#ark hughes

[scotianostra]

On October 13th 1307 hundreds of Knights Templar in France were simultaneously arrested by agents of the King of France Phillip the Fair, to be later tortured into a “confession” of heresy.

Legend has it that following this many of the survivors fled to Scotland with their Holy Treasures salvaged from France.

The Knights Templar presence in Scotland began in 1129 after King Henry I of England arranged and introduction of the Templar founder Hugh de Payens to our king  David I.  The meeting was a success and the Knights Templar were given a parcel of land seven miles south of Edinburgh that became known as ‘Balantrodoch’.

The Knights Templar have often been portrayed as fierce warrior monks, “soldiers of Christ” on crusade. But the Templars were not only warriors. There were also monks, businessmen, landlords, bankers, and money lenders. They have proved a source of fascination over the years, and have inspired mystical tales of the Holy Grail, Ark of the Covenant, the Shroud of Turin, and are featured in numerous works of fiction and fantasy. 

Following the dissolution of the Templars in 1307, all Templar property passed into the hands of the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John. Ballandtrodoch took on the name of Temple in the 1500s, a reminder of its origins. By the 1600s the former preceptory had become the parish church and served as such until it was finally abandoned for a new church in the 1830s. The remains of the old building can still be seen, today, though modified from the original Templar church, and the town of Temple stands around it.

You might recall pics and info on the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John at Torphichen Preceptory on a visit I made in 2018 and also the St John's Cross which is on the Canongate, Royal Mile Edinburgh, marking where they held land in the area.

According to local legend Templar treasure from Paris was hidden at Ballandtrodoch. "Twixt the oak and the elm tree/You will find buried the millions free.”

Further afield a Templar’s House once stood near the site of what is now the Turriff town hall, on land granted to the Knights Templar in the mid-twelfth century. Little is known of this House, and the original structure is lost. The Knights Hospitallers built a structure, possibly a hotel, on the site around 1512 which stood until 1845. This structure passed at some point into the hands of the Rainie family, and subsequently became known as Castle Rainy.    Today a forested area known as Temple Brae stands nearby.

The town of Darvel in the parish of Loundoun, located some twenty miles south of Glasgow, holds a claim to fame as the birthplace of Sir Alexander Fleming, the man who discovered penicillin. Long before Flemming, sometime in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the lands of Darvel belonged to the Knights Templar, and rents were diverted from the Crown to the Templars. These lands apparently remained independent for many centuries after the fall of the Templars, as remarked upon by Samuel Lewis in his Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1846): “DARVEL, a village, in the parish of Loudoun…This is a considerable place, and it would seem that several lands here formerly belonged to the Knights Templars, as many of them still bear the name of Temple, and do not hold of any superior, not even of the crown."

Today several farms stand as reminders of the areas’ Templar past with names such as Templehouse, Temple Darvel, Templehiil, Temple Dalquharn, Temple Croft, and Temple Dalquharn.

And then of course, most famous of all is  Rosslyn Chapel, thrust into the spotlight for its supposed mysterious connections with the Knights Templar with the popularity of The Novel and film, The DaVinci Codes.

The legend Holy Grail was hidden here by the Templars still persists today. The chapel itself was built 150 after the Templars were dissolved, but a number of the buildings’ elaborate carvings have been identified by some as Templar symbols, inviting much intrigue and speculation. A common theory is that the Templars survived by founding the new order of Free Masons, and under this guise, their ancestors made these carvings. One gargoyle depicts a knight clutching a chalice, which has been pointed to as a clue that the Grail was hidden here.  Though much work has been done debunking these myths and legends, these stories persist in the popular imagination.    

Finally there is Kilwinning Abbey, like Rosslyn Chapel it  has been associated with legends of the Knights Templar. It has been said that the Templars first sought refuge here when they fled France following the events of 1307, bringing with them the famed Templar treasures, including the Holy Grail, and burying them under the Abbey. Kilwinning has also been associated with Mount Heredom, the birthplace of the Free Masons.  

Read more about the connections and the village of Temple here http://www.templevillage.org.uk/temple/history2.html

#Scotland #scottish #knights templar #france #history

[tygerbug]

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (2023) - A local carpenter and weed dealer who transitioned into bit-part acting in the 60s, Harrison Ford is now 80 years old, and still somehow unretired. Indiana Jones, meanwhile, is supposed to be about seventy. The equivalent would be if Indy's father, Sean Connery, was still playing James Bond in 2010. I'd say that Ford (and by extension all Boomers and above) should step aside and let someone like Chris Pine, Ryan Gosling or James Marsden make a movie like this, but we'd probably get Chris Pratt, Jared Leto, or Shia LeBoeuf instead, so I'll just have to let it slide. This time.

With a $294.7 million budget (Raiders of the Lost Ark cost 20 million in 1980), a large amount of CGI has been employed, along with green screen, stunt doubling, deepfaking, de-aging, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, to make it seem like Harrison Ford is still a viable action hero. To be clear, he absolutely is too old for this, and it is absolutely a bad idea to make this movie. The $185 million "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was an equally bad idea back in 2008, and it has somehow been 15 years since then.

I don't know if it's elder abuse or simply audience abuse to keep making these, but in both cases, an aging Harrison Ford is more engaged and interested in this role onscreen than he is in just about any other. 1982's Blade Runner gave us Harrison Ford in his prime, sleepwalking, disinterested and sullen. Now in 2023, Ford is visibly too old to be doing this CGI superhero bullshit, in a sequel that is forty years too little and too late, but he's committed to the role enough that he just about gets it to work. After a tepic reception at Cannes, the film is getting very good reviews and buzz, so I'll be the one to break from the pack and say that it doesn't work for me. Oh, no one involved embarrasses him or herself. Under the circumstances, it's a miracle that the movie is as good as it is. It's a bad idea that just about justifies its own existence.

A small caveat here: There may have been something wrong with the sound setup at the theater where I saw this. I couldn't understand a word being said for large chunks of the runtime, starting with a chaotic sequence in Morocco. But I don't think I actually missed anything. Maybe the sound mixing is just like that, Chris Nolan style. The opening sequence, with a younger Ford de-aged via CGI, was very dark and murky visually. In Imax, I could see the pixels on the screen, especially the bright white on black titles.

But I think the key problem for me is that I guess I don't like James Mangold as the director for this sort of thing. I haven't seen his full filmography, and he's clearly well regarded. But I have seen his dreary films about an aging Wolverine. 2013's "The Wolverine" sees the Hugh Jackman X-Men character travel to Japan and murder every single person he meets with his adamantium claws. At one point the female sidekick is mulching guys into paste with a snowplow. In 2017's Logan, he's older and unhappy about the situation, as he gets into danger with a child. These were, for me, examples of taking a superhero film way too seriously, as if gunning for the Oscar with a script that doesn't stand up to thinking about it for more than a minute or so. You wouldn't see a movie about Superman murdering a few thousand Japanese guys, because it's not a fair fight. "The Wolverine" (2013) wounds Logan just enough that he can plausibly act like the underdog, but he's a more-or-less immortal killing machine with knives coming out of his wrists.

It's hard to make a good film, and these films are polished, stylish, action-packed and memorable in many ways. But they also leave a bad taste in my mouth, comparable to the work of Zack Snyder. There's a lack of humanity to them. I could have predicted that in this Indiana Jones movie, Indy would constantly be murdering people, and that people would constantly be getting into accidents that kill them in horrific implied ways, and that the bad guys would kill any notable character that the plot isn't relying on.

That is what you get here, and admittedly it gives the film a certain energy. You don't get the sense that this is the cleaned-up Disney version of Indiana Jones, where everything is censored. You feel the danger. But it also forces me to be the party pooper and point out that this film lacks the magic that Steven Spielberg and George Lucas brought to the property. Steven Spielberg is hard to replace. He is the most famous and beloved film director of our time, and he has always brought an aura of wonder to the screen that other filmmakers can't really imitate … with only occasional exceptions like the uncanny valley animated "Tintin" film.

It's unfair to expect James Mangold to fully replace Spielberg, and under the circumstances I'm not surprised they went with a director who presumably considers his work to be Very Important Cinema. Mangold manages to deliver lots of action, and make it feel like "an Indiana Jones movie," when forty years later it probably shouldn't. But it's just not the same, for a lot of reasons.

Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is an extremely tight two hours which works like clockwork. There's a lot of wit and character to it, but it's that precision filmmaking which makes many people call it "a perfect film." It doesn't slow down very often. It's always doing something interesting visually, and always moving forward. Every Indiana Jones film ever since has tried to recapture that.

We have a problem here, which is that an eighty (or seventy) year old Indiana Jones is more of a character role, who we could expect to talk about what he's learned over the years. And an Indiana Jones movie cannot slow down for something like that, even for a second. Or at least this movie can't. The script is also not funny enough to lend much character to the proceedings, so we don't get much sense of who these people are as they're speeding around on green screens at a hundred miles per hour. The end product is chaotic, often to the point of incoherence. Everyone is almost always moving at great speed, for reasons which aren't always adequately set up. To repeat, they're moving at great speed whether or not there is a good reason for them to be doing so. They are often on green screen, or visibly stunt doubled, and one of them is eighty years old.

There's also a lot of fighting on the tops of trains and from moving vehicles. Why do the bad guys take a wounded Indy along with them as they enact their entire plan? As far as I can tell, no reason is given, except that it's a movie and Indiana Jones needs to be there for it. Helena also manages to board the plane while it's in flight, and Teddy manages to get another plane going, for the reason that these are the characters who are in the film, and they need to be there for the end of it.

The script contradicts itself constantly, and feels like bits of different drafts were combined with one another randomly. Why is Indiana Jones teaching in July, preparing his students for mid-terms or finals, then also retiring in July on the same day? Why is he coincidentally teaching his disinterested class about the same subject that the film is about, when it's a touchy subject which secretly tore entire families apart in the film's backstory? Why do we keep meeting his close friends, that he's apparently spent decades with, for about two lines of dialogue before they get shot?

The result lacks character. As with the Crystal Skull film, stunt casting is used in place of giving us scenes that show who these characters are. I can believe that Antonio Banderas is a salty old scuba diver who has had many good times with Indiana Jones over the years. I can believe that because he's Antonio Banderas, but the film expects that to be enough for us, and gives him very little of interest to do. And Toby Jones' character, an academic who's not cut out for being an action hero, would be very uninteresting if it wasn't played by a character actor like Toby Jones. (Crystal Skull pulled similar shenanigans with Jim Broadbent, John Hurt, Ray Winstone, and Cate Blanchett.)

John Rhys-Davies shows up briefly as the returning character of Sallah, looking every day of his 79 years of age. I expect they wanted to keep any action with Rhys-Davies to a minimum, so we find him appearing in the movie for no real reason, except that this is an Indiana Jones movie and therefore he ought to be in it. I agree with that, but bringing these characters back one last time has an eerie David Lynch quality about it.

Mads Mikkelsen plays the memorable (if very standard) villain, a semi-retired Nazi called Dr. Voller. It's ideal casting, although it raises questions to have the 57-year-old actor playing the part in both 1944 and 1969. He is noticeably de-aged in the 1944 scenes, with a few less lines and wrinkles, but Harrison Ford manages to age 35 years in the same time (ten more than he ought to). A whole lot of CGI is used to give Indiana Jones one more adventure in 1944, and it's technically impressive, if still a bit noticeable and distracting. Toward the end of the sequence, a little too much of it takes place in the dark - not to hide the quality of the CGI but because movies tend to be too dark now.

Boyd Holbrook is memorable as a trigger-happy American who gives off Neo-Nazi vibes which aren't deeply explored. Ethann Isidore plays the sidekick, a thieving street rat kid called Teddy. Shaunette Renee Wilson plays a CIA agent, I think. Olivier Richters plays the guy who is 7 foot two. You know, I'm not sure that an 80 year old Indy and a 16 year old Teddy are really a match for this guy.

It is getting into spoiler territory to say that Karen Allen appears as Marion, although that won't surprise anyone either. It is definitely getting into spoiler territory to say what became of their relationship after the Crystal Skull film, and these are some of the only moments in the film where Harrison Ford really gets to act and lay out his character's backstory. I wish we'd gotten more of this. I've seen complaints about this storyline, saying it robs the character of a lot of his charm, and is too similar to plotlines in the Star Wars sequels, and the Blade Runner sequel. I can see that, but when sequels come this late, they really have to be about regret, and this storyline works better than anything else in the film. Although I couldn't help but think that this elderly couple began - in Raiders - with Marion punching her former Professor, who had clearly had an inappropriate relationship with her when she was a minor. The 30s were a different time, and so were the 80s. Marion's role is also very small here. It is crucial that she be present, but the film is not interested in exploring her character any more deeply than that.

We don't get Ke Huy Quan's Short Round, as his career only picked up this past year with a memorable role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. It's easy to imagine the character showing up in either Crystal Skull or this film as one of the leads, rather than these new characters, but that wasn't something they considered writing for the slightly embarrassing kid sidekick from "Temple of Doom." And speaking of embarrassing …

The "Crystal Skull" character of Mutt, played by Shia LeBoeuf, was covered in the press at the time as a character who could replace Harrison Ford in the Indiana Jones films, played by an up and coming young actor whose career was given a huge boost by the Spielberg seal of approval here, leading to the equally annoying character of Sam Witwicky in the Michael Bay Transformers films (the first in 2007). And yes, in the actual film, Shia LeBoeuf is deeply uncool and mostly just a nuisance.

Pretty much every male nerd of a certain age wanted, and still wants, to be "cool" like Indiana Jones. Any internet reviewer, of the Angry Video Game Nerd variety, will put on a complete Indiana Jones cosplay for their review of this film, as they did with Crystal Skull, and they'll think they're being slick with it. The leather jacket, the shirt, the hat, the whip. All clothing items that they already, apparently, had. Nobody wanted to be Shia LeBoeuf's Mutt Williams. He's got a 50s greaser look which doesn't suit him, making him look less like Marlon Brando than like Michael Cera's Wally Brando, from Twin Peaks. Indeed Cera might have been better in the role. Shia is a very reactive actor, and could theoretically have pulled off a Michael J. Fox type role which required that. But planting the idea that he could replace Indiana Jones nearly ruined his career here, because he very clearly doesn't have the necessary swagger. The movie itself even confirms this. In the end, Mutt picks up Indy's trademark hat, and Indy grabs it right back from him. This can be seen as a metaphor for how this series has gone, and also for how the Boomer generation, and older folks who came of age in the 60s and 70s, have refused to retire and let the younger generation take over for them.

Okay, so maybe Shia LeBoeuf was never going to replace Indiana Jones, a character originally offered to the hairy-chested Tom Selleck. But perhaps another actor could have. Harrison Ford seems iconic and irreplaceable now, but in the 70s he was a weed dealer and carpenter who did bit parts on the side. While it's fun to see Indiana Jones come back one last time, it's also a metaphor for Hollywood leaning back on successes from over four decades ago, and refusing to create anything truly new. Shia was set up to fail, because he looks and acts young in a movie that sees his youth as embarrassing. It didn't actually give us a "new Indiana Jones type," and Dial of Destiny doesn't either.

Shia LeBoeuf eventually left the Transformers franchise. We're told that he was killed off between films. And then there were the allegations, as his behavior, according to the newspapers, became ever stranger and more erratic. "FKA twigs Sues Shia LaBeouf, Citing ‘Relentless’ Abusive Relationship. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles by the musician, accuses the actor of sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress."

Shia LeBoeuf does not appear in this film.

(ROT13 because of spoilers) Guvf vf npghnyyl n znwbe cybg cbvag. Zhgg Jvyyvnzf, yvxr Cbbpuvr ba Gur Fvzcfbaf, qvrq ba gur jnl onpx gb uvf ubzr cynarg, be engure va Ivrganz. Vg vf Vaqvnan Wbarf' terngrfg erterg gung ur qvqa'g fgbc Zhgg sebz rayvfgvat, naq vg qrfgeblrq uvf zneevntr. Ur gryyf hf gung Znevba jnf ybfg va ure tevrs, ohg vg vf irel pyrne yngre ba gung Vaql jnf gur bar jub tbg ybfg. Ubjrire, gur cybg bs gur svyz nyfb tvirf Vaql gur pyrneyl-fgngrq bccbeghavgl, ivn gvzr geniry cbjref, gb vagresrer va gvzr naq fnir Zhgg sebz qlvat. Gur svyz arire fybjf qbja ybat rabhtu gb tvir Vaql gvzr gb npghnyyl qb guvf, ohg jr pbhyq nyfb pbapyhqr gung Vaql ernyvmrf gung ur unf gur cbjre gb oevat Zhgg onpx sebz gur qrnq, naq pubbfrf abg gb qb fb. Haqrefgnaqnoyr, unir n avpr qnl.

V ernyyl gubhtug jr'q trg gjb Vaqvnan Wbarfrf gubhtu. V gubhtug gung'f jul gurl jrer frggvat hc gur gvzr geniry ryrzrag naq gur qr-ntrq Vaql ng gur ortvaavat. V gubhtug gung jr jrer tbvat gb ybbc nebhaq naq trg zber jvgu obgu Vaqvrf. V jnf abg rkpvgrq nobhg jung jr npghnyyl tbg.

I have not yet mentioned the rest of the plot, which involves the Greek mathematician Archimedes and is stupid. At one point there is a dull scuba-diving sequence where Indy is attacked by equally dull CGI eels. At another point we get the welcome return of the red line on a map which marks which country Indiana Jones is going to next.

There's also the matter of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who wrote and starred in Fleabag on the stage in 2013, and on television in 2016 and 2019. Her character is equal parts charismatic and off-putting, attractive and reprehensible. (Phoebe also appeared in "Broadchurch," contributed to "James Bond 007: No Time to Die" and created Crashing and Killing Eve.) Despite a strong outing in Fleabag, it took Lucasfilm some time to do anything interesting with her. Her voice role as feminist android L3-37 in "Solo: A Star Wars Story" (2018) is baffling. It may have made more sense before rewrites and reshoots replaced directors Lord & Miller with Ron Howard. But it also runs afoul of a recurring problem in Star Wars, which is that droids seem to be fully developed, intelligent, sentient beings, who are never treated as if they're deserving of human rights. Star Wars never deals with this in any meaningful way, and it's an exposed electrical wire that they often get tripped up on, especially in animated television shows like The Clone Wars.

Anyway, I think this movie, the Dial of Destiny, has a problem with women. There are a lot of characters in this movie that aren't deeply explored or explained, but none of them quite like Helena Shaw, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Unless I missed something during all the dialogue I couldn't understand, this doesn't feel like an actual consistent character. It feels like several very different characters from several very different drafts of several very different movies, all stapled together more or less randomly.

The performance is fine - Phoebe Waller-Bridge is charismatic and delivers every line with a wink and a twinkle. Her character is also just deeply insane, and her motivations never make sense. She is also, I think, playing an entirely different character by the end of the film, who is a more traditional hero, and expecting us to believe that she's been playing that character the entire time. As with her character in Solo, this should probably be funny, but isn't, because it's not written to be funny or make very much sense. Helena is, depending on the scene, the puppetmaster in charge of the entire adventure, or coming along reluctantly and making it up as she goes. She is also, depending on the scene, only in it for the money, or very deeply invested in this academic mystery and adventure. She is ready to sell off the Dial of Destiny to pay off gambling debts, because it's either the most meaningful thing in the world to her, or not meaningful at all. Sometimes she's a straightforward hero, or sidekick to the hero. She is also just deeply insane and often untrustworthy, going goblin mode in a way that may have been funny or interesting in a different draft of this script.

It is likely, considering her repeated lines that she's "in it for the money," that they intended Helena to be similar to Harrison Ford as Han Solo. But I think this movie has a problem with women, and failed to write her as a complete person with motivations that make sense. There is one scene in Greece where, to test how a location echoes, Helena starts shout-singing Beethoven's Fifth. Phoebe plays this a little bit wacky, so this feels like the setup for some comedic banter, probably with Indy being annoyed by this. But he just goes along with it and does the same. Helena Shaw is an eccentric performance in search of a better script which would actually explain what she's doing, or make it funnier.

The character clearly has a sense of humor, and is carrying a lot of trauma, and has a lot going on in her backstory, and none of it matters. This could have been a journey where her character changes over the course of the adventure, and maybe they think that's what they accomplished here. It feels more, to me, like this is four different characters held together by one performance.

The character we get as a result is acceptable, and at least she doesn't have the weight of having to possibly replace Indiana Jones, which made Mutt Williams so worrying. But it's also a character delivered with a wink to the audience, and another wink to Indiana Jones himself, as if this is all one grand joke that we're all in on. At no point was I in on this joke, so that didn't work for me. Throughout the film she does things that could easily cause the death of the very elderly Indiana Jones, as well as herself, and it just never matters because this script was rewritten a thousand times and has inconsistent internal logic.

Early scenes in the film set Indy up as a man out of time in a changing world, an interesting character note which is largely forgotten once he puts that hat back on, something he only does because it's an Indiana Jones movie and that's what Indiana Jones wears. For all of the film's chaotic, frenetic action, it's at its best when it's about an old man complaining about his life. There's a brief scene where Indy complains to Helena about the state of his body, and this angle really is curiously underexplored in The Dial of Destiny. At 80 years old, Harrison Ford is not a young action hero. This has become, whether Lucasfilm likes it or not, a character actor part. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is also performing Helena as more of a character-actor part. So I think this could have been a better movie than it is if they stopped pretending that this is an Indiana Jones movie and let it go completely off the rails and become a disaster. Like when a Sam Raimi or David Lynch film loses interest in what it's supposed to be doing, and pursues something more nonsensical for awhile. I think that would be better than what we got. I don't think the Dial of Destiny is bad, but I question all of the cultural decisions that led it to be made in the first place.

Does Indiana Jones, even at eighty, deserve one last hurrah? Sure, but we all deserve one last hurrah and we don't usually get them. If you wanted to make this movie, the time to do so was in the 1980s, or 90s if Ford was interested then.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade came out in 1989. (Remember "It belongs in a museum!" "So do you!") It was intended as the last hurrah for an aging Indiana Jones, and we've now gotten three of those, which is more than the two movies that preceded it, both of which purport to be Indiana Jones' first adventure. If you take into account the Young Indiana Jones TV series, all of Indiana Jones' live action adventures are either his first ever adventure, or his last ever adventure. Sometimes they're both - Last Crusade has a Young Indiana Jones segment (the weakest part of the film), Dial of Destiny has a Relatively Young Indiana Jones segment, and The Young Indiana Jones has Indy as a one-eyed old man. Or at least it did; George Lucas has cut those scenes from re-releases. At least we get one episode in season 5 where a bearded 1993 Harrison Ford plays the saxophone.

That wasn't what we wanted either; we wanted Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis in 1993. The Indiana Jones film series was based on older adventure movies whose influence is, I think, nowhere to be found in the new film. Those films were probably familiar to audiences in 1981 but unfamiliar to even the filmmakers in 2023. Enough time has passed that many other series trying to recapture the Indiana Jones formula have come and gone. We've had The Mummy series. We've had multiple Lara Croft Tomb Raiders. We've had multiple Scrooge McDucks. Everyone is trying to capture that sense of old-fashioned adventure with a little comedy, and they're usually better at the comedy than Dial of Destiny is.

Full disclosure: I don't think Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull is as bad as its reputation, or at least I didn't when I saw it in theaters in 2008. I've not bothered with it since. As I recall, I was invited to see it in Los Angeles, with a friend from high school and his friend group. We couldn't all get tickets together, so I was separated. I was in either another row, or in another theater entirely. After the show, they greeted me with sarcastic feigned enthusiasm, saying "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull rocks!" and high-fiving me. I hadn't especially liked the film either, but soon realized that I'd made a complete fool of myself, in their eyes, by having any opinion about it more complicated than "wow, that was complete garbage."

Folks, Harrison Ford was 66 years old at the time. It was two decades late to be as good as "The Last Crusade." Steven Spielberg and George Lucas had both gone to some weird places in their careers, and George's contribution was always going to include some peculiar story beats and very obvious CGI. It was about aliens.

The writers included David Koepp, who as far as I could tell is a terrible writer who was often paid a lot of money to write films that turned out very good in spite of him. David Koepp was also a writer of The Dial of Destiny. It's hard to tell, from a finished film, whether the actual screenplay was well written or not. People in Hollywood know this - that a bad movie can come from a good script, and that sometimes they know enough to judge a writer for that script rather than that film. David Koepp is credited for writing films that I like, so I might wonder why I was so convinced he's not a good writer. But those movies were mostly based on strong IP which did a lot of the work for him. It felt like Panic Room and War of the Worlds (2005) succeeded in spite of their screenplays. And what about the Johnny Depp thriller Secret Window (2004)? Show me what he can do without Steven Spielberg to clean up his messes.

Anyway, my expectations were not that high for Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. I wasn't expecting something as good as Raiders or Last Crusade. I was expecting an elderly Harrison Ford, with a pretty bad script, and pretty obvious CGI, that would be trying to look like a vintage adventure visually but be easily dated to 2008 throughout. Dated before it was even released. I expected some distracting casting, of recognizable famous faces. I expected that Steven Spielberg and George Lucas would both be so successful now, and so deeply into their own individual eccentricities, that they wouldn't have been able to agree on what this movie should actually be, and that it would show.

I think it was a bad idea to have made that movie. I expected, more or less, what we got. And Steven Spielberg happens to be a great director who gave us, under these unusual circumstances, some of that Spielberg magic.

That magic is not present in The Dial of Destiny. As a movie, The Dial of Destiny is reasonably well made. It's action-packed. There is some obvious CGI, but it's trying to do things which are very difficult and expensive to do, like de-aging Harrison Ford or a cartoonish parade for the Apollo 11 astronauts.

Dial of Destiny is an okay movie. A lot of people are saying it's better than The Crystal Skull. I don't think The Crystal Skull is as bad as people are saying, and I don't think Dial of Destiny is as good as people are saying. I don't think either are fully successful in what they're trying to do. Indiana Jones really was too old for this, and Hollywood could have let some writer come up with a new idea instead.

I think it was a bad idea to have made both of these movies. I'm not sorry I watched them, because I'm old enough to be nostalgic for the property, but I also think they're trying to recapture something which they would have struggled to recapture forty years ago. I think, under the circumstances, both movies are pretty good and have some pretty good stuff in them.

I am also begging, begging, begging Hollywood to stop making movies like this.

These sequels that come twenty, thirty, forty years late. We watch them because they're familiar, but we don't need Indiana Jones, we need the next thing that could be as big as Indiana Jones. There won't be a sequel to the Dial of Destiny forty years from now, with a 120 year old Harrison Ford. Or maybe there will, because Hollywood wants to keep repeating itself. And we'll all be dead or dying from climate change by then, so what does it even matter?

I love slop, I love garbage. Pour it into my mouth.

#indiana jones #indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull #dial of destiny #harrison ford #steven spielberg #phoebe waller bridge #indiana jones and the dial of destiny #george lucas #karen allen

[fanfic-gallery]

hi, could i please request, to your event, the prompt “oh no, there is only one bed, what will we do now?” + leviathan? take care!!

Too cold? [NSFW MDNI]

✎ Leviathan x Reader

✎ Everything was prefect just like he planned, nothing can go wrong right? Right? Well, it seems right on cue, something does go terribly wrong.. a single bed in the middle of his and your hotel room- sheets as thin as paper.. what ever shall they do..

✎ Tags: smut, gn! reader

✎ CW: dom! reader, sub! levi, masturbation with use of thigh, indications of overstimulation, orgasm denial, light degradation, use of titles like ‘master’, ‘puppy’ etc.

: ̗̀➛ Manager's/Author's note: Sorry for the late request, anon dearie! Just had some other tasks to complete! But this was a nice way to end off the special, right? Right..? Totally nothing wrong with ending off an event with smut-

“Oh no, there’s only one bed, what will we ever do now~”

This line has been running laps in his mind since the day you and him both landed at the hotel for the annual anime and games convention in the human world. The single bed haunting his nightmares, the silky thin sheets flowing in the air conditioning sending nothing but shivers down his spine. How could he have not foreseen this? He had calculated everything to perfection, from the timestamps to the route to encircle every nook and cranny of the event hall.

Yet here he is, having a mental breakdown on the carpeted flooring. You couldn’t help but sink at his response, though a part of you really liked the flushed face he was displaying before you, sigh, if only you could peek into that little head of his, what is he thinking? Probably not something he’s not suppose to~~~

“Levi, it’s alright, I can sleep on the floor—”

“NO! I- mean-.. it’s fine, I’M fine.. w-we’ll just sleep *gulp* together..”

“Are you sure?”

“..y-yeah..”

It wasn’t a terrible idea when he initially thought of it, though it was embarrassing..

But you can’t be that bad..

Right?

If only Barbatos allowed future vessels to interact with former ones, ‘cause he would have absolutely obliterated his past self 

The covers barely shield his exposed skin from the cold, your warmth emitting from his side wasn’t helping his situation either. It takes a hefty amount of restrain to not just tackle you to the mattress, limbs twisting along your frame and snuggling into the crooks of your neck. Yet he could never, you would never let the incident down, ever.

So, he sucked it up and held it in. Withdrawing his fingers, turning over and stooping in his own misery. Gasp quivering from his lips as he smuttered himself beneath the confines of his pillow, eyes shut, mind wondering. It was only when warm skin meets his, did he turn around to face you again. You meekly smirked, still in a drowsy daze, fingers lacing over the demon’s figure, slowly but surely making your way towards his chest.

“Y-Y/N!? What are.. erk.. you doing.. hah..”

“Shush, honey.. you were thinking of the same thing, weren’t you~” You couldn’t help but chuckle, rolling your index and thumb against his hardening buds. Levi whined, shuffling backwards, flinching when his ass was met with your calf. On cue, you stretched your thigh, sticking it right between his before deliberately pushing forward and retracting in motion.

“Hugh! Y-Y/N, p-please.. hah- arK..”

“Do you want me to stop? Tell me sweetie, is this too much?”

“Hah.. p-please, d-don’t stop, ahH-”

“Ah ah ah.. keep it down, lovely. Don’t want the whole hotel to know what a slutty little boy you are now~ Or maybe, you would enjoy that? Hmmm, right? Moaning my name in front of an audience, letting them hear how good Master fucks you, right?”

Levi gurgled, saliva spilling over his chin, staining his cushion. Head bopping up and down like a broken doll, indigo locks sprawled across the surface of his pillow, like a halo, yet not from an angel. The tightest of his sweats despite their looseness proved unbearable, gasps of air and sweat trickling down his skin, the chilly winds of the machine doing nothing but poking more at his nerves, brain turning mushy, vision blurry.

“Look at ‘chu, huffing and drooling like a puppy~ who’s a good boy?”

“M-ma.. it’s- it’s me.. hah ah-!”

“Yes yes~ you are~ my good little slut, mine and mine alone~” You pried into his calves, lifting the top upwards, pressing further into the cloth with more vigorous thrusts. Muffled high pitch whelps and moans sung like prayers, each note and tone growing louder and squeakier as your pace increased.

“Ahah- ah! Master- there, please please, yes yes, right there.. aHah ark!” Levi gripped the covers he once had cast above him, now toppled over, grazing the floor in white. Hips subconsciously swaying along your thigh, every now and then bumping against your sex, ‘causing a groan or two to slip through your teeth, bottom lip bitten between your jaw.

The inner workings of his body were on fire, just a click away from overdosing and spilling over when suddenly.. fiction seemingly paused, the heat between his legs leaving his burning figure to mellow over. Orange hues snap back, tears hazing and flogging up his view, yet the imagery of a lustful tainted smile gave him goosebumps.

“Now my body’s left out in the cold.. want to help~?”

#obey me #obey me! #obey me shall we date #obey me! shall we date? #shall we date? obey me! #shall we date leviathan #obey me x reader #obey me x you #obey me x y/n #obey me leviathan #leviathan obey me #leviathan om #leviathan #leviathan x reader #leviathan x y/n #leviathan x you #obey me levi x reader #levi x y/n #levi x you #levi x reader #obey me smut #sub! obey me #sub!obey me #sub obey me #sub! levi #sub!levi #sub leviathan #sub levi #dom reader

[typhoidmeri]

Tagged by the wonderful @grimeysociety

Last song: Same Old Energy by Kiki Rockwell, We Didn’t Start the Fire by Fall Out Boy (not sure how I feel about it but it was on my dash), and I can hear my other half is listening to Roger Waters Lockdown Sessions in the office

Currently watching: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Revolution and Syfy’s the Ark

Currently reading: Pompeii by Mary Beard, Jim Hensen’s The Storyteller: Shapeshifters. deciding on my next read between: Wool by Hugh Howey, Goldilocks by Laura Lam or House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper

Scarthin Books. One of my favourite bookshops I visited yesterday.

Current obsessions: Pompeii. I read Elodie Harper’s the Wolf Den which is set in Pompeii a few years before the eruption, and it sent me down a rabbit hole of reading articles and watching documentaries/vids. I visited Pompeii once when I was 21, it was a short excursion on a bus tour and I really didn’t appreciate it enough.

Fibre arts. Tour de Fleece starts up on the 1st and I have some fibre I’ve been itching to spin.

Isn’t this fun?

Tagging: @nourgelitnius @windyleaf @darcylightninglewis @lostdaemon @blackestglass @chezamanda and anyone who wants to play along.

#memes #about me #fibre arts

[arvonoon]

I like you, have this unorganised list of character names I’ve accumulated

Moxxi

Crash

Warden

Fawn

Samuel

Mack

Lacey

Georgia

Clarissa

Fredrick

Bonnie

Chime

Florence

Gregory

Kyler

Quincy

Paula

Emmet

Jack

Larry

Victor

Liam

Henry

Kich

Tambre

Eurypterid

Blithe

Jubilant/Jubilee

Barchan

Argent

Billow

Zephyr

Axel

Lyle

Leif

Ace

Grey

Alizarin

Arylide

Bleu

Sienna

Umber

Carmine

Carnelian

Celeste

Celadon

Cordovan

Crimson

Fuchsia

Cairo

Otto

Briggs

Colby

Rocco

Rory

Brielle

Emery

Oaklee

Vienna

Frankie

Aubriella

Clementine

Charli

Piper

Saffron

Cleo

Luz

Clover

Delphinium

Dogwood

Filbert

Hollyhock

Hyacinth

Magnolia

Mimosas

Mugwort

Mallow

Nosegay

Orchid

Cattleya

Osmunda

Ophir

Phlox

Rhododendron

Wisteria

Zinnia

Agate

Malachite

Topaz

Onyx

January

April

May

June

August

Jasper

Rosaline

Tourmaline

Lotte

Camibeth

Lillian

Parsley

Belliana

Moonbow

Bush

Zippy

Wyrd

Amaranth

Amberjack

Oribi

Joyce

Wilby

Leto

Jett

Dahlia

Harriet

Hilda

Loretta

Maude

Molly

Phoebe

Rook

Mallard

Auk

Kagu

Cashew

Yale

Yara

Sunny

Yvonne

Yoland

Yonder

Zora

Zaire

Zuri

Nifty

Breezy

Finicky

Gaud

Ampersand

Yogh

Wynn

Ethel

Hoosier

Jamie

Kaira

Fox

Hale

Orla

Rielle

Raine

Sabrina

Indigo

Axton

North

Augury

Alchemy

Sanguine

Florid

Chroma

Saffron

Ochre

Sepia

Tawny

Henna

Ecru

Lichen

Plumose

Beryl

Fir

Conifer

Creek

Rivulet

Bourn

Rill

Spate

Monsoon

Sleet

Sirocco

Graupel

Morass

Jovian

Presley

Clint

Helge

Reggie

Rosine

Cyrus

Bowie

Atlas

Phoebe

Hannah

Aster

Sirius

Leo

Jupiter

Neptune

Kara

Prima

Freyr

Freyja

Vili

Ymir

Ananke

Erebus

Gaea/Gaia

Theia

Arete

Bia

Corus

Zelos

Angelos

Charon

Hecate

Arke

Addax

Alk

Hemlock

Belladonna

Agave

Chervil

Laurelf

Verbena

Gazania

Amaranth

Holly

Snapdragon

Alyssum

Dicentra

Clarkia

Clematis

Bob

Rome

Chester

Arien

Granger

Yarrow

Eranthus

Aconite

Snowgum

Josephine

Aria

Adele

Agatha

Juno

Livvy

Marissa

Nerida

Noelle

Pandora

Simone

Wren

Verity

Georgina

Roxanne

Camille

Addison

Vince

Kei

Erin

Drew

Dakota

Morgan

Marley

Kingsley

Salem

Parker

Darrian

Vireo

Ocelot

Maxton

Raleigh

Zyrille

Pangea

Narah

Enzo

Aubade

Aureate

Kalon

Paralian

Serein

Mycelium

Reishi

Agarikon

Godfrey

Hughes

Rolfe

Keld

Howe

Mell

Liard

Lockram

Nacre

Nim

Nisus

Nivial

Nyala

Ingle

Inkhorn

Iridal

Iroko

Ixora

Rach

Rorulent

Russet

Genevieve

Urushiol

Cullet

Herman

Regent

Towser

Joyce

Gail

Dale

Goldie

Mildred

Irene

Leroy

Marian

Alvin

Milton

Leona

Roland

Leslie

Loretta

Hattie

Lottie

Vivian

Vera

Vance

Sloane

Elkhorn

Caligo

Achlys

Cecilia
Mila

Rufus

Cassia

Marius

Canigula

Lutrine

Astaroth

Arcturus

Cygnus

Cetus
Baxter

Correa

Marianna

Daphne

Ciar
Myra

Reuben

Rhoda

Manuel

Lori

Beverly

Colby

Elias

Brody

Colton
Mulberry
Myrrh

Myrtle

Holm

Valonia

Aleppo

Corsican

Leuke

Rhodon

Karya

Datura

Petra
Enoch

Ada

Adelaide

Edith
Argent
Iain

Maskrey

Alston

Bingley

[hiswordsarekisses]

“Hey all of you “Ready Writers”, a few thoughts:

Cursive handwriting quickens the brain and helps us learn and process differently, whereas typing doesn't have the same effect on the brain because it doesn't require the same fine motor skills and simultaneous activity. So, when we’re writing scriptures by hand, deeper cognitive-processing of the words is involved which improves comprehension and memorization of the material. Cursive writing has been shown to improve left-right brain synergy and enhance the brain's language and memory functions. On a practical level, it's faster than writing block letters because your pen never leaves the paper. Think of it as an opportunity to praise the Lord in somewhat of a dance, allowing your heart to express your worship more fully as your pen dances across the silent page. Step beyond the mechanics of brain activity and neurological processing and let it become worship expressed. After all, the book of Psalms was Israel’s song book filled with prayers, praises, prophecy, and responses to Gods presence. Writing cursive not only requires knowledge of letter formation, but the curves and connections as well. This requires hand-eye coordination—a skill that is integral in learning to play a musical instrument. Don’t stop there, let it become hand-eye and heart coordination. Think of your pen as an instrument of praise. David’s scribes were an important part of the songs in the Tabernacle of David. Had they not written the spontaneous expressions of prayers and praises and prophecies we wouldn’t have them today. And remember many of the psalms were written while they were standing beside the Ark of the Covenant fully engaged in worship. An important part of their worship was the writing of His truths as they were interacting with His presence. So, it’s not just about memorizing scripture it’s about worship... More Later...” ~ Darsi Lynn Hughes Brinley

[eretzyisrael]

“It came from within… Exhibition marking the events of Kristallnacht” The letter from Arnold Rosenfeld in Vienna to his son Haim (Robert) in Haifa On the 10th of November 1938, the American ambassador to Germany Hugh R. Wilson sent a telegram to the Foreign Office in Washington, stating that in the early hours of the morning the windows of Jewish-owned shops throughout the Reich had been systematically shattered and that the major synagogues in Berlin had been burned down. Onlookers had emphasized that although they had not seen people wearing Nazi uniforms during the disturbances, it was inconceivable that such a powerful police force would have allowed such disorder were there not orders from above. Just days later Arnold (Aharon) Rosenfeld from Vienna wrote to his son Haim (Robert) in Haifa: “The Bayit Hamevorach Synagogue was attacked, all the windows were shattered, the pews were smashed, the curtain of the ark torn into pieces and a Torah scroll thrown outside. The entire contents of the synagogue were destroyed, Torah scrolls were thrown to the ground and torn and three scrolls were removed together with the ark. The black memorial plaques on the walls were smashed.” He also describes the attacks on the Jews and their property: “Throughout the night until one O'clock the screams of people being attacked could be heard. Last night we visited Eugen Hess and the alleyway looked the way it does after a snowfall. Everything was covered with feathers that had been thrown from the apartments,” he continued. “Is there a chance that Wilson will get involved when he hears what has happened? How can we hope for help if this is not made public?” Is it possible that Arnold Rosenfeld was referring to the American ambassador to Germany? Was he trying to send his family some sort of a coded message? A request to publicize the information? Despite the censorship of the times, the letter reached its destination. Arnold Rosenfeld wrote his letter on the inside of a folded piece of paper, disguising it as the paper band that is used to secure a newspaper, and so evaded the censor’s notice. He sent the letter a few days after Kristallnacht and the impact of the traumatic events is clear in every sentence – a contemporaneous testimony by someone who did not live to tell his story. His son Haim gave the letter to Yad Vashem in 1987, a short while before he died. Arnold Rosenfeld ends his letter with the following words: “May the Holy One Blessed Be He help us to be able to send better news. We are thank G-d healthy, best wishes and kisses, Your father.” About three years later he was deported to Theresienstadt where it appears that he died in 1943.

photo: A Letter From Vienna Describing the Events of Kristallnacht © yad vashem

#kristallnacht #Shoah #Judaism #Night of Broken Glass

[fanwritersposts]

Welcome to my account

This account is where I write my stories and this here is my masterlist and requests you can make.

Masterlist

Request are open

Rules

The rules here are important and if you break or say something in the request that is involved in the won't write list, then it will be ignored or blocked.

Things I'll write:

Angst/Hurt & Comfort

Mentions of alcohol or drugs in the past

Mentions of cheating in the past

AU(Alternate Universe)

OC insert

Headcanons

Long stories(up to 3-10 part story)

One-shot stories

Things I won't write:

Polygamy

NSFW

Abusive relationship

Cheating/affairs

Smut

Rape or sexual harassment

Yandere

Fat phobic and homophobic mentions

Any offensive or hateful comments

These are the kind of characters I will write about if you make a request, Alfred Molina Characters(definitely focused on) and Doctor Octopus variants(I just thought why not do that also). I'll update the list when I see more movies with Alfred Molina in it.

Alfred Molina Characters

Otto Octavius/Doc Ock (Spider-Man 2 & No Way Home)

Maxim Horvath (Sorcerer's Apprentice)

Rahad Jackson (Boogie Nights)

Roger Stephenson (Roger and Val Just got in)

Randall Pepperidge (Pink Panther )

Edy Rodriguez (Nothing like the holidays)

Jim Bussey (The Water Man)

Satipo (Indiana Jones raiders of the lost ark)

Stephen Arden (Species)

Snidely K. Whiplash (Dudley do right)

Sheikh Amar (Prince of Persia)

Manuel Aringarosa (Da Vinci Code)

Diego Rivera (Frida)

Boris Plots (Undertaking Betty/Plot of view)

Hugh Weldon (Pete's Meteor)

Harding Hooten (Monday Morning)

Ben Weeks (Normal Hearts)

Ricardo Morales (Law & Order LA)

Jimmy Stiles (Ladies man)

Cliff Gray (Orchids)

Paul Weller (Breakable You)

Dr. Edelweiss (Angie Tribeca)

Doc Ock Characters

Raimi Doc Ock(just a reminder)

TSSM Doc Ock

USM Doc Ock

PS4 Doc Ock

Share your requests here in this post

#alfred molina #doc ock #otto octavius #maxim horvath #rahad jackson #ricardo morales #Manual Aringarosa #Harding Hooten #Stephen Arden #Jim Bussey #Randall Pepperidge #alfred molina x reader #hugh weldon #dr edelweiss #boris plots

[thealmightyemprex]

Fantasy Month: Brigadoon

This time on fantasy month we look at a musical classic ,Brigadoon

In this 1954 film two hunters,the unsatisfied with his life Tommy (Gene Kelley ) and the cynical Jeff (Van Johnson ) are in Scotland when they stumble upon the mysterious village of Brigadoon ,which appears every 100 years ,and it is there Tommy falls for Fiona (Cyd Charisse )

So I have known about this movie for a while ,cause my dad has talked about a highschool production he was in where he played Jeff but also cause Brigadoon is brought up a lot in pop culture....Not always positively .However finally seeing it ,I liked it quite a bit

Lets start with the main element of the film ,the disappearing village.Brigadoon apppears every hundred years,but when it does reappear only one day has passed for Brigadoon,and no one can leave Brigadoon who lives there or else the town will be destroyes .I think its a fun element,this idylic village from another time.I also like that it isnt entirely seen as a paradise ,while Tommy loves the place ,Jeff is having an incredibly bad time and there is a villager named Harry who views the place as a curse .....Now if I put real world logic I would question why more people in the village arent pissed they can never leave and yeah Harry is the villain ,but I am surprised people always dismiss him .I can also imagine their being hottakes about Brigadoon being creepy or whatever......Yeaaaaaaah I'm not doing that . One must views this as what it is ,it is a romantic fantasy about two people from diffrent times finding eachother and falling in love .Yes the romance is rushed ,I think Gene Kelley and Cy Charrise make it work

AS a musical ,it's more about dance then songs.....And I am not really a dance guy ,but again ,you have two great dancers in Gene Kelley and Cyd Charrise and they are always interesting to watch . The songs are good but only a few are in my memory ,though IT's Like Falling In Love is beautiful and the hands down stand out.I will say this is a musical I like more for the story then the songs

Not much to say about the cast ,Gene Kelley and Cyd Charrise have wonderful chemistry as the romantic leads and Barry Jones brings a warmth to Mr Lundy the wise old man .Hugh Liang as Harry is an interesting villain ,whill all others in Brigadoon see it as a miracle he sees it as nothing but a curse ,due to planning on leaving when the blessing hit and the woman he loves marrying another .He's sympathetic to a point though at the end he is clearly a villain willing to destroy the town .He isnt in the film a lot but he makes an impression . The best aspect of the film however is Van Johnson as the cynical and drunken Jeff ,who is NOT taken in by Brigadoon and he just wants to go hunting with his buddy ,and his cynacism makes him such a good foil for Tommy

The only thing I really disliked in the movie ,is there is a serious feeling of ending fatigue ,cause there is an element of the ending that is very much uneeded in my mind ,I wish the film ended 10 minutes early caue the last 10 minutes are unneeded(Will admit the final scene is heartwarming though )

Overall I very much loved this musical fantasy despite fumbeling the ending a little

@ariel-seagull-wings @metropolitan-mutant-of-ark @amalthea9 @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland @angelixgutz @princesssarisa @filmcityworld1

[idealseekxr]

I’m still working on that one reply I have in my drafts, but...I finally got caught up on the Villain Ark of Pokémon Masters EX, and knowing when it takes place in the timeline is actually really helpful? Let me put my rambling under a cut, in case somebody hasn’t caught up yet.

So, in the second cutscene stage of the Villain Arc’s Unova Chapter, Hugh and N wind up talking after Team Plasma captures them separately, and Hugh mentions that five years ago, Team Plasma stole his sister’s Pokémon. If we use that and consider that BW2 take place two years after BW, then Masters EX’s place in the timeline is three years after BW2/XY. Making N 25 years old...Though, that doesn’t explain why he has Reshiram and Zekrom, especially the former since it’s implied Zekrom is his Legendary partner, making Reshiram Hilbert’s.

I might have missed something from old events, though, so I’ll be hopping on YouTube later...That is, assuming the whole getting the Legendary Pokémon from him in BW2 is considered canon by Masters EX, anyhow.

#{Absence of Ideals and Truth | Out of Character} #I fucking love Unova? #This gives me ideas too; I need to muck with the blog a bit

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (18-24 Sep 2022)

ᵗʰᵉ ᵃᵘᵗᵘᵐⁿ ʷᵉᵃᵗʰᵉʳ ᵃᵖᵖᵉᵃʳˢ ᵗᵒ ᵇᵉ ʰᵉʳᵉ ᵗᵒ ˢᵗᵃʸ ᵃⁿᵈ ᶦ ᵃᵐ ᵈᵉˡᶦᵍʰᵗᵉᵈ ᵃᶠ

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😍 👂‍The Sugared Game (The Will Darling Adventures #2) (KJ Charles, author; Cornell Collins, narrator) - confronting terrible family (and also a criminal gang), part one

😍 To Trust Man On His Oath (The Will Darling Adventures #2.5) (KJ Charles, author) - Will & Kim make a vow

😍 👂‍Subtle Blood (The Will Darling Adventures #3) (KJ Charles, author; Cornell Collins, narrator) - confronting terrible family (and also a criminal gang), part two

😍 How Goes The World? (The Will Darling Adventures #3.5) (KJ Charles, author) - delightful, indulgent coda where Archie Curtis gets to meet HIS 'heir apparent' (more or less)

🙂 A Pebble for Lewis (Alaskan Pebble Gifters #1) (Amy Bellows, author) - 37K, KU, polor bear/penguin shifter romance - did not expect this to carry thru to the mpreg & birth tbh so the extremely sexual egg-laying scene was a surprise but I ain't mad about it

😊 Majestic (Oh_i_swear, author) - 69K, Stucky - modern omegaverse royalty arranged marriage AU

😍 👂‍Two Rogues Make a Right (Seducing the Sedgwicks #3) (Cat Sebastian, author; Joel Leslie, narrator) - 'only one bed'; very low angst/high feelings & pining; always gives me some major shrinkyclinks vibe (which I mean in the best way possible)

😍 The Good Morrow (Hark_bananas, author; huei/Nogi/nogstalia, artists) - reread, 75K, Stucky post-WS canon divergent - Steve & Bucky find each other again through a shared dream in a diner - absolutely magical, lovely, warm, one of my absolute faves

🙂 Double Sin and Other Stories (Hercule Poirot #38) (Agatha Christie, author; Hugh Fraser/Isla Blair/Joan Hickson/Anna Massey/David Suchet/Christopher Lee/Simon Vance, narrators) - short story collection

💖💖 +139K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

[Podfic] Blind Date (aggressivewhenstartled, author; quietnight, narrator) - MCU: shrinkyclinks, 8K - great podfic of a very funny shrinkyclinks

Another for Working Days (SassySnowperson) - Much Ado About Nothing: Beatrice/Benedick/Don Pedro, 13K - what if Beatrice had said 'yes' to the Prince's offer?

Whole In Your Frame (AidaRonan) - MCU: shrunkyclunks, 15K - absolutely adore this fic with Cap!Steve and nerdy scientist Bucky

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

nothing to report, watched zero things

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

It's Been a Minute - How HBO transformed television

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Ark Two Shelter

Shedunnit Book Club - A Prize Mystery

Switched on Pop - Lady Gaga & The Pequeños Monstruos

Vibe Check - Mercury Needs To Sit Its A$$ Down Somewhere

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - America’s “Quiet Zone”

Ologies with Alie Ward - Geology (ROCKS) Part 2 with Schmitty Thompson

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - 1-900-20K-HRTZ

Overinvested - Ep. 269: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

One Year - 1986: The Miracle of Cokeville

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Libre Intentional Artist Community

Song Exploder - Panic! At the Disco - Viva Las Vengeance

Strong Songs - Strong Grooves, Vol. 1 (feat. Russ Kleiner)

Strong Songs Bonus Episodes - How Clyde Stubblefield Evolved Funk Drumming

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

The Crystal Method

"September" [Earth, Wind & Fire] radio

Butterfly: 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition [Mariah Carey]

Presenting Janet Jackson

Night Ranger

"Cissy Strut" [The Meters] radio

#sunday reading recap #bookgeekgrrl's reading habits #bookgeekgrrl's soundtracks #the will darling adventures #seducing the sedgwicks series #fanfic ftw #that much ado fic was glorious #vibe check podcast #switched on pop podcast #strong songs podcast #song exploder #20k hz podcast #the atlas obscura podcast podcast #shedunnit podcast #overinvested podcast #ologies podcast #it's been a minute podcast #one year podcast #the crystal method #earth wind and fire #mariah carey #janet jackson #night ranger #the meters #as usual some of the podcasts influenced the music selections #fan artists are a *gift*

[emilytakesphoto]

always saying this

#i dont know

[creativemorningsvancouver]

Our featured speaker for March is the charming and irreverent magician Rob Teszka who will share his fascinating experiences and struggles with creativity through the lens of the global theme PERSPECTIVE.

Weaving interesting stories and unusual ideas together with wit and skill, Teszka entertains at a variety of public festivals and private events, is the president of the Fraser Valley Magic Company, and has toured across Canada with his solo Fringe show. The thing he’s most proud of though, is producing and hosting the monthly Parlour Magic Show, Vancouver’s own variety magic show that just entered its 4th year! Incidentally, Rob hated writing this bio for himself, because bragging is really quite unnatural for him. A favourable review once called him “a genuine eccentric”. It’s probably because he knots his own bow ties.

Every month we ask our speaker a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:

How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career? Sometimes, a person gets driven to express a Thing, by -any means necessary-. Creativity is the practice of solving problems that get in the way of fully communicating the Thing. My chosen medium happens to be magic, which is beautifully cross-disciplinary and lets you express even the impossible. There is a Thing that should not be: and yet, here it is. To bring my Things to life I have dipped my paintbrush into many disciplines: acting, engineering, standup comedy, improv, psychology, puppetry, clown, storytelling–and whatever else I’ve needed to express the Thing.

Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy? Seeing live performance! My cup is always refilled whenever I go to a show, and fills most quickly when I’m at a festival and seeing all the shows I can. Especially the weird ones.

What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person? Rob! It’s me, you from the future! That feeling you feel, when in front of an audience? It’s JOY. It doesn’t have to be rare. You can find it in so many different ways. Don’t let the bastards grind you down–you are allowed to pursue joy! DO IT!

Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings? Why not both? Have Erwin Schrödinger on. Ha! But for real: I’d be interested to see P.T Barnum, the infamous humbug and sideshow exhibitionist. I suspect he’d be wildly entertaining, but also insightful about North American showbiz culture, the way spin and bluster dazzle the public, and the real power of a fake story. Alas, he was waaaaaay more problematic than his portrayal by Hugh Jackman in the Greatest Showman musical would suggest, so it’s probably for the best that we’ll just have to imagine what he’d say.

How would you describe what you do in a single sentence to a stranger? I entertain by using lies to share truths—and am disarmingly open about the lying part.

What keeps you awake at night? My goddamned phone. I am as a moth to its artificial glow.

What’s your one guilty creative indulgence? I like popcorn movies and prefer pulpy genre to literary fiction! For instance: my favourite movies are Raiders of the Lost Ark and Ghostbusters, and I love cozy murder mysteries and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. I don’t really watch movies or read books that make me feel sad or weird, and I guess I feel guilty about it because I’m seeking fun escapism rather than erudition? Heavens, what will become of my pretentious reputation!

What fact about you would surprise most people? I’m a vaguely competent pianist and singer, and can convincingly accompany myself on the ukulele.

WATCH RECORDING HERE

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The Caves and Canyons of The World were Formed by The Run-Off from Noah's Flood and my Theory about Why the Dinosaurs disappeared "Went Extinct" is They were Not Taken aboard the Ark and so Perished [Most Fossils are also a Result of the Great Flood] because of the Hugh Amounts of Mud Left Behind which Turned to Clay and Preserved the Animals "I am Not certain about Petroleum Being Created by the Decomposing Remains" but it is Possible

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(Literary License Podcast)

Journey back to the captivating universe of timeless Doctor Who episodes from 1965 to 1967. Enjoy a nostalgic rollercoaster ride of extra-terrestrial adventures starting with the Daleks Master Plan, characterized by thrilling narratives, unforgettable characters, and an intriguing insight into the series. Relive the memorable performance of our venerated Doctor and delve into the fascinating world of the enigmatic "Master".

 Discuss the unforgettable episodes, intriguing characters, and compelling facts about the show. Embark on a conversational journey to explore the enigmatic Mavic Chen, the Galactic Federation's fascinating concept, and the relevance of air purity in the series. Could this be a foreshadowing of climate change issues? Find your seat in this engaging conversation that explores the swinging sixties charm and magic of Doctor Who.

 Discover the incredible popularity and lasting legacy of Doctor Who, where our speakers delve into viewer ratings and share nostalgic moments. Uncover how the series made its way into schools and captivated millions globally. Learn about the innovative filming techniques of the 60s that brought Doctor Who's universe to life, presenting a detailed narrative of the profound plot lines hidden in the Doctor's adventures.

 End your journey by exploring the controversial use of historic footage in the series and the narratives surrounding our favorite characters. Engage with our panelists as they review the episodes and discuss the debuts of series greats like Michael Sheard and Roy Skelton. Stay tuned for final thoughts on standout moments, detailed ratings, and exciting social media updates. Dive into this vivid feast of Doctor Who memories today!

  00:00:19 - A Journey to the Past: Exploring Doctor Who Episodes (1965-1967); 00:00:45 - Introducing the Daleks Master Plan and The Massacre; 00:03:23- Comic con plans and ongoing art exhibition; 00:05:44 - Visit to Harry Potter Land and discussing favorite books; 00:07:34 - Daleks’ Master Plan: Unveiling the Epic Journey Begins; 00:07:55 - Synopsis for Doctor Who, the Daleks’ Master Plan; 00:13:14 - Reviewing the Daleks Master Plan, a 12-episode journey; 00:19:06 - The potential of Doctor Who’s vast and universal universe; 00:21:47 - Ratings fluctuation and competition for viewership; 00:24:52 - Discussing the book title and its connection to the story; 00:28:00 - The Missing Story of the Massacre; 00:30:37 - Departing Paris as the Massacre Begins; 00:32:22 - Introduction to The Massacre and Online Animations; 00:34:56 - A Recap of ”The Massacre” Storyline; 00:37:19 - TARDIS Details and Ratings Drop; 00:40:24 - Studio Testing and Audience Reaction; 00:42:14 - The Ark: A Futuristic Adventure Begins; 00:54:02 - Cliffhanger for the Celestial Toy Room; 00:55:17 - Reflections on the Overall Experience; 00:56:08 - Social Media Plugs and Blog Updates;

   Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – Copyright . All rights reserved

 Closing Credits:  Love Kills by Freddie Mercury.  Taken from the album Metropolis – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Georgio Moroder.   Copyright 1984 CBS Records.

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Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 

 All rights reserved.  Used by Kind Permission.

 All songs available through Amazon Music.

#SoundCloud #music #Literary License Podcast #DOCTOR WHO #Television #1966

[candacehughes]

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