#elise's pitch wars welcome
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The Littlest Timelord: Cracks in Time Chapter 34
TITLE: The Littlest Timelord: Cracks in Time Chapter 34
PAIRING: No Pairing
RATING: T
CHAPTER: 34/?
SUMMARY: A little girl escapes the Time War when the Timelord’s return in “End of Time Part 2″. The newly regenerated Doctor must now raise the little girl while trying to find out why cracks in time keep following them around.
[A/N - So I made a miscalculation and the first part of this chapter should have been added to the end of the previous one. Therefore, I added the beginning of Big Bang to the end of the this chapter.]
The Doctor grabbed the communicator and called River. “The TARDIS, where is it? Hurry up. What are you even doing there?”
Elise grabbed the Doctor’s hand to offer him comfort. He squeezed her hand back.
“Something's using her memories. Amy's memories. You said something had been there. If they've been to her house, they could have used her psychic residue. Structures can hold memories, that's why houses have ghosts. They could've taken a snapshot of Amy's memories. But why?” The Doctor kept glancing back at the Romans.
“Projections, or duplicates. They might think they're real. The perfect disguise. They actually believe their own cover story, right until they're activated.” The Doctor started pacing. “Why? Who'd do that? What for? It doesn't make sense. River? River? River, what's happening?”
Elise suddenly wished she’d gone with River instead of staying with the Doctor.
“You're flying it wrong. Where are you? What's the date reading? You need to get out of there now. Any other time zone. Just go. Well, then shut down the TARDIS. Shut down everything! But how? Why?”
A high pitched noise filled the air.
Elise watched as the Romans in the chamber with them doubled over for a second before raising back up.
“Listen to me, just land her anywhere. Emergency landing, now. There are cracks in time. I've seen them everywhere, and they're getting wider. The TARDIS exploding is what causes them, but we can stop the cracks ever happening if you just land her,” the Doctor told River.
The Pandorica started to open and a white light filled the chamber.
“Well, now. Ready to come out, are we?” the Doctor asked. He put the communicator back to his ear. “Okay, just walk out of the doors. If there's no one inside, the TARDIS engines shut down automatically. Just get out of there. Run!” The Doctor soniced the Pandorica as the Romans came closer to them.
Their hands were now guns.
Elise tugged on the Doctor’s jacket.
“Doctor! Doctor, I can't open the doors!” River yelled over the communicator.
The Doctor finally turned and saw the Romans. “Amy!” he yelled.
The Romans grabbed both Elise and the Doctor and walked them towards the Pandorica.
“Plastic Romans. Duplicates, driven by the Nestene Consciousness, eh? Deep cover, but what for? What are you doing? What's in there, eh? What's coming out?” the Doctor asked.
“The Pandorica is ready,” one of the Romans said.
“What, do you mean it's open?”
“You have been scanned, assessed, understood, Doctor,” a Dalek voice said.
“Scanned? Scanned by what, a box?” the Doctor asked.
“Your limits and capacities have been extrapolated.”
Cybermen and a couple of other alien species that Elise didn’t recognize appeared in the chamber.
“The Pandorica is ready!” The alien that spoke was short and brown.
Elise had never seen so many different species before, but she wasn’t scared. The only real thing that scared her were Daleks.
“Ready for what?” the Doctor asked.
“Ready for you,” the white Dalek said.
Two Romans dragged the Doctor to the Pandorica as Elise screamed. The Romans locked the Doctor into the seat.
“What do we do with this one?” the brown alien asked, pointing his gun at Elise.
“Scan reveals the child is Timelord”, the white Dalek said.
Elise struggled against the Romans.
“The child will be confined with the Doctor”.
Elise was picked up and carried to the Pandorica where they shackled her wrists and ankles together at the Doctor’s feet.
“You lot, working together. An alliance. How is that possible?” the Doctor asked.
“The cracks in the skin of the universe,” the White Dalek said.
“All reality is threatened,” the brown alien added.
“All universes will be deleted.”
“What? And you've come to me for help?” the Doctor asked.
“No. We will save the universe from you and your offspring!” the brown alien said.
“From me?”
“All projections correlate. All evidence concurs. The Doctor will destroy the universe,” the Cyberman said.
“No, no, no. You've got it wrong.”
“The Pandorica was constructed to ensure the safety of the Alliance.”
“A scenario was devised from the memories of your companion,” the White Dalek told him.
“A trap the Doctor could not resist,” the brown alien said.
“The cracks in time are the work of the Doctor. It is confirmed.”
“No. no, no, not me, the TARDIS. And I'm not in the TARDIS, am I?” the Doctor asked.
“Only the Doctor can pilot the TARDIS.”
“Please, listen to me!”
“You will be prevented.”
“Total event collapse! Every sun will supernova at every moment in history. The whole universe will never have existed. Please, listen to me!”
“Seal the Pandorica,” the Cyberman said.
“No! Please, listen to me! The TARDIS is exploding right now and I'm the only one who can stop it! Listen to me!”
The Pandorica doors closed. Inside the Pandorica, it was deadly silent.
The Doctor slammed his head into the headrest behind him in frustration.
If they were going to be stuck in here till the end of time, Elise would have to do something she’d been terrified of doing. “Daddy?”
The Doctor froze, hearing Elise’s voice. He’d never heard her voice before. Well he had, but that was a long time ago. But this version of her had never spoken on purpose before. “Yes, love?” he said.
“I’m scared”.
“I don’t know how, but I will get us out of here.”
“How?”
“Do you trust me?”
Elise nodded and said, “Yes”.
But only a few minutes later, the doors to the Pandorica opened and Rory stood there holding the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver.
The Doctor was released from the chair. “How did you do that?”
“You gave me this,” Rory told him.
The Doctor pulled out his own sonic screwdriver. “No, I didn't.”
“You did. Look at it.”
The Doctor quickly soniced Elise’s restraints before they stepped out of the Pandorica. He touched his screwdriver to Rory’s and they sparked. “Temporal energy. Same screwdriver at different points in its own time stream. Which means it was me who gave it to you. Me from the future. I've got a future. That's nice.” He pointed to the fossilized Daleks. “That's not.”
“Yeah. What are they?” Rory asked.
The Doctor looked at Elise and gestured for her to answer the question. She shook her head and he nudged her.
“They’re called Daleks,” she said.
Rory’s mouth dropped open. “Oh my god. She can talk.”
Elise rolled her eyes.
“Bigger picture here, Rory. History has collapsed. Whole races have been deleted from existence. These are just like after-images. Echoes. Fossils in time. The footprints of the never-were,” the Doctor explained.
“Er, what does that mean?”
“Total event collapse. The universe literally never happened.”
“So, how can we be here? What's keeping us safe?”
“Nothing. Eye of the storm, that's all. We're just the last light to go out. Amy. Where's Amy?”
Rory led them outside.
Amy was lying on the ground not moving.
“Auntie Amy!” Elise said, dropping to her knees next to her.
The Doctor knelt down and put his fingers on her throat.
“I killed her,” Rory said.
“Oh, Rory.”
“Doctor, what am I?”
“You're a Nestene duplicate. A lump of plastic with delusions of humanity.”
“But I'm Rory now. Whatever was happening, it's stopped. I'm Rory.”
“That's software talking.”
“Can you help her? Is there anything you can do?”
“Yeah, probably, if I had the time.”
“The time?”
“All of creation has just been wiped from the sky. Do you know how many lives now never happened? All the people who never lived? Your girlfriend isn't more important than the whole universe.”
Rory punched the Doctor, sending him to the ground. “She is to me!” Rory yelled.
“Dad!” Elise gasped, “Rory!”
The Doctor jumped to his feet. “Welcome back, Rory Williams! Sorry. Had to be sure. Hell of a gun-arm you're packing there. Right, we need to get her downstairs. And take that look off your plastic face. You're getting married in the morning.”
Rory carried Amy down into the Pandorica chamber and the Doctor placed her in the chair.
“So you've got a plan, then?” Rory asked.
“Bit of a plan, yeah. Memories are more powerful than you think, and Amy Pond is not an ordinary girl. Grew up with a time crack in her wall. The universe pouring through her dreams every night. The Nestenes took a memory print of her and got a bit more than they bargained for, like you. Not just your face, but your heart and your soul.” The Doctor placed his hands on Amy’s face and closed his eyes. “I'm leaving her a message for when she wakes up, so she knows what's happening.” The Doctor soniced the Pandorica, sealing Amy inside.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?” Rory asked.
“I'm saving her. This box is the ultimate prison. You can't even escape by dying. It forces you to stay alive.”
“But she's already dead.”
“Well, she's mostly dead. The Pandorica can stasis-lock her that way. Now, all it needs is a scan of her living DNA and it'll restore her.”
“Where's it going to get that?”
The Doctor checked his watch. “In about two thousand years.” The Doctor pulled out a Vortex Manipulator from his pocket and strapped it to his wrist.
“She's going to be in that box for two thousand years?” Rory asked.
“Yeah, but we're taking a shortcut. River's vortex manipulator. Rubbish way to time travel, but the universe is tiny now. We'll be fine,” the Doctor told him.
“So hang on. The future's still there, then. Our world.”
“A version of it. Not quite the one you know. Earth alone in the sky. Let's go and have a look.”
The Doctor raised his wrist. “You put your hand there. Don't worry. Should be safe.”
“That's not what I'm worried about.”
“She'll be fine. Nothing can get into this box.”
“Well, you and Elise got in there.”
“Well, there's only two of us. I counted.”
“This box needs a guard. I killed the last one.”
“No. Rory, no. Don't even think about it.”
“She'll be all alone.”
“She won't feel it.”
“You bet she won't.”
“Two thousand years, Rory. You won't even sleep. You'd be conscious every second. It would drive you mad.”
“Will she be safer if I stay? Look me in the eye and tell me she wouldn't be safer.”
“Rory, you…”
“Answer me!”
“Yes. Obviously.”
“Then how could I leave her?”
The Doctor sighed. “Why do you have to be so human?”
“Because right now, I'm not.”
The Doctor typed in the date he wanted and the Vortex Manipulator started beeping. He grabbed Elise’s hand. “Listen to me. This is the last bit of advice you're going to get in a very long time. You're living plastic, but you're not immortal. I have no idea how long you'll last. And you're not indestructible. Stay away from heat and radio signals when they come along. You can't heal, or repair yourself. Any damage is permanent. So, for God's sake, however bored you get, stay out of…”
The Doctor and Elise vanished and Rory took his place guarding the Pandorica.
#eleventh doctor fanfiction#eleventh doctor imagine#eleventh doctor#doctor who#Doctor Who fanfiction#doctor who imagine#Rory Williams#rory williams imagine#the littlest timelord#the littlest timelord: cracks in time#the pandorica opens#big bang
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Day 23 - Music
Virgil was standing in the dark. He knew his body was there, but he couldn't see it. Looking around there was no end to the blackness, and he felt a shiver down his spine. He had no idea where he was. Virgil tried to think of the last thing he could remember only for a searing pain to rip through his head. He smelt dust. Instinct told him he had been on a rescue, but it didn't feel like he was on one now.
Virgil closed his eyes, not that it changed the view, and focused on anything he could hear. Turning his head to the left he heard nothing but to the right was a faint sound. Taking a step closer and his chest felt constricted, but the sound became a persistent beep. It was horribly familiar, and it filled him with fear. A hospital couldn't be this dark could it? Taking a step closer to the beeping and he was gasping for breath, and a gentle rhythmic whooshing joined the beeping. They were chillingly familiar sounds. Taking a step closer and Virgil's legs buckled. Pain rain through his back and his hands clutched his abdomen which felt like it had been stabbed. Breathing was almost impossible, his lungs not wanting to work. He wanted to move forward, to find out who was injured. Which of his brothers was in hospital? But the pain was too much. He pushed himself back the way he'd come, and relief flooded his body as he sucked in a breath.
Virgil lay there, gasping in air, feeling more and more unnerved by the faint hospital sounds. Pushing himself away from the noise and into the silence, he sat catching his breath. It was still pitch black and not knowing where he was terrified Virgil. He felt trapped.
Virgil stood up, time had passed but how much he didn't know, but nothing had changed. The silence was eerie. Stepping forward again, he heard the faint beeping. Another step more and it sounded closer. Breathing was harder and Virgil debated stepping forward again. Taking another step and the pain returned in his back and abdomen but this time he didn't keel over. The whooshing sound was gone but there was still a pain in his ribs making breathing difficult. Sucking in air, he stepped forward again, the pain intensifying to an almost unbearable level. His knees tried to buckle and just as he was about to let himself fall a whisper stopped him. He couldn't make out the words, but it felt so familiar. The image of Scott entered his head. Focusing on it, he tried to move forward but stumbled, the pain burning his body. Virgil felt tears in his eyes and he suddenly wanted the pain to stop.
With what little strength he could find Virgil pulled himself away from the pain. Back and back he moved until he fell into the silence. It washed over him, flushing the pain from his body and making it but a memory. Lying in the silence, Virgil took a deep breath. Now the silence felt safe. The tension started to leave his muscles. Virgil wanted to relax more. Moving backwards again, Virgil felt his body relax further and a peaceful calm moved through him. He could do this, lie here forever in this comforting stillness. The darkness no longer felt foreboding. It was like a blanket, wrapped round him, keeping him cosy and warm, the familiarity akin to being in his room with the blackout binds down. His eyes felt heavy with sleep and Virgil smiled as he let himself be taken by it.
That’s when Virgil heard the music. It was so soft, but it was there. Virgil’s eyes snapped open, ears straining, trying to catch the familiar notes. Standing up, Virgil took a step forward. It was still quiet, but it was getting louder. Another step forward and it sounded like Fur Elise, which brought a smile to his face. Taking another step and the music changed to Mars the Bringer of War, but the faint beeping could be heard beneath it. Virgil took a further step and the music changed to The Swan, the beeping ever present behind the music. Breathing became hard but focusing on the music helped put it to the back of his mind, enabling him to take the next step. The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy filled Virgil’s ears, and at the same time the pain gripped his body. He screwed up his eyes, forcing himself to breathe and pushed through the pain. Taking another step, the music changed yet again as the pain intensified. Falling to hands and knees, fighting the memory of the comfort he had before, Virgil crawled forward, focusing on the changing music. A faint light brought pain to his eyes, having been so used to the darkness. The music was still there overpowering the beeping. Forcing himself through the agony and holding his breath, he pushed forward, following the sound. Virgil put all his focus on the music, determined to only go forward.
***
Kayo sat beside Virgil’s hospital bed. Looking at the comatose man she couldn’t help thinking how peaceful he looked. Her heart had been torn apart when he’d been crushed under the building, and they had been so lucky that he’d come out alive when some of those he’d been helping hadn’t. But he’d been in a coma for six days now. They had taken him off the respirator four days ago, but the doctors were starting to get worried that he wasn’t waking up. Every family member had sat beside the man, talking to him, hoping their familiar voice would bring him round. There was nothing keeping him under now, and the worry was starting to take its toll on everyone.
Kayo held Virgil’s limp hand, stoking it. She’d talked to him at first, but it hadn’t worked previously and still brought no response from the man. Instead she had decided to play some of the pieces of music Virgil loved. She had downloaded some of the recordings she’d secretly made of Virgil playing to her communicator and was how playing them to him. She had sat back, eyes closed, focusing on the music, pretending she was back on the island, listening, as Virgil’s fingers graced the piano keys. The beeping from the machines was trying to ruin her thought processes, but the music was still helping to ease some of the tension in her body.
After a while Kayo sighed. Taking his hand again, she inspected his face, fighting the tears that wanted to fall. Her body froze. She swore his eyes flickered. The music beside her was reaching its peak and his eyes flickered again. Kayo squeezed Virgil’s hand harder as hope started to fill her heart. His eyes moved again, and she slowly reached her hand out towards the call button. Virgil’s eyes opened, and Kayo pushed the button, standing up and leaning forward so her face was in Virgil’s line of sight. The tears slipped down her checks as she gazed into those brown eyes.
“Welcome back, Virgil”
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Elise’s Pitch Wars Welcome!
Hello! My name is Elise Longden, and I’m writing this little introduction because I have written a manuscript and I’m planning to submit it to Pitch Wars, the mentoring programme!
Whilst this little blog is where I record my thoughts about my writing, I’ve never really introduced myself - mostly because I believed I would never let anyone see it. However, the Pitch Wars form has room for a website, and I would rather link this blog as opposed to my Twitter (which is inactive) or my Instagram (which is just full of cosplay and dog photos).
To clarify, I have written a book called “The Hollow World”.
Okay so, here’s some stuff about me:
Submission related stuff that potential mentors may be interested in:
In 2017 I won the UK National Flash Fiction Competition run by the University of Chester and was published in an anthology that had also once featured Margaret Atwood (SQUEE!). My piece entitled “Flotsam” can be found here:
http://www.chester.ac.uk/sites/files/chester/Longden%20Elise%20-%20Flotsam%20FINAL.pdf
I got an A* A-Level grade (It’s not to big myself up...just in case anyone not British doesn’t know what that means!!!!) in Creative Writing, and my coursework, which was 70% of my grade, was the first 30,000 words of my Pitch Wars manuscript.
The idea for “The Hollow World” came to me in a Film Studies class at college. After trying /(and failing) to come up for an idea to base a project around, my teacher gave me an exercise to generate some ideas. She took a few traits typical of Hollywood films, and told me to flip them on their head. Thus, “The Hollow World”, or at least a basis for it, was born, and three (ish) years later, I still can’t get it out of my head.
Basically the idea of Ashe came from my bizarre urge to see a tiny little girl violently killing things in a film. I thought I was being super original, but the film Logan beat me to it. I can’t even be mad, because Dafne Keen is so incredible?!
The reason why I’m submitting to Pitch Wars, is because I need help. That’s the bottom line. I have edited my manucript the best I can, but I need someone who can take what I’ve written and look at it from a fresh, and new perspective. I am new to the idea of getting my manucript published (though I have always dreamed I would), and navigating the crazy world of publishing and agents and general make-your-writing-an-actual-book stuff....is scary. And I really, really, need your help. I need someone who is honest who can tell me what needs to be done. I’ve done the best I can, and now I need someone who is better than me.
I draw, so here’s some pictures of the characters from the “The Hollow World”, that may hopefully pique your interest:
ASHE
MAGPIE
NADIA
CASSIDY
SOME FACES
SOME MORE FACES
Whilst these were drawn about a year ago and aren’t my best work, I’m hoping they entice potential mentors, just a ‘lil bit more! :)
Some general stuff about me:
I am a pretty happy and positive person, who loves to work hard. If I have a task or idea inside my head, I will hyperfixate on it until it’s done. For example...this manuscript was unfinished (by about 20,000 words) on the 1st of August. It was my first draft that I hadn’t read through, it was unformatted, it was riddled with errors and inconsistancies, but after meeting the lovely Tomi Adeyemi and talking to her about Pitch Wars, I decided to enter. So I took my jumbled mess, I put my butt into gear, and I spent day after day writing, writing, writing, until I felt happy enought to submit it. I also had to learn what I query letter was, because I am a publishing term noob. My point is, I am willing to push myself, and go all out at 110% percent, if that somehow helps me achieve what I want to achieve.
I am 19 and I live in the UK (specifically near Liverpool).
I cosplay as well! I’ve been Rey, Leia, and a generic Jedi from Star Wars, Margaery Tyrell and Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones, Pirate King Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean, and I spend 70% of my time in my 13th Doctor costume.
I love Hamilton, and can rap all of it. I love musicals in general tbh.
I have an unhealthy obsession with Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes.
Have I mentioned that the 13th Doctor is the best thing ever to happen to me?
I have a dinosaur hat that I wear whenever I’m sad, because it’s pretty impossible to be sad with a giant T-Rex on your head. And by “hat” I mean this thing:
Pretty majestic, right?
ANYWAY
I’m ace/aro, which is why my book features no romance.
I love my dog Rocky more than anything. He looks like this:
As well as a mentor who can teach me writer-y things, I’m also looking for a friend, so here’s some stuff I like:
TV Shows:
Merlin (the love of my life, tbh, and it broke my heart), DOCTOR WHO (especially the 13th Doctor, even though she hasn’t aired yet), Hannibal, Orphan Black, Sense 8, iZombie, TOP GEAR (Yes, the car show. I’m obsessed), Game of Thrones, Parks and Recreation, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Jessica Jones/any Netflix Marvel show, the 100 (early seasons because Lexa), RuPauls Drag Race, Queer Eye, Brooklyn 99, Stranger Things, Sherlock, Agent Carter...I’ve watched a lot okay?
Movies:
My ultimate favourite movie of all time is What We Do in the Shadows. Even if you’re not going to choose me as a mentee, then please what this dumb film. I love it. I LOVE IT. It’s dark comedy genius, and a real gem.
Other favourite films are: Wonder Woman, Ghostbusters (2017 version), Ocean’s 8 (will Cate Blanchett adopt me as her ace/aro child?), Marvel Films (particulary Thor: Ragnarok), Star Wars Films, Kingsman Films, John Wick Films, Pirates of the Carribbean Films, Harry Potter Films,Mad Max: Fury Road, Peter Pan Goes Wrong (if you pick me I’ll force you to watch it at some point, sorry), Disney Films (Mulan, Up!, and Hercules are my faves).
Books:
Some that don’t need an explanation: Harry Potter, A Song of Ice and Fire, His Dark Materials, Lord of the Rings. Anything by Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, or Stephen King.
My favourite series, and arguably my “Harry Potter” is the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy. I’ve met Derek multiple times, and his books are just hilarious, soul-destorying, and MAGIC. I love them.
A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers - Seriously, this Sci-Fi book is one of the most striking books I’ve ever read, mostly because it surprised me with it’s tender story, honest representations of real people, and general WOW-ness. I love it, and its flashbacks heavily influenced my own manuscript. You know when you love a book so much that you wish you could eat it? This is that book for me.
Moriarty by Antony Horowitz. My favourite villain of all time in a book that blew my mind? Yes please.
The Girl in 6E by A.R.Torre. I picked up this book for a quid in the supermarket, and it utterly suprised me. It’s about a sex-worker murder-obsessed cam girl who is asked to act out something on camera that’s a little too disturbing, so she tracks down the man who asked her in order to save a little girl from a vile act. Think Maestra meets The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It’s not the most sophisticated reading with all of the bizarre sexual stuff, but the wit and exasperation of the main character makes up for it. I love anything that surprises me, and this book was something I'd never seen before.
Anything (memoir or fiction) by Carrie Fisher. As a Star Wars nerd I knew I would love her work, but when I read them I was blown away by how poignant, poetic, and wonderous Carrie Fisher’s writing is. She seems to find the perfect balance between humour and emotion, and reading them was a genuine joy. Each funny sentence makes me laugh out loud, but each serious sentence is heavy, poised, and so amazingly crafted and emotional.
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I was lucky enough to meet Tomi on her UK tour, and I gave her my very long letter and a portfolio of art. I love the book, and I love even more what it stands for, and there’s not much else I can really say.
Other books I loved in no order: The Power by Naomi Alderman, The Cursed Prince by Holly Black, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness, the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas, The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, the Gone series by Michael Grant, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Martian and Artemis by Andy Weir, Lost Stars by Claudia Gray, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, Room by Emma Donoghue, Wicked by Gregory Maguire....and a helluva lot more....
And just so you know, here’s what I look like:
(I’m the human dressed as the 13th Doctor)
Hopefully this gives you an idea about me and my personality! I’m sorry this is so long, I just wanted to make sure I came across in an okay way! If any potential mentors are reading this, thank you for taking the time to!
If you want to read the notes/journal entries I kept on this blog when I was writing and editing my manucript, just search the tag #update!
My Twitter is: https://twitter.com/EliseLongden
My Instagram is: instagram.com/elise.longden/ (here you will find a lot of cosplay and dog pictures, and I’m not sorry)
If you have any questions or anything else you want to know, please feel free to shoot me an ask! Or just say hi!
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War Creatures (Ch. 23)
Pairing: Loki X Reader
Summary: In a crossover of the Nine Realms and Westeros, you find yourself in the dawn of a rebellion. Odin, Lord of Pyke, has made alliances with your family, House Grover of Highgarden. Your father’s army will join Odin’s army to overthrow the King and take the Iron Throne. There is just one cost to this alliance.You must marry the dark, young prince Loki.In a world where Kings do as they wish, where war is an oncoming storm, and peace is nothing but a dream, you are lost but brave. Loki is more powerful than he seems, and love will grow from the flames of war.
Words: 3990
Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11108748/chapters/34144290
It was days before the wedding between Elise and Fandral. I had rarely spoken to her because she had been so busy, and I was keeping the Eyrie as beautiful as I could. With all the gardens I put into place, Loki’s green decorations and banners, and the wedding decorations, the Eyrie had turned into a woodland fantasy.
I stood at the entryway admiring my own work. The flowers and vines that arched the gate were a friendlier touch to welcome more guests as they came in. Sif had made herself at home with Aegir. She accompanied me as I made my way back inside the Eyrie.
“Your friend Elise,” she started. “Is she ready for marriage?”
“As ready as she can be,” I responded. Looking around, I saw people preparing for the event. My men spoke of drinking with Fandral later on during the night. People were excited and morale was high, but I felt my own heart sinking.
“From what I’ve heard from my ladies in waiting, she seems to be very nice,” Aegir wriggled in her arms and she bounced to keep him occupied. Sif looked to me again. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” I said as we entered into the sept. Elise looked around in awe of everything coming together. She stood out among the other ladies in waiting. She looked so happy. “She’s very happy.”
“And you weren’t,” Sif interjected.
“What? What do you mean?”
“You’re jealous. I was too when I heard a dear friend of mine married someone she loved.”
“I’m jealous because Elise is getting married?”
“You’re jealous because she’s living your dream. She got to choose who she married and she loves who she is marrying. You and I did not get that luxury,” Sif pointed out the truth. Elise’s blonde hair waved loose behind her as she pretended to dance with the other ladies-in-waiting. It was hard to swallow. In times where multiple kings thirsted for the throne, Elise had all the reasons to be happy. I wanted those reasons. I wished I could share her joy.
“You’re right,” I swallowed.
“Go talk to her,” Sif urged me. “Friends should be happy for one another, not grow apart.” With Sif’s advice, I walked towards Elise. Perhaps, I should’ve been more honest instead of distant. Did Elise notice? Is she even aware of how much I’ve avoided her? Has she been so self-involved that she forgotten me? The thoughts hurt, and my emotions showed as the ladies in waiting walked away from Elise and away from me.
I watched them slowly make their way back inside the castle. Elise walked over to me, her face in concern.
“Are you alright?” she greeted me. “You look tired.”
“Maybe I am. It’s been a busy couple of days.” I said. Elise took my hand smiled gratefully.
“And it shows. Thank you for everything. You’ve done such a great job. All of this,” she gestured towards the sept and the castle. “It looks more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. You’ve been such a wonderful help. And thank you for being the best friend I could have ever asked for. Without you, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have met Fandral.”
“I did no such thing. You found Fandral all on your own.”
Elise shook her head, laughing. “You’re too modest. You married a dark prince, and because of that I found a knight made of the brightest sun. I would have never found someone like him if it weren’t for you and your marriage. I owe so much of my happy life to you. I consider myself lucky to be your best friend. Not many ladies in waiting get the same treatment I do. I owe my entire happiness to you.”
Elise kissed my hand gently and pulled me into a hug. It had been so long I had forgotten how gentle and tight he hugs were. She tucked her head into my neck as I embraced her. I felt the winds pick up around us, pushing our hair around. I smelled how sweet she smelled. Then I realized, my best friend in the entire world was getting married, and I spent this entire time loathing and hating it. I squeezed her once more before I pulled away.
“Thank you. I needed to hear that,” I told her. Elise smiled and took my hand again. Now was not the time for pettiness. Now was the time to celebrate love in its truest of forms.
The night before the wedding was buzzing with excitement. The Eyrie was filled with Fandral’s family, Elise’s family, and other friends who were close. Even the dwarves of the Eyrie were excited to see one successful wedding go through. I sat in Loki and I’s private quarters, bouncing Aegir up and down on my knee. He laughed and I spat raspberries into his round stomach. Loki entered our quarters, more drunk than usual.
“Ah, there you are,” I smiled, noting his unbalanced walking. “Did you have a good time with the boys?”
“Thor is still an irresponsible drinker,” he said, attempting to sober up in front of me.
“As are you.”
“No,” his voice was low as he wagged his finger at me, leaning against the wall. “I am fine.”
“Are you?”
“Yes,’ he said, almost too quickly as he started to fall over. He caught himself and stood straight up. I giggled and brought Aegir closer to me.
“I think your uncle is being silly. Do you think your uncle is being silly?” I talked in a high-pitched voice. Loki rolled his eyes and lounged on the furniture. I kept playing with Aegir. Wisps of his blonde hair tickled my nose. His fingers wrapped around mine. I felt that deep love again. I looked up to notice Loki watching me. A stupidly wide smile stuck on his face.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he shook his head. “I just had a thought. That’s all.” Loki moved himself up.
“You said Thor was there. Did you—
“No, we didn’t,” Loki interrupted me. He looked down in a sort of shame. “I wanted to enjoy the evening as brothers. We haven’t had much time together like this in several months. Talking about the war would’ve ruined things.”
“I understand,” I nodded. Aegir yawned in my lap. Loki followed suit by yawning louder and stretching his legs. I hummed. “Time for sleep.”
The next morning, ladies in waiting, Sif, and I gathered around Elise and her dress. Her light blue dress had pink flowers and some golden vines connecting them. Her hair was braided in knots and twists. If Fandral had been a king, then this truly was his queen. Elise turned to her mother who had served my family for most of her life. Her mother had tears in her eyes to see her daughter so happy.
I felt an overwhelming happiness come over me. At first, tears tugged at my eyes, but then I found myself beside Elise, trying to hold myself together.
“Oh stop it!” Elise nudged me. “My mother’s already crying!”
“You just look so beautiful!” she shouted. Many of us laughed, sharing the same sentiment. Even though I wore my husband’s colors, I felt more loyal towards Elise on this day than ever before. I walked her towards Loki. When he saw her, he smiled.
“You make a beautiful bride, Elise,” he said, taking her arm. Elise smiled, hiding her laughter. Loki opened his mouth again. “Second to my wife, of course.”
“Of course!” Elise winked. Her smile turned grateful yet again. “Thank you for walking me. That was very generous of you.” Loki and I turned towards the sept to see her mother join her father in the front row. He sat in his seat patiently, a cane in his hand.
“We do what we can for those we love,” Loki told her. “Fandral means the world to me. Seeing him finally finding love brings my brother and me a lot of happiness.”
“Thank you, Loki,” Elise said. Music started to play as everyone made their way down the aisle. I looked on to see others trying to get a glimpse of the blushing bride and their future king. The last time I made this walk, Elise and I’s roles were switched. She was a dutiful bridesmaid, and I was the bride. It was a strange feeling at first, but as I took my place among the other ladies I watched Loki present Elise to Fandral with Elise’s father watching on.
Suddenly, the war did not exist. King Malekith’s dreadful crimes did not happen. Wars and revolutions did not break out across the nine kingdoms. And if they did, none of that hatred happened in this mountain kingdom. Elise looked to Fandral and both said the words to each other.
“Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother,” they said to each other. There was only love here. Love that grown from the war, fighting, and violence. I looked to Loki as they said the vows, and he smiled genuinely at me. Maybe he thought the same thing I did: we had grown to love each other too.
As much as I couldn’t admit it to him, I cared deeply for my husband. I meant what I said after the attack on Highgarden. I made vows to him because I believed in us. Every day since then, he showed me that he could love in return. He made vows to me because he wanted to be a better husband. Every day since then, I stood by his side and supported him.
Loki held my eye contact as he couldn’t stop smiling at me. I couldn’t stop smiling at him. I had almost forgotten the world around me. It was as if everything had disappeared and only Loki’s smile had existed. I bit my lip and looked down. He had won the staring contest. I felt too bashful to continue.
I glanced once more, and Loki still smiled my way. Maybe he did love me. Our friendship had grown too strong to consider it a friendship, but not strong enough to be considered love. It was a weird game he and I played every day.
Elise and Fandral kissed each other and went on their way. Loki and I followed in pursuit. He held my hand in his and kept me close.
“And now, we get to the fun part, yes?” he said into my ear.
“Yes, now we get to the fun part,” I confirmed.
The reception was held in our large hall. Dwarves and humans both dined in company of each other. While some men showed and bragged about fighting and war stories, some older women told stories of wisdom to younger ones. Then the drinking began. Several toasts were made towards the new, happy couple. I made a silent one for myself.
Marriage is hard, but I had a feeling Elise was truly ready for something bigger than herself. I toasted to her and growth with her new chapter. As I took a sip of the sweet red wine, I saw Thor speaking with Loki. They spoke in low tones so no one can hear them until Thor’s voice raised just slightly. Loki took his arm and guided his brother towards a more secluded area.
That was going to be a hard conversation.
“You saw it too?” Sif said behind me. I nodded.
“Yes, it doesn’t look good from my end.”
“I agree. For what it’s worth, Thor really does love his brother. He doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. His words may sound brash, but he means well.”
“And for what it’s worth,” I added. “Lord Odin is very old in his age. Thor may be young and eager to be King, but I believe my husband is the better fit.” Sif nodded.
“While I have to disagree with you, I am happy for the new couple,” Sif looked to Elise and Fandral enjoying yet another toast from close friends. “May their love be enough.”
“May their love be enough?” I turned.
“It’s a saying in the Westerlands,” Sif’s dark hair moved with her. “May their love be enough to withstand the storms, the wars, and the hate. May their love be enough to fight the temptation, the lies, and the sin. May their love be enough to fill them both with happiness.”
“That’s such a thoughtful saying,” I admired Sif. She was only two years older than I was, but she was years wiser than her age. She was perfect for Thor. Where Thor was loud, intimidating, and filled with laughter. She was patient, eager to listen, and filled with a knowledge of life. “You and Thor fit together wonderfully.”
“Thank you,” Sif linked arms with me and guided me to the large empty area as the music started to play. “Now, I never got to celebrate my marriage with you. You never got the chance to celebrate your marriage with me. I ask you now, can I have this dance, little sister?”
I took her hand quickly. “Of course you may!” Sif and I started to twirl and step with the music as sisters. Soon, others started to dance and join us. Colorful fabrics from nobles graced the floor with proper waltzing. Dwarves in ordinary clothing tried to follow with them. I looked on as a highborn lady offered her hand to a common dwarf. He shyly took her hand and showed him how to dance.
Elise joined in the fun and dance with her new husband. Fandral glided her across the floor smoothly. His eyes only on her as they took the spotlight. Everyone watched them and admired their love from afar.
Suddenly, I felt Loki tap on my shoulder. He took my hand quietly and led me away from Sif. When I looked back on Sif, Thor was speaking quietly in her ear and she was frowning. The conversation did not go well at all.
Loki led me away from the hall and into the quiet corridor. It was darker there. Twilight had just passed through the windows as the evening settled in more.
“It did not go well, I take it,” I frowned at him. Loki shook his head.
“He did not agree with my ideals and my goals to be King of the Nine Kingdoms. I did not agree with Odin being King either,” Loki stood in front of me, looking devastated.
“So what happens now?”
“He will go back to father and report what happened here. I am no longer their ally, and they are no longer mine. You and I are on our own to find more allies to fight for our cause,” I looked down, feeling bad. I had just danced with Sif to celebrate our union as sisters. It felt so short lived. It felt unfair.
“Are we their enemies now? Will they attack us?”
“We are enemies now, but not tonight,” Loki continued, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Thor and I did agree on one thing: to enjoy tonight. To celebrate our childhood friend and his new wife. Tomorrow, we are enemies and Thor will leave. Tonight, we are brothers as you and Sif are sisters.” Loki gave me a half-smile before it faded away.
I heard the music growing louder. I looked towards the brightly lit hall to see almost everyone joining in on the celebration. I turned back to Loki to see his blue eyes looking towards the night sky. His mind had wandered away from me. I took his hand and his attention snapped back to me.
“We never celebrated our wedding the way I wanted to,” I told him.
“What do you mean?” he asked. He shook his head. “I was awful to you back then. We did barely anything to celebrate our union.”
“Well,” I smiled at him. “I have always wanted to dance with my own husband at a wedding.” Seeing what I was trying to hint at, Loki’s face lit up. He stepped back and bowed to me.
“My lady, my queen,” he said. “May I have this dance?” He offered his hand to me and I took it. Loki rushed me towards the dance floor. I giggled all the way there. Months ago, he wouldn’t dare touch me. Now, he wrapped his arm and round me and took my other hand. He started to waltz with me across the floor. I let him take the lead. Loki danced with me in tune to the music. His hand felt natural on my waist just as his eyes felt natural looking into mine.
Loki smiled down on me while the music swelled. His mouth spoke into my ear.
“Do you trust me?” he asked. I nodded to him, wondering what he thought of in his mind. Loki placed two hands on my waist and lifted me up into the air and twirled me around. When I landed, I felt as though my heart was still in the air, flying around like the most musical bird. Loki kept dancing with me into the next song that played. This time, he picked up the pace in tune to the quicker beat. We flew across the floor like a pair of birds that flew together in the sky.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked me in the middle of the song.
“I am!” I laughed. “I didn’t realize you could dance so well.” Loki smiled and bit his lip.
“It’s a good talent of mine,” he said. He twirled me around then brought me close to him. The music swelled once again. I heard violins make sweet sounds as my heart beat faster. I could not keep my feelings inside much longer. Not when he looked at me like that. His blue eyes smiled at mine like I was made of gold. I opened my silly mouth.
“I love you,” I confessed out loud. Loki paused, digesting what I just said. His blank face turned into a slow smile.
“I love you too,” Loki kissed me gently. Both of his hands going into my hair and holding my face there. He pulled away quickly, realizing where we were. My face was flushed from all the emotion I felt. Loki looked to Fandral and Elise who were dancing to the music. Everyone else was either dancing or drunk. Loki took my hand and rushed me away from the celebration.
“Where are we going?” I asked him as he kept running away from the wedding party.
“I don’t know!” Loki laughed as he stopped in front of stairs. He turned to me and picked me up. Maybe I was drunker than I realized. Maybe I was a silly girl. But I was sure of one thing. Loki was leading us to our bedroom.
When we reached our destination, Loki closed and locked the door behind him. We paused for a moment, realizing we were alone and we loved each other. We rushed to each other. My hands went to his chest, undoing anything I could get my hands on. Loki’s hands went to work on my corset. The strings loosening each row he went up.
I kept kissing Loki as his tongue slipped into my mouth. His armor fell to the ground while I pulled his tunic over his head. Loki’s hands became aggressive when he tugged away the corset leaving me in a vulnerable state. He had never seen me like this. I never let any man see me like this, but Loki kept going, pushing me towards the bed.
The rest of my clothing fell in different places on the ground while Loki lowered my body onto our bed. He paused and looked at my naked form. His eyes traced every line and curve of my body, and then he started laughing. I felt a pang in my stomach.
“What’s wrong? Am I ugly?” I asked him.
“No, you’re perfect,” Loki’s lean body was over mine. “You’re much more beautiful than I imagined. If I had known, I would’ve done this so much sooner. Knowing that I am the first one to have you like this makes this all the more precious to me.”
Loki started to kiss me again. His arms wrapped around me. His breath was hot and I felt breathless and an excitement surge through me as his kisses made their way down to my neck. My breath hitched at every time he sucked on my skin. I saw the dark marks form down my body as his fingers hovered over my most sensitive part. His fingers itched to touch me intimately.
“May I?” he asked me softly. “I’ll be gentle. I promise, little dove.” He waited for my consent. He was the Dark prince who did anything he wanted. He hurt anyone he wanted. He took anything he wanted, yet he asked for my consent to touch me. I nodded my head.
Loki’s fingers entered and I moaned. His two fingers made slow work as they went in and out of me. I felt the sensation of electricity go through my body as he kept going. Loki’s mouth found mine again and I moaned into his mouth. His thumb then found my bundle of nerves as he rubbed around in circles. I moaned louder.
His lips moved against mine as his tongue slipped in and out my mouth. I felt beads of sweat come from my forehead. Loki pulled out his fingers and we both looked on to see him separate his fingers. My substance between them, glistening and wet. Loki jumped off the bed, and I watched him.
Loki let his pants fall to the ground. He threw off his arm braces and any other undergarment he wore as he stood at the front of the bed. His black hair was already wild and a distinct mess. His dilated eyes stared at me, wanting him, needing him. Loki crawled on top of me again. My eyes wandered down to his size. It was larger than I imagined, and it looked intimidating. Loki chuckled.
“Are you nervous, love?” his face inches from mine.
“Yes,” I said. “I heard that it hurts.” Loki separated my legs with his own. His hand lifted my hip.
“I promised I would be gentle love. Trust me. Look at me,” Loki kept my attention. As he inserted himself inside of me, I felt the pain at first. It stung and tore through skin. Loki slowly pulled out and smoothly went inside again. The first few time he did that, the pain was still there, but it did not matter. Loki watched me moan and sigh from his movements.
Loki went faster, seeing I was enjoying myself. He kissed my face as his hips pounded harder and harder into me. Both of us breathed hard against the other. Loki buried himself in my neck, kissing and sucking at my skin. I grabbed his hair, trying to keep a hold of reality. But I felt my body winding up like a clock. I didn’t quite know what was happening, but it felt good.
Loki thrusted himself into me faster and faster until I felt my body let go of itself. I yelled Loki’s name louder than I realized. Electricity surged through my body again as it was sent into a crescendo before it fell. Loki moaned loud as his body raised and thrusted hard into me. His eyes closed as I felt his warmth go inside of me.
Loki pulled out of me and fell into bed next to me. Both of us tried to catch our breath as we looked to one another. His blue eyes never left mine, and for the second time that day I believed both of us thought of the same thing: we were truly now than ever before husband and wife.
Taglist: @angelicshinigami @sugarwastaken @carilov09 @disneyprincessbuffyannesummers @i-theredqueen @sleepylunarwolf @trashpandabarnes @loki-0fasgard
#loki#Loki Laufeyson#loki odinson#loki gif#loki fanfic#loki x reader#loki x ofc#loki x original female character#loki x you#war creatures#marvel fanfic#loki imagine
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Crowdsourcing my runs
Over the last few weeks, I've hit a bit of a creative slump with regards to my running. In the absence of parkrun and the social aspect therein, I've been doing the same routes and getting bored of it. I decided to shake things up a bit and ask my friends on social media to choose for me. A soft launch on Twitter using a carefully selected series of polls (to prevent people telling me to run a marathon in 20 minutes) kicked things off.
Manipulating polls to get the results I wanted
The week after, I tried Instagram, giving followers who cared enough to interact with my stories the choice of a fast and flat run, or hills (hills hills). Unsurprisingly they picked the hills, with a follow-up question seeing 2/3rds choose hill repeats over one big hill in a poorly worded question. Due to wanting a beer on a Saturday night, I elected to do these the morning after watching the film/war-crime Cats, but on the bright side after three 2km reps up a steep hill my hangover was gone! With a nice 2k to get there warming me up (and down afterwards), and the hill being a kilometre high, it was a great route to discover for the future.
So, with a bit of success from these, I opened things up to user submissions. Knowing that they'd probably send me on a route that includes Land's End, John O'Groats, Mordor, Atlantis and Venus, I kept things simple and asked for music submissions. The rules included one track per person, and outlawed any repeats. I also pledged to listen in the order of submission to avoid any suggestions I was adjusting the playlist to make it easier on me. I also privately promised to run for the entire length of the playlist - had I admitted this, I could pinpoint exactly who would submit the longest song they could find just for a laugh (and one of them couched their suggestion with "the longest version of this song you can find", proving me right).
I was nervous about it, especially knowing what the second song was, and only familiar with about a quarter of the songs submitted. How would they fare as running songs? How would they hold up as songs at all? How far would I have to run? Where is the love? Do they know it's Christmas? D'ya know what I mean?
1. MØL - Bruma
Straight in with something new, a shoegazey metal band from Denmark! If the two coffees to start the day hadn't woken me up already, this definitely would have done. I really liked it, it reminded me of Arch Enemy and I'm going to check out more of their work later this week.
Song: 8/10
Suitability as a running soundtrack: 10/10
2. Crazy Frog - Axel F
And the first of the troll submissions. (To be fair, with the amount of shots I've taken at Swindon Town on Twitter, I deserved it.) This started as a "grit your teeth and pray for it to end" song but the steady beat and 80s synths really helped me click into my pace - it's just a shame about the ringtone championing amphibian singing all over it!
Song: 3/10
Running: 8/10 (I'll add the original to my regular running playlists)
3. Bastille - Joy
Any song after the preceding one would be a blessing, but this just clicked with me. Maybe it was seeing the sun breaking through the clouds above the piers, maybe it was just the general pleasantness of the song, but it definitely uplifted my spirits ahead of what could turn out to be a gruelling run.
Song: 8/10
Running: 8/10
4. Bill Withers - Lovely Day
And another nice song. A steady beat, a song that moves along at a fair clip, it was a surprise that I found it so easy to run to but I'm pleased it was added. I don't know that it would've clicked quite as much if it had been chucking it down but it really was a lovely day for running!
Song: 10/10
Running: 7/10
5. Vidiots - Dog Rap
I was nervous about this song to start with. I had absolutely no idea what to expect and was slightly scared of what I would have to listen to. Luckily, within about 10 seconds I realised it was exactly the sort of rap parody you'd see on SNL or an episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and I had a great time with it! I did have trouble keeping my cadence to it, unfortunately.
Song: 7/10
Running: 6/10
6. Turbowolf - Domino
I won't lie, I was half hoping that this would be a metal cover of a Jessie J song. It wasn't, but that wasn't much of a detriment - just three minutes of full on rock 'n' roll, and another band I'll check out more of later!
Song: 9/10
Running: 8/10
7. Rammstein - Deutschland
Finally, a familiar song! I've run to this track before, and it's not the only one of theirs that I've run to, so I could relax into the run a bit easier. I really should remember that my mask blocks infection but not my voice, as I think I scared other runners by singing along.
Song: 10/10
Running: 9/10
8. Das Sound Machine - World Championship Finale
And from a German band to a faux-German group, performing a mash-up of Fall Out Boy and DJ Khaled. While I didn't enjoy the Pitch Perfect movies as much as people expected, this was a clever combination of two songs I was vaguely familiar with, didn't overstay its welcome, and even raised a smile!
Song: 7/10
Running: 5/10
9. Brothers Osborne - It Ain't My Fault
Again, more expectations of pop song covers dashed, but even though this isn't a countrified Zara Larsson song it still rocked! A good steady beat, it reminded me of a train but that may have been because I was running next to a railway line! Another pleasant discovery. I realised at this point that this was also probably the most different male vocalists I'd listened to in succession in years.
Song: 9/10
Running: 7/10
10. HUNGER - Light It Up
Knowing the musical overlap I have with Elise, I was surprised to hear a(nother) male vocalist on this track. It was great despite that, the song reminded me of a third act heroic run in a teen movie, which really boosted my serotonin.
Song: 8/10
Running: 8/10
11. Prince - When Doves Cry
The first of three submissions from the same person, and reluctantly the only one I could keep. It's to my shame that I forget how good a musician Prince was, and this was a welcome reprise. It soundtracked the portion of my run along the western arm of Brighton Marina, and reminded me of that beautiful moment when two people called Milhouse finally meet.
Song: 10/10
Running: 9/10
12. BLACKPINK - BOOMBAYAH
I'm glad I stuck to my guns regarding not using shuffle, as it lead to this colourful trend - mix black and pink and you get purple, the previous artist's signature colour! Another familiar song, another relaxing segment of the run, by this point along the foot of the cliffs towards Saltdean. By now I was confident of being able to run to pretty much any song - alternating between music and podcasts over the last few years had broken me out of old habits of needing fast paced songs to keep me going. I could just settle in and enjoy the mix of English and Korean!
Song: 9/10
Running: 9/10
13. P!nk - Raise Your Glass
It is a fault of my own that I associate too many songs with the TV show Glee. I noticed it working my way through Van Halen's discography the other week; I noticed it here as well. I mostly put that out of my mind after the first verse, focusing on P!nk's snarky asides that didn't make it into the sanitised, TV friendly version. It also made me realise that I really should listen to her more!
Song: 8/10
Running: 8/10
14. Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto - The Girl From Ipanema
This was the first song that genuinely threw me off my pace. I stumbled and said (probably too loudly, I'm sure that people overheard) "what the fuck is this?!" when the French jazz came on. Over five minutes long, I felt myself slowing, and willing it to end. My colleague's attempt to throw me off worked - I'm just glad she didn't choose Ed Sheeran!
Song: 2/10
Running: 0/10
15. A Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away)
(This worked really well, but the plan for using the gif came to me within seconds of the intro and I couldn't not do it)
Song: 9/10
Running: 8/10
16. The Walkmen - The Rat
By this point I had hit the turn around point and was heading back towards town, along the undulating clifftop. It was also the penultimate song that I had no idea about, and another surprise! Chock full of driving drums, it reminded me (to no detriment) of The Bravery's An Honest Mistake, and I was pleased to find out later that the two songs were released within six months of each other! Another song that'll find its way onto my regular running playlists in the future.
Song: 8/10
Running: 10/10
17. Chemical Brothers - Galvanize
I could've sworn when I was listening to this song that it had been used on an advert, or TV show, perhaps as part of an exercise montage - but Wikipedia is remaining mute on the subject. Regardless, it made me feel like I was in one, so this is going on the playlist from now on. You might say it...galvanised...me into running faster!
Song: 8/10
Running: 10/10
18. Russ Abbot - Atmosphere
The final song on this list that I knew nothing about - and within seconds I was convinced it was a hastily written song to cash in on the popularity of Agadoo. According to Google this was written by Joy Division, but I'm certain that's incorrect. Spotify credits the singer, and it's really not good. I'm just glad it had some semblance of pace to it so it didn't drag!
Song: 1/10
Running: 1/10
19. Britney Spears - Toxic
About ten years ago the branch of German budget supermarket Aldi in Canterbury closed down, and the cramped site was taken over by upmarket supermarket Waitrose. The sudden increase in quality is a perfect metaphor for the vast uptick in quality between the last song and this. The Grammy award winning track is the musical equivalent of doping - listening to it makes you run faster, lighter, easier and happier.
Song: 10/10
Running: 11/10
20. Faithless - Insomnia
This was a song I was convinced I knew, but two-thirds of the way into the song it still wasn't ringing any bells...until the bells kicked in and I recognised the bit played on Invicta FM on the car rides to school all those years ago. Another great song to run to, soundtracking my run along Marine Parade back to the pier.
Song: 9/10
Running: 8/10
21. Garbage - Temptation Waits
The opening track on the first proper album I ever owned, and the third track on the "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" original soundtrack album...this is very possibly one of my most listened to songs, ever. A slow burner, it explodes on the listener partway through - and I guess knowing I only had ten minutes left of my run helped boost my motivation too!
Song: 8/10
Running: 8/10
22. Focus - Hocus Pocus (live at the Rainbow)
This was submitted with the caveat of "hopefully a 15 minute live version". The longest one I could find was "only" eight and a half minutes, but the yodelling and guitars sped me to a fast finish on Hove Lawns. I really need to give the studio version another listen!
Song: 8/10
Running: 9/10
Had I just been listening to podcasts, I probably would've called it a day at 10 or 12k. I tucked another 6k under my belt (two more pints in my beer total), covered a more interesting route, and good lord are my legs feeling it now!
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Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation Takes Place Slightly After the Game’s Story
January 29, 2020 9:20 PM EST
New details on Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation and the Moscow Combat Revue designed by Kaguya Luna character designer Mika Pikazo. Staff, cast comments.
Sega held on January 29 the 11th Sakura Taisen Imperial Communication Department’s Broadcast stream. You can find the full stream here. It was the first stream since 2020 began. As usual, it featured MC Mami Yamashita, Yohei Azakami, who was cosplaying Seijuro, and Producer Tetsu Katano. The stream included many new details on the upcoming anime adaptation, Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation. The Moscow Combat Revue was finally revealed, along with a new trailer, story details, screenshots, and comments from the cast and staff.
First off, here is the trailer, narrated by Sho Hayami, revealing the new characters from the Moscow Combat Revue:
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The biggest shock about the anime is how it takes place on Taisho 30, meaning it’s a sequel to the game, which takes place on Taisho 29. Producer Katano said the anime takes place “slightly after the game”. This is surprising as when the anime was first revealed, Sega said it would cover more or less the same story events as in the game. This is fine by me, as hopefully, I will have finished the game by April, but this is a bummer for fans waiting for the game’s localization. Fans who wish to avoid spoilers won’t be able to watch the anime as it airs. This is just a guess though, but I believe the anime won’t spoil the game much and will focus on its own story instead. This was the case with most previous Sakura Taisen anime.
Here’s the story pitch from the Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation official site: “Taisho 30 (1941). The Imperial City, Tokyo, regained its peaceful days. Seijuro Kamiyama, the captain of the Imperial Combat Revue Flower Division, was assigned to Europe, and Sakura Amamiya is temporarily replacing him as acting captain. The Flower Division’s days without their captain are full of troubles. One day, Seijuro momentarily comes back, bringing along a girl named Clara, the only survivor of the Moscow Combat Revue, destroyed after a certain incident. Seijuro transfers Clara into the Flower Division, entrusting her to Sakura Amamiya and the others, who warmly welcome here However, individuals who claim to be the supposedly destroyed Moscow Combat Revue appear in the imperial city. What is Clara’s real identity? And what is the objective of the Moscow Combat Revue? The curtain rises on the Imperial Combat Revue Flower Division’s new battle.”
On stream, we were then introduced to Clara and the Moscow Combat Revue characters:
From left to right: first, we have Clara, voiced by Misaki Watada. Next, we have the captain of the Moscow Combat Revue, Kaminsky Valery, voiced by Akabane Kenji. Lastly, we have his squadmate, Leila, voiced by Haruka Shiraishi.
All three characters were designed by Mika Pikazo. We translated her comments: “When I first heard of Sakura Taisen in my school days, it was already a legendary game. I was overwhelmed by the passion emanating from the series, the cuteness of the character designs, and the myriads of songs. Each member of the Moscow Combat Revue has multiple facets to their personalities and backgrounds. They’re all very charming. Taking all this into account, I put a lot of thought into how to design them. I’m looking forward to how they will interact with the main characters and how their feelings will clash with each other”.
自分がアニメ作品に関わらせて頂くのはサクラ大戦が初めてで、嬉しさと同時にドキドキしています…
クラーラ・レイラ・カミンスキーはすごくお気に入りのキャラです！
メインキャラデザインの久保帯人先生、そして尊敬するイラストレーターの先生方の作られたキャラと交わるのが楽しみです！！
— Mika Pikazo
PARCO全国ツアー (@MikaPikaZo) January 29, 2020
On Twitter, Mika Pikazo added: “This is my first time being involved with anime production, and it’s Sakura Taisen! I’m so excited! I’m so happy the characters I designed will be interacting with Kubo Tite’s characters and the characters created by artists I admire”.
Mika Pikazo shared more illustrations for Clara, Kaminsky, and Leila of the Moscow Combat Revue on Twitter. Mika Pikazo often uses highly vivid colors in her drawings, giving her art an eastern Europe feel at times. This is a perfect fit for the Moscow characters, as the Sakura Taisen series purposefully exaggerates stereotypes.
Personally speaking, I didn’t expect at all that Mika Pikazo would be Moscow Combat Revue’s character designer. She’s 26 and a very new pro artist compared to the other designers on Shin Sakura Taisen: Tite Kubo (Bleach), Yukiko Horiguchi (K-On), Abec/Bunbun (Sword Art Online), Fumikane Shimada (Strike Witches), Noizi Ito (Haruhi Suzumiya), and Shigenori Soejima (Persona). All of these are popular series who originated in the early 2000s or early 2010s that would be considered old by today’s Japanese teenagers, fitting Sakura Taisen‘s old atmosphere. Mika Pikazo, in counterpart, is the character designer of Kaguya Luna, one of the five most popular virtual youtubers in Japan, and, in my opinion, the only one who’s actually funny. This shows how Sega strives to make Sakura Taisen more popular among a younger audience. Besides Kaguya Luna’s design, Mika Pikazo is also the illustrator of an isekai novel themed around real-life magic tricks, titled Saikyou Juzoku Tensei: Majutsu Otaku no Utopia. The manga adaptation is drawn by Asahi Shinomura, yet another great illustrator.
Each of the seiyuu voicing the Moscow Combat Revue also shared comments on their characters:
Comments from Clara’s seiyuu Misaki Watada: “I was so happy when I heard I’d be voicing a Sakura Taisen character I started crying and we all celebrated together at my agency. Look forward to how Clara will interact with the other characters. I’m sure both older fans and newcomers who discovered the franchise with Shin Sakura Taisen will enjoy the anime”.
During the stream, Yohei Azakami mentioned he does know more about Clara, since he already recorded his lines for the anime, but he can’t say anything. He and MC Mami Yamashita jokingly added that Kohei Tanaka would have spoiled everything if he was there.
Comments from Kaminsky Valery’s seiyuu Kenji Akabane: “I got into Sakura Taisen in my school days, after watching Sakura Wars: The Movie. And I never imagined I’d be voicing a captain character one day. I was so surprised and so happy. Kaminsky is a true gentleman, but he’s also a bit weird (laughs). I hope you’re enjoying the game, and are looking forward to the anime.”
On stream, Producer Katano mentioned Kaminsky is a bit similar to Seijuro in the game, mixing seriousness and weirdness. In the anime, Seijuro acts overall cooler and more serious than in the game, seeing he can’t pick any dumb or perverted dialogue choices. Yohei Azakami and Kenji Akabane are both at Aoni Production. Azakami funnily remembered that back when it was decided he would voice Seijuro (this should be over a year ago now seeing how early in development Japanese videogames are dubbed), Akabane was acting super envious, saying he wanted to do it too. I remember a similar comedic scene that happened during a Super Robot Wars stream where they appeared together. Nice for Akabane, he ended up in Shin Sakura Taisen now.
Comments from Leila’s seiyuu Haruka Shiraishi: “The character I’m voicing, Leila, has a complicated past. She’s suffering because of it. Expressing her pain, loneliness and all her emotions in my acting was something quite difficult. Leila becomes more and more interesting as the story goes on, so look forward to the anime, and what kind of choices will she make.”
Next, we were introduced to the Spirit Particle Fighters used by the Moscow Combat Revue. They’re called Ekaterina and were designed by Mika Akitaka, the game’s mecha designer. He designed the five Spirit Particle Fighters Mugen used by the Flower Division, and all the other Spirit Particle Fighters and mecha in Project Sakura Wars.
Comments from Shin Sakura Taisen Mecha Designer Mika Akitaka: “I’m happy I was able to make new mecha designs not only for the PS4 game but for the anime as well. These are the units used by the Moscow Combat Revue, who appears for the first time in the series. Manabu Ono, the anime’s director, asked me to design a mecha that feels reminiscent of a bird. So it looks pretty different than the other mecha. Look forward to the anime.”
A new key visual for Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation was shared as well. It shows Sakura Amamiya, Hatsuho, Claris, Azami, and Anastasia, weapons ready, protecting Clara. Azakami said it echoes the anime’s story.
Comments from Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation Director Manabu Ono: “I’m happy but feeling a lot of pressure participating in Sakura Taisen‘s revival. However, I’ve fallen in love with the series once again after the meetings for the anime with Sega’s staff and the game’s development team. Sakura Taisen focuses on intense battles, friendship, and love. Along with comedy and hot-blooded story developments. I wish to show all the aspects of the franchise with the anime, so look forward to April 2020.”
Last but not least, Producer Katano, Yohei Azakami, and Mami Yamashita commented on the anime as some screenshots were revealed.
They first explained that the anime’s protagonist is Sakura Amamiya instead of Seijuro, something we already knew. As previously mentioned, Seijuro got assigned to Europe. Katano mentioned Seijuro is with Lancelot and Elise over there.
They also mentioned the anime will give more occasions to shine to Reiji Shiba and Hakushu Murasame. As a reminder, Reiji is the Flower Division’s mechanic voiced by Tomokazu Sugita. Hakushu is Sakura Amamiya’s swordmaster, designed by Soejima and voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro.
This is the Moscow Combat Revue, Kaminsky and Leila, doing Russian Ballet together. They like to dance like this whenever discussing together. Sega also hired ballet dancers to do motion capture for these ballet scenes.
Lastly, we have screenshots showing te Flower Division fighting against Kouma.
【1月29日(水)生放送終了】
皆様、ご視聴ありがとうございました！
次回は2月26日(水)放送予定！お楽しみに
#新サクラ大戦#サクラ大戦 pic.twitter.com/aajgyGASco
— サクラ大戦公式@SEGA (@Sakura_Taisen) January 29, 2020
The usual end of stream photo with Mami Yamashita, Yohei Azakami, and Tetsu Katano.
Shin Sakura Taisen The Animation will start airing in April 2020. The next Sakura Taisen stream will be held on February 26 and will include more info on it.
Shin Sakura Taisen is temporarily named Project Sakura Wars in the west and is scheduled to release on PlayStation 4 in Spring 2020. If you don’t want to wait, we’re translating the game via a let’s play. You can find the episodes we did so far on our YouTube channel. The first episode is also included below, along with our full coverage of the game.
First story details, first trailer
Unfinished French trailer incident
Comments on the Sakura Taisen series from original creator Oji Hiroi
Famitsu staff interview Part 1 Part 2
Main cast comments
Toshihiro Nagoshi comments, story, mecha details
Sumire, Kaoru,Komachi Gameplay introduction videos
Michie Tomizawa/Sumire comments
Shangai characters designed by Lucky Star’s Yukiko Horiguchi, new gameplay
Toshihiro Nagoshi comments on switch to action RPG battles
London characters designed by Sword Art Online‘s Abec, new gameplay
Berlin characters designed by Strike Witches‘ Fumikane Shimada, Yasha’s introduction trailer, story, gameplay trailers
Anime announcement trailer
Game opening movie, Japanese Limited Edition details
Stage play announcement, OST comments from Kohei Tanaka, Limited Edition details
Producer Katano, Director Otsubo comments
Itsuki, Hiromi introduction trailer, designed by Haruhi Suzumiya‘s Noizi Ito.
Gameplay, screenshots, story details
Demo, Combination attacks details
Character Song Music Videos
Character design introduction videos, screenshots, tournament battles
Hakushu Murasame introduction trailer, designed by Shigenori Soejima, character design introduction videos
Gameplay, commercials, staff comments, collabs, DLC teaser
Chisa Yokoyama, Michie Tomizawa interview
Stage play cast, anime trailer
DLC details
youtube
January 29, 2020 9:20 PM EST
from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/01/shin-sakura-taisen-the-animation-takes-place-slightly-after-the-games-story/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=shin-sakura-taisen-the-animation-takes-place-slightly-after-the-games-story
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Chapter 4
Finally after a long spawn they came across a house at the end of the street. Seemed like candle light shining from inside. It must have been little more than a glorified shed even in its hay day. But now it looked for all the world like a giant had sat on the roof, for it sagged terribly. Guess we could call the war a giant. A giant of destruction. The windows were gaping holes for wind to rush in and out through and the door hung on its hinges at a jaunty angle. It outlasted all the others because it was made of concrete, except the roof.
“Think they would let us in?” Sean asked.
“The war has been cruel to them. I am not sure.” Clive answered. “We should at least try. I can’t dig up another hole.”
It was not considerably decent though. But they have been fighting for their cause. Whether they would be welcoming or not was up to their own beliefs. Which side they wanted to win.
Clive after a while walked up to the front door and knocked. He could hear noises inside which suddenly went quiet. They had to wait for a while and finally the door opened. A woman around her late thirties answered.
“Pouvons-nous vous aider?” She asked .
“Sorry do you speak English?” Clive asked.
“Oui, can we help you” she asked again.
“Sorry for the imposition Ma’am. We are soldiers from the Allied forces. We are on our way to Rouen. My friend, Sean here is wounded. Think you can let us stay the night here? We would be out of your way before sunrise.” Clive asked.
He could see the silence in her eyes. She was having trouble deciding whether or not she could trust them. Wasn’t her fault though. She looked puzzled but with a low pitched voice she asked them to come on in. Clive helped Sean in.
The view outside the house was quite dull. A garden filled with dead plants. Upon entering the house, simplicity and a balance of mesmerizing smell fills the living room contradictory to its outward appearance. Inside it was quite elegant and beautiful. She led them into the living room and offered them a seat. There was no electricity. A candle was lit at the center table. A brown table made of wood so old that you could see the rough edges. “I am Elise.” She said. “Bonjour, I am Clive and this is Sean.” Clive said. “Do you live alone Elise?”“I have a son and a daughter.” Elise said. “They are five and seven.”“So why are you still here Elise? Isn’t it a bit dangerous?” Sean asked. Her face could be seen dimming. The question pinched her like a bullet. She went pale as if all the light from her face was taken away. Even though the candle was burning at its brightest. “We have nowhere else to go” She answered. “We have lived here all our life. This is our home.” Sean managed to be comfortable. It’s been a while but the wound was all dried up. He could move his arm around quite well. The fear of an infection was still prevalent. But there was no hospitals around. The medical staff were all recruited for the battleground. And those that didn’t qualify evacuated. There might still be some around helping out but it wasn’t easy to find them. “He doesn’t look good. Is he alright?” Elise asked. “He is fine. Can we have some water? We have been covering distance for a long time.” Clive added. Elise left for the kitchen. She was a beautiful woman. But the war had got to her. You could see the wrinkles appearing for such a young woman. She didn’t have a husband. Or she did, he might be fighting in the war. They didn’t bother asking. Going down the memory lane would not help either her or them. When she returned she had her kids behind them. They were little.Matt and Marie. That’s what they were called. Matt handed the water to Sean. He seemed pretty interested with the wound. “How did you get that?” He asked.Sean didn’t know how to answer. He wasn’t sure if he should break it to the kid. The cruelty of a war. He looked up to Clive for an answer. Clive was about to answer when Elise said. “It’s from a bullet. They are old enough to learn about the war. If they are to survive.” She said. Marie on the other hand was terrified. There was nothing to be scared about their mom explained. They are our friends. They are fighting with your father for our Country. “Have you met my father?” Marie asked. “He’s a hero”.“I have not met him. But I have heard about him.” Clive answered.“Can I get you something to eat?” Elise asked.“We would like that.” Sean answered.There’s not much they had for food the last two days. Last night’s supper was the only healthy thing they had in a while which. “Tasted like crap.” Sean would say. “We don’t want to put you through much Elise. Anything would be fine.” Clive said trying to be friendly. He was famished. He could hear the thunderstorm in his gut. And water could not get rid of it. He did have to work harder. Carrying Sean all the way. All the training in the world doesn’t prepare anyone for the real stuff. Clive thought. But it did pay off.
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The words tumble out of my mouth without a thought: Who cares about Jason? Even before I finish saying them, I want to shout that I care. Not in the way he wants me to, but I do care in the only way I know how.
I collapse onto the bench, head in hands and let out a guttural groan.
“Querelle de l'amant?” Cerise stops herself in front of me, leaning on her elbows. She allows an airy laugh to follow and if I didn’t know any better, I would assume she truly cared, “Come, Elise,” she beckons while holding out her hand towards me, “Skate, it will be fun.”
“I don’t want to skate, mère,” I snap, “I don’t want to do any of this—I don’t want to be here.”
Her face hardens instantly, darkens as she leans down. Cerise fixes her posture so the care-free relaxed version of her had been tightly zipped back up and put away, “Élise, n'agis pas comme un morveux,” she hisses, fingers curling around the wooden edge, “Do not ruin this for me by acting like an insolent child.” Both of us are silent, allowing room for her words to linger. I wait for an apology, arms crossed defiantly over my chest.
Waiting for an apology from Cerise Allaire is like waiting for the ocean to dry up. Instead, she lets go of the barrier, eyes still locked on mine, “Do you understand me?”
All I manage is a brief nod.
♡ ♡ ♡
QUESTION: How many times can a body fold in on itself before it finally disappears?
Sometimes I wish I would have been born a different person. I was desperate for a heart that did more than bruise the inside of my ribcage with a war song. Instead I was given skin not quite strong enough to contain my storm and a chest as dead as any graveyard.
I find myself in the comforting familiarity of a bathroom stall. Face pressed to the cool porcelain, trying to slow the heart in my chest. One hand grips the side of the bowl, goosebumps spread through my skin as I try to ignore how unsanitary this is. The index of my other hand presses the back of my throat. One, two, three times and all I can manage is a dry heave. I let out frustrated cry, smacking my free hand against the off-white of the toilet.
The only thing I’m good at I can’t do right.
My knees begin to ache from the linoleum floor, but it does little to subdue the ache that spreads through my chest. This heart, I think, is going to kill me.
I try again: four, five, six—and then lunch.
There’s a calm that rushes through my body as I wipe my mouth and flush the toilet. I lean my back against the stall and rest my forehead to my knees. There is no greater act of violence than a girl against herself, a girl whose chest is a ticking bomb of self doubt and loathing. No gun is quite as deafening.
ANSWER: The number is infinite.
♡ ♡ ♡
You shouldn’t love me.
It’s too bad. I do.
Don’t. You won’t like what you see when you really see it.
I have seen it. I love it.
S?
Sylvia, you’re worrying me.
You deserve to be happy, not to love a ghost.
That’s what I am, Kai. Don’t you get that?
I’m a ghost.
Just as dead.
What the fuck, Sylvia. I’m calling you.
✓ Message read
( missed call from kai. )
( missed call from kai. )
I’m fine. Don’t continue calling. I’m shutting off my phone.
♡ ♡ ♡
Emilia and Eva run through the door as soon as we’re back, and what follows are the high pitched screams of two little girls probably getting murdered. As we walk through the door, I still don’t understand why—until I see her.
“Hi grandma,” comes a voice I knew all too well. I can hardly hide how my jaw unhinges and I stare at Sienna Rose leaning against the island. I try and recover, though hardly quick enough because Cerise pushes by me and reminds me to walk. Gigi’s hands fly up, exhausted already by her eldest granddaughter, “You don’t look a day over forty.” A cool Cheshire smile tugs her lips apart and suddenly I’m fourteen and following her around like a shadow.
“Forty?” Gigi scoffs, rounding the table to wrap her arms around Sienna, she kisses both cheeks before pulling away, “I’m hardly thirty, dear,” she quips.
Sienna nods, she glances toward Malachi but makes no moves to embrace him. Instead she stands straighter, squares her shoulders and leans her head toward the two girls to her left. Who, before this moment, I didn’t even notice. First, I take in the blonde, short and thick. I could hardly keep my eyes away from the jeans that strain around her thighs and hips. And then to the taller brunette—I recognize her immediately. Intimidating beautiful, she’s tall and thin and everything I’ve ever wanted to be.
“This is my girlfriend Tallulah and her friend Ophelia.” A small victory comes in the way Sienna’s mouth wraps around Ophelia’s name, something she says to be polite but it couldn’t come out fast enough.
“Abram!” Shrieks Ophelia just then. She moves around everyone, unabashed and wraps her arms around him, “I had no idea you’re Sienna’s half brother. What a small world.” She plants a friendly kiss on his cheek. I watch as her eyes flicker back toward the blonde who keeps her own attention straight ahead.
“An inconveniently small world,” I agree as I move past Abram and the girl.
That night Malachi demands Sienna tell him everything about her life in New York, no doubt at the persistence of Gigi who sits at the head of the table, eyes trained on Malachi the entire time.
Sienna does. She mentions, in no uncertain terms, that she, Tallulah—Tulie, and Ophelia graduated from Boston University without the support of either her mother or father ( when she says this, she looks directly at Malachi ) every so often she tightens her grip around Tulie’s hand. Whether for comfort or support—maybe both. But the longer I watch the blonde, the more I notice her stolen glances. Every so often she looks up from the table and glares at Ophelia and Abram sitting on the couch—a little too close for both our comforts.
Eventually the night settles in the living room. Malachi and my mother curled to one end of the couch, Gigi on a recliner, Sienna and Tulie are sat on the floor with the twins sleeping in their lap, Ophelia and Abram are speaking in low whispers and I lean against Jason, trying not to watch.
“Ophelia,” my mother sits up, leans her elbows on her knees and takes the girls’ hand, “you are absolutely gorgeous. Isn’t she, Elise? She’s gorgeous. How do you stay so trim? I know models who would kill for that body.”
Phe shrugs, “I don’t know. I eat like a trucker, ask Abram. I could beast him back in Boston. The poor boy couldn’t even finish a whole pizza,” in between fits of laughter, she slaps him on the back. “I had to show him who’s boss. In more ways than one.”
She adds the last part quietly, though not quiet enough.
“Well, whole pizza or not—I think you’re just the prettiest. No competition for Abram’s heart with you in the running, I’d say.”
There’s a sharp pain in my palm and when I look down I notice tiny drops of blood in the shape of crescent moons. Suddenly I stand and announce, “I’m going to bed.”
I ignore the feet following close behind. When I get to my door, I turn around, “Jason I’m not in the—,” the words fall flat because I’m looking at Abram, not Jason, “What do you want?” I snap.
“Are you mad at me?” He asks, he ducks his head low—dangerously low as he leans against the doorframe and I find myself pressing up on the balls of my feet, “because if anyone should be mad—it should be me, don’t you think?”
My lips part, close, then part again, trying to find the words. I press my hand to his chest, fingers curling around his hoodie. I’m afraid the rattling of my bones would give away the fear that’s lodged itself deep into my chest, “I’m not mad at you.” I tell him, our lips are dangerously close to touching. I feel Abram’s hand at my waist, his fingers digging firmly into my hips and he pulls me flush against him. “I—I’m,” I can nearly taste his lips, the anticipation crawling up my spine like lightning in slow motion.
We both look up at the sound of heels and I’m only partly relieved when I see Gigi standing there, “I was just going to bed. You two should as well,” she pauses, “different rooms, I hope?”
♡ ♡ ♡
When I wake up the next morning I rationalize that last night was a nightmare, an irritating side effect of guilt, my voice under the floorboards. But as soon as I’m dressed and nearing the kitchen, I hear the voices echoing off the walls. They’re all sitting around the kitchen table and I can’t contain the dumbfounded expression that curses my features.
“Elise, I’m preparing food for tonight, so don’t eat too much. There’s fruit on the table,” I watch my mother check a turkey in the oven, an onset of jealousy pokes at me, watching how gentle she is with the dead thing.
I snort, “Who did you hire?” I ask, leaning against the island, “You don’t cook.”
“Actually,” Ophelia starts, leaning back in her seat beside Abram to look at me, “I’ve been up since five in the morning—it was just a beautiful fall morning so I had to go for a run—Cerise did it all herself, you’re super lucky, Elise. All my mom can do is burn everything.”
I clamp my mouth shut, setting my jaw to keep the words that rise up my throat like sickness down. Finding an empty chair at the table I take a seat, but don’t reach for a piece of fruit.
Abram reaches forward then, opting for a peach among apples and bananas.
“Seriously?” I ask, before I can help myself. He offers a lopsided smile back, biting into the fruit without taking his eyes from me.
“I don’t know,” Phe says, leaning her chin on her palm, “I kind of like it.”
“You would.” Tallulah and I say in unison.
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Ep. 58 Alexa Alemanni listen HERE!
“You have to actively, as a storyteller, work really hard to break out of the confines of your culture and your world, you know. And one of the things that, cause it’s just natural that you just look around you and say, ‘ok what are the stories that I have? These immediate ones, right?’ I always try to gear people toward saying, Ok can you take away all the specifics of your story and then what you’re left with is just an emotional journey.”
Welcome back to Nothing Shines Like Dirt Episode 58. Elise and Lesley sit down with Actor/Writer Alexa Alemanni. They discuss writing as an actor, The Collaborative, and the written rules of the land: working with your spouse.
INSTAGRAM | The COLLABORATIVE | BAD PITCH WRITERS LAB
Alexa started her career as an actor, working in independent features, as well as hit shows such as Masters of Sex, The West Wing & more, she’s most well known for playing Allison on the Emmy winning AMC Drama Mad Men for four seasons, for which she won a SAG Award. As a writer, she launched her career with the pilot Appletown, which landed on the Tracking Board’s Young & Hungry List. On the television side, with her writing partner, she’s written on TNT’s hit show The Librarians. On the feature side, her and her writing partner wrote Something Blue, the sequel to the breakout hit Something Borrowed (Kate Hudson) for Black Label Media, as well as the book adaptation of Serpent’s Bite by Warren Adler (War of the Roses) with Grey Eagle Films. They recently sold their feature I Won’t Be Home For Christmas to UCP for USA Networks. They currently have projects in development with Helen Estabrook (Whiplash, Casual), Anand Tucker (Hilary & Jackie) and Suzanne Farwell (It’s Complicated). As a writer/producer she’s overseen and/or produced ten shorts in 2017, all now on the festival circuit, and will be producing and starring in an upcoming feature in the fall of 2018. She is a graduate of Vassar College with a degree in theater and history.
#writer#actor#writing#storytelling#bicultural#LA#Madmen#One Year Lease Theatre Company#collaborative#bad pitch writers club#silverlake problems#production insurance#women in film#adaptation#therapy
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Winter Movie & TV Preview
Winter is normally a season that is accompanied by long, snowy nights and freezing temperatures that make going outside unbearable; however, for us that call South Florida home, winter means that we can finally enjoy being outside without suffering from heat stroke and wear things other than shorts and flip flops. From blockbuster movies to the most talked about TV shows to festivals and fairs, there is no shortage of things to see and do around South Florida this winter. Here is your definitive guide to what to watch and do this season, so grab your cuddle buddy and get ready to enjoy winter in paradise.
MOVIES:
When the temperature drops, stay inside and watch these must-see, blockbuster movies:
December:
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle
Four teenagers discover an old video game console and are literally drawn into the game’s jungle setting becoming the adult avatars they chose.
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, Jack Black
Release Date: Dec. 22
Pitch Perfect 3
Fat Amy, along with your favorite Bellas, are back following their win at the world championship. The now separated Bellas reunite for one last singing competition at an overseas USO tour, but face a group who uses both instruments and voices.
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Ruby Rose, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow
Release Date: Dec. 22
Father Figures
Upon learning that their mother has been lying to them for years about their allegedly deceased father, two fraternal twin brothers hit the road to find him.
Starring: Owen Wilson, Christopher Walken, J.K. Simmons, Ed Helms
Release Date: Dec. 22
The Post
A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country’s first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between journalist and government.
Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk
Release Date: Dec. 22
Downsizing
When scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches tall as a solution to overpopulation, Paul (Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to abandon their stressed lives in order to get small and move to a new downsized community — a choice that triggers life-changing adventures.
Starring: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Kristen Wiig
Release Date: Dec. 22
Crooked House
In Agatha Christie’s most twisted tale, a spy-turned-private-detective is lured by his former lover to catch her grandfather’s murderer before Scotland Yard exposes dark family secrets.
Starring: Christina Hendricks, Gillian Anderson, Honor Kneafsey, Glenn Close
Release Date: Dec. 22
The Greatest Showman
Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, “The Greatest Showman” is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
Starring: Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron
Release Date: Dec. 22
All The Money In The World
This crime thriller is based on the true story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Charlie Plummer, Christopher Plummer
Release Date: Dec. 29
Molly’s Game
The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera
Release Date: Dec. 29
Phantom Thread
Set in 1950’s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.
Starring: Vicky Krieps, Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, Sue Clark
Release Date: Dec. 29
January:
Insidious: The Last Key
Parapsychologist Dr. Elise Rainier faces her most fearsome and personal haunting yet – in her own family home.
Starring: Kirk Acevedo, Spencer Locke, Josh Stewart, Lin Shaye
Release Date: Jan. 5
Proud Mary
Taraji P. Henson is Mary, a hitwoman working for an organized crime family in Boston. Mary’s life is completely turned around when she meets a young boy whose path she crosses when a professional hit goes awry.
Starring: Neal McDonough, Taraji P. Henson, Danny Glover, Xander Berkeley
Release Date: Jan. 12
THE FINAL YEAR
“THE FINAL YEAR” is a unique insiders’ account of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy team during their last year in office. Featuring unprecedented access inside the White House and State Department, “THE FINAL YEAR” offers an uncompromising view of the inner workings of the Obama Administration as they prepare to leave power after eight years.
Starring: John Kerry, Barack Obama, Samantha Power, Ben Rhodes
Release Date: Jan. 19
12 Strong
12 Strong tells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down the Taliban.
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, William Fichtner, Elsa Pataky
Release Date: Jan. 19
Den Of Thieves
In this gritty crime saga, follow the lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.
Starring: Gerard Butler, Jordan Bridges, Pablo Schreiber, Evan Jones
Release Date: Jan. 19
The Leisure Seeker
A runaway couple go on an unforgettable journey in the faithful old RV they call The Leisure Seeker.
Starring: Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland, Kirsty Mitchell, Janel Moloney
Release Date: Jan. 19
White Boy Rick
The story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison.
Starring: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Matthew McConaughey, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern
Release Date: Jan. 26
February:
Winchester
Eccentric Winchester firearm heiress believes she is haunted by the souls of people killed by the Winchester repeating rifle.
Starring: Helen Mirren, Sarah Snook, Jason Clarke, Angus Sampson
Release Date: Feb. 2
Fifty Shades Freed
In the third, and final, installment of the erotic Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, newlyweds Christian and Ana believe they have left behind shadowy figures from their past and fully embrace an inextricable connection and shared life of luxury. However, just as she steps into her role as Mrs. Grey and he relaxes into an unfamiliar stability, new threats could jeopardize their happy ending before it even begins.
Starring: Rita Ora, Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Arielle Kebbel
Release Date: Feb. 9
Black Panther
T’Challa, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king.
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira
Release Date: Feb. 16
Annihilation
A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don’t apply.
Starring: Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Oscar Isaac
Release Date: Feb. 23
The War With Grandpa
Upset that he has to share the room he loves with his grandfather, Peter decides to declare war in an attempt to get it back.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jane Seymour, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken
Release Date: Feb. 23
March:
Red Sparrow
Ballerina Dominika Egorova is recruited to ‘Sparrow School’ a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon. But her first mission, targeting a CIA agent, threatens to unravel the security of both nations.
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Mary-Louise Parker, Ciarán Hinds
Release Date: March 2
Game Night
In this comedy meets crime movie, a group of friends, who meet regularly for game nights, find themselves trying to solve a murder mystery.
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, Jesse Plemons, Kyle Chandler
Release Date: March 2
A Wrinkle In Time
After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space to find him.
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Levi Miller
Release Date: March 9
Gringo
Gringo, a dark comedy mixed with white-knuckle action and dramatic intrigue, explores the battle of survival for businessman Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) when he finds himself crossing the line from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal.
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Thandie Newton
Release Date: March 9
Tomb Raider
Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the island where her father disappeared.
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Hannah John-Kamen, Walton Goggins, Dominic West
Release Date: March 16
Love, Simon
Everyone deserves a great love story. But for Simon it’s complicated: no-one knows he’s gay and he doesn’t know who the anonymous classmate is that he’s fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, scary and life-changing.
Starring: Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel
Release Date: March 16
Pacific Rim Uprising
Jake Pentecost, son of Stacker Pentecost, reunites with Mako Mori to lead a new generation of Jaeger pilots, including rival Lambert and 15-year-old hacker Amara, against a new Kaiju threat.
Starring: Tian Jing, Scott Eastwood, John Boyega, Adria Arjona
Release Date: March 23
TV:
No matter if you’re looking to find your new tv addiction or are waiting for the new season of your favorite show, we’ve got you covered. Here are the most talked about premieres and returning favs for you to binge watch all winter long!
New Shows:
Ellen’s Game Of Games
Ellen DeGeneres hosts this six-episode, hourlong game show that will feature expanded versions of the various party games featured during her daytime talk show.
When to Watch: January 2, NBC
9-1-1
From the masterminds behind “Glee,” Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, comes this procedural drama, starring Peter Krause, Connie Britton and Angela Bassett, that explores the high-pressure experiences of police, paramedics and firefighters who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping situations.
When to Watch: January 3, FOX
Grown-ish
Black-ish’s Yara Shahidi gets her very own spinoff, Grown-ish, which finds her freshman college student Zoey Johnson navigating the ins and outs of living away from home — crazy roommate, instant ramen, and all — for the first time. But despite a burgeoning checking account thanks to her parents, Zoey isn’t going to have an easy time when she gets to campus. Ah, the naivety of the youths these days.
When to Watch: January 3, Freeform
The Four: Battle for Stardom
FOX’s new Voice/American Idol competitor attempts to reinvent the singing competition by starting with just four strong contestants. Each week, and there are just six episodes in all, the four must defend their spots on the show against potential upstarts. The celebrity judging panel includes Sean Combs, DJ Khaled, Meghan Trainor, and label executive Charlie Walk, while Fergie serves as host.
When to Watch: Jan. 4, FOX
Will & Grace
Everyone’s favorite foursome is back, and we are loving every minute! Join the party when season 9 returns!
When to Watch: Jan. 4, NBC
75th Annual Golden Globe Awards
Celebrate the very best in TV and Film.
When to Watch: Jan. 7, NBC
Making A Model With Yolanda Hadid
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, Yolanda Hadid brings her expertise to the forefront as she coaches aspiring teen models to succeed on and off the catwalk. As the mother and agent to fashion’s “IT” girls Gigi and Bella, and model son Anwar, Yolanda and her trusted team of experts will put the girls and their “momagers” through an intensive eight week training program, focused on the physical, mental and emotional wellness that it takes to build a sustainable brand.
When to Watch: Jan. 11, Lifetime
24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
Hosted by Kristen Bell, the 24th SAG awards honors the best achievements in film and television.
When to Watch: Jan. 21, TBS/TNT
Good Girls
This drama, from executive producer Jenna Bans (“Scandal”), follows what happens when three suburban moms get tired of trying to make ends meet and decide it’s time to stick up for themselves by robbing the local supermarket at gunpoint with a toy gun. The series, described as a mix of “Thelma and Louise” and “Breaking Bad,” stars Retta (“Parks and Recreation”), Mae Whitman (“Parenthood”) and Christina Hendricks (“Mad Men”), with the latter replacing Kathleen Rose Perkins, who starred in the pilot.
When to Watch: February 26, NBC
American Idol
Less than a year after ending its 15-season run on Fox, ABC has revived the singing competition series with a new roster of judges. Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan will join returning host Ryan Seacrest when the reality juggernaut makes its debut after the Oscars.
When to Watch: March 11, ABC
Returning Shows:
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest
America’s favorite TV/radio broadcaster Ryan Seacrest will return to host television’s largest again joined by actress and comedian Jenny McCarthy. The show also announced that multiplatinum music superstar Ciara will officially ring in the New Year from the west coast as the new host of the Hollywood Party.
When to Watch: December 31, ABC
Bones
The season premiere of Bones will answer exactly why Zack kidnapped Bones and reveal his full involvement with the Puppeteer murders. There will also be more developments in Hodgins’ quest to be able to use his legs again, though not all of them will be good. The final 12 episodes of the show will see fan-favorite characters continue to return as well as last season’s special guest Betty White.
When to Watch: January 3, FOX
The Blacklist
The task force has more pressing problems to deal with in the return episode: Namely, finding out who has been leaking information to suspected terrorists. The person’s identity will be revealed by the end of the episode, and will have major repercussions going forward. In other news, Aram and Samar get one big step closer to romance.
When to Watch: January 5, NBC
Emerald City
This gritty take on L. Frank Baum’s Oz books finds a 20-year-old Dorothy (Adria Arjona) and a K9 police dog swept off to a fantastical world unlike anything she’s seen before. Vincent D’Onofrio stars as the manipulative Wizard, who has banned magic and rules with an iron fist. Joely Richardson stars as Glinda the Good Witch and Florence Kasumba stars as the Wicked Witch of the East.
When to Watch: January 6, NBC
A Series of Unfortunate Events
The whimsical novel makes its very whimsical television debut in this beautifully bleak adaptation about a trio of orphans who are placed in the care of their scheming relative Count Olaf (a heavily made-up Neil Patrick Harris), who plans to steal their inheritance. Netflix will air 26 episodes in total, with each of the 13 books in the series adapted into two episodes. The first season will consist of eight episodes and cover the first four books. Patrick Warburton, Aasif Mandvi, Joan Cusack and Catherine O’Hare also star.
When to Watch: January 13, Netflix
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
The second season of the American Crime Story anthology from Ryan Murphy explores the July 1997 assassination of Versace (Edgar Ramirez), the famed fashion designer, by Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss), who was also behind four other slayings before he ultimately killed himself eight days later. The drama boasts an all-star cast that also includes Ricky Martin and Penelope Cruz.
When to Watch: January 17, FX
XXIII Olympic Winter Games
Watch the world’s best athletes compete in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
When to Watch: February 9-25, NBC
from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/12/21/winter-movie-tv-preview/
from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/168788352410
0 notes
Text
Winter Movie & TV Preview
Winter is normally a season that is accompanied by long, snowy nights and freezing temperatures that make going outside unbearable; however, for us that call South Florida home, winter means that we can finally enjoy being outside without suffering from heat stroke and wear things other than shorts and flip flops. From blockbuster movies to the most talked about TV shows to festivals and fairs, there is no shortage of things to see and do around South Florida this winter. Here is your definitive guide to what to watch and do this season, so grab your cuddle buddy and get ready to enjoy winter in paradise.
MOVIES:
When the temperature drops, stay inside and watch these must-see, blockbuster movies:
December:
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle
Four teenagers discover an old video game console and are literally drawn into the game’s jungle setting becoming the adult avatars they chose.
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, Jack Black
Release Date: Dec. 22
Pitch Perfect 3
Fat Amy, along with your favorite Bellas, are back following their win at the world championship. The now separated Bellas reunite for one last singing competition at an overseas USO tour, but face a group who uses both instruments and voices.
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Ruby Rose, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow
Release Date: Dec. 22
Father Figures
Upon learning that their mother has been lying to them for years about their allegedly deceased father, two fraternal twin brothers hit the road to find him.
Starring: Owen Wilson, Christopher Walken, J.K. Simmons, Ed Helms
Release Date: Dec. 22
The Post
A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country’s first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between journalist and government.
Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk
Release Date: Dec. 22
Downsizing
When scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches tall as a solution to overpopulation, Paul (Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to abandon their stressed lives in order to get small and move to a new downsized community — a choice that triggers life-changing adventures.
Starring: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Kristen Wiig
Release Date: Dec. 22
Crooked House
In Agatha Christie’s most twisted tale, a spy-turned-private-detective is lured by his former lover to catch her grandfather’s murderer before Scotland Yard exposes dark family secrets.
Starring: Christina Hendricks, Gillian Anderson, Honor Kneafsey, Glenn Close
Release Date: Dec. 22
The Greatest Showman
Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, “The Greatest Showman” is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
Starring: Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron
Release Date: Dec. 22
All The Money In The World
This crime thriller is based on the true story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Charlie Plummer, Christopher Plummer
Release Date: Dec. 29
Molly’s Game
The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera
Release Date: Dec. 29
Phantom Thread
Set in 1950’s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.
Starring: Vicky Krieps, Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, Sue Clark
Release Date: Dec. 29
January:
Insidious: The Last Key
Parapsychologist Dr. Elise Rainier faces her most fearsome and personal haunting yet – in her own family home.
Starring: Kirk Acevedo, Spencer Locke, Josh Stewart, Lin Shaye
Release Date: Jan. 5
Proud Mary
Taraji P. Henson is Mary, a hitwoman working for an organized crime family in Boston. Mary’s life is completely turned around when she meets a young boy whose path she crosses when a professional hit goes awry.
Starring: Neal McDonough, Taraji P. Henson, Danny Glover, Xander Berkeley
Release Date: Jan. 12
THE FINAL YEAR
“THE FINAL YEAR” is a unique insiders’ account of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy team during their last year in office. Featuring unprecedented access inside the White House and State Department, “THE FINAL YEAR” offers an uncompromising view of the inner workings of the Obama Administration as they prepare to leave power after eight years.
Starring: John Kerry, Barack Obama, Samantha Power, Ben Rhodes
Release Date: Jan. 19
12 Strong
12 Strong tells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down the Taliban.
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, William Fichtner, Elsa Pataky
Release Date: Jan. 19
Den Of Thieves
In this gritty crime saga, follow the lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.
Starring: Gerard Butler, Jordan Bridges, Pablo Schreiber, Evan Jones
Release Date: Jan. 19
The Leisure Seeker
A runaway couple go on an unforgettable journey in the faithful old RV they call The Leisure Seeker.
Starring: Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland, Kirsty Mitchell, Janel Moloney
Release Date: Jan. 19
White Boy Rick
The story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison.
Starring: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Matthew McConaughey, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern
Release Date: Jan. 26
February:
Winchester
Eccentric Winchester firearm heiress believes she is haunted by the souls of people killed by the Winchester repeating rifle.
Starring: Helen Mirren, Sarah Snook, Jason Clarke, Angus Sampson
Release Date: Feb. 2
Fifty Shades Freed
In the third, and final, installment of the erotic Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, newlyweds Christian and Ana believe they have left behind shadowy figures from their past and fully embrace an inextricable connection and shared life of luxury. However, just as she steps into her role as Mrs. Grey and he relaxes into an unfamiliar stability, new threats could jeopardize their happy ending before it even begins.
Starring: Rita Ora, Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Arielle Kebbel
Release Date: Feb. 9
Black Panther
T’Challa, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king.
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira
Release Date: Feb. 16
Annihilation
A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don’t apply.
Starring: Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Oscar Isaac
Release Date: Feb. 23
The War With Grandpa
Upset that he has to share the room he loves with his grandfather, Peter decides to declare war in an attempt to get it back.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jane Seymour, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken
Release Date: Feb. 23
March:
Red Sparrow
Ballerina Dominika Egorova is recruited to ‘Sparrow School’ a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon. But her first mission, targeting a CIA agent, threatens to unravel the security of both nations.
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Mary-Louise Parker, Ciarán Hinds
Release Date: March 2
Game Night
In this comedy meets crime movie, a group of friends, who meet regularly for game nights, find themselves trying to solve a murder mystery.
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, Jesse Plemons, Kyle Chandler
Release Date: March 2
A Wrinkle In Time
After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space to find him.
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Levi Miller
Release Date: March 9
Gringo
Gringo, a dark comedy mixed with white-knuckle action and dramatic intrigue, explores the battle of survival for businessman Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) when he finds himself crossing the line from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal.
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Thandie Newton
Release Date: March 9
Tomb Raider
Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the island where her father disappeared.
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Hannah John-Kamen, Walton Goggins, Dominic West
Release Date: March 16
Love, Simon
Everyone deserves a great love story. But for Simon it’s complicated: no-one knows he’s gay and he doesn’t know who the anonymous classmate is that he’s fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, scary and life-changing.
Starring: Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel
Release Date: March 16
Pacific Rim Uprising
Jake Pentecost, son of Stacker Pentecost, reunites with Mako Mori to lead a new generation of Jaeger pilots, including rival Lambert and 15-year-old hacker Amara, against a new Kaiju threat.
Starring: Tian Jing, Scott Eastwood, John Boyega, Adria Arjona
Release Date: March 23
TV:
No matter if you’re looking to find your new tv addiction or are waiting for the new season of your favorite show, we’ve got you covered. Here are the most talked about premieres and returning favs for you to binge watch all winter long!
New Shows:
Ellen’s Game Of Games
Ellen DeGeneres hosts this six-episode, hourlong game show that will feature expanded versions of the various party games featured during her daytime talk show.
When to Watch: January 2, NBC
9-1-1
From the masterminds behind “Glee,” Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, comes this procedural drama, starring Peter Krause, Connie Britton and Angela Bassett, that explores the high-pressure experiences of police, paramedics and firefighters who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping situations.
When to Watch: January 3, FOX
Grown-ish
Black-ish’s Yara Shahidi gets her very own spinoff, Grown-ish, which finds her freshman college student Zoey Johnson navigating the ins and outs of living away from home — crazy roommate, instant ramen, and all — for the first time. But despite a burgeoning checking account thanks to her parents, Zoey isn’t going to have an easy time when she gets to campus. Ah, the naivety of the youths these days.
When to Watch: January 3, Freeform
The Four: Battle for Stardom
FOX’s new Voice/American Idol competitor attempts to reinvent the singing competition by starting with just four strong contestants. Each week, and there are just six episodes in all, the four must defend their spots on the show against potential upstarts. The celebrity judging panel includes Sean Combs, DJ Khaled, Meghan Trainor, and label executive Charlie Walk, while Fergie serves as host.
When to Watch: Jan. 4, FOX
Will & Grace
Everyone’s favorite foursome is back, and we are loving every minute! Join the party when season 9 returns!
When to Watch: Jan. 4, NBC
75th Annual Golden Globe Awards
Celebrate the very best in TV and Film.
When to Watch: Jan. 7, NBC
Making A Model With Yolanda Hadid
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, Yolanda Hadid brings her expertise to the forefront as she coaches aspiring teen models to succeed on and off the catwalk. As the mother and agent to fashion’s “IT” girls Gigi and Bella, and model son Anwar, Yolanda and her trusted team of experts will put the girls and their “momagers” through an intensive eight week training program, focused on the physical, mental and emotional wellness that it takes to build a sustainable brand.
When to Watch: Jan. 11, Lifetime
24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
Hosted by Kristen Bell, the 24th SAG awards honors the best achievements in film and television.
When to Watch: Jan. 21, TBS/TNT
Good Girls
This drama, from executive producer Jenna Bans (“Scandal”), follows what happens when three suburban moms get tired of trying to make ends meet and decide it’s time to stick up for themselves by robbing the local supermarket at gunpoint with a toy gun. The series, described as a mix of “Thelma and Louise” and “Breaking Bad,” stars Retta (“Parks and Recreation”), Mae Whitman (“Parenthood”) and Christina Hendricks (“Mad Men”), with the latter replacing Kathleen Rose Perkins, who starred in the pilot.
When to Watch: February 26, NBC
American Idol
Less than a year after ending its 15-season run on Fox, ABC has revived the singing competition series with a new roster of judges. Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan will join returning host Ryan Seacrest when the reality juggernaut makes its debut after the Oscars.
When to Watch: March 11, ABC
Returning Shows:
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest
America’s favorite TV/radio broadcaster Ryan Seacrest will return to host television’s largest again joined by actress and comedian Jenny McCarthy. The show also announced that multiplatinum music superstar Ciara will officially ring in the New Year from the west coast as the new host of the Hollywood Party.
When to Watch: December 31, ABC
Bones
The season premiere of Bones will answer exactly why Zack kidnapped Bones and reveal his full involvement with the Puppeteer murders. There will also be more developments in Hodgins’ quest to be able to use his legs again, though not all of them will be good. The final 12 episodes of the show will see fan-favorite characters continue to return as well as last season’s special guest Betty White.
When to Watch: January 3, FOX
The Blacklist
The task force has more pressing problems to deal with in the return episode: Namely, finding out who has been leaking information to suspected terrorists. The person’s identity will be revealed by the end of the episode, and will have major repercussions going forward. In other news, Aram and Samar get one big step closer to romance.
When to Watch: January 5, NBC
Emerald City
This gritty take on L. Frank Baum’s Oz books finds a 20-year-old Dorothy (Adria Arjona) and a K9 police dog swept off to a fantastical world unlike anything she’s seen before. Vincent D’Onofrio stars as the manipulative Wizard, who has banned magic and rules with an iron fist. Joely Richardson stars as Glinda the Good Witch and Florence Kasumba stars as the Wicked Witch of the East.
When to Watch: January 6, NBC
A Series of Unfortunate Events
The whimsical novel makes its very whimsical television debut in this beautifully bleak adaptation about a trio of orphans who are placed in the care of their scheming relative Count Olaf (a heavily made-up Neil Patrick Harris), who plans to steal their inheritance. Netflix will air 26 episodes in total, with each of the 13 books in the series adapted into two episodes. The first season will consist of eight episodes and cover the first four books. Patrick Warburton, Aasif Mandvi, Joan Cusack and Catherine O’Hare also star.
When to Watch: January 13, Netflix
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
The second season of the American Crime Story anthology from Ryan Murphy explores the July 1997 assassination of Versace (Edgar Ramirez), the famed fashion designer, by Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss), who was also behind four other slayings before he ultimately killed himself eight days later. The drama boasts an all-star cast that also includes Ricky Martin and Penelope Cruz.
When to Watch: January 17, FX
XXIII Olympic Winter Games
Watch the world’s best athletes compete in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
When to Watch: February 9-25, NBC
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/12/21/winter-movie-tv-preview/
from Hot Spots Magazine http://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2017/12/winter-movie-tv-preview.html
0 notes
Text
Winter Movie & TV Preview
Winter is normally a season that is accompanied by long, snowy nights and freezing temperatures that make going outside unbearable; however, for us that call South Florida home, winter means that we can finally enjoy being outside without suffering from heat stroke and wear things other than shorts and flip flops. From blockbuster movies to the most talked about TV shows to festivals and fairs, there is no shortage of things to see and do around South Florida this winter. Here is your definitive guide to what to watch and do this season, so grab your cuddle buddy and get ready to enjoy winter in paradise.
MOVIES:
When the temperature drops, stay inside and watch these must-see, blockbuster movies:
December:
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle
Four teenagers discover an old video game console and are literally drawn into the game’s jungle setting becoming the adult avatars they chose.
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, Jack Black
Release Date: Dec. 22
Pitch Perfect 3
Fat Amy, along with your favorite Bellas, are back following their win at the world championship. The now separated Bellas reunite for one last singing competition at an overseas USO tour, but face a group who uses both instruments and voices.
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Ruby Rose, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow
Release Date: Dec. 22
Father Figures
Upon learning that their mother has been lying to them for years about their allegedly deceased father, two fraternal twin brothers hit the road to find him.
Starring: Owen Wilson, Christopher Walken, J.K. Simmons, Ed Helms
Release Date: Dec. 22
The Post
A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country’s first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between journalist and government.
Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk
Release Date: Dec. 22
Downsizing
When scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches tall as a solution to overpopulation, Paul (Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to abandon their stressed lives in order to get small and move to a new downsized community — a choice that triggers life-changing adventures.
Starring: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Kristen Wiig
Release Date: Dec. 22
Crooked House
In Agatha Christie’s most twisted tale, a spy-turned-private-detective is lured by his former lover to catch her grandfather’s murderer before Scotland Yard exposes dark family secrets.
Starring: Christina Hendricks, Gillian Anderson, Honor Kneafsey, Glenn Close
Release Date: Dec. 22
The Greatest Showman
Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, “The Greatest Showman” is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
Starring: Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron
Release Date: Dec. 22
All The Money In The World
This crime thriller is based on the true story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Charlie Plummer, Christopher Plummer
Release Date: Dec. 29
Molly’s Game
The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera
Release Date: Dec. 29
Phantom Thread
Set in 1950’s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.
Starring: Vicky Krieps, Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, Sue Clark
Release Date: Dec. 29
January:
Insidious: The Last Key
Parapsychologist Dr. Elise Rainier faces her most fearsome and personal haunting yet – in her own family home.
Starring: Kirk Acevedo, Spencer Locke, Josh Stewart, Lin Shaye
Release Date: Jan. 5
Proud Mary
Taraji P. Henson is Mary, a hitwoman working for an organized crime family in Boston. Mary’s life is completely turned around when she meets a young boy whose path she crosses when a professional hit goes awry.
Starring: Neal McDonough, Taraji P. Henson, Danny Glover, Xander Berkeley
Release Date: Jan. 12
THE FINAL YEAR
“THE FINAL YEAR” is a unique insiders’ account of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy team during their last year in office. Featuring unprecedented access inside the White House and State Department, “THE FINAL YEAR” offers an uncompromising view of the inner workings of the Obama Administration as they prepare to leave power after eight years.
Starring: John Kerry, Barack Obama, Samantha Power, Ben Rhodes
Release Date: Jan. 19
12 Strong
12 Strong tells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down the Taliban.
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, William Fichtner, Elsa Pataky
Release Date: Jan. 19
Den Of Thieves
In this gritty crime saga, follow the lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.
Starring: Gerard Butler, Jordan Bridges, Pablo Schreiber, Evan Jones
Release Date: Jan. 19
The Leisure Seeker
A runaway couple go on an unforgettable journey in the faithful old RV they call The Leisure Seeker.
Starring: Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland, Kirsty Mitchell, Janel Moloney
Release Date: Jan. 19
White Boy Rick
The story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison.
Starring: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Matthew McConaughey, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern
Release Date: Jan. 26
February:
Winchester
Eccentric Winchester firearm heiress believes she is haunted by the souls of people killed by the Winchester repeating rifle.
Starring: Helen Mirren, Sarah Snook, Jason Clarke, Angus Sampson
Release Date: Feb. 2
Fifty Shades Freed
In the third, and final, installment of the erotic Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, newlyweds Christian and Ana believe they have left behind shadowy figures from their past and fully embrace an inextricable connection and shared life of luxury. However, just as she steps into her role as Mrs. Grey and he relaxes into an unfamiliar stability, new threats could jeopardize their happy ending before it even begins.
Starring: Rita Ora, Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Arielle Kebbel
Release Date: Feb. 9
Black Panther
T’Challa, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king.
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira
Release Date: Feb. 16
Annihilation
A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don’t apply.
Starring: Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Oscar Isaac
Release Date: Feb. 23
The War With Grandpa
Upset that he has to share the room he loves with his grandfather, Peter decides to declare war in an attempt to get it back.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jane Seymour, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken
Release Date: Feb. 23
March:
Red Sparrow
Ballerina Dominika Egorova is recruited to ‘Sparrow School’ a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon. But her first mission, targeting a CIA agent, threatens to unravel the security of both nations.
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Mary-Louise Parker, Ciarán Hinds
Release Date: March 2
Game Night
In this comedy meets crime movie, a group of friends, who meet regularly for game nights, find themselves trying to solve a murder mystery.
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, Jesse Plemons, Kyle Chandler
Release Date: March 2
A Wrinkle In Time
After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space to find him.
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Levi Miller
Release Date: March 9
Gringo
Gringo, a dark comedy mixed with white-knuckle action and dramatic intrigue, explores the battle of survival for businessman Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) when he finds himself crossing the line from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal.
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Thandie Newton
Release Date: March 9
Tomb Raider
Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the island where her father disappeared.
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Hannah John-Kamen, Walton Goggins, Dominic West
Release Date: March 16
Love, Simon
Everyone deserves a great love story. But for Simon it’s complicated: no-one knows he’s gay and he doesn’t know who the anonymous classmate is that he’s fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, scary and life-changing.
Starring: Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel
Release Date: March 16
Pacific Rim Uprising
Jake Pentecost, son of Stacker Pentecost, reunites with Mako Mori to lead a new generation of Jaeger pilots, including rival Lambert and 15-year-old hacker Amara, against a new Kaiju threat.
Starring: Tian Jing, Scott Eastwood, John Boyega, Adria Arjona
Release Date: March 23
TV:
No matter if you’re looking to find your new tv addiction or are waiting for the new season of your favorite show, we’ve got you covered. Here are the most talked about premieres and returning favs for you to binge watch all winter long!
New Shows:
Ellen’s Game Of Games
Ellen DeGeneres hosts this six-episode, hourlong game show that will feature expanded versions of the various party games featured during her daytime talk show.
When to Watch: January 2, NBC
9-1-1
From the masterminds behind “Glee,” Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, comes this procedural drama, starring Peter Krause, Connie Britton and Angela Bassett, that explores the high-pressure experiences of police, paramedics and firefighters who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping situations.
When to Watch: January 3, FOX
Grown-ish
Black-ish’s Yara Shahidi gets her very own spinoff, Grown-ish, which finds her freshman college student Zoey Johnson navigating the ins and outs of living away from home — crazy roommate, instant ramen, and all — for the first time. But despite a burgeoning checking account thanks to her parents, Zoey isn’t going to have an easy time when she gets to campus. Ah, the naivety of the youths these days.
When to Watch: January 3, Freeform
The Four: Battle for Stardom
FOX’s new Voice/American Idol competitor attempts to reinvent the singing competition by starting with just four strong contestants. Each week, and there are just six episodes in all, the four must defend their spots on the show against potential upstarts. The celebrity judging panel includes Sean Combs, DJ Khaled, Meghan Trainor, and label executive Charlie Walk, while Fergie serves as host.
When to Watch: Jan. 4, FOX
Will & Grace
Everyone’s favorite foursome is back, and we are loving every minute! Join the party when season 9 returns!
When to Watch: Jan. 4, NBC
75th Annual Golden Globe Awards
Celebrate the very best in TV and Film.
When to Watch: Jan. 7, NBC
Making A Model With Yolanda Hadid
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, Yolanda Hadid brings her expertise to the forefront as she coaches aspiring teen models to succeed on and off the catwalk. As the mother and agent to fashion’s “IT” girls Gigi and Bella, and model son Anwar, Yolanda and her trusted team of experts will put the girls and their “momagers” through an intensive eight week training program, focused on the physical, mental and emotional wellness that it takes to build a sustainable brand.
When to Watch: Jan. 11, Lifetime
24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
Hosted by Kristen Bell, the 24th SAG awards honors the best achievements in film and television.
When to Watch: Jan. 21, TBS/TNT
Good Girls
This drama, from executive producer Jenna Bans (“Scandal”), follows what happens when three suburban moms get tired of trying to make ends meet and decide it’s time to stick up for themselves by robbing the local supermarket at gunpoint with a toy gun. The series, described as a mix of “Thelma and Louise” and “Breaking Bad,” stars Retta (“Parks and Recreation”), Mae Whitman (“Parenthood”) and Christina Hendricks (“Mad Men”), with the latter replacing Kathleen Rose Perkins, who starred in the pilot.
When to Watch: February 26, NBC
American Idol
Less than a year after ending its 15-season run on Fox, ABC has revived the singing competition series with a new roster of judges. Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan will join returning host Ryan Seacrest when the reality juggernaut makes its debut after the Oscars.
When to Watch: March 11, ABC
Returning Shows:
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest
America’s favorite TV/radio broadcaster Ryan Seacrest will return to host television’s largest again joined by actress and comedian Jenny McCarthy. The show also announced that multiplatinum music superstar Ciara will officially ring in the New Year from the west coast as the new host of the Hollywood Party.
When to Watch: December 31, ABC
Bones
The season premiere of Bones will answer exactly why Zack kidnapped Bones and reveal his full involvement with the Puppeteer murders. There will also be more developments in Hodgins’ quest to be able to use his legs again, though not all of them will be good. The final 12 episodes of the show will see fan-favorite characters continue to return as well as last season’s special guest Betty White.
When to Watch: January 3, FOX
The Blacklist
The task force has more pressing problems to deal with in the return episode: Namely, finding out who has been leaking information to suspected terrorists. The person’s identity will be revealed by the end of the episode, and will have major repercussions going forward. In other news, Aram and Samar get one big step closer to romance.
When to Watch: January 5, NBC
Emerald City
This gritty take on L. Frank Baum’s Oz books finds a 20-year-old Dorothy (Adria Arjona) and a K9 police dog swept off to a fantastical world unlike anything she’s seen before. Vincent D’Onofrio stars as the manipulative Wizard, who has banned magic and rules with an iron fist. Joely Richardson stars as Glinda the Good Witch and Florence Kasumba stars as the Wicked Witch of the East.
When to Watch: January 6, NBC
A Series of Unfortunate Events
The whimsical novel makes its very whimsical television debut in this beautifully bleak adaptation about a trio of orphans who are placed in the care of their scheming relative Count Olaf (a heavily made-up Neil Patrick Harris), who plans to steal their inheritance. Netflix will air 26 episodes in total, with each of the 13 books in the series adapted into two episodes. The first season will consist of eight episodes and cover the first four books. Patrick Warburton, Aasif Mandvi, Joan Cusack and Catherine O’Hare also star.
When to Watch: January 13, Netflix
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
The second season of the American Crime Story anthology from Ryan Murphy explores the July 1997 assassination of Versace (Edgar Ramirez), the famed fashion designer, by Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss), who was also behind four other slayings before he ultimately killed himself eight days later. The drama boasts an all-star cast that also includes Ricky Martin and Penelope Cruz.
When to Watch: January 17, FX
XXIII Olympic Winter Games
Watch the world’s best athletes compete in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
When to Watch: February 9-25, NBC
from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/12/21/winter-movie-tv-preview/
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Text
Haifa! It’s no surprise that strangers love you,
compete with me over what’s in you,
and forget their countries in your parts, since
you are a dove
building its nest on a gazelle’s nose.
I am here. Everything else is slander and rumor.
O time, the sentimentalists’ doctor, you turn wound
into scar and scar into sesame seed.
I look behind me and see my self running in the rain.
Here, and here, and there.
Was I happy and didn’t know it?
It’s the distance: it trains sight to do vision’s
work and polishes steel with a far off flute.
The beauty of nature improves one’s habits, except
those habits that are not innate to it:
Mount Carmel is peace, and the rifle is dissonance.
Unguided I walk. Not looking for a thing. Not even
for myself in all this light.
Haifa at night… the senses are preoccupied
with their secret chores,
away from their owners who stay up late on the balconies.
O intuition! Conqueror of metal and evidence.
I cajole my critics and treat the wounds of those who
envy me my love for my country with a bit of elision,
and a metaphor that bears several faces.
I did not see a general to ask him: What year did
you kill me? But I saw soldiers chugging beer on the
sidewalks, waiting for the end of the coming war,
to go to the university and study Arabic poetry
written by dead poets who have not died yet, like me.
I imagined my previous steps on Mount Carmel were
guiding me to “The Mother’s Garden,“ and that repetition is
echo’s reverberation in an incomplete sentimental
song that thirsts after a renewing lack.
No fog. A pine tree on Mount Carmel summons a
Cedar tree on Mount Lebanon: Good evening sister!
There’s an unpopulated region in my heart,
it welcomes the youth who search for an unoccupied
sphere where they can pitch a summer camp.
I cross a wide street to the wall of my first
prison and say: Salaam, my first teacher
of freedom’s law. You were right: poetry wasn’t innocent.
Did one of them say: “The master of words is the master
of place”? This is neither conceit nor play. It’s a
poet’s manner in defending the use of words
and the fixity of place in a shifting language.
The scent of summer trees is erotic.
Here I merge with grass, fuzz, freckles, etc.…
under the moonlight.
Haifa says to me: From now on, you are you.
Mahmoud Darwish, from “From Now On You Are You" (trans. Fady Joudah)
(stolen from a friend)
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