#i still got the collectors edition with Joel

[anticomedygarden]

some people say they will never believe another promise they hear in the dark

Cash just got off a sudden eight hour flight. He is soaked and tired. Somehow, that isn't his biggest problem, but Shaan may have some comfort to offer.

(or that night at Kensington from Cash's perspective)

also posted on ao3

-

title from billy joel's 'an innocent man'

all of the dialogue between the beginning and them actually entering the palace is taken from the book, and because it is killing me not to properly cite it:

McQuiston, Casey. Red, White & Royal Blue: Collector's Edition: A Novel. St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2022.

-

As soon as they pulled up to Kensington, Cash and Alex stepped out of the car into a downpour, and Shaan, the bastard, was the only person standing in the way of the warm, dry palace. He, of course, had an umbrella.

"Mr. Claremont-Diaz," he said. "What a treat."

Predictably, Alex didn't waste any time on formalities. "Move, Shaan."

"Ms. Bankston called ahead to warn me that you were on the way." Of course she did, Cash thought. Thank God. "As you might have guessed by the ease with which you were able to get through our gates. We thought it best to let you kick up a fuss somewhere more private."

"Move." Again, with the patience.

Shaan smiled, and Cash really thought he might throttle him. Maybe he should be the next one on the eight hour flight into the pouring rain. "You're aware it's quite late, and it's well within my power to have security remove you. No member of the royal family has invited you into the palace."

"Bullshit," Alex said through his teeth. "I need to see Henry."

Cash prepared to be arrested and vowed to never, ever tell Zahra exactly what Alex said tonight.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. The prince does not wish to be disturbed.

"Goddammit Henry!" Even better, Alex started yelling directly up to what was presumably Henry's bedroom window. {"Henry, you motherfucker!"

Cash finally decided it was time to step in, not that it would help. "Alex."

He was ignored. "Henry, you piece of shit, get your ass down here!"

"You are making a scene." Shaan said, not looking all that put out.

"Yeah?" Alex said, not quieting at all despite Cash's concerns. "How 'bout I just keep yelling and we see which of the papers show up first!"

Zahra was going to have a heart attack (if Cash didn't first).

Alex turned back to the window and started flailing his arms, too. "Henry! Your Royal fucking Highness!"

Shaan touched a finger to his earpiece. "Team Bravo, we've got a situa-"

Just then, Henry appeared in the doorway, not looking much better than Cash felt right then. "For Christ's sake, Alex, what are you doing?"

Alex stopped moving, stopped yelling, finally, his mouth still open.

He dropped his arms. "Tell him to let me in."

Henry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's fine. He can come in."

"Thank you," he said, looking at Shaan just so he could have the last word, little shit. They all walked into the palace, Henry and Alex up a massive staircase and Cash following Shaan through the empty hallways, though the word empty was honestly generous. A better description might have been cavernous. At over 6 feet tall, Cash could stretch out both arms and not ever touch a wall, and, as a man who had personally experienced the opulence and greed of the American upper-class Republican party, he wondered why anyone would ever want that. He thought about Sir George Coppin and William III and Mary II and centuries of royals who had walked these walls and attempted to feel a lick of guilt about the mud and rainwater he was tracking through them. Oh, well.

After passing half a dozen nearly identical doors, Shaan finally led them into one that was, upon further inspection, a small kitchen. A marble top island sat in the center of the room surrounded by stools with a large black fridge, oven, sink, and counter to the right. Cash was a bit surprised by how modern it looked, though he wasn't sure exactly what he was expecting. A brick oven set over a fireplace, maybe? A giant portrait of King George III? Really, he didn't know.

"You can sit down, if you'd like," Shaan said, already taking a place at the kitchen island. Cash pulled out a stool and sat down heavily across from him.

"You think they're gonna work out whatever this is?" Cash asked, wincing when he heard a shout, probably from Alex. If anyone's lungs could transcend the distance from here to Henry's bedroom, it was Alex.

Across from him, Shaan sighed sadly, betraying more emotion in a single breath than Cash had ever seen from the man, and he began to wonder if the last ten minutes were simply for show. "It may not matter if they do."

It was, Cash knew, the truth, no matter how much he wished it weren't. "I've never seen him so happy," he noted.

He knew it was incredibly cliché, but it was the truth. The kid had always been excited, maybe a little too excited, actually, but since things with Henry had gotten...important, so to speak, he'd been happy. Really happy. Not that he wasn't before, exactly, but, honestly?...He really wasn't.

Before, happy wasn't something Alex always had time for. Now, somehow between the DNC, classes, fundraisers, and media appearances, Alex had started making time for happy, and that happy came in the form of Henry. Prince Henry of Wales.

Cash knew exactly what would happen if that suddenly went away. Alex would run himself right into the ground.

When Shaan turned his shadowed face to Cash, he knew the other man was thinking the same thing. "For Henry as well." He paused, a pained look crossing his face. "I am afraid that no matter the outcome of tonight, the fallout will be devastating."

Cash couldn't help but agree.

They lapsed into silence, at least until Alex's voice speared into the room. "-fucking love you, okay?"

Groaning, Cash said, "I'm so sorry."

Shaan waved him away. "Don't worry about it. No one else in the palace should be able to hear them." Something appeared to dawn on him. "Although, Philip and Martha are here, so we can't allow them to get too loud." At Cash's uneasy look, Shaan said, "They're staying on the other side of the palace. I wouldn't be too worried."

Cash nodded. "That's good."

A couple more minutes of tense silence later, Shaan said, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Coffee, if you have it." Shaan looked at him oddly. "If this turns ugly, I should probably be awake for it."

He didn't know what he was more worried about: the fight turning violent (unlikely), or Alex and Henry waking up Philip, and that encounter turning violent (much more likely).

Shaan nodded in understanding and turned the coffee maker on. "How do you take it?"

"Black."

For a while, the only noise was the sound of the coffee maker working, leaving Cash to wonder how the fuck he was gonna explain this all to Zahra. Maybe, if they didn't break up and Alex came out the other side relatively unscathed, Cash could make him explain it all with very little remorse. If they didn't, well...Zahra may not be the biggest problem.

To Cash's surprise, the next voice was unmistakably Henry's.

"I don't want it!" He couldn't imagine what that was about, and he really didn't want to know. There were more shouts, but Cash couldn't make them out.

"Didn't know he could get that loud," he said instead.

Shaan sighed again and set a mug down in front of him. "Alex seems to bring it out in him."

Cash snorted and took a sip of coffee, reveling in the bitter taste as he felt the warmth seep into his bones and wake him back up. "He brings it out in everybody."

There was a lull in the shouts, and Cash hoped they might be winding down, but of course Alex started up again.

Thankfully, they didn't last as long this time, tapering off into angry hisses, until there was a sudden thud noise.

Cash was already halfway to the door before he registered the other noises being made: a groan, some stumbling, and the vivid sound of bed springs.

Shawn stood then, obviously eager to not hear them anymore. "Let me show you where you'll be staying tonight."

Cash nodded. "That sounds great," he said, a bit too loud, for now there was the horrifying sound of quiet crying and far more vibrant moans.

Quickly, Shaan led him down even more identical hallways - he couldn't get out of this place if he tried - and eventually landed on a dark wooden door indistinguishable from the ones next to it. Blessedly, he couldn't hear the boys anymore.

"I'll come get you in the morning provided your charge doesn't decide to leave before then." Shaan's voice had gone flat again, but Cash thought he saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "If you need anything, you have my number."

"Thanks," Cash said, the for not telling anyone higher up about this, hanging between them.

Shaan's mouth quirked up in a half smile, and he turned to go. "Of course."

Watching Shaan disappear down the immense hallway, Cash sincerely hoped they could find a way out of this mess without complete devastation, but he knew it wasn't likely.

Maybe, though, they could at least make sure they got through it alive.

#firstprince #rwrb #red white and royal blue #casey mcquiston #fanfic #rwrb fanfic #firstprince fanfic #ao3 link #my fic #my writing #my fanfic #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor #henry and alex #henry x alex #alex x henry #rwrb fic #firstprince fic #fluff #angst #humor #shaan srivastava #cash rwrb #funny

[whxtedreams]

My The Last of Us Collection

Below is a collection of my collection of the last of us. I have also listed below where I bought all my collectables. I will add the link if the product is still available (eg. can’t list an ebay link since there was only one to buy)

I have decorated and made this little space my own and i’m still in the process of decorating, so please be kind.

Flora x

Before

During

Now

(waiting for products to arrive)

List of Collectables

Ellie & Joel Statue - EBGames Australia

Firefly Dog Tag & Ellie's Pun Book - Etsy

My book edition is Post Outbreak

The Firefly dog tag is fully customisable; mine has my real name and D.O.B, so it will not show the other side.

Joel's Mug - Etsy

My edition is The Mug and Coaster pack.

Joel's tape for Ellie (Working) - Etsy

My edition is the one with the Audio and it makes me cry. It's a 10-minute conversation between Joel and Ellie on her birthday.

Ellie Art - Etsy

artist is taking a break and is not selling anything at the moment

American Dreams - Dymocks

or pretty much any major book store

The Games

PS3 Joel Rare Edition - eBay

TLOU2 Speical Edition

I got this on day one release; I assume you can get this on eBay?? Came with The art book, small box and collector game case

PS4 & PS5 Part1 games can be found at pretty much any game store

The floor and wallpaper

Found the prints on Etsy, can easily just print photos but I wanted high quality.

For some reason, the purchases didn't save to my purchase list on Etsy, but just search:

Vintage wallpaper

brick wallpaper

dollhouse flooring

I drenched the floorboards with a spray bottle in a mix of water, cornflour and a mix of red, burgundy and rust food colourings. (I am a cake decorator, so I have these colours on hand, surprisingly) The cornflour gave the floor a dusty old look. I am also waiting on artificial moss to cover the floors and walls, too!)

I also drew the firefly symbol, so that's why it's messy.

Things I'm waiting on

Mini workbench for Joel, mini coffee thermos, mini guitar, Joel's watch, photo frames for Joel's shelf, mini butterflies, mini fairy lights, The last of us Window, mini playing cards to scatter, victorian rug (that i will distress), mini baseball bat. (I swear I looked at a golf club for ten minutes for the lol but just couldn't) mini shotgun

Special Mention

My Joel Shirt lol. - Etsy

I wanted the dark chocolate one but they were sold out when I got it for Christmas, I have the black version

(I am wearing shorts, I swear) (I also have a Mandalorian version with Pedro)

So, yeah... That's my work-in-progress collection. I also have a Mandalorian collection and I might make a post about that too later.

#joel miller #joel tlou #tlou #the last of us #tlou joel #collection #ellie williams #ellie the last of us #ellie tlou #the last of us hbo #tlou2 #tlou hbo #pedro pascal

[darlingsdevil]

SPOILERS FOR THE LAST OF US PART 2

My Personal Rant

I cannot put anything underneath the read more tab on mobile, I apologize.

Non spoilers: In my opinion, I do not think The Last of Us Part 2 will be a garbage fire, considering the amazing work they have done for the Uncharted series and the first game which were both phenomenal. I just can’t imagine them completely butchering the game in the way it’s supposedly going to happen. While I don’t agree with how Naughty Dog treated their employees during the development of the game, I don’t think the game deserved to be leaked. This leaker obviously chose very out of context scenes to put the game in a bad light — which obviously worked. A majority of these scenes were out of context — and various parts of the leaks were people jumping to conclusions. While I can’t say I’ve seen every scene that’s been leaked, these scenes could have been changed, tweaked, or entirely removed before the final game ships out. And these are LEAKS, while the footage is undeniable, shouldn’t they all be taken with a grain of salt? They are unconfirmed, out of context. All leaks should be considered untrue until otherwise proven to be factual.

ACTUAL SPOILERS THIS TIME: I can’t really imagine them ripping out our hearts like that when The Last of Us was very hopefully yet grim. With how these leaks sound — it all just seems very grim, it’s a story about revenge obviously, but I’m a little disappointed if we are the ones playing as the character hunting down Ellie and Joel, no one wants to see that. Considering how Naughty Dog advertised the entire game to be Ellie’s story and how they were supposedly going to ‘honor’ her, why would they just change that completely and switch halfway through to a character we don’t care about nor know nothing about. I don’t care that this character is transgender, I do not. I’m just angry that they’re painting Ellie as the villain here, which she isn’t. I don’t think she’s as morally grey as Joel, but the way these leaks are painting her, it seems like she’s even worse. Which is NOT fun. Ellie is honestly one of my favorite video game characters, I love her to bits, I don’t want to see her become the villain by some shitty character. As for the Joel situation, was I expecting it? Yes. Did I want it to happen? No. But they way it’s supposed to happen? That’s fucking dumb as hell. I do not agree with that at all. It could’ve have been with more fucking dignity. I’m more upset about that than anything else. Troy Baker warned us about not liking the ending of the game, and I’m sure I won’t, but that doesn’t mean the entire game is bad just because some pretty horrible leaks got released that are yet to be confirmed until the game comes out.

Am I delusional? Probably.

Am I still going to buy the collectors edition? Yup. Maybe I’m an idiot. Don’t be like me, but still, give the game a chance. Wait till the game comes out. And please, be a little hopeful.

#the last of us part ii #the last of us #the last of us part 2 #the last of us part 2 spoilers #the last of us spoilers #the last of us pt ii spoilers #the last of us part ii spoilers #the last of us pt 2 spoilers #spoilers #video game spoilers

[searchingwardrobes]

Priceless: 4/?

I told ya’ll I have several posts lined up! This chapter includes a scene that I thought was really beautiful yet painful in the movie, and I was looking forward to giving ya’ll my Captain Swan version of it. Having said that, things are still in a dark place. I hope you’ll stick with me because hope is not lost! Many thanks to my beta, @xhookswenchx!

Summary: Desperate men often find themselves in places they never thought they would go, but for Killian Jones it would finally force him to be the hero is daughter always thought he could be. The job was simple: drive the truck, don’t open the back, don’t ask questions. But Killian Jones has never followed instructions very well . . .

An AU of the movie Priceless starring Joel Smallbone of For King and Country.

Rating: M for themes

Trigger warnings: This story is about human trafficking so there are discussions of rape and non-con, some of it involving minors. This particular chapter includes evidence of a woman being physically abused as well. None of it is portrayed as positive nor is it graphically described. If you have any specific questions or concerns before reading, feel free to message me.

Words: 2,500 in this chapter

Also on Ao3 and part of my movie au series. There is a first edition and a second edition.

Tagging: @snowbellewells @kmomof4 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @winterbaby89 @kday426 @thislassishooked @tiganasummertree @bethacaciakay @teamhook @shipsxahoy @shady-swan-jones @artistic-writer @cat-sophia @hollyethecurious @thejacketandthehook @dassala @branlovestowrite @allofdafandoms-blog @flslp87 @pocket-anon @snidgetsafan @delirious-latenight-laughs @jennjenn615 @onceuponaprincessworld @let-it-raines @wellhellotragic @distant-rose @welllpthisishappening @optomisticgirl

My hands shook as I hit Will’s contact on my phone. Liam navigated the box truck through the streets of this shady suburb of Las Vegas, looking for a hotel with a vacancy. We needed a place to crash while we figured out what the hell we were supposed to do now.

“Hey mate,” Will’s voice came over the line, “I thought you’d be enjoying your payday, not calling me.”

“Did you know?”

“Know . . . oh, you mean about the girls?”

I felt like all I could see was red. “So you did.” I felt cold all over.

“Come on, Kil, don’t freak out on me. I would expect this from Liam, not you. It’s not like it’s a new concept. You know, world’s oldest profession and all of that.”

My temper boiled over. “How the hell did you think I wouldn’t care? I have a daughter, Will!”

“You just said no drugs!” Will yelled back. “And it isn’t drugs!”

“Those girls didn’t know what they were signing up for,” I spat into the phone.

“What?” For the first time since he answered, Will sounded unsure of himself.

“You heard me. They thought we were helping them into the States. Illegally, yeah, but not . . . this.”

Liam suddenly snatched the phone out of my hand and yelled into it, “One of them is only sixteen, asshole!”

I yanked the phone out of his hand, glaring at him. He wasn’t helping. “Will,” I sighed into the phone, but he cut me off.

“Bloody hell, sixteen?” I heard a shuffling sound on the other end and could imagine Will running a hand over his face. “Shit, Killian, I don’t know what to say. We weren’t supposed to ask questions. I knew it was prostitution, but I just assumed -”

“We both assumed things we shouldn’t have,” I told him sadly. “I was desperate, and I didn’t ask enough questions.”

I glanced at Liam. He gave me a tiny nod, his jaw just as clenched as mine. Will was saying something, but I wasn’t really paying any attention. Something about it not being my fault, but I knew that was shit.

“Where do I find this guy Gold?”

Will was quiet a long time. “You can’t be serious.”

“More serious than I’ve been in years. We can’t just abandon those girls.”

“Listen to me, Killian, don’t go trying to be a hero. These men will kill you.”

“The number, Will.”

“I . . . I don’t have it.”

“Bullshit.”

“Okay, okay. I don’t have his, but. . . I have his son’s. Guy’s name is Neal. He was my contact.”

****************************************************

Liam pulled over in a vacant lot for me to make the call. We’d been over scenarios for the past half hour, and this was the only solution that wouldn’t raise suspicion. We only hoped the girls would understand.

“Hello,” a voice said after several rings.

I cleared my throat. “Um, this is Killian Jones. My brother and I drove the truck?”

I winced as I glanced up at Liam. I sounded way too hesitant. On the other hand, maybe it was common for men to sound this way the first time? Contrary to what some people probably thought, I had never sought out a prostitute.

“How did you get this number?” Neal sounded suspicious.

“Will gave it to me,” I told him, “I called to get it because my brother and I were desperate to see those girls again.”

It wasn’t a lie at all, but we were counting on Neal taking it in the only way he understood. When he chuckled at my words, I knew we had been right.

“Ah, I see. They are beautiful, I’ll give you that. All three though . . . hmm, that’s an interesting request. What are you planning on doing with them?”

I swallowed back the bile in my throat at his words. “I really don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“That’s funny because it is exactly my business. This isn’t a restaurant where you can share an entrée. If you and your brother both want a piece, you gotta pay separately.”

I literally wanted to throw up then, but I pushed through. “Well. . . I have a thing for blondes, and my brother -” I had to close my eyes and force the next words out, “he likes them young.”

“Understandable,” Neal continued, as if we were discussing selling collector’s items on Ebay, “but a virgin is a rare commodity in this business. There are powerful men who will pay half a million for that privilege, so the red head is out of your price range.”

I frowned, my heart sinking. Anna was just a child, and reminded me far too much of Alice. But if we could free her older sisters . . .

“Liam liked the older blonde, too. The one with blue eyes? I preferred the one with green.”

I winced again as I caught Liam’s eye. I hated referring to them in such cold terms, but we had already decided that using their names might arouse suspicion.

“The Ice Queen’s not ready yet.”

I blinked. “The Ice Queen?”

“Blonde, blue eyes? That combination is a pretty big commodity too, but I’d let you have her at a discount anyway since you drove for us. But - she’s not ready. I can let you have the Swan though – the green eyed one for one grand. You can even share if you want.”

“I’m not sharing,” I ground out.

“Ooh, sounds like you’ve been having some wet dreams there, buddy,” Neal chuckled. “I’ll let you and your brother battle it out. Be at the Red Lantern Motel, room 216 at ten tonight. You only get an hour.”

“Got it -” but before I could say more, the line went dead. Mentally and emotionally spent, I sagged against the side of the truck. I looked at Liam with sad eyes. “I could only get Emma.”

My brother looked grimly determined. “Then we get her out first.”

****************************************************

I was trembling all over as I climbed the metal stairs to the second floor of the seedy Red Lantern Motel. My palms were sweating so much that the wad of bills in my right hand were moist. Neal was lounging against the wall next to room 216, and out of the corner of my eye I noticed two of the thugs from earlier that day hanging out at the opposite stair well. I swallowed my nerves as I pressed the money into Neal’s hand. He smirked as he flipped through them. Without a word, he turned and opened the motel room door. I followed him inside and frowned.

“Where the hell is she?”

“Calm down,” Neal chuckled, “we’ll bring her to you.” He turned to leave, and in the doorway he added, “I can say from personal experience that you picked a good one.”

His words washed over me like ice cold water, and in a blind rage I lunged for the door. He’d closed and locked it too quickly, though, and I crashed into it. I smashed both fists into the door, my breaths ragged. If I could go back, I would have turned the truck around on that hilltop over Vegas. Now all I could do was try and fix the mess I’d made.

I paced nervously as I waited for Emma, and when the door finally opened, I held my breath. Neal didn’t enter again, merely shoving a reluctant Emma into the room. She was dressed in an expensive, skin tight red dress with matching sky-high heels. Her hair had been curled in a way that didn’t suit her personality at all, and she had way too much makeup on her perfect face. But the things that broke my heart were her downcast eyes and the bruises on her arms. She rubbed at them as she finally lifted her head, a spark of defiance in her eyes.

My heart broke in a thousand pieces as I watched recognition dawn on her face. Her eyes widened and the skin beneath her heavy makeup paled. I read betrayal clearly in her eyes before she narrowed them and clenched her jaw.

“You?”

I was frozen in place, shame and regret heavy on my shoulders. She marched forward and slapped me hard across the face. I would gladly take it and more.

“It’s not what you think,” I told her softly. “It’s the only way they would let me see you.”

She tilted her chin, tears shimmering in her eyes. “See me and more, right?”

My eyes widened. “No, Emma, God no! I would never -” I broke off, running a hand nervously through my hair. “Listen, Liam pulled the car around back. There’s a window in the bathroom. We can get you out of here.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I can’t leave my sisters.”

“We can get them out, too. Just tell us where to go.”

Emma wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing at her bruises again. “I don’t know where they are. The windows are blacked out in the van and in the house.”

I deflated as I wracked my brain. “Then we’ll go to the cops.”

Emma’s eyes flew open. “How can I? I’m here illegally.”

I shook my head. “There’s got to be immunity or something for situations like this. But regardless, we have to get you out of here.” I reached out tentatively but stopped short of touching her. It was probably the last thing she would want right now. “Are - are you okay?”

She recoiled from me. “How do you think I am?” she spat. “You know who these people are, what they do. I can’t believe I trusted you.”

“I didn’t know, Emma, I swear to God, I didn’t know!”

“You had to know something wasn’t right the minute you found us in the back of that truck.”

I hung my head because I knew she was right.

“Yet you pushed your suspicions aside for a pay day, didn’t you? And now you want to play the hero? How much, Killian?”

My head snapped up to meet her volatile gaze. How could I answer that?

The tears in her eyes spilled over, and I ached to wipe them away. “How much did you pay for me tonight?” She shoved me in the shoulder when I didn’t answer. “Tell me, how much?”

“A thousand dollars,” I whispered.

She nodded, hugging herself again. “A thousand dollars. So that’s what I’m worth.”

I reached out for her again, my arms hanging loose between us. “No, Emma. Your worth doesn’t have a price tag.”

She turned from me quickly, her hands covering her face. I stepped close, but I still didn’t touch her.

“Please, let’s get out of here.”

“I told you, I can’t.” She turned to me again, her face dry of tears, her shoulders squared. “Elsa is sick, really sick. They’re just giving her aspirin and refusing to call a doctor. The only good thing about that is no one has touched her, and they can’t. . .“ she paused, letting out a shuddering breath.

“What about Anna?”

Emma gazed into my eyes with so much pain, I was tempted to look away. “I made a bargain with Neal. He thinks he’s in love with me you see, so. . .” She rubbed at her bruises again, and I knew without a doubt who’d given them to her. “I know it can’t last forever, but for now, I give Neal what he wants, and no one touches Anna.”

I opened my mouth to try and convince her again that we needed to flee, but she stopped me with her next words.

“If I leave, what happens to her? She’s only 16!”

I deflated, knowing she was right. I searched her face, my chest tightening.

“I vow to you, Emma, my brother and I will find you. We’ll get all three of you out. I swear it.”

I didn’t know how, but the words poured out of me with the strongest conviction I had ever felt. I would die to make this right. I knew Liam felt the same.

Emma gave a small half smile, and for the first time since she had stepped into the room, she relaxed. Then her eyes darted nervously to the bed, and I saw her shoulders tense up again.

“You paid for an hour.”

“What do you need, Emma?” I asked her gently.

She looked at me with more vulnerability in her face than she had ever allowed in my presence. “I haven’t slept in so long. . .”

“Then sleep. I’ll watch over you. You’re safe, I promise.”

She nodded her thanks, then walked slowly to the bed. She kicked off her shoes, then sat on the edge of the mattress, glancing over at me nervously. To put her at ease, I sat in the hard-backed chair in the corner and picked up the local magazine resting on the scuffed table next to it.

“I’ll just be right here,” I told her, then forced myself to focus on the magazine in my hand even though it was little more than advertisements.

Emma stretched out on the bed, on top of the comforter, and curled in on herself, her back to me. I ached to hold her and tell her what her true worth was, but I knew that she wouldn’t trust my touch. Not now. Not in these circumstances. Yet her breathing evened out quickly, the tension in her body loosening as I watched her, and I took pleasure that she felt comfortable enough to fall asleep in my presence. I abandoned the cheap magazine and walked softly across the room where I could see her face. She was truly, deeply asleep, her hands curled beneath her chin, her heavily painted lashes resting against the top of her cheeks. A curl of hair across her face rustled with each breath. She was so beautiful, and I wanted nothing more than to whisk her away from this place. I eased down onto the end of the bed, mesmerized by this incredible woman who would do anything to save her sisters, even at her own expense. A thousand dollars? I pressed my eyes closed as tears of my own welled up.

The minutes passed much too quickly, and soon there was a pounding on the door. “Times up!”

My heart sank as I reached out to gently touch Emma for the first time. “Emma, wake up.”

Her eyes blinked open, and she looked over at me blearily. She gave a half smile at first, until whoever was outside pounded on the door again. Then realization flooded her countenance as she jerked fully awake.

“You only paid for an hour, buddy!”

“Give us a minute!” I shouted back. “We’re . . . getting dressed!”

With shaking hands, Emma reached for her shoes. I didn’t want to let her out of my sight.

“Please, Emma, come with me. We can still make a run for it.”

She stood up and slipped her shoes back on. “I can’t leave my sisters.”

Her words and the set of her lips brokered no argument, and I sighed. There was another banging on the door with the threat of charging me another five hundred, and we glanced at one another with a mixture of sadness and fear. Wordlessly, we mussed up the comforter and sheets, tossing a couple of pillows on the floor.

“I’ll find you,” I promised her one more time before heading for the door. As I opened it, I pretended to tuck the end of my shirt into my jeans. “Worth every penny,” I told Neal as I walked away.

#cs ff #captain swan #cs modern au #cs movie au #captain swan is my favorite rom com #priceless #brothers jones #knightrook #emma elsa and anna as sisters #angst #dark #but with a happy ending #i swear

[mrmichaelchadler]

Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: November 29, 2018

7 NEW TO NETFLIX

"Buybust" "De Palma" "Green Room" "Into the Forest" "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" "Krisha" "The Workshop"

7 NEW TO BLU-RAY/DVD

"2001" (4K)

For a very long time, it felt like if you had a DVD player, it was required that you also owned two films, The Wachowskis' "The Matrix" and Stanley Kubrick's "2001." Now the tide is slowly shifting from standard HD Blu-rays to 4K ones and a legion of great, essential films are being remastered for the new format. Some of the 4K remasters feel almost like afterthoughts. You could barely tell the difference between an upscaled Blu-ray and the 4K release, so why bother the double dip into your wallet? However, there are some titles that simply look made for 4K, and one of those films is "2001," now available with the best technical presentation it's ever received. The depth of the field and the complexity of the audio mix have never popped quite like this, and that's coming from someone who has covered this film on DVD, Blu-ray, and seen it in a theater. This is the best it's ever looked. 

Buy it here 

Special Features Audio Commentary from Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood Remastered Blu-ray with Commentary from Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood The Making of a Myth Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001 2001: A Space Odyssey – A Look Behind the Future What Is Out There? 2001: FX and Early Conceptual Artwork Look: Stanley Kubrick! 11/27/66 Interview with Stanley Kubrick [Audio Only] Original Theatrical Trailer Premium Booklet Art Cards

"The Big Lebowski"

It may not have the visual depth of field as "2001," but another one of Roger's Great Movies hit 4K this month, likely to coincide with the launch of Joel and Ethan Coen's "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" on Netflix. And while you probably remember most of the memorable lines from the "The Big Lebowski," you might have forgotten how much this film pops visually, making it a great addition to a 4K collection. 

Buy it here

Special Features U-Control: Scene Companion U-Control: Mark It, Dude U-Control: The Music of The Big Lebowski Worthy Adversaries: What's My Line Trivia The Dude's Life The Dude Abides: The Big Lebowski Ten Years Later Making of The Big Lebowski The Lebowski Fest: An Achiever's Story Flying Carpets and Bowling Pin Dreams: The Dream Sequences of The Dude Interactive Map Jeff Bridges Photo Book Photo Gallery An Introduction No Kid Hungry PSA

"Blindspotting"

As the year comes to a close, there have been a number of Sundance hits popping up on year-end lists like "Leave No Trace" and "Sorry to Bother You," both winners at Gotham, National Board of Review, and the Independent Spirit Awards. One of the forgotten films appears to be the Opening Night film from this year's Park City event, Daveed Diggs' and Rafael Casal's excellent dramedy about a young man in Oakland who witnesses a police-involved shooting. Although that description doesn't really get at what this film accomplishes. It's smart, hysterical, and emotionally raw. A decade from now, Daveed Diggs is going to be HUGE, and people will look back at this film like they look at "Do the Right Thing" (a clear inspiration) now. And they'll wonder why more people weren't talking about it in 2018.

Buy it here 

Special Features Audio Commentary with Director Carlos López Estrada Audio Commentary with Writers/Actors Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal Deleted Scenes Straight from the Town: Making Blindspotting Featurette Carlos López Estrada: A Director's Featurette

"Candyman"

The way the internet and my odd career works, I've ended up writing about "Candyman" several times in the last few weeks, assisted by this excellent new release from Scream Factory. It's one of the best horror movie Special Editions of the year, with tons of special features, including new interviews with the cast and crew, but it's the movie itself that will startle you. I'll admit that the teenage me had kind of blown it off as just another boogeyman movie, but there's a lot going on here regarding race and urban legends, elements that I virtually guarantee you the Jordan Peele-produced sequel announced this week will emphasize. This is the best thing you could be the horror fan on your holiday list.

Buy it here 

Special Features BRAND NEW NEW 2K RESTORATION from a new 4K scan of the original negative, supervised and approve by writer/director Bernard Rose and director of photography Anthony B. Richmond NEW audio commentary with writer-director Bernard Rose and actor Tony Todd NEW audio commentary with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman Audio Commentary with director Bernard Rose, author Clive Barker, producer Alan Poul and actors Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen and Kasi Lemmons Audio Commentary with director Bernard Rose, from The Movie Crypt Podcast hosted by filmmakers Adam Green and Joe Lynch Sweets to the Sweet: The Candyman Mythos featuring interviews with director Bernard Rose, producer Alan Poul, executive producer Clive Barker, actors Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd and Kasi Lemmons Clive Barker: Raising Hell – an interview with author/artist/filmmaker Clive Barker Interview with actor Tony Todd (2014) Bernard Rose's Storyboards Theatrical Trailer TV Spots Still Gallery Screenplay (BD-Rom)

DISC TWO - UNRATED CUT BRAND NEW 2K RESTORATION from a new 4K scan of the original negative with high definition inserts for the uncut footage from an archival film print NEW Be My Victim – an interview with Tony Todd NEW It Was Always You, Helen – an interview with Virginia Madsen NEW Reflection in the Mirror – an interview with Kasi Lemmons NEW A Kid in Candyman – an interview with actor DeJuan Guy NEW The Writing on the Wall: The Production Design of Candyman – an interview with production designer Jane Ann Stewart NEW Forbidden Flesh: The Makeup FX of Candyman – including interviews with special makeup effects artists Bob Keen, Gary J. Tunnicliffe and Mark Coulier NEW A Story to Tell: Clive Barker's "The Forbidden" – writer Douglas E. Winter on Clive Barker's seminal Books of Blood and Candyman's source story, "The Forbidden" NEW "Urban Legend: Unwrapping Candyman" – A Critical Analysis Of The Film With Writers Tananarive Due And Steven Barnes

"Crazy Rich Asians"

There are scant few actual movie phenomenons any more. Most of the movies that make a fortune at the box office are more product than art. Don't get me wrong, I love "Black Panther" and "Incredibles 2" but their box office success was as guaranteed as the sun coming up tomorrow. A film that truly exceeds all pre-buzz is rare. We got "A Quiet Place" early in the year, but the real box office story of 2018 is probably "Crazy Rich Asians," a film so successful that it's even being predicted for some guild citations and maybe even an Oscar nomination or two. As if there was any question as to whether or not an Asian ensemble could anchor a blockbuster, it's been answered with over $220 million worldwide and counting. People love this movie and it's been encouraging to feel like that love is more than just a calculated response to a known commodity and more of an embracing of a previously-unheard voice reaching a mass audience.

Buy it here 

Special Features Audio Commentary by Director Jon M. Chu and Novelist Kevin Kwan Crazy Rich Fun Gag Reel Deleted Scenes

"The Meg"

Oh how I wish I could wholeheartedly recommend "The Meg." As a fan of the Statham Era of the "Fast and Furious" movies and someone who considers "Jaws" one of the best movies ever made, the idea of "Transporter vs. Shark" had me pumped from the minute I first saw the preview. But this is a half-hearted "Sure, if you have nothing else to do" more than a strong thumbs up. The more I think about it, the more stunned I am how often this movie goes wrong. First, it takes itself WAY too seriously. A movie like this needs to be tongue-in-cheek, allowing Statham to show how he can blend action and humor like has in the "Fast" movies and "Spy." There's arguably no one better than him and combining the two, and yet "The Meg" rarely allows him to do so. By the time the shark is getting to beach goers, you'll be bored. And I never thought a movie about a giant shark that starred Jason Statham could be boring. 

Buy it here 

Special Features Chomp On This: The Making Of The Meg Creating The Beast Optional English, Latin Spanish, Parisian French, and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles for the main feature

"Pixar Short Film Collection, Vol. 3"

The third edition of short films created by the geniuses at Pixar should make for a great gift this holiday season...but only for people who already have the first two. This is easily the weakest collection overall, even if it does have a few highlights like the gorgeous "Piper" and "Lou," the two best on here by some stretch. As someone who loves Pixar and short films, my family has watched all three volumes, and this is the first one that they almost checked out of. It doesn't help that a LOT of the ones included here aren't the theatrical kind (like "Bao" or the dreadful "Lava") but mini-movies included on Blu-ray releases, quick tie-ins to films like "Inside Out," "Monsters University," and "Cars 3," which Disney collectors almost certainly already own. 

Buy it here 

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[sweetly-cider]

Burning Bridges

((Canon RP with @juliet0129​/ @juliets-oc-isle​ , @mamajebbun​/ @peripendulum​))

"Where the hell is everyone..." Ale couldn't help muttering to himself in confusion as he rubbed the back of his neck. After the dinner rush finished out, the bar had become oddly... empty. A certain hour had hit, and every last customer had filed out the door without a single ons returning. It wouldn't have normally bothered him, had he not been attempting to do his job right this time. He'd even promised not to touch a single bottle for himself -- and that was more than even Applin could guarantee most nights! Though, now he might be tempted. It certainly didn't help this strange lethargy that had hit him today. Maybe it was that depression over his breakup hitting him again. "No... Stop it. You ain't broken up, you just gotta give 'er space then work 'ta make it right," he told the empty room, then turned to wipe down the clean counter yet again. 

Max walked towards the bar, one hand shoved into his pocket while the other held onto his pipe. He sighed, exhausted from having felt with the normal day work he chose to do recently; building sheds. The work wasn’t hard, far from it. What made it difficult was the overbearing heat of the summer sun. He had to wake up early and work during the cool hours, which were mostly dark hours, and then try and rest when the sun reached the center of the sky. He yawned, having not gotten used to his recently new sleep schedule. He had planned on finishing up the job that night though, after he helped Applin with what ever he needed him for. He pushed open the door, walking into an empty bar. He blinked in confusion then shrugged. Maybe he needed to fix something big? He walked over to the bar where he found Ale. “Ey, where’s yer brother?” He asked.

"'M not sure," he said, dropping his cleaning rag onto the counter. "I haven't seen 'im all day. I figured maybe he'd get here later? Whatever it is, it must've scared away all 'a the customers tonight. It's been empty all evening. Ah, here, siddown. I'll get ya whatever ya want, on the house." Ale waved towards the barstools, then turned towards the shelves. "I've got no clue what he needed help with, either. Everything around here's just fine. Ain't nothin' with the building that I can see. I checked after I tried 'ta go by Swirl's place earlier."

Suddenly the door opened as Peri let himself in. He wasn't as overly dramatic as he usually let himself be. That changed though when he saw Ale and Max. "Well working life suits you Sir." Peri smirked at him.  "How amusing. You still don't look like a owner of a bar. That goes to your brother. Applin is a delight to talk to." Peri then turned to face Max. There was a scowl as his eyes lit up. So this was the man who hurt Quil. Not quite what he imagined but it didn't matter. "Where is your brother?" Peri turned to Ale. "Is he ready to get his life back?"

"Great. It's the brass bastard," Ale muttered under his breath, turning away from the alcohol. "What do you want, freak. My brother ain't here. Haven't seen him all day. You got a problem, you gotta take it up with me."

"I'm guessing he didn't tell you." Peri muttered softly.  "Oh well. I thought he would join us but its understandable if he is busy." "You and I need to have a little chat."Peri turned to Max and sneered at him. "And since you both don't understand.  Applin asked this... Max here so we can speak. Its the deal we made. I get a meeting and Applin gets his debt paid."

Max raised a brow at brass man, surprised by what the guy was saying then realization hit him. “You’re a collector,” He said, a scowl on his face. He turned to Ale, completely ignoring Peri’s presence. “ At least we know why Applin ain’t here, all collectors are asses, after his run-in with Joel last night, I don’t blame him for going dark tonight. He don’t deserve it. Anyway, got any Whiskey Ale? Might need it to keep myself in check.”

"... Yeah. I got ya," he said, shooting the visitor a sideways glance. His eyes were dark, though contrasted by a forced, overly done smile. "Well, then, come on in, buddy," he said, waving to the empty room. "Take a seat. We're all ears." Then, he turned on his heel and went back to the shelf.

“Make it quick though, cause I gotta go and finish up a job.” Max grumbled our in annoyance to the brass collector. It was obvious that he didn’t really care about the collector wanting to talk to him, or the fact that he was a demon. In fact, he seemed pretty at ease about it all.

"I'm here to talk about Quil." Peri decided to sit down away from them. Expecting the chance of them maybe two teaming him. He put his umbrella on the table though as a sign  of peace. "She been under my care. I didn't have the heart to give her soul over. I want to know why you hurt her."

Ale just returned silently with the bottle and glass, setting both within reach of his friend. If this was the topic, he figured Max was going to need every bit of it, though he was definitely going to keep an eye on the wax man.

The mere mention of her name hit him hard, making him clench his fist and bite his lip. He didn’t waste a second once Ale set the bottle and glass in front of him, he grabbed the bottle and poured the alcohol into the glass, nearly to the rim. “So yer the one she went a runnin’ to with her poor me sob story.”He said sourly. He lifted up the glass and took a swig of the alcohol. “At first, I thought she’d go running to Joel. That’s really why I thought he showed up last night.” He glanced at Ale, tilting his glass to him with a smirk before he turned and looked at Peri. “So, she’s in your care now, eh?” He asked spitefully. “And you want to know why I hurt her?” He turned to him and looked at him skeptically. “What are you, some rebound lover she sicked on me?”

"Oh dear, did we hit a nerve?" Peri asked, how spiteful this person was. He hadn't seen it in someone for a long time. He really wished he didn't have to keep his cool around this idiot. "She spoke about you a lot. So much so it used to annoy me how gullible Quil was. If you truly cared about her you wouldn't of let her sell her soul... Especially when you had no soul to give in return." "Congrats by the way. Making her fall in love with you. That must of felt great toying with a girls emotions for your own gain." Peri looked at his claws with interest and then played with one of his nails.. " I thought us demons were bad but you mortals are more disgusting when you want to be."

Max chuckled at what Peri said. “Heh, you’re funny. You’re almost as ignorant as Joel.” He swirled the whiskey in the glass before downing the rest. He set the glass on the table, glancing at Peri with a smirk. “Although, Joel always did his research before approaching someone about something. You’re a poor excuse for a demon if you can’t do that, shameful even since you’re a collector.” He turned to the bar and grabbed the whiskey bottle, filling the glass once again. “And what’s this talk about Quil trying to give you her soul for me? Even if she wanted to, her soul would be worthless to the devil.”

"I don't know this Joel personally but I do hear whispers about them." Peri muttered not liking learning this fact. What would the devil's spawn know about all this? Quil was the devils toy. He didn't want to mess with this Joel too now. "That's how she came to me. She gave up her soul for your debts. I'm only taking in what I have been told. You don't seem guilty at all." "I don't think she worthless now. I gave it back to her. I made sure she didn't owe your debt." Peri shook his head at this person. Maybe he was just defensive. Peri rubbed  some sore of his arms the price he was paying for helping these mortals out. "I just... don;t understand why you aren't fighting for her. I would do anything to protect her."(edited)

Max eyed him for a moment before grabbing a hold of his glass. “Yer honestly gonna sit ‘ere an’ try ta squeeze info from me based offa half truths?” He shook his head, a scowl plastering on his face as he looked at the glass of whiskey before he took a drink. “Look, I don’t know what she told ya, but even she didn’t stick around fer the entire story, and I don’t blame ‘er.” He shrugged and took another swig before continuing. “If she doesn want to know, I’ll respect her and not push it in her face to justify what I did. I did what my heart was tellin’ me ta do back then, and I will stick with it. If she interprets it as me being a bad guy, so be it. I still got what I wanted, I still get ta see her walk around freely, an’ that’s all that matters to me. Even if she hates me for the rest of eternity, I will still be happy knowin’ I don’t have to see her behind bars tied up like a wild animal for some stupid dark circus.” He lifted the glass to his lips. “That oughta show that monster of a father of mine that I was right. I will never be like ‘em. That I am capable of lovin someone.”

"I think you should slow down on the alcohol." Peri muttered as he tried to make sense out what he was talking about. So he was being defensive. This was making things difficult mostly since he understood what he meant. But it wasn't good enough. "You love her right? Why didn't you help her out? I could of sold her as a whore if I wanted too. You lead her on... for years, knowing all is information and you couldn't tell her sooner? Why was it?" Peri got annoyed. "I need to know where you stand and if you are going to fight for her. She got so upset and scared. Sometimes she too scared to leave the house since her wings are back. You are right I don't have the full story so make me understand."

"Uh... He's right, buddy, maybe ya oughtta slow down," Ale muttered, watching his friend down the drink. He'd never seen Max like this before, and he wasn't sure he wanted to see the result. Especially when he was trying -- for once -- to keep things calm and out of trouble. However, he didn't want to interrupt, either.

Max looked over at Ale in surprise. “You know I can hold my liquor better than you can, bro.” Still, he set the full glass down onto the counter and crossed his arms as he glanced at Peri with a scowl. “Yer a contractor, it’s yer job to get others to sign their soul over to the devil. Ya ought to know there are terms when it comes to the kind of contract when it comes to winning someone over.” He mumbled grumpily. “I give everything up so she can have a better life. Thing is, I can’t control her, she still has free will, which is out of reach of the devil. Not even God can control that.” He leaned forward with a cocky smirk. “So I didn’t keep ‘er from sleeping with Joel’s carnival staff, didn’t make her sleep with me. She chose to. I can’t stop her.”

"Poor you. Shall I get my tiny violin out?" Peri sneered back and stood up. His umbrella in hand now. "She should be thankful shouldn't she? Is that what this is about? Ooo you poor thing. You don't even understand that your wish was born out of a selfish need.  Were you ~really~ doing it for her? It doesn't quite sound like it. Setting someone free shouldn't have a price if you really cared about her." Peri twitched when he brought up sexual matters. It hit a nerve him speaking like that about Quil. Why did that matter? Was he really that childish?  His eyes glowed softly from his actions.

Max grabbed his glass, purely out of habit as he leaned against the bar. “Sí, sí, tienes razón, it was completely selfish. I should have left her in that literal hell hole, let her slowly suffer in torment as the devils demons plucked her wings to keep her grounded, chained her to a ball to keep her from going far, kept her in a literal cage in a dungeon of a demon’s house not even able to see the sun until they brought her out to bathe her like an animal and put her up on display like some amazing attraction at a zoo. Yup, yeah, totally selfish.” He raised the glass to his lips but paused before he took a swig and placed it back onto the counter. “Ya really know nothin’ ‘bout Quil, do ya? Here ya are, “carin’ for her”, and ya still know next ta nothin’ ‘bout her. She’s a Nephillim, cabrón, which means she is literally half angel and half demon. She will never be a full angel, and she will never be a true demon. “Gettin her ta fall in love with me wasn’t something I wanted ta gamble, but it ended up bein’ a part of the conditions ‘n my bet with her father....mi medio abuelo.....” he grabbed his pipe and brought it to his lips, blowing hot air on the tobacco that was in the end until smoke trailed from the pipe. “The only reason why gettin ‘er to love me was part of the bet was because demons hardly ever have positive emotions as such. True demons. They don’t have a heart, don’t have a soul. Power, pleasure, destruction, these are all things demons enjoy and live for.” He blew smoke towards Peri, mockingly. “Yer different though,” he muttered. “Yer only ‘ere askin’ me all this shit ‘cause you love her, dontcha? Ya fall fer a demigod too, ya fake demon? Feel sorry fo’ya.”

Ale couldn't help eyeing the smoke curling from the pipe. He wasn't used to seeing that when he was sober, so it was only now that his brain was beginning to process what the trigger might be. Then again... he couldn't help but feel bad. He'd only ever really teased Max about his history with the feathered girl, but to see him get so passionate over her? It made yet another spear of guilt shoot through him, adding to the rapidly growing collection of them already piercing his very soul. However, he didn't dare interfere. No, knowing his track record he'd only make things worse, even if he tried to ease the situation. Best just to stay silent and keep everyone's glasses full. Maybe he should get one of his own before the end of this.

"Hmm. What if I do love her?" Peri asked in a tired tone. "I have soften up because of Quil. I don't see how it's bad thing when I was out of control before her." "The first deal was out of your control. Okay, there must of been a reason for those terms but that's not the reason I'm here. Since I only know her side story...so if I get this wrong I know more likey you will happily tell me how wrong I am. Why did you get yourself into another situation where souls could only solve your debt?"

Max scowled at his question. It was really something he didn’t want to talk about in front of Ale. Still, he puffed on his pipe as he glanced away. “Because that’s all I had that was truly mine when I was young. And where I come from, souls are more valuable than money. mi papa, erm, father, he wasn’t happy that I was born with one, he was hopin’ that mi mama...didn’t have a strong hold on me, and here we are, me more wax than fire.” Max shrugged. “The bet I made is no different than a contract where I come from. Only, we don’t lose our souls like normal people do, it doesn’t change us like normal people. It just leaves us vulnerable, without the safety of abuelo.” He reached over and grabbed his glass with a free hand, his other holding his pipe as he took a drink. “For a devil, he sure does his best to protect his children.” He mumbled to himself. “It doesn’t really matter to me if you love her or not. I just find it funny that a mortal turned demon is allowing himself to soften up.” He mused. He grinned at Peri, pointing his pipe at him. “Funny thing is, you think it’s you falling for her, when in fact it’s really her making you fall for her. You think she will stay with you? Nah, she never stays with one person. She’s a whore who craves love, but never wants to fully give it to others. Un ángel to the eyes, but un demonio en el corazón.”

"I’m sorry that you’re insecure about yourself and you think insults are a way to make yourself look big. I think we are done here." Peri growled to himself. Selfish prick. He would love to deal with him if it wasn't for Applin.  Max was something much more worrying than he thought. He will need to speak to Quil as soon as he could. He moved himself to the bar and putting up the coins for Max's drinks. "You haven't added onto your debt?" Peri asked Ale however his tone is dangerous. "It needs to be the right amount."

Max huffed at Peri’s tone, smoke trailing from his mouth. “ oh no, you don’t get to just barge in here and asked personal shit about me without explaining why.” Max spat angrily. Not only was he the same demon that had control over his friends, he was possibly very demon who had changed oil‘s perception on things. He had to know, Quil was very easy to influence, easy to manipulate. He didn’t want to see her falling into the same trap by another demon, a fake one at that. “Why do you even care about her to begin with? You work for me for mi familia. You’re not supposed to care about someone’s well-being.” He sneered. “If anything, I’m A far better person than you.”

"Actually I can. I got what I wanted." Peri turned around to face Max. "This was nothing more than a study session. You didnt have to answer anything but you did. You are very open when you think your opponents are dumb. Also if you think I'm going to sit here and listen to you calling her a whore, you have another thing coming."

“You’re holding mi amigos soul hostage for some petty info from me. Yeah, I’m sure ya would have given it back to them if i’da said nothin’.” Max snapped back angrily. “And I will call ‘er a whore, because that’s what she is. Una Puta. What else would she be when she slept with so many others after I helped her with ‘er heat, eh?” He finished off his drink, a smug smirk on his face. “What’re ya gonna do ‘bout it? Abuelito gave me immunity from shits like you, and I’m not just some regular mortal ya can push around either.” He narrowed his eyes at Peri, his expression challenging. “*Ya don’t scare me one bit, perra.”

Ale had gone to accept the coin and answer Peri's question, but only ended up scrambling backwards out of Max's way. For a moment, he wasn't even sure what to do. He'd never seen Max get this angry. Ever. This was already enough to swallow without seeing his friend in such a state. "Max, calm down," he hissed, the words foreign coming from his mouth rather than recieving them from someone else. His friend had always kept a close eye on his temper, so there must have been a good reason. For once, it was his turn to play the peacekeeper. Sort of. "You don't know what this guy is gonna do! What about Appy, man?"

"Maybe... Quils realized she had standards and went looking for someone who could get the job done."   Peri brought is umbrella to Max's neck. He was done being friendly. His eye gave a his old crazed look. " It is her body after all.  She can do what she wants. For someone who doesn't care you are very angry Max. Is it cause I can actually look after her? You look like some dirty commoner with no place to call home. How many jobs do you do? OR do you just get plastered cause you can't even keep a woman excited?"

"C'mon, guys, that's enough," Ale said, holding out his arms between them. That's usually how people broke up arguments, right? He never really paid much attention, being the one usually being calmed. "There ain't no reason for the low blows, guys. C'mon, just siddown and take a drink."

Max smirked, his scowl still on his face as he reached over to block Peri’s umbrella from his neck. “Naw, I ain’t gonna back away from a petty doc who thinks he’s above the devils own kind....” He grumbled at Ale, a sneer in his tone. “I ain’t gonna let him walk out without charring him some.” Small tendrils of steam smoked from his hands, smoke from his mouth as he glared at Peri with glowing lavender eyes. “I’m gonna kick his ass.”

"I suggest doing what the your friend says. He needs to clean up." Peri didn't move at all. "You are just making things up now just to get yourself more angry.. I respect most of my kin. Most."

“A mistake ya’ll learn not ta make again,” Max sneered. Not even a second after he spoke he swung his arm at Peri’s umbrella, knocking it away from him as he spit toward Peri.

"Max!" Ale attempted to try to jump between the fighting, but only ended up tripping over the counter and sending Max's bottle spilling across the counter. Rather than try to clean the mess, the barkeep scrambled back and tried to find the key to the counter gate. "Stop! This is enough!"

"Ouch... so your the kinky type." Peri felt the spit burn under his eye. He jumped back to get some space away from him. "Hot wax and bondage coming right up~"    Peri laughed as two chains shot out of his jacket sleeves. They launch a Max in hopes of being able to hold him down before he burned the place down.

“Kinky? What the hell-!” Max was caught off guard by what Peri had said so much so that he didn’t realize what Peri was doing until too late. The chains smacked into his shoulders with a dull thud as he fell back into the bar from the force, his hat flew off his head from the force. He looked up at Peri with a scowl, his eyes glowing brighter. “So that’s the way you wanna play.” He growled out. He reached over and grabbed at the chains, his hands sizzling and the cream white color of them starting to glow. Sweat began to drip down from his hands onto the chains as his hands began to heat up. “Can ya handle the heat, pendejo.”

"You keep going with this I might explode." Peri chuckled in amusement. His dirty mind working into overdrive due to Max confusion. Using it as his defense. "Your ticking my boxes. Although wouldn't want to rip that hole." Then he felt the chains heat up. He winced in pain but played it off with a laugh. "Abit of pain just makes it more exciting!" Peri pulled the chain in a quick motion towards him in hopes to make him fall forward. He summoned more chains but waited as they stayed by him. "Mr Simon. If you get your arse over her and help chain me this idiot before you loose you bar in a fire? That would be fantastic."

"A-ah..." When things had begun to grow heated, Ale found himself pressing back against the rear counter, avoiding the crossfire as best he could. When it was suggested he work against his friend, he couldn't help but look at the collector in disbelief. "It's just wax," he said at first. Then, his eyes were drawn towards the sizzling trail of liquid that was strewn across the counter. In the heat of the moment, the spilled alcohol had spread quite far, and the chains and fiery temper were beginning to aggravate it. Then, the edges began to lick with light, and he found himself frozen. "F-fire...?" He didn't know why, but the thought had him suddenly struck with fear.

Max was oblivious to the alcohol catching fire, no all he was focused on was Peri and his blinding anger. When he was jerked forward by the chains, instead of making him stumble out of balance, he used it as a sort of encouragement. Without any kind of warning, he yanked the chains downward, small flames flickering from his hands as he pulled on them, the temperature in his hands increasing sharply. Hot wax dripped down the chains as he pulled Peri towards him while he was distracted, landing a flaming blow on his cheek. “How about I blind ya eye like I tried to do with that whore of yours.” Max said in a low voice, his eyes glowing a vivid magenta and wide with a crazed expression. His inner demon was in control now, and small chit chat wouldn’t break him from it easily.

"Max-- no!" Ale could only watch in horror as the fiery blow sent the rest of the liquid up in sudden flames. The old, aged counter easily caught on, the laquer sending an almost sweet smell into the air as it quickly spread along the length of the bar. That finally gave him the motivation he needed, but just enough to scramble away from the shelves of alcohol as the flames started to stretch towards them. "No, no, no, no," he yelled, trying to grab a towel, and apron, anything to beat the flames with. It wasn't doing much good.

"Which demon are you?" Peri flinched realising the sitution he put himself him. With a slight of panic he was hit and felt the burn go deep. He screeched in anger and pain as a mark was left. Peri despite knowing it would hurt him, clawed at Max's face. Making sure he took hot wax with him under his nails. He had to get this guy under control but he didn't think his powers would work in this state. Peri's eyes lit up anyway. If could slow him down that's all he needed to tie him up.

"Fuck!!" Max cried out in pain when Peri clawed at his face, long claw marks left on his face as he let go of Peri, his hands immediately going to cover the wounds. The fire on his hands went out as he touched his face, the wax on his face smoothing out slowly as he pressed on it.

Ale couldn't help ignoring the rest of the fight. No, his eyes were following the sudden wall of flames that had crept from the wood to the shelves and shelves of glass bottles and barrels beneath them. It had ahead begun to spread to the floor where the alcohol had spilled, forcing Ale to scramble away from his stock. "No-- dammit!" Turning on his heel he manged to break through the old counter gate, grabbing onto the nearest person. "Continue this outside because this is about to get real bad!"

"I don't want to continue it at all! He won't stop untill it calms down." Peri jumped feelin Ale grab him and took the moment to slam his head into Max. "You have tons of liquids here yet you can't put it out? Where is the water Mr Simons?! "  He didn't turn to face Ale  due to his powers being active. Suddenly he frown and brought out all the chains he could muster and launch them at Max. "Help me pull him out.  I'm strong but not not enough to to deal with him  melting me and carrying him."

"The water pump's all the way in the back! I don't think I could get anything out here in time," he said between clenched teeth. He didn't want to acknowledge there was some strange pull that was preventing him from attempting to put out the blaze. It made him want to run without looking back. However, it didn't stop him from grabbing ahold of some of the chains as they wrapped around his friend. "Fine! I've got no idea what the hell is goin' on, but fine! Just put 'im out! Hey, Max," he called out, starting to pull. "You better cool it before I gotta drag you home for once!"

Max still had his hands over his face when Peri tied him in his chains. He clenched his teeth angrily, his eyes still glowing magenta as he struggled to free himself. “Hell no!” he shouted back rebelliously. Seeing Ale helping Peri, or what he assumed was helping because one of Peri’s claws had scratched one of his eyes and he couldn’t see well. Either way it only made him even more furious. “I ain’t gonna ’cool it’ until that Fucker begs fer mercy!!”

"Max!" Ale could only watch as his friend grew even hotter, the wood at his feet beginning to smoke and char. He could feel the heat of the chains even through his gloves, but grit his teeth in an attempt to ignore it. The flames had quickly reached the inventory, and the sound of lids popping and glass cracking made him cringe. "Look, pal, I'm gonna tell you the same thing you tell me! It ain't worth it, man! What's she gonna think if she sees you," he called out, giving the brass chains another yank, trying to get him even just to take a step forward. "You've had enough, Max! Now cool it before the whole place comes down around you! You might bring it to flames, but I'm sure as hell not gonna lose someone in it!"

"You are strangely okay that your besties is burning down this place." Peri rolled his eyes and yank also. His body was aching though due to the heat coming from Max. Probably any hit could knock him down. "I guess I'm the idiot that's gonna have to pay for this too?!"

"You think I'm okay with this?!" Ale glanced over at him in obvious disbelief. "Hell, no, I'm terrified! But I'd rather lose a damn building over the only real friend I've ever had, and you bet I'm gonna make sure he's safe first! I don't care if he's burning it down!" He grit his teeth again and ignored the burning on his hands as he pulled again. "And you're talkin' about money at a time like this? Really?!"

"Yes I am, cause you brother loves this place. You still haven't learned anything have you Mr Simon. Family should come first."  Peri grunted and pulled more. His voice broke. "It should... and here I'm playing the big brother role again. You just lucky I worked my ass off and my demon is hibernating."

"Yeah, and if he were here I'd be draggin'  his ass out, too! I don't give a crap about this... demon stuff! I can't even do a damn thing til he's chilled or he's out on the street, so don't you dare tell me I'm not doin anything!" Ale growled, then hoisted the chains over his shoulder before trying to pull from the other direction. Slowly but surely, it looked like they may be making progress, leaving a dark black streak in the floor, some places smoldering or starting to flicker. "C'mon... When'd you start putting on so much weight," Ale yelled, giving another pull.

“When’d I what?!” Max shouted back, his eyes blazing brightly. So furious at what Ale said, he failed to notice the tug on the chains. He stumbled forward, the floor creaking then cracking under him. “Shit!!” He yelped as he fell forward, landing onto the unburnt floor with a loud thud. He squirmed angrily, his fists clenching and his arms flexing against the heated chains as he spun slightly as he climbed to his knees.

"Fuck! fuck! fuck!" Peri heels screeched as he was pulled to the hole from Max crashing down. "This is getting ridulous."Peri growled lowly as his jacket flared up and darkness seemed to flow from him. He released Max and started putting his chains back. "Run out. I will follow once he is up.  He too pissed to not give chase."

"Tch-- fine. Hey, fatty!" On a normal day, Ale might have been snickering to himself as he stumbled backwards, waving his arms through the air. It was a strange thing for him to get mad at, but, hey, it'd worked so far. Ale tried not to stare at the rising flames. Instead, he turned and began running towards the door, ignoring the hot air that seemed to choke his lungs. He skidded to a stop as he slammed into the door, throwing it open before turning to see if the wax man was giving chase.

As Ale sprinted away from Max, he tried his hardest to struggle out of the chains to chase after his friend. That was until the chains unwrapped from around him and returned to Peri. He rubbed his arms in confusion, small impressions on his arms from the chains being warmed up. He grinned and glanced up at the both of them, his eyes regaining their crazed look. "You guys have false hopes if you think you can outrun a wildfire."

"Dammit," Ale grumbled under his breath, then a thought drifted across his mind. Forcing a smirk to his face, he called out to the demon. "Oh, yeah? Well, with a hot head like you, it's no surprise that feather bitch ditched you for a real demon, eh? Hey, if I'm single now, maybe I oughtta give her a try!" It may have been a little far, but today was not the day to go halfway. He just hoped his mouth didn't get him killed this time.

"Careful what you say or I will start chasing you too." Peri followed suit and grumbled. The pendulum winced as he felt each burn on him and it only felt like it was getting hotter and more painful.

“You wouldn’t dare...no!! I’ll fucking kill ya!!” Max shouted angrily, his eyes burning brightly. The heat coming off of him intensified, making the floor literally light up with fire the minute he started running after them. Unfortunately, before he could reach them, each step he took sent his feet through the floor. He literally was burning so hot with his anger that he burned through the floor as he ran after then.

Ale tried to ignore how the ceiling groaned over the flames. He tried to ignore how it was spreading further and further across the wooden frames and beams, and the many pops and shatters from the ruined alcohol. Each sound made the flames flash, only growing brighter as the wax man added to them. He tried so hard to ignore the business that had been in his family for generations as it began to burn. "Fine, then! Come get me," he called out, backing out of the door. "You wanna prove you're worth it? Then step outside like a real man, Max!"

"This is so stupid." Peri pushed Ale outside. "I know I said he would give chase but for god sakes you don't need to get his flame hotter. "

"Well, it worked, didn't it," Ale said, stumbling out onto the sidewalk. Turning, he looked back towards the burning building. "Is he still coming?"

Max bolted through the door, his hands in fists crossed over his face as he skidded to a stop looking around for Ale. His eyes had nearly been blinded by the fires bright light. Once he found him, he stormed over towards him. “I’m gonna end ya both!!”

"Take that as a yes." Peri summoned another umbrella for protection for Ale. "I wouldn't want a fist of that. It burned though my metal."

"And you think an umbrella is gonna be much more help?" Ale raised a brow in skepticism, but held onto it without opening it. It didn't mean he was about to confront the other about it, though. "Hey, come on, Max," he said, holding up his hands as he stumbled back a step. "Don't let that thing take 'ya. I know ya told me you can't burn down, so why let it happen now? Just cool down, buddy."

"Needle bit goes in the eye or neck." Peri chuckled and brought out one for himself.

"Right..." Ale grumbled as he looked at the sharpened tip, still uneasy at the thought of hurting his best friend. His only friend. "Come on, Max, don't make me do this."

Max’s nearly bright magenta eyes were unyielding as he stormed close to them. Yet, as he walked, his flames on his hands flickered frantically as the cool air blew against them. He slowed to a stop rather quickly as he realized this. Shit he was out of his fire, and willingly walked right into the airflow his flames needed. He grinned as he rubbed his hands together. That's fine, only way to keep himself from going out was to try and bring the fire out here. Right? Then he could get back to kicking that poor excuse for a demon and...and...wait, why was he going after Ale again?

"Uh... Max?" Ale watched the man warily. He wasn't exactly on fire anymore, so that part was good, right? However, a motion behind him caught his eye. There was a loud screeching and crackling that began to groan out from the burning building, making Ale's eyes widen. "No... No, no, don't do that, don't--" Then, with a loud crash, the entire upper half of the bar began to cave in, collapsing into the center of the building with a bright flash and sending a wave of hot air out into the street.

A sharp surprised yelp escaped Max as the hot air hit him. First the cool evening air dimmed his flames, now the hot air hit him, knocking the wind out of him. His flames went out, hot embers skating across the ground as he struggled to keep standing. He looked up at them both with a glare. “You assholes....” He growled.

"Look like he will be cooling off soon..." Peri examined himself. His outfit was in tatters from embers and flames. There were burns everywhere.  He growled lowly at Max. "This whole thing was ridiculous. There goes my tiny bit of trust I had with Applin. THAT! That thing right there! Is an selfish prick."

Max smirked, a low deep voice escaping him as the glow in his eyes began to dim. “Pobrecito,” He sneered, embers sparking from his mouth. “Vete a llorar a tu puta” He laughed at himself lowly, taking a step forward towards them. His mouth was glowing in the dark around them as he once again spit towards Peri.

"What... what did he say," Ale stammered, unable to tear his eyes away from the now flaming ruins. "Max... Max, just stop," he said, finally pulling himself back to their situation. "There's no reason to keep going like this. Just... just stop! There's enough damage already!"

"For fuck sakes!" Peri gasped as the spit hit near his left eye. He grabbed at his face in agony as a scream out.

"I'm done." He glared at Max while holding his eye. It hurt like hell itself was burning it. "Belphegor doesn't want to hurt a son of Amon. No matter how stupid they are." "Applin's debt will be sorted while I heal." Peri started to walk away from the fire. "Tell him to come  down is he is too impatient to go pass the red light district and find the only mansion there."

"Ah, right." Ale was only half listening as he kept his eyes glued to the slowing Max. "I'll tell... Appy..." Slowly, his face began to grow slack. His mug was bubbling faster and faster. "Applin... Oh, God, what am I gonna tell Applin. Or Swirl or pop. They're going to kill me!"

Max wasn’t focusing on what was being said. With every second, the demon in him fought for control, trying to keep from being snubbed out. Only, it didn’t take long for them to burn out. The moment Max’s eyes stopped glowing, his body almost immediately went slack. He fell to his knees then slumped over, his head hitting the ground hard, but not enough to break his cooled off wax. He laid there, unmoving, yet still breathing.

The sudden slapping sound made Ale yelp in surprise before he realized what had happened. At first, he was hesitant, slowly walking over and poking his friend with his foot. Then, when he'd judged that he was safe, he began dragging him over towards one of the other buildings, sitting him up against the wall. With a sigh, the barkeep watched his burning bar, then reached for his phone. "... Guess I've gotta clean up my own mess this time," he muttered, holding it up to his ear.

#long post #text post #chrono #important!

[mrandyzavala]

Acknowledgements And References

I like to give credit where credit is due. These are the acknowledgements and references for the information in my book, Hand Tool Basics. I'm a self-taught woodworker. That really means I had many teachers, the many live demonstrators and authors of books, videos, and magazine, online forum, mailing list, and website articles who have provided useful information.

Use the information I provide as a starting point. There's plenty more than what I cover; woodworking is a global activity with centuries of history, creating an infinite variety of techniques. I hope that I'll give you the skills and knowledge to be able to assess and incorporate any new information you find.

In general, the tools and methods I show in the book follow American and English woodworking styles. Continental European and Asian styles share many of the same techniques, but there are some differences in the tools. Where information is available, I strive to show historically accurate methods. In general it's safe to assume everything I show has at least 100 years of history. Some things have 2 or 3 hundred. Dovetails date back to the ancient Egyptians.

We are but the custodians of knowledge, passing it on to the next generation.

Acknowledgements

Below is the list of my teachers, in roughly chronological order. These are my primary references. They offer a range of perspectives that don't always agree with each other but still manage to get the job done, showing that it's worthwhile to look at the variety of techniques available.

If you'd like further information on any of the topics I cover in the book, I highly recommend seeking out their work, or even better, a chance to spend time with them in classes or demos. It's always good to have an opportunity to watch someone closeup and drink in the details. Just one new detail about an otherwise familiar technique can make it worthwhile.

My memberships in the Society of American Period Furniture Makers (SAPFM) and the Guild of New Hampshire Woodworkers (GNHW), as well as the Lie-Nielsen Open Houses and Hand Tool Events, have given me a number of opportunities to meet and watch some of them.

Don Weber: Don's cover story in the April, 2004 issue of Popular Woodworking is what set me off down this path. He built a table from a log using nothing but hand tools. I was absolutely enthralled. It took me a few years of fumbling around to gain traction, until I started following…

Christopher Schwarz: As the editor of Popular Woodworking, it was Chris' articles on hand tools that put me on the road to success, in particular his articles on sharpening and planing. His books and videos form the core of my woodworking library. He went on to found Lost Art Press, where he continues to publish excellent books and videos on hand tool woodworking. He changed my woodworking forever, and gave me the knowledge to start appreciating other teachers, like…

Roy Underhill: When I first saw Roy's PBS show The Woodwright's Shop, long before I knew anything about hand tools, I thought this guy was bouncing off the walls like a superball shot from a cannon. But once I started learning, I realized every episode was crammed with a breathtaking amount of pure gold. His books and DVDs are another core component of my library. While I'll never be the showman he is and be able to do a half-hour video in one take, I've taken a number of cues from his show in my instructional format.

Philip C. Lowe: I've been following Phil's articles for as long as I have Chris Schwarz's. He's what I call a museum-class woodworker, because when museums need to restore or reproduce a finely detailed period furniture piece, he's at the top of the list. He ran the furniture-making program at Boston's North Bennet St. School for 5 years before starting his own Furniture Institute of Massachusetts, and is the winner of the SAPFM 2005 Cartouche Award. I got to know him when he gave a series of live demonstrations to SAPFM members on building several magnificent furniture pieces.

Michael Dunbar: Mike ran the Windsor Institute in New Hampshire, where he taught chairmaking. He's published a number of articles in Popular Woodworking. He takes a very no-nonsense attitude, as exemplified by his "Sensible Sharpening" method of sandpaper on flat substrate. His repeated frustration at having students show up to classes with basic tools they didn't know how to sharpen or use was what led me to start teaching. My goal was to provide that basic knowledge so people could get on with the more advanced topics of the specialized classes offered by others.

Charles H. Hayward: One of Chris Schwarz's heroes, Hayward was editor and "one-man publishing phenomenon" of The Woodworker from 1936 to 1966. He wrote a number of practical books that are simply spectacular. Anything you can find by him, don't hesitate, just get it! In fact, Chris has since anthologized several volumes of his writings from The Woodworker.

Robert Wearing: Wearing, another of Schwarz's heroes and an acquaintance of Hayward in Hayward's later years, wrote an excellent book that has been re-released by Lost Art Press. This was the source of the three classes of saw cuts terminology.

Bernard E. Jones: Jones wrote two encyclopedic books in the 1910's-20's which have been reprinted several times, one of which is now available from Popular Woodworking.

Garrett Hack: Garrett is a professional woodworker and author in Vermont. I've always loved his designs. He's a master of unique stylistic details done with hand tools.

Jim Kingshott: Kingshott was a British woodworker who put out several outstanding books and videos in the 1990's. He's like your favorite uncle. But of course, Bob's your uncle!

Adam Cherubini: Adam's "Arts And Mysteries" column in Popular Woodworking was a huge influence on my work. With his emphasis on 18th-century work, he showed me I could do everything by hand starting from the raw lumber, and taught me how to use wooden handplanes.

Patrick Leach: Patrick is one of the Internet's premier antique tool sellers, with everything from $20 user planes to $10,000 collector's items. He's partly responsible for the unusually large number of chisels you see on my tool wall; his house is dangerously close to mine. But he's also the definitive reference for information on antique Stanley tools. His website www.Supertool.com is encyclopedic, covering the entire line from the late 1800's through the first half of the 20th century.

Pete Taran: Like Patrick, Pete is another encyclopedic source of antique tool information, this time on saws at www.VintageSaw.com.

Erik Von Sneidern: And like Pete, Erik is another antique saw specialist, focusing exclusively on Disston saws at his Disstonian Institute, http://ift.tt/2po3vGB.

Aldren A. Watson: Watson was a professional woodworker, author, and illustrator in Vermont.

Lie-Nielsen Staff: YouTube videos from founder Thomas Lie-Nielsen and demonstrators like Deneb Pulchalski, along with live demonstrations at their Hand Tool Events, cover a great deal about how to use and maintain their tools. I think this educational component is an important part of the company's success, completing the connection with their customers.

Alan Breed: Al is another museum-class woodworker. He's the guy high-end auction houses call when they want a reproduction of an antique that's on the block for millions of dollars, so the sellers will have something to fill the empty spot. He runs the The Breed School in New Hampshire, and is the winner of the SAPFM 2012 Cartouche Award. For a number of years, he's been incredibly generous sharing his time and knowledge in a series of live demonstrations to the GNHW Period Furniture Group on building period pieces.

Paul Sellers: Paul is a British woodworker who put out an excellent book and DVD series. He used to run New Legacy School of Woodworking in Penrhyn Castle, North Wales, possibly one of the coolest school venues around. He's another very no-nonsense guy, attempting to demystify the craft and bring it to the masses without complicated methods.

Christian Becksvoort: Christian is a professional woodworker and magazine author in Maine who specializes in hand tool work.

Peter Galbert: Peter is a professional chair maker in Massachusetts. He's also an inventor, creating several very useful tools and versions of existing tools. He was the one who showed me how to get the most out of a wooden spokeshave, and watching his YouTube videos resulted in a huge improvement in my turning skills on the lathe.

References Some of these may be difficult to find because they're out of print. But they may be available used or as reprints.

Books (including a few useful references from authors not listed above)

Bickford, Matthew Sheldon

Mouldings In Practice, 2012

Blackburn, Graham

Jigs & Fixtures For The Hand Tool Woodworker, 2014

Fine Woodworking

Working With Handplanes, 2005

Hampton, C.W., and Clifford, E.

Planecraft: Hand Planing By Modern Methods, 1934

Hayward, Charles H.

Cabinet Making For Beginners, 1948 (several editions)

The Junior Woodworker, 1952 (don't let the title fool you, it's for any beginner!)

Woodwork Joints, Revised Edition, 1979

Hoadley, R. Bruce

Understanding Wood, 2000

Hock, Ron

The Perfect Edge: The Ultimate Guide To Sharpening For Woodworkers, 2009

Jones, Bernard E.

The Complete Woodworker, 1920?

The Practical Woodworker, 1920? (reissued as a 4-volume set)

Kingshott, Jim

The Workshop, 1993

Sharpening: The Complete Guide, 1994

A Woodworker's Guide To Joints, 1998

Krenov, James

The Fine Art Of Cabinetmaking, 1977

Laughton, Ralph

Success With Joints, 2005

Popular Woodworking

Hand Tool essentials, 2007

Rae, Andy

Choosing & Using Hand Tools, 2002

Schwarz, Christopher

Workbenches: From Design & Theory to Construction & Use, 2007

The Joiner And Cabinet Maker, 2009 (with Joel Moskowitz, update of 1839 anonymous original)

Handplane Essentials, 2009

Sellers, Paul

Working Wood, 2011 (also available as a set with 7 DVD's listed below)

Underhill, Roy

The Woodwright's Shop: A Practical Guide to Traditional Woodcraft, 1981

The Woodwright's Companion: Exploring Traditional Woodcraft, 1983

The Woodwright's Work Book: Further Explorations in Traditional Woodcraft, 1986

The Woodwright's Eclectic Workshop, 1991

The Woodwright's Apprentice: 20 Favorite Projects From The Woodwright's Shop, 1996

The Woodwright's Guide: Working Wood with Wedge & Edge, 2008

Watson, Aldren A.

Hand Tools: Their Ways And Workings, 1982

Wearing, Robert

The Essential Woodworker, 2010

Whelan, John M.

The Wooden Plane: Its History, Form, And Function, 1993

Videos

Kingshott, Jim

Bench Planes, 1996

Special Planes, 1996

Mortise & Tenon, 1996

Dovetails, 1996

Schwarz, Christopher

Coarse Medium & Fine, 2005

Building Furniture With Hand Planes, 2007

Handplane Basics: A Better Way To Use Bench Planes, 2009

Sellers, Paul (available as a set with his book above)

Working Wood: Woodworking Essentials 1 and 2, 2011

Working Wood: Master Sharpening, 2011

Working Wood: Master European Workbenches, 2011

Working Wood: Master Housing Dadoes, 2011

Working Wood: Master Mortise & Tenons, 2011

Working Wood: Master Dovetails, 2011

Underhill, Roy

The Woodwright's Shop, Seasons 1-31 (and counting, starting in 1980)

Online Forums

These are an excellent way to join with like-minded people to learn and discuss hand tools, their use, and how to deal with problems. In fact, as my skills developed, it was seeing the questions posted on these from beginners struggling through the same learning curve I had climbed that motivated me to put together a video course and book. Some forums are extremely active. Participation is global, with people coming from all different cultural backgrounds.

I found these to be a great asset in my learning. Just be prepared for a wide range of information, often conflicting! You'll have to learn to sort through it. That's where I came up with the concept for my "Fistfights And Fundamentals" segments.

These are moderated forums to ensure that everyone stays on their good behavior, but discussions can get heated and feelings can get hurt. Read their policies and spend some time lurking (Internet-speak for reading without responding) before you join in. Don't take things personally, and don't make things personal. Be polite. Remember that different people have different experience, training, and opinions.

There are others besides these, in English and many other languages, as well as Facebook groups such as Unplugged Woodworkers.

www.SawmillCreek.com (US) - Neanderthal Haven forum.

www.WoodNet.com (US) - Woodworking Hand Tools forum.

www.LumberJocks.com (US) - Hand Tools forum.

www.UKWorkshop.co.uk (UK) - Hand Tools forum.

www.WoodworkUK.co.uk (UK) - Hand Tools forum.

http://ift.tt/1gMW5Bf (Australia) - Hand Tools - Unpowered forum.

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Thank You To The MBTA! Finally, I'd like to thank the MBTA. Other than the shop work and photography, I did nearly all the work for this book and the original video series while riding the Commuter Rail. Yes, I wrote a book on the train! I did all the video editing, photo selection, and writing on my Mac laptop an hour each way to and from work in Boston. Thank you to all the folks who took care of my commute and gave me a safe, warm place where I could focus on woodworking!

from Close Grain http://ift.tt/2DGFAFo

[itsworn]

The 1965 Mako Shark-II is Alive in Switzerland

The 1965/1966 Mako Shark-II set down the basic look and proportions for all Corvettes going forward. To understand the Mako Shark-II, we have to get into the mind of General Motor Vice President of Design, Bill Mitchell. His task was to see the future and then pull it into reality through his designers and stylists. Mitchell didn’t “draw” a single line of either the Sting Ray or Mako Shark-II, but he knew what he wanted.

Here’s what Mitchell commanded of his troops. He wanted “a narrow, slim, center section and coupe body, a tapered tail, an all-of-a-piece blending of the upper and lower portions of the body through the center (avoiding the look of a roof added to a body), and prominent wheels with their protective fenders distinctly separate from the main body, yet grafted organically to it.” Mitchell was almost there with the 1962 Monza GT. After the design was nailed down, a fullsize, non-running version was built and shown to management in March 1965. It was unanimous; the Mako Shark-II had to be the next Corvette.

While the Mako Shark-II was making its debut at the 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair, work began on a running version—and the production version, scheduled as the 1967 Corvette. Management thought they could take a concept car into production in just 18 months—it didn’t happen. Transforming a show car into the 1968 Corvette took 30 months, and in hindsight it should have been a 1969 model.

The non-running Mako Shark-II was a hit on the show car circuit and when the running Mako Shark was completed on October 5, 1965, it was dripping with special features; too many to outline here. Days later, Chevrolet debuted the Mako Shark-II at the Automobile Salon Show in Paris, then to London, Turin, Brussels, Geneva, and finally to the New York Auto Show in April 1966. On March 21, 1966, GM filed for a U.S. patent on the design. (The official U.S. patent illustrations were essential to Hanspeter Böhi’s project, as we will see.)

What happened to the non-running and running Mako Shark-II cars? After the running version was completed, the non-running car was brought home and disassembled. After the production 1968 Corvette was released, the running Mako Shark-II was transformed into the 1969 Manta Ray, and survives to this day.

The Mako Shark-II was a hottie, though not everyone was thrilled with the production interpretation, but most Corvette fans liked the car. Kit car maker John Silva made his “Maco Shark” full-body kit. Joel Rosen of Motion Performance offered his own turnkey Motion Maco Corvettes. As happens with most awesome Corvettes, they fade from glory thanks to their successors. But some fans never forgot or got over the Mako Shark-II.

Hanspeter Böhi from Muenchenstein, Switzerland, is one such fan. A formally trained auto mechanic in the late 1960s, Böhi’s passion was for Corvettes and motorcycles. In 1976, Böhi opened his company Speed-Shop Böhi AG, specializing in basket case Corvettes. Over the course of his career he has rebuilt basket case C1-C6 Corvettes, giving him a thorough knowledge of Corvette mechanics. Böhi’s shop grew and in 1988 moved to a larger facility with five lifts in Muenchenstein. Through the years, Böhi always owned one or two Corvettes.

Ever since his first Corvette, a 1970 454 LS5, Böhi had his heart set on the Mako Shark-II. In 2004, Böhi launched his project, eventually collecting over 300 images and even photos from when the running Mako Shark-II was in Geneva in 1966. When Böhi got a copy of the U.S. patent, he realized this would be a difficult project, as everything had to be hand-fabricated. Böhi decided to replicate the first version, the non-running Mako Shark-II.

Work began in 2013 as an evenings and weekends project. The chassis is from a 1969 Corvette built to big-block specifications. The LS6 454 engine has Edelbrock aluminum heads, with an original snowflake-type manifold with a single Rochester four-barrel carb, mated to a three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic transmission. This was the easy part. What’s so stunning about Böhi’s Mako Shark-II is the body. It looks as if he stole the body from Chevrolet back in 1966. Far from it.

Böhi explains; “Starting with the U.S. patent drawing, I measured angle distance and curvatures—all the time comparing the shape of the Mako Shark-II on my donor car. Sometimes I fabricated a partial section three to five times before I was happy with the shape. Then I would add the new part to the donor car. Every section was made with four to five layers of fiberglass, with reinforcements for added strength.

“I started with the rear section lights using 1967 taillights. I patched pieces together for the right and left side, made a negative mold, and then a positive single part. If it wasn’t right, I’d throw it away and start over. When I got it right, I’d take a break, enjoy the finished section, imagine what a wonderful car this would be when finished, and then move on to another section. That’s how I made the entire body and kept my enthusiasm going.

“The really hard work was creating the mounting supports for the headlights and tilt front end. The headlight top and bottom doors took 1 1/2 years to make, and uses four motors. My friend Markus ‘Bowi’ Bowald, an electrical engineer, worked out the mechanism so when the headlights are on the doors open and close when the lights are off. My friend Heinz Breitenstein, a CAD draftsman and machinist, helped with a lot of the fabrication work for the grille parts, side exhausts, center console, headlight doors mechanism, and Mako Shark-II fender emblem. My part was fiberglass fabrication, engine, transmission, chassis, frame, complete exhaust system and unique air filter box. It would have been impossible to complete this project without my two, well-qualified engineer friends. I spent well over 4,000 hours on the project, plus time from my friends. The money spent was secondary, fulfilling the dream was what pushed us.”

Böhi’s Mako Shark-II has lots of special features. When you touch the door handle, the top opens for easier ingress, just like the original Mako Shark-II. When inside the car, if the top is not secured when the transmission is in Drive, a red light goes on. The headlight doors, top, rear louvers and turn signal side doors operate with switches in the middle console. You can change gears with a pushbutton and activate the parking brakes with a pushbutton when the ignition is off. The unique seatbelts are from a set of Boeing aircraft seats. The finned knock-off-style wheels are from a 1982 Collector Edition Corvette, shod with period-correct, genuine Firestone racing tires. The tires came in all black and Böhi hand-painted the thin whitewall.

For our readers that are familiar with the Mako Shark-II, you are probably wondering if Böhi is planning to offer reproductions of his body molds. Sorry, this is a one-of-a-kind car and he has no plans to sell body kits. The car was built for local events, car shows and possibly a trip to America. It would be so cool to see Böhi’s handmade Mako Shark-II between the Mako Shark-I and the Manta Ray at the GM Heritage Center.

Hanspeter Böhi credited his good friends. “I could not have completed my Mako Shark-II without the help of my friends.” (Left to right): Hanspeter Böhi, Markus Bowald, and Heinz Breitenstein.

Hanspeter Böhi credited his good friends. “I could not have completed my Mako Shark-II without the help of my friends.” (Left to right): Hanspeter Böhi, Markus Bowald, and Heinz Breitenstein.

The Mako Shark-II’s roof connects it to the 1963-’67 Sting Ray. Fans of the Mako Shark-II were disappointed when the C3 arrived with the “sugar scoop” roof design. Both designs had severely restricted rear vision.

Show cars and concept cars are deliberately over-done so that when it comes time to make the production version, extreme details can be rolled back. The C3’s nose is pointed, but not this much!

Bill Mitchell was a big fan of side pipes. The non-running version featured covered exhaust pipes protruding from the front fender. The running version had rear-exiting exhausts. This might have been done as a matter of expediency to get the running version completed in time for the Paris Automobile Salon show in October 1965.

The 1982 Collector Edition Corvette finned aluminum wheels are a dead-ringer for the wheels used on the Mako Shark-II and are shod with period-correct Firestone racing tires.

“Good crowd!” Böhi’s Mako Shark-II was a big hit at Super Corvette Sunday, Switzerland’s biggest car show. The almost 53-year-old design is still a head-turner! Böhi heard many times, “I’ve never seen anything like this before! Great! That was a show!” The Mako Shark-II is overwhelming.

Two of the Mako Shark-II’s “gee wiz!” features are seen in this photo; the hidden headlights and the automatic roof hatch.

The non-running Mako Shark-II’s interior was not well documented, but the most atypical feature was the aircraft-style steering wheel with twist-controls. Böhi’s version captures the look of the original. The center console is fully functional, as are the gauges on the passenger side. The seatbelt and buckle are from a set of Boeing aircraft seats.

Here’s how you create complex compound curves. Böhi used the same technique ship builders use to create the hull of a ship.

Looking like “Dr. Mako Shark” Böhi poses with one of the many parts he hand-fabricated. Each section was created separately. Böhi said, “If it wasn’t right, I’d throw it away and start over.”

The nose mold has 10 parts. You can see each fender is made in two parts, front and rear. The front chrome bumper surround is made from four parts.

Böhi had to carefully work out the headlight buckets and mechanism so that when he took his cutter to the actual nose of the Mako Shark-II’s body, his first cut was spot on. Böhi said, “Believe me, you hesitate when you make your first cut. You can’t reanimate fiberglass. Cut is cut.”

The Mako Shark-II’s nose is complicated. The bracketry for the tilt front end, the hidden headlight assembly, oil and water filler access and special grille inserts all had to be worked out in advance.

Being a muscle car guy, Böhi chose to use an LS6 454 engine, whereas the non-running Mako Shark-II had a stock 396/425 big-block engine.

Böhi’s friend Markus Bowald designed and built the Mako Shark-II’s several brain boxes.

There’s a subtle detail that Böhi handmade for his Mako Shark-II. Mitchell’s design called for hidden side marker/cornering lights. It’s a detail that Böhi could have left out and no one would have noticed.

Böhi hand-fabricated the unique air filter cover.

Exactly how the side pipes on the non-running Mako Shark-II were supposed to work is not known, but Böhi came up with this unique solution. The cast-iron exhaust manifolds are connected to standard exhaust pipe fittings and then to a performance muffler. The exit end of the muffler then does a U-turn, running back to the front where it connects to the handmade side pipes.

Only the front two downpipes actually carry exhaust.

The side pipe rocker panel case is hand-fabricated and is basically an open box with a perforated inner tube for additional sound reduction.

The side pipes’ downtubes have a metal sheath with added-on ribs.

The side pipes are coming together. The exhaust tube sheaths and ribs are almost complete.

Here we see how Böhi built the ribbing on the side pipes rocker.

The completed side pipes were painted matte black with the polished raised ribbing.

Hanspeter and Margrit Böhi at home with their Mako Shark-II. Böhi’s other interests are flying helicopters and motorcycles.

Here’s what made Böhi’s Mako Shark-II project possible. While William L. Mitchell was credited with the patent, aside from a quick sketch on the back of an envelope, Mitchell didn’t draw a single line on the Mako Shark-II, but he guided and controlled the entire project. Photo courtesy of GM Archive

It was a cold day in March 1965 when the non-running Mako Shark-II was rolled into Styling’s viewing yard to be photo documented. Chevrolet photographer Myron Scott (the man responsible for finding the word “Corvette” for Harley Earl’s sports car) photographed the new Corvette concept car. The model was Connie van Dyke—a recent Miss Teen America winner. Not many of the photos from the session were published. There has to be a treasure trove of photos somewhere. Photo courtesy of GM Archive

It’s interesting how none of the surface details on the Mako Shark-II (the front hood grilles, the hood dome, the roof and the twin triple taillights) make it into any production C3 Corvette, but the overall shape did. Mitchell used most of his running concept cars as personal transportation. Photo courtesy of GM Archive

While many of Mitchell’s designed cars had a heavy Italian influence, the Mako Shark-II was a one-of-a-kind original and after 50-plus years is still as head-turner, as Böhi’s replica proves. Photo courtesy of GM Archive

The post The 1965 Mako Shark-II is Alive in Switzerland appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: October 25, 2018

9 NEW TO BLU-RAY/DVD

"Ant-Man and the Wasp"

Quick, what's the most recent Marvel movie? It feels like a lot of people would say "Avengers: Infinity War" or maybe even "Black Panther," forgetting that there was a sequel to "Ant-Man" released this Summer. Marvel has become so dominant that even one of their successful, well-liked tentpole movies can be considered relatively minor. Having said that, "Ant-Man and the Wasp" mostly works. It's under two hours (unlike a lot of MCU movies) and provides a fun diversion. In fact, it's got an element that I wish more Marvel would copy in that it's practically a one-off, tied into the rest of the MCU for sure but also working with its own mythology and characters to satisfy viewers THIS TIME instead of merely planting seeds for the future. It also has one of the best ensembles in the standalone MCU, all the way down to scene-stealers like Michael Pena and David Dastmalchian. 

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Special Features Director's Intro by Peyton Reed  Making-of Featurettes: Back in the Ant Suit: Scott Lang A Suit of Her Own: The Wasp  Subatomic Super Heroes: Hank & Janet  Quantum Perspective: The VFX and Production Design of "Ant-Man and The Wasp"  Gag Reel and Outtakes  Deleted Scenes 

"Creepshow"

It's that wonderful time of year when Shout Factory's genre banner known as Scream Factory releases special editions of horror classics, complete with new transfers and special features. There are three such releases in this edition of the HECG, and, believe it or not, two of them are anthologies. One of the most famous such films of all time is this George A. Romero and Stephen King classic, which comes in a gorgeous box set with a booklet and a quote from Roger's review on the back. It's also LOADED with special features, including a new audio commentary, interviews, and a round table discussion, along with all of the imported archival features. "Creepshow" is an inconsistent but really fun movie. It's nice to see it get such a lavish treatment.

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Special Features BRAND NEW 4K REMASTER SOURCED FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE, with color correction supervised and approved by director of photography Michael Gornick NEW Audio Commentary with director of photography Michael Gornick NEW Audio Commentary with composer/first assistant director John Harrison and construction co-ordinator Ed Fountain NEW Terror and the Three Rivers – a round table discussion on the making of CREEPSHOW with John Amplas, Tom Atkins, Tom Savini and Marty Schiff NEW The Comic Book Look – an interview with costume designer Barbara Anderson NEW Ripped From The Pages – an interview with animator Rick Catizone NEW The Colors of Creepshow – a look at the restoration of CREEPSHOW with director of photography Michael Gornick NEW Into The Mix – an interview with sound re-recordist Chris Jenkins NEW Mondo Macabre – A look at Mondo's various CREEPSHOW posters with Mondo Co-Founder Rob Jones and Mondo Gallery Events Planner Josh Curry NEW Collecting Creepshow – a look at some of the original props and collectibles from the film with collector Dave Burian Audio Commentary with Director George A. Romero and Special Make-Up Effects Creator Tom Savini Audio Interviews with director of photography Michael Gornick, actor John Amplas, property master Bruce Alan Miller, and make-up effects assistant Darryl Ferrucci Tom Savini's Behind-the-Scenes Footage Horror's Hallowed Grounds – a look at the original film locations hosted by Sean Clark Deleted Scenes Theatrical Trailers TV Spot Radio Spots Still Galleries – Posters, Lobby Cards and Movie Stills Still Galleries – Behind the Scenes photos Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

"Eighth Grade"

Bo Burnham's directorial debut is one of the most quietly beloved films of 2018, often appearing on lists of films from this year that you really should see before you do any year-end consideration. It really is something special, capturing what it's like to be an 8th grader in the '10s better than any film to date. Not only is Burnham's writing and directing surprisingly sensitive, he found something incredibly special in Elsie Fisher, who gives what is quite simply one of the best performances of the year. So many young actresses in movies "about teenage life" feel like they're making a statement instead of embodying a character but Fisher is always real, and inevitably heartbreaking. This is a wonderful movie. 

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Special Features Audio Commentary with Director Bo Burnham and Actress Elsie Fisher "You're Not Alone: Life in Eighth Grade" Featurette Music Video Deleted Scenes

"Hotel Transylvania 3"

I'm including this one for my kids and because the market is kind of dry right now for family films. Could you do worse than the latest Adam Sandler riff on the Universal monsters? Sure, but these movies started on low ground in terms of quality and have only sunk into the muck. Trust me, I've seen this one a bunch as my boys are somehow obsessed enough with this franchise for repeat viewing. Kudos, I guess, to Sony for timing this release for Halloween marathons for the little ones who can't quite do actual horror movies yet and before the superior "Teen Titans" and "Incredibles 2" hit the home market. 

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Special Features Three All New Scary-Oke Sing Alongs: Sing along to three Hotel Transylvania 3 inspired songs with your favorite characters! "Dennis Had a Giant Dog" – Sung by Dennis & Winnie "Monsters Like to Party Down" – Sung by Johnny "Oh These Wolf Pups" – Sung by Wanda Werewolf Plan Your Own Spook-tacular Sleepover: This feature will give you all details on how to make your own sleepover spook-tacular! From snacks to crafts to games and more, follow these steps to create a Hotel T sleep-over with your friends and family, the perfect setting to binge watch all 3 Hotel Transylvania movies. Vampire Make Over: Mavis and Drac Tutorial: Learn how to turn yourself into your favorite Hotel Transylvania 3 characters. Behind the Screams – The Voices of Hotel Transylvania 3: Step behind the "screams" with the returning stars and hilarious new cast to see how these characters are brought to life in the recording booth. Johnny's Home Movies (Franchise Recap): Johnny brings viewers up to speed on what's happened in the Hotel Transylvania franchise so far. "I See Love" Monster Dance Party Dance Along: Get up and get moving to this haunting monster mash. Drac's Zing-tastic Read Along: It's storytime with your favorite characters have a silly tale about Drac's search for a Zing! Read along or sit back and enjoy! Two Mini Movies (rated G): Two mini-features that will have you howling. Puppy Goodnight Mr. Foot

"House on Haunted Hill"

William Malone's remake of the Vincent Price classic is a mixed bag, to be kind. The 1999 launching pad for Joel Silver's Dark Castle production banner, this gory flick has some great moments, including a brilliant set-up that allows Geoffrey Rush and Famke Janssen to wonderfully chew some scenery. For about an hour, this twisted tale actually kind of works. They just forgot to write a coherent ending. Just fall asleep or turn it off before that point and you'll be happier.

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Special Features BRAND NEW 2K REMASTER from the original film elements NEW interview with director William Malone NEW interview with composer Don Davis NEW Interview with visual effects supervisor Robert Skotak Never-Before-Seen storyboards, concept art and behind-the-scenes photos courtesy of visual effects producer Paul Taglianetti Audio Commentary with director William Malone A Tale of Two Houses – vintage featurette Behind the Visual FX – vintage featurette Deleted Scenes Theatrical Trailer TV Spots Movie Stills and Poster Gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

"Shampoo" (Criterion)

The best Criterion release of the month is this classic that always crosses my mind when I think about films that caught performers at their most charismatic. You know what I mean. Some movies find stars at exactly the moment it needed to find them. There's an element of this in the current success of "A Star is Born," which wouldn't work the same without Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga being exactly where they are in their careers in 2018. Same goes for Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn in 1975's "Shampoo" (along with Julie Christie and Lee Grant, for that matter.) One of Hal Ashby's best films comes with a great 4K transfer but a relatively, for Criterion, slight collection of special features. The new conversation between Mark Harris and Frank Rich is excellent, however.

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Special Features New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray New conversation between critics Mark Harris and Frank Rich Excerpt from a 1998 appearance by producer, cowriter, and actor Warren Beatty on The South Bank Show PLUS: An essay by Rich

"Skyscraper"

Did we get a bit too much of The Rock in too short a period of time? For a period of time there, it looked like Dwayne Johnson may be the biggest star in the world. (And he may still be). With the success of the "Furious" movies and the phenomenon that was "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," he entered 2018 on a high, but both of his films this year, "Rampage" and "Skyscraper," were domestic disappointments. (Both did much better overseas.) Perhaps worse than their box office fates, they just weren't very good. This one is particularly dispiriting, coming off like the bland "Die Hard" retreads we got so often in the '90s. Come on, Dwayne. If you're gonna be our #1 star than we need you to pass on junk like this.

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Special Features Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Director Rawson Marshall Thurber – Go behind the scenes with Dwayne Johnson and the rest of the cast of Skyscraper. Extended Scenes with Commentary by Director Rawson Marshall Thurber Dwayne Johnson: Embodying a Hero – Go behind the scenes to see what it took for Dwayne Johnson to bring the intense character of Will Sawyer to life. Inspiration – Meet real life amputee and motivational speaker Jeff Glasbrenner, the inspiration for Dwayne Johnson's role of Will Sawyer. See how Jeff's consultations helped inform Dwayne's character from day one. Opposing Forces – There's no holding back as the women of Skyscraper get in on the action. Now, see first-hand what it took for Neve Campbell and Hannah Quinlivan to be fight ready. Friends No More – When Dwayne Johnson and Pablo Schreiber met face to face, they immediately knew what they were up against. Witness first-hand the making of the intense apartment fight between two former on-screen friends, Will and Ben. Kids in Action – In Skyscraper everyone gets in on the action, even the Sawyer children. Go on set with Noah Cottrell and McKenna Roberts to discover the moves behind their stunts. Pineapple Pitch – Hear first-hand from Dwayne Johnson how writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber pitched him the idea of Skyscraper. It may be a little fruitier than you think. Feature Commentary by Director Rawson Marshall Thurber

"Sorry to Bother You"

The closer we get to the end of the year, the more I think Boots Riley's debut is one of its best films. It's certainly one of its most unforgettable. I've already written about the film twice (Sundance and theatrical) so I don't have much more to say, but let me throw in with my other Gotham Awards committee members who nominated Lakeith Stanfield for his fantastic work here, giving an incredibly physical and committed performance. So much of "Sorry to Bother You" feels like "Boots Movie" but it wouldn't work at all without someone so completely on the same page as the film's creator as Stanfield, who has quietly become one of the most interesting actors of his generation. I hope he continues to do challenging, fascinating work such as what he delivers here. 

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Special Features Beautiful Clutter with Director Boots Riley Audio Commentary with Director Boots Riley Gallery The Cast of Sorry to Bother You The Art of the White Voice

"Trick 'r Treat"

Horror is still the only genre that can truly produce word-of-mouth, home market hits, such as this anthology flick that never even played in movie theaters. Anywhere. And yet it became an instant hit when it was released on DVD in late 2009. So much so that Scream Factory has given it one of their most lavish Halloween season Collector's Edition treatments. It's a fantastic release for what's a really solid flick, a clear child of "Creepshow" with smart writing and direction. Hopefully it will spur enough interest to get the long-delayed sequel finally off the ground. 

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Special Features BRAND NEW 2K REMASTER OF THE FILM supervised and approved by director Michael Dougherty NEW Tales of Folklore & Fright: Creating Trick 'r Treat – including interviews with writer/director Michael Dougherty, conceptual artist Breehn Burns, and storyboard artist Simeon Wilkins. NEW Tales of Mischief & Mayhem: Filming Trick 'r Treat – in-depth interview with Michael Dougherty on the making of the film NEW Sounds of Shock & Superstition: Scoring Trick 'r Treat – including interviews with Michael Dougherty and composer Douglas Pipes NEW Tales of Dread and Despair: Releasing Trick 'r Treat – a look at the release and fandom with Michael Dougherty and writer Rob Galluzzo Season's Greetings – NEW 2K scan of the original 16mm elements – a short film by Michael Dougherty with optional commentary by Dougherty NEW Storyboard and Conceptual Artwork Gallery NEW Behind the Scenes Still Gallery NEW Monster Mash – a story from the TRICK 'R TREAT graphic novel NEW FEARnet.com Shorts Audio Commentary with director Michael Dougherty Trick 'R Treat: The Lore and Legends of Halloween featurette Deleted and Alternate Scenes with optional commentary by director Michael Dougherty School Bus FX Comparison Theatrical Trailer Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

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