#jas cromwell

[carewyncromwell]

Back to School Challenge // hosted by @cursebreakerfarrier​​

🦅𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑: 𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑮𝑯 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑪𝑲 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑵🐍

“Here we are -- no one else -- We walked to school all by ourselves. There's dirt on our uniforms From chasing all the ants and worms --  We clean up and now it's time to learn... We clean up and now it's time to learn...”

~“We’re Gonna Be Friends (cover)” by Chad Sugg

x~x~x~x

Jacob Cromwell. Duncan Ashe. Olivia Green. 

Three distinctly different students who seemingly had nothing in common...and yet during their school careers, one almost never saw one without the other two close behind. 

Jacob Cromwell, naturally, was the brains of the trio. The magical prodigy never struggled in an academic setting, running circles around all of his classmates with apparent ease. Jacob didn’t excel in class out of a desire for attention or praise, rather for his passionate love of learning, and his enthusiasm for knowledge was infectious. It made it so even those who found him arrogant couldn’t help but find the boyish giddiness with which he spoke and the brilliant light in his eyes rather endearing. No one would argue, though, that Jacob’s intelligence translated to people-smarts. He never truly realized how much his genius intellect and magical talent alienated his classmates, nor would he likely have empathized much with their position if he had. He didn’t see the need to pull his punches -- if someone wanted to do better than him, then they should just do it, rather than insist he go easy on them. Jacob wasn’t afraid of good, old-fashioned competition: he’d honestly be thrilled to get his arse handed to him by a real opponent, not get all weepy because he lost. This didn’t even touch on Jacob’s temper, which -- when provoked -- could become rather violent. Still, any objective person would notice that Jacob’s rage only ever came out in response to someone he loved being hurt or threatened, never in response to slights against himself. This was part of why so many of his classmates had trouble believing Jacob wasn’t at least somewhat justified in pushing Sharon Edgecombe into the punch bowl during a party in their fourth year.

Duncan Ashe was -- in many ways -- Jacob’s opposite. However good with books Jacob was, Duncan was good with common sense. Jacob was reckless and frequently jumped into dangerous situations without thinking; Duncan always looked before he leapt and frequently had to act as Jacob’s “leash” to rein him in before he did something stupid. Jacob had his head in the clouds almost constantly, while Duncan always kept himself grounded and singularly focused on his goals. And for as sloppily as Jacob dressed and how much he’d grown his hair out, Duncan always kept his hair and uniform clean and neat. It wasn’t uncommon for Duncan to complain about Jacob’s shortcomings within other people’s earshot, to the point that someone might wonder if Duncan really, truly detested Jacob Cromwell...but it wouldn’t take long for the person to realize that whenever Duncan was scolding Jacob for never thinking anything through and for being an idiot, it wasn’t out of hatred. Nobody would spend so much time with someone, keeping them out of trouble and tolerating their bad habits, if they hated them. And there were times -- when Duncan would tease Jacob mercilessly, or when he’d fix Jacob’s tie, or when he’d bite back a smile listening to Jacob go on a diatribe in the middle of Potions class, or when he’d hex someone for messing with Jacob, or even when he’d ward off any less-than-savory “admirers” of his best friend from pursuing him -- when it was clear just how fond Duncan Ashe was of Jacob.

Olivia Green was the mediating force between these two diametrically opposed forces. As the oldest of three kids, she frequently had had to be the “mature one” and settle disputes among her younger siblings, so she had no problem keeping her cool whenever Ashe got fed up with Jacob or Jacob’s violent temper reared its ugly head. Although Jacob and she were both Ravenclaws, Jacob was much more a Ravenclaw in the sense of his love of knowledge and desire to achieve academically, while Olivia was much more one to embrace Ravenclaw’s values of wisdom and creativity. She wrote poetry in the margins of her notes, played guitar, and spoke out on the morality of Transfiguring animals when they couldn’t give consent. She even wore a suede vest she’d embroidered herself over her school uniform, rather than the usual sweater. Ever a contrarian, Olivia found Hogwarts’s curriculum -- like most schools -- faulty in how they measured intelligence with grades and tests, rather than trying to encourage different forms of learning that didn’t involve a lot of memorization and regurgitation. She didn’t do badly in her classes, exactly, but the young Ravenclaw seemed to know early on that she was never going to fit within the confines of what the Wizarding World wanted her to be, and she wasn’t even going to try. This did make Olivia rather non-conformist in her own modest way, which explained why she gravitated toward Jacob, who only ever really lived in the moment and loved “sticking it to the Man,” and Duncan, who had no problem breaking rules to get what he wanted. Despite her slightly critical view of Hogwarts’s classes, though, she still loved the school more than anything, since she -- as a Muggle-born -- had never felt so free to be truly herself until she’d arrived there. 

Together these three ended up dealing with several Cursed Vaults before Olivia mysteriously vanished without a trace. The following year Duncan died in the Prefects’ Bathroom while brewing a particularly potent Erumpent Potion, and Jacob was expelled from school before likewise disappearing seemingly into thin air. It wasn’t until many years later, when Jacob Cromwell’s little sister Carewyn started at school, that the true tragedy of these friends finally came fully to light.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #my art #back to school challenge 2022 #jacob cromwell #olivia green #duncan ashe #about jacob #LOL yeah even if these three at first seem like a traditional golden trio #especially since it's two boys and a girl the girl is muggle-born and the dark-haired boy is a half-blood #jacob is really much more like hermione in the sense of being the brains of the outfit and not adept at dealing with people #while olivia is much more like harry in the sense of seeing hogwarts as the first real home she's ever had not fitting in at home #and being the 'heart' of the group who cements the other more bickering two together #plus olivia and jacob like harry and hermione are 150% platonic friends with no hint of romantic chemistry #particularly since my version of olivia is aro-ace! #my olivia's fancast is mila kunis btw #<3

[fideidefenswhore]

@falconqueen wow, alison, it's almost like you write her that way.........she even says so...

literally, tho...?

you know what the sad part is? it’s based on something in weir’s books that i can’t even find the primary source for.

There were moments in Anne's life that did jump out at me as narcissistic, as when she told Henry she had a dream in which Katherine and Mary would have to die in order for her to conceive a boy. The narcissist is an expert at manipulation, dividing people in to camps, and in attaching themselves to a powerful person. 

‘attaching themselves to a powerful person’ so i guess all of henry’s wives were ‘narcissists’ then. i guess thomas more was a narcissist, then. i just cba.

anyway, so first of all, anne herself is claiming to be a dream prophetess? skeptical, right? this quote comes from JA Froude’s book, but only part of the quote is available in the archives online.

Catherine of Aragon had qualities with which history has not credited her. She was no patient, suffering saint, but a bold and daring woman, capable, if the opportunity was offered her, of making Henry repent of what he had done. But would the opportunity ever come? Charles was still silent. Chapuys continued to feed the fire with promises. Granvelle, Charles’s Minister, might be more persuasive than himself. To Granvelle the Ambassador wrote “that the Concubine had bribed some one to pretend a revelation from God that she was not to conceive children while the Queen and the Princess were alive. The Concubine had sent the man with the message to the King, and never ceased to exclaim that the ladies were rebels and traitresses, and deserved to die.”

okay, so anne bribed someone to bring henry this revelation. a bit more credible, but not much more so. here’s the closest i can find in the archives:

And it is to be feared that if the King is getting so inured to cruelty he will use it towards the Queen and Princess, at least in secret; to which the concubine will urge him with all her power, who has lately several times blamed the said King, saying it was a shame to him and all the realm that they were not punished as traitresses according to the statutes

+

A man has been bribed by the concubine (Anne) to say that he has had a revelation to this effect: that she will never conceive children as long as the Queen and Princess are alive. Has no doubt that the said concubine has made the man go to the King, and speak about it, for she sent him to Cromwell a few days ago on a similar errand. Cromwell would have liked to speak on the occasion as Caiaphas did

so, two separate reports sewn together, not too egregious, but this is why you go back to the archives.

that last one sounds pretty chilling, but once you unpack it, like a lot of chapuys’ claims, it unravels. a) he didn’t consider this credible or important enough to share with charles v himself (as froude mentions) b) ‘a man’ (unnamed) ‘was bribed’ (bribes are generally secret, so who was chapuys’ source? the man himself, a double agent?), c) ‘has no doubt that the said concubine has made the man go to the king’ (no doubt = no proof or confirmation, which you’d think he would have if the unnamed man himself was his source, unless he got cold feet in the last quarter), d) ‘she sent cromwell a few days ago on a similar errand’ (she sent this man on, not the same errand reporting this ‘revelation’, but a different one...which proves exactly nothing)

and, not for nothing, how would anne claim, or claim to believe, she could never conceive children while mary and katherine were alive, when she had already conceived and borne elizabeth? it’s 2 + 2 and it’s coming out 5. 

#falconqueen #replies #anne boleyn #primary sources

[castellsipalaus]

Tantallon Castle

El castell de Tantallon ja no és la fortalesa construïda pel primer comte de Douglas a dalt dels penya-segats que s’enfonsen a les aigües de la ribera sud del Firth of Forth. Però sí és el prototipus de castell escocès amb fantasma.

Després d’un setge durant la invasió d’Escòcia per l’exèrcit de l’Oliver Cromwell, el 1651 va ser enderrocat en gran part, després d’haver sofert ja un enderrocament parcial ordenat pel rei Jaume V d’Escòcia a la primera meitat del segle XVI.

El 2008 un turista va prendre una fotografia del castell on es podia veure una figura presumptament vestida d’època (de la de Jaume V per ser més exactes). El fet de trobar un castell escocès amb fantasma no hauria de sonar tan inversemblant, però el diari londinenc The Times s’hi va fixar i es va parlar d’una taca de pols a l’objectiu del fotògraf.

Tantallon és una construcció única a Escòcia: les defenses del castell consisteixen en una única gran muralla que assegura el promontori. Els accessos sud-est, nord-est i nord-oest estan defensats naturalment per penya-segats marins i només protegits per muralles defensives relativament petites. Al sud-oest, un enorme mur de cortina bloqueja l'extrem del promontori, i forma el pati interior.

En esdevenir també comtes d’Angus, els Douglas van ser anomenats Red Angus i van aconseguir reunir alguns altres títols amb els que van bastir el seu poder a l’àrea d’East Lothian durant tres segles.

No obstant, durant el regnat de Jaume V, els Angus es van aliar amb Henry VIII d’Anglaterra i van organitzar un autèntic cop d’estat, amb captura del rei infant inclosa, cap al 1525. No obstant, el rei va fugir i va acabar organitzant el setge de Tantallon, que va tenir lloc cap al 1528.

A finals del segle XVII, el dotzè comte d’Angus va haver de vendre’s el que ja eren ruïnes per cobrir els seus deutes de joc. El nou propietari, que ja tenia a les seves mans algunes de les que havien estat possessions dels Red Angus, va deixar a l’abandó el castell i va permetre que les seves pedres fossin aprofitades per a la construcció.

Al segle XIX van permetre algunes obres de restauració i al segle XX van cedir-lo a les autoritats per continuar amb la conservació.

#ruïnes #castell #tantallon #escòcia

[ahialeskopacpfra]

Mr Jas Kalsi is a leading consultant urological surgeon and male fertility specialist inLondon and Berkshire, with private clinics at BUPA Cromwell Hospital, The Spire, BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital, BMI The Princess Margaret Hospital and Thames Valley Fertility. His areas of expertise include male fertility, varicocele, erectile dysfunction, enlarged prostate, HoLEP, Rezum and the treatment of renal stones. He consults in all aspects of urological disease such as blood in the urine (haematuria), difficulty passing urine and raised PSA levels. He also sees both national and international patients with andrological problems such as erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

Mr Kalsi graduated with first-class honours in pharmacology and immunology from University College London in 1993 and got honours in his medical degree at UCL (MBBS Cons). He then went on to specialise in urology and male fertility thereafter.

Alongside his private practice, Mr Kalsi currently works publicly at Imperial College Healthcarein London and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust as a consultant urological surgeon, with a sub-specialist interest in male sexual and genital conditions (andrology), microsurgery (varicocele and sperm retrieval) and laser surgery for stones and prostates (HoLEP).

Mr Kalsi is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in Urological Surgery and a member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and the European Association of Urology (EAU).

[aunzdanielkennragrayfew]

Mr Jas Kalsi is a leading consultant urological surgeon and male fertility specialist inLondon and Berkshire, with private clinics at BUPA Cromwell Hospital, The Spire, BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital, BMI The Princess Margaret Hospital and Thames Valley Fertility. His areas of expertise include male fertility, varicocele, erectile dysfunction, enlarged prostate, HoLEP, Rezum and the treatment of renal stones. He consults in all aspects of urological disease such as blood in the urine (haematuria), difficulty passing urine and raised PSA levels. He also sees both national and international patients with andrological problems such as erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

Mr Kalsi graduated with first-class honours in pharmacology and immunology from University College London in 1993 and got honours in his medical degree at UCL (MBBS Cons). He then went on to specialise in urology and male fertility thereafter.

Alongside his private practice, Mr Kalsi currently works publicly at Imperial College Healthcarein London and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust as a consultant urological surgeon, with a sub-specialist interest in male sexual and genital conditions (andrology), microsurgery (varicocele and sperm retrieval) and laser surgery for stones and prostates (HoLEP).

Mr Kalsi is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in Urological Surgery and a member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and the European Association of Urology (EAU).

[audanielkennragrayfew]

Mr Jas Kalsi is a leading consultant urological surgeon and male fertility specialist inLondon and Berkshire, with private clinics at BUPA Cromwell Hospital, The Spire, BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital, BMI The Princess Margaret Hospital and Thames Valley Fertility. His areas of expertise include male fertility, varicocele, erectile dysfunction, enlarged prostate, HoLEP, Rezum and the treatment of renal stones. He consults in all aspects of urological disease such as blood in the urine (haematuria), difficulty passing urine and raised PSA levels. He also sees both national and international patients with andrological problems such as erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

Mr Kalsi graduated with first-class honours in pharmacology and immunology from University College London in 1993 and got honours in his medical degree at UCL (MBBS Cons). He then went on to specialise in urology and male fertility thereafter.

Alongside his private practice, Mr Kalsi currently works publicly at Imperial College Healthcarein London and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust as a consultant urological surgeon, with a sub-specialist interest in male sexual and genital conditions (andrology), microsurgery (varicocele and sperm retrieval) and laser surgery for stones and prostates (HoLEP).

Mr Kalsi is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in Urological Surgery and a member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and the European Association of Urology (EAU).

[frdanielkennragrayfew]

Mr Jas Kalsi is a leading consultant urological surgeon and male fertility specialist inLondon and Berkshire, with private clinics at BUPA Cromwell Hospital, The Spire, BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital, BMI The Princess Margaret Hospital and Thames Valley Fertility. His areas of expertise include male fertility, varicocele, erectile dysfunction, enlarged prostate, HoLEP, Rezum and the treatment of renal stones. He consults in all aspects of urological disease such as blood in the urine (haematuria), difficulty passing urine and raised PSA levels. He also sees both national and international patients with andrological problems such as erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

Mr Kalsi graduated with first-class honours in pharmacology and immunology from University College London in 1993 and got honours in his medical degree at UCL (MBBS Cons). He then went on to specialise in urology and male fertility thereafter.

Alongside his private practice, Mr Kalsi currently works publicly at Imperial College Healthcarein London and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust as a consultant urological surgeon, with a sub-specialist interest in male sexual and genital conditions (andrology), microsurgery (varicocele and sperm retrieval) and laser surgery for stones and prostates (HoLEP).

Mr Kalsi is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in Urological Surgery and a member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and the European Association of Urology (EAU).

[dkdanielkennragrayfew]

Mr Jas Kalsi is a leading consultant urological surgeon and male fertility specialist inLondon and Berkshire, with private clinics at BUPA Cromwell Hospital, The Spire, BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital, BMI The Princess Margaret Hospital and Thames Valley Fertility. His areas of expertise include male fertility, varicocele, erectile dysfunction, enlarged prostate, HoLEP, Rezum and the treatment of renal stones. He consults in all aspects of urological disease such as blood in the urine (haematuria), difficulty passing urine and raised PSA levels. He also sees both national and international patients with andrological problems such as erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

Mr Kalsi graduated with first-class honours in pharmacology and immunology from University College London in 1993 and got honours in his medical degree at UCL (MBBS Cons). He then went on to specialise in urology and male fertility thereafter.

Alongside his private practice, Mr Kalsi currently works publicly at Imperial College Healthcarein London and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust as a consultant urological surgeon, with a sub-specialist interest in male sexual and genital conditions (andrology), microsurgery (varicocele and sperm retrieval) and laser surgery for stones and prostates (HoLEP).

Mr Kalsi is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in Urological Surgery and a member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and the European Association of Urology (EAU).

[sedanielkennragrayfew]

Mr Jas Kalsi is a leading consultant urological surgeon and male fertility specialist inLondon and Berkshire, with private clinics at BUPA Cromwell Hospital, The Spire, BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital, BMI The Princess Margaret Hospital and Thames Valley Fertility. His areas of expertise include male fertility, varicocele, erectile dysfunction, enlarged prostate, HoLEP, Rezum and the treatment of renal stones. He consults in all aspects of urological disease such as blood in the urine (haematuria), difficulty passing urine and raised PSA levels. He also sees both national and international patients with andrological problems such as erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

Mr Kalsi graduated with first-class honours in pharmacology and immunology from University College London in 1993 and got honours in his medical degree at UCL (MBBS Cons). He then went on to specialise in urology and male fertility thereafter.

Alongside his private practice, Mr Kalsi currently works publicly at Imperial College Healthcarein London and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust as a consultant urological surgeon, with a sub-specialist interest in male sexual and genital conditions (andrology), microsurgery (varicocele and sperm retrieval) and laser surgery for stones and prostates (HoLEP).

Mr Kalsi is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in Urological Surgery and a member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and the European Association of Urology (EAU).

[nldanielkennragrayfew]

Mr Jas Kalsi is a leading consultant urological surgeon and male fertility specialist inLondon and Berkshire, with private clinics at BUPA Cromwell Hospital, The Spire, BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital, BMI The Princess Margaret Hospital and Thames Valley Fertility. His areas of expertise include male fertility, varicocele, erectile dysfunction, enlarged prostate, HoLEP, Rezum and the treatment of renal stones. He consults in all aspects of urological disease such as blood in the urine (haematuria), difficulty passing urine and raised PSA levels. He also sees both national and international patients with andrological problems such as erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

Mr Kalsi graduated with first-class honours in pharmacology and immunology from University College London in 1993 and got honours in his medical degree at UCL (MBBS Cons). He then went on to specialise in urology and male fertility thereafter.

Alongside his private practice, Mr Kalsi currently works publicly at Imperial College Healthcarein London and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust as a consultant urological surgeon, with a sub-specialist interest in male sexual and genital conditions (andrology), microsurgery (varicocele and sperm retrieval) and laser surgery for stones and prostates (HoLEP).

Mr Kalsi is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in Urological Surgery and a member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and the European Association of Urology (EAU).

[usadanielkennragrayfew]

Mr Jas Kalsi is a leading consultant urological surgeon and male fertility specialist inLondon and Berkshire, with private clinics at BUPA Cromwell Hospital, The Spire, BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital, BMI The Princess Margaret Hospital and Thames Valley Fertility. His areas of expertise include male fertility, varicocele, erectile dysfunction, enlarged prostate, HoLEP, Rezum and the treatment of renal stones. He consults in all aspects of urological disease such as blood in the urine (haematuria), difficulty passing urine and raised PSA levels. He also sees both national and international patients with andrological problems such as erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

Mr Kalsi graduated with first-class honours in pharmacology and immunology from University College London in 1993 and got honours in his medical degree at UCL (MBBS Cons). He then went on to specialise in urology and male fertility thereafter.

Alongside his private practice, Mr Kalsi currently works publicly at Imperial College Healthcarein London and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust as a consultant urological surgeon, with a sub-specialist interest in male sexual and genital conditions (andrology), microsurgery (varicocele and sperm retrieval) and laser surgery for stones and prostates (HoLEP).

Mr Kalsi is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in Urological Surgery and a member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and the European Association of Urology (EAU).

[ladykendalsims]

𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖 ℕ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 by @itsmariejanel x @moonsonnet

Who said you can’t look chic in the apocalypse? 

Thank you for the tag my darlings @aniraklova @itsmariejanel @qrqr19 ❤

Rules: basically you just put your sims in some cocktail clothing and show us, it can be your oc’s, your gameplay sims, whoever you want really! just have fun with it and take your own spin on this. tag #DNCE or #DNCE CHALLENE so we can see it.

Tagging the amazing creators of these babies @aniraklova @eslanes @bluesuedesims @alelelesimz @simfulwoohoo 

Also @teayo @des-dabbles @fataleromeo @mycrow-sims @simstasia @wolfrynn313 @nefarious-sims @magical-happenings @hufflepuff-sim @madeofcc @capp-trash @simwithsparkles @budgie2budgie @oydis @shesthespinstersimmer @castawavy @rethdis-love @catzy-cove @salut-imsyuka @maladi777 @almost-spring @fonfon1888 and everyone who wants to do this (Feel free to say I tagged you or ignore if you don’t feel like doing this)

#sims 4 #ts4 #my edits #dnce challenge #dnce #crimson's post-apocalyptic bachelor challenge extras #crimson #casey caruso #jas cromwell #Spike Bonesdin #Marla Black #bambie lowe

[notnicky]

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - SPOILER FREE Movie Review

So, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve written anything on here. I’d blame it on college but really I think it’s just because I’m so lazy. I’m working on that and hopefully, this summer will give me some time to get stuff done. Anyways, here I am, and I’m about to talk about the movie I have so patiently waited THREE years for - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Unfortunately, this movie isn’t out everywhere yet, so I’ll keep this review spoiler FREE, and maybe I’ll get myself to write a spoiler-filled review once this movie is out worldwide. Bear with me, this is long.

1. Cinematography

My absolute favorite thing about this film was the incredible cinematography thanks to Oscar Faura and JA Bayona. Almost all the shots in this film are ones I’d like to hang up on my wall. The scenes on the island are breathtaking, but the cinematography in the second half is on a whole different level. The brilliant use of light and shadows by Faura adds so much to the gothic/horror tone that the second half possesses. The visuals together with the score, courtesy of Michael Giacchino (which I will talk about later), create a striking effect that will be sure to scare the living shit out of you, and sometimes make you feel emotions you didn’t think you could feel in a Jurassic movie. The cinematography in this film is unlike any other Jurassic film, and I say that in the best way possible.

2. Music

Michael Giacchino’s score is absolutely gorgeous. At times, it was the reason why I couldn’t stop my heart from aching, and other times, it was the reason why I couldn’t stop my heart from beating uncontrollably. The music during emotional scenes would be the main factor in me sobbing out loud, and the music during tense scenes would be the reason why I would jump out of my seat. The power that Giacchino’s score has over this film is truly incredible, always being the reason as to why I felt specific emotions during different plot points throughout the movie.

3. Story

I can’t delve too much into this because I don’t want to enter spoiler territory, but I really enjoyed the story. 

All I’ve heard over the past week was “why do people keep going back to save the dinosaurs, just let them die” and “why do we need another Jurassic film?”, and this really frustrates me. This might be because I’ve developed a specific emotional attachment to these animals, but I personally believe that every human being in this franchise is responsible for keeping these animals alive. They brought them back to life, despite none of the dinosaurs wanting to (at least I doubt it), and exploited them for their own gain, so I don’t believe that humans deserve an easy way out of the mess they created in the first place and the dinosaurs certainly don’t deserve to die when they didn’t ask for this shitshow in the first place. The core of Fallen Kingdom explores the ethics behind this choice, which is precisely why I love it so much. 

I know a lot of people think the plot is useless and repetitive, but along with what I previously said, there is so much left to explore about this ethical dilemma. It is incredibly nuanced, interesting, and relevant. Fallen Kingdom shows us the reason why we can’t just leave these animals to die. It explores guilt, empathy, and redemption. But then again, I have a strong personal opinion and I love ethical dilemmas, so I am heavily biased. 

in addition to the core of the movie, there is a plot twist later on that I really loved. I thought it seemed like a natural progression for the franchise, and it opened a lot of new doors for the story to continue through. Although I loved it, plenty thought it was stupid and unneeded, but to each their own.

Despite this, I understand the reasoning behind why some people think it’s a stupid idea to go back to the island in the first place, which I will discuss when I look at the pacing of the movie.

4. Characters

We know that in Jurassic World, Claire started out as cold and calculated and as the events of the movie unfold, she begins to change, as her actions started to become more in sync with her morals. In Fallen Kingdom, Claire has started her own foundation that is dedicated to protecting these dinosaurs she once exploited for money. Though I do wish that we got to see more of how this change developed during the time between Jurassic World and Fallen Kingdom, the way her character has changed for the better and how that change makes her the driving force of this movie is one of my favorite things about it. Seeing Claire having the passion that she lacked in Jurassic World was something that made me love her even more than I already did. Although we don’t see how this 180-degree change develops, we definitely get to see how it influences her actions and choices throughout the movie. Bryce Dallas Howard does a wonderful job at really showing us this profound change in Claire, making us feel for Claire and truly believe that she has a passion for saving these prehistoric creatures.

As for Owen, he is more or less unchanged by the events of Jurassic World, so his character development is much less, or maybe even non-existent, in comparison to Claire. The one thing I can point out is that perhaps his decision to go back to the island and save Blue is an indication of trying to face his problems, rather than simply running away from them.

For those who know me, I live for Claire and Owen’s relationship. Fallen Kingdom builds on their relationship and puts Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt’s natural chemistry to good use. I have always loved that these two characters are polar opposites but work very well as a team, and I was glad to see that dynamic again, although, I wish there could have been more time spent on further elaborating and developing this dynamic, but that’s mostly due to problems with the pacing of the movie.

Maisie, Maisie, Maisie. She is the heart of this film. All the Jurassic movies have had kids in them, but for the most part, they aren’t hugely significant. Maisie changes the game. No more can be said without entering spoiler territory, so I’ll stop there. BUT, Isabella Sermon is INCREDIBLE as Maisie, I am so surprised this was her first ever acting gig. 

As for the supporting characters, I really loved Zia and Franklin, played by the wonderful Daniella Pineda and Justice Smith. The brother-sister relationship the two have off-screen translates very well on-screen and makes for some really fun interactions between these characters. Franklin serves as comic relief in a lot of scenes, and I think the skills he brings to the team are underappreciated. Zia is a badass, however, Pineda’s performance is the reason why and not and so much the story that is written for her.

The villains are a little too “I’m evil!” but for the most part enjoyable. Toby Jones seems to be the villain in every movie I watch so he’s pretty good at doing that. I don’t want to specify certain actors since I’m not sure if its common knowledge that they are villains, but I think the performances by the villans are good, apart from, as I said earlier, sometimes being a bit too cartoonishly evil. 

For the cameos... Ian Malcolm is back, but not for a whole lot, which I think is a shame. Jeff Goldblum is excellent and shines in his scenes, despite not being in the film for very long. Dr. Wu appears yet again, and the one big problem that I have with this movie is how underused he is. His character understands that what he is doing is a whole other level of fucked up but he understands how these dinosaurs work as well as the consequences of what he does. I really wished that his character was more significant because his opinions reflect a big part of the ethical dilemma that the movie explores.

5. Dinosaurs

There are a lot of them and they look incredible. The animatronic Blue, Indoraptor, and T-Rex breathe a whole new life into these dinosaurs, making them feel more like characters rather than just animals for us to be in awe of. My favorite has got to be the Stygimoloch, as it plays quite a significant role in a couple parts of the movie, and also, it's so adorable. OH and I think dinosaurs are really smart, people are dumb, and so maybe people should be extinct, not the dinosaurs.

6. Pacing

Now, this is the biggest problem I have with the movie. From the very start of the movie, AFTER the beautiful opening sequence, that is, everything seemed to be moving at warp speed. There was always something going on and it was just non-stop, not giving the audience a chance to breathe and take in whatever they just watched. There are a lot of character building moments that are ruined by the lack of time the audience gets to process them, making them much less impactful than they could have been if the film had slowed down for just a few minutes. Whenever something significant would happen, it immediately became insignificant because something else would happen not long after. 

The part of the film that takes place on the island moves way too fast, and I really wish they stayed on the island a bit longer, especially considering this is supposed to be the last time we will ever see Isla Nublar. The lack of time we spend there takes away from what should be an extremely significant and emotional plot point not just for Fallen Kingdom, but for the entire Jurassic franchise.

As I mentioned in the “story” portion of this post, the movie explores the reasons as to why we can’t just let the dinosaurs die. Although the movie does look at empathy, guilt, and redemption, it does so through the characters, as if we should already know these characters well enough to know why they are motivated to go and save these dinosaurs. For someone like me who is familiar with these characters and previous characters in the franchise, it is easy for me to understand their motivations. However, the film doesn’t give enough time for the casual viewer to empathize with these dinosaurs and help them understand why these characters feel a responsibility for these creatures’ fates. Again, this has to do with pacing, since with a lot of things happening from the get-go, there aren’t enough opportunities for the story to build and give viewers this understanding. I think the lack of build-up toward the decision to go back to Isla Nublar to save the dinosaurs is the main reason why many people don’t understand why this movie had to happen at all. 

IN CONCLUSION, I really really did love this movie. I’ve seen it twice now and it was better the second time around because my over-excitement for the movie as a whole and for some specific aspects didn’t get in the way and I was able to focus on a lot more things, allowing me to enjoy it even more. To end things, I really need to send my biggest thanks to JA Bayona for his excellent addition to the Jurassic franchise. Whenever people talked about Jurassic Park, they’d always talk about how terrified they were when they saw the T-Rex on screen for the first time. The first time I saw Jurassic Park, I had already seen big scary monsters in the cinema, so the movie never really scared me the way it did some people. However, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom made me feel so terrified at times that I could finally understand where these people were coming from when they talk about being terrified by Jurassic. So thank you JA for scaring me into a true Jurassic experience. Despite major problems with pacing, the film is beautiful when it comes to the visuals and sound, has a really interesting plot, as well as characters that I really love. I know this movie has been met with mixed reviews, and that really bothers me, but I loved it and I hope you at least give it a shot because it certainly deserves a fighting chance. 

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom gets 4/5 baby Blue’s

#Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom #Jurassic World #Fallen Kingdom #Jurassic Park #Movie review #film review #JA Bayona #Colin Trevorrow #oscar faura #michael giacchino #Chris Pratt #bryce dallas howard #jeff goldblum #daniella pineda #justice smith #rafe spall #ted levine #james cromwell #claire dearing #owen grady #ian malcolm #zia rodriguez #franklin webb #eli mills #benjamin lockwood

[pigballoon]

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

(Juan Antonio Bayona, 2018)

The most important and immediate thing to say about this movie is that for me, at least after a single viewing, it is a definite improvement on its predecessor. Less of the massively in your face product placement in a blockbuster bemoaning commercialism, less of the bewilderingly stupid directorial choices, and less of the pointless subplots.

Fallen Kingdom is not a movie without problems, it’s certainly not a movie lacking in its own share of stupidity, but for me it seems an all together tackier affair in general, and given the entirety of the movie from the almost B-movie monster movie type opening to the absurdity of its slasher film-like final act seems to embrace that fact and wear it proudly on its sleeve... The whole thing feels more comfortable in its own skin, and goes down far easier on account of it.

Don't get me wrong, Fallen Kingdom still tries to get its deeper, more thoughtful qualities across, but for the most part that stuff remains relatively subtextual, touched on, but never really belaboring the point, for a movie so primarily concerned with being a riotously mad time at the movies I would say that aspect of the writing definitely meshes better with all that’s going on around it.

Another massive key to the movies success is the way in which it takes what was one of the very stupidest things about the previous movie, the let’s call it humanizing of the dinosaurs, and capitalizing on the fact that this concept has now been established sort of runs with it, and completes the evolutionary process that Juliette Binoche saw coming right from the start when she declined to be involved with the original movie a quarter century ago... That the dinosaurs are the most interesting things in these movies, and this particular chapters transformation of them into the most empathetic characters on display works (maybe ridiculously, but) totally in its favour.

Good thing too, because Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are both far less interesting, and seemingly into this than they were the last time around, far too little is made of the great James Cromwell and the greater Geraldine Chaplin. Jeff Goldblum is brought back and put to very effective, but still mightily minor use. BD Wong is another sadly underutilized considering how much emphasis there was on him the last time round, but Rafe Spall seems handily invested on dastardliness duty, and aiding him are a couple of unforgettably vivid character turns from Toby Jones and Ted Levine proving the two human highlights of the film. Some credit must also go to Daniella Pineda, and Justice Smith for bringing a little bit of energy and laughs, and Isabella Sermon for bringing the heart, much needed qualities that Howard and Pratt seem to have left at home this time around for the most part.

Still, as already touched on this is really not the humans movie, from the sauropod left behind in as moving a scene as you’ll ever see featuring a CGI creature, to the trapped masses at the end, to the pachycephalosaurus who steals the movies final act, Blue the raptor who is essentially the hero of the film, and old Rexy of course, this movie is absolutely dominated by its CGI creations, which when it comes down to it really is a pretty smart choice.

Credit for so much of what works here must go to Bayona, a clearly infinitely more skilled hand at this kind of thing than Trevorrow was. He handles big set pieces better, and as he proved in The Orphanage, A Monster Calls and The Impossible he’s so good at blending that big, computer generated spectacle stuff with the intimately human stuff. Truthfully this movie doesn’t have that much use for the latter quality, but the small doses it does inject into the craziness are very effectively handled. Bayona seems far more in control of what he's doing, so even though he’s working with a far sillier movie, a movie that dabbles in a lot of the same conceptual territory as the last one did, he makes it all work because he knows how to bring it all cohesively, fluidly together without calling any attention to itself, without any particular aspect sticking out like a sore thumb to take issue with.

All in all this is still not on the level of that iconic original, but to expect that would be to expect too much, and the biggest issue with it is the exact same issue that there was with the last movie, the idea of fake dinosaur as monster, not a bad idea to make use of in a movie, but given the inevitable toys that will be shipped in their thousands and marketed to little kids... an irritating choice. Should dinosaurs be sold as monsters, and should creatures that never existed be mixed in with ones that did, and exposed to children who given the power of Hollywood may end up thinking the Indominus Rex was an actual thing? Granted, the science in these movies has never been especially on point, and the franchise has already helped spread more than one dino myth, but this seems a step too far in the wrong direction.

I think back to the original film and it’s featuring one of those great, understated movie moments, the panning across all the memorabilia for a theme park that would never open. It’s a shame that people in Hollywood can create moments like that without heeding the wisdom in them. This movie may be part of a franchise primarily concerned with making money through as many avenue streams as possible, but thank the lord for Juan Antonio Bayona, and his getting the art at least a little bit more under control.

#jurassic world: fallen kingdom #jurassic world #fallen kingdom #juan antonio bayona #ja bayona #j.a bayona #j.a. bayona #chris pratt #bryce dallas howard #colin trevorrow #jeff goldblum #james cromwell #geraldine chaplin #toby jones #rafe spall #ted levine #daniella pineda #justice smith #isabella sermon #2018 #reviews #film #films #movie #movies #blockbuster

[alelelesimz]

Jas Cromwell

For Crimson’s Post-apocalyptic Bachelor Challenge by @ladykendalsims

Spellcaster Aspiration: Spellcraft and Sorcery Hot-Headed / Ambitious / Active 26 years old Bisexual

Born in Glimmerbrook, Jas comes from a family of powerful spellcasters devoted to practical magic. As a teenager she started getting interested in dark magic, she would escape to the forest to practice so her family wouldn’t know. However, when they discovered this, she got expelled from the Realm of Magic and has been living in her RV as a nomad by herself ever since. 

Jas has been moving around for years, during this time she kept practicing and becoming a powerful spellcaster, while also learning several skills, like cooking, fishing, handiness and so on, you gotta be resourceful when all you have is an RV and anything you can fit in it!

Even though Jas had made some friends on the road, when the outbreak happened she had just arrived in Strangerville. She’s been using her magic skills to keep the zombies away, as well as her overall handiness to stay alive. But because of this she had to isolate herself and hasn’t been able to meet anyone else. 

It’s been some time and it’s starting to get lonely here... when Jas heard about this bachelor challenge she felt so excited! Crimson is right up her alley so hopefully going into this challenge she can finally find someone to be on her side and settle down!

#crimson's post apocalyptic bachelor challenge #ts4 bc entry #ts4 #jas #aaaaaaaaaaaaa #i never do bc challenges but i'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic stuff!!!! #this was fun ! #btw im posting this at the WORST time but i wanted to put it out there now so : ) #a #my sims

[period-dramallama]

Mini review: A Matter of Conscience by Judith Arnopp

TLDR: Interesting to analyse, but it feels rushed.

I think JA bit off more than she could chew by trying to write Henry VIII in first person. I think she lacks the experience, and even an experienced writer would find it a phenomenal challenge. I only ever write first person for OCs. The challenge is that you have to find a character's unique voice, and then stick with it for 300 pages.

I know, I know. I usually say novels are too long but I think this might prove to be a case of a novel being too short. It's telling Henry's story from beginning to end in about 300 pages. Some things are going to get glossed over. I fear this is going to be another elaborate-wikipedia-summary kind of historical novel.

There's a disclaimer at the beginning of the book, that the views of the characters are not the views of the author. Cool cool cool. Apparently we can have disclaimers for the benefit of the author, but not trigger warnings for the benefit of the reader. Fucking love that. (And while Intractable Heart came out 2014, the edition I was looking at was 2019, so no excuses.)

You are essentially an actor, constantly in character. If you slip out of your character's fixed voice for even a sentence, the illusion is shattered. And Arnopp just doesn't have the experience to master Henry's voice and maintain it constantly.

Arnopp's issues with first person continue. I get the sense that she wants to have her cake and eat it. She wants to write Henry's POV, but she also wants the ease of having an objective narrator.

But these two desires contradict each other. I cannot overemphasise that. If you write Henry VIII's POV accurately you are 1000% going to get a biased, self-serving narrative. His personality will dominate the narrative. You have to see things as Henry would see them, but you also have to say things as Henry would say them.

Compare with Humbert Humbert in Lolita. He has a distinct character voice, full of wordplay and colour and erudition. He's quick to assure us, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, that he's not a bad guy, not a bad guy at all because [excuses]. But the reader knows from Humbert's actions that his excuses are a veneer of glossy bullshit. The reader can see, when Humbert cannot/will not/doesn't want to, the horrifying damage that Humbert is doing.

Imagine JA wrote Lolita. She'd probably have Humbert say "I'm a bad man who does bad things, but I don't believe I'm doing anything wrong."

This Henry, I think, shows much too much self awareness, and tells us things about his personality that we really should deduce from the story. For example: "left to my own devices, I am a happy fellow, it is only when life goes wrong that my spirit rebels." He's also aware of other people's motives, when people try to grandstand their affiliation with him. He even acknowledges that he's resentful of Margaret. He also admits that the prospect of bedding a woman fills him with both excitement and terror.

I do definitely think the real Henry could feel resentment, but that doesn't mean he'd admit to feeling it- or even consciously know that he's feeling it. Would Henry's ego allow him to tell the reader that he feels jealous, or embarrassed, or envious, or resentful? Would his machismo allow him to admit even to himself, that he is sexually nervous? How much does Henry trust the reader, so as to show his vulnerabilities? How much does he admit his vulnerabilities to himself?

There is a moment that does feel in character: Henry feels little grief for his dead baby sister because if she lived, she'd have grown up without a mother, rather implying that she's better off dead. It's a pretty gross thing to think, but it does give a sense that Henry already is deciding what's 'best' for others in matters of life and death. JA has also nailed Henry's desire for attention.

Mantel talked of "the Cromwell that Cromwell doesn't know." I think writers trying to do Henry's POV should keep that in mind. Henry doesn't necessarily know the depths of his own mind.

JA's present tense issues continue. "The sorrow of the adults compounds my own." Does that sound like a child/teenager? Does that sound like Henry VIII at all?

I do think show don't tell applies here. When Charles Brandon loses the game, Henry boasts. When Charles wins, Henry sulks. Henry should not be telling us this fact honestly: we should have a scene where Henry wins one game, boasts, loses the second game, sulks. This reveals Henry's character without him admitting to things his ego wouldn't admit to. JA is telling us the plot rather than showing us events.

The book does recreate Henry weeping on his mother's bed, and references 'closeted like a girl'.

Henry doesn't like being patronised by Henry VII and Margaret Beaufort: "it is as if they think I am a peasant just crawled from the gutter." That does give some sense of his pride, but overall I just do not feel his personality radiating from the page. Which it should. I do like that "Grandmother's bark is sharper than her bite."

Some minor things: characters at one point warm their 'nethers' by the fire. Henry fears Katherine of Aragon will be sent home "like a misdirected package" which feels like a very modern simile. Some of the writing is a bit clunky "the continuance of the House of Tudor that must at all costs perpetuate." Was that written by a bureaucrat? Also all caps is back for when characters shout.

#histfic reviews #historical fiction #judith arnopp