (*cough* Castle Byers *cough*) and takes one of the sea shells there from Anne's abandoned collection and brings it with him. We then see him looking conflicted between the ring he's supposed to propose to Winifred with, and the sea shell that symbolizes his love for Anne.

It isn't until the opening scene of the series finale that we see Gilbert calling off his impending engagement to Winifred. (I care about you very much / But not as much as for a certain someone?)

Just before this, in the second to last episode, Anne wrote a letter to Gilbert revealing her true feelings, because their talk at the ruins made her start to believe he could feel the same. But the letter (tragically) never gets to Gilbert.

In a last ditch effort before leaving forever potentially (again), Gilbert also leaves Anne a letter revealing his true feelings, which Anne also never receives (even more tragically if you can believe that).

And all this miscommunication comes to a head at the very end, when Winifred reveals the truth to Anne, and Diana reveals the truth to Gilbert. What follows is them both running to find each other, where they kiss, only to once again go their separate ways, pursuing their dreams, with Anne going to school in Charlottetown to eventually be a teacher/writer, and Gilbert to Toronto to study medicine. They make plans to write each other. (I have follow up questions! / So do I!).

Even though the show ended there, because of the books and all the hints the show left along the way, we know that they end up together.

So, as you can see, the pen lived up to its name as the pen of possibility. I also think the comment Anne made early on, about how Gilbert doesn't have a way with words, was meant to ironically hint at the fact that he very much does have a way with words, and that Anne, and we the audience, would find out soon enough.

But like I said, it's entirely unlikely that the ST writers were hinting at the pen of possibility, like SOO unlikely it's unreal. That wasn't even my main point making this. There just honestly hasn't been much to go off with this whole penholdergate thing, and the tag is so dead anyways, so i figured, why not? And I really just needed an excuse to bring up how similar the style of these shows are when it comes to narrative choices, especially the set up for shirbert and byler, because like I said, full serious, I never would have put so much consideration into Byler if it wasn't for how endgame coded they were, just like Shirbert.

Specifically the way Mike looks at Will, it just feels very, very similar to the way Gilbert looks at Anne.

Nevertheless, I still think this adds an interesting layer of possibility to the whole lettergate/pocketgate theory for ST5. After all, we know Will is good at painting, and it's his love language, which is why he gifted Mike a painting in the first place. In contrast, we're given these implications that writing is Mike's love language. He also attributes it to romantic feelings, which is why he feels he has an obligation to reserve letter writing to El, his girlfriend. But because it is his love language, there's an element of truthfulness that he can't fully submit to. He couldn't 'in good conscious' go through with it fully, by ending his letters to El with, "love Mike", as it would have contradicted the whole truth of this being Mike's love language.

I feel like the only way for them to properly resolve this whole storyline, is to let us see a letter from Mike. Perhaps a letter ending with, 'love--?. Perhaps a letter addressed to Will?. (Just as long as he doesn't rip it up before he even reads it or step on it and lose it outside, crumpled in the dirt, never to be found. Iykyk. Those were tragic times in Anne nation.)

As you can probably tell by now, there's a shit ton of things the ST writers could pull from AWAE for inspiration, but we won't know if they have done so officially unless it ends up being listed on the updated whiteboard for ST5. If it isn't, then we can rule it out and move on. But if it is (genuinely possible), then I wouldn't be surprised to see some of these elements above paralleled, either with literal parallels or just narratively in a broad sense when it comes to certain characters dynamics and their inevitable fate...

#stranger things #anne with an e #stranger things 5 #byler #i just wanna hear mike reading off his own words...#the power that has #like why build up him not being able to write love mike... if were not going to eventually be able to see him do it in the end?#like he was saving it for someone special obviously #so where is the payoff #to be continued in st5 i guess #I could see the whole lettergate/pocketgate thing playing out early s5 tbh though #i think it's something thats too closely tied to s4 for them to wait until the very end of s5 to circle back to #but we'll have to wait and see i guess #gertie and jo #now im sad #awae had me crying so much over platonic love... not just romantic love too. like thats what made it soooo good #and so #i do have hope that st will be able to accomplish a lot even beyond the endgame ships #i'm also very hopeful that el's arc will be satisfying bc of this as well #she'll have her prissy moment and we'll all be cheering #i can't wait #byler theory #penholdergate #gridgate #lettergate #pocketgate #st5 headcanon #st5 movie/film inspo #anne with an e parallels

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cjsinkythoughts · 3 years

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Not Your Captain

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Word Count: 1695

Warnings: Falcon and the Winter Soldier Spoilers!!!!! Lots of Angst in this one, guys, lotta feels, some Fluff to counterbalance it, but mostly Angst, Cursing

A/N: This is Part Two to my previous FATWS writing, His Only Contact. FATWS SERIES STERLIST HERE! This one is from Reader’s perspective and gives you a bit more about Reader’s backstory. There will be multiple parts coming out in the next day or two based just on this new episode because damn. It was loaded! Due to this and my workload this past week, I haven’t been able to post the first chapter of my College!AU, Erased From the Stars, but I promise it’s coming! This’ll be my main focus for the weekend though! Expect more parts in the next 24 hours! I’ll be making a masterlist for this particular project in that time, too! Taglists are open! Please contact me if you want to be tagged! Thank you and please enjoy, loves! (Not beta’d, so sorry for mistakes!)

AGAIN: SPOILERS UNDER CUT!

The moment you saw it on TV, you knew you had to get to Bucky. You weren’t planning on leaving until the next day, but there was no way you weren’t going. So you caught the first plane you could from the base you were staying at.

You’re feelings were all over the place. Steve had been your best friend for more than the past decade. You were the one there when he first woke up. You were the one to help him get situated. You were the one to help him whenever he needed, to go over to his little place in DC when he was having problems, like the time he thought he was having an asthma attack when it was an anxiety attack or when you had to help him find a new phone after he accidentally broke his.

You were that close to falling in love with him. But life went the other way and, in a weird twist of fate, almost as if the universe wanted to spare you of the heartbreak it knew would come if you gave your heart to the dashing captain, you ended up tripping over your own feet for someone else.

Someone you would never tell.

He was the last thing you had left of Steve and you couldn’t ruin that because of your stupid feelings. And you couldn’t ruin the relationship you had now because it was working. He trusted you, more than anyone else. He trusted you because Steve trusted you and you wouldn’t dare break that trust.

You just hoped, with everything going down in relation to the shield - to his legacy - that you’d be able to keep that promise you made to yourself.

You were in front of his door early in the morning - around four - hesitating to knock. It didn’t take long for him to respond the moment your fist did meet the door.

He looked…tired. You wished, oh how you wished, that you could do more. Anything more. He insisted you helped him plenty already; he claimed he never had nightmares when you were by his side. But it wasn’t enough. Not for what he’d been through. You felt as though you were merely putting a bandaid over a bullet wound.

His chocolate locks were short, above his ears. You could remember how hesitant yet eager he was about doing it. It was difficult to not cut his ear off because he kept moving in anticipation. You would know: you cut it. Those blue eyes that made you trip in the first place were outlined by thick lashes, dark ebony bags beneath them, making the azure pop. He was shirtless, as he usually was when sleeping (or at least trying to sleep), his dog tags resting against his sternum.

You could tell he hadn’t been sleeping. His eyes were bloodshot as if he was watching TV for too long and his hair was less messy than it would be if he actually slept.

The moment his eyes found yours, his plump, chapped lips turned up into the grin he reserved for you and he was pulling you in. Your reaction was instantaneous, your arms slipping around his waist, your chin resting on his shoulder as he found home in the crook of your neck.

He was touch deprived. You knew this, but you never brought it up. Especially considering you were one of the only people he touched willingly. You didn’t want him thinking he was broken, more so than he thought he was already. And you definitely didn’t want to push him into fixing himself. So you didn’t tell him, even though you were pretty sure he knew, and you just let him take the lead.

Sometimes it meant he grabbed your hand in large crowds, or tucked you under his arm when he was threatened. Other times it meant laying his head in your lap when he was tired late at night, or a soft hug in greeting.

Hands slowly tracing his spine, fingers dancing up and down his back, you gave a small smile when you felt him practically purring in your embrace. You could never decide if he was more puppy or kitten. You used to make jokes about the three of them, Steve, Bucky, and Sam, being like a puppy, kitten, and bird that you had to reluctantly pet sit for a friend. You would give almost anything to be joking around like that with them when you went to visit Bucky in Wakanda with Steve.

“Buck?”

He hummed. You didn’t want to pull back, you wanted to stay connected with him for as long as possible, but you had to talk. You didn’t want to talk about it, because that would make it more real, but you had to. You had to.

“Have you seen the news recently?”

His eyebrows furrowed, his lips pulling down. “What happened? Is it Wanda?”

You looked down the hall, your lips pressed together tightly, before nodding inside. “We have to talk.”

He nodded, stepping back and pulling you inside. Seeing the makeshift bed on the floor against the far edge of the sofa made you inwardly sigh, but you didn’t say anything about it. Steve was the same way at first.

“Is she okay? Did you find her? Where-”

“It’s not Wanda.” Turning, you faced him, trying to control your own anger at the situation, knowing it wouldn’t help him any. “It’s…it’s about Steve.”

Those spectacularly blue eyes narrowed, bottom lip being sucked in between his teeth. “What about Steve?”

You gestured for him to come closer, holding out your hand in offering. He took it and followed you as you led him to the couch. A cleared throat and a deep breath later found you gently explaining what happened to him. That the government had taken back the shield and had given it to someone else. A ‘hero just for America’. A ‘new Captain America’.

You could see his features harden with every word, his jaw ticking dangerously, his chest heaving and his nostrils flaring. You squeezed his hand as you finished. “He’s got meetings and stuff with senators and governors. They’re taking him on a tour this week. They-they want me to meet him, considering I’m the last of the original seven. Active on Earth, at least.”

The tears that started forming in his eyes made you swallow your own emotions down thickly. He didn’t need your hatred of this wannabe to fuel his own. He needed your support and comfort. He needed to know you’d be by his side through this.

“Are you?”

You blinked, not expecting his first words to be that question. “Am I what?”

“Going to meet with him?”

“I-I…” You stopped talking, knowing that if you continued you’d end up ranting about how he wasn’t your captain. How he could never be your captain. Debating answers, you decided on a simple, blunt reply. “No.”

“Why…”

Running your thumb over his knuckles, you leaned over slowly to press a chaste kiss to his bare skin and blood shoulder. “Take your time. Collect your thoughts.”

He responded to your words by taking a deep breath, clenching his eyes shut, his jaw so tight you feared he might chip his teeth. It was a tense minute before he said anything, the room being filled with his harsh breathing. “You said he gave them the shield.”

“What?”

“Yesterday. You told me he gave up the shield. They put it in the Smithsonian. But you just said they took it from him.”

“He did give it to them, but-”

“Why?” His eyes snapped open, his features twisting into ones of frustration and resentment. “Why’d he give it to them?”

You shook your head, knowing Sam didn’t mean for any of that to happen. He had called you a few weeks ago to ask about your opinion on the matter. You told him that Steve trusted him, and you trusted Steve, so if Sam thought that was the right thing to do…you trusted him. “It’s not Sam’s fault. Don’t be mad-”

“Don’t be mad?! Don’t be mad?!” Bucky shot up, ripping his hand away from yours, making you bite your lip and hang your head as he paced in front of you. “Steve gave it to him! And he just gives it away like he’s regifting a shitty frisbee as a Christmas present! And you don’t want me to be mad?! Are you fucking kidding me, Y/N?!”

Cringing at the use of your name, which you rarely hear fall from his lips, especially in vexation like just then, you looked up at him, eyes pleading. “Bucky, I get it. I do. I’m mad, too. I’m-I’m furious. But you can’t blame Sam. Please. He just - he’s trying, Buck. Just like me. Just like you. We’re all trying.”

Bucky’s shoulders fell as he stared at you, eyes darting from feature to feature as he studied your face. Before you could say anything else, he was on the floor in front of you, in between your legs, arms wrapped around your waist and face pressed into your stomach.

You could tell he was holding something back - something big - but you wouldn’t push him. You never did. Displaying feelings was always hard for him, even in the early 1900’s; Steve used to tell you stories when you were looking for him after the fiasco in DC. Bucky grew up being the oldest of four and the only boy. On top of that, his best friend was a scrawny, stubborn, punching bag of a boy. According to Stevie, neither of them really learned how to cope or how to deal with feelings. And it showed. Boy, did it show.

Instead of getting on him and asking what was wrong and begging for him to talk to you, your fingers tangled in his hair, nails scratching his scalp, as you sat back to make the position more comfortable for him.

“Stay with me. I need you.”

You leaned down to press a soft kiss to his head, nodding into his hair. “I’ll stay. For as long as you need me, Buckaroo.”

Taglist (OPEN):

@happygoreading, @thatsdarwinism, @satellitespidey

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reginaofdoctorwho · 3 years

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weird shit that would probably have something to do with me in a horror movie

no one wanted this but i’m bored and found a bottle so you’re all getting it. yes these are all true. check the tags, if u think i’ve missed something please let me know!

there was a murder (technically, i don’t really count it as a murder) next door when i was four years old on christmas morning

the weird antique glass bottle i found half-buried in the woods in the woods yesterday with living bugs in it that made no attempt to leave it once i uncovered it

there is a local cult in the next town over. this is not the same as the local cult that was in the other town over where my mom grew up

random completed animal skeletons in the woods behind our house, i’m talking prey and predator, both laid out like in a goddamn scientific diagram. for a while there’d be ones in the middle of our yard, always the same type of animal, always just the bones and nothing else, laid out like it was posed. this has been happening for over half a decade and we have no fucking clue how, why, or who is doing it

the screaming from the woods that i’m going to assume is a fox

my sister almost dated a murderer. his niece or something is in my class

there is a house that is now part of a “local ghost tour” that belonged to my great+ grand parents during the civil war where my great+ aunt died allegedly murdered by her husband who is actually blood related to me. family history says she died of childbirth, which given that it was the 1800s... probably is true

there was an actual murderer in our family a few generations back but he married in and killed his wife and her sister. they didn’t find out about it until they read his journals after he died where it apparently told everything he did and they decided. “well, that wouldn’t look good for the family, and they’re already dead anyway” and just kept it hidden??

the fact we have my great great grandmother’s dress from probably 1890s or 1900s. even more so the fact that i fit in it. if this was fantasy horror (vampires, some immortal thing or ghost) i’d be fucking dead or cursed

fairly certain i was possessed by the ghost of a puritan as a kid

my family seems to have a curse with babies and nurses? my great uncle died when he was born because long story short, hospitals were the new hot thing, he was perfectly healthy, then a nurse dropped him and he died instantly. my sister died when she was a toddler and the hospital actively tried to delete her hospital records to cover it up and ended up getting fined by the state for it. the nurses responsible were not arrested or punished in any way.

my family all has fucked up connective tissue, in my brother it was bad enough he had to get a steel bar in his chest so it wouldn’t cave in.

the many times i have almost drowned, sometimes due to intentional actions by humans (my dad, it was my dad)

this in addition to the other fucked up shit he did before the divorce when he still lived here, including but not limited to: killing my mom’s favorite pet goat, hanging its skull in a tree, and leaving the body in the woods. not letting his kids learn how to cook. anytime someone asked him to cook he’d put as much pepper/hot sauce in as he could (even for like, scrambled eggs) and give it to the youngest person, usually a toddler. this was me at times. taking his kids out to the woods and threatening murder. taking his kids out to the woods and threatening burning. purposely locked the basement from the inside so we couldn’t get the gaping hole in the stairs leading to one of three kids rooms fixed. tearing up pictures of the kids whenever my mom did something he didn’t like. i had more here but i tried to cut it down a litttle

people have threatened to murder me before. one time a girl didn’t threaten, and actually acted like she was starting to like me, but her cousin read her diary or something and found out she was planning to commit a lot of murder, and told her parents and she got sent to a psychiatric ward for a couple weeks

my mom lived down the street from a family that got axe-murdered by one of their two sons when she was a kid. the murderer did get out on an insanity plea and is still in the area. also their neighbor’s mom “lost her mind” (how the story was told) when she had to protect their kids while her husband went over to try to protect the non murderer son when he got home from school and ran over screaming about his brother trying to kill him and had killed their parents

also she knew a girl who almost got kidnapped by this really fucked up traveling serial killer that has his own wikipedia page that is,,, lengthy. the girl had [alleged] mafia ties, and the guy ended up dying shot by police despite them being told to bring him in, which sounds kinda suspicious

long story short i’d probably be the sequel where one comes back

apparently i go to the “bad” school, which i found out in a coffee shop when i overheard two girls talking about how one’s dad went there and how horrible and dangerous it is

school fights are weird. either they don’t happen or they come freakishly close to murder. people slam heads into lockers, stomp on bones, drag people by hair along the ground. one time in my brother’s class a 4′9″ girl sent a 6′2″ football player to the hospital. there was video of a fight a couple years ago that’s still around. it was brutal, but also one of the girls fighting was taking one for the team in it and got the other kicked out

we don’t have a ceiling in all of the third floor, and the cafeteria has 2. this is not relevant in any way, but it’s important to me that you know this

also the guys kept ripping the heating vents/radiators/whatever off the walls in their bathrooms and got almost all the bathrooms locked. including the girls’ ones.

also everyone kept punching holes in the walls so on some of them it’s just,,, metal sheeting down the whole hallway

there are so many fucking shootings in the next town over. literally five years ago it was this nice place where kids would go on history tours, i did when my sister worked for that group. now there is pretty much one business that has not been held up at gunpoint, and if u look up to the serial killer bullet point, it is for v similar ties. it’s a pizza place and if u ever stop by u gotta try it

women in my family have weirdly good intuition but every couple generations we get doubtful. my great grandma didn’t want a hospital birth but decided “hey it’s the hot new thing for a reason”, my mom switched churches based on nothing but intuition and it turned out someone was a pedophile there (found out years later), i instantly could tell my friend’s boyfriend was a pos and wasn’t surprised later when he told her he’d murder and dismember me in front of her, and upon meeting him told him he was a fucking coward and couldn’t do it. he broke up with her a month later.

i was really good friends for a while with two guys that burned a building down. yes they were arrested. i was friends before and after the fire. they’re pretty nice, but this girl they used to date (at different times, they were brothers, yes it was fucking weird and uncomfortable for everyone involved except her but that’s it’s own thing) said some fucked up shit and it was the closest i ever got to starting a fight. anyway i’m still friends with both on facebook. one of them shares a lot of king of the hill memes

speaking of that fight, i 100% would’ve tried to kill her in that moment. u know that john mulaney quote like “i didn’t understand how a person could want to kill another person. then i got cheated on, and i was like ‘oh, okay.’”? that was me, but replace “cheated on” with she told me it was good my five year old sister was dead because she was a waste, and told me she hoped i’d die of covid”. it was mainly the sister thing. i couldn’t move because if i did i’d start a fight with the [way] above mentioned shit.

my family has a literal feud with a local farming family. i mean, we keep farm animals (sheep, goats, chickens), these people have that, pigs, and crops too. the feud was because their great uncle (or great grand uncle, i’m a little fuzzy on the details) published an autobiography (despite not being anyone famous/important) and in it talked about when he was friends with my grandfather and how creepy my great grandfather was (this was the one with the dead firstborn son) because he kept newspaper clippings of the Lindbergh baby’s kidnapping and murder pinned to a board on the wall of his office/basement. also because he was a child of german immigrants who wanted to fight against nazis in WW2 (how suspicious [sarcasm]). members of their family are in my grade. they charged my sister for almost half an extra pound of goods, too, which just revitalized it.

i live by corn fields. i am surrounded by cornfields. (joke one)

i was friends for a while with this girl whose baby teeth,,, didn’t really fall out completely? she was 17 the last time i saw her in person, she’s probably 19 now and judging by her facebook pictures they’re still Like That. she had a very symmetrical mouth/teeth, which made it weirder. just to clarify, she had some of her baby teeth pushed forward and up, so they kind pointed out a little? and all her adult teeth. she was literally so pretty.

a teacher who is v sexual with his female students came into my english class (he is a science teacher) to demand why i wasn’t signed up for his class. we then both became increasingly passive aggressive and he told the whole class where i live with specific directions and landmarks. the guy sitting next to me had to try to tone things down despite being obviously confused as to why it was even happening (me too buddy). he lives down the road from my sister. when my niece had her birthday party at our house i was outside setting things up and he slowed his car down and honked at me. fuckin creep

#tw child death #tw animal death #tw arson #i guess?#tw shooting #tw murder #a lot of that one actually #tw child abuse #tw violence #let me know if u think i should tag anything else #no one wanted this #except for me #tw cult

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wherearemyglassesbro · 4 years

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Why Francis is That Way: A series of headcanoned events that led to the ancient man we have now long post warning

Baby’s First Abandonment: When Fran was VERY little, physically 6 or so (idk 50 years old?? I don’t know nation ages) his mother Gual was his main caretaker. They lived in a small village with nomadic people by a river, very nice! Very aesthetic. Gual was close friends with many villagers so naturally Francis became close with them too, leading to them becoming his second family of sorts. One night Gual came back after bei Nd gone for a few days, Fran didn’t think much of it, and insisted he stay inside for the night with her. She made a special dinner and cuddled him all night and sang him to sleep and in the morning, she was gone. Francis, again, didn’t mind cause his mom left frequently for hunts so he went about his week. After a month he became worried and after six, he started flipping out. Tantrums and screaming and the villagers all had a felling his mom was dead so the woman with the most kids took him in. This was Francis’ first abandonment and this is what began his somewhat clingy nature. (He now knows that when his mother left, she went to fight Rome...and lost)

The First Heartbreak of Many: A long time later, I don’t know how many years, Francis met Arthur. Fran traveled with a new nomadic tribe now and went across the channel with them for the first time and found that lil stinker. Arthur and his brothers lived close to the water too so it was easy to find them! As years and years went on, Arthur and the other kirklands were Francis’s only friends! When the Auld Alliance was formed, he and Alastair were ‘married’ for awhile, which Francis very much enjoyed. He never had a lover before! He was still young for a nation, so was Ali so this was a first for them both. In his naivety, Fran believed that he and Ali would be together forever! But within a decade or so, Ali became more distant. Eventually he sat Francis down and told him “I love ya, I really do, but...Not as a wife. You’re a boy...And...I don’t like boys in a ‘wife’ way” of course Ali was very nice about it!! He was nothing but nice to Francis but that still broke his lil heart and the next day he insisted on going to live back home with his people to sulk. Sulk was probably the wrong word but what he did was lay in his hut for days on end, not leaving and crying a lot. He really thought he’d have someone to love forever and for the first time, he was broken up with

Too Young: As he grew up into a cocky teenager, he made many more nation friends. He called Antonio ‘cousin’ in an endearing way and spent a lot of time with him! He fought with Arthur a lot because now that little kid was growing physically too and they could fight their frustrations out like Real Men (they were not). By now, Francis had been with many women and a handful of men so he had Experience in relationships now. He’d talked to Antonio about a certain someone...Someone who...Has been trading around Italy...Sadik. It took awhile after first hearing about him to see him and oh lord, Francis fell for him on the spot! He was all he talked about with Toni and Artie for awhile!! His friends weren’t very supportive “Listen, idiot, he’s far older than you are it just wouldn’t work out!” “Franny, he’s so cruel, I’ve seen some of the things he’s done” but we know our boy is not one to listen to other. So of course, he perused Sadik and got exactly what he wanted. Both parties did, actually. Francis didn’t care about Sadik’s religion and Sadik felt the same way, they were attracted to eachother. Sadik liked Fran for his feminine features and his strength and Francis was extremely attracted to Sadik in almost all aspects of who he was. This ‘relationship’, if you could even call it that, was based on lust and not love so it didn’t last more than three years. It ended in an explosive fight with Francis saying Sadik was too self centered and Sadik calling him too young and stupid. Not exactly the way you should end a relationship. Both were upset at the split and went their separate ways. What did Francis learn from this experience? He learned not to rely on looks and that older men were a pain in the ass....But that didn’t stop him from persuing him again in the 1900s and I oop-

Humans Cant Provide What Nations Need: We all know the story of Joan of Arc so I won’t waste time describing that. Francis and Joan were close and Francis felt a very intense love for her. So intense that he longed for her when she was away and felt her pain himself when she was hurt. Was this a complication of being a nation? Possibly. But he thought it was his heart belonging to her. After centuries of living THIS girl was it! This was his soulmate! This had to be her, the woman he would love forever! And then the English came. When she died Francis felt dead on the inside and sank into a deep deeeeeep depression. Arthur later came to see him and told him a few things “Listen...It wasn’t personal. I didn’t want to hurt you, you were never the target. But you can’t depend on humans the way you depended on her...They dont last long...And they don’t come back...” Francis learned to be more closed off towards humans. Developing connections with them in this way wasn’t just unhealthy...It was stupid too

The Child: Skipping history again here! So Francis raised Matthew and Arthur raised Alfred for the most part UNTIL the English government decided they wanted Arthur to have custody over Matthew. After a lot of back and forth, the French agreed to give Matthew over without Francis’s consent. Naturally, Francis was DEVASTATED!!! He was such a good father. Every night he sang Matthew to sleep, he made him his favorite cookies, he let him pick out clothes, he cut his hair, he kissed his cheeks and hugged him and loved him so much! And now that horrid englishman was taking his son away! He blamed Arthur even though it wasn’t his decision. Francis chose to deliver Matthew himself so they could spend some time together. Francis dropped him off and practically dragged Arthur away from the house to yell at him without the kids heading. He yelled and punched him in the shoulder and yelled some more, let all of his hurt out. And when he was done having his adult tantrum he felt...worse. They went inside and spent time together as a family and later apologized to his dearest friend with a kiss on the cheek and breakfast in bed the next morning. He learned to be more mature and handle his feelings in another way than yelling and to be the adult his kids need

The Light Switch: Between the world wars, Fran and Artie finally got together. During the second ww, Fran was taken by the Germans and kept as a prisioner. When he was finally retrieved and brought home two years later he was a big ol mess. Arthur stayed with him at his house. The lights all needed to stay on, no loud noises, the doors were locked and checked over and over and over. Francis would insist he was fine until he was blue in the face but at the end of the day, he really needed Arthur and was so thankful for him being there. At this time he really needed someone there and Art had a lot of shared trauma so they got even closer through that. Fran didn’t learn much from this but what he did was become more open with his closest, dearest friend and become his lover. They became eachother’s support through this time and grew a lot from that together :) now the lights can be off and they can sleep soundly if a door went unlocked somewhere but they both can’t stand those thunderstorms that shake the house. Those kinds of storms bring back horrible memories for them and that’s an excuse to just hold eachother closer

Conclusion: Fran has issues with seperation and rejection cause of all of this and even though hes hella old he still is naive despite his smarts and even though he knows it’s bad, he listens to his heart more than his head

Thank you for reading this far!!!!!

#hetalia #aph #hetalia headcanons #ask away #ask away!#always up for hc requests #aph france #hws france #fruk #turkfra #scotfra #face family #aph england #hws england #hws turkey #aph turkey #hws scotland #aph scotland #aph gual

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sserpente · 5 years

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A/N: Request from @notyoursneverwas-post. Enjoy, my lovelies! ♥

Words: 2222 Warnings: very brief mentions of rape and drugging, fluff, ghost!Thomas

Breathing in the English countryside air deeply to gather courage, you nodded to yourself. Campus life… so this was where it would start. Suitcases in hand, you approached the vast mansion in front of you, based only a few walking minutes away from your university in the North of England. You had enrolled for paranormal studies, making the residence they had suggested for your stay all the more interesting and fascinating. Allerdale Hall used to be in the possession of an English baronet from the early 1900s and old newspaper articles—reports of murder and homicide—and stories the partially still suspicious and cautious habitants in the city told suggested the place was haunted. It was perfect. And when your friends had asked you if you were scared to even set a foot in here, you had declined with a smile. Ghosts were not always evil and even if they were, if only you could help them find their peace, they would not try and harm you, regardless of what they had been through in life.

You made new friends quickly during your first week, your eyes constantly darting around to find any signs of paranormal occurrences but thus far, no luck. For the time being, the only eerie thing was the two young men studying law. They lived on the same floor as you and had not just once made slight innuendos and given you compliments—slimy compliments women like you rolled their eyes at.

Tonight was the last night before your first semester would officially start. Some other students living on the ground floor were throwing a party with lots of alcohol and dancing before the serious studying period would begin. You had been invited too. Together with one of your new friends, Clara was her name, you spent a fun night in the cellar of the mansion surrounded by loud music, drunk students and a good mood. And it really was fun. It was fun right until the two young men sat down with you two, chatting relentlessly and even offering to buy you two drinks.

You were a little tipsy already, making them just a little more bearable than usual. Still, you said nothing when one of them, George, handed you another drink from the bar. You brought your lips to it silently.

“Don’t drink that.” Somebody whispered into your ear with a start. You flinched, turning around in a heartbeat. There was no one there. Frowning, you leaned over the sofa to see if the culprit was hiding behind it but there was no one in sight. Shrugging, you brought the glass to your lips once more, still not having taken a single sip.

“Don’t!” The voice spoke again, stricter and louder this time. It was smooth. British. Seducing and so gentle… surely, it did not belong to any of the young male students at the party. Surely none of them would make it feel like there was an invisible presence gently tugging at your arm to put the glass down. With your eyes wide open, you let it happen.

“Hey, George and Mike want to take us to a lake nearby. Are you coming?” Clara shouted.

“No. Don’t go with them.” The voice whispered again quietly. You feared what would happen if you simply ignored it and yet… it was right. You didn’t trust the young men. God knew what would happen if you joined them, all alone in the dark. So you shook your head.

“No, actually... I think I’m going to bed now, I’m rather tired and we have to be up early tomorrow.”

“Okay. Well, you know where to find us if you change your mind.”

The thought flashed through your mind briefly. Should you stop her? Follow them to make sure she would be alright?

“No. Stay here. You’re going to put yourself in danger if you do.”

That sounded reasonable. Shaking your head, you pushed the idea of being so drunk you heard voices already to the back of your mind. Were you imagining it after all? You were either losing your mind or… or you were taking advice from a ghost. But… could it be?

Swallowing, you stood and watched, uneasily, how your new friend disappeared with the men and then headed upstairs and into your room where you quickly changed into more comfortable clothes, brushed your teeth and then snuggled into the covers. You became sleepy soon enough, ready to drift off to dreamland.

It was about an hour later, around midnight, when you suddenly felt someone brushing your cheek with their knuckles tenderly. You ripped your eyes open immediately, facing nothing but darkness. The mattress... had it… shifted? It felt like somebody was sitting on it with you. Terrified, you held your breath. Someone was there. Someone was breathing. Was it one of the men? George or Mike? Had they come back? You were sure by now that the voice, whomever it belonged to, had saved you from getting drugged and raped by them tonight.

“Don’t be afraid. I will not hurt you.” It was him. Your lips parted. Still paralysed, you sat up a little. Perhaps you had lied to your friends. You were a little afraid of ghosts after all.

“Who... are you?” You could tell he was smiling in response without even seeing him.

“Why don’t you switch on your lights first, darling? It might ease you a little bit.” Swallowing thickly, you nodded, did as you were told and reached for the lamp on your nightstand. Within the fraction of a second, the room was dimly illuminated, revealing the most attractive man you had ever laid your eyes upon sitting on your bed. Blue eyes, black hair, high cheekbones and a jawline to die for. He was just your type and seemingly, a few years older than you too. Perhaps… a lot older. You had to ask.

“Are you... a ghost?”

The stranger nodded. “That I am, I’m afraid. But I will not harm you, you have my word.”

“I...believe you.” And you did. “The men tonight... they spiked my drink, didn’t they?”

He nodded, disgusted. “They meant to drug you to make you compliant. They would have ravished you had I not intervened.” Ravished you. Though the sheer thought of it was terrifying, the old-fashioned word spoken from his mouth sent pleasant shivers up and down your spine.

“You saved me. Thank you.” And you meant it. Genuinely.

The stranger nodded. “What’s your name?”

“(Y/N). I’m (Y/N)…”

“(Y/N),” he repeated slowly, almost as if he was tasting the sound of your name on his tongue. “My name is Sir Thomas Sharpe. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

It was then your heart skipped a beat. That name was oddly familiar. Pondering, you rummaged your mind to figure out where you had heard it before. Then, suddenly, it came to you.

“Thomas Sharpe? You... you are the baronet. This mansion, it belongs to you!” He really was old. He was from an entirely different time period.

“A long time ago it did.” He paused and started to smile gently. “You are really not afraid?”

You shook your head, soon convinced you had indeed lost your fear.

“No… I study parapsychology. But I’ve never, you know…”

“…seen a ghost?” He finished your sentence compassionately, making you nod once more.

“Why did you help me? Why did you protect me?”

His charming smile returned. “That is why I came to visit you here. If you allow me, I would like to find out.”

For the next couple of weeks, Thomas came to visit you every single evening. He would help you with your studies, chat about all and sundry, listen to you telling him about your life and he would, with hurt and pain in his stunning blue eyes, tell you the story of how he had found his bitter end in the house he had grown up in. You knew all the details. Lucille, Edith, the wives, the sexual relationship with his sister, the murders and lastly… lastly how he had been killed for finding true love.

Thomas was wonderful, a true gentleman. The man you had always read about in books but never thought existed. He did. And at the same time, he did not. Sometimes he would stay so long you were tired and worn out the next day, so he would insist on you going to bed. He would stay and speak to you until you fell asleep and he would, unbeknownst to anyone else, be with you all day to make sure you were alright without taking your privacy from you. It was almost like he had become your ghostly boyfriend—even though you had never even kissed, yet.

But as time went on, you began to notice slight changes about him. Thomas had always been a little transparent, his touches cool and otherworldly. Last night, however, when he had stroked your arm and bid you goodnight, his palm was warm. When you were ready to switch off the lights, he was no longer transparent either, and you could feel his body heat when he sat next to you—and even though the thought of it made you restless, it was so comfortable you fell asleep within mere minutes.

It was rainy the next day. You had only had a lecture in the morning, leaving you enough free time to do some research in the library. You were dying to learn what was happening to Thomas. Why he was changing. Was it possible he was, after decades of haunting Allerdale Hall all alone, finally ready to leave this world and find his peace? And why did your heart ache at the very thought of it? If anyone deserved that, it was him and still… you did not want him to leave you. You… had fallen in love with him. A ghost! You had fallen in love with a ghost.

When you returned to your room in the evening to meet Thomas waiting for you already, you smiled. Now that he was no longer transparent, you had a chance to properly admire his clothes. Old-fashioned and yet both elegant and humble… you liked it.

In the meantime, the weather outside had intensified. A thunderstorm was crawling nearer and nearer, darkening the already grey rainclouds in the sky. You shivered. If there was one thing you detested, it was thunderstorms.

“How was your day?” Thomas inquired when you took off your coat and shoes and approached him for a tight hug. His now warm lips brushed against your neck in the process, making your heart skip a beat. You wondered… did he feel the same? Or did he mean to be with you simply because he felt the need to protect you? He was a ghost, after all. Dead, with no heartbeat. Would he take interest in someone… well, alive?

“It was okay. I spent the afternoon studying in the library.” Exhausted from staring at ancient books all day long, you were now more than ready to go to bed, especially since you could find out little to nothing about Thomas’ odd condition. And until you had gathered more information and evidence on whatever was going on, you would not tell him.

Sighing, you stripped until Thomas had a wicked sight of your naked back once you removed your bra and then quickly changed into your pyjamas. It was an oversized, long t-shirt, really, perfect for losing the rest of your underwear after putting it on. Then, you slipped under the covers of your bed, smiling up at him in the process. It was your silent invitation for him to join you and sit on the bed.

Just in that moment, a loud thunder rumbled through the air outside, making you flinch and gasp.

“It’s just the thunderstorm, my love.” He said when he sat down, reaching for your hand to stroke it calmingly. You shook your head frantically.

“I hate thunderstorms. I know, it’s silly but… when I was a child, I…” Another thunder, even louder this time. A panicked squeal escaped your lips, causing Thomas to shush you.

“It’s alright… I’m here with you, I promise nothing will happen to you.”

“Can you… can you come closer, please?” Thomas hesitated for a moment, pressing his lips together to a thin line. But then he nodded and obliged. Carefully, he lifted the covers and got in bed with you, realising only the fraction of a second later how amazing it felt to be so close to you.

His arm came up to wrap around your body and pull you close, your cheek against his warm chest. You felt yourself heating up, the butterflies in your belly dancing. This was wonderful. Perhaps… perhaps there should be thunderstorms more often.

Your eyes fell shut when he began to tenderly stroke your upper arm with his long fingers, eliciting goose bumps wherever they touched you. You inched even closer to him, creating as much body contact as possible. When you heard the next thunder seething through the sky, you did not flinch anymore, making Thomas smile.

Your focus was on something else entirely. A quiet, rhythmic and dull throbbing, lulling you straight to sleep. Your lips parted when you realised. It was a heartbeat.

Read Part II here!

A/N: If you enjoyed this story, I would appreciate so much if you supported me on Kofi! kofi.com/sserpente ♥

#thomas sharpe #thomas sharpe imagine #thomas sharpe x you #thomas sharpe x reader #sir thomas sharpe #sir thomas sharpe imagine #sir thomas sharpe x you #sir thomas sharpe x reader #crimson peak #crimson peak imagine #thomas sharpe fluff #sir thomas sharpe fluff #tom hiddleston

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vamonumentlandscape · 3 years

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Lynchburg, VA

To start our journey throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, we traveled to nearby sites in Downtown Lynchburg, VA, which is just a few minutes away from the campus of Randolph College. Just across from the Lynchburg Museum on Court Street stands a proud Confederate soldier atop Monument Terrace, which was constructed in 1900 by the Daughters of the Confederacy. The pedestal base honors “Our Confederate Soldiers.” Each of us found it especially troubling to see where the soldier was looking towards - the Lynchburg Police Department and the courts. To us, the placement of the statue necessitates its removal, as well as the fact that it was unveiled during the Jim Crow era. Is this the kind of monument that should be at the top of Monument Terrace? Though there have been calls to remove the statue completely and possibly display it in context within a local museum, a high rate of poverty amongst minorities in the city remains another issue of systemic racism that local governments must reckon with.

Our next stops on the agenda were Pierce Street, the John Warwick Daniel statue off of Park and 9th streets, and the campus of Virginia University of Lynchburg (VUL). All three sites are within a stone’s throw from one another. Sadly, both Pierce Street and VUL have been neglected by the city and gone into near ruin. The statue, on the other hand, is a different story.

Pierce Street is on the outskirts of downtown, a seemingly normal street in a downtown neighborhood. But it is filled with incredible stories of the African Americans who once lived there. Anne Spencer, the nationally known and celebrated Harlem Renaissance poet lived and died here. Her son Chauncey Spencer, a pioneer African American pilot and educator, lived right across the way. Just a few houses down, Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson’s tennis lessons took place in Coach Robert Walter Johnson’s backyard. This small residential street is soon to be home to a community outreach center, the Pierce Street Gateway. Pierce Street was a hub for African Americans in the 20th century. As the city has allowed it to crumble over the past few decades, the Gateway Project will soon get the street more of the recognition and use it deserves.

The statue of John Warwick Daniel represents Lynchburg’s monument landscape and how its citizens interact with it. Like the Confederate monument at Monument Terrace, people just stroll by and see it as a piece of their everyday life, but are mostly unaware of what they both really mean. John Warwick Daniel was a Confederate soldier from Lynchburg, then a Senator for Virginia who supported some of the most radical Jim Crow Laws in the state. He also supported the “Lost Cause” narrative of the Civil War. Seeing this statue was not supposed to be the highlight of visiting this neighborhood, but after an interaction with a resident, it took the cake. A middle-aged African American man was walking on the sidewalk across the road and shouted to us, “Does he have a leg?” He was pointing to his crutch, and he thought Daniel had lost his leg. “No, no,” our advisor responded, “He just lost the ability to walk with that leg, it was still there.” The man went on saying how he had always thought Daniel had lost a leg in the Civil War. Our advisor mentioned that the statue should be taken down. The response we got from this man was shocking. “Why? It’s history! I like it! It doesn’t bother me. I have been here for forty years in this neighborhood, and I like him. It’s history, it should be left alone.” He was obviously now annoyed with us and walked away unhappily. That made us all realize, to truly understand the monument landscape, we may have to understand those who interact with it the most to see the whole picture.

Then, we drove through the once thriving HBCU, now dilapidated, barely open VUL. The three remaining buildings were all in very rough condition. Classes are still held in two and the other seems to have been under rehabilitation at a time. Dorms were small and looked dated. It was sad. It is obvious that the campus was once something great, now it is barely staying afloat. In the coming weeks, we hope to possibly speak to someone who has attended or worked at the college to hear more about the once great place.

For many years Lynchburg’s 5th Street was primarily composed of African-American shops, eateries, and residences. In an era of segregation that prevented African-Americans from patronizing Main Street businesses, 5th Street businesses were the commercial center for African-Americans in the city. After desegregation, commercial buildings on the street were vacated in favor of other locations throughout the city.

A few days later, we joined our project advisor at a virtual meeting via Zoom with city officials and 5th Street residents and business owners. We found out in 1989 the city council actually voted to rename the street in honor of Dr. King. The council voted no. Fifteen years later was the next push for recognition. In 2004, the street was given an honorary overlay name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Recently, seventeen years since the last attempt, there has been a push to change the official name of the street to honor Dr. King’s legacy in this historical slice of the Lynchburg community. We quickly found that not everyone was on board by the conversation in the comment section. One person expressed concern of a street named for MLK becoming filled with crime and run down even further. If the city were to make a change to 5th Street’s name, it must also commit funds to revitalize industry and make people feel safe when coming to the area. MLK’s legacy and vision is not something that applied only to Black Americans, rather he sought all of us to work together as one. Greater visibility of King’s dream is something that the entire country, including the City of Lynchburg needs as we reckon with our past.

Lynchburg is filled with history, and we are thankful for the opportunity to see it up close. We doubt this will be our last post on the Hill City!

#virginia #history #monument #civil rights #human rights #lynchburg

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blackjack-15 · 4 years

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All Aboard the Hardy Boys — Thoughts on: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon (TRN)

Previous Metas: SCK/SCK2, STFD, MHM, TRT, FIN, SSH, DOG, CAR, DDI, SHA, CUR, CLK

Hello and welcome to a Nancy Drew meta series! 30 metas, 30 Nancy Drew Games that I’m comfortable with doing meta about. Hot takes, cold takes, and just Takes will abound, but one thing’s for sure: they’ll all be longer than I mean them to be.

Each meta will have different distinct sections: an Introduction, an exploration of the Title, an explanation of the Mystery, a run-through of the Suspects. Then, I’ll tackle some of my favorite and least favorite things about the game, and finish it off with ideas on how to improve it.

There will be an additional section between The Intro and The Title on the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Supermysteries, as this game is the first to pull from them and because the game (and the Hardy Boys) benefit from exploring and understanding that universe.

If any game requires an extra section or two, they’ll be listed in the paragraph above, along with links to previous metas.

These metas are not spoiler free, though I’ll list any games/media that they might spoil here: TRN, mention of ICE, mentions of WAC, mention of John Grey in SAW, SPY.

The Intro:

Yeah, I’m not sorry for that title.

Coming off a solid, in-joke heavy game like CLK, Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon could have been anything — and it rose to the occasion like few other games in the entire series. It was the unprecedented 13th game in a 12-game series, and boy did they start the next phase with a bang.

Our next jet-setting game, we leave 1930s Titusville behind in favor of the modern day — albeit the modern day inside a train from the late 1800s, staffed with every kind of celebrity from the 2000s — socialites, authors, tv personalities, and Miami-Vice-meets-Ice-T cops.

Honestly, had they included a teenybopper pop star, I would have said that this game wasn’t just an excellent game, but a time capsule for 2005.

This odd location for a game not only solidifies its place in the Jetsetting Games, it also behaves as a Locked Room Mystery, the first one in a while (FIN being the only other one so far). Nancy can’t leave the train until 2/3rds through the game — but neither can anyone else, resulting in not only the perfect place to commit a crime, but also the perfect place to interrogate suspects.

TRN is perhaps most famous for its on-screen appearance of the Hardy Boys, who invite Nancy with them on this invite-only trip to make it more fun for themselves (and so that HER could experiment with playing from a non-Nancy [and even better, a Frank] point of view, even if it is just to make cheeseburgers). Honestly, it should be famous for it.

Not only is this a huge mechanics change, but it also blasts open the Nancy Drew Universe — the Drewniverse, if you will — and introduces both the games and players to the world of the 80s/90s Supermysteries by basing itself on #8 of the series, aptly titled Mystery Train (which we’ll talk about in the following section).

TRN also boasts one of the largest casts in the Nancy Drew games series, with 7 voiced in-person characters, two phone friends, and 3 extras. The choice to put in more characters into a smaller location really helps the locked room feel of the game, and leads to a game that is slightly more centered around interrogation than concrete investigation (which is the correct choice for a locked room mystery).

While TRN’s historical backstory isn’t quite prominent enough to get its own section here, it is worth dipping our toes in it here in the intro section. This game’s backstory (handled with a light hand) takes place during the late 1800s and finishes early years of the 1900s — 1903, to be exact, during the Edwardian Era and before World War I — when Jake Hurley’s beautiful train is found abandoned with only the dead engineer onboard. It overlaps with the Colorado Gold Rush in the United States, where Americans and immigrants alike made a mad dash out west in order to strike it rich.

This was a time when trains were the beautiful and incredibly fast (relatively) way to travel in America, especially out west as they were safer and quicker than taking the route in covered wagons or handcarts. Public trains were well-furnished and comfortable, but private trains like Jake Hurley’s were luxuriously and gorgeously decorated with all the amenities that were possible at the time and were meant to entertain guests as well as convey them from point A to point B.

The lush decorations in Camille and Jake’s cars are especially good representations of just how comfortable and flashy private trains could be; these trains that exist today in museums or private collections recall a bygone age where travel was a thing to look forward to, rather than a necessary evil to be suffered through.

The last bit of introduction I’ll do for TRN proper before we delve into the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew supermysteries is its wonderful way with locations. By limiting its locations to really one at a time, TRN very neatly creates a semi-linear playthrough while still allowing the player the freedom to solve Jake and Camille’s mysteries in most any order they choose. It’s a great trick to make the game feel a bit more open while still telling a linear story, and TRN pulls it off better than most other early Nancy games.

Now that we’ve introduced the game, let’s get on to the Drewniverse.

The Supermysteries:

Pairing Nancy Drew actively with the Hardy Boys (live and in person) was hardly a new thing in 2005, even though it was the first time it had been accomplished in the game series’ history. The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew TV series from the 70s was the first big screen meetup of the two sleuthing parties, both owned by the Stratmeyer Syndicate.

While the earlier episodes of the show trade back and forth between Nancy and the boys, the second season saw increasingly frequent mashups of the two separate storylines, allowing for much bigger risks and much more satisfying stories — and, of course, the now famous love line between Nancy Drew and Frank Hardy.

After the TV show, there was now an uptick in Nancy/Hardy Boys interest — the two had become linked by more than just the Syndicate. That interest created the space for the 80s/90s series of books referred to as the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Supermysteries (not to be confused with the series of the same name that came out after the turn of the millennium, which are less flirty, less well-written, and much shorter as a series).

Wildly popular, the Supermysteries have 36 titles to their name and span over a decade of heart-racing, Nancy-tingling fun. The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew are either assigned to sister cases or discover the other party on the same case, and take turns helping the other out. Often, Joe separates (sometimes with whatever party Nancy brings along or with a pretty suspect) and leaves Nancy and Frank to work in tandem, giving opportunities for the two sleuths to flirt (and sometimes more) in relative peace.

If there’s one thing that the Supermysteries are really famous for, however, it’s the relationship between Nancy and Frank. Seemingly every book starts with reminding us that Frank and Nancy both have “steadies” back home, to use Dave Gregory’s terminology, and then promptly describing Frank as an Adonis and setting Nancy’s “tingle” (80s/90s code for arousal) ablaze as they work in closer and closer quarters and have some Experiences together, including an on-screen kiss and a sexy fade-to-black — and then reluctantly going back to their boyfriend/girlfriend at the end of the book.

TRN is based specifically on parts of Supermystery #8, Mystery Train, where the Hardy Boys are lured in by the promise of $25k if they can find the Comstock Diamond, stolen 15 years earlier. Nancy happens to be on the same train, accompanied by the best of the best sleuths of the day — and a beautiful actress that catches Joe’s attention.

You can see the ties to TRN — a ‘beautiful’ socialite, a band of detectives and researchers, a lost treasure — all present in both the book and the game. Though the game takes a slightly different course, it owes its strong foundation to the Supermystery that proceeded it.

The Title:

Harking back to Supermystery #8 (Mystery Train), Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon is one of the finest titles that HER ever came up with. Appropriately pulpy, it gives a sense of urgency, history, and mystery all at once while still pointing to the focal point of the game: the train.

After playing the game, it’s also a little ironic — it might be the last train to Blue Moon Canyon, but it’ll hardly be the last visitor to the historic spot, once the world gets wind of exactly what was there and the history behind it.

Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon is honestly a much better title than Mystery Train, and the title (plus the wonderful cover art) is part of the reason that this game is so well-known among casual and hardcore fans alike.

The Mystery:

Summoned by her good (phone) friends the Hardy Boys, Nancy embarks on a train ride to Blue Moon Canyon, the last known location of wealthy eccentric Jake Hurley’s personal train, and rumored to be the spot where he left his treasure. The train having been purchased and restored by socialite Paris Hil — ah, I mean Lori Girard, it once again houses the notable travelers of the day…and possibly the spirit of Jake Hurley’s wife, Camille.

Not 10 minutes into their journey, Lori disappears with a scream and a crash, and the hunt is on — not only to find their missing hostess, but to unravel the secrets of Jake Hurley’s train, Camille’s ghost, and the treasure that may be hiding in Blue Moon Canyon. It won’t be an easy task even for three seasoned teen sleuths, not with a cagey wonder-cop, irritable historical romance writer, and techy ghost hunter all trying to keep their motivations and actions a mystery.

TRN is superb in most respects, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the mystery is 90% perfect — barring one unfortunate plot point, which I’ll cover in at least 3 sections below, and the next paragraph. Tightly paced with suspicion spread thickly and nigh-evenly, TRN doesn’t run into the trouble of knowing who the culprit is from the first 20 minutes of the game and doesn’t feel the need to clear one suspect earlier than the others so that they can help Nancy — Frank and Joe take that job instead, leaving a pretty clear field through most of the game.

The biggest problem with TRN is the identity of the “final” culprit — that is, the culprit who leaves Nancy behind in the crumbling mine in order to generate some good publicity for herself and who knows about Jake Hurley’s final “treasure” all along: Lori. Her reveal as the first culprit is wonderful and logical, even if it’s not too hard to figure out that she kidnapped herself. Her reveal as the second culprit, however, is so odd and against her character that it doesn’t just feel like a mistake — it actually reads as a mistake as well.

To have the entire game culminate in a culprit that 1) doesn’t make any sense to be the culprit and 2) must behave in a completely out-of-character way in order to be the culprit is the one black mark on TRN’s otherwise spotless record. Other than that, this mystery is one of the best of the series so far and is a fully enjoyable ride from start to almost-finish.

The Suspects:

Lori Girard, Paris-Hilton-expy and socialite extraordinaire, is the hostess of the little trip down to Blue Moon Canyon with a streak of ruthless camera-whoring that nearly matches the level of the other camera whore on board (see next suspect).

Lori is, rather gloriously, the first culprit — the one who kidnapped herself, showing her love for flair, her smarts, and her enjoyment of detective stories. Kidnapping herself is right along with the character we see she has, and makes so much sense that it doesn’t feel like a let-down that the player (and a few other characters) figure it out — rather, it feels like her character is introduced strongly and well.

Lori is, completely unbelievably, the second culprit as well. Lori’s previous stunts — i.e. her previous ‘kidnapping’ before the story begins, the train disappearance — involve herself, have no danger to them at all, are intensely theatrical, and rely on the willing cooperation of others. Trapping Nancy in the mine and trying to kill her doesn’t involve Lori at all, has a ton of danger (not to mention a death toll), and isn’t theatrical at all — it happens all ‘off camera’.

We’ll get to more problems with this in The Unfavorite, but making Lori the second culprit was a huge mistake, and her character — and the game — suffer from it.

Tony Balducci is a self-described wonder cop and sometime lover of Lori who wants nothing more than to toot his own horn…provided he leaves out some of the less flattering notes. Having caught two bank robbers by luckily being in the right place at the right time, Tony now tries to live up to the name of ace detective — mainly by being a giant douchebag towards everyone.

As a culprit, Tony would have been an interesting choice, as someone driven by the hanging spectre of his own ego, desperately trying to catch it while knowing deep down that he’s just not good enough to do so. He’s just a little too obvious, a little too hateable, and a little too in-your-face to be the proper culprit for this game.

He instead lives to fight another day to show up in ICE, where no one asked for nor wanted him. A douche to the end.

Charleena Purcell of Secret of Shadow Ranch fame is live and in person this time, having accepted Lori’s invitation out of curiosity for what really happened to Jake — and a bit of a guilty conscience.

As a reoccurring character, Charleena wasn’t going to be the culprit, but I do love that she’s a character who does some morally questionable things — like taking Lori’s suggestions for a new book and incorporating them without crediting Lori. While legally she’s fine, it is a total dick move, and she deserves to get reamed for it.

I love that Charleena’s a bit uptight and snappy while still being a ‘good guy’ (or at least not a baddie), and I do love that she did something wrong that has no impact on the actual crime at all. While she’s not in my top 5 of reoccurring characters/characters that appear in more than one game, she is a nice representation of what most authors are like (dedicated researchers and hard workers, not people who have wacky hijinks with the mystical people in their head that talk to them).

John Grey is a ghost hunter who relies more on tech than on spiritual intuition and hosts his own TV show dedicated to proving the existence of ghosts and spirits. He’s convinced — or rather really hoping — that he can prove the existence of Camille’s ghost and attribute her power to all the wacky things happening on the train.

He also really hates it when Nancy plays the piano around his sensitive audio equipment, which is the biggest reason to play the piano around his sensitive audio equipment that I can think of.

Heartbreakingly, John is the perfect culprit; he lies just under the radar enough not to be immediately obvious, but isn’t immediately discounted either. He also has the perfect motivation: with his show failing, he really needs a show-stopping apparition like Camille’s ghost to boost his ratings and save his show. He’d be an Abby Sideris-type culprit Writ Large, but this time he’d be manipulating people’s perceptions of an actual ghost that truly exists on the train.

John’s status as, frankly, no villain at all is the single biggest flaw in TRN, and it makes me sad every time I play it.

Listed officially as a suspect, Fatima of Copper Gorge is a Charleena fangirl and taffy enthusiast, with a temper as wide as Copper Gorge itself. She constantly wears an old-timey miner’s costume — foam head mask and all — and can apparently even sleep in it.

As a culprit, Fatima would have obviously been a poor choice for a Nancy Drew style game — she barely appears, and is there for a puzzle and a task and that’s pretty much it. She is however incredibly intriguing, as…well, she never takes off the mask. As a fair-play mystery, Fatima was never an option; she does stand out among all masked characters as one of the few that is never revealed to the player/Nancy.

Though they’re not officially suspects, the Hardy Boys both deserve a breakdown in this area.

Franklin Hardy is the elder of the two and barely counts as a teenager (being 19), though he does work for ATAC (American Teens Against Crime, which is the funniest acronym in the world). Detail-oriented with a dry sense of humor, Frank is the de facto leader of the Hardy Boys and far less hot-headed than his brother Joe.

A great researcher and planner, Frank knows a little bit about almost everything, and is more cautious (as most older siblings are) about the danger of any particular situation than either Joe or Nancy tend to be. Fiercely loyal and indisputably protective, Frank believes in the power of teamwork and is constantly on watch for people who might want to hurt his friends and family. In SPY, his bio specifies a “strong connection to [Nancy]” as not only an example of this loyalty but also as a point towards his feelings for her.

It would do Frank a disservice to boil his entire characterization down to his relationship with Nancy, but it is worth mentioning briefly. There are hints of his affection towards Nancy pre-TRN, but it’s really post-TRN that it kicks into high gear (probably because of working in close circumstances with her during TRN).

TRN is, possibly coincidentally and possibly not, the last game where Wayne Rawley voices Frank, as the man/myth/legend Jonah Von Spreecken takes over in the next game Danger by Design. Not only is JVS’s Frank a little less subtle about his feelings for Nancy, he’s also a little younger sounding (more like his actual age) and a little more enthusiastic (while still being very dry). As any reader of any of these metas could probably tell you, I find JVS’s Frank to be the best of his VAs, and he’s only enhanced when Nik takes over from WAC on.

Joseph Hardy, to contrast, is the 18 year old younger brother (and, if HER is working off the supermysteries, skipped a grade to be in Frank’s graduating class) and the more impulsive of the two. Generally laid-back in contrast to Frank’s meticulous nature, Joe is no less quick and is noted in his character bio from SPY to be an “extremely proficient tactician” — a role generally reserved by lesser writers for more uptight characters.

While easily distracted and a bit prone to conspiracy theories, Joe is quick to discover interpersonal links and motives and is at least somewhat handy with mechanics. His seemingly odd fixations usually lead (in a roundabout way) to finding out the truth behind crimes and leading him to a cool treasure or historical fact along the way. He’s big-picture in a way that Frank is not, which helps him both as he sifts through Nancy’s mysteries, and when he and Frank are on the job for ATAC.

As of Lani’s departure as Nancy Drew, Rob Jones (Joe’s voice actor) is the only VA to have voiced the same character for the entirety of their presence in the series. As much as I praise JVS in all of his roles (Frank and others) Rob really deserves 90% of the credit for Joe being as loved and wonderful as he is. Rob’s voice gives Joe the correct amount of youthful enthusiasm, glee in bad puns, and continual just plain enjoyment of the world he lives in and the job he has.

The Favorite:

If it wasn’t obvious, TRN is one of my favorite Nancy Drew games — definitely in the top 5, almost definitely in the top 3 — and that makes this section really easy.

First off is the physical presence of the Hardy Boys. It feels really natural to have them appear after being in most of the games leading up to TRN, and they make every second of this game better. From Joe’s cheeseburger face to playing briefly as Frank and eavesdropping (a minigame that would reach its Pinnacle in WAC) to watching Nancy sit down with the boys and pow-wow to figure out the mysteries, the Hardy Boys are a delight from beginning to end,

My favorite moment in the game is that lovely moment where Nancy sees Camille’s ghost dancing along the train window. Camille’s spirit looks so cheerful and effervescent, gently bubbling along her beloved husband’s train, and it’s a beautiful moment.

It’s also a crucial moment in the Nancy Drew game series and lore as a whole, as it, for the first time, clearly and plainly establishes what it’s hinted at since MHM — that in the Nancy Drew universe, ghosts and spirits are real. They’re almost never the culprit, and they don’t often look like Scary Cartoon ghosts, but they’re real all the same. This moment does so much for the game and for the series that it will forever be one of my favorite moments in the series, not just in this game.

My favorite puzzle would have to be finding and placing all the gemstones. I’ve always loved gemstones, and this game really increased my love of them (and interest in their meanings/folklore). Figuring out which animal goes with which stone — and mastering what the “hand from the deep” actually looks like — is a lot of fun, and the animatic of all the different parts whirring and coming together is beautiful. It’s often placed alongside one of the best quotes of this game: “above all…let nothing happen to my train; it holds wonderful things”.

I also love the “true treasure” of the game; sure, Nancy’s line about friendship is a bit corny, but ND has always been a bit corny, and it’s a wonderful sentiment that a true gift can simply be your ability to make connections, rather than any material possessions or social standing.

Camille is one of my favorite “historical characters” in the series, and I know I’ve mentioned her ghost just above, but I love how personal and friendly she feels; you really do get the sense as the player that she’s there, helping Nancy along. It’s Jake’s mystery, and Jake’s mine, Jake’s friends, and Jake’s treasure, but to me, Jake Hurley’s train forever belongs to Camille.

The Un-Favorite:

As far as my least favorite puzzle in TRN goes…I don’t think I have one. I enjoy all of them for their varied styles, their tie-ins to the time period and to palace trains in general – they don’t exactly feel like puzzles, even, more like well-integrated plot points. I think this is one of the few — if not the only one — that absolutely no puzzle comes to mind, so good on TRN.

Alright, you knew it was coming. My least favorite moment in the game is where Lori reveals herself as the second culprit and tries to trap Nancy in the crumbling mine (and the fallout in the letter Nancy writes). I’ve already gone into how Lori makes no sense as the actual culprit from a characterization point of view — and TRN runs on characterization — so I won’t repeat it. But I do have problems with it besides that.

TRN feels like it was set up to have a “culprit” — Lori, kidnapping herself — and then an actual culprit. Lori wanting to find Jake’s treasure as a publicity thing is totally fine, but the whole mystery feels like there’s another sinister presence working on Lori and the rest of the cast the entire time, trying to steer them to where they want them for their own machinations.

It would shock me not at all to find out that this scenario was the original plan, cut for time. TRN came out in mid-September of 2005, not even two months after CLK. While I know that different games are worked on simultaneously, that’s still quite a quick schedule to keep — especially since game #13 (TRN) wasn’t in the cards at all, the game series meant to be 12 games in total.

The ending feeling slapdash — “ah, we don’t have time to work out a criminal, let’s just have it be Lori again” — isn’t shocking looking at the timetable and circumstances behind TRN even becoming a game. While I understand it, I feel like the lack of thought put into the last 5 minutes or so of the game is really noticeable, and undermines both character and theming.

The Fix:

So how would I fix Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon?

Unsurprisingly (and since the rest of the game is borderline perfect), the one change/fix I would make is to the identity of the final culprit. John’s ‘arc’ is somewhat anticlimactic — he’s the only character to sort of drop off the face of the game at the 2/3rds mark — and I truly believe that it’s because the seeds are there to reveal him as the true villain, but it was never carried out.

My proposal is this: the vast majority of the game stays exactly as it is. Lori kidnaps herself, is found by Nancy, and rewards her by giving her all the information she has about the location of the mine — there being a small reference to Jake receiving a letter from an “important friend” or some such descriptor.

Nancy, of course, wonders briefly about the letter and then moves on to solving the location of the mind, working in tandem with the Hardy Boys — but because John has listening devices all over the train, he hears about the letter and begins to research on a hunch that this letter has information that can help him “establish” Camille’s ghost better and make her hauntings more plausible.

In this canon, of course, John’s show really is on the brink of being cancelled without being picked up by any major network, and his paranormal tours that the player finds out about in SAW (and is referenced again in TMB) aren’t doing so well either, so he needs a huge boost to his credibility. Camille’s story — and the treasure/letter that Jake Hurley left behind — is the perfect thing to get him back on top, if he could just get the nosy detectives out of the way.

By listening in on Nancy and the Hardy Boys, John knows just as much as they do — and more, thanks to his research team for Ghost Chasers turning up a connection between Jake and Abraham Lincoln — and decides that the best way to frame this for his show is to have “Camille’s wrath” come upon the uppity teen detective, collapsing the mine to protect Jake’s treasure as soon as she finds it (and he can take it from her).

Used to working in the dark and moving quietly, John, directed by Lori (who he’s manipulated into having him follow Nancy with cameras to capture the moment), follows Nancy into the mine, helping out with a few “good guesses” (actually his knowledge from listening in and researching) and snapping a few pictures of the treasure when they find it. After asking Nancy to hand him Lincoln’s letter so that he can film it better, John runs out of the room and blocks up the exit, standing outside to gloat to Nancy.

John talks about how he manipulated Lori, how he listened in, how this is the thing he needs to boost his show up to be the most-watched program in the ghost hunting business, how clever he was to run rings around Tony, Lori, Charleena, and most of all the Hardy Boys and Nancy herself. He then tells Nancy that she won’t live to tell the tale, but he’ll get footage of “Camille” causing a quake in the mine to protect her husband’s treasure — running as the mine begins to collapse.

From there, the game would continue as normal until Nancy catches the culprit (the only difference being who the culprit is) and rides to safety.

While this section seems really long, this change isn’t actually that big in the scheme of things — it just makes far more sense to have Lori only be the first culprit while having the second culprit be someone with a lot more to lose and a lot more to gain. In general with mysteries, your culprit should always be the person with the most to lose (though the detective and/or player shouldn’t know how much everyone has to lose from the beginning), and John suits that far more than Lori does.

That being said, this is the only change I’d make; I think the rest of the game not only was great at the time of its release but has also stood the test of time a decade and a half later. The change I’ve proposed would simply take the game from being a classic with a slight blemish to a truly perfect game.

#nancy drew #last train to blue moon canyon #clue crew #nancy drew games #TRN #nancy drew meta #long post #video games #my meta

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douxreviews · 5 years

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Parade's End - Series Review

"What I stand for is gone."

"But to live for. You have something to live for."

Without question, "Parade's End" is the best television miniseries I have seen in recent years. This five-part installment from 2012 is something as rare as a classic love triangle both expertly crafted and superbly acted, with a sentimental and optimistic ending which feels both earned and logical, while simultaneously addressing political questions, moral values and social class dimensions in such a way that it does not come off as shoehorned but rather as a vital element of the story.

The show is based on a series of World War I-era novels written by Ford Madox Ford. This review does not go into detail on all the storylines but nevertheless it does contain spoilers for the entire series.

The reason I came across this gem was me looking through the filmography of Adelaide Clemens. I was very impressed with her role as Tawney Talbot on the television show Rectify and I wanted to see more of her. Okay, so maybe I just thought she's one of the prettiest girls I've seen on screen over the last decade. Sue me. Anyway I wasn't disappointed.

The two other main characters of the drama are played by Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, The Hollow Crown) and Rebecca Hall (The Prestige, Transcendence). We all know they're talented performers and every single one of the cast brought their A-game to this series.

This is a very beautiful show, a wonderfully filmed BBC costume drama at its finest. One nice touch is how it often establishes the time frame for a given scene with people reading period newspapers, such as the famous article of Kerensky vowing to continue the war against Germany. The dialog sometimes comes across as a bit stilted, but I believe it's more of a conscious choice than anything, lending a certain formal way to how the characters speak, and it's often supremely clever, packed with the trademark English dry humor. It wasn't exactly hard to find stunning screenshots for it.

The protagonist of the show is Christopher Tietjens, who is probably the most perplexing character of the series. The two ladies competing for his affection - in their own and vastly dissimilar ways - are his wife Sylvia and the young, idealistic and well-educated suffragette girl Valentine Wannop, who is quite a bit below them on the social ladder.

Christopher is an anachronism, and this is that which drives the entire plot of the story. It defines his problems, drives the action and points to the solution of the piece. He represents the old values of the bourgeoisie. It would then be easy to dismiss him as a mere reactionary but this absolutely misses the point. Christopher embodies an idealized version of the morals of the bourgeoisie during and after the French revolution, the values of the class at a time where it was still a revolutionary force. He's actually speaking out in favor of the women's vote at a tea party even before he meets Valentine.

As she notes, Christopher is living in a "glass cabinet" - he is championing a class, a system of values and a society which no longer exists, and perhaps never truly did, more resembling the role of the perfect feudal lord. He is a devotedly ascetic, old-school moral man believing in leading by example and protecting the rights of those under his charge. More than this, he is invested in what he refers to as the "parade" - the sanctity of marriage and keeping up appearances so as to not disgrace oneself or one's peers. In one of his most confusing yet significant ramblings, he tells Valentine how he's joining the war to "protect the 18th Century from the 20th". No, Valentine, I didn't quite get that either.

In contrast, Sylvia Tietjens is a monster. It would be rather boring if she was just a monster, but she isn't. She's a spectacular monster, played with incredible panache by Hall. Sylvia is representing the rotten bourgeoisie of the beginning of the 1900's, the laissez faire attitude - the vampires and exploiters of men to the point of virtual slavery, spitting at those beneath her. She is completely amoral and depraved, even seemingly taking pride in being so. She's the embodiment of the upper class as a cancer. In her most comical and recurring theme she consistently accuses Christopher of being "too perfect" such as that she comes off feeling inferior to him, yet her response is never truly to attempt to better herself, but rather to provoke him into striking back and lower himself to her level with increasingly outrageous behavior, being unapologetically unfaithful and scandalizing him at every turn. I would think there are very few actresses who could pull off a line like "you forgave, without mercy" in a way that makes herself out to be the victim.

Her weakness lies in how she gradually becomes absolutely obsessed with Christopher precisely because, after everything she does, she is still utterly unable to break him. In a ridiculous sense, Sylvia is in touch with her times and her social status - the predatory Capitalism, the subjugation of the colonies, the trampling of the working class under her iron heel and a life in shameless luxury - whereas Christopher is not. This is further indicated by the ire Christopher is drawing from his peers, precisely because of his devotion to his work, his utter inability to compromise his ideals and his brutal, acidic verbal beatdowns of other men in power who fail to respect or even be honest towards their subjects, leading him ultimately to be regarded as the most vile and debauched man in London due to slander from his enemies - an adulterer and a traitor to his country, none of it true. He can't even help doing his job well when it goes against his own interests, as evidenced by this brilliant piece of dialog between him and Valentine:

C- "The French were bleating about the devastation of bricks and mortar they've incurred by enemy action. I saw suddenly it was no more than one year's normal peacetime dilapidation spread over the whole country." A- "How wonderful!" C- "So the argument for French command of the Western Front gets kicked out of court for a season." A- "But weren't you arguing against your own convictions?" C- "Yes, of course. But Macmaster depends on me."

The third player, Valentine Wallop, is a symbol of the petty-bourgeois sympathizing with the plights of the proletariat amidst the increasing social contradictions of her age, which at this time and place were actually threatening her class with extinction. She's working for the vote for women and she's intensely pacifist. Her little brother, occupying a rather small role on the show, is a socialist and later a Bolshevik, writing her a postcard in Latin from the front, afraid it will get picked up by the censorship - "long live the October revolution!"

Where a lesser work would find this a golden opportunity to insert some synthetic plug against Communism, "Parade's End" significantly has Valentine exclaiming to her horrified mother, "well, it's enough to make anyone Bolshevik sending men and boys to murder each other in millions!" She is the least nuanced but most admirable of the three characters - outspoken, disrespectful of authority, perhaps a bit naïve and with a big heart.

This sets the stage for our drama - the love triangle between the moral traditionalist aristocrat, the corrupt would-be tyrant from his own class and the moral revolutionary commoner.

The conflict is symbolized by the Tietjens family tree at his grounds at Groby estate, where people from all walks of life have been hanging good luck charms for centuries. It is a symbol for tradition and the bond between the ruling class and its subjects. The tree's roots have grown too deep and wide and threaten to destabilize the very ground on which the estate is seated - another symbol for how the morals of times past have turned into obstacles for the needs of modern Capitalism - but in Sylvia's inimitable, shallow manner of thinking the main reason she wants to get rid of it is because it "darkens the view out the window". That, and out of spite for her husband, who dearly loves it and all it stands for - as he says, "young men and maidens have made their marriage vows under the Groby tree for longer than memory."

Her mother urges her to stay her hand and wait for her son to decide what to do with it once he is Lord of Groby but Sylvia bluntly states that his son will "grow up to be a Tietjens", so she won't even give him that choice. When she has the tree cut down with no sanction, that is the breaking point and the true conclusion of the triangle, in a single stroke showing Christopher that all the old values he lived for are dead.

In the end, Christopher chooses and chooses wisely. As his godfather told him on the field of battle, "well, there are no more parades for that regiment. It held out to the last man, but you were him", and as he himself says to Valentine, in a defining, game-changing piece of conversation: "My colours are in the mud. It's not a good thing to find oneself living by an outmoded code of conduct. People take you to be a fool. I'm coming round to their opinion."

The final shot of the series, with Christopher burning the last log of wood from the tree in the fireplace, dancing with Valentine at the post-war party with his fellow soldiers, is one of the most satisfying ends to any show I have ever seen.

It is good precisely because when I watched through this series for the first time, I fully expected Christopher to die in the finale, bleeding out in some ditch half-way to Belgium and setting up the standard tragic conclusion, as most of these great stories do - but this ending sends a powerful message. It is possible to change, and it is possible to find happiness even after you have let go of all your old baggage and sentiments. It is not a happy ending for the sake of it. It's a happy ending because ultimately that is what best serves the story.

There are of course many other characters in this drama - the timid, upstart Macmaster and his hypocrite mistress, Christopher's dad who commits suicide poisoned by false rumors about his son, the likable Irish priest most likely connected to the Irish Republican Army, executed on false charges of treason by Ulstermen, and Christopher's brother, who finally comes to understand him and take Valentine's side against his wife, and they are all well-crafted and well-played - but if I were to address them all, this would turn from an essay into a novel. You might as well go read the novels.

It's inspiring television. In one word, it's perfect.

Thomas Ijon Tichy

#Parade's End #Ford Madox Ford #Benedict Cumberbatch #Rebecca Hall #Adelaide Clemens #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews #something from the archive

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harkgriddle · 2 years

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-King Louis XIV becomes king of France in the 17th century and proceeds to spend the next 6 decades bankrupting the absolute fuck out of it via extreme military spending and palace building

-The peasantry get tired of the decades of living in abject impoverished hell, so they rise up and decapitate most of the royals of the French Revolution

(this eventually leads to Anastasia, I swear)

-Military leader Napoleon takes control of France. Although pledged to be different, he basically just does the same thing. He stays at Versailles and he begins vast military campaigns across Europe.

-In response to France taking over all of Europe twice in the last century, many small nations form together and create Germany in 1815 (they don’t call it that yet but it’s basically Germany).

-The new country holds quite the grudge over France, and for the next 100 years does everything in its power to build up its own military while simultaneously attempting to cut France off from other countries. It is the middle school equivalent of “I won’t be your friend if you’re friends with them”. This eventually leads to 2 large ally blocks in Europe by the year 1900. Everybody is sitting on opposite ends of the lunch room.

-One of the kids from the left side of the lunchroom assassinates one of the kids from the right side of the lunchroom, and so it leads to a big food fight between the two tables. It’s very dumb and very messy.

-Russia experiences extremely high death rates, both military deaths and civilian deaths. By some estimates, more civilians were killed in Russia than in France and Germany combined.

-Tired of fighting and starving, the Russian people, the ones who were left alive, began the revolution in Russia and would eventually murder Tsar Nicholas II and his children, including his 16-year old daughter, her Imperial Highness, the Grand Duchess Anastasia.

-Immediately after they kill the children, the Bolsheviks panic and realize that murdering a handful of kids isn’t the best PR move when you're seeking the approval for your new country. So they lie, and they tell everybody that the children are alive.

-The rumor that the Secret Princess Anastasia had escaped and was living in hiding fueled imaginations and legends for decades.

-In 1991, the graves of the Romanov family are finally found. But curiously they only find the bodies of Nicholas, his wife, and only 3 of their daughters. Anastasia’s body is missing. This seemingly reignites and adds fuel to the old tale.

-Don Bluth begins making the cartoon film Anastasia, based on the legend, and releases in through Fox studios a few years later in 1997

-(It should be noted, sadly, that Anastasia’s body was found in 2007. For some reason, the Bolsheviks buried her in a grave separate from the rest of her family the night of the murders. But DNA testing concluded it was indeed her.)

-In 2017, Disney buys Fox, making the Anastasia cartoon officially a Disney cartoon about a princess.

tl;dr French noble fuckery in the 17th century causes French and German policies that directly lead to war and the eventual murder of Anastasia, which sparks a rumor and eventually a movie which Disney buys

#history #this glosses over a lot #but it was getting long

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inoahfewthings-blog · 6 years

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Gender and Sexuality Portfolio Post Three: Connection to Popular Culture

The Evolution of Black Feminism: The Yoncé Perspective

In today’s media, there are so many influential people that use their platform to promote certain, and sometimes hidden, agendas. They use music, radio, TV, newspapers, social media, and the internet to create a strong fanbase, and gain support for whatever motive. This status combined with use of the media can be detrimental to influencing biases in any population. However, media can sometimes be used for the greater good. When thinking of Black feminism and how it is portrayed in pop culture, one iconic figure comes to mind: Beyoncé – Queen Bey. Through her expression of Black culture and forward thinking of feminism, Beyoncé has reshaped the gender binary. The goal of this essay is to explain how Beyoncé has redefined Black feminism via revising the gender binary, specifically through critique and expansion.

Now, Beyoncé, being an international entertainer for over 20 years, has published many songs, videos, and performances. I looked at music from her Destiny’s Child days up until the late 2000s, but realized that during those times, she completely fell into the gender binary (possibly) to gain a larger following to the Beyhive. For that, I examined albums from this decade because her feministic approach is much more pronounced. The two songs that will be analyzed in this essay are “Flawless” from her self-titled album, Beyoncé, and “Formation” from Lemonade, her most recent solo album. These songs make the most sense to analyze because they are like a Black feminist/womanist manifesto: they have very public messages of freedom and calls to action for women and men to defend the care and equity of women of color everywhere.

In the first wave of the Yoncé perspective, Bey promotes her personal beliefs of feminism (without huge emphasis on Black culture). Before getting into the beautiful and strategic portrayal of Black feminism in “Flawless”, the problematic retelling of the gender binary will be addressed first. Bey says, “…this diamond, flawless/my diamond, flawless/this rock, flawless/my rock, flawless/I woke up like this/I woke up like this…”, pointing to her large wedding ring and running her hands up and down her body (Beyoncé, 2013). This part of the chorus retells the gender binary through prescription; it sets the superficial standard of beauty and body type while emphasizing luxurious things that women should desire and achieve (Foss, Domenico, & Foss, 2012). However, this example is so minuscule compared to the dominant message of the song which revises the gender binary. Featured on the song is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigerian novelist and feminist. She overtly critiques society’s double standard of behavioral expectations between men and women. The following excerpt is featured on “Flawless” and is originally presented in Adichie’s TED Talk, “We Should All be Feminists”:

We teach girls to shrink themselves to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, "you can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful, otherwise you will threaten the man". Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage. I am expected to aspire to marriage. I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most most important. Now marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support, but why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don't teach boys the same? We raise girls to see each other as competitors, not for jobs or for accomplishments, which I think can be a good thing, but for the attention of men. We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are. Feminist: the person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. (Beyoncé, 2013).

This message vocalizes gender inequality and responds with a solution: feminism. What makes Beyoncé so influential for incorporating this excerpt into “Flawless” is that it reaches all age groups. It is unlikely that a 13-year-old girl will go on the internet and search this TED Talk. However, she is likely to have Beyoncé on repeat, which would allow her to truly internalize the questions asked by Adichie. Through music, Beyoncé strategically revises the gender binary by placing this societal critique in her song so that it affects any and every age and gender that listens to her album.

In the second wave of the Yoncé perspective, Queen Bey gravitates more to Black culture and feminism, completely paralleling her work to Black feminism. “Formation” has two powerful portrayals of Black feminism that both critique and expand the gender binary: the music video and lyrics (Beyoncé, 2016). Beyoncé is known for the visuals that accompany her music. Within the first few moments of the video, we see Bey laying on top of a sinking police car in New Orleans, LA, giving the reminder of Hurricane Katrina. It is a political statement of critique, reminding the U.S. of all the (Black) people who suffered and lost their homes and loved ones during the natural disaster with little support of the government to aid in help. A few clips later, Blue Ivy, Beyoncé’s daughter, and friends are playing around in all white dresses. This represents another critique to the citizens and federal government of the U.S. because not many people are aware of, or even care, that there has been a rise in the abduction of Black and Latino girls and women in the U.S (CNN, 2017). This is a second reminder to the United States that little Black girls, and girls of color, are important; #BlackLivesMatter. There is then a scene of Bey and other Black women sitting in a day room dressed in all white apparel from the late-1800s or early-1900s. This visual represents Black women in a stance of power; whereas they would have been slaves or indentured servants at the time, they are dressed in fine gowns, head pieces, and jewels with fans to match. Throughout the video we see Yoncé constantly changing her hair styles. Hair is huge in the Black community and for the Queen to change from a curly fro, to an elegant natural up-do, to box braids that pass the waist adds to the power of versatility in Black women. Lastly, Beyoncé gives the visual of Black feminism by the choreography of her and her dancers literally getting into formation and repeating the lyrics “‘cause I slay” and “we gone slay”. The women made solid lines and often did moves with synchronization. This is a symbol of Black women getting in line and preparing to boss up through their own personal attributes and uplifting one another as they make their way through life. This is a critique of society that wants women to compete and see each other as enemies. Bey’s choreography emphasizes the unity that Black women have simply by the identity itself.

The omnipresence of the gender binary is smashed and revised by Queen Bey when examining the lyrics to “Formation”. In lyrical analyzation, she writes, “My daddy Alabama, mama Louisiana/you mix that negro with that Creole make a Texas bamma/I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros/I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils/earned all this money but they never take the country out me…” (Beyoncé, 2016). In these lyrics, we see how Beyoncé embraces her roots and Black culture while mentioning financial achievement. The message here is that you can be Black, have financial freedom, and never forget where you came from. This is a general uplifting to the entire Black community. The following lyrics epitomize Black feminism in pop culture because Bey completely contradicts the passive and dependent role of women in romantic relationships:

When he fuck me good I take his ass to Red Lobster, 'cause I slay (2x)/if he hit it right, I might take him on a flight on my chopper, 'cause I slay/drop him off at the mall, let him buy some J's, let him shop up, 'cause I slay/I might get your song played on the radio station, 'cause I slay (2x)/ You just might be a black Bill Gates in the making, 'cause I slay/I just might be a black Bill Gates in the making (Beyonce, 2016).

To a certain extent, these lyrics are an example of the stereotypical “strong independent Black woman” persona. However, in this case, that portrayal is appropriate and empowering. Here, Beyoncé uses the expansion method of revising the gender binary to promote Black feminism; she describes multiple ways of being a Black woman which is contrary to the stereotypical roles of women in the gender binary (Foss, Domenico, & Foss, 2012). In a heterosexual relationship, men are expected to take care of women and be the financial home base. Bey, on the other hand, expands the role of women by making herself the financial powerhouse in the relationship. The last few lyrics are important because they are the product of Black feminism in pop culture. Bey positions herself in the same power dynamic that a White male billionaire is in; she takes on the role of the most entitled and privileged human being. Furthermore, she offers that possibility to other Black women!

In the first wave of the Yoncé perspective, we see how Bey focuses on the gender binary and its hypocritical biases. She addresses the issues without specificity of Black culture. This is to get the attention and support of all women followers. However, in the second wave of the Yoncé perspective, Queen Bey grows her feministic ideology even more, but adds emphasis to Black culture and the love of being a Black woman. This strategy was so tactful because she first gained support for gender equality and later highlighted the social issues around the Black community at large and how society has casted off Black women, all while empowering Black women to push past societal expectations and to be greater than what they have written us to be. Through revision, Beyoncé consistently critiques and expands the gender binary and gives light to Black feminism. Seeing her influence on such a topic effects any and every one that listens to her music and encourages them to take action in order to insure the equity of Black women and women of color everywhere.

References

Beyoncé. (2013. December 13). Flawless. On Beyoncé [Spotify]. New York City, NY: Parkwood &

Columbia.

Beyoncé. (2016, December 9). Formation [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDZJPJV__bQ

Foss, S. K., Domenico, M. E., & Foss, K. E. (2013). Gender Stories: Negotiating Identity in a Binary

World. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.

Jarret, L., Reyes, S., & Shortell, D. (2017, March 26). Missing black girls in DC spark outrage,

prompt calls for federal help. CNN. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/24/us/missing-black-girls-washington-dc/index.html

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birchwoodediting · 6 years

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After commas, dashes and hyphens are perhaps the most common cause of punctuation confusion I see.

Hyphens (-) are not to be confused with either the en dash (–) or the em dash (—) (there’s another post for that) So what are they and how are they different?

A hyphen is the shortest dash-like punctuation, and the only one you’ll find on your keyboard. A hyphen is used to connect two or more words or pieces of words into one word. Sometimes, using a hyphen can slightly alter the meaning of the words it connects into one meaning. Hyphens are a lot less common than they used to be, but you still use them in three main ways:

Word Separation

Hyphens can be used to join two (or more) pieces of a word that has been separated, usually at the end of a line. This is less common than it used to be, as it serves little purpose in digital media. However, you will still see it in print, especially newspaper, where space is at a premium. If you are using hyphens like this, make sure the placement of the hyphen doesn’t mislead the reader.

Take the word serves above. If I had to separate it, I would use ser-ves. If I wrote se-rves or serv-es, the reader would be thrown off. Similarly, if you separated helmet as he-lmet instead of hel-met, readers would have a much harder time understanding the word.

Additionally, hyphens are used when listing compound words. For example:

Does the period go in- or outside of quotation marks?

Knowing your punctuation can improve your writing two-, three-, or fourfold!

Compound Words

Another use for hyphens is creating compound words. There are numerous different kinds of compound words based on which parts of speech the words are that make them up and which parts of speech they become as a compound, but I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty details here.

Some examples of compound words made with hyphens:

He viewed the world with child-like wonder.

She wore noise-cancelling headphones on the plane.

Meeting her future mother-in-law for the first time was nerve-wracking.

Two of the above examples are correct as written, but the hyphen is not required. The following examples:

He viewed the world with childlike wonder.

She wore noise cancelling headphones on the plane.

are just as correct as the previous versions.

So how do you know when to use it? This use for hyphens might be the most complex, but if you remember that your goal is to communicate effectively, then it becomes simpler. Just ask yourself if including a hyphen in compound makes your meaning clearer or looks better. You probably don’t need a hyphen in noise cancelling headphones because it is obvious that cancelling refers to noise rather than headphones, but you should never leave them out of mother-in-law.

Another way to remember is to decide whether the hyphenated version is used so frequently (and for so long) it has become its own word, with its own separate meaning. Noise and cancelling are two words that you combined to describe the headphones, but they are not inexorably linked in our language like mother-in-law is.

In a similar trend to mother-in-law, childlike has become its own word, but here, the hyphen has been phased out completely.

When in doubt, consult your favorite dictionary. And whatever you decide, remain consistent. As with all grammar, if you make a reasonable choice and stick with it, it’s right.

Prefixes

Hyphens are also used to attach prefixes to stem words. However, this use is also increasingly fading. Prefixes (such as co-, un-, uni-, de-, pre-, post-, etc.) were once frequently used with hyphens, but over the last few decades their use has diminished significantly (you’ll notice the word prefix will never need a hyphen).

When would you put a hyphen in a word including a prefix?

You should always use one between pre- and a name or date.

The building was built pre-1900’s.

The dress was pre-Victorian in style.

It’s more common when the stem of the word begins with a vowel and the prefix ends with a vowel (i.e. co-own), but many words have evolved to exclude the hyphen even so (i.e. preempt, cooperate).

The cats believe they co-own my dog.

He refuses to cooperate with them.

Your best solution here again is to consult your dictionary (the same one, please) and be consistent.

Remember, the function of punctuation is not to trip up the writer, but rather to make reading easier. Any punctuation used effectively will be invisible to the reader, while punctuation used improperly or inconsistently will draw a reader’s attention to the mechanics of your writing, rather than the substance.

#punctuation #writing tips #birchwood #writeblr #writing reference

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birb-hoe · 6 years

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The Night Stalker.

A short horror story I wrote based on this piece of artwork created by the amazingly talented @dappermouth!

I grew up living in a small town, population… I’d say about 15000 roughly. Give or take a few people. The whole place had a very bright and mellow charm about it growing up, everyone was slightly reserved but polite. I guess everybody just liked to keep to themselves. Despite the rumbling of small earthquakes now and then and the common deer collisions with cars it’s very peaceful most of the time. The town is enveloped in a very beautiful scenery, so I can thank mother nature for giving me a good home. We were surrounded by tall mountains which would be washed with an orange glow from the sunset on a clear days evening, and west of the town was a big forest that panned out to a big lake.

I used to go swimming in the lake during every day of spring and summer as a kid, which was probably my favourite thing to do, sometimes with my classmates and my best friend Jimmy as well. The best part had to be when I would sit at the deep end and let my legs dangle over the edge, that’s where the all the stringy moss would brush against the bottom of my feet. My parents always told me to come back when it started to get dark because of two reasons, the first being general safety for your child as parents do. The second being the town curfew. This pretty much applied to everyone who lived in the town but the rule was made clear regularly in school and community centre meetings; Never go outside when the sun has set.

For a long time during my childhood I never really understood why the rule was there, or how none of the grown ups would talk about it. The only other rule they really enforced was to drive slow to shorten road accidents with the wildlife, but that’s understandable. My mother would tell me tales about this creature that lurks around the streets at night called the Night Stalker, and that it would eat all the naughty kids that disobeyed their parents. For the longest time it gave me chills and was definitely some good nightmare fuel for a while, but like most childhood things you grow out of that stuff eventually. It wasn’t until I was about 12 years old that I started getting curious about this curfew and what it really meant.

It all started one day when this girl called Nancy in my maths class didn’t show up, which was weird because she never missed a day of school, or even turned up late for that matter. None of the other kids really knew what was going on until a few days later when the head teacher announced to everyone that Nancy had drowned in the lake. Apparently she tried to go swimming at night without any arm bands, and because of her carelessness she couldn’t stay afloat. At first I didn’t think of it much because only a handful of people would go missing every year, so it wasn’t that big of a deal. But the more I thought about it the more it didn’t make any sense.

For starters, Nancy would never break any rules whether it was school rules or the curfew. Not even the grown ups would go out at night. Also she was a great swimmer, I’ve swam with her in the lake a few times and she could swim far out to the deep end and back again without breaking a sweat. I’ve never seen her use arm bands or pool floaties ever. The only thing she really did apart from swimming and doing homework was have sleepovers with her best friend Beth so the whole thing was very confusing. I tried talking to her about Nancy and what happened but she wouldn’t speak about it, which made sense because she just lost a friend.

I asked around some of Beth’s close friends to find out more but all I got from them was that Nancy sneaked out of her home to have a ‘super secret sleepover’ that they were planning, but never showed up. Which was odd considering Nancy and Beth lived only 2 blocks away. One thing that I did find unsettling was overhearing some of the older teenagers talking about it, apparently one of them saw the body when it was being pulled out of the lake. They said that the body was completely crushed and broken like it was hit by a car or truck, which is weird because the town never really gets that much traffic. Over the following weeks I contemplated the whole thing over and over in my head, everything was a blur because my mind was always somewhere else.

Eventually I told Jimmy about everything that I overheard and the thoughts I was having, and we ended up talking about it for hours. He theorised that Nancy’s death was somehow connected to the town’s curfew, which I was sceptical about at first but made sense the more I thought it over. Soon we hatched a plan during lunch break to figure out what really happened. I invited him to a sleep over at my place the following Sunday, my mother made lasagne and we stayed up watching cartoons. After going to bed at 9pm we slept for roughly 5 hours until we were sure that my parents were asleep. Jimmy had set an alarm on his watch so he could wake me up. We got dressed into our outdoor clothes and grabbed some flash lights that he had packed the day before and I pulled back the curtains, slowly opened the window and quietly jumped into one of the hedges below. Jimmy soon followed and we both turned on our flash lights.

The sky was an eerie dark blue and all of our surroundings were caked in a thick fog, we could barely see 5 yards ahead of us. Everything was completely silent, no birds chirping or insects buzzing. It was like we were the only two people in town. We decided to walk down the path way towards the blocks near Beth’s place to see if we could get a clue. The town seemed so ghostly and chilling, quite the opposite of the bright and mellow feeling you get during the day time. Every step I took was amplified by the deafening silence that cloaked the streets, even breathing seemed like a soft shout with every exhale. After about an hour of walking around the town we realised that we were nowhere near Beth’s place, Jimmy exclaimed that we were obviously lost and that we should keep walking around.

After a few more minutes we eventually made it to a small four way intersection around the centre of the town, the traffic lights softly glowing through the fog as if my eyes defocused everything I could see. I was trailing the light of my torch around the path when I noticed something rustling in a nearby bush. The sound was crisp and clear as both myself and Jimmy jerked our heads to whatever that sound was. We stared at the bush as it continued to rustle for another minute before something crept out if it. It was a cat, black and white with silver whiskers and eyes as blue as the sky itself. I immediately started to follow the cat so I could pet it, but it had no intention of slowing down whatsoever.

I followed it into an alleyway and behind a bin and started stroking its head as it started to purr. “Dude, come back I can barely see you!” Jimmy yelled, his voice echoing through the alley. I didn’t bother to turn round, or even respond. That was the last thing he ever said to me. In the distance a soft and subtle rumbling noise made the ground rumble. The rumbling grew louder and louder, faster and faster as the ground started to shake more violently. I held the cat in fear and buried my face into it’s fur as I had no idea what was happening. The rumbling got louder and closer until a blood-curdling scream pierced through the rumbles, followed by a crippling crackling slam, and then silence.

I let go of the cat as it ran off further into the alleyway and disappeared round the corner, my whole body still trembling with fear. All I could hear was the thumping of my heart pounding throughout my head and the heavy exhausted breathing escaping my lungs. I slowly turned round to see that I dropped my torch near the entrance of the alleyway so I walked over and picked it up. It flickered and died on me, cursing under my breath from the stress I placed the torch in my back pocket and stared at the ground in shock. Once my eyes were focused again, I noticed the beam of a torch was pointing at my chest. For a split second I was filled with joy, as if everything would be alright. But when I looked up, my body went cold and my hair stood up on end to what I saw in front of me.

A deer, with legs as tall as a truck and body as big as a house, with eyes glowing like headlights, antlers covered in stringy moss dripping with water, standing in front of the mangled crushed body of my friend Jimmy. The Night Stalker. It stared right at me, right into my eyes, as if our vision was locked together in a stalemate. My body was frozen with fear, cold tears running down my eyes and mouth wide open. I wanted to scream, but nothing would come out. For what seemed like an eternity the creature eventually turned its head away, grabbed Jimmy’s body with it’s mouth, and walked away.

Then everything faded to black. I was found unconscious in the alleyway the next morning by some of the locals and was immediately taken to hospital where I woke up. The months were a blur after that. I never really went outside any more, or even went to school. I did all my homework in my room, curtains closed and bedside lamp always kept on. My parents eventually told me the truth about the curfew, and the Night Stalker.

The town has been cursed for decades. Nobody knows how long, but the same event takes place every night. For every deer that is struck dead in the town, the spirits of the deceased deer comes out when it’s dark and takes a life in return. Those who venture out when it’s dark are crushed like a car and their bodies taken to the lake where they sink to the bottom, to be later fished out by the locals in the following days. That’s how the town used to dispose of deer corpses during the 1900′s. I still have nightmares to this day, every time I close my eyes all I see is theirs staring back at me. I don’t think I’ll ever leave my home. I don’t think the nightmares will stop…

#story #creepypasta #short story #horror #birb-hoe #dappermouth #artists on tumblr #thriller #dark #creepy

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chanteportfolio · 6 years

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A Media Channel Analysis on Movie Theaters

Why are movie theaters delivering communications?

Movie theaters have been around since the early 1900’s. The goal was originally to create a higher clientele of attendees just like live performance theater. At the time the only thing being shown was silent films with subtitles and since education wasn’t as important for the average commoner a lot of the poor couldn’t and wouldn’t go see films. That all changed when sound was introduced and took away the need to read in order to understand the movie. It thus became a business providing entertainment for everyone.

What is the communication trying to achieve?

By creating a business based on providing entertainment, movie theaters need to create brand loyalty with movie goers. Especially in today's society where there is so much competition for the consumer dollar, theaters need to continue to prove and reinvent themselves in order to keep up. No longer can they rely solely on the films to bring in an audience. People need to enjoy the entire atmosphere and walk away with a great experience in order to keep coming back.

Who are theaters talking to?

Movie theaters are trying to communicate with anyone with disposable income. With a wide variety of films, arcade and in theater games, and food, they are attempting to make the theater a one stop shop for any and everybody in order to maximize profit.

What is the main idea movie theaters are trying to communicate?

The main idea movie theaters are communicating is that they can create an experience like no other by providing a chance for people to escape. They do this by creating an experience that plays off of almost all of our senses. When you walk through the door you are immediately hit by the smell of popcorn. When you look around, there are posters and trailers playing not only what is currently showing in theaters but also what is coming soon so you can start planning what to watch next. Most theaters now show films in a 2k or 4k quality while also having surround sound in order for us to be completely immersed in what we are watching. After all that, they hope that people still find it a service worth paying for.

How do we know movie theaters are effective?

How effective a movie theater is doing is a bit hard to tell because there hasn’t been much research on it. One might assume that when a big box office film comes out that the movie theaters would also be benefitting. They are since they get a percentage of sales but it wasn't their communication that drove consumers to their establishment. It’s hard to prove that people are going to a specific theater because of the theater and not because of the content they are displaying. Being in an industry that can be impacted not only by the economy but by people’s opinions makes it very easy for there to be highs and lows. Staying consistent not only during the good years, but through things like a recession can be seen as being effective. In the Chart shown below, you can see that since the decline of attendance in the 60’s, the average weekly attendance has remained the same. Now is that due to theaters communication or people just really liking films?

How are movie theaters different than other channels?

Movie theaters are stationary. The channels we currently use in our daily lives have been able to adapt so that we can take them almost everywhere we go. Theaters however remain one of the few channels that we are still required to go to and follow their schedule. Going to the movies requires planning in order to see what you want. Especially if it’s the opening weekend of a talked about movie, you have to be there early to either get good seats or before it sells out.

What technology is unique about movie theaters?

With the advancement of technology things that were once synonymous with movie theaters we can now create at home. For example technology like surround sound, bigger screens, digital projectors and the use of the 3D effects are all things that we can now purchase to create a theater experience in the comfort of our own homes. Brands of movie theaters have come up with different technology but there hasn't been an advancement of technology for theaters as a whole in a long time.

Cineplex Entertainment

The brand I chose for this assignment is Cineplex. Cineplex has quickly become Canada’s largest and most recognizable brand when it comes to movies because it continues to reinvent itself.

What is the brand strength?

Cineplex’s greatest strength is its diversification.

With the creation of Scene and scene points they were able to reward the consumer for previous purchases of movie tickets. After earning 1,000 points, customers are able to watch a movie for free. The program has now evolved as they have partnered with Scotiabank so consumers can earn points outside of the theater by doing everyday shopping.

Cineplex has made itself different from others theaters by creating vip in theater dining, adult only theaters where they serve alcohol and the streaming of live shows and events.

But, they are also branching off into different avenues. As of 2015, they own 50% equity in Cineplex Starburst which is the distributor of arcade games to not only Xscape, the gaming area in all Cineplex’s, but theme parks like Canada’s Wonderland and Disney World.

It has even created its own upscale version of Dave and Buster’s called The Rec Room.

What is the brand’s weakness?

Just because people are loyal to a brand doesn’t mean they are in love with the it. Cineplex realized that people thought of them like they do walmart according to Peter Furnish, the VP of marketing for Cineplex and thus Lily and the Snowman was created.

It is a short film about a young girl named Lily who builds a snowman that tells her stories through the shadows of his hand. As spring approaches she stores him away in a freezer until the next winter so he can continue to tell her stories. As she gets older she loses interest and no longer has time for him. It isn’t until later in life when she sees a shadow of a snowglobe with a snowman inside does she go back for her friend and he is storytelling for her and her daughter. The video ends with the tagline ‘Make time for what you love’. The brand went with an emotional pull as a lot of commercials are these days because they tend to be more memorable.

What is the brand’s opportunities?

By creating all of the different lanes, Cineplex has allowed themselves to no longer be as worried or helpless about how the newer technology will impact their main market.

What is the brand’s threats?

The biggest threat to Cineplex used to be people pirating movies allowing people to just watch it online for free. However over the last decade, their threat has become streaming services. With all the technological advances that have occurred in our lifetime, we as a society have become lazy. Cineplex has to now think of ways to deter people from solely using services like Netflix/on demand at home and still find enjoyment in coming to the theaters

This is a piece I wrote about the effectiveness of movies theaters as a media channel. I also used the brand Cineplex as my example and did a S.W.O.T analysis to further evaluate the effectiveness.

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andromedahawking · 6 years

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NaNoWriMo Day 4

6667 words! Apologies in advance, I wrote this in a sleep-deprived haze when nothing was real, so this probably makes absolutely no sense, but hey, it’s 1667 words. Enjoy!

It made Maria feel a lot better seeing how smoothly this meeting went. Nothing like the previous group projects she’d been a part of. Everybody contributed, everybody had something to pitch in.

“…but the deal with New York was, even though Mazer was really popular, they weren’t totally wooed, right? A bunch of people still refused to vote red…”

“…and in Arizona, it was pretty much guaranteed they’d swing towards the more liberal candidates, so Hanover was going to win no matter what, since she was the most liberal Progressive…”

“…the 29th Amendment only went into effect for this election, it was ratified back in 2046, so there was a 10-year delay before the changes went into effect…”

It was great to see everybody so involved, but as with any assignment, Maria left that day feeling mentally exhuasted. Her head was swirling with all sorts of maps and quotes, blurring together into a big mess of… bleh. She needed to spend a few hours without any heavy thinking and go to bed early.

She ended up doing exactly that when she got home. She went straight to her room, and took a nap for four hours before waking up and doing her homework for the next day. Then she ate dinner, and went back to bed again, not waking up until the next morning.

—

This time, the windows shone brightly with streaming sunlight when she woke up, unhidden by the fog that had conjured up yesterday. She tried to convince herself to get out of bed immediately, but the covers were so warm, and the sun was lighting her room just so… it was a little too intoxicating to let go of just yet. So she made sure her second alarm was set, and drifted off back to sleep again.

This time, when her second alarm went off, she was able to extricate herself from her bed and make her way downstairs. She was still awake before Thalia, although at this point, that was saying more about Thalia than herself. It was 8 already! Shouldn’t she be up too?

“Hey, Thalia, it’s already 8 in the morning! You have one hour to get ready for school, okay?”

“Mmmrrrmmm, school’s not ’til 10!”

“And it’ll take you another half an hour to get your lazy ass out of bed and start getting ready before your ride comes, I know you! If you don’t get up soon you’re going to be late!”

“I knooow!”

Maria sighed angrily. “I’ll be back around 18, don’t do anything too stupid while I’m gone!”

Today was Thursday, so that meant two things: she had both English and History today, and she had work in the afternoon. She tried not to let the familiar sensation of dread hit her too hard as she realised that, but it was… difficult. Work was always a bit of a grating time, but lately, it just seemed like everybody was being just a little bit more insufferable than usual, and it was getting hard to hold her tongue when they were being insufferable to her face. Nathan was her only saving grace at this point. How that man managed to deal with so many people who didn’t know the first thing about social etiquette was beyond her.

She walked into History class with just a few minutes to go before half past. “Mornin’, Professor.”

“Mornin’,” Monaca said back. “Have a good Wednesday?”

“Yeah. Got a good start on the project.”

“Good! I hope you’re ready to work on it today, too?”

Maria rubbed her eyes tiredly. “I hope so. I slept like the dead last night, so I would like to think that maybe I’ll be more awake today.”

“If only it were that easy,” Monaca sighed. “Find a menthol stick, that’ll wake you right up if you start nodding off. Those things are strong as all get-out.”

“Menthol sticks?” Adrien said. “That sounds like some sort of torture method the government would come up with.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised, Adrien, ‘cause I also hate menthol with a passion,” Monaca said. “I’ve tried them once, and let me tell you, it woke me right up. Strongest taste out there next to black coffee.”

“That’s honestly frightening.”

—

“Okay, so, 2051!” Monaca said. “I know you guys were al saying that 2050 sounded like a very dull year, but 2051 has some stuff that should actually interest you.”

“Hurrah!”

“Quiet, Hank!”

Monaca laughed. “I’m glad you’re so enthusiastic. Now, in 2051, the groundwork for one of the biggest landmarks in today’s America got laid down: Teller City came onto the map.

“Teller City wasn’t exactly anything special before 2051. It was found in 2033, in the middle of Montana, and got started as a manufacturing city. It wasn’t very big, and it really didn’t have a reputation to speak. But that all changed in 2051. In February that year, a bidding process began for one city to become host to the second headquarters of a fledgling artificial intelligence company that some of you may or may not have heard of: Hawking/Turing Laboratories.”

The class laughed at that line. “Yeah, I don’t think many people really know about HT, Professor,” Hannah called out.

“I didn’t think so either,” Monaca tossed back. “The bidding process took only a couple months, and Teller City was chosen on July 28th. At the time, HT was starting to really get a name for itself, but it hadn’t gotten the reputation it has today just yet. Artificial intelligence was still far from perfected in 2051 and a lot of their resources were being allocated towards energy production to make a profit while their research and development department worked on the androids they’d become known for in the 60s. That meant whichever city won the auction for the second headquarters could count on a pretty healthy influx of jobs and population growth. Teller City had already gone through a pretty amazing growth spurt in the late 40s, but they were confident enough in their infrastructure handling that they were willing to take on another wave of workers coming in to work for Hawking/Turing Labs. They won the auction, and as predicted, there was a big uptick in job growth and population growth in Teller City over the next couple of years as a result of that win. But, that’s only one part of the reason this was such an important year for Teller City.

“Since they won the auction, that meant that this city, in the middle of Montana, which hadn’t really been paid too much attention in the past few decades, got put in the spotlight when President Plenard signed the Energy Restoration Act of 2051.”

“Wait, that sounds familiar,” Tatie said from the back. “Wasn’t the Energy Restoration Act the one that started the energy grid?”

“Exactly!” Monaca said. “The Energy Restoration Act gave a huge burst of government funding to a few energy companies based in the United States as a way to combat the growing energy crisis that was starting to cause major problems for electricity as a result of the oil shortage of the late 40s going into the 50s. And one of those companies was Hawking/Turing Labs, which meant that two cities were given a huge boost of productivity and publicity: namely, Columbia, South Carolina, and Teller City. They started mass-producing cutting-edge solar grids that were to be used to replace the power plants running on fossil fuels, and eventually became the two major hubs of today’s solar grid. In 2051, this was a huge deal, because something on this scale hadn’t been done since the middle of the 1900s, when the interstate highways were built. Teller City got most of the attention, because it produced by and large the biggest amount of panels, gridding, and infrastructure out of any of the other major manufacturing cities in the United States. They sort of had to, since Montana and the West in general is very sparsely populated, so to create a national grid meant they would have to reach all the way out to Washington, Wyoming, Utah, all the small states that have more land than anybody really knows what to do with.”

“Wait, so was this mainly a Hawking/Turing project that was funded by the government, or was this more decentralised?” Maria asked.

“Good question! Hawking/Turing was the main benefactor of the Energy Department’s funding, but a couple of th eother energy juggernauts like PG&E got some pretty substantial extra cash to work on this projet. It took until about 2056 for them to complete the grid, but when they did, it worked pretty damn well. Of course, anything on this level is gonna be rife with lots of little problems, but they did a pretty good job of making it work. Teller City has sort of been given a paragraph to itself in the history textbooks for being at the center of the whole thing. So, if you ever wondered what was so special about Teller City, now you know: they won the second headquarters for HT Labs, and they built a metric shitton of stuff for the solar grid as part of the Eneergy Restoration Act of 2051.”

—

“Okay, it’s official, this class is gonna murder my hands with all the stuff I have to take down,” Adrien said to Maria as they left. “Like, it's interesting and all, and I love it, but Jesus Christ she talks at the speed of sound sometimes.”

“She’s very easy to get excited,” Maria agreed. “Sometimes I wonder if we’d be better off if we put half a sleeping pill in that Snapple bottle of hers before class so we could maybe hear more than just every other word.”

“Ha! Yeah, that probably would help out at least a little.” He checked his watch. “Oop! Sorry, gotta jet, I’ve got Astronomy in five minutes.”

“What?! Dude, run! Run, run! Get going!” Maria exclaimed. “You’re not gonna make it if you don’t book it!”

“I know that already!” he said, already breaking into a jog. He sprinted across the courtyard, then vanished into the sprawl of buildings.

#NaNoWriMo #My work #My OCs

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thatguywhowearspink · 6 years

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Run after your data, Not the IT

I . T .-'IT'-is pricey. Almost every Chief executive officer, CFO, COO-virtually every manager at each level of any company on the market understands that irrefutable point. It's ordinarily a key series product in every enterprise budget.

For the IT team, handling the provider practical ability indicates initially locating a product that satisfies regardless of what have to have the enterprise has come up with (and in most cases the strange whim of the individual director), then your purchase, installment, exercising, and repair of the component, software, networking systems, and databases which go with the application. Then you get to be worried about interfaces between the resources, reviews, security (equally external and internal), and the superb, irrepressible, unusual, and quite often exploitation behaviors of the customers despite you've supplied accomplish last part-to-stop exercising on the cool product.

Then a person changes their intellect and you get to do it all through just as before.

Personally, i consider every metro spot must have a non-public asylum correctly leaders. This facility will need to can come that comes with places for your for the moment insane to perform individual and brutal exploitation of computer hardware, provide you with them a setup of punching bags designed to look like ignorant (not foolish, just unlikely) firm officers, plus an even more stomping floor loaded with beginners meant to resemble a variety of knuckle-going end users. Together with a exclusive place of heck for hackers...

A really center could well be packed to capability at all times.

The madness doesn't end using the IT team. For other business staff, IT changes means that a long time or times of training, down time and loss in productivity that is included with IT concerns, failures, or program renovations.

For sales staff, an IT glitch can mean missing chance, reduction in profits, and a lower than stellar picture of this company that may remain in a customer's head for some time. Salesmen may possibly never beat an undesirable buyer experience produced by unsuccessful IT. The term "your computer will probably be your friend" is simply not greatly talked amongst sales agents.

However it is an essential bad, isn't it? What organization could perform without this?

Well, it is actually needed. Even an resourceful young male or female going into the workforce the first time mowing back yards requires a opportinity for people to attain him/her, the right way to run a routine, even perhaps methods to monitor who has paid out their costs.

But could it need to be satanic?

Imagine if the satanic-ness happens due to the fact we're planning to fix an incorrect issue with the IT? We're wanting to drive a round peg right into a square gap, visualizing It will clear up our trouble without the need of actually discovering what the catch is? We shop for computer units, communities, communication, and many types of activities something-take and regulate facts. A very simple proven fact that we inherently are all aware but gloss in excess of-it isn't the IT that's vital, it's what's traversing that this.

It's around the data. Individuals little parts and bytes that make up people that comprise info things that coalesce into information that provides us practical knowledge that further more transforms into learning ability you can use and behaved on.

It's relating to the files. Still we run after the instruments cruising the data.

But delay (you say)! We have now our directories. That's area of the IT. That's just where our data is stashed. We need the IT to get at our data. It's OUR data.

Properly, sure... type of.

But not genuinely. Your business does retail store records into your databases regarding your small business, ordinarily within a proprietary collection that is certainly piece and package with the software you've procured. Most-at least quite a lot-of that particular info is repeated in other products, some internal for your firm, but the majority absolutely using some other outer technique. And starting a databases is actually difficult work, what with having things discovered, parsed, migrated inside the suitable job areas, verified, and the like. It may take time and manpower which means money spent.

And exactly how uncomplicated might it be to have it back again from that data bank after you've chosen to proceed to our next great IT item? How many IT leaders operate an exit tactic while doing so they're producing their purchase tactic? If you pick a proprietary products, are you aware what information proper rights you may have and exactly how you'll get out of that products once the time occurs? Mainly because it will. (In addition, the answer then is frequently 'no'-it's hard enough to acquire the product or service ready to go despite the fact that suggesting to your merchant and organization control that you're actually thinking about (and shelling out cash on) its demise.)

OK, so who may have the data (where is the best data bank truly placed and who handles it? Who may have get? Who possesses it (don't make an supposition listed here))? How might it be sent back again in order to relocate it towards a competitor's base? Do you need to obtain a amazing (meaning, overpriced) tool to get the details? Who manages concerns? Who offers the proof in recent times and that means you really know very well what that data base appears to be and precisely what every single element means that (due to the fact that changes too)? This edges for the geeky but X would possibly not generally and eternally indicate X, or possibly now its X 2. Could be X is currently alpha-numeric unlike it started off as numeric only. These facts is completely crucial-what modified then when? Without the need of that documents, you will have absolutely no way of being aware of should your information and facts are accomplish, if its in fact perfect or if perhaps its been damaged.

Really like your repository professionals.

So, back to who essentially holds the information. Despite the fact that your imminently practical IT manager has the bases protected in terms of data source ownership and many types of, do you really essentially own personal the info things?

No. You hold the intelligence which comes from utilizing the information, as well as any future safe-keeping and retrieval of this learning ability, and you don't really arrive at determine the information components that make up that cleverness.

As an illustration, the US Interpersonal Security amount. The US Govt has it-its shape and rules, plus the material allocated a unique. Your organization has no say inside the make any difference. It may possibly, however, be applied in numerous methods. Some IT devices utilise all nine people-with or without the dashes-even though some only keep your last four, 6, or several. Other nations have particular detection numbers that appear to be absolutely nothing similar to the US Social security number. So what now?

How long is definitely a 'name' and who grows to consider exactly what it may resemble (no program I'm aware about could catch the symbol Prince employed for quite a while)? The length of time can an identity be? What unique personas are enabled? The amount of nicknames can a person have (very first/final/center or 6-7 brands, Aliases, Formerly Named)?

Throughout countries, many will repeat the authorities has a lot of additional actually identifiable material (typically abbreviated to "PII") for that nation (most likely the US and this includes). There could also be some worldwide consortium that believe that they 'own' files related to their niche of know-how (although i option there's other consortium that is going to disagree with the placement).

We might proceed. The point is that no one 'owns' a files element, at the very least very little that's decided upon internationally, and that's a challenge.

Why?

Given that we have been worldwide pests life as people in an international setting. No male (or country) is an tropical isle. Records travels around the world within the speed of believed by way of social media and connected methods. It's perpetual-once a 'thought' has gone out there, it's available for good for the reason that a place it's been recorded by an IT 'system'.

Information is easily accessible from almost anywhere therefore we can discover a little something about nearly anything with just a few critical cerebral vascular accidents (whilst we now have no way of knowing the veracity products we discover).

So, stuff has gone out there in an array of kinds, a number of it really is correct, a number of it isn't, and you also need to have special devices to find the majority of it.

Just how do we realize whatever we know? Individually, I do believe this age will finally be referred to as the Second Dimly lit Gets older for the reason that we don't understand what we realize and also have not a way to seize (into perpetuity) our know-how. And the trail of e-mail, notes, memos, etc that shows how we arrived at that know-how, why we produced that conclusion, why that particular track was preferred, and so forth.

Computers, laptops, cellular devices consist of a wealth of details that is owned by an individual or generally, a corporation or corporation. When that machine would go to the good Recycling Container during the Atmosphere, ordinarily via a fried hard drive which makes the info it contains not reachable, all of that info is misplaced. Lose color to black.

I attended a lecture the moment however in 1900 human knowledge was increasing every 50 a long time. In 1950 it was almost every 25 decades, in 1998 (after i read this) it absolutely was almost every 10 several years, as well as 2020 it might be each and every 72 times. Say what? Just how can we grab that? Can we all know that which you know when it's all seized in disparate directories, disparate tools, in a variety of kinds?

How on this planet can we handle everything facts/data/practical knowledge/intelligence?

We must have guide. We require the computer systems to aid us. As with, Unnatural Intellect (AI). AI might help us sound right of everything, with the exception of the 'all of it' is dotted and parsed around the world without the conventional develop or business design.

So-imagine if we stopped operating the IT and instead drove the data (that is whatever we want nevertheless)? Just assume we received management of our records, managed it, and standardized it around the world?

Think about it-files element X appears like this, signifies this, is seen at this nomenclature, managed (controlled) in that enterprise and (could be) even up to date that way. It may do what ever it required by using it provided that it didn't switch the composition in the element!

It wouldn't matter precisely what it instrument we applied-whatsoever fitted our necessities and budget-simply because our files was stand up-on their own and regulated just like the Borg-group. IT is unable to customize the construction or meaning of the data. Opposition is futile. Corporations wouldn't ought to devote millions understanding and documenting their data source mainly because it is consistent. They would need only to establish the info things they're enthusiastic about. A dealer developing a new IT tool wouldn't need to revise their method for any purchaser-the data programs could be normal (consider Solutions Driven Structure on steroids).

Wow! Wait, how? How would be proceed with sealing straight down data?

It may well relax and take a universal opportunity, almost certainly a thing underneath the United Nations.

Imagine there had been an organization that needed care of anything affiliated with Professionally Identifiable Details, yet another for knowledge, one more for wellbeing, an additional for accounting, and so forth and so forth and many others...

It's brain-boggling. There'd should a group merely to select which crew a bit of files need to be provided for for administration (is 'checking account' element of business banking, bookkeeping, very own, or company data?)

There is reasons.

It's been tried well before however, on smaller scales by little businesses. None of them were profitable mainly since the team didn't in fact own the data. You can't command what you don't own personal.

I argue right here, yet, that it must be not reliant on decision. After we are to stay away from becoming that Following Dimly lit Age range, we have to find a way to get command over our info and it ought to be a universal effort.

Begin small, consider big, transfer speedy...

Why not start out with an organization committed to unique properties? Explain individuals variables. Ascertain the information construction. Establish the knowhow to go to, revise, and terminate that records. Then proceed out of there.

Visualize a environment in which suppliers or people today can get any IT merchandise out of the box-with no existing bureaucracy related to significant buys-every time they want, with whichever special features they really want, considering that the facts it makes use of is widely designed. It could keep millions of money (right after the Wonderful Data Design in the Skies was put together regardless).

Visualize a entire world in which details are separate from the IT traveling it. You could have a repository however, you can't customize the framework or indicating. Some ingredients could possibly be un-updateable except for by a certified team (e.g., supplier information like date of birth) plus a grasp type grabbed at whichever level deemed ideal-could be nationwide then synchronized along with a society-extensive repository. You are able to coalesce the details into data and intelligence that (may well) turn out to be an additional part of facts and seized it specific proper but you will NOT revise the 'truth' details element.

Of course, I know-get two aspirin and believe that it by means of... it can injure the gray make a difference. It's quicker to chase the IT than have a take on around the facts, which explains why we go that course. But we must start off.

Write-up Origin: http://EzineArticles.com/9766302

#computer #pc

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