#and that his plant has been mysteriously watered during an away mission despite no one having been to his room | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

xiolaperry · 4 years

Text

The Piano - Chapter 4

Notes: My Camp NaNoWriMo Project for April 2020. A Rumbelling of the 1993 movie ‘The Piano’. Has 14 chapters, all are written. I’ll post one every few days as I edit them. The film is gorgeous, if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend that you watch it.

Summary: Belle French and her daughter arrive in New Zealand to an arranged marriage with Gaston LeGume. Gaston shows little interest in her or her piano and books. However, Mr. Gold is fascinated…

Rating: E (for smut, dark subject matter and violence in future chapters)

Chapter Note: There is a brief, one sentence, mention of previous abuse. I wanted to warn for it here for those who don't want to read stories that contain it.

Also available on AO3.

After his day on the beach with Belle and Tilly, he collapsed into bed, exhausted. Sleep did not come. He tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. Insomnia was a rare visitor. Back in Glasgow, it hadn't mattered if he’d almost killed a man in a bar brawl, donated to an orphan's charity, or evicted a tenant. His slumber was always undisturbed. He had no difficulties sleeping here, either.

Now he stared at the ceiling, its pattern of rough boards visible in the moonlight. Belle's music was a ghost haunting him. He decided the dawn would chase it away.

The sun did not help. Her phantom followed him while he assisted the Maori as a translator for a land deal, gossiped with Granny, and collected rent on a property near the mission. He heard Belle's music in the rustling of the trees and the calls of the birds. He even heard it in the rain's patter on his roof. Was he losing his mind?

It took two days for Gold to concede defeat. He would have to visit Gaston.

The next morning as he walked in the fog, he called himself a fool, ridiculous. Belle and the girl had made an impression on him, and he wanted, no he needed to get past it.

Gaston was chopping wood when he got there. Gold came to the point. “My 50 acres that border your property. What do you think of them?”

“It's good land. Why? Do you want to sell it? I’m short on money right now.”

“I'd like to make a trade.”

“For what?”

“The piano.”

“The one on the beach?”

“Yes. And the books, too.”

“Gold, the music lover and literature appreciator. Who would have guessed?”

“Who indeed. I would need lessons though.”

“I suppose you would. Belle's father told me in a letter she plays very well.”

Gold gave no indication that he knew exactly how well Belle could play. How could his wife's things mean so little? Did he know her at all?

“Do we have a deal?” He held out his hand, and they shook on it.

When he went to bed that night, sleep came as soon as he closed his eyes.

That evening, Gaston sat at the table, excited by his good fortune. He announced that Mr. Gold needed music lessons. Belle stilled, her face questioning.

“On what?” asked Tilly.

“On your piano. Well, now it's his piano. I traded it for 50 acres of his land. Can you believe it? What a deal. Oh, and the books too.” He was oblivious to her fury, high on the idea that he had got the better of Gold in a trade, which was unheard of.

The thump of Belle's fist on the table returned him to the present.

Her hands flew in short impatient gestures. Her eyes snapped blue fire.

“What does she say?”

“She says it's her piano and she won't have him touch it. They are her books, and he can't even READ.”

“He wants to improve himself.”

Belle paced, her fingers continuing to move.

“He’s illiterate and doesn’t appreciate music! I don’t want to teach him.” She punctuated her last signs with a stomp of her foot.

“You will not ruin this for me. You will teach him. And that’s final,” he shouted, pushing away from the table. The chair fell over when he stood. The slam of the door shook the walls.

Outraged by her situation, having no choices again, Belle threw one of the ornate teacups. It shattered, china fragments flying everywhere. Tilly looked at her mother, eyes round. Belle apologized to her as fast as her fingers could form the words. There was no excuse for her behavior, and she was sorry.

“I'm sorry too, Mama. I don't want you to be sad anymore.”

“You are my most precious possession,” she signed. “I miss my piano, but you still make me happy.”

Tilly beamed. She helped her mother search the floor on her hands and knees to find every piece. They disposed of the shards in the waste bin. Hopefully, Cora wouldn't notice one cup was missing.

Gaston strode back and forth outside, too angry to keep still. This marriage business was getting more difficult by the day. The arrangement was not the help to him he had envisioned. Were all women this problematic? His mother had died in childbirth, so his only experience with them was with his Aunt Cora and his cousin Regina. They always made him feel uneasy.

Men were straightforward. You knew where you stood with a man. His father - God rest his soul - taught him what was important. Land, money, and respect. Other men understood that.

He was good at everything, so it would be natural to assume he'd be a capable husband. But what was he supposed to DO with her when she made no sense? Perhaps he should try kissing her. Women liked to be kissed, didn't they?

Gaston sighed. It was a mystery to him. His father had been generous with his fists, not his affection.

In the abstract, he knew that a man like him needed a wife, children. It was expected. A woman to take care of the house, to cook. Children to help him work the land. But in reality, he wondered if the whole thing was more trouble than it was worth.

At least he had gotten another 50 acres out of the deal.

And so it was that Mr. Gold traveled once again to the beach, accompanied by a party of ten men. Kamira asked him if he was crazy. His response, “I’m not paying you to ask questions, dearie,“ was met with good-natured teasing.

Bringing the piano back was difficult. It was awkward and heavy to carry. The weight caused them to sink farther in the mud than usual. While navigating a complicated passage, they dropped it. The discordant complaint it made at the indignity echoed through the trees. Everyone cringed. The glare Gold gave them was warning enough that they did not drop it again.

The trunks of books were easier but still heavy. All the men cursed his name at least once during the trip.

Gold didn't care. He wanted to hear Belle play again, and this was the best way. That idiot Gaston would have left the piano and Belle's books to rot.

After the piano and books were safe in his home and the Maori paid, Gold removed the crating. The salt air had dulled the instrument's luster, but it was still a thing of beauty. Gold appreciated beautiful things. He polished it, starting with the legs, until it shone. The scent of beeswax filled the air. However, when he got to the keys even his untrained ears recognized they didn't sound right.

When he had first latched onto this crazy idea, he had made inquiries. There was a piano at the mission, maintained and kept in tune by an old man from a nearby settlement. Gold had arranged for the tuner, Marco, to work on it. And after that, he could see Belle and experience her magnificent music again. He would indulge himself, and then this absurd infatuation would pass.

The day had come. He re-polished the piano while he waited, and set water to boil on the stove. The tea set was placed on the table, and the porch swept. At last, they arrived.

Belle and her daughter walked in, and she removed her bonnet. Her hair shone in the light. Not wanting to appear overeager, she did not go straight to the piano in the center of the room.

The cottage was clean. Its one sizeable room was a study in contrasts. A rich oriental rug lay on rough, knot-holed floorboards. Against the far wall, a simple rocking chair sat next to a grand bed with an ornately carved headboard. Simple earthenware dishes juxtaposed a delicate blue and white tea set. A black cat sat in an open window, watching them with curiosity.

Mr. Gold offered them tea with the best of manners. “Granny made the scones. I don't bake,” he said, gesturing at a tray.

Belle declined. She was not here to make friends. Tilly devoured them.

She opened the lid and pressed a key, steeling herself for a dissonant noise. The piano would not be in tune. Instead, she heard a clear middle C. She played a few chords and found them perfect. She looked at Mr. Gold in surprise. He smirked and said nothing.

“It's in tune! Mama was sure it wouldn't be,” exclaimed Tilly.

“I'm full of surprises.”

“Mama wants to know what you can play.”

“Nothing at all. I just want to listen.”

“I thought you wanted lessons?”

He would not explain. He couldn't even understand it himself.

Belle sat down. She opened the lid and played. At first the music's tone was belligerent, hard. But despite her intentions, it transitioned into something hopeful. She was too happy to be playing again to stay angry.

Tilly followed Mr. Gold's friendly cat outside. It, and the riot of exotic plants, was far more interesting than watching her mother.

Gold sat and listened to Belle express herself through her music. It filled empty places inside he hadn't known existed. He felt alive. The harmonies ebbed and flowed, as powerful as the ocean. He could listen to her forever.

#my fic #the piano

10 notes · View notes

lovepmd · 4 years

Text

My Team HeadCannon from Explorers of the Sky

Ryan Takudo

Species: Shinx

Age: 15 Years old

Gender: Male

When Ryan was a human, he was a 15 year old university student in Nimbasa City University. Since he was a kid, he was inspired to become a Pokemon specialist when he visits to International Pokemon Convention in Hearthome City, Sinnoh. To fulfill his dream, he took the Trainer’s Exam and pass with flying colours. Obtained Tim when travelling to Hoenn with his friends when he stumbled a wild Treecko and decides to catch it. At school, his intelligence was shown as he can solve questions that was meant for higher education level. With his teacher’s approval, he finished his elementary and high school within a short time, 3 years to be exact. He took Zoologist as his major in the university, specialized in quadruped and electric type Pokemon.

One day, when he was alone at home with his and pet Pokemon, he saw something flew past by the window. He then goes out and saw an ultra-rare shiny Celebi, lying on the forest floor injured by the Darkrai. He then tried to help the Celebi but stopped by the pitch black Pokemon and knocked him out cold. After waking up, he had severe headache and being attend by his Grovyle. The Celebi had already attended by the wood gecko earlier thanks to his skills using wild berries as medicine. He realized that everything around him was stiffed, as if it the time has been stopped. Then the Time Travel Pokemon explained that his world was indeed paralyzed and must find a way to undo the situation, but not until he and the rest were running away from all sorts of Ghost-type Pokemon that hunted them down. In desperation, he and his Grovyle jumped into the Dimensional Portal created by the Celebi to redo the time but a mysterious force hit the portal and cause haywire which ultimately separated them. Unable to remember his past life, it’s up to him and his new partner to help him recover his memories and finishing his ultimate role before time runs out

Characteristics

At first, he have some trouble adapting his new body and stumbles a lot while trying to walk, but he manages to walk properly fairly quickly

Quick learner and very observant, possibly may learn a new move by simply observing and practices a lot, which some of his human traits were carried over when transformed into a Pokemon, without him realizing at all.

When in dungeons, he’s a quick thinker, critical in making quick decision when in danger, analytical in scanning the opponent’s movements in order to dodge incoming attacks. Excels in battles but not fairly well navigating through dungeons… sort of… (He’s embarrassed to admit it)

Despite being a quick learner and critical in making tactical decision, he’s quite hasty and sometimes his body work faster than his brain. He felt like being late is not an option. But luckily his partner can calm him down

A bit of geek when something interesting perk him up. Highly curious and tend to act before thinking thoroughly…(his biggest weakness which sometimes cause big troubles to the team)

He tends to smug whenever he was winning at something but almost always failed spectacularly in the process. Later, he utilizes his ‘trash talk’ ability when battling. Kinda like ‘a battle of mind before a battle of fist’ according to him, much to Mia’s disapproval.

Ability

Ryan can summoned how much voltage does he wanted to use when using electrical attacks, like Magnemites evolution lines. He learn this ability when he first trained with Zarco, a local Electrivire when he asked for his help to master his electrical offensive moves. For example, when he wanted to use the move Spark, he will say “X VOLTS, SPARK!” where “X” is the voltage amount that he wanted to summon.

Example when he executes a move: “10,000 VOLTS, DISCHARGE!!”

Trivia

He has unusual traits as a Shinx. His eyes were blue in color instead of shiny golden color, a trait which carried over from human figure. He also have 5 pointed star shaped tail instead of four. This makes everyone scratching their heads about it, but this enable Ryan to gather 30% more electricity than any normal Shinx were and can glow 25% brighter.

He started to develop a crush on his partner when at the waterfall scene before exploring the Crystal Cave. Towards the end, he realized that he fall in love with her and affirm his love for her at the end of the story.

Mia Heather

Age: 15 years old

Species: Eevee

Gender: Female

Who doesn’t know Mia, a.k.a the “Walking Tome of Knowledge?” Her passion for adventures started when she visited the guild during the Guild’s Exhibition many years ago. Stories and tales which she heard from the guild members further fuels her interest to become an explorer in the future. One day, she found an odd looking stone with a strange engraving on her daily evening stroll at the beach, which she decides to use it as a lucky charm.

From that day, she began to study the rock, read all kinds of reading materials she could find in order to find out what stone it is. This also spark her interest in treasures and folklores. But one thing that she’s geek of is plants and berries. If Pokemon learn botany, she would be the top student in the class. With her exceptional knowledge in plants, she is a crucial asset for the team, especially when ongoing long missions which could take days to complete. She met Ryan one day after her another failed attempt to join the guild and instantly, their friendship sparked. With her new friend on her side, she finally succeeded joining the prestigious guild and her steps to become the greatest explorer became closer.

Characteristics

She always wanted to join the famous Wigglytuff’s Guild for years now, but her timid nature and lack of confidence were her biggest obstacle to overcome, which is why she doesn’t share her plethora of Pokemon and botany knowledge so often to others.

Despite that, she’s the one who never leave any teammates behind and willingly to stay, even in critical situation.

Her battling style is all about speed. She believes that speed will outcome every potential danger. Her running speed is use to its full potential but one thing she’s lacking is raw power. Usually Ryan will help her, but her timid nature sometimes get in her way, especially when she’s about to faint, hence the Run Away ability

She’s a quick adapter, meaning that she’ll fit in most of the tight situation by providing support to other teammates. Her Adaptability ability is not limited in her moveset, but her surroundings as well. Sometimes, she would lead the team, but her shyness overpowered her fairly quickly, especially meeting new Pokemon

Good sense of navigation, have sharp hearing (obviously…), exceptional memory and also second-in charge of the team. She’s also quite a neat freak as she always organized their stuffs in batches, even items in their treasure bag which she claimed for easier access… well for her and not for others actually…

Possessed exceptional knowledge in plants and berries, which allows her to differentiate good and bad berries and make special brews for emergency medicine or juices while undergo a very long missions. Also, she a good survivalist which helped the team a lot.

Ability

She will receive a special orb which gives her ability to use a specific move pool that is associated within her evolution line. This means that she can use up to eight different type of moves within the evolution line. Her chosen moves were as follows:

Flame Charge (Flareon)

Thundershock (Jolteon)

Water Pulse (Vaporeon)

Psybeam (Espeon)

Feint Attack (Umbreon)

Icy Wind (Glaceon)

Magical Leaf (Leafeon)

Fairy Wind (Sylveon)

To activate it, she’ll have to tap the orb and summon the move she want, but up to three moves per duration. This will last up to 5 minutes before the orb glows dimly. It will be reusable once the orb glows brightly again. Once a move is summoned, it will stored in the orb as ‘memory’ and Mia can remember the moves she had summoned before.

She usually wears the orb at her neck, just like a cat wearing a neck bell. It is hidden underneath her neck fluff.

The orb have a shape like DNA structure inside it and gives out a warm rainbow glow, in which could lit up a small room. Many Pokemon mistaken for a Mega Stone. Even Ryan was surprised at this because he thought that Eeveelutions have mega evolution forms. Mia wishes that it is the true Mega Stone… but she’s grateful on what she’s given.

Trivia

No one actually knew her origins. Heck even she doesn’t know as well. All she knows is that she lives at the Mimi the Chansey’s Town Clinic and Daycare for a good ten years before she started to live by herself at the Sharpedo Bluff.

Her features were a bit different from normal Eevees. At the end of her paws, there was a patch of white furs, kinda like she wears a socks. Her size were slightly bigger from average Eevee, but a bit smaller from a Shinx (about 40 cm in height).

Willy the Wigglytuff is actually her adoptive father figure. Stories goes by when he found a blanket at the guild’s entrance which containing a small Eevee, along with a note attached to it, stating that she came from a faraway land. Until she was 10, she was send to the Town’s Clinic and Daycare for her to live. Willy assumes her role as a father to take care of her. When she decides to join the guild, he was secretly ecstatic. Everyone in the guild doesn’t know this fact, even Charlie the Chatot.

Ryan have helped her numerous time along the way, which eventually develop a crush to the said Shinx. She actually denies whenever someone said that Ryan is her boyfriend, making her blushes madly and flustered. After took an advice from Saria the Sunflora, she firmly decides to tell him the truth in the near future, much to her amazement due to her shyness but it was too late because Ryan fades from existence. After Ryan reappears and finally confesses to her at the beach, she was overjoyed and accepted his confession. From that day, both of them became couples

Hope you’ll like my small headcannon from my team in Explorers of the Sky!

#submission #text #long post #explorers #explorers spoilers #!!! v good i love them

11 notes · View notes

auxilium00755 · 6 years

Text

Late Night Chat

Late Night Chat Newt had been reading the “A tale of two cites” on his black leather chair while in his casual black t-shirt and sweat pants when he got a text on his iPhone. He sat the book down Newt looked at his phone and saw the message was from friend Adam. Adam had sent a text asking Newt if he could talk to him tonight. The request it self wasn’t out of the ordinary as the two did regularly have late night chats. He texted Adam ‘sure, just knock on the door when you get here.’ Not two-seconds passed that a knock was heard causing Newt to drop his book in fright. Grumbling to himself about how he needs to pick better friends he walked over to the door and opened it slightly to check if it was Adam. Sure enough it was him, though why he was at Newt’s apartment and not the hospital was a mystery. Adam was wearing plain dark blue jeans and a yellow t-shirt and his dark hair was more of a mess than normal. Rather being it’s light brown color Adam’s face was more purple and red. He had a left black and his lips were all cut up and leaking blood by the cups, his right cheek faired no better as it had swollen into a fleshy purple ballon. “Are you going to let me in or are you gonna just stand there staring?” chuckled Adam. “What in the world happened to you? I thought you couldn’t be hurt?” Newt inquired as he opened the door for him. “I might have gotten carried away a bit with my hero hobbit thing?” Adam said though haggard breaths. “You have super: strength, speed, healing, and are able to breath both atomic fire and ice. So how in the world can you still get hurt?” Newt questioned while he all but carried Adam over to his couch. “Well having super powers doesn’t mean I free from getting hurt it just takes a bit more to do it is all,” he said as he laid his back on the couch to ease his aching body. Walking over to the sink to pour Adam some water Newt replied with “I guess that makes sense.” Grinning a bit Adam answered, “Yep and for this week’s addition of wacky stunts of mine I caught a train. You know, that train that almost fell into the street earlier this week.” Struggling to grasp what Adam had just said Newt inquired for both clarification and his sanity “I’m sorry did you say you caught the train that almost fell into the street this week?” Adam tilted his head toward the ceiling causing his neck to pop disturbingly loud. “Succeeded and paid for it,” he said as he lifted his bandaged hands. Stumbling a bit at the absurdity, Newt had to take a moment to take in the situation he was in. Here he was giving water to someone who earlier this week had stoped a train with his bare hands. Despite being a vampier himself and having met some rather unique beings Adam was by far the strangest person he has so far met. Which he supposed wasn’t entirely a bad thing as being friends with Adam has kept his life supplied with excitement. Handing Adam his water Newt chuckled “You know even after a year of being friends ,you still find ways to surprise me.” After taking a sip from his cup Adam gave Newt smirk of a smile “Well that’s interesting for you to say. Seeing how you were the one who said he did’t want to be friends with an idiotic lunatic.” “Heh, yeah guess I jumped the gun on my judgment on that one,” Newt said looking down at the carpet in shame. He was not in the best of places when he had met Adam. Newt had been recently kicked out of a prestigious magical university for being in position of illegal dark artifacts. He knew someone had planted them in his dorm room, but without suspects to name it was the words of a vampire versus the evidence of the crime. Only a few days had passed after his departure from the university when Newt decided one night to take a walk around the New York streets. He was hoping a long walk would clear his mind of his troublesome situation. Coincidently during his walk through streets of New York a certain would be hero would just so happen to be thrown at him through the window of a store. “To before fair, you did break my arm on the night we met, “ Newt stated as sat back on his couch. “Really Newt? For the millionth time, that was not fault. I was just trying to buy some milk when some thugs busted in wanting to rob it. The whole getting thrown through a window was not something I planed on doing that night,” a slightly annoyed Adam shot back. Smirking Newt carried on “And I suppose you replacing one of my blood bags with hot sauce was also not your doing?” With a deer caught in the head lights look plastered over his face Adam nervously laughed “Um, I was dared?” Raising his right eye brow Newt asked “Dared by whom?” “Um, my conscious?” Adam answered as he scratched his head in embarrassment. Rolling his silver eyes in amusement Newt said to him “Your conscious huh? Some hero you are.” Sighing deeply Adam replied with “Heh, yeah I guess I am a sorry excuse for a hero.” Worried his words may have packed more of a sting than he intended them to, Newt attempted to rectify this “Look I didn’t mean that, I was just messing with you dude.” Adam gingerly sat up to look at his friend in his silver eyes with his one working eye he said “No, that actually brings me to I am here. I came here to let you know you were right this hero business is best left to folks who know what they are doing. So I’m gonna quit being a hero.” ’I must be low on blood or something cause I think just heard Adam say he quits,’ Newt thought to himself as he processed the words that came out of Adam’s mouth. The same Adam who a had jumped into a burning building to save a family of goblins. The same Adam who stoped a mob of alien haters from lynching a newly arrived group of extraterrestrial refuges by freezing all their feet to the street. This was the same Adam ,who did all those things and more, who just said he was quitting. “I’m sorry could you run that by me again? Did you say you quit?” Newt asked bewildered by the notion Adam was even thinking about quitting. Adam gazed down on the carpet as though he was looking for the answer to the question. Without looking up Adam somberly answered “I said I quit. You were right, this hero gig wasn’t meant for me.” Newt recalled the day dumped all over Adam’s hero plan. It had been a few weeks of being friends that Adam explained to Newt about his plans to bring hope to the world they lived in by becoming a superhero. Though Newt had barely knew him at the time the thought of Adam throwing his life away for something so foolish was something he could not accept. Despite the many protests of both their fiends and himself Adam began his heroic mission of bring hoping back into the world. “It’s been almost a year since you started this hero thing and you pick now to actually think this through?” Newt asked flabbergasted by Adam’s declaration. “Look I’m not proud of it either but honestly what choice do I have? I mean just look at me, does this really look like the type of hero who can make the world a better place?” he said while he gestured toward his broken body. Fighting the urge punch his good eye Newt said through gritted teeth “You chose to be a hero, to give the people something to believe in. But now when the going gets tough you are just going give up and leave everyone hanging?” “Why are you getting so upset? I thought you hated this hero thing anyway?” asked a puzzled Adam. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, “Yeah I did hate it. I hated because I thought it was going to get you killed but now…”Newt couldn’t bring himself to finish his thoughts. “But?” Adam sarcastically asked. Hearing the audited in his tone Newt fired back, “You are such a selfish jerk you know that?” As quickly as his injured body would allow him Adam got off the couch and headed toward. He didn’t care if the journey back to his own apartment would kill him. Far as Adam was concerned, death was more appealing to him than listing to Newt berate him for things he didn’t even understand. Newt hoped up to his feet to stand in between Adam and the door, “Where do you think you are going?” Letting a tired sigh escape Adam replied “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m leaving to go home.” “Not before you promise not to quite,” Newt demanded as he spread his arms and legs further to block Adam from the door. “Newt as a friend I feel I should let you know you are dangerously close to being chucked across your own apartment. Now get out of the way,” growled Adam. Newt simply glared at Adam in response. He was fully aware that he would have better luck at stopping a rhino than stopping Adam. Though he couldn’t actually stop Adam from leaving he still had to try, no matter what. Running his bandaged left hand through his black messy hear Adam said “Alright have it your way.” Adam snatched Newt’s shirt and prepared to make due on his threat until Newt cried out “Wait a minute, wait a minute, at least tell me why you are quitting. Don’t I get that much?” Adam took a moment to consider this then he asked “Do you really want to know?” “Yeah, I do,” Newt demanded. Shaking his head, “Ok, let’s go sit down first.” “Alright,” Newt said, letting his arms relax. They walked back to their respective seats in uneasy silence. Newt took a quick glance at Adam’s face, the weary look of his eyes betrayed the youthful vigor that Adam would normally give off. Whatever had transpired this week seems to have allowed Adam’s true age to catch up to him. Taking a few moments to collect his thoughts Adam began “I was chasing a group of Russian mobsters who had stolen a cache of military grad weapons. One those nut jobs noticed a nearby rail way bridge and fired. Lady Luck must have been peeved with me because not a second later a train was heard coming from a few blocks away. I broke away from the chase to keep the train from crashing…” Adam had stopped abruptly as though he had hit a wall in his story. Speaking softly so as to not provoke him Newt asked “What happened next?” With his one working eye, Adam stared Newt eye to watery eye “Well I stopped it but.” Taking in huge gasps of breath Adam had to fought the urge to breakdown then and there “But the sudden stop of the train injured a lot of the folks on board.” Streams of tears poured down from Adam’s eyes and through unending sniffles Adam carried on “One of them was a kid barely seven years old, he fell on his neck. After the doctors did what they could the parents were told he would be paralyzed from the down.” At a loss for words, Newt could only watch as Adam finally let himself break. Wanting to relieve Adam of some of his internal anguish Newt sat next to him and placed his arm around him. Whether Adam was aware of his actions or not it wasn’t clear as he continued to cry. Newt just rubbed his back all the while searching for the words that could bring his friend back. Minutes seemed to stretch into hours as Adams sobs carried. Though fatigue was setting in Newt was in no rush to sleep, not while his friend was in pain. He continued to rub Adam’s back until he remembered something special he had tucked away in his closet. Though the occasion he was originally supposed to present it was not for another three months, desperate times do call for desperate measures. Standing up gently Newt sneaked his way to his bedroom to fetch said item. Adam’s sobs had barley began to reside when Newt returned and presented him with a large black box wrapped in gold ribbons. Whipping away the tears, he looked up at Newt for an explanation. “It’s supposed to be a birthday present, but I figured now seemed like a pretty good time to do it,” Newt nervously laughed as he scratched his head. Giving him a puzzled look Adam returned his gaze to the box. He then took the box into his trembling hands and opened it. What resided in the box was hundreds of numbers of papers. “Those papers are from people who have been helped by you. From kids whose pets you helped find to cops whose lives you saved. They had written their thanks on a website dedicated to you as a way to say thank you. I just printed them out,” Newt explained. Astonished by what he was holding, Adam couldn’t help but notice the box was still too heavy to only have paper in it. “Um what else is in it? I mean the letters are great but it feels like something else is in here?” “That would be your suit,” Newt chuckled as he padded the top of Adam’s head. Confused at what he meant Adam stuttered “My suit?” “Yeah, we figured it would help you out a bit if you had something that wouldn’t get shredded when you do your hero stuff. So our friends and pulled a few strings and got the materials to make a suit for you.” With tears swelling up again Adam could only choke out one word “Why?” Sighing, Newt asked Adam “First off do you know why I ended up taking up your offer of being friends?” Adam looked as though he was searching for the answer in Newt’s eyes. After a few minutes passed ended he up conceding and shaking his head. Adam well and truly did not know why Newt became his friend. Kneeling down in front him Newt gently pulled Adam into a hug then softly spoke “Its because you were the first person in a long time to see me as a person and not just another vampire out for blood. Do you still want to know why I don’t want to see you stop being hero?” Fighting another breakdown form erupting Adam answered “Yes, please.” Holding Adam tighter Newt replied “Its because you give that same kindness to all the people you help. You don’t see any of the vast types of mythical or extraterrestrial people as anything less than people. In a world that likes to keep separated by how they look or how they were born, that type of kindness is a miracle. Its a miracle all of us: your friends, the people you’ve helped, and I want to support.” Streams of tears were pouring down from Adam’s eyes as he meekly said “Thank you.” Ruffling Adam’s hair a bit as he stood up Newt studied him for a bit. “Now I’m gonna go get some junk food for us to pig out on. Will you be fine while I’m gone?” he asked a bit worried his friend might do something drastic. Gazing into Newt’s silver eyes, Adam gave a wide toothy grin that partly restored his lost vigor “Yeah I’ll be ok and thanks again for everything.” Newt replied with a grin “Hey what are friends for?”

2 notes · View notes

jenniferfaye34 · 4 years

Text

#Giveaway + Excerpt ~ The Melody of the Mulberries by Tonya Jewel Blessing... #books #Historical #fiction #readers

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

The Melody of the Mulberries

(Big Creek Series, #2)

By Tonya Jewel Blessing

Historical Romance

Paperback & ebook, 248 Pages

September 1, 2019 by Capture Books

This sequel to The Whispering of the Willows is set in the late 1920s' Appalachia, where granny witches and spiritualism often show the path for wanderers to take, especially in matters of the heart.

This Big Creek sequel follows the lives and loves of two siblings. Coral determines to visit the family's nemesis, Charlie, now in prison for the rape of her sister, Emerald, and the murder of her inlaw. When Mercy re-enters brother Ernest's life, he has already found a new attraction in his elder brother's widow.

Coral sat in contemplation under a mulberry tree. It was spring, and the fragrant female blossoms promised the mid-summer arrival of first white, then pink, then crimson, and finally deep purple berries. The white berries were hard and tart and enjoyed by the quail, wild turkeys, mocking birds, and blue jays. The blackish purple berries were soft and sweet - perfect for pies and jams.

When the berries turned white, Coral would thank the good Lord for providing food for the birds. When the berries ripened she would thank the good Lord for the sweetness savored in her mouth and curse the birds for wanting more than their share.

Where Emerald Ashby's story leaves us in the last pages of The Whispering of the Willows, sixteen-year-old Coral Ashby's story begins. Like the changing mulberries, Appalachian siblings Coral and Ernest Ashby, navigate life through the late 1920s. Coral is determined to visit the family nemesis, Charlie, who now stews in prison.

When Ernest's previous love interest, Mercy, returns to the holler of Big Creek, she discovers that his heart is now singing a melody for Charlotte, the older Ashby brother's widow. But Mercy has brought along her own spiritual tools and a special friend who guides her way.

Accompanied by friends and foes, matters of the heart complicate life for Coral and Ernest. Relationships must be journeyed carefully.

(Affiliate links included.)

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

EXCERPT: Charlie and Charley were coming to Big Creek. Charlie was a man. He had a spirit, soul, and body. He had grown up in the hills and been sent away because of the harm he had done to others. Coral had invited Charlie back to the holler. He wasn’t physically present, but, according to Emie, Coral might as well have sat him down at the table to enjoy Sunday family dinner. The other Charley was an evil spirit. He was ancient and from a faraway land but traveled with others when invited. His ways were frightening and mysterious. He was best left alone, but, had also been invited to Appalachia. Mercy, a returning resident, considered him a friend.

Other Books in the Series

The Whispering of the Willows

(Big Creek Series, #1)

By Tonya Jewel Blessing

Historical Romance

Paperback & ebook, 396 Pages

February 2, 2016 by Capture Books

Young Emie isn't desperate for a man, but she is surrounded by a variety of them in the Appalachian holler of Big Creek. How does a young girl find her way, and grow strong, when life begins to spin out of control?

A 1920s' saga of Emerald Ashby coming of age.

Set against the superstitions and old time religion in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, author Tonya Jewel Blessing tells a difficult, yet redemptive story of a blossoming young woman who is accompanied by her friends and her foes on a journey towards hope and healing. Love weaves through gut-wrenching circumstances and dismal poverty where Emerald Ashby grows strong despite grievous wrongs committed against her. In this desperate historical setting, mysterious disappearances lead to traps set for the innocent.

Now, when key individuals begin carving out a rescue plan, Emerald Ashby sets a few of her own traps. It's a page turner. In this ailing town. What will be their measure of success?

Cleverly suspenseful and sweetly spoken, the storyteller's unassuming voice transforms an Appalachian trail of tears into holy terror against an evil that stalks the innocent. In The Whispering of the Willows, an Appalachian marriage practice might be compared to the modern sex trade which exploits young females.

Not since Catherine Marshall's strong heroine named Christy, has an Appalachian drama come to life like The Whispering of the Willows.

Includes: Bibliography and Book Club Questions. A novel for women examining the Old Time Religion. Coming of age in the Southern Appalachians. If you love a story where the underdog surfaces and thrives, you'll love this story.

Praise for the Book

Best book I have read in a while. Didn't want it to end. Great and different story line. - Christine

This is a fantastic book that had me examining my own personal spiritual journey. Kudos to the author for writing such a heartfelt, inspiring work. - Verified Amazon Reader

I absolutely loved the characters and the story. Their faith in God helped them through the trials they faced. The story is engrossing and very believable. Hope this book is a winner for the author. - Verified Purchaser

"The story is emotionally gripping and pulls the reader along to see what will happen next. The best stories grab our emotions and don’t let go." - Judge's Commentary from 24th Annual Writer’s Digest Book Awards

The Whispering of the Willows is an inspiring story full of twists and turns, freedom and redemption, the expected and unexpected. This book brings to light the struggles of young woman past and present. God’s goodness and provision flow from each page. - Linda Bottoms, Rocky Mountain Ministry Network Women’s Ministries Director

(Affiliate links included.)

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Christianbook

About the Author

Tonya Jewel Blessing

National/International Speaker, Published Author, Co-Founder/Director Strong Cross Ministries

Tonya grew up in rural Ohio. She currently lives in South Africa with her husband of 35 years. Tonya decided to trust Jesus for the destination of her young soul at the age of four. As a young adult, she worked for a well known television evangelist, and traveled with a Christian drama group throughout the Midwest.

Tonya attended Arapahoe Community College and Akron University, and has enjoyed a trusted position in formal and informal ministry settings and training opportunities. Tonya also worked as a children’s pastor, youth pastor, and women’s pastor. She served on staff at Praise Church in Littleton, Colorado for a number of years, and also worked as the Director of Women’s Ministries for Journey Church in Strasburg, Colorado. She has served on a number of ministry boards that support concerns for women.

Tonya and her husband operated Strong Cross Ranch Colorado for over eleven years, a place of respite for missionaries and ministers. They had the honor of hosting over 2,000 guests during that time frame. The Blessings relocated their ministry to South Africa in June of 2012. The ministry continues to serve and partner with local pastors and missionaries through a variety of creative and responsible means. The Blessings oversee building projects, feeding programs, educational services, interventions, and church planting.

Tonya is a well-known national and international speaker, often serving women in areas of the world which cannot be publicized. She writes articles and devotionals for missions’ magazines and women’s groups and is also a published author. She is the author of two historical fiction books The Whispering of the Willows and The Melody of the Mulberries. Both novels are set in Big Creek, West Virginia, during the late 1920’s. Tonya has also co-authored a devotional called Soothing Rain – Living Water to Refresh Your Soul. All three of Tonya’s books have received literary awards.

Tonya enjoys speaking and sharing her life with women at retreats and events. She thinks that women are amazing, and appreciates that the female gender is multifaceted yet fragile creations of God. In her personal life and as a speaker, Tonya believes that God’s Word is powerful, and needs to be read and written on her heart and on the hearts of women everywhere. For additional information, please review her author and ministry webpage: www.TonyaJewelBlessing.com

She was ordained in 2011 and is currently pursuing further pastoral and biblical studies. For additional information regarding Strong Cross Ministries South Africa, please visit the ministry web page – www.strongcrossministries.org.

Tour Schedule

Tour Giveaway

One winner will receive a $30 Amazon Gift Card

Open internationally (to those who can use one of Amazon's branches)

Ends July 1, 2020

ENTER HERE

#The Melody of the Mulberries #Tonya Jewel Blessing #historical fiction #Prism Book Tours #Hearts & Scribbles

0 notes

virtuteminteriusmobile · 7 years

Photo

PLEASE DO NOT REBLOG THIS THIS IS ONLY INFORMATION ON POISON IVY.

Muse Name: Dr. Pamela Isley

Alias: Poison Ivy, Ivy

Age: 30

FC: Emma Stone

Profession: Former Botanist/Evil Villain

Fandoms: Marvel, DC And others if asked.

Bio:

Following the events of the DC maxi-series comic Crisis on Infinite Earths, which massively retconned DC Universe history and continuity, Poison Ivy's origins were revised in Secret Origins #36, 1988, written by Neil Gaiman. Poison Ivy's real name is Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley, Ph.D., a Gotham City botanist. She grows up wealthy with emotionally distant parents and later studies advanced botanical biochemistry at a university with Alec Holland under Dr. Jason Woodrue. Isley, a shy girl, is easily seduced by her professor. Woodrue injects Isley with poisons and toxins as an experiment, causing her transformation. She nearly died twice as a result of these poisonings, driving her insane. Later, Woodrue flees from the authorities leaving Isley in the hospital for six months. Enraged at the betrayal, she suffers from violent mood swings, being sweet one moment and evil the next. When her boyfriend has a car accident after mysteriously suffering from a massive fungal overgrowth, Isley drops out of school and leaves Seattle, eventually settling in Gotham City.

She begins her criminal career by threatening to release her suffocating spores into the air unless the city meets her demands. Batman, who appears in Gotham that very same year, thwarts her scheme, and she is incarcerated in Arkham Asylum. From this point on, she has a kind of obsession with Batman, he being the only person she could not control. Over the years, she develops plant-like superpowers, the most noticeable being a lethal toxin in her lips; she is able to literally kill with a kiss.

In subsequent issues, she states that she only started a life of crime to attain sufficient funds to find a location to be alone with her plants, undisturbed by humanity. A few years later, she attempts to leave Gotham forever, escaping Arkham to settle on a desert island in the Caribbean. She transforms the barren wasteland into a second Eden, and is, for the first time in her life, happy. It is soon firebombed, however, when an American-owned corporation tests their weapons systems out on what they think is an abandoned island. Ivy returns to Gotham with a vengeance, punishing those responsible. After being willingly apprehended by Batman, she resolves that she can never leave Gotham, at least not until the world was safe for plants. From then on, she dedicates herself to the impossible mission of "purifying" Gotham.

At one point, Batman travels to Seattle to ascertain information on Pamela Isley's life before she became Poison Ivy. Here, Batman states that both of Pamela's parents are dead. When and why they died has been left undetermined.

While in Arkham, Poison Ivy receives a message through flowers that someone is to help her escape. That night, two women, Holly and Eva, successfully break Ivy out and bring her back to their employer. She is less than happy to discover that it is the Floronic Man, formerly known as Dr. Jason Woodrue, her former college professor that conducted the experiments on her. The only human portion of him remaining is his head, while the rest of his body is plant-based.

After striking a deal with him in the underground tunnels of Gotham, Ivy receives a trunk full of money in return for samples of her DNA. Woodrue intends to combine their DNA to create a "child", all while flooding the streets of Gotham with high-grade marijuana. The purpose of this is to create a world economy run on hemp and to have their offspring control it. Batman intervenes but is overcome by Woodrue's henchwomen, Holly and Eva. However, Ivy turns on Floronic Man and lets Batman go to fight the intoxicated maniac. In the end, Batman decapitates the Floronic Man, and Ivy escapes with her money.

At times, Ivy demonstrates positive and maternal traits. When Gotham City is destroyed in an earthquake, rather than fight over territory like most of Batman's enemies, she holds dominion over Robinson Park and turns it into a tropical paradise. Sixteen children who are orphaned during the quake come to live with her as she sympathizes with them having suffered a traumatic childhood herself. She cares for them like sons and daughters, despite her usual misanthropy.

That winter, Clayface (Basil Karlo) pays Ivy a visit, hoping to form a bargain with her. This would entail her growing fruits and vegetables, having the orphans harvest them, and him selling the produce to the highest bidder. She wants nothing to do with the plan, and she attempts to kill him with a kiss. Clayface overpowers her, however, and imprisons Ivy and the orphans for six months in a chamber under the park's lake. He feeds her salt and keeps her from the sun to weaken her. Eventually, Batman comes and discovers the imprisoned orphans and Ivy. The two agree to work together to take Karlo down. Batman battles Clayface and instructs Robin to blow up the lake bed above, allowing the rushing water to break apart the mud, effectively freeing Ivy. She fights Karlo, ensnaring him in the branches of a tree and fatally kissing him. She then proceeds to sink him down into the ground, where he becomes fertilizer for Ivy's plants. Batman, originally intending to take the orphans away from Ivy, recognizes that staying with her is what is best for them, and they remain in her care until the city is restored. Also, as part of a bargain to keep her freedom, Batman arranges it so that Ivy provides fresh produce to the starving hordes of earthquake survivors. Soon after, Ivy finds Harley Quinn, who had almost been murdered by the Joker, among the debris of the earthquake and nurses her back to health. The two have been best friends and partners-in-crime ever since.

After Gotham City is reopened to the public, the city council wants to evict her from the park and send her back to Arkham Asylum, as they are uncomfortable with the thought of a "psychotic eco-terrorist controlling the equivalent of 30-odd square blocks." They also mistakenly believe that the orphans in Ivy's care are hostages. The Gotham City Police Department threaten to spray the park with R.C. Sixty, a powerful herbicide that most certainly would have killed every living plant in the park, including Ivy, and more than likely do harm to the children. Ivy refuses to leave the park to the city and let them destroy the paradise she had created, so she chooses martyrdom. It is only after Rose, one of the orphans, is accidentally poisoned by Ivy that the hardened eco-terrorist surrenders herself to the authorities in order to save the girl's life. Batman says that, as much as she would hate to admit it, Ivy is still more human than a plant.

Later on, she and other Gotham characters are manipulated by the Riddler and Hush. Her task is to hypnotize both Superman and Catwoman, using Catwoman to steal ransom money from Killer Croc after the original plan is interrupted by Batman while Superman serves as a 'bodyguard' when she hides in Metropolis. However, she abandons Catwoman to be killed by Killer Croc, and Batman is able to keep Superman busy in a fight (aided by the Kryptonite ring he was given long ago) long enough for the Man of Steel to break out of the spell. Soon afterward, the Riddler, who is being chased and attacked by Hush, approaches Ivy and seeks her protection. Ivy, who is angered by the manipulation, battles the Riddler physically and psychologically. She comes to physically dominate her opponent, humiliating Riddler and temporarily breaking his spirit.

"One Year Later", Ivy is alive and active. Her control over flora has increased, referred to as being on a par with Swamp Thing or Floronic Man. She also appears to have resumed her crusade against the corporate enemies of the environment with a new fanaticism, regarding Batman no longer as the main opponent, but as a "hindrance". After arriving back from a year-long absence, Batman discovers that Ivy has been feeding people including "tiresome lovers", "incompetent henchmen", and those who "returned her smile" to a giant plant which would digest the victims slowly and painfully. She refers to these murders as a "guilty pleasure". In an unprecedented event, her victims' souls merge with the plant, creating a botanical monster called Harvest, who seeks revenge upon Poison Ivy. With the intervention of Batman, however, she is saved. Poison Ivy is left in critical condition, and the whereabouts of Harvest are unknown.

2 notes · View notes

patrick--hockstetter · 6 years

Text

Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy is an enemy of Batman. She is depicted as one of the world's most prominent eco-terrorists. She is obsessed with plants, botany, and environmentalism. She uses toxins from plants and her own bloodstream for her criminal activities, which are usually aimed at protecting the natural environment. She creates love potions that ensnare Batman, Superman, and other strong-willed individuals. Fellow villain Harley Quinn is her recurring partner-in-crime and possibly her only human friend.

History

Pre-Crisis

Pre-Crisis, Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley, a promising botanist from Seattle, was seduced by her botany professor Marc LeGrande into assisting him with the theft of an Egyptian artifact containing ancient herbs. Fearing she would implicate him in the theft, he attempts to poison her with the herbs, which are deadly and untraceable. She survives this murder attempt and discovers she has acquired an immunity to all natural toxins and diseases. FBI eventually found out about those events, but they kept her name incorrectly as Lillian Rose.

Poison Ivy.

Post-Crisis: Life in Seattle and Gotham

Following the merging of realities during the cosmic event known as the Crisis on Infinite Earths, her origins were revised. Pamela Isley grows up wealthy with emotionally distant parents. She later studies advanced botanical biochemistry at a university with Alec Holland under Dr. Jason Woodrue. Isley, a timid, shrinking violet, is easily seduced by her professor. Woodrue injects Isley with poisons and toxins as an experiment, causing her transformation. She nearly dies twice as a result of these poisonings, driving her insane. Later Woodrue flees from the authorities, leaving Pamela in the hospital for six months. Enraged at the betrayal, Pamela suffers from violent mood swings, being sweet one moment and like poison the next. When her boyfriend has a car accident after mysteriously suffering from a massive fungal overgrowth, Isley drops out of school and leaves Seattle, eventually settling in Gotham City.

Taking the costumed persona of Poison Ivy, she begins a criminal career and sets out to show her power over men. Her first scheme involved threatening to release her suffocating spores into the air unless the city meets her demands. The Batman, who appears in Gotham that very same year, thwarts her scheme, and she is incarcerated in Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. From this point on, she has a kind of obsession with Batman, he being the only person she could not control. Over the years, she develops plant-like superpowers, the most noticeable being a lethal toxin in her lips; she is able to literally kill with a kiss.

Poison Ivy escaped from Arkham Asylum, again and again, more often seducing her guards in order to make her getaway. She soon became a frequent member of Batman's Rogues Gallery, often committing robberies to fund her cause for the preservation of all plant life. Poison Ivy soon came into conflict with many other heroes in her insane quests, such as Superman and Wonder Woman. She fought the Justice League at least once and joined the Injustice Gang to help oppose them.

Poison Ivy also offered her talents as one of the world's leading experts on plant properties to the Secret Society of Super-Villains, although in recent years she appears to have left the team.

She hated all of humanity in many ways for the damage they had done to the world's flora. She allowed herself to temporarily sideline her mission to join the Suicide Squad. Under the direction of Amanda Waller, she served on several missions.

Ivy later took control of a Central American nation, seducing it's dictator and using him as a puppet tool with which she used to rule the country. Amanda Waller had revived the Suicide Squad and wanted her to rejoin the team. On their next mission to free Count Vertigo from another small dictatorship, Ivy realized she could use Vertigo for her own means and could rule the dictatorship herself.

Poison Ivy later stated that she only started a life of crime to attain sufficient funds to find a location to be alone with her plants, undisturbed by humanity. A few years later, she attempts to leave Gotham forever, escaping Arkham to settle on a desert island in the Caribbean. She transforms the barren wasteland into a second Eden, and is, for the first time in her life, happy. It is soon firebombed, however, when an American-owned corporation tests their weapons systems out on what they think is an abandoned island. Ivy returns to Gotham with a vengeance, punishing those responsible. After being willingly apprehended by Batman, she resolves that she can never leave Gotham, at least not until the world was safe for plants. From then on, she dedicates herself to the impossible mission of "purifying" Gotham.

After striking a deal with him in the underground tunnels of Gotham, Ivy receives a trunk full of money in return for samples of her DNA. Woodrue intends to combine their DNA to create a "child", all while flooding the streets of Gotham with high-powered marijuana. The purpose of this is to create a world economy run on hemp and to have their offspring control it. Batman intervenes but is overcome by Woodrue's henchwomen, Holly and Eva. However, Ivy turns on Floronic Man and lets Batman go to fight the intoxicated maniac. In the end, Batman decapitates the Floronic Man, and Ivy escapes with her money.

At times, Ivy demonstrates positive, even maternal traits. When Gotham City is destroyed in an earthquake, rather than fight over territory like most of Batman's enemies, she holds dominion over Robinson Park and turns it into a tropical paradise. Sixteen children who are orphaned during the quake come to live with her, as she sympathizes with them, having suffered a traumatic childhood herself. She cares for them like sons and daughters, despite her usual misanthropy.

After Gotham City is reopened to the public, the city council wants to evict her from the park and send her back to Arkham Asylum, as they are uncomfortable with the thought of a "psychotic eco-terrorist controlling the equivalent of 30-odd square blocks". They also mistakenly believe that the orphans in Ivy's care are hostages. The Gotham City Police Department threaten to spray the park with R.C. Sixty, a powerful herbicide that most certainly would have killed every living plant in the park, including Ivy, and more than likely do harm to the children. Ivy refuses to leave the park to the city and let them destroy the paradise she had created, so she chooses martyrdom. It is only after Rose, one of the orphans, is accidentally poisoned by Ivy that the hardened eco-terrorist surrenders herself to the authorities in order to save the girl's life. Batman says that, as much as she would hate to admit it, Ivy is still more human than plant.

Later on, she and other Gotham characters are manipulated by the Riddler and Hush. Her task is to hypnotize both Superman and Catwoman; however, she abandons Catwoman to be killed by Killer Croc, and Batman is able to keep Superman busy in a fight long enough for the Man of Steel to break out of the spell. Soon afterward, the Riddler, who is being chased and attacked by Hush, approaches Ivy and seeks her protection. Ivy, who is angered by the manipulation, battles the Riddler physically and psychologically. She comes to physically dominate her opponent, humiliating Riddler and temporarily breaking his spirit.

Poison Ivy comes to believe that her powers are killing the children she had looked after, so she seeks Bruce Wayne's help to reverse her powers and make her a normal human being once more. Soon after, she is convinced by Hush to take another serum to restore her powers and apparently dies in the process. However, when her grave is visited shortly thereafter, it is covered with ivy, creating the impression her death would be short-lived.

Shortly after, Poison Ivy appears briefly in Robinson Park, killing two corrupt cops who killed one of her orphans (although whether this takes place before or after the aforementioned storyline is unknown).

After arriving back from a year-long absence, Batman discovers that Ivy has been feeding people including "tiresome lovers", "incompetent henchmen", and those who "returned her smile" to a giant plant which would digest the victims slowly and painfully. She refers to these murders as a "guilty pleasure". In an unprecedented event, her victims' souls merge with the plant, creating a botanical monster called Harvest, who seeks revenge upon Ivy. With the intervention of Batman, however, she is saved. Ivy is left in critical condition, and the whereabouts of Harvest are unknown.

In Countdown 37, the Piper and the Trickster are hiding out in a greenhouse, picking fruits and vegetables from the plants. They run into Ivy, who is talking to her plants (presumably being told that Piper and Trickster hurt them), to which she reacts by tying them up in vines with the intention of killing them. She is then shown to have joined the Injustice League.

In the "Battle For The Cowl" storyline, she is coerced by Black Mask into joining his group of villains that aims to take over Gotham. She and Killer Croc unsuccessfully attempt to murder Damian Wayne. Shortly after, she escapes from Black Mask's control and forms an alliance with Catwoman and Harley Quinn, leading into the ongoing series Gotham City Sirens.

During Hush's ploy to hurt Batman through hurting his loved ones, Hush kidnaps Catwoman and surgically removes her heart. After being saved by Batman, she is operated on by some of the most gifted surgeons in the world, including Doctor Mid-Nite and Mr. Terrific. In order to get even with Hush, Selina enlists the help of Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Oracle, Holly Robinson, and Slam Bradley to track down all of Hush's accounts, pilfer them, and leave him penniless. Selina pays Holly, Harley, and Ivy over $30 million each, hoping that they would use the funds to leave Gotham to start fresh somewhere else. However, Harley uses her money to go on a shopping spree, while Ivy gives her money away to organizations in Madagascar and Costa Rica for reforestation.

After rescuing Catwoman from Boneblaster, a new villain trying to make a name for himself, Poison Ivy takes Catwoman back to The Riddler's townhouse. When there, Catwoman sees that Ivy has been keeping the Riddler under mind control so that she and Harley could use his townhouse as a hideout. Here, Catwoman decides that with Gotham City more dangerous than ever with all of the gang wars and a new Batman, a partnership with the other two women would be advantageous. However, Ivy fears that Catwoman has lost her edge and prowess, and consults with Zatanna on the nature of Catwoman's injuries. Zatanna responds that Catwoman has psychological wounds that would need healing. Ivy resolves that she and Harley would provide Catwoman with "positive female reinforcement". The three then agree to become a team. However, Harley and Ivy have one condition: they demand that Catwoman reveal to them the true identity of the original Batman. Boneblaster then suddenly breaks into the apartment and the three of them have to move after they defeat him.

Eventually, Ivy, Harley, and Catwoman ambush the Riddler at his office (with Ivy using her plants to truss and gag his secretary), telling him that they've been framed for the murder of a young nurse. He agrees to help clear their names, and during the discussion, Ivy reveals that she has recently taken up a job at the Gotham division of S.T.A.R. Labs under an assumed name (Dr. Paula Irving). She is eventually kidnapped and placed in a specialized containment unit by a researcher named Alisa Adams, but escapes and turns the table on her captor by binding her with vines. Ivy initially informs Adams that she plans to kill her, but instead decides to let her live after seeing a photograph of Alisa's young daughter. Ivy then threatens the Alisa into keeping her mouth shut about her true identity, telling her that she will change her mind about sparing her life if she reveals the secret to anyone.

Ivy has appeared in the new DC Universe as a member of the Birds of Prey. She is initially distrusted by fellow members Katana and Starling because of her connections to multiple eco-terrorist attacks and murders but gains their trust after retrieving the location of their target's hideout and saving them and Black Canary from an explosion. She appears to be sporting a new black costume covering her body up to her neck that seems to have moss and live plants on it. Her eyes are also different, now being completely black save for her bright green irises. It is revealed in Birds of Prey #5 that Ivy is working with an unnamed businessman in exchange for an unknown substance that glows green.

During the Night of the Owls, Ivy managed to drag the Talon, who had attacked the team, into a refrigerated car where he froze, but Ivy managed to survive, due her plant biology, but she was gravely injured and Black Canary had promised to take Ivy to the Amazon, 'the heart of the green', where she could revitalise and heal if she got seriously injured. But upon arrival, after having their helicopter blown out of the sky, the team were greeted by plant monsters that attacked them and after they were defeated, Ivy takes the team to safety and tells them what those creature really were.

Ivy reveals that these creatures were perennials after she's fully rejuvenated she tells the Birds that the perennials were under her control and they have poisoned Canary and her teammates, they only have six months to live unless they help her seek vengeance on the people responsible for the destruction of the environment. If they refuse to help her then the infection kills them and then it will pass on to the other members of the human race and eventually wipe them out, allowing the Green to flourish.

The Team state that they would rather die than help her to kill innocents, but Ivy points out they don't have any other option. Black Canary says that they may be forced to help her. But in six months, they will find her.

In Dubai, a week later, she assaults the chairman of an oil company. But when the Birds of Prey arrive the chairman expects them to save him only to find Starling holds a gun to his head and pulls the trigger.

Harley called Poison Ivy after leaving Gotham asking if she wanted to have a girls night and they ended up breaking out every single animal in the local animal shelter. Ivy wakes up from the bed she shares with Harley the next morning and gives her a kiss on the cheek, afterward flourishing the apartment with grass and a tree for all of the dogs and cats.

Teams and alliances

Poison Ivy joins Two-Face's gang in the Dark Victory story arc. She tries to flirt with Dent, but he coldly rejects her as he still loves Gilda Dent. Ivy kills Lucia Viti on Dent's orders and is part of the group that escapes from the sewers into the Batcave. She is notably the only member of the group to show any reaction to Solomon Grundy's death on Two-Face's orders. This incarnation of Ivy has hair made of vines as opposed to the usual red hair, which she uses as her main weapon.

Poison Ivy is a member of the original Injustice Gang of the World, which fights the Justice League on several occasions.

She joins the Secret Society of Super Villains for a mission against the Justice League. She later joins Lex Luthor's incarnation of the Society.

She is coerced into being a member of the Suicide Squad. During this time, she uses her abilities to enslave Count Vertigo.

She is friends with the Joker's sidekick Harley Quinn. Unlike most villain team-ups, their partnership seems to be genuinely rooted in friendship, and Ivy sincerely wants to save Harley from her abusive relationship with the Joker. Ivy sympathizes with Harley, as Harley is mistreated by the man she loves, just as Ivy was by Jason Woodrue. She has expressed disdain for the Joker, primarily due to his treatment of Harley.

Most recently Poison Ivy has become a member of the all-female heroic organization known as the Birds of Prey.

Despite having different motivations than the rest of Batman's rogue's gallery, Ivy is not above forming alliances with the other villains if it suits her goals.

Poison Ivy is also in a group involving Harley Quinn and Catwoman called, "Gotham City Sirens". They once tried to kill off Catwoman but ended off failing.

Powers and Abilities

The dangerous experiments placed a deliberate overdose of plant and animal based toxins into her blood stream that make her touch deadly and allowed her to boost her immunity to all poisons, viruses, bacteria, and fungi. This immunity also includes Joker venom. Some comics have even gone so far as to depict her as more plant than human, breathing CO2 and requiring sunlight to survive.

Ivy is known to be able to seduce men and women alike, often using pheromones to do so; she is even able to use these to control Superman, although she requires kryptonite for them to work.

She specializes in hybrids and can create the most potently powerful toxins in Gotham City. Often these toxins are secreted from her lips and administered via a kiss. They come in a number of varieties, from mind-controlling drugs to instantly fatal narcotics.

In some adaptations, she can control plants with her mind, create them from plant matter of any size, mutate them into plant creatures and monsters that she can control with her mind, and have a psychic and empathic link to them. She can generate mutated plant chemicals and spores from her plants or her body, which can modify plant traits, be used to attack people, and also control the minds of humans. This mind control is sometimes being caused by fungus-like plants being generated by the plant chemicals and spores reacting to organic matter, or the mutated plant matter growing on or inside a victim of her mind control. For example, while in Arkham, she is able to manipulate and animate plants, using roots to form supports for a tunnel she and another inmate named Magpie are digging to escape, and also spawning glowing fungi to entertain Magpie.

Poison Ivy is identified by the Swamp Thing as a being with an elemental mystical component, who he calls the 'May Queen'. Writers have not referred to her in this way in quite some time.

In Batman: The Animated Series, her only physical power is an immunity to poison, and when using a poisoned kiss, she uses lipstick poisoned by toxins extracted from a plant. She admits to having a "hyperactive immune system" which prevents her from having children. In The Batman, she can even exhale mind-controlling spores in the form of a blown kiss.

She is also shown to be a skilled gymnast and hand-to-hand combat. She manages to defeat Batman with hand-to-hand combat at least once through Batman: The Animated Series.

See Also

Poison Ivy/Gallery

Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life Death (Volume 1)

In Other Media

Poison Ivy never made any appearances in other media prior to her debut in the fifth episode of Batman: The Animated Series, "Pretty Poison", in 1992. The series popularized the character to the point of being featured as a main villain in the live-action film Batman & Robin in 1997.

Film

Batman & Robin

See: Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman)

The Lego Batman Movie

Poison Ivy makes a few cameo appearances in the film alongside other Batman villains voiced by Riki Lindhome. One notable scene has her attempting to kiss Batman and kill him, but she ends up kissing Penguin's penguin army by mistake, much to her disgust. Her appearance is modeled after the Uma Thurman version of the character.

DC animated universe

In the DC animated universe, Poison Ivy was voiced by Diane Pershing. The character's now-bisexual nature goes unmentioned due to the DCAU being for children. The initial character design for Poison Ivy in Batman: The Animated Series was provided by artist Lynne Naylor, who also helped design nearly all of the other female characters for the show. She drew Ivy to look distinctly different from the rest of the female characters, giving her a softer, cherub-shaped face. Bruce Timm mentioned in his audio commentaries that Ivy was meant to look shorter than the other recurring female villains and that her appearance was meant to evoke the image of a "wood nymph".

Batman: The Animated Series

See: Poison Ivy (DC Animated Universe)

The New Batman Adventures

and beyond

In the second series, she was aesthetically revamped to look more plant-like, her skin turning grayish-white. Ivy also became more humorous and seductive in personality, coinciding with her genuinely friendly relationship with Harley Quinn. Her fanatical mindset regarding the despoiling of plants and the ecosphere was also greatly reduced. She supposedly dies in a shipwreck in the episode "Chemistry". She apparently survives the shipwreck and returns in several spin-off series, including Static Shock, and the Gotham Girls web-toon, in which she held a co-starring role. The character also co-starred in the three-issue comic book miniseries Harley and Ivy and was given her swan song in the critically acclaimed Batman Adventures comic book series, which contains stories about Batman's adventures in Gotham City after a break from the Justice League.

Justice League

In the episode "A Better World", on the Justice League series, Poison Ivy appears only once, in a lobotomized form in an alternate universe. She is a prisoner at Arkham Asylum, and she is also allowed to work as the prison's gardener. Bruce Timm stated that he had turned down pitches for Poison Ivy episodes on Justice League so they could focus on new characters and storylines, only bringing back a minimal number of villains from previous shows.

The Batman

See: Poison Ivy (The Batman)

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Poison Ivy, as seen on Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Poison Ivy is first mentioned in "The Rise Of Blue Beetle".

She later appears in "Chill of the Night!", Ivy appears among other villains in an auction for a supersonic weapon held by arms dealer Joe Chill. When a terrified Chill asks the villains for protection against an enraged Batman, and somewhat admits his role in creating him, Ivy and the others attempt to murder Chill. The villains were foiled by Batman.

She also appears in the unaired episode "The Mask Of Matches Malone".

She has a Cameo in "The Knights Of Tomorrow" in a photo.

She reappears as a cameo in "Joker The Vile And The Villainous".

Young Justice

See: Poison Ivy (Young Justice)

Live Action TV

Gotham

See: Ivy Pepper (Clare Foley), Ivy Pepper (Maggie Geha) and Ivy Pepper (Peyton List)

Video games

Poison Ivy has appeared in most of the Batman video games over the years. She appeared as a boss in Batman: The Animated Series, The Adventures Of Batman & Robin for the Super N.E.S., The Adventures Of Batman & Robin for the Sega C.D., Batman: Chaos In Gotham City, the video game adaptation of the movie Batman & Robin, Batman Vengeance, and Batman: Dark Tomorrow. In most of these video games, Poison Ivy does not fight Batman directly and usually watches in the background while Batman fights one of her plant monsters. In The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Sega C.D. and Batman: Vengeance, Diane Pershing reprised her role from Batman: The Animated Series. She also has a cameo appearance in Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu, where she appeared as a hallucination along with the Joker, Harley Quinn, and Mr. Freeze if the Scarecrow manages to gas the player. There was also an unlockable 3D Model of her in the Trophy Room.

http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Poison_Ivy

#Poison Ivy

0 notes

sebastiano-merlino · 7 years

Photo

I've just published a new post on https://mylittleblackbird.com/2017/10/16/trigun-my-review-of-the-anime/

Trigun - my review of the Anime

This is going to be an article full of feels… so many feels!

Trigun is one of my favorite animes. This is the result of a combination of factors that can be summarized up into:

Awesome setting

Compelling theme

Incredibly well-designed characters

Great ability to inflict emotions on the audience.

I’d like to talk about them in order and, don’t worry, as usual, I will mark the sections containing spoilers.

Before we get into the meaty part, I am going to refer to the 1998 Anime series, not the Manga (that I read way too many years ago) nor the “Trigun: Badlands Rumble”, the movie from 2010 that I’ve yet to watch.

Trigun is an adaptation by the director Satoshi Nishimura (studio Madhouse) of the homonymous manga written by Yasuhiro Nightow. It is a Space Western story and follows the adventures of Vash the Stampede for a brief amount of time while trying to show us his philosophy and how this is impacting his and other’s lives. As the story progresses, more is discovered about Vash’s mysterious past and origins.

The setting

The story takes place on Gunsmoke (No Man’s Land) a desert planet in a far away galaxy. The human race has left planet earth because of unknown reasons and now finds itself on this deserted planet. Here humanity struggles to survive to the lack of natural resources. This caused a de-evolution into a society similar to that of the first explorers of the American’s west. Gunmen battles on the streets while sheriffs struggle to avoid the violence to spread.

One of the main resources of energy (and even water and food) are Plants. These mysterious systems are heavily relied on by humanity that builds cities surrounding them.

The theme of Trigun

I guess the simplest way to explain the theme of this series is to show you a short clip that summarizes it.

youtube

Simply put: can we save everybody? Can we subvert the idea and perhaps the natural order of “kill or be killed”?

This short video is a haunting one. I find this scene incredible from a writing standpoint – Rem (the woman) and her reaction when she sees Knives killing the spider (0:17) and the single shot of the two brothers (1:14), so similar and yet so different. So close and distant at the same time.

This theme is the main focal point of the entire series. The thing that hurts the most is that I am not even sure Vash is right here. We see him struggling for the whole duration of the story not to kill anyone. Protecting the good without harming the evil.

At first sight, this looks like the author wanted to create a perfect hero. I think there is a better read though. Vash keeps fighting without even knowing if there is a meaning in it. He doesn’t know if there will be an end. We watch him struggling to do the right thing without even believing it is actually the right thing. Is he just being a hypocrite? Will he not just make the spider die anyhow by continuously saving the butterfly?

I don’t know. The author doesn’t seem to know either and the anime doesn’t claim to give you an answer. It just leaves you with the pain of the question.

This draws quite an imperfect hero who is probably just lying to himself while trying to do what he thinks is the right thing and being punished for it.

The characters

Trigun displays an incredible cast of characters. Protagonists and antagonists are compelling and because of this, the series received overall praise during the past twenty years.

The main protagonist is Vash the Stampede. He is a mysterious man, arguably the best marksman on the planet. He has a massive bounty on his head for having destroyed an entire city on his own. Because of this hunters are always behind his back. For the same reason, Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson, two Bernardelli Insurance Society employees, follow him to prevent him and who want to kill him from causing excessive damage.

Vash the Stampede

Vash is a pacifist. He has the goal to protect everyone he meets without harming anyone. Not even the evilest of villains. Because of this, he suffers incredible pain and losses. Many times while watching I struggled because of the emotional pain inflicted to the character. As discussed in the previous chapter, Vash has a naive and simple view of life. He keeps himself in sync with it by thinking of his mentor Rem Saverem (the woman in the video above). She taught Vash while still young and acted as a mother to him and his brother Knives. During this period, she explains a philosophy of peace and non-violence that remains with Vash forever.

Another important character is Nicholas Wolfwood. A priest and yet another mysterious gunman. He has a bleaker and more practical view of life and how to deal with evil. It is hard to talk about Wolfwood without making any spoiler, but he is what Vash would have probably ended-up being if not for Rem. They become closer and closer during the series and it makes it for an important subplot of the series to watch the growth of both characters as they influence each other.

The big bad of the series is Millions Knives. He is Vash’s brother. Knives’ philosophy is completely opposite to Vash’s. He looks at life in a more black and white way. Evil exists and must be eradicated. We must protect innocents and destroy who harms them. Sad to say, but in his view, humanity is the evil to eliminate.

The perpetrator of most of Knives’ actions is Legato Bluesummers, an emotionless nihilist. He continuously puts Vash in “kill or be killed” situations through the use of a group of outlaws, the Gun-oh-guns.

Trigun and the ability to convey emotions (Contains Spoilers)

Despite having often a humoristic tone, Trigun seems to have made a mission of making you cry. This especially in the last few episodes.

We see an example of this ability when Wolfwood dies. This happens on two fronts: the death itself and the way the others cope with it. We are used to seeing heroic characters dying in a stoic manner. Maybe even happy to have achieved their goals. This is not the case for Wolfwood. He has just saved Vash and saved the lives of the people he loves. Despite this, he cries while dying and re-affirms he doesn’t want to die. He finds it unjust and even blames God for having created an unfair world in which he has to die immediately after having found love and friendship.

This also continues after. Milly, Wolfwood’s lover at this point in the series, has to deal with his death. It is excruciating to see the scene in which she cries and laugh at the same time while claiming she is fine. Similarly, we follow Vash, while he separates from the girls and travels to another village. He is apparently joyful while buying some donuts (his favorite food). He sits down and starts eating them just to break into tears one moment after, consumed by the guilt of having convinced Wolfwood not to kill. Because of this, the man has paid with his own life.

youtube

A second example is when Legato forces Vash to kill him. The scene itself is powerful.

youtube

I consider this one of the greatest defeats for a hero I have ever seen in almost any media. Vash has lost. He has killed someone and, even worse, this happens to him after his best friend has been killed for following his ideas.

The aftermath is again devastating. Vash goes through the crisis. Unable to cope with what he has done, he thinks of himself as a killer. We hear him screaming in pain behind closed doors while Meryl and Milly are unable to do anything that can help him.

Does Trigun have any defect? (Contains Spoilers)

Well… nothing is perfect, right?

I am not here to talk about the relatively poor animation and generally flat drawing, but I can see some problems in the story too.

The Anime doesn’t really help us understand some of the things that happen. One example is Legato and his strong motivation. He almost appears surreally insane. Why such a devotion to Knives’ cause? (I know, the manga explains it but, we are not talking about that here).

Similarly, the story never goes deep on what Plants really are. We understand that Vash and Knives are Plants – this is why they hold such power. We never understand where Plants come from and why only the two brothers, amongst all the Plants we see, have human form.

There is also some waste of time. Whereas the first few episodes might be useful to establish the setting and Vash’s famous “fake smile”, this section of the Anime goes on for a bit too long. I would have preferred a shorter intro to the anime and I think it represents a risk of abandonment for the story to have such a long and undertoned introduction.

This is my review of one of my favorite animes. Let me know what you think in the comments and if you like my work here feel free to subscribe to my mailing list.

#anime #review #story #trigun #vash the stampede #Reviews (Stories)

1 note · View note

florencefolly · 7 years

Text

The Magician Chef

I like The Eiffel Tower because it looks like steel and lace. ― Natalie Lloyd

July 5, 2017

It starts late. Again. It’s ok. We need the sleep. Versailles drained us all. Now in the light of a new day, the four girls have decided they need a shopping day. Fine by me. Ryan is not bothered either. He and I will make a day of it on our own. He’s been wanting to go to this well-known magic shop. I’m going to slip in another small surprise.

Months ago, he had asked about cooking classes at the Cordon Bleu. We researched it and I could have sworn that there were classes available for both kids and adults. I didn’t book them at the time and that’s probably a good thing because it was likely a knock off.

Ryan and I finally get our act together and we leave the apartment. The girls have taken the only key so we need to be extra sure that we have all we need. I pause briefly in the door to check pockets and make sure the boy has our backpack. On the street, it is effing hot. Still. Is it always like this? How do they do it? Every single Italian apartment we rented two summers ago had AC. This apartment does not, nor do many others.

We’re getting more familiar with Huitieme and so our journey to the metro station is shorter now and so are our trips in the tube because we’re also getting better at planning but also improvising them. A blessing because the Paris Metro is a spaghetti string mess of lines and numbers and train types and systems and all are connected to one another. This allows you to get ANYWHERE in Paris that you want to go. It is awesome in every sense of the word. We duck into Meromesnil (Mero-Me-Nil)—Number 9, Yellow Line. We practice saying “Meromesnil” there and back, along with the other station names, correcting each other so we can zero in on our accent. The French Parisians while exceedingly friendly, despite their reputation, will not suffer poor pronunciation. Not in a snobby way but rather, they simply don’t have the capacity or the patience to decipher what you are saying in your shitty French accent. You want to visit France? Take French lessons and work on your pronunciation. The miniscule amount of French I speak goes a long way and most of the locals have been super accommodating. Surprisingly, most speak very good English but all will tell you that it is bad. Nes pas! C’est super!

We need to transfer lines at Trocadero, transfer trains and then jump off at Charles Michels. Ryan and are students of the varying types of Metro trains. Some are new, some old, some ride on tires, some on rails. Most are not air conditions but do have windows that open—they are always open and the occasional breeze created when two trains pass each other is heavenly. Pairs metro stations are similarly unique. Some are scary, most are filthy. Some are huge and have major lines running in and out of them. There are old stations that still show the original directional in stylized blue tile on the standard issue white subway tile. Some stations in the nicer districts used to pipe in symphonic music. That was 20 plus years ago and I have yet to see that this trip.

We jump off at Charles Michels. The boy has copped on to the plan and knows we are heading to Le Cordon Bleu. I have no idea what to expect as we chat on the way over towards the Seine. We initially get turned around because the S5 GPS is a bit dodgy and take about 30-50 steps to clue in to our direction. Motoring along we spy a very large shopping mall. Parisians like to shop. A lot. We get the promenade along the Seine and make a left heading past some large glass buildings. It is lunch time and the Parisians love to eat outdoors. The cafés and brasseries are brimming with patrons.

I spot our destination but only because I am scouring the buildings for it. We would have missed the damn thing if I had not been looking for it. We make our way up the spiral staircase and into a beautiful but sparsely decorated room. It is smaller than I imagined. There is a large demonstration kitchen on one side of the room. It is full of students in white aprons and hats preparing pizza and salad. It looks divine. There is also a café on one side of the room. Ryan and I drool over the pastries and confections behind the glass. Opposite the kitchen is the reception desk and the electronic gates that require a pass to get through. There is also a gift shop. He finds his way into it while I speak with one of the ladies at the desk. I ask if is possible to have a tour for my son. I am issued a sheet of paper and requested to complete it. They are checking to see if someone can speak with us. I am not at all expecting this but I go with it.

Philippe greets us in his perfect English. He is very gracious and generous with his time. We spend about an hour and half with him. He explains everything. The curriculum, the rigor of the course work, the make-up of the students, tout. We get the cooks tour of the building; bottom to top. We are not allowed on the roof because of their beehives. They make their own honey and it is, of course, better than anything you will find in the countryside. Puzzling. He explains that the city offers the bees a very large diversity of flowers and plants and that the water that is available to them is purer and therefore the honey has less toxicity. Go figure. I would have thought the opposite.

He also mentions that they are experimenting with allowing students younger than age 18. The plan is to have them go through the beginner pastry curriculum in one summer and then the intermediate curriculum during the following summer, completing the superior curriculum in the summer of their 18th year. Ryan and I are intrigued.

As we end the tour, we get to witness the boulangers making their day’s lesson and the Chef steps into the hallway with a fresh loaf of chocolate bread sprinkled with powdered sugar. What? Are you kidding me? Yes, please! We continue chatting in front of the door long enough to get another sample. Wow! We finish the tour in the study area of the second floor that has a sweeping vista of the Seine. He has taken us here on purpose. The original statue of Lady Liberty stands over the Seine in the panorama of the window. We will be taking a closer look at that for sure.

We complete the visit with warm thanks and an invitation for him to look us up in San Francisco when he visits in October. Back in the lobby we are greeted by the same young lady that was running the cash register in the gift shop. She instigated the visit by getting the gal behind the reception desk to call Philippe. She is really generous with Ryan by giving him a two for one deal on LCB playing cards in silver and gold back. They are French with the King labeled as Roy, Queen as Dame and Jack as “V” for I have no idea. What a day.

But wait, there’s more. He wants to visit a famous Paris magic store, Magic Dream. It is also in the 15th Arrondisment about 15 minutes’ walk away—everything is 15 minutes’ walk away. I love that. No car, no drama, though a scooter or moto would be handy. We move along the promenade flanking the left bank of the Seine. It is hot. I did say that, right? We move inland towards our destination. I ask the boy if he is hungry. He’s indifferent because he is on a mission to get to the store. I spot a brasserie in the near distance and get us a seat. Cold beer for me, Orangina for him. Croque Monsier avec pomme frittes et une salade vert. We scarf down the shared meal, chasing our drinks with some cold water. We bounce after covering the check.

Three blocks to go and we are now deep in residential Paris. So much so that we had trouble finding the place, mistaking the local dentist office for it; ringing the bell, only to have the actual dentist answer the door. “a cote,” impatiently, he stares. Oops. We head one door over. Success. We walk in and it is obvious that we are not Parisians, as we are offered a “Hello”. Ryan has lost his mind. He cannot stop moving around. The place is packed with men. Young and old, they are showing each other card tricks. There is a small stage where one is going over a trick. It is all in French and my lessons do not work here. After a bit, I encourage Ryan to show his new trick, recently acquired in London, “The five coins.”

It starts out with just one person and then more are encouraged to watch. Soon the whole shop is gathered around. He gets three of them involved, which only serves to add mystery because it is a great trick that seems very random but is of course not. The reveal comes and they are blown away. My boy is walking on the moon. This day could not get any better. Father, son time at its best.

We buy a couple of things, including standard decks in red and blue from Aviator and Paris-back bicycle decks in the same combination. Done and dusted, we bolt to meet up with the girls. They have had a similarly epic day. We are now off to the Louvre. It is open late tonight and the hope is that is will be less crowded. It is but damn it is hot in the courtyard. Cannot wait to get inside. Once in the AC is running but not all that strong. Still, it is better. We make a beeline for the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory (Nike of Samothrace) and her paper-thin bodice carved of marble. Amazing! We manage to get all the way around one full wing. This is no small feat! However, we must go now.

The sun is setting and the lights on Tour Eiffel are going to come on soon. We have a very Parisian picnic planned but we need to get supplies. The six of us find a super marche and stock up on cheese, meat, pasta salad, wine, water and soda. We Uber over and there she is. More amazing in person, the Eiffel is lit and looking the part of the Grande Dame. Few know that Paris was professionally lit by a stage designer (Or something like that). This is why the city looks so amazing at night. He wanted it to be dramatic and by god she is just that—freaking amazingly lit at night.

Our meal is simple, eaten on rectangles of nylon fabric brought from home just for this purpose. The lights come as we are finishing our meal. The girls squeal in delight. It is freaking cool. Period. Do Parisians feel this way, I wonder? No matter. Another full day in the books. I am having a cold shower to rid myself of the sweat slime and funk that covers my body and hopefully bring my core body temp down a degree or so. Good effing night.

0 notes