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bethanydelleman · 1 year

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The Timeline of the Affair in Mansfield Park

Because it is presented in flashbacks and at several points during the final chapters, the timeline of Henry Crawford and Maria’s affair can be confusing. Here is a point by point layout:

Henry visits Fanny in Portsmouth. She does not give him encouragement, he offers to take her home, she says no. He's disappointed. Instead of going to Everingham, he goes to the Fraser's party.

"He saw Mrs. Rushworth, was received by her with a coldness" and he wants to have her back as she was "whose smiles had been so wholly at his command" So he flirts with Maria and he re-awakens her love for him.

Maria follows Henry to Richmond/Twickenham, "Mrs. R. has been spending the Easter with the Aylmers at Twickenham" "with a family whom she had just grown intimate with" this is important because it indicates that Maria is now pursuing Henry and the Aylmers facilitate the affair: "discretion to suit"

The affair has happened, it's still a secret and Henry is done, "he would have been glad to see Mrs. Rushworth no more". He also believes he has done nothing wrong, "without the smallest inconstancy of mind towards her cousin." So crucially, again, Maria is driving the narrative, "he had put himself in the power of feelings on her side more strong than he had supposed. She loved him; there was no withdrawing attentions avowedly dear to her" She will not let him run away this time, like he did after the play.

Henry asks his sister to offer Fanny a ride home again. This is where Mary writes, "Be assured he cares for nobody but you". Fanny writes back a refusal. Mary is clearly aware that something has happened but doesn't seem to mind pushing Fanny towards Henry.

Maria has followed Henry back to London and she is acting in a way that makes everyone suspect the affair, which is surprising to Henry: "Secrecy could not have been more desirable for Mrs. Rushworth’s credit than he felt it for his own" This is where we get the letter from Mr. Harding requesting Sir Thomas "using his influence with his daughter to put an end to the intimacy which was already exposing her to unpleasant remarks, and evidently making Mr. Rushworth uneasy"

Henry he prepares for a journey, probably to escape Maria, perhaps to visit Fanny again, "Mr. Crawford, who had quitted his uncle’s house, as for a journey"

Somehow Maria convinces him to elope. Henry gives up "All that followed was the result of her imprudence; and he went off with her at last, because he could not help it, regretting Fanny even at the moment" Henry wants Fanny but Maria has gone so far that the affair is basically exposed. We can assume that after the second offer of a ride to Fanny, Henry has kind of given up. Maria and Henry elope.

Here Mr. Harding sends an express. A servant in the Rushworth house is going to tell everyone that Maria eloped and they are trying to hush her up. "The maidservant of Mrs. Rushworth, senior, threatened alarmingly." This ends up not mattering because Maria does not come home. This would have mattered if Sir Thomas had found Maria quickly. (It's unclear if the servant has seen affair activity or just knows that Maria left with a Regency suitcase)

So Henry experiences a double reversal of his tricks (1) he tries to trifle with Fanny and falls in love and (2) he tries to trifle with Maria and creates such strong love that it traps him. The hunter becomes the prey. It's great.

It is interesting that Henry actually believes in his heart that sex WITH HER COUSIN is fine and doesn't invalidate his love for Fanny. Mary may not know the extent of the affair, but she also doesn't think it's a big deal.

Obligatory note: It is likely that Fanny’s consistent refusal of Henry played a part in his decision making, but that doesn’t make anything her fault. She was doing the right thing. Something can be a contributing factor in a series of events without spreading blame. The fact that Henry thinks Fanny will come around quickly is his own darn fault.

Second Obligatory Note: for some reason when I lay this out, some people say I'm implying the affair was nonconsenual. I am not saying that, I'm sure Henry happily slept with Maria. I just don't think he initiated the affair (he did initiate flirting) and he certainly wanted it to end after he left Richmond.

Additional note: the letter from Mary to Fanny, when Mary writes that Henry just came in, I always imagine him like, zipping up his pants. I know it's anachronistic and it doesn't fit the timeline but I don't care. That's the imagine in my head.

#henry crawford #maria rushworth #maria bertram #mansfield park #jane austen #affair timeline #Henry you idiot #don't sleep with her cousin #so dumb

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error404vnotfound · 5 months

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JANE AUSTEN RANKED BY YOURS TRULY

hi :]

it is done. I've read it all (*kicks Lady Susan under a rug*) what was that?

anyways

after seven whole months i come to you with the objectively correct ranking of JA main novels, heroines, and heroes

i will not be taking any criticism

let's begin then

on the line today we have

Northanger Abbey with contestants Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney

Sense and Sensibility's Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, Edward Ferrars and Colonel Brandon

Emma's own Emma Woodhouse, George Knightley and Frank Churchill

Persuasion bringing Anne Eliot and Captain Wentworth

and Mansfield Park's Fanny Price, Edmund Bertram and Henry Crawford

v what do you mean Frank and Henry they aren't Heroes why are you ranking them?

well because I can and want to

v what about Pride and Prejudice?

i can't be objective about it or Darcy or Lizzy. it would be unfair to everyone else. tho you are right I will be ranking Charles Bingley I have things to say about the man

cool? cool

THE NOVELS

yes i will only be ranking the main novels (and no lady susan because i dont want to reread it)

LOVED THEM TIER

EMMA

i did not want this book to end, i was having the time of my life. it's just. so good

reading it knowing what is going on was a delightful experience

i love emma and knightley so much

maple grove should burn to the ground. for my sanity

NORTHANGER ABBEY

Catherine carried this book that's all I gotta say

coming of age story but make it the 19th century

below Emma because I can take reading about Maple Grove but not hearing the Thorpes speak

I JUST THINK THEY ARE NEAT :]

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

I just. think it's neat

I really have nothing else to say. I was invested, I felt for Elinor, and Marianne's evolution was 10/10

fuck John Dashwood for cutting down that tree

IM SORRY JANE (aka the Fail Love Interest Syndrome)

PERSUASION

i was a little bored ngl

did like Anne well enough tho

also. that piano scene. thanks I hate it. it will haunt me for the rest of my life

MANSFIELD PARK

Mary and Edmund ruined this for me in the way that they represent everything wrong with the allos and in the way that i wanted to slap them both out of their nonsense

i also didn't connect much with Fanny so :/

HEROINES

no tiers, just ranking them :]

EMMA (Emma)

I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER

Emma never change

she's so wrong all the time and I love her so much

CATHERINE (NA)

MY GIRL

she's aggressively 17 (affectionate)

a DELIGHT

she grows so much 😭😭😭 im so proud of her

she will be an amazing adult

ELINOR (S&S)

it's the eldest daughter hardship for me

she puts up with so much bullshit from everyone around her

deserves a paid vacation, the right to murder people, and a nap, not necessarily in that order

lowkey carried

MARIANNE (S&S)

I will be the first to admit that I disliked her at first because she was aggressively 17 (derogatory)

but she !!!!! grows so much !!!!!! im so proud of her

always championed her older sister when no one else would and for that i gotta love her

ANNE (Persuasion)

suffers from FLIS (fail love interest syndrome)

girl it's been 8 years supéralo

also puts up with so much the sad bitch I do love her

FANNY (MP)

FLIS

had the chance of marrying Henry but didn't take it (like. I get why. but I'd respect her more for being a I Can Fix It Girlie than settling for the piece of wet bread that's Edumnd)

did not connect with her at all sorry bestie :(

HEROES (and then some)

i will put them into tiers. because I have Issues with most of them. also im judging them solely on how they relate to their Heroine that's the only worth they have to me

FAULTLESS

KNIGHTLEY (Emma - Emma)

what can I say he had impeccable chemistry with Emma

they were married from page 1

he truly cares for her and to make her improve as a person and I love him

COOL DUDE

EDWARD (S&S - Elinor)

my guy

had a scene with big brother energy with Marianne and I was sold

could use a little bit more Standing Up For Your Future Happiness but it's in character so I'll give him a pass

HENRY (NA - Catherine)

he's said to be the best Austen men and while I get why I just. he just wasn't giving to me

but yeah good to Catherine, amazing brother to his sister, knows feminine interests, amiable, etc

suffers from NA was the first book i read back in may so i dont remember much of his moments

LITTLE SHIT <3

CRAWFORD (NA)

my fail boy

the one plot point I enjoyed

let's point and laugh at the flirt that falls in love with the mildest girl ever who dislikes him and then when he's refused has an affair with a married woman

way to go bud ily

FRANK CHURCHILL (Emma)

he's such a piece of shit

was very fun to read

Jane should dump him tho he doesn't deserve her

I'LL BE WATCHING YOU, BUD

BINGLEY (P&P - Jane)

DARCY'S NOT THE BOSS OF YOU, MAN

can't be mad at him for long because of the puppy energy he has tho

BUT MAN THAT WAS ALMOST A YEAR'S ABSENCE YOU GOT AWAY WITH

COLONEL BRANDON (S&S - Marianne)

MY DUDE. WHY DIDN'T YOU SPILL THE TEA SOONER

oh yeah I'll let this Confirmed Rake keep courting the woman I'm in love with while everyone expects them to be either engaged or about to be as I know he's literally the worst, make sense

i just can't wrap my head around it

BOOOOOOO (FLIS)

CAPTAIN WENTWORTH (Persuasion - Louisa Anne)

more like captain failworth

people love this man and I just don't get it

MAN IT'S BEEN 8 YEARS. GET OVER IT

he's spiteful and resentful towards Anne when she did was she had to idk dude grow tf up

almost gets trapped in a marriage with a silly girl because he's dumb (good thing the girl is silly and jumped off a cliff so he could run back to anne) (that's an exaggeration but basically)

your only point of redemption is that by marrying you Anne gets out of the toxic environment she was in

EDMUND (NA - Mary Fanny)

imagine a glass of water. imagine that glass of water under the sun. not just any sun, no, a good midday August Spanish sun. imagine now a piece of bread. good. put that piece of bread inside the glass of water. that's this guy to me

all holier than thou but then spends 98% of the novel thinking with his dick

i. hate him.

takes fanny for granted

marries fanny because it's convenient (AND IN LIKE. THE THIRD TO LAST PARAGRAPH WHEN IN THE PREVIOUS PARAGRAPH HE WAS STILL COMPLAINING ABOUT MARY!!!!!! DUDE!!!!!!)

he's the worst

everyone that sucked gets punished but him

i want to personally kill this man

and that was basically it thanks for coming with me in this journey wow that was fun

hi @my-cursed-prince

#v reads the classics

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volcanicmudbubbles · 2 years

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I had the idea to “redeem Mrs Norris” in part because I don’t understand Mansfield Park at all, and staring at its worst character seemed like a good way forward.

But, like, I was thinking —

When Maria leaves her husband for Henry Crawford, why exactly is Edmund so upset? It’s not because people got hurt. He doesn’t care about Rushworth’s feelings or pride; he doesn’t like Maria; Julia elopes, so she’s safe. Fanny’s not hurt by it — he knows she never cared for Crawford. It doesn’t appear to be about the family disgrace, either.

He says: “[Mary’s] is not a cruel nature. I do not consider her as meaning to wound my feelings. The evil lies yet deeper: in her total ignorance, unsuspiciousness of there being such feelings; in a perversion of mind which made it natural to her to treat the subject as she did. She was speaking only as she had been used to hear others speak, as she imagined everybody else would speak. Hers are not faults of temper. She would not voluntarily give unnecessary pain to any one, and though I may deceive myself, I cannot but think that for me, for my feelings, she would—. Hers are faults of principle, Fanny; of blunted delicacy and a corrupted, vitiated mind.”

So: he’s upset because Mary doesn’t know right from wrong, and because he was fooling himself that she did. (She told him. He just didn’t listen.) The morality of it seems to me to be less of an issue than the fooling-oneself, at least for the author, who … kind of … makes fun of Edmund, with her comment about him spending the summer sitting under trees and talking to Fanny… Also nothing bad happens to either Crawford. Nothing bad happens to anyone, in fact. Maria and Mrs Norris are sent to live together; but this is mostly on the order of being fired, isn’t it? They’re not punished for their sins — they don’t suffer a disfiguring carriage accident, or get boils, or get pregnant. Maria broke the rules, so Maria faces the consequences, and it’s Mrs Norris’ choice to follow her.

I’m tempted to think this book is about how a social structure based on birth rather than merit, in which an entire community is financially dependent on one man, makes Christian morals extremely difficult to follow. Because the whole thing started with Sir Thomas telling his friend that if he married his wife’s older sister, he could have the living at Mansfield — and he never let her forget her station.

I mean.

Most likely Jane wasn’t thinking that.

But I’m thinking that.

#Mansfield park

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ljones41 · 2 years

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"MANSFIELD PARK" (2007) Review

"MANSFIELD PARK" (2007) Review There have been three screen adaptations of Jane Austen's 1814 novel, "Mansfield Park". And I have just finished viewing the most recent one - a ninety (90) minute television movie that first aired on the ITV network in March 2007.

As many Austen fans know, "MANSFIELD PARK" told the story of an English girl sent at the age of 10 to live with her maternal aunt and the latter's wealthy family at a vast estate called Mansfield Park. Fanny Price is treated as a poor relation of the Bertram family, as a semi-servant for her aunt, Lady Bertram. Only second son, Edmund, treats her with any real kindness. As a result, Fanny finds herself romantically in love with her cousin after eight years at Mansfield Park. Her feelings come to naught when the Bertram family becomes acquainted with a pair of sophisticated siblings named Henry and Mary Crawford. While Henry amuses himself with Fanny's cousins, Maria and Julia Bertram; Edmund falls in love with Mary, who returns his affections. Jealous over Edmund's romance with Mary, Fanny is oblivious of Henry's sudden interest to her. And when he makes it obvious with a proposal of marriage, Fanny finds herself divided between her true feelings about both Edmund and Henry, and her uncle Sir Thomas' desire to see her married to an eligible man of wealth. "MANSFIELD PARK" was one of three Jane Austen adaptations aired by the ITV during the spring of 2007. All three movies possessed a running time of at least 90 minutes. Yet, for some reason, the production for "MANSFIELD PARK" seemed like a cheap television production, in compare to "PERSUASION" and "NORTHANGER ABBEY". It had nothing to do with the changes to Austen story, made by screenwriter Maggie Wadey. However, I do suspect that some of the changes were a result of the movie's budget. In fact, I am beginning to suspect that the budget had a lot to do with my dissatisfaction with "MANSFIELD PARK". Of the three movies aired for ITV's "The Jane Austen Season", "MANSFIELD PARK" was the only one that was limited to one setting. Although Austen's novel was mainly set on the Bertram estate, it also included the Rushworth family's estate, Sotherton, the Mansfield Park parsonage occupied by Dr. and Mrs. Grant, and heroine Fanny Price's hometown of Portsmouth. Thanks to Wadey's script, the production did not include the setting of the Mansfield Park parsonage and Portsmouth. Henry and Mary Crawford were never seen at the parsonage. And to prevent shifting the setting to Portsmouth, Wadey's script allowed Sir Thomas Bertram to isolate Fanny at the estate . . . alone, instead of shipping her back to her immediate family in Portsmouth. This robbed the television viewers of a chance to meet Fanny's immediate family, aside from brother William. Another change was made by Wadey that seemed to reflect the movie's limited budget. Instead of a ball, a picnic was held in Fanny's honor by the Bertrams, following Maria Bertram's marriage to Mr. Rushworth. A picnic, instead of a ball. How cheap could one get? Another aspect of "MANSFIELD PARK" that rubbed me the wrong way turned out to be the fast pacing. The television production moved at such a fast pace that I could barely blink before the scene featuring the Rushworths' wedding appeared. In fact, the entire story from Fanny's arrival at Mansfield Park to Maria's marriage to Mr. Rushworth seemed to move at an extremely fast and somewhat unsatisfying pace. If there is one thing about Wadey's script that did not move me one way or the other was its approach to the topic of slavery. She turned out to be the only screenwriter who adhered to Austen's novel. The 1999 movie allowed the topic of the Bertram family's participation in slavery to become a major theme in the movie. The 1983 miniseries completely ignored the subject. However, this version followed Austen's novel by allowing Fanny to question Sir Thomas about his role as a slave owner, before dropping the subject altogether. Remember the outrage over Fanny Price's characterization in Patricia Rozema's 1999 adaptation of the novel? Well, there were some changes made by Wadey in this movie. Maggie O'Neill's portrayal of Fanny's Aunt Norris seemed less comic and broad than any other version I have encountered. Normally, I would applaud such a change. But one of the more entertaining aspects of "MANSFIELD PARK" has always been the use of Aunt Norris as a comic figure. O'Neill's Aunt Norris struck me as slightly boring. Also, Wadey's characterization of Mary Crawford struck me as slightly cold . . . darker. Portrayed by the talented Hayley Atwell, this version of Mary seemed to lack a sense of humor or true wit. Atwell's Mary never really tried to form a friendship with Fanny or display any kindness toward the latter. I got the feeling that Wadey deliberately portrayed Mary in this cold fashion to discourage sympathy or any other kind of positive feelings toward her. Because of this, Atwell was almost forced to portray Mary as a one-note villainess. Almost. Thankfully, the actress manage to somewhat rise the character above such mediocrity. Michelle Ryan made a lovely Maria Bertram. Unfortunately, her character failed to make an impact on the television screen, thanks to Wadey's limited handling of her character. But not all of Wadey's characterizations irritated me. I liked her handling of the Lady Bertram character, portrayed by Jemma Redgrave. Instead of the vague and selfish woman portrayed by both Angela Pleasence and Lindsay Duncan, Redgrave portrayed Lady Bertram as a concerned parent and a woman with a deep interest in her children's love lives, if not their moral compasses. Douglas Hodge made a first-rate Sir Thomas Bertram, in all of his intimidating glory. He had taken the role as an homage to his mentor, actor/director Harold Pinter, who portrayed the role in Patricia Rozema's 1999 adaptation. James D'Arcy made an entertaining Tom Bertram. His sharp bon mots kept me smiling through most of the movie's first half. Rory Kinnear's portrayal of Mr. Rushworth seemed spot on. It seemed a pity that Wadey's script did not allow him the chance for a deeper characterization. Both Blake Ritson and Joseph Beattie portrayed the two men in Fanny's life - her cousin Edmund Bertram and other suitor Mary Crawford. Ritson failed to make me like Edmund as a character. But this was no reflection on his skills as an actor. I simply dislike Edmund. But Ritson is the third actor to give an excellent performance in the role. He perfectly conveyed all of Edmund's traits that I heartily despise. When I first saw "MANSFIELD PARK", I was a little reluctant to praise Beattie's performance. I now realize that my judgement of his portrayal had been rushed. At first, he seemed like a womanizing stalker. But once his character began to fall in love in Fanny, Beattie conveyed a great deal of warmth and subtlety into the role. Even Billie Piper's performance as Fanny Price seemed a lot different than Sylvestra Le Touzel and Frances O'Connor's extreme takes on the character. Due to Wadey's script and Piper's portrayal was not Le Touzel's wooden Fanny or O'Connor's Jane Austen 2.0 characterization. Piper's Fanny was quiet, but without the passive aggression that I found so exasperating in Austen's novel. When I first saw "MANSFIELD PARK", I believed that Piper's Fanny also lacked the hypocrisy of the previous version. I realize that I had blinded myself from what was obvious on the screen. Although Fanny did not indulge in heavily criticizing Mary Crawford behind the latter's back or hid her dislike and jealousy behind a facade of moral outrage; she did express hypocrisy. Like her predecessors, Piper's Fanny failed to be honest with Henry Crawford about the real reason behind her rejection of his marriage proposal. Visually, "MANSFIELD PARK" is beautiful to behold. Nick Dance's photography was sharp and filled with beautifully lush colors. It is a pity that the movie's budget limited it to one setting. Tim Hutchinson's production designs contributed to Dance's lush photography of Newby Hall in Yorkshire, which served as the Bertram estate. And Mike O'Neill's costume designs were absolutely beautiful - especially those costumes for the Bertram women and Mary Crawford. What is my final verdict of "MANSFIELD PARK"? Honestly? Of the three movies for ITV's "Jane Austen's Season", it seemed the least impressive. It could boast some first-rate performances, along with great costumes and photography. Unfortunately, the movie's fast pacing in the first half and its limited budget did not serve it well. In the end, I believe "MANSFIELD PARK" could have benefited from a longer running time and bigger budget.

#jane austen #mansfield park #mansfield park 2007 #billie piper #blake ritson #joseph beattie #michelle ryan #jemma redgrave #douglas hodge #hayley atwell #rory kinnear #maggie wadey #james d'arcy #tara berwin #catherine steadman #william price #maggie o'neill #joseph morgan

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granills · 3 years

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Careless Whisper {B.H.}

Check out the first chapter here or on my wattpad (nigarrmtvseries) 💙🌅

2. Ice Creams, Dreams.

The day after was Saturday, the first day of Mars's weekend. Surprisingly enough, she didn't have to work this time. After going home the previous night, Joyce had called Mars and told her to enjoy the weekend pointing that she needed some free time to gain more energy and that she herself could've managed everything at the store.

Not knowing how to spend her day yet, Mars pulled a shirt over her head and went to the kitchen. Her father, John Crawford, was sitting at the table near the window, a daily paper and coffee in front of him, as per usual. John would remind you one of those men who could catch everyone's attention in the room by talking about his adventures so passionately, making other men and women sit closer and listen to him with great interest. This factor also helped him to become a history teacher at Mars's school. Luckily for her, he started teaching there after she graduated.

Her mother, Mary Crawford, was standing at the counter, she spread the butter over the toast and covered it with one layer of cottage cheese. There was a joy in how she did it, the smell of warm toasts filling the kitchen. Mary didn't like when Mars skipped the breakfasts, and always made sure to accidentally drop something in her bag for her to eat later at work.

"Morning." Mars didn't have an appetite early in the morning and decided that one glass of water would be enough. For now.

"Oh, how nice of you, young lady, to finally join our breakfast." Mr. Crawford spoke with a hint of sarcasm, moving his newspaper aside. "Mary, I didn't know our kids live with us after all."

Mars smiled turning around and putting the glass on the counter.

Mary put the toasts on the table and sat down. "I think she just took the wrong keys." She played along.

"Today is just my day off." Mars approached her parents, standing between them and crouching to give them both a kiss. "See, now I even want to eat." She said and sat down checking if the teapot was hot before pouring herself a cup of tea.

Her mother sent her a surprised glance and leaned back a bit to share glances with John.

"So, how's the school, dad?" Mars asked, taking a slice of toast and putting some raspberry jam on it.

John continued reading his newspaper, drinking his coffee from time to time.

"The semester is about to end and I feel like I'm talking to myself at the class about the historical discoveries. I have some boys who participated in discussions, but these days they are distracted by the new girl."

"The new girl? By the end of the semester?" She asked.

"Yes. Maxine Mayfield, from California. Her stepbrother picks her up after school. Unpleasant guy." He grimaced at the last sentence.

Mars hummed putting down her cup. "I'm sure there are other kids who would like to participate in your discussions, they are just shy."

"Well, the only historical facts kids want to know about these days are UFO and that is not exactly my cup of tea." He answered not taking his eyes from the paper.

"Mr. Clarke could help them with that." Mars said, taking a bite of the toast and enjoying the sweet taste that filled her mouth.

"Exactly. And that is why they love him more." Her dad answered, she noticed a faint note of sadness in his voice.

Mars looked up, feeling the tiniest bit guilty. She wanted to remember when was the last time she actually talked to him and the first thought that came to her mind was when she'd had a fight with some kids at the primary school, instead of scolding her, he praised her that she'd kicked their asses. Not in front of mom for sure.

She walked up to him and hugged him tightly. "Oh, dad, I love you." John smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently rubbing her arm. "And that is enough."

"I know, I know. As long as you, young lady, show up often at home." He laughed and winked at Mary.

/ / /

After the breakfast Mars finally decided that she has to get out of the house so things wouldn't get more emotional. Having agreed to meet with Rose outside the arcade, Mars pinned her hair up and went on to choose an outfit.

She wanted to put on the jeans that she'd left on the chair the day before after work, but her eyes stopped on jean shorts. She loved wearing too many clothes, but with the heat from outside it was impossible.

That is why autumn remained her favourite season. She grabbed the shorts and picked a shirt, of a dusky grey colour with blue "Queen Tour '80" writings on it.

Mars put on her colorful socks and white nikes, and finally left the room, noticing on the way that the house was empty.

She saw Rose at the entrance of The Palace. Rose was in a pink dress with green leafs on it that always reminded Mars about the one she had in childhood. Rose was the only one who would play with Mars at the playground when they were six. And throughout her life they spent more time together, went to the same school and eventually met Nancy. Ever since they have been hanging out together.

However, Nancy was working as an intern now at the Hawkins Post with her boyfriend, Jonathan, and that often restricted them from seeing each other.

"Wow, Ms. Alwaysbusy showed up!" Rose waved with an ice cream in one hand and hugged Mars.

"Shut up, Rose." She hugged her tightly. Rose was lucky, she has been accepted to the university and was going to move to another state by the end of summer.

"Spare me and get me out of this playground." Rose said looking back at the arcade which was already filled with kids. With the arrival of summer, the arcade opened from the early morning. Mars was sure, at this rate they would have to change working hours to 24/7.

Mars walked towards, suddenly stopping in her tracks when she noticed her little sister and some of her classmates among other kids. They gathered around a familiar girl who was playing Dig Dug. And apparently, she was good at it. Redhead. She felt even more confused than before and looked away.

"Okay, let's go to Starcourt. At least, I'll have Steve and Robin's ice cream, and not this." Mars pointed at the ice cream Rose was holding.

"Ugh, Steve and his stupid ego are too much for me to handle." Rose took her by the elbow and they walked along the streets laughing.

Once they arrived, they enjoyed some sweets and more ice creams, Mars clearly enjoyed Steve's attempts to joke, i.e. flirt with Rose.

"Now what's on the menu?" Rose asked.

"Me 'n u." Steve put the ice cream bowl on the table and sat down next to Mars and Robin.

"Harrington, I'll throw up if you keep making these jokes."

When the evening came, Rose suddenly suggested going to Nancy's, supposing she'd already be back from work. They spent the whole day shopping and just fooling around, and Nancy's house was closer, about 30 minutes by foot.

"Are you sure about that? We usually planned these things before meeting." Mars furrowed her eyebrows, she wasn't sure if it would be right to go there when Nancy's parents were at home.

Rose shrugged. "I am. Karen Wheeler adores us." If Rose had thought of something, then she was going to do that no matter what, there was nothing in the world that could stop her.

At half past seven they were standing in front of Wheelers' house, but before that they made sure to buy some sweets and beverages for a small sleepover. Mars and Rose stood at the threshold and Mars rang the bell.

Nancy was the one to open the door and though they saw each other recently, Mars noticed some colour brought back to her cheeks, Nancy looked better and it made her happy. After all, it wasn't for everyone to endure what had happened last year. Everything seemed to get back to normal.

"Girls?!" Nancy exclaimed.

"I bet you didn't expect us." Rose casually walked in and hugged her.

"But luckily we brought some food!" Mars showed the bag and joined them.

The rest of the evening went surprisingly fast. They changed into pyjamas that Mars and Rose had bought earlier at the mall and it seemed that they discussed everything that night. Mars missed these sleepovers, mostly because it made her feel a soft joy as it brought back the memories.

Nancy's father was probably sleeping on the couch when Mars went downstairs to get a glass of water. She heard his snoring while walking down the stairs. Nancy and Rose were already sleeping and Mars too was sleepy, but she would have been fully satisfied if she had the glass of water.

She suddenly felt a coldness reaching her bones, making her take a deep breath. Goosebumps ran all over exposed body as she looked up and discovered that the front door was wide open. She blinked a few times, guessing it was all a dream, she pinched her arm realising the door was indeed open and the house was silent.

Mars took a deep breath and stepped forward to close the door. Why was it even open? Did Mrs. Wheeler go for a walk? If not, then she distinctly remembered having closed the door as she'd came in after Rose.

Slowly approaching, she jumped up when she saw the silhouette of a man standing outside the Wheelers' threshold.

He was still wearing his blue jeans and black boots, the only thing that differed from the day before, was his red shirt unbuttoned almost till the last button and dark brown jacket on top of it.

"Hi," he looked her up, a wide smile plastered on his face, "...Mars."

She widened her eyes, staring at his unbothered physiognomy. "William?" She automatically uttered.

"Call me Billy." His gaze didn't hesitate when she met his eyes, and they stared at each other for a few seconds, until she took a step back all of a sudden. She wondered wouldn't have she survived if she didn't come for the damn water.

"What are you doing here?" She asked looking around, trying not to show her hesitation.

"Oh, I'm looking for my sister, Max. Mrs. Wheeler agreed to help me." He told her, his tone sounding completely nonchalant.

"Max? Max Mayfield?" She asked, suddenly all traces of sleepiness leaving her.

"I guess, I just found her then."

"No, no, she's not here. I'm just-" She quickly said, but immediately felt agitated when she noticed she couldn't finish the sentence. Luckily, she was interrupted by Karen's voice coming behind her.

"Oh, darling, aren't you cold? It's chilly here." She put her arm around Mars's shoulders.

"Um, yeah, I just came down for a glass of water." She mumbled, not knowing why she felt like explaining herself. "Goodnight."

She turned around and quickly ran upstairs before they could say anything. Only she heard Billy's faint "Bye" and as she reached the second floor he was thanking Mrs. Wheeler for giving the address of Byers.

When Mars entered the room and closed the door behind her, she approached the window looking at the empty streets, and feeling odd. Somehow she was glad that the conversation with the stranger got interrupted, as she couldn't feel calm near him. After all, the conversation wouldn't have gotten any more interesting and he wouldn't have thought about her anyway, and although she was disappointed a bit for a reason that she didn't get to know more about him, she too wouldn't have thought about him.

After thinking a bit she realised it was too late and it was time for her to try to sleep. Meanwhile, after getting the address and smoking his red Marlboro leaning against his car, in the dim light of streets, Billy Hargrove was looking at her.

]]

tags: @gehrzilla @infinitelycharmed23 @itsjusttaralove @tenderhornynihilist

Tagging people who commented on the first chapter, if you want to be removed/added under next chapters, please let me know! Comment/reblog if you enjoyed. :) mmuah

#billy hargrove fanfiction #billy hargrove #stranger things #billy stranger things #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove imagine #max mayfield #nancy wheeler #karen wheeler #steve harrington #careless whisper #billy hargrove x oc #steve harrington imagine #dacre montgomery imagine #dacre montgomery

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ver-hdpelicula-completa-1 · 3 years

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La pintoresca familia prehistórica de Los Croods vuelve a hacer de las suyas. Este divertido clan formado por la joven e inquieta Eep, su gruñón padre Grug, su comprensiva aunque despistada madre Ugga, además del friki Thunk y la bebé Sandi, regresan a la gran pantalla en una nueva aventura troglodítica, recordándonos la importancia de la familia... Y lo poco que hemos evolucionado. Esta vez, Los Croods se enfrentarán a su mayor amenaza desde que abandonaron la cueva: otra familia.

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THE STORY After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) forgoes the standard opportunities of seeking employment from big and lucrative law firms; deciding to head to Alabama to defend those wrongfully commended, with the support of local advocate, Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). One of his first, and most poignant, case is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx, who, in 62, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 2-year-old girl in the community, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and one singular testimony against him by an individual that doesn’t quite seem to add up. Bryan begins to unravel the tangled threads of McMillian’s case, which becomes embroiled in a relentless labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt unabashed racism of the community as he fights for Walter’s name and others like him. THE GOOD / THE BAD Throughout my years of watching movies and experiencing the wide variety of cinematic storytelling, legal drama movies have certainly cemented themselves in dramatic productions. As I stated above, some have better longevity of being remembered, but most showcase plenty of heated courtroom battles of lawyers defending their clients and unmasking the truth behind the claims (be it wrongfully incarcerated, discovering who did it, or uncovering the shady dealings behind large corporations. Perhaps my first one legal drama was 624’s The Client (I was little young to get all the legality in the movie, but was still managed to get the gist of it all). My second one, which I loved, was probably Primal Fear, with Norton delivering my favorite character role. Of course, I did see To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in the sixth grade for English class. Definitely quite a powerful film. And, of course, let’s not forget Philadelphia and want it meant / stand for. Plus, Hanks and Washington were great in the film. All in all, while not the most popular genre out there, legal drama films still provide a plethora of dramatic storytelling to capture the attention of moviegoers of truth and lies within a dubious justice. Just Mercy is the latest legal crime drama feature and the whole purpose of this movie review. To be honest, I really didn’t much “buzz” about this movie when it was first announced (circa 206) when Broad Green Productions hired the film’s director (Cretton) and actor Michael B. Jordan in the lead role. It was then eventually bought by Warner Bros (the films rights) when Broad Green Productions went Bankrupt. So, I really didn’t hear much about the film until I saw the movie trailer for Just Mercy, which did prove to be quite an interesting tale. Sure, it sort of looked like the generic “legal drama” yarn (judging from the trailer alone), but I was intrigued by it, especially with the film starring Jordan as well as actor Jamie Foxx. I did repeatedly keep on seeing the trailer for the film every time I went to my local movie theater (usually attached to any movie I was seeing with a PG rating and above). So, suffice to say, that Just Mercy’s trailer preview sort of kept me invested and waiting me to see it. Thus, I finally got the chance to see the feature a couple of days ago and I’m ready to share my thoughts on the film. And what are they? Well, good ones….to say the least. While the movie does struggle within the standard framework of similar projects, Just Mercy is a solid legal drama that has plenty of fine cinematic nuances and great performances from its leads. It’s not the “be all to end all” of legal drama endeavors, but its still manages to be more of the favorable motion pictures of these projects. Just Mercy is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, whose previous directorial works includes such movies like Short Term 6, I Am Not a Hipster, and Glass Castle. Given his past projects (consisting of shorts, documentaries, and a few theatrical motion pictures), Cretton makes Just Mercy is most ambitious endeavor, with the director getting the chance to flex his directorial muscles on a legal drama film, which (like I said above) can manage to evoke plenty of human emotions within its undertaking. Thankfully, Cretton is up to the task and never feels overwhelmed with the movie; approaching (and shaping) the film with respect and a touch of sincerity by speaking to the humanity within its characters, especially within lead characters of Stevenson and McMillian. Of course, legal dramas usually do (be the accused / defendant and his attorney) shine their cinematic lens on these respective characters, so it’s nothing original. However, Cretton does make for a compelling drama within the feature; speaking to some great character drama within its two main lead characters; staging plenty of moments of these twos individuals that ultimately work, including some of the heated courtroom sequences. Like other recent movies (i.e. Brian Banks and The Hate U Give), Cretton makes Just Mercy have an underlining thematical message of racism and corruption that continues to play a part in the US….to this day (incredibly sad, but true). So, of course, the correlation and overall relatively between the movie’s narrative and today’s world is quite crystal-clear right from the get-go, but Cretton never gets overzealous / preachy within its context; allowing the feature to present the subject matter in a timely manner and doesn’t feel like unnecessary or intentionally a “sign of the times” motif. Additionally, the movie also highlights the frustration (almost harsh) injustice of the underprivileged face on a regular basis (most notable those looking to overturn their cases on death row due to negligence and wrongfully accused). Naturally, as somewhat expected (yet still palpable), Just Mercy is a movie about seeking the truth and uncovering corruption in the face of a broken system and ignorant prejudice, with Cretton never shying away from some of the ugly truths that Stevenson faced during the film’s story. Plus, as a side-note, it’s quite admirable for what Bryan Stevenson (the real-life individual) did for his career, with him as well as others that have supported him (and the Equal Justice Initiative) over the years and how he fought for and freed many wrongfully incarcerated individuals that our justice system has failed (again, the poignancy behind the film’s themes / message). It’s great to see humanity being shined and showcased to seek the rights of the wronged and to dispel a flawed system. Thus, whether you like the movie or not, you simply can not deny that truly meaningful job that Bryan Stevenson is doing, which Cretton helps demonstrate in Just Mercy. From the bottom of my heart…. thank you, Mr. Stevenson. In terms of presentation, Just Mercy is a solidly made feature film. Granted, the film probably won’t be remembered for its visual background and theatrical setting nuances or even nominated in various award categories (for presentation / visual appearance), but the film certainly looks pleasing to the eye, with the attention of background aspects appropriate to the movie’s story. Thus, all the usual areas that I mention in this section (i.e. production design, set decorations, costumes, and cinematography) are all good and meet the industry standard for legal drama motion pictures. That being said, the film’s score, which was done by Joel P. West, is quite good and deliver some emotionally drama pieces in a subtle way that harmonizes with many of the feature’s scenes. There are a few problems that I noticed with Just Mercy that, while not completely derailing, just seem to hold the feature back from reaching its full creative cinematic potential. Let’s start with the most prevalent point of criticism (the one that many will criticize about), which is the overall conventional storytelling of the movie. What do I mean? Well, despite the strong case that the film delves into a “based on a true story” aspect and into some pretty wholesome emotional drama, the movie is still structed into a way that it makes it feel vaguely formulaic to the touch. That’s not to say that Just Mercy is a generic tale to be told as the film’s narrative is still quite engaging (with some great acting), but the story being told follows quite a predictable path from start to finish. Granted, I never really read Stevenson’s memoir nor read anything about McMillian’s case, but then I still could easily figure out how the movie was presumably gonna end…. even if the there were narrative problems / setbacks along the way. Basically, if you’ve seeing any legal drama endeavor out there, you’ll get that same formulaic touch with this movie. I kind of wanted see something a little bit different from the film’s structure, but the movie just ends up following the standard narrative beats (and progressions) of the genre. That being said, I still think that this movie is definitely probably one of the better legal dramas out there. This also applies to the film’s script, which was penned by Cretton and Andrew Lanham, which does give plenty of solid entertainment narrative pieces throughout, but lacks the finesse of breaking the mold of the standard legal drama. There are also a couple parts of the movie’s script handling where you can tell that what was true and what fictional. Of course, this is somewhat a customary point of criticism with cinematic tales taking a certain “poetic license” when adapting a “based on a true story” narrative, so it’s not super heavily critical point with me as I expect this to happen. However, there were a few times I could certainly tell what actually happen and what was a tad bit fabricated for the movie. Plus, they were certain parts of the narrative that could’ve easily fleshed out, including what Morrison’s parents felt (and actually show them) during this whole process. Again, not a big deal-breaker, but it did take me out of the movie a few times. Lastly, the film’s script also focuses its light on a supporting character in the movie and, while this made with well-intention to flesh out the character, the camera spotlight on this character sort of goes off on a slight tangent during the feature’s second act. Basically, this storyline could’ve been removed from Just Mercy and still achieve the same palpability in the emotional department. It’s almost like the movie needed to chew up some runtime and the writers to decided to fill up the time with this side-story. Again, it’s good, but a bit slightly unnecessary. What does help overlook (and elevate) some of these criticisms is the film’s cast, which are really good and definitely helps bring these various characters to life in a theatrical /dramatic way. Leading the charge in Just Mercy is actor Michael B. Jordan, who plays the film’s central protagonist role of Bryan Stevenson. Known for his roles in Creed, Fruitvale Station, and Black Panther, Jordan has certain prove himself to be quite a capable actor, with the actor rising to stardom over the past few years. This is most apparent in this movie, with Jordan making a strong characteristically portrayal as Bryan; showcasing plenty of underlining determination and compelling humanity in his character as he (as Bryan Stevenson) fights for the injustice of those who’s voices have been silenced or dismissed because of the circumstances. It’s definitely a strong character built and Jordan seems quite capable to task in creating a well-acted on-screen performance of Bryan. Behind Jordan is actor Jamie Foxx, who plays the other main lead in the role, Walter McMillian. Foxx, known for his roles in Baby Driver, Django Unchained, and Ray, has certainly been recognized as a talented actor, with plenty of credible roles under his belt. His participation in Just Mercy is another well-acted performance that deserve much praise as its getting (even receiving an Oscar nod for it), with Foxx portraying Walter with enough remorseful grit and humility that makes the character quite compelling to watch. Plus, seeing him and Jordan together in a scene is quite palpable and a joy to watch. The last of the three marquee main leads of the movie is the character of Eva Ansley, the director of operations for EJI (i.e. Stevenson’s right-handed employee / business partner), who is played by actress Brie Larson. Up against the characters of Stevenson and McMillian, Ansley is the weaker of the three main lead; presented as supporting player in the movie, which is perfectly fine as the characters gets the job done (sort of speak) throughout the film’s narrative. However, Larson, known for her roles in Room, 6 Jump Street, and Captain Marvel, makes less of an impact in the role. Her acting is fine and everything works in her portrayal of Eva, but nothing really stands in her performance (again, considering Jordan and Foxx’s performances) and really could’ve been played by another actress and achieved the same goal. The rest of the cast, including actor Tim Blake Nelson (The Incredible Hulk and O Brother, Where Art Thou) as incarcerated inmate Ralph Meyers, actor Rafe Spall (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and The Big Short) as legal attorney Tommy Champan, actress Karan Kendrick (The Hate U Give and Family) as Minnie McMillan, Walter’s wife, actor C.J. LeBlanc (Arsenal and School Spirts) as Walter’s son, John McMillian, actor Rob Morgan (Stranger Things and Mudbound) as death role inmate Herbert Richardson, actor O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Long Shot and Straight Outta Compton) as death role inmate Anthony “Ray” Hinton, actor Michael Harding (Triple 2 and The Young and the Restless) as Sheriff Tate, and actor Hayes Mercure (The Red Road and Mercy Street) as a prison guard named Jeremy, are in the small supporting cast variety. Of course, some have bigger roles than others, but all of these players, which are all acted well, bolster the film’s story within the performances and involvement in Just Mercy’s narrative. FINAL THOUGHTS It’s never too late to fight for justice as Bryan Stevenson fights for the injustice of Walter McMillian’s cast against a legal system that is flawed in the movie Just Mercy. Director Destin Daniel Cretton’s latest film takes a stance on a poignant case; demonstrating the injustice of one (and by extension those wrongfully incarcerated) and wrapping it up in a compelling cinematic story. While the movie does struggle within its standard structure framework (a sort of usual problem with “based on a true story” narrations) as well as some formulaic beats, the movie still manages to rise above those challenges (for the most part), especially thanks to Cretton’s direction (shaping and storytelling) and some great performances all around (most notable in Jordan and Foxx). Personally, I liked this movie. Sure, it definitely had its problem, but those didn’t distract me much from thoroughly enjoying this legal drama feature. Thus, my recommendation for the film is a solid “recommended”, especially those who liked the cast and poignant narratives of legality struggles and the injustice of a failed system / racism. In the end, while the movie isn’t the quintessential legal drama motion picture and doesn’t push the envelope in cinematic innovation, Just Mercy still is able to manage to be a compelling drama that’s powerful in its story, meaningful in its journey, and strong within its statement. Just like Bryan Stevenson says in the movie….” If we could look at ourselves closely…. we can change this world for the better”. Amen to that!

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thatscarletflycatcher · 5 years

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Agent Carter S1E1 impressions.

I finally started watching this show and I am already in love with it. The costumes, the sets it’s all brilliantly staged. Kudos.

What can I say about Peggy without being redundant? SHE. IS. AN. ICON.

I am still not over the Steggy goodbye in CATFA and it shows. It hurt watching it again.

I really liked the blonde girl and how she encouraged Peggy to go out and such. She had a few minutes of screen time and yet it was really sad when she was killed.

Then there are Peggy’s coworkers. At times they were believable and at times too idiotic and rude to be true but... well I enjoyed Peggy getting back at them. Guilty pleasure. Sorry. Daniel is a sweet man and though I understand Peggy’s reasons to tell him that she wished he had said nothing, the other guy did something very wrong and someone had to call him out on his behavior. Their scene in the archive was moving. I really liked his sense of humor and the way he left without a word when Peggy told him he was one of the lucky ones... ouch.

Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark is so much fun, he’s brilliant. I think he is what Tony is supposed to be but is not. He’s a charming idiot, he knows he is a charming idiot and has no trouble admitting it. I think the difference is that Tony very often lacks the “charming” part and also refuses to let anyone think that he is what he is and act in consequence. Howard knows when to win and when to loose. But I digress.

Jarvis. Oh, Jarvis. Man, I love this character soooooo much... I just can’t. On the other hand, his face looked so familiar... of course! He played Tom Bertram in Mansfield Park (2007), where Hayley played Mary Crawford. The casting of that movie was great except for the leading roles (I don’t think Billie Piper and Blake Ritson are bad actors it is just that they were miscast. If you don’t believe me, just look how Blake played Mr. Elton in Emma (2009). It was brilliant!). I digress, again. Jarvis and Peggy, DA TEAM.

The plot and the gimmicks were corny, but good corny, enjoyable corny and I approve all around. The proto-fax of the blonde villain was just... great. Also, that Howard’s explosives can be defused with things everyone can find in their kitchens... I mean, the man is a legend XD

So there’s something more about Howard and Jarvis’ plan. Is it the foundation of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

It was a fun, interesting, aesthetically pleasing episode and I am looking forward for the next.

#Agent Carter #Agent Carter impressions #no spoilers

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garryspolicememories · 5 years

Photo

Victim of unsolved murder, William Turner North Bay July 1969 The second Photo is that of Commissioner Archie Ferguson.

Policing Memories of

Garry Crawford Circa 1962

Part VIII

In July of 1964 my friend John Raymond and I started the reconstruction of our house in Warren. The original building had been a storey and half building 19’x23’ built in the 1930’s from material salvaged from a school that was built in 1918. The studs in the wall were hewn tamarack poles that were placed every 5’. This required a fair amount of axe work, as we put an 18’x28’ addition onto the existing building and brought it down to one storey. In doing so we removed some support walls, so John came up with the idea of making up a long beam which we placed in the attic then hung support for the walls that we removed; from the beam. We put a full basement under the addition and opened up an entrance from the original basement. The final result was that we had an extended living room, a bathroom and two bedrooms with additional closets on the main level. The basement was finished and we had a third bedroom in the basement plus a large family room play room combination for the boys and a laundry room. I think the only day it did not rain that summer was the day we put the new roof on the entire house.

My wife deserved a medal for her patience that summer as most of the summer we could lay in bed and see the stars out through the gable end of the roof. We also put in a new field bed behind the house and hooked up all the necessary plumbing etc. for the new bathroom. John continued much of the time on his own to do the finishing. The interior of the house was finished up the following year. With John building new cupboards in the bathroom, laundry room etc. He also built fold-up cupboards which held the boys play toys in the family room. We now had a home.

There is one more part of this construction job I should mention. During the latter part of February in 1965, I hired a fellow from Verner to help me finish the basement floor, in the new section of the house. The truck from North Bay started out with the necessary concrete but had a breakdown and had to return to their shop. They had added a drying agent to the concrete because of the cold weather. When they had the breakdown they added additional drying agent. This also heated the mixture.

I had removed the basement windows from the west side of the basement then opened the exterior door at the top of the stairs at the west side of the house. This was to allow a draft to form to remove any fumes while we were working on the new floor. The truck arrived late. The extra drying agent caused the concrete to dry too quickly, which meant that we had to start finishing right away and continue through the night. We were using a gas finishing-trowel. My wife and the boys were sleeping directly above where we were working. About 2:30 AM we had stopped for a break and my wife got up and made us a coffee. She had just gone back to bed, I had the starter rope in my hand to start the machine again and heard her call my name. I knew something was wrong and ran upstairs. She was just coming down the hall from the bedroom. She looked at me and collapsed unconscious. She had stopped breathing and her eyes were all white, they had rolled up. I knew it must be carbon monoxide poisoning and commenced to give her mouth to mouth resuscitation. When I lifted my mouth to take a breath I would call help to my partner. He came up and I had him go to the boys bedroom and put them in their snowsuits. My wife came to and I lifted her and walked her to the back door. When I opened the door, I guess she took one breath and collapsed again I started mouth to mouth and she immediately regained consciousness that time. I grabbed a blanket off the couch and wrapped it around her. We all got out on the back deck and started marching around. The boys terrier dog had woke up too. There we were I was holding my wife and getting her to walk. My buddy had each of the boys by a hand and was walking them. We were walking in a circle in about 3”of fresh snow. The dog was barking all excited and following us as we went round and round. My wife came around pretty good and started to complain about the cold. So we took everyone back inside and opened up the doors and windows to air out the house. I then phoned our doctor in Sudbury to see if there was anything else I should do. He assured me there was nothing else. He also advised that it would take several weeks for the poison to get out of her system. I don’t mind saying at that point I shed a few tears. I have often thought just how lucky we were. It was a long time ago as we will have been married 60 years this fall, but I still think often of that night.

AN UNSOLVED MURDER

Near the end of July 1969 I was working day shift and patrolling in the area of Markstay - Hagar when I was dispatched to the report of a body floating in the Veuve River behind the toilets, at the roadside park off Highway 17, half way between Hagar and Markstay. On arrival I observed a body floating in a semi-upright position. The head was under the water. I took the fire axe from the trunk and cut a long pole. At that point Cpl. Bob King from Warren arrived and the two of us retrieved the body using the pole. As the body got near the shore, I reached out and grabbed the clothing and pulled the body to shore turning it over as I did so. It was somewhat shocking as the victim had his hands and feet all tied together behind his back.

Subsequent investigation revealed the victim to be one William Turner of North Bay, Ontario. He had been the subject of a missing person report from North Bay, Ontario as of the latter part of June 1969. His car had been located in a parking lot at Sault Ste Marie, Ontario approximately 10 days after he was reported missing. There were no more reports of him until he was found in the Veuve River. Inspector Archie Ferguson of Toronto GHQ Criminal Investigation Branch was assigned to over see the investigation. An autopsy was performed and the pathologist reported the victim was deceased prior to being put in the river. Inspector Ferguson and I completed extensive investigations, between Sault Ste Marie, North Bay and Kapuskasing. Hundreds of additional hours were put any by dozens of other officers all over the north, checking hotel and motel registrations and making other inquiries. I was very impressed with Inspector Ferguson’s thoroughness. To this day I consider he as being the sharpest investigator that I ever worked with. Inspector Ferguson had several other investigations going on, however we were constantly in touch with each other and as new leads came in we would follow them up, some times together and others would be followed up by myself or Inspector Ferguson. These investigations consumed most of my time for the next couple of years. We did have some possible suspects, however we were never able to reach a satisfactory conclusion. Over the years since then there have been several Cold Case follow-ups by other investigators, all have been unsuccessful. My assessment of Inspector Ferguson was obviously seen by others as he went on in his career to reach the highest rank in the Ontario Provincial Police, that of Commissioner. He once told me that he hoped he did not have to wait until he met his maker to find out just what happened in this murder. He may know now, because he passed on August 18, 2017. I sure hope I know ahead of my passing. If anyone reading this has any information that may be of value, please come forward. There is no statute of limitation for murder. If you wish you could contact me, or your nearest Ontario Provincial Police Office. If you wish to remain anonymous then contact your nearest Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

If you wish to read my previous submissions, they are all stored at: <garryspolicememories.tumblr.com>

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peonymoss · 6 years

Text

Mansfield Park: Volume II Chapters 1-5

(or chapters 19-23, or, The Party’s Over)

II-1

Further proof that this play was a bad idea: when the news comes that Sir Thomas is in the house, the first reaction of his children — all of them — is not “Hurrah! Father’s home at last!” but “Oh ——— .” Dryly amusing to see Tom and Edmund finally united — a look and a few words is all it takes — and poor Rushworth left behind, glad that Sir Thomas is back, but not quite part of the family yet. And Maria walking off without even answering his question — unnecessarily rude.

Yates thinking that the rehearsal will pick up again after tea — even “having never been with those who thought much of parental claims, or family confidence” — does he not understand that Sir Thomas has been away for almost two years,and that welcoming him back is going to take precedence over a rehearsal? Dude. Seriously.

Fanny seeing a new side of Sir Thomas — and seeing that she really does matter to him: “my little Fanny.” We never hear anything about the Bertram side of the family. Is he an only child?

This whole scene in the drawing room is hilarious. Mrs. Norris INTERRUPTING Sir Thomas, in the middle of his telling them about his journey, to tell him he wants some soup; Sir Thomas discovering the theater — and his room (his full-sized version of Fanny’s East room) — and stepping out on the stage opposite Yates. Rushworth bursting out about Henry Crawford’s height (poor fellow, he knows something’s wrong but he doesn’t have the intellect to understand his unease or put it into words). Yates utterly failing to catch the hint from anywhere and yammering on about the play. And poor Rushworth — holding on to Sir Thomas’s good opinion by saying scarcely anything, but only “a little longer.”

Behind the cut for length:

II-2

At least Edmund 1. comes to his father to 2. fess up 3. first thing in the morning 4. without trying to minimize his own lapses in judgment or 5. completely pin the blame on everything else while 6. making clear that Fanny was consistent.

Poor Sir Thomas, trying to “forget how much he had been forgotten himself.” (He has something in common with Fanny; she knows what it’s like to feel forgotten.) He’s “more willing to believe they felt their error than to run the risk of investigation”. Hmmmm. He’s an active, diligent man, but in this area of life he’s willing to let himself avoid seeking out the truth. And though he tries very hard to keep her to the point, Mrs. Norris manages to evade him in the end.

II-3

Interesting conversation between Edmund and Fanny. Edmund mentions how very quiet the evenings are now; Fanny says she’s not bored, she likes listening to Sir Thomas talking about the West Indies, “but then I am unlike other people I dare say.” Edmund offers her a compliment in a teasing way and then tells her how much Sir Thomas is pleased with her. But those compliments about Fanny’s countenance and complexion and figure — how much of those are from Sir Thomas, and how many are from Edmund?

...And then he starts talking about Mary’s opinion of Fanny, and how observant Mary is (though he’s not wrong). Fanny changes the subject, and we get some funny stuff from Edmund about Rushworth:

“[Sir Thomas] must like [Rushworth] less after to-morrow's visit, for we shall be five hours in his company. I should dread the stupidity of the day, if there were not a much greater evil to follow--the impression it must leave on Sir Thomas. He cannot much longer deceive himself. I am sorry for them all, and would give something that Rushworth and Maria had never met.”

(And this is the match Mrs. Norris takes such pride in!)

“Sir Thomas was satisfied; too glad to be satisfied, perhaps, to urge the matter quite so far as his judgment might have dictated to others.” Once again, in this area of his life he’s all too willing to take the easy way, to let himself believe everything’s all right when it isn’t.

Interesting that Maria has “pledged herself anew to Sotherton”: to the property, not to Rushworth himself. “In all the important preparations of the mind she was complete: being prepared for matrimony by an hatred of home, restraint, and tranquillity; by the misery of disappointed affection, and contempt of the man she was to marry.” Oooof.

“Two bridesmaids”: was Fanny one of them? Aunt Norris “tries to cry”: nobody’s overcome with joy at this wedding.

II.4

So Fanny’s growing up into a pretty young woman, and now she’s the only young woman at Mansfield. (And Mrs. Norris is still sending her, instead of a servant, on errands.)

"by the easiest self-deceit”: Mrs. Grant, too.

What an interesting sort-of friendship springs up between Mary and Fanny. Why does Fanny keep going? It’s not just the demands of Good Manners; where does her “fascination” come from? Is it just being around someone with whom she has something in common, but who’s so different from anyone else she’s known?

It’s unfortunate that when Fanny goes off on her more poetic, thoughtful flights, Mary doesn’t even attempt to follow along or even pay attention.

Mary, meanwhile, has been spoiled for the idea of marrying solely for money: “... nothing worse than a tete-a-tete with the person one feels most agreeable in the world.” She still wants money and influence, though, so she wants even more than she did before.

“... to the credit of the lover's understanding, be it stated, that [Edmund] did not by any means consider Fanny as the only, or even as the greater gainer by such a friendship.” Edmund thinks of himself as Mary’s lover at this point <SPOILER> but it’s a nice touch that the text itself doesn’t specify that.</SPOILER>

“A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of. It certainly may secure all the myrtle and turkey part of it.” The “myrtle and turkey” part doesn’t get quoted as often, but I think it makes the first sentence even funnier.

Edmund, Mary’s not kidding about the money and the distinction. How many times does she have to say it? Self-deceit indeed.

II.5

Lady Bertram is so benignly self-absorbed. “Why should Mrs.Grant ask Fanny?” Edmund knows how to manage her, though.

Poor Fanny. This should be such a happy occasion for her — she’s growing up, she’s being invited to dine out — and there’s no mother or sister to be glad for her and enjoy the preparations with her, no cousins to do it in their place, and no aunts who will do it in their place. But there is an aunt who’s downright angry that Fanny should have a happy occasion coming up.

Sir Thomas puts Mrs. Norris in her place! Take that!

Edmund starts off praising Fanny and noticing her dress “I like those glossy spots” but alas for Fanny’s feelings - “Has not Miss Crawford a gown something the same?”

Oh, wait — Henry shows up? Great. Stupid troublemaker.

So much for “being the lowest and last” — Fanny’s the female guest of honor.

(And even though Edmund’s being friendly with Henry, Fanny’s not even thinking about Edmund’s judgment. She’s confident in her dislike and distrust of Henry. She’s seen what she’s seen, and she knows that Edmund is fallible.)

Edmund’s matter of business with Dr. Grant — ordination, perhaps?

Henry’s “...significant smile, which made Fanny quite hate him...”

<SPOILER> “I think my friend Julia knows better than to entertain her father with Mr. Yates.” OH yes.</SPOILER>

“In my opinion....” Bravo, Fanny!

“Dr. Grant is giving Bertram instructions about the living he is to step into so soon.” Henry assumes that they are talking about money, not the spiritual work of pastoring the flock, and regrettably he’s probably correct. He also is assuming that Edmund will hire a vicar and live at Mansfield. Like Mary, he assumes that the life of a clergyman is a life of ease.

Mary’s anger at Edmund and at herself, and her resolution to no longer let him influence her feelings, reminds me of Mary’s anger at Henry. At least Mary’s not dragging someone else into her anger by marrying someone she doesn’t love just out of spite.

So some themes: Fanny’s coming into her own. And Sir Thomas... well, this is twice now that we see him accept easy answers to questions instead of searching after painful, difficult, but truthful answers.

Edmund goes 5 chapters without seriously letting anyone down. And he may be constantly comparing her to Mary, but he’s noticing Fanny too.

And so are the Crawfords. Both of them.

#east room mansfield park #east room mansfield park: vol. 2 chapters 19-23

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dablkbox · 4 years

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Did I Do That?

One thing I can admit is that I am a sucker for a sitcom with a well rounded family and some sort of quirky neighbor. If you're on the same train then you already know what show I had the pleasure of watching: Family Matters.

Family Matters premiered on September 22 1989, on ABC with the show later moving to CBS. The show starred Reginald VelJohnson as Carl Winslow, Jo Marie Paton as Harriette Winslow, Kellie Shanygne Williams as Laura Winslow, Darius McCrary as Eddie Winslow, Rosetta LeNoire as Estelle Winslow, Telma Hopkins as Rachel Crawford, Jamiee Foxworth as Judy Winslow, and Joseph and Julis Wright as Ritchie Crawford. At the beginning of the show Jaleel White was definitely capturing our funny bones as Steve Urkel but it was not until the second season he became a regular cast member. The viewers reactions to his antics and tenderness were enough to secure him a regular spot.

The show ran for 9 seasons which is an incredible run for a black sitcom. The last episode aired July 17, 1998. Family Matters is available for purchase on Amazon and also available to stream on Hulu.

I was a little hesitant to watch this show because I remember watching the reruns of this as a kid and only remember a few episodes being funny. OH DAMN WAS I WRONG! Family Matters is hilarious! The characters are quick and funny all in their own way. The show also really played with the element of physical and environmental comedy. Whether it was Steve transforming into Stephon or the The Winslow Family reacting to one of Steve’s newest machines the characters really played with what was going on around them.

Let’s start with the basics of the show; Family Matters centers around The Winslow Family living in Chicago. The family deals with their everyday lives and with the daily and unnecessary occurrences of their neighbor Steve Urkel. One reason I was excited to watch this show is because it takes place in my hometown of Chicago. It was so interesting hearing them use actual Chicago streets, neighborhoods, and schools. It made me feel like I was really IN the story.

One aspect of the show that I have to discuss is Carl Winslow’s job as an officer. We ALL know the traumatic history black people have in regards to the police. Things have gotten alarmingly worse and it has gotten to the point where there truly is no resolution for all the wrongs the police have done to black and brown communities. Despite all of this we also know there are people of color who are on the force. Carl Winslow was an officer of the Chicago Police Department and from what I gather it definitely feels as though this was done intentionally. This show premiered in the late 80′s and early 90′s which was a time where racial tension between black/brown communities and the police were really starting to reveal themselves. As a Chicago native I know that the 90′s was definitely when more gangs were making themselves known in the communities making police become more aggressive than they already were. During this time a figure like Carl, I feel, was a tactic to make black men who watch the show and don’t view police in a positive manner to empathize with the police by seeing someone who looks like them in the uniform. Remember this is just my theory but it does not seem too far fetched. Even though I am not the biggest fan of Car’s occupation I appreciated how his difficulties being on the force in relation to him being a black man was displayed. There was an episode where Carl had to check one of his colleagues because he harassed his son Eddie for no reason other than the color of his skin. I appreciated the honesty toward that difficult part of his career.

During my rewatch something else that was great to watch was the show’s use of special effects. Growing up I watched many sitcoms but nothing could ever compare to the time and effort that I know were put into the special effects on the show. As Steve became more present his experiments always lead to explosions and/or some substance being shot across the room. I noticed that became an opener for some of the episodes in the later seasons and guess what...I loved every minute of it! The special effects mixed with other stunts in the show was the cherry on top of this comedic sundae. I hope the cast had insurance during the time cause certain things looked a little too daredevil-ish for me. One of my favorite moment is during the episode “High Anxiety” in season 4 when Waldo, Steve, and Eddie were trapped on a fire escape and were trying to get back inside the building. It was almost as if watching something similar to the Universal Soul circus. While the fire escape turned the actors tumbled and flipped right on top of it. I am still till this day wondering if they used stunt doubles.

Another great part of this family sitcom are the characters themselves. I can truly say that after watching this series I enjoyed mostly everyone’s performance(minus Eddie but we’ll get to that) and watching them display the growth of these characters. One character who I deem to be one of the most underrated 90′s girls is Laura Winslow. I am sure those who listen to music have heard rappers refer to their dream girls and used sitcoms references. I have heard people wanting a Whitley Gilbert, Hilary Banks, Denise Huxtable, etc(and clearly we see what’s wrong with this pattern) but never a Laura Winslow which is amazing to me because she was such bold and charismatic character. One of my favorite episodes to see her in is “Fight The Good Fight” in season 2 where she fought to have a black history course taught in school. I know we loved Moesha but Laura paved the way. Did she make mistakes like every teenage girl yes but she knew exactly where she wanted to go and how to get there which makes Laura the blueprint!

I could not leave this post without writing just a tad about Jaleel White. I was looking forward to watching this show because I wanted to see if Steve is actually funny or was it just the expected goofiness that people knew they would get a chuckle out of. I am here to tell you that Steve Urkel is indeed HILARIOUS and that is done because of the brilliance that is Jaleel White. Jaleel was ACTING! Steve was no doubt a comedic character but there were moment in the show where his let his guard down(especially with Laura) and we saw some of the most tender and sincere moments that I have ever seen on a sitcom. The comedic moments were out of this world paired with Jaleel’s vocal and physical talents when it comes to creating Steve. The transformation moment when he turns into Stephon is almost mesmerizing to me. The way he deliberately would time it, deliver lines throughout the process, and even the sound effects he’s making. I know it sounds a little goofy but, this an actor who you can tell does not ming playing on a set. Jaleel now does work more in the children’s entertainment world which is a great thing. I am all for a children programming including images and voices(I know he’s done some voice over work) that include black people but I would love to see him cross over onto something very dark comedy-ish. American Horror Story?

The cast overall is superb and went very well together and had many characters that are enjoyable on screen, like Ms. Estelle(played by Rosetta LeNoire). I always and I mean ALWAYS love a strong matriarchal figure who emphasizes in a very loving but direct way that: I AM GROWN. Estelle spoke her mind but was always there to bring her family together. It is probably the southern in me but it just hits every time.

NOW! As I stated in my opening post not only will I be going over the good but it just wouldn’t be right to acknowledge the bad in some of these shows, or the thing that were less favorable.

Something I noted it what’s similar to what happened with “JJ” from Good Times. Steve was always his brilliant self but there were times where the antics may have been just a filler instead using the comedic moment to fuel the story. It was not to the extreme of how the character of J.J was in a sense “dumbed down” but there were moments I felt okay that little goofy thing didn't necessarily need to happen but it’s fine.

Someone that bugged me throughout this entire series is Eddie Winslow. I mean..he literally only thinks with one head and it gets very irritating after a while. I get it we were all there once teenagers but damn! THINK! I have a complex with straight men who think and act “traditionally” so fair warning that characters like Eddie Winslow in other shows will get the same treatment. Not to mention I am just not convinced with any of Darius McCrary’s performances. Even when he is a special guest star or the lead actor he just always has been a miss for me. Everyone on the cast held their own but I’ve always felt like he was the weakest link.

Overall Family Matters was an amazing display of quality Black television if you ask me. Great comedic scenes/elements, very heartfelt moments, and aired episodes that talked about some important issues such as bullying, gang violence, and even body image. The show gave us great characters; Steve Urkel will ALWAYS be a pop culture icon. I urge you to watch Family Matters again and enjoy everything this quirky and compassionate sitcom has to offer.

Favorite Episodes:

S2, EP 18-Life of the Party

S2, EP 20-The Good Fight

S2, EP 25-I Should’ve Done Something

S3, EP 9-Born To Be Mild

S3, EP 16-Brown Bombshell

S4, EP 13-Muskrat Love

S4, EP 18- Higher Anxiety

S5, EP 8-Dr. Urkel and Mr. Cool

S5, EP 10-All The Wrong Movies

S7, EP 14, Life in the Fast Lane

S7, EP 20-Twinkle Toes Faldo

S8, EP 7-Stevil

#familymatters #steve urkel #black television #comedy #sitcom

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teenagevampirelife · 4 years

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Fangs, Janes, why not both?

I’m a vampire

Now, the first question on your mind is probably something like this: Is this guy serious right now? To answer that question, let me introduce myself!

My name is Alix, I’m 16 years old, yes I’m actually 16, and I’m writing this blog as a way to share my story and see if there’s anyone else who could help with what I’m going through right now.

You see, I was bitten by a woman who went by the name of Mary Jane (super creative choice of a name I tell ya) at a Christmas party, how, you may ask?

My story starts in November (when I was still human). when there was a lot of buzz about who would get invited to a party thrown by Mikey “Da Clutch” Crawford, super well known for his parties that turn into orgies and saving the day when kids thought they would get in trouble for something.

Also, he always had booze at his parties, only reason parents and teachers didn’t find out is because he had a policy of “if you take pictures, you're out” and he would make a spectacle of it too.

Anyway, It was lunch, I was sitting at a table with a bunch of strangers just eating a chicken sandwich when I hear something pretty interesting from my right.

“Do you think there’ll be another STD explosion like last time?”

I turn my head and realize it’s Becca who said that. She's got blonde hair, brown eyes, tan skin, and she is the kind of girl that would punch a guy for flirting with her; because she is gay as fuck and proud of it!

I respond with something like this: “There will be one if you go.”

Becca pretends to look offended, hand on her chest and everything as she retorts with “At least I actually get some.” with a very big smirk on her face.

“Ok, now that was just cruel!”

Then again, we do shit like this all the time, so I shouldn’t be very surprised at this point, if at all.

We didn’t notice Mikey coming in until he put his hands on our shoulders and said: “You guys keep up jokes like that and you can come to my party!” If you want a description of what he looks like, here it is: tall as me (I’m 5′8) not very thin, white, black parted hair, blue eyes, and a sense of style that would fit better in the 80s.

Becca and I looked at each other, and I’m sure we were thinking the same thing: OMG!!!

To put it into perspective, being invited to one of Mikey’s parties meant that you were one of the cool kids in the school, it’s a rite of passage that signifies your major growth in popularity!

But anyways, Becca and I weren’t gonna turn this down, so we both looked at Mikey and said: “Will do!”

But then, Mikey did something odd, he leaned down to my ear and whispered: “You might need a stake at this party.” And then he just left!

“What did he tell you?” Becca inquired

“Nothing important.” Cause I didn’t want her to freak out over something that might just be a joke.

Oh, how wrong I was.

#vampire #story #fantasy #adventure #monsters #introduction #original fiction

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ljones41 · 5 years

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"MANSFIELD PARK" (1999) Review

"MANSFIELD PARK" (1999) Review From the numerous articles and essays I have read on-line, Jane Austen’s 1814 novel, "Mansfield Park" did not seemed to be a big favorite among the author’s modern fans. In fact, opinions of the novel and its heroine, Fanny Price, seemed just as divided today, as they had been by Austen’s own family back in the early 19th century.

When director-writer Patricia Rozema was offered the assignment to direct a film adaptation of "Mansfield Park", she had originally rejected it. She claimed that she found both the novel and the Fanny Price character unappealing. In the end, she changed her mind on the grounds that she wrote her own screen adaptation. The result turned out to be an adaptation filled with a good deal of changes from Austen’s original text. Changes that have proven to be controversial to this day. One obvious change that Rozema had made centered on the heroine’s personality. Rozema’s script allowed actress Frances O’Connor to portray Fanny as a talented writer with a lively wit and quick temper. Mind you, Rozema’s Fanny continued to be the story’s bastion of morality – only with what many would view as sass. Rozema also allowed the Edmund Bertram character to become romantically aware of Fanny a lot sooner than the character did in the novel. Because of this revision, actor Jonny Lee Miller portrayed an Edmund who seemed a bit livelier and slightly less priggish than his literary counterpart. Characters like the Crawfords’ half-sister and brother-in-law, the Grants, failed to make an appearance. Fanny’s older brother, William Price, ceased to exist. And in this adaptation, Fanny eventually accepted Henry Crawford’s marriage proposal during her stay in Portsmouth, before rejecting it the following day. But the biggest change made by Rozema had involved the topic of slavery. The writer-director allowed the topic to permeate the movie. Austen’s novel described Fanny’s uncle by marriage, Sir Thomas Bertram, as the owner of a plantation on the island of Antigua. Due to a financial crisis, Sir Thomas was forced to depart for Antigua for a certain period of time with his oldest son as a companion. Upon his return to England and Mansfield Park, Fanny asked him a question regarding his slaves. Sir Thomas and the rest of the family responded with uncomfortable silence. Rozema utilized the Bertrams’ connection to African slavery to emphasize their questionable morality and possible corruption. She also used this connection to emphasize Fanny’s position as a woman, a poor relation, and her semi-servile position within the Mansfield Park household. Rozema used the slavery connection with a heavier hand in scenes that included Fanny hearing the cries of slaves approaching the English coast during her journey to Mansfield Park; a discussion initiated by Sir Thomas on breeding mulattoes; Edmund’s comments about the family and Fanny’s dependence upon the Antigua plantation; oldest son Tom Bertram’s revulsion toward this dependence and graphic drawings of brutalized slaves. These overt allusions to British slavery ended up leaving many critics and Austen fans up in arms. One aspect of "MANSFIELD PARK" that impressed me turned out to be the movie’s production values. I found the production crew's use of an abandoned manor house called Kirby Hall to be very interesting. Rozema, along with cinematographer Michael Coulter and production designer Christopher Hobbs, used the house's abandoned state and cream-colored walls to convey a corrupt atmosphere as an allusion to the Bertrams’ financial connection to slavery. Hobbes further established that slightly corrupted air by sparsely furnishing the house. I also found Coulter’s use the Cornish town of Charlestown as a stand-in for the early 19th century Portmouth as very picturesque. And I especially enjoyed his photography, along with Martin Walsh’s editing in the lively sequence featuring the Bertrams’ ball held in Fanny’s honor. On the whole, Coulter’s photography struck me as colorful and imaginative. The only bleak spot in the movie’s production values seemed to be Andrea Galer’s costume designs. There was nothing wrong with them, but I must admit that they failed to capture my imagination. I cannot deny that I found "MANSFIELD PARK" to be enjoyable and interesting. Nor can I deny that Rozema had injected a great deal of energy into Austen’s plot, a bit more than the 1983 miniseries. Rozema removed several scenes from Austen’s novel. This allowed the movie to convey Austen's story with a running time of 112 minutes. These deleted scenes included the Bertrams and Crawfords’ visit to Mr. Rushworth’s estate, Sotherton; and Fanny’s criticism of Mary Crawford’s caustic remarks about her uncle. I did not miss the Sotherton outing, but I wish Rozema had kept the scene regarding Mary’s uncle, since it did serve to expose Fanny and Edmund’s hypocrisy. Other improvements that Rozema made – at least in my eyes – were changes in some of the characters. Fanny became a livelier personality and at the same time, managed to remain slightly oppressed by her position at Mansfield Park. Both Edmund and Henry were portrayed in a more complex and attractive light. And Tom Bertram’s portrayal as the family’s voice of moral outrage against their connection to black slavery struck me as very effective. In fact, I had no problem with Rozema’s use of slavery in the story. I am not one of those who believed that she should have toned it down to the same level as Austen had – merely using the topic as an allusion to Fanny’s situation with the Bertrams. Austen had opened Pandora’s Box by briefly touching upon the topic in her novel in the first place. As far as I am concerned, there was no law that Rozema or any other filmmaker had to allude to the topic in the same manner. However, not all of Rozema’s changes had impressed me. Why was it necessary to have Henry Crawford request that he rent the nearby parsonage, when his half-sister and brother-in-law, the Grants, resided there in the novel? If Rozema had kept the Grants in her adaptation, this would not have happened. Nor did I understand Sir Thomas’ invitation to allow the Crawfords to reside at Mansfield Park, when Henry had his own estate in Norfolk. I suspect that Sir Thomas’ invitation was nothing more than a set up for Fanny to witness Henry making love to Maria Bertram Rushworth in her bedroom. Now, I realize that Henry is supposed to be some hot-to-trot Regency rake with an eye for women. But I simply found it implausible that he would be stupid enough to have illicit sex with his host’s married daughter. And why did Maria spend the night at Mansfield Park, when her husband’s own home, Sotherton, was located in the same neighborhood? And why was Fanny in tears over her little"discovery"? She did not love Henry. Did the sight of two people having sex disturb her? If so, why did she fail to react in a similar manner upon discovering Tom’s drawings of female slaves being raped? Many fans had complained about Fanny’s acceptance of Henry’s marriage proposal during the visit to Portmouth. I did not, for it allowed an opportunity for Fanny’s own hypocrisy to be revealed. After all, she claimed that Henry’s moral compass made her distrustful of him. Yet, upon her rejection of him; Henry exposed her as a liar and hypocrite, claiming the real reason behind her rejection had more to do with her love for Edmund. Unfortunately . . . Rozema seemed determined not to examine Fanny’s exposed hypocrisy and dismissed it with an intimate scene between her and Edmund; the revelation of Henry’s affair with Maria; and Edmund’s rejection of Henry’s sister, Mary Crawford. This last scene regarding Edmund's rejection of Mary revealed how truly heavy-handed Rozema could be as a filmmaker. In Austen’s novel, Edmund had rejected Mary, due to her refusal to condemn Henry for his affair with Maria and her plans to save the Bertrams and Crawfords' social positions with a marriage between Henry and the still married Maria. Mary's plans bore a strong resemblance to Fitzwilliam Darcy's successful efforts to save the Bennet family's reputation following Lydia Bennet's elopement with George Wickham in "Pride and Prejudice". In "MANSFIELD PARK", Edmund rejected Mary after she revealed her plans to save the Bertrams from any scandal caused by the Henry/Maria affair – plans that included the potential demise of a seriously ill Tom. The moment those words anticipating Tom's death poured from Mary’s mouth, I stared at the screen in disbelief. No person with any intelligence would discuss the possible demise of a loved one in front of his family, as if it was a topic in a business meeting. I never got the impression that both the literary and cinematic Mary Crawford would be that stupid. In this scene, I believe that Rozema simply went too far. The director’s last scene featured a montage on the characters’ fates. And what fate awaited the Crawfords? Both ended up with spouses that seemed more interested in each other than with the Crawford siblings. I suppose this was an allusion to some fate that the Crawfords deserved for . . . well, for what? Okay, Henry probably deserved such a fate, due to his affair with Maria. But Mary? I would disagree. Ironically, both Rozema and Austen shared one major problem with their respective versions of the story. Neither the Canadian writer-director nor the British author bothered to develop Fanny and Edmund’s characters that much. In fact, I would say . . . hardly at all. "MANSFIELD PARK" revealed Edmund’s penchant for priggish and hypocritical behavior in scenes that featured his initial protest against his brother’s plans to perform the "Lover’s Vow" play and his final capitulation; his argument against Sir Thomas’ comments about breeding mulattoes (which Fanny expressed approval with a slightly smug smile) and his willingness to accept his family’s dependence on slave labor; and his support of Sir Thomas’ attempts to coerce Fanny into marrying Henry Crawford. The above incidents were also featured in the novel (except for the mulatto breeding discussion). Not once did Fanny criticize Edmund for his hypocritical behavior – not in the movie or in the novel. Instead, both Rozema and Austen allowed Fanny to indulge in her own hypocrisy by turning a blind eye to Edmund’s faults. Worse, she used Henry Crawford’s flaws as an excuse to avoid his courtship of her and later reject him. Henry’s angry reaction to her rejection was the only time (at least in Rozema’s movie) in which Fanny’s hypocrisy was revealed. Yet, not only did Fanny fail to acknowledge Edmund’s flaws, but also her own. For me, the best aspect of "MANSFIELD PARK" proved to be its cast. How Rozema managed to gather such a formidable cast amazes me. Unfortunately, she did not use the entire cast. Two members – Justine Waddell (Julia Bertram) and Hugh Doneville (Mr. Rushworth) certainly seemed wasted. Rozema’s script failed to allow the two actors to express their talent. Waddell’s presence barely made any impact upon the movie. And Doneville seemed nothing more than poorly constructed comic relief. I almost found myself expressing the same belief for actress Lindsay Duncan, despite her portrayal of two of the Ward sisters – Lady Bertram and Mrs. Price. Her Lady Bertram seemed to spend most of the movie sitting around in a drug-induced state from the use of too much laudanum. However, Duncan had one memorable moment as Fanny’s mother, Mrs. Price. In that one scene, she gave emphatic advise to Fanny about Henry Crawford by pointing out the consequences of her decision to marry for love. Victoria Hamilton fared better in her nuanced performance as the spoiled, yet frustrated Maria Bertram. She effectively conveyed how her character was torn between her pragmatic marriage to Mr. Rushworth and her desire for Henry Crawford. Frankly, I believe that Austen gave her an unnecessarily harsh ending. James Purefoy gave an interesting performance as the Bertrams’ elder son and heir, Tom. He expertly walked a fine line in his portrayal of Tom’s disgust toward the family’s involvement in slavery and penchant for a wastrel’s lifestyle. The late actress Sheila Gish gave a slightly humorous, yet sharp performance as Fanny’s other aunt – the tyrannical and venomous Mrs. Norris. I believe that the movie’s best performances came not from the leads, but from three supporting actors – Alessandro Nivola, Embeth Davidtz, and the late playwright-actor Sir Harold Pinter. The literary Henry Crawford had been described as a seductive man that quite enjoyed flirting with or manipulating women. Nivola certainly portrayed that aspect of Henry’s character with great aplomb. But he prevented Henry from becoming a one-note rake by projecting his character’s growing attraction to Fanny and the hurt he felt from her unexpected rejection. Embeth Davidtz gave an equally compelling performance as Henry’s vivacious sister, Mary. She skillfully portrayed Mary’s more endearing traits – humor and sparkling personality – along with her cynical views on authority and talent for cold-blooded practicality. However, not even Davidtz could overcome that ludicrous rip-off from 1988’s "DANGEROUS LIAISONS", in which her Mary briefly stumbled out of the Bertrams’ drawing-room, mimicking Glenn Close, following Edmund’s rejection. It seemed like a flawed ending to a brilliant performance. For me, the film’s best performance came from Sir Harold Pinter. His Sir Thomas Bertram struck me as one of the most complex and multi-layered film portrayals I have ever come across. I find it astounding that this intimidating patriarch, who considered himself to be the family’s bastion of morality, was also responsible for the corruption that reeked at Mansfield Park and within the Bertram family. And Pinter made these conflicting aspects of the character’s personality mesh well together. Rozema added an ironic twist to Sir Thomas’ story. After being shamed by Fanny’s discovery of Tom’s drawings of abused slaves, Sir Thomas sold his Antigua estate and invested his money in tobacco. However, since U.S. states like Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky were the world’s top producers of tobacco at the time, chances are that the Bertrams’ benefit from slavery continued. I suspect that if actress Frances O’Connor had portrayed the Fanny Price character as originally written by Jane Austen, she would have still given a superb performance. O’Connor certainly gave one in this movie. Despite Rozema’s refusal to openly acknowledge Fanny’s flaws in the script (except by Henry Crawford), the actress still managed to expose them through her performance. Not only did O’Connor did a great job in portraying Fanny’s wit and vivacity, she also revealed the social and emotional minefield that Fanny found at Mansfield Park with some really superb acting. I first became aware of Jonny Lee Miller in the 1996 miniseries, "DEAD MAN’S WALK". I found myself so impressed by his performance that I wondered if he would ever become a star. Sadly, Miller never did in the fourteen years that followed the prequel to 1988’s "LONESOME DOVE". But he has become well-known, due to his performances in movies like "MANSFIELD PARK", "TRAINSPOTTING" and the recent miniseries, "EMMA". In "MANSFIELD PARK", Miller portrayed the younger Bertram son, who also happened to be the object of Fanny Price’s desire. And he did a top-notch job in balancing Edmund’s virtues, his romantic sensibility and his personality flaws that include hypocrisy. I realize that Edmund was not an easy character to portray, but Miller made it all seem seamless. Considering that Austen’s "Mansfield Park" is not a real favorite of mine, I am surprised that I managed to enjoy certain aspects of this adaptation. I will be frank. It is far from perfect. Patricia Rozema made some changes to Austen’s tale that failed to serve the story. Worse, she failed to change other aspects of the novel – changes that could have improved her movie. But there were changes to the story that served the movie well in my eyes. And the movie "MANSFIELD PARK" possessed a first-rate production and a superb cast. More importantly, I cannot deny that flawed or not, Rozema wrote and directed a very energetic movie. For me, it made Austen’s 1814 tale a lot more interesting.

#jane austen #mansfield park #mansfield park 1999 #patricia rozema #frances o'connor #jonny lee miller #harold pinter #alessandro nivola #embeth davidtz #victoria hamilton #lindsay duncan #justine waddell #hugh bonneville #sophia myles #anna popplewell #james purefoy #sheila gish #period drama #costume drama

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jeichanhaka · 7 years

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And Carried Me Away: Ch. 3

A/N: Just a reminder, this fic is a sequel to My Life Had Stood, so it's best to read that first so you're not confused/lost.

Chapter 1|| Chapter 2|| Chapter 3|| Chapter 4|| Chapter 5|| Chapter 6||

Chapter 7|| Chapter 8|| Chapter 9|| Chapter 10|| Chapter 11|| Chapter 12||

Chapter 13|| Chapter 14|| Chapter 15||

Chapter Three:

-Flashback-1998-

"Who are you?" Alsie demanded the stranger as he entered the private classroom - which was more of a unused storage room than a classroom. The school had deemed it her own private study after deeming it necessary to accommodate her and her propensity to interrupt her teachers. Though it wasn't her fault they tended to teach straight from the textbooks, many of which were too dated to reflect current knowledge.

She'd even said as much to the principal, and then the superintendent, but neither were willing to accept her point. Nor had either wanted to lose her as a student, which had as much to do with Mary Schmidt's money as it did her intelligence.

"You're Allison, right? Allison Schmidt?" The stranger asked instead of answering, picking up one of the texts Alsie had taken from the local library. "...quantum mechanics, interesting. Um..."

"Go..." Alsie, irritated by the stranger, was about to growl at him to eff off or tell her his name when he started talking about quantum theory. She paused, intrigued. Her eyes followed him closely as he neared, switching from quantum theory to psychiatry as he did. She listened as he talked about the brain and the ways to control it and memory. "...who are you?"

"I'm..."

"...Elsie?" William Reid approached his daughter, having called her name a couple of times he was concerned by her sudden lack of response. He reached out for her instinctively and froze when she tensed. Though he'd immediately realized his folly, the moment he touched her arm she recoiled. "...I'm sorry. I..."

He took a step back, tensing himself as he expected the thirty-three year old to shift into an alter, likely Emmie, at the touch. A few moments passed before he realized the shift hadn't happened. His brow furrowed, staring down at his daughter's tensed form. Though it was obvious she was extremely uncomfortable, the fact that she hadn't shifted to Emmie or Ana made William sigh in relief.

During her nine week stay in the hospital, Alsie had gone through multiple sessions with Dr. Freeman, her psychiatrist. As well as a therapist after Spencer convinced her it'd be helpful. The result being that Alsie had finally accepted her diagnosis and was getting her D.I.D under control.

"...sorry." Alsie mumbled back, still a bit skittish. "I'm working on not being so..." She swallowed and took a deep breath, her eyes averted from William. "Sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." William immediately replied, his gut clenching at the apology. "It's the Crawfords' and Linnet's faults. What they did..." He clenched his jaw, unaware of and unable to moderate his angry voice until he notice Alsie tense up again. His eyes widened when he saw her flinch and touch her right temple. "Elsie, I..."

"It's your fault too." Alsie spat, massaging her temple. The tell-tale signs of a migraine were already starting to rear their heads. She took in a few calming breaths, attempting to forestall the headache - the pain of which she'd learned was at times a precurser to a switch to an alter. Whether it was a trigger or just a sign of a switch, neither she nor her therapist knew for certain, but abating her headaches seemed to help avoid an identity shift. "...you spent years acting like I never existed. You...you and her..."

William flinched, the venom in his daughter's tone scathing. Though it wasn't the anger being directed at him that cut him as much as the way Alsie referred to Diana. Her. The emphasis placed on that one word spoke volumes. It was evident that Alsie placed so much more blame on Diana than on him, though both he and Spencer had tried to convince her otherwise.

"Elsie, we've been through this. Your mother...she couldn't help it that..." William rubbed his forehead, exasperated and wishing that Spencer was here. Though, he conceded quietly, it was better that Alsie's twin brother wasn't here. The first and last time Alsie had disparaged Diana in front of Spencer, the latter had immediately defended their mother.

The argument that had resulted still felt surreal now, just remembering it. It was the first real sibling argument between his children, and William caught himself imagining what it'd have been like if Spencer and Alsie had been raised together. So caught up in imagining a 'what might have been' scenario, William had failed to notice how serious the argument had escalated. It wasn't until Spencer had retorted the biting: 'don't you talk about my mother,' with emphasis on the word 'my', that either man had realized it'd gone too far.

Upon hearing it, Alsie had immediately blanched and gone silent, her eyes widened into saucers. The look on her face horrified and distraught, while betrayal and pain gleamed in her eyes. Then the way she had spoke afterwards, telling them to both get out in an uneasily quiet voice, had scared both him and Spencer. Enough that though they obeyed it and left the room, neither could leave the hospital.

Later that night Alsie was discovered trying to kill herself.

"...why hasn't Spencer brought her to see me. Or me to see her? Or even a call? Or letter? Or anything?" Alsie mumbled, her tone sounded accusatory at first but William detected the wobbliness of it as she continued. If that wasn't enough, the swallowed back sob she gave afterwards clinched it, and William's eyes widened.

"Elsie, it's all right. Ok? I'm sure it's just a matter of scheduling. Your mother loves you and..." William grabbed his daughter's hand, trying to reassure her. Instinctively he wanted to hug her like a father would, but he knew it would be disastrous. Especially now.

"But why...?" She whispered, squeezing his hand back. Tears fell silently from her eyes. "Spencer said he'd bring her...he promised. Why hasn't he?"

"I don't know." William admitted, growing annoyed as he thought of his son. He hadn't been there when Spencer made the promise, but he'd expected his son to follow through on it. Or at least tell one of them the reason why he couldn't. Even if Spencer didn't want to talk with William, he could still explain why to Alsie. If there was something wrong...if Diana had a bad reaction to finding out the truth, the least Spencer could do would be to explain it to Alsie. Or to Dr. Freeman if Spencer thought Alsie might take it badly.

Alsie, catching the bitter bite to William's tone, squeezed his hand tighter. Her thoughts drifting back to the question she'd asked herself constantly since finding out Jemma was alive. '...will I be a good mother? Will I...? Or will I hurt her?'

'Have I already hurt her?' Alsie bit down hard on her lip to keep from blurting that bit. Her heart jumped into her throat as she thought about Linnet and how he knew what name she and James had picked for Jemma. How he had named Jemma Jemma, rather than picking some other name. A more common one. 'Did I...? Ana...Emmie...did one of them...did they tell him...? Did...'

"Elsie? What is it? What's wrong?"

"...dad? Can...can you do something for me?" Alsie spoke, her voice shuddering. Her lips quivered as she gazed up at him, waiting a moment before shifting back down to the pile of photographs on the hospital bed. She picked one up, and handed it to William while mumbling her request.

Before he could reply, the hospital room door opened and in stepped Spencer.

0Quantico:

Cam waited quietly beside the round table, her heterochromatic eyes glancing at each of the BAU members as they entered and sat. She greeted each succinctly, with a small wave of her hand and head nod.

"Let's get started." Hotch shut the door as he entered, his own gaze taking in the team members present. Aside from him and Cam, there was Morgan, JJ, Tara Lewis, and Garcia sitting around the table, their expressions ranging from confused to curious. "Alsie's discharge is today, so Reid and Rossi won't be joining us."

"What's going on? Something tells me this isn't to plan a surprise party for Alsie and Jemma..." Garcia piped up, alert to the less than exuberant feeling to the meeting. She was one of the more confused of the group, since unlike the others she knew the meeting wasn't for a readied case, unless it was an emergency one that just cropped up.

"No." Hotch affirmed, addressing the group. "And this isn't an official case. Fitzgerald?" He turned to Cam, gesturing for her to speak.

"...Ok." Cam mumbled, swallowing almost unnoticeably while noting that the expressions of the rest of the BAU had grown concerned. Morgan, JJ, and Garcia each thought of the times during the years when Hotch had called such meetings. The redness around Cam's eyes increased the concern gnawing at them. "I...I know I was only ever a temporary member, and you don't have to help but..."

"It's all right, Fitzgerald, you can sit down." Hotch reassured the younger agent, continuing for her when it was obvious she was unable to herself. He turned his gaze to his team, making sure their attention was on him. "A few weeks ago, Greg Linnet asserted to Fitzgerald, that one of his victims was her mother. He had taken a locket with a photo of the woman and a young Fitzgerald as a trophy."

"...What?"

"My god..."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Are we sure Linnet's telling the truth?"

"That's why I called this meeting. Fitzgerald has asked us to investigate Linnet's claim, and find out if there is any truth in it." Hotch explained while Cam sat down, looking more nervous than any of those present had ever witnessed her to be. "This isn't an official case, so it will have to be done on your own time, but..."

"I'm in. You don't even have to ask." Garcia chirped up.

"The only reason we were able to find Jemma was because of Fitzgerald bringing us the case leading to Linnet. So of course we'll help." JJ said, while Morgan and Tara Lewis nodded in agreement. Cam started to open her mouth to insist they didn't owe her, only for Morgan to head her off.

"We do owe you, and your old team, for helping to find Jemma." He insisted, understanding from what he knew about her personality what she was going to say.

"...thank you." Cam replied instead, feeling the sense of unity and family that the BAU team was known for, and what had both attracted her to the team but also made her anxious back when she first joined years ago.

"Where do we start? Re-interview Linnet?"

"That should be a priority, yes, to gauge if he is telling the truth or just trying to get under Fitzgerald's skin. But first, I think we should look more into the woman he identified as Fitzgerald's mother." Hotch spoke, opening up the folder Cam had brought to him earlier. "There wasn't time yet to make copies of all the information in the file. But the victim went by the name Violet Brant, according to what Linnet told Fitzgerald and what the original investigation team discovered."

"...it was a fake name." Cam piped up, growing more comfortable - partly due to feeling the BAU family vibe, and partly to being able to focus on the facts of the case. After her original team's fatal accident, she'd gone over their open cases. The connected homicides that eventually led to Linnet had been one her team leader had obsessed over, and so had she after his death. Enough that she knew all the victims names and details in the reports. "That much was discovered by those investigating at the time, but they weren't able to find out her real identity."

Hotch was about to continue where Cam left off, but was interrupted by his phone ringing.

He glanced at the display, reading the name and number which appeared. His eyes widened slightly. "Yes? What...? Yes...Yes...you're sure...? Yes." He listened for a few more moments before hanging up. Surprise lingering in his face.

"Hotch?"

"What is it? Is something wro...?"

"New Jersey police just found the body of a woman who'd gone missing from New York a little over two months ago." Hotch replied, continuing before his team could ask him to elaborate. "She had been raped and enucleated. Using an identical method to James'..."

"What...? But..."

"It has to be a copycat. Some fan who heard about the case." JJ replied, shaking her head in disbelief. And revulsion. Of all the criminals an unsub could copy, they had to choose James.

"Were we invited in?" Tara asked, while the others insisted they had to investigate either way. The victim being transported over stare lines gave them the authority to do so despite what the local law enforcement thought. Though if the copycat had only one victim, it'd be more difficult to get an okay.

"We were." Hotch pressed a few keys on his phone, dialing a number.

A/N: My plans for this fic have changed since I first started brainstorming for it before finishing part one (My Life Had Stood). Because of this it is taking a bit longer for me to write. (There're some major revelations that I plan on having happen.)

#Criminal Minds #fanfiction #spencer reid #OC #david rossi #derek morgan #aaron hotchner #crime drama #case fic #james rossi #jennifer jareau #tara lewis

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taylorfennersbookishworld · 5 years

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The Saturday Review is back! I know, I need to keep up better with this but my reviews keep piling up instead. What have you been reading lately bookdragons? Escape from Asylum by Madeleine Roux Publisher: HaperCollins Release Date: June 14, 2016 Genre: Young adult, Horror Blurb In this terrifying prequel novel to the New York Times bestselling Asylum series, a teen is wrongfully committed to the Brookline psychiatric hospital and must find a way out—before he becomes the next victim of the evil warden’s experiments. With the page-turning suspense and unsettling found photographs from real asylums that led Publishers Weekly to call Asylum “a strong YA debut,” Escape from Asylum is perfect for fans of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.The nightmare is just beginning.Ricky Desmond has been through this all before. If he could just get through to his mother, he could convince her that he doesn’t belong at Brookline. From the man who thinks he can fly to the woman who killed her husband, the other patients are nothing like him; all he did was lose his temper just a little bit, just the once. But when Ricky is selected by the sinister Warden Crawford for a very special program—a program that the warden claims will not cure him but perfect him—Ricky realizes that he may not be able to wait for his mom a second longer. With the help of a sympathetic nurse and a fellow patient, Ricky needs to escape now.Set long before Dan, Abby, and Jordan ever walked the hallways of the Brookline asylum—back when it was still a functioning psych ward and not a dorm—Escape from Asylum is a mind-bending and scary installment in the Asylum series that can stand on its own for new readers or provide missing puzzle pieces for series fans. Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 The one thing I've consistently liked about this series is the covers. They're eerie and dark and eye-catching. Summary/Tagline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 “The Nightmare Is Just Beginning." - Yes please, this boasts the set up of a great scare. Unfortunately it didn't deliver for me. Characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 The main thing I did like is the diverse characters in this book. Ricky is bisexual and Kay is transgender. I was not expecting that going into this book and I thought the author did both reps justice. Of course we see The Warden in living breathing color instead of memories and hauntings in this one and he's every bit the psychopath he is described as in the other books. Worldbuilding: 🌟🌟🌟 I'm not sure what to give this for worldbuilding. In Escape from Asylum Brookline is still a working mental institution but as for originality it's not far off from I don't know... Shutter Island with less of an isolated setting. This particular book is set in the 60s but did I really feel like it was the 60s? Eh, not really. Other than the medical practices that were banned years and years ago. Story: 🌟 Forget the year and this book is basically Asylum with a different title and different characters with the same lack of personality. I feel like I read this book before and I basically did when I read the original Asylum. Prequels are usually supposed to add something to a series or uncover a hidden truth or connection that the reader won't see coming but I feel this book failed to do that. Overall: 🌟🌟 2 of 5 Stars! My Rating: 🌟🌟 2 of 5 Stars! Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia Published by: DC Ink On: July 2, 2019 Genre: Graphic Novel Blurb: When a tragic accident takes the life of 17-year-old Raven Roth's foster mom--and Raven's memory--she moves to New Orleans to recover and finish her senior year of high school.Starting over isn't easy. Raven remembers everyday stuff like how to solve math equations and make pasta, but she can't remember her favorite song or who she was before the accident. And when impossible things start happening, Raven begins to think it might even be better not to know who she was before.But as she grows closer to her new friends, her foster sister, Max, and Tommy Torres, a guy who accepts her for who she is now, Raven has to decide if she's ready to face what's buried in the past...and the darkness building inside her.From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia and first-time graphic novel artist Gabriel Picolo comes this riveting tale of finding the strength to face who you are and learning to trust others--and yourself. Review: Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 I love the cover of this graphic novel and the illustrations inside are really cool. Summary/Tagline: N/A Characters: 🌟🌟🌟 I'm not familiar with who Raven is in the DC world because I'm not usually into comic book stuff but I liked her as a character struggling to remember who she is after losing her memory. I also liked the side characters. Worldbuilding: 🌟🌟🌟 Again, maybe if I was familiar with who this character is I could tell you how closely it works with her backstory, but I don't. I do love anything set in New Orleans though and I thought it was well portrayed. Story: 🌟🌟 I have trouble rating this because the eARC I got from the publisher through Edleweiss was pretty screwed up. One page was chapter one then the next was chapter 18 and it kept jumping like that making it nearly impossible to read. I felt like I was going crazy trying to figure it out. The only reason I can give it 2 stars is because perhaps, if it had been set in the right order, I might have enjoyed it. Overall: 🌟🌟🌟 3 of 5 Stars! My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟 3 of 5 Stars! Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Published by: Knopf Books For Young Readers On: May 7, 2019 Genre: YA, Sci-Fi Blurb: From the internationally bestselling authors of THE ILLUMINAE FILES comes an epic new science fiction adventure.The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasmA sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmatesA smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulderAn alien warrior with anger management issuesA tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wonderingAnd Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.They're not the heroes we deserve. They're just the ones we could find. Nobody panic. Review: Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Oooh Yes! Come to me my prettiness! I like this cover more than the Illuminae Files for sure! I only regret not getting the pink one from Illumicrate! Summary/Tagline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 “They're not the heroes we deserve. They're just the ones we could find." - I like it! It tells me that there's going to be some humor in this book. Characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 I can truly say I loved Squad 312.. with one exception. I couldn't force myself to like Cat. I just couldn't do it. I felt like she let her feelings for Ty cloud her judgment where everything else was concerned. Otherwise I adored the rest of the character; especially Aurora and Kal! And Scarlett and Zila and Ty and Fin. Worldbuilding: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Aurora Rising is set way before the Illuminae Files so we're dealing with a fresh new world and new species of characters. This world is so vibrant and different and I felt like I could see it so well in my mind. Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 I could not put this book down. I started listening to it as an audiobook which I usually listen to before bed but then I started reading from the physical book during the day and before I knew it I was at the end dying for the next book. Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4.4 of 5 Stars! My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4.4 of 5 Stars! Warcross by Marie Lu Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books For Young Readers On: September 12, 2017 Genre: YA, Sci-Fi Blurb: For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire. Review: Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 For a cover this simplistic it is so colorful and eye-grabbing. I love the three dimensional quality to the title. Summary/Tagline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 “Player. Hunter. Hacker. Pawn." - Yes, Emika Chen ends up being all of these things and I loved watching her arc through all the different jobs and lies she had to tell during this book. Yes she was a player in the Warcross championships, but she's also a spy. Characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Emika is a really cool main character and I love how she got into coding and hacking then got into trouble for trying to right a wrong done to a classmate and how that has shaped who she now is in her late teens. Then there's Hideo Tanaka and his mercurial moods. Is he a shy tech geek? A guy with a tragic past who turned it into a successful career? A villain? A visionary? A madman? Worldbuilding: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 At times I felt like I had stepped into one of my favorite video games as I read about Emika being inside the game. I also liked how the dark-web version of Warcross was described. The worldbuilding as a whole was very unique and I loved it. Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 I can't believe it took me this long to read this book! I had started it once before and not given it a chance for some reason but this time I found myself quickly hooked on the story and invested in the characters. I can't wait to read the second book and see how it ends! Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4.4 of 5 Stars! My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4.4 of 5 Stars!

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