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mischiefandspirits · 3 years

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Gone

Barbara Gordon was targeted. Richard Grayson disappeared. Jason Todd ran away. Tim Drake was kidnapped. Stephanie Brown crashed. Damian al Ghul was killed.

Hawkfire rose from the ashes. Nightwing soared through the sky. Red Hood hunted the streets. Red X found the trail. Spoiler haunted her targets. Renegade vanquished his foes.

Batman watched over them all from the shadows.

Followed by Black Bats

Deleted scene

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Barbara Gordon was fourteen years old when she was targeted by Pamela Isley. Pamela, calling herself Poison Ivy, blamed Commissioner Gordon for the accident that resulted in her chlorokinetic abilities. She launched an attack on the Gordons’ home that landed the commissioner in the hospital then proclaimed she would reward anyone who could take down the commissioner's daughter. When word got around, it was a free-for-all. The commissioner tried to get Barbara protection, but faith dwindled after a corrupt officer sold information that resulted in the girl taking a gunshot that nearly paralyzed her. Then Barbara’s security detail was attacked by an unknown assailant as she was being escorted out of the hospital. When the girl failed to reappear, the city mourned. Isley was questioned, but she had been locked up at the time and, according to her, no one ever came forward to claim her reward. The commissioner was realistic due to his years in the force and didn’t try to push the searches past the routine timelines. When asked, he would say that they would likely never know what happened if no one came forward with information and he could only console himself with the knowledge that she was likely in a better place now.

Richard Grayson was nine years old when he disappeared from the circus he’d been born and raised in while it was stopped in Gotham. The Gotham police searched, but there was never any sign of him. Commissioner Gordon reached out to Batman, but nothing came from it. After two months the search was called off. There was too much work on GCPD’s plate for them to be putting so much of their focus on one missing child, no matter how publicized the event had been thanks to quite a few of Gotham’s elite seeking to help the poor boy. The Lost Gray Son of Gotham, they called him. His parents remained in Gotham in hopes to find their lost child, but they never succeeded.

Jason Todd was twelve years old when his father reported that he’d run away. Willis Todd, owner of the luxury casino Solitary Wing, reported that his son and an associate had been traveling to the casino together when the boy suddenly leaped from the car while it was at a stoplight and disappeared into the crowd. Despite Willis using his connections to keep it going, the search didn’t last more than a month. Runaways were just too common in Gotham for the police to put much work into it. Willis paid men to keep looking, but after a year all they could come up with was a sighting early on of a boy vaguely resembling Jason disappearing into an alley with a tall man so Willis had to give up. He and his men continued to keep an ear out for the boy, just in case, but nothing ever came of it. The closest thing was a small conspiracy theory about how a boy killed in Ethiopia by the Joker and former Gothamite Sheila Haywood a few months after his disappearance matched Jason’s description, but the theory quickly faded into obscurity.

Timothy Drake was eleven years old when his parents called in his kidnapping. The boy had been home with his nanny when someone snuck into his third-floor bedroom and stole him away. The figure was nothing more than a shadow on the cameras, long and lithe. Every one searched for the young heir, police, Batman, and civilian alike thanks to the hearty reward the Drakes offered, but the search had to be called off after a year passed. His parents continued to offer the reward for any honest information, to no avail. All that appeared were a few claims of people seeing the boy stalking the streets at night with a camera in the years leading up to his abduction, but the Drakes waved it off with the assurances that the boy’s nanny never would have allowed that.

Stephanie Brown was fifteen years old when she and her mother disappeared. Her father reported that his ex-wife must have absconded with the girl after she’d lost custody in their divorce due to an addiction problem. Three months later, Crystal Brown’s car was dredged up from the bottom of a river in Burnside with bags filled with clothing belonging to her and her daughter. The police reported both had died due to the crash, which was likely caused by Crystal’s drug habit. Stephanie’s father continued to search after he discovered their bodies were not located, but he never found them.

Damian Tate was ten years old when he was killed. He had come to Gotham with his mother to meet his father Bruce Wayne for the first time. He was taken days after their introduction by an unknown group. They held the boy for ransom, but when Wayne paid, all he received in return was a video of the boy’s death by a gunshot through the head. When police tracked down the shack he’d been held in, all that remained was charcoal and a few bits of DNA. His parents grieved, even as his mother left Gotham.

Six stories ending in grief.

This is what the news told you.

Hawkfire was the leader of the Birds of Prey, a team of heroines who operated out of Platinum Flats, California. She’d made herself known when she, Black Canary, and Huntress had teamed up to face down the Daughters of Platinum. Instead of having powers, she utilized a belt of gadgets as well as extraordinary computer skills and pyrotechnic gear.

Nightwing was the leader of the Titans, a team of outcast heroes who operated out of Jump City, Florida. He’d made himself known when he led a group of teens against an alien invasion threatening the city. Instead of having powers, he utilized a belt of gadgets as well as extraordinary acrobatic skills and escrima sticks.

Red Hood was the leader of the Outlaws, a team of antiheroes who operated out of a hidden island in the Caribbean. He’d made himself known when he and Artemis of Bana-Mighdall clashed over a job. Instead of having powers, he utilized a belt of gadgets as well as extraordinary strategic skills and an assortment of firearms.

Red X was the leader of Young Justice, a team of teen heroes who operated out of Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. He’d made himself known when he, Wonder Girl, and Impulse freed Subject 13 from a Cadmus lab. Instead of having powers, he utilized a belt of gadgets as well as extraordinary investigative skills and a Bo staff.

Spoiler was the leader of the Outsiders, a team of covert heroes who operated out of Steel City, Washington. She’d made herself known when she and Beast Boy helped save Raven from cultists. Instead of having powers, she utilized a belt of gadgets as well as extraordinary stealth skills and invisibility technology.

Renegade was the leader of the Teen Titans, a team of legacy heroes who operated out of San Francisco, California. He’d made himself known when he learned that certain young heroes were being targeted by the Demon's Fist. Instead of having powers, he utilized a belt of gadgets as well as extraordinary martial arts skills and a katana.

Oracle was a powerful computer program, one utilized by Batman in his war on Gotham’s underbelly and occasionally brought in to help on Justice League cases. Some theorized it may be a form of artificial intelligence, but none have ever been able to confirm it.

Black Bat was an urban legend, a shadow sometimes said to be seen at Batman’s side as he worked in Gotham. There was no proof of their existence except the whispers. No one could agree if they were child or adult, male or female, short and stocky or tall and lithe.

Six stories of hope and power, one story of logic, and one story of rumors.

This is what the news told you.

What the news won’t tell you?

Hawkfire’s teammates know her as Babette "Betty" Kane, but her family calls her Barb, Barbara, Mistress Barbara, Babs, Barbie, Babsy, and Kane. She was the first Oracle. She was the second to stand as Black Bat.

Nightwing’s teammates know him as Dixon Malone, but his family calls him Dick, Master Dick, Pixie, Dickie, Flyboy, and Brother. He was the first Black Bat. He was the second to work as Oracle.

Red Hood’s teammates know him as Jace Knight, but his family calls him Jay, Master Jason, Redjay, Little Wing, Red, Scrappy, and Knight. He was the third to work as Oracle and Black Bat.

Red X’s teammates know him as Alvin Draper, but his family calls him Tim, Master Tim, Shortie, Timmy, Timtim, Chipmunk, and Draper. He was the fourth to work as Oracle and Black Bat.

Spoiler’s teammates know her as Carrie Kelley, but her family calls her Steffi, Stephanie, Mistress Stephanie, Shadow, Stepstone, Stepher, Steph, and Kelley. She was the fifth to work as Oracle and Black Bat.

Renegade’s teammates know him as Terrence Malone, but his family calls him Damian, Master Damian, Dames, Dami, Demon, and Terry. He was the sixth to work as Oracle and Black Bat.

Batman to most was Gotham’s Dark Knight. A few of his Justice League companions know him as Bruce Wayne, but his family calls him something else. For Alfred, he was Master Bruce. For Barbara, he was Uncle Bruce. For Dick and Tim, he was Dad. For Jason and Stephanie, he was the Old Man. For Damian, he was Father. For all of the kids, he was their protector.

The news will tell you a lot, but they don’t always know what’s going on behind the scenes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If anyone's confused, Barbara comes first because I like The Batman (2004)'s timeline of Batgirl coming before Robin. It kind of eases Bruce into both having a partner and being a parent before Dick shows up in all his traffic light glory.

All their aliases are references so see if you can figure them out. I think Jason's is the most obscure, but we'll see (No, it's not Arkham Knight. I only remembered that connection after I'd settled on the name).

#batman #batfam #witness protection: vigilante style #fanfiction

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brokehorrorfan · 3 years

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Blu-ray Review: Rush Week

While nostalgic viewers often look back at '80s horror through rose-colored glasses, audiences at the time became fatigued by the barrage of sequels and failed franchise starters that dominated the decade, largely with diminishing returns. It's easy to understand that mindset when viewing 1989's Rush Week, a generic college slasher from director Bob Bralver (American Ninja 5).

Written by Russell V. Manzatt (Midnight Ride) and Michael W. Leighton (The Genesis Code), the film begins by intercutting a standard cold-open kill with a rowdy frat party. It sets the tone of the film, as the first act plays out like a vapid, low-rent Animal House knockoff, while the midsection goes through the slasher motions. It's not until the rollicking finale, which includes a "Fright Night" costume party, that the film lives up to its potential.

Pamela Ludwig (Over the Edge) stars as a plucky young journalist investigating a rash of recent missing students for the college newspaper. The cast notably includes the Allman Brothers Band vocalist Gregg Allman as a hippie faculty member that runs the newspaper, Kathleen Kinmont (Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers) in a small role as the cheekily named Julie Ann McGuffin, and a performance from The Dickies (best known to genre fans for the Killer Klowns from Outer Space theme).

Until the reveal at the end, the double-edged axe-wielding killer's identity is concealed by an old man mask and a robe. Perhaps Bralver was preempting the MPAA's neutering of violence, or it was merely a cost-saving measure, but there is little gore on display. Despite Bralver's background as a stunt performer - with credits ranging from Star Trek: The Motion Picture to Darkman to NCIS: Los Angeles - action is minimal as well. Bralver seemingly an abundance of nudity would distract from the lack of excitement.

Rush Week's new 2K restoration from its 35mm interpositive for Vinegar Syndrome's Blu-ray release brings perfect clarity to Jeff Mart's colorful cinematography. The Hysteria Continues podcast provides an informal audio commentary with several stretches of silence and only one fun fact (the frat house also appeared in the likes of Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Waxwork, and Witchboard). The disc also includes interviews with actors Dean Hamilton and Courtney Gebhart. Hamilton is rather dry while Gebhart is exuberant, but both share fond memories.

Rush Week is available now Blu-ray via Vinegar Syndrome.

#rush week #vinegar syndrome #horror #80s horror #1980s horror #dvd #gift #review #article #gregg allman #kathleen kinmont #the dickies #80s slasher #slasher movies #slasher #bob bralver

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blackswaneuroparedux · 4 years

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Edwina and I spent all our married lives getting into other people's beds.

- Lord Louis Montbatten

In 1922, a royal but impoverished naval officer called Louis Mountbatten proposed to a fabulously wealthy woman called Edwina Ashley in Delhi. Both in their early 20s, they had known each other only a few months, but were determined to spend their lives together. The day after Edwina accepted, her fiancé diarised how they had “motored out to King Humayun’s enormous tomb, which we saw at 3am by moonlight". It was all “wonderful and romantic", and, a month later, they made another trip to the 16th century mausoleum. This time, however, the bride-to-be was less impressed. “Edwina having just…seen the Taj Mahal," wrote Mountbatten, “was full of scorn for this poor little tomb."

In some respects the episode was a pithy description of their marriage years that lay ahead. In his new biography The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves, British historian Andrew Lownie has claimed that the late Lord Mountbatten and his wife Edwina spent their married lives engaging in a stream of affairs. Lownie relates how the last viceroy of India, who was assassinated in 1979 by an IRA bomb aged 79, was initially devastated by wife Edwina's affairs but came to terms with his wife’s hedonistic flings as he struggled with his bisexual impulses.

After a fumbling honeymoon, some of it spent in Hollywood, Mountbatten resumed his career as a naval officer.

Meanwhile, the stylish Edwina, described as one of the six best- dressed women in the world, shopped at Chanel, played bridge, and danced the Charleston until 3am, sometimes with Fred Astaire.

Edwina was also inordinately put out when — after ten years of her undisguised infidelities — he took a long-term lover of his own, the sparky, boyish Yola from France (on whom, claims Pamela, the novelist Colette based her fictional femme fatale, Gigi).

Mountbatten found ‘some contentment’ with Yola, as now did Edwina with a lover who became a permanent fixture in her life — ‘Bunny’ Phillips, a ‘thrillingly handsome’ (the words of their daughter Pamela) colonel in the Coldstream Guards.

On the surface, Edwina and her husband, Lord Louis Mountbatten, were the glitziest couple of their day — rich, high-born, debonair, de luxe. Beneath, the reality were separate beds, separate lives and a flurry of flings that set tongues wagging.

All their social gadding about came to a halt when war broke out in 1939. Mountbatten and Bunny Philliips had serious and all-consuming duties to perform for King and Country; Yola was trapped in enemy-occupied France.

And Edwina at last had something real to do. She put on a uniform and cap — albeit set at a jaunty, come-on angle — and threw herself, body and soul, into work with the St John Ambulance Brigade.

Pamela recalls her father looking at his wayward wife with a new sense of pride that she had at last found her purpose in life. Pamela felt the same when she saw her mother in action.

With the war over, Mountbatten was sent there to oversee the sub-continent gaining independence from British rule. His wife went with him and her charm was put to vital use in what the new Viceroy termed Operation Seduction — trying to bring the warring religious communities together.

She worked like a Trojan. Pamela, who went with them — for the first time finding herself at the very heart of the family with a distinct role to play — marvelled at her mother’s stamina and bravery, her ability ‘to forge through the heat of the day, impervious to physical hardship’. She was selfless and tireless, with a sensitivity to the suffering of others that made her a heroine in what was an increasingly volcanic and violent situation.

Edwina fell madly in love with India and its people. Of course tongues wagged at her close relationship with Indian nationalist leader Jawaharlal Nehru and India’s first post-independence Prime Minister.

In later years, their daughter Pamela would pore over Nehru’s letters to her mother, ‘and I came to realise how deeply he and my mother loved each other.’

But it was a spiritual and intellectual relationship, not a sexual one. Pamela is convinced of that. ‘Neither had time to indulge in a physical affair, and anyway the very public nature of their lives meant they were rarely alone.’ It seems Edwina had found her spiritual and intellectual match in the Harrow and Cambridge educated Nehru. ‘Dickie’ Mountbatten wisely gave his wife a wide berth as he increasingly came to terms with his own struggle with his bisexual feelings for young men in uniform.

What was remarkable in all this — as seen through Pamela’s eyes — was her father’s dignity and forbearance, as it had been through all the ups and downs of his marriage to Edwina. He remained loyal to the end.

In 1960, aged 58, she died of a stroke on a tour of the Far East for a charity. She had requested to be buried at sea. As the coffin slipped below the water off the south coast of England, Pamela recalls ‘my father standing with tears streaming down his face. It was the only time I had ever seen him weep. He then kissed his wreath (for her) before throwing it into the sea.’

It was the last act of a strange marriage but one which, in its own way, had worked. He had defied the gossip, kept up appearances and kept his family intact, however unconventional the method.

There were apparently no scenes, no public scandal and, best of all, no acrimonious divorce. It was all rather English.

**Lord Louis Mountbatten and his new bride, Edwina, in Charlie Chaplin’s Nice And Friendly (1922). Chaplin made the film as a gift for the newly weds while they were on their honeymoon in America.

#mounbatten #dickie mountbatten #lord mountbatten #quote #edwina #edwina mountbatten #pamela hicks #book #history #india #britain #aristocracy #nobility #nehru #colonialism #marriage

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thatyorkshireguy-blog · 5 years

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Familia & Regrets

According to my countdown i’ve had on my phone since July.....I have 11 days and 15hrs until I land in Chile (HOLY SH*T). Since my last blog post I’ve had to do so many goodbyes already and I have still many to get through! The closest family are the people I have seen recently.

(Fran came over in September to ‘face’ my mum )

I never thought i’d have any regrets because when you do have them, generally it’s too late to do anything about them. However over the years I’ve absolutely sucked ass at being a family member to my own blood. Never went to see my mum as much as I should, or the rest of the family as much as I should. I mean....i’ll be honest, if it wasn’t for Facebook, i’d forget half the birthdays in my life.

I don’t mean I have ever intentionally hurt them or would never do anything to bring them harm.... I love them. I’ve just never had that ‘MUST SEE THEM’ connection, or must pick up the phone every few days. My grandma & grandad came to watch pretty much every football game I played but when I hit my early 20′s ..... and when I stopped playing football as much, I stopped seeing them.

Perhaps too selfishly engrossed in my own world or more obsessed with other people. I can’t put my finger on it. My single biggest regret is not spending time with the people who helped make and shape me into the guy I am today. We see each other at Christmas, perhaps on a birthday or a special occasion, but very rarely have I visited them simply from ‘I miss you’ point of view. When I sat there with my mum, brother and his wife the other day, It just hit me like a tonne of bricks that I felt like i’d missed about 10 years of life without them.

When I went to see my mum she presented me with a bag with two gifts wrapped in Christmas paper..... “Merry Christmas Son..” she said.

This was the first Christmas In 35 years I am without my mum...my brother....my family. She genuinely looked so sad and this is where things flipped in my head and started to feel what she might be feeling..... I was her baby boy and I was going far away and she couldn’t do anything to stop me......just give me her well wishes. I could feel what she was feeling and this just made me break down. My mum is genuinely scared that when I get on that plane, she will never see her baby boy again!

However, the biggest emotional hit was to come. I’d missed a present in the bag, like the moment was set for 300% drama increase. My mum and my bro told me to reach into the bag again and open something I had missed. I opened the wrapping and there it was, a family album.

Every single page that turned was like an emotional punch in the face, memories coming back.... moments i’d forgot existed and moments i didn’t even realise happen or even captured. I previously had perhaps 1 or 2 personal photos of my dad but now I had many. It was incredible....amazing but it also made me feel a little angry and sorry that i’d not given more to these people when i’d given so much to other people in my life.

My Mum (Julie) & Dad (Dick)

These two as a couple were amazing. Always full of banter and constantly taking the pi** out of each other. I remember just being in awe of them when I was a kid because of how much they showed love to each other.

My dad was a painter & decorator & my mum worked at the primary school I attended.

Back when my mum was just 15, she had a horrendous accident where she was kicked in the head by a horse. She was in a coma....

What she had to suffer with for the next 10 years wasn’t pleasant. Unfortunately from the accident half her face was smashed up and she lost an eye and received some lasting effects in other areas. My mum had no sense of taste or smell. The poor woman also spent the years where most ladies are starting to really experience life, with people staring at her, calling her names and having to feel normal like everyone else.

What my mum probably doesn’t realise is how inspirational she really is, and only wish i’d shown her this more.

Can you imagine after this accident what she would least like to do as a career or hobby? HORSE RIDING right?

Well the crazy lady not only continued her love for horses despite the accident, she went onto be a fully qualified horse riding instructor for several years. I’ve grown up spending my times on farms with these powerful beasts who need to be respected but WOW was my mum both brave and just incredible for achieving what she did given the circumstance.

Unfortunately when my dad died......so did a huge part of my mum and I think this is the biggest reason I’ve distanced myself. My mum was depressed and in a way, probably still is. You never truly realise how much you miss or love something until it’s gone. I just struggled to cope with that sadness and be there for her how she probably needed.

My dad....well this guy was my hero. He was a proper man’s man who had a temper and didn’t hold back when dealing with things.

His friends called him Dick (His name was Frederick) - which as you can imagine going through school with a dad called ‘Dick’ was ....erm......fun.

Even better when people used to say “So.....Julie loves Dick??? Your mum loves Dick” Ok ........it’s funny!

Dicky boy was quite old in terms of going into fatherhood and was older than all the other dads, but he did his utmost to make sure I was looked after and entertained. He was my biggest fan and also my biggest critic. A Coventry FC football fan, and a lover of Pamela Anderson’s boobs on Baywatch! That was a proper Father & Son bonding programme hahahaha.

My dad always gave me and my bro two pieces of advice.....

1. Never date or marry a woman with horses - your life is done

2. Never date a woman with big boobs. You’ll have the endless struggle of both staring at them yourself and to watch the rest of the world look at them too.

Sage advice Father, but myself and my brother have chosen to ignore at least one of them.

I miss that man every single day and I only wish he could be alive to meet Fran and make my mum happy all over again.

Finally, i’ll get onto my brother, Shaun.

We are so very different in so many ways but at the same time so similar! Right now is the closest we have ever been, which again is a little sad given the time I’ve chosen to move away.

(Blurry drunken fun with Shaun last year)

When we became teenagers, it was clear that we didn’t get on that well. Because we have different interests and different personalities we clashed and it led to fighting over friends and time spent in local pubs (We lived in a tiny village where friends were few)

As I got into my 20′s I started to need my bro more and lean on him more when I needed advice or help. Like me.. he had quite a few relationships and experiences in his 20′s but then he met someone who turned his life around.

Shaun became a husband and a father figure to four young children. He might not have his own kids but he has played such a big part in making sure all four have turned out amazing. They all look up to him and have the most incredible bond. Shaun, if you read this..... you really should be proud of who you are and the guy you’ve become. Some blood fathers can’t do anything for their kids or won’t even see their kids, yet you’ve devoted time, money and most of all unconditional love to children that aren’t yours. You’re an incredible guy.

(Here’s my bro’s wedding and his clan from a few years back)

I am so very lucky to have this family around me and I deeply regret not doing more for them, but in turn I hope I can be just like them in what they’ve achieved in family life....and make them proud on my travels & in life.

Cheers to my family, and cheers to yours.

#chile #blogging #travelling #familia #regrets #myjourney #travelblog #adventure #family #southamerica #Doncaster #lifestyle #travelblogging #lol #vintage #follow #history #blogger #blog

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dccomicsbookshelf · 6 years

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I watched Gotham by Gaslight last night

Spoilers below the cut and, I say this as someone who usually doesn’t really care if they get spoiled or not...YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS!

I’m dead serious. You DO NOT WANT. This is one of those films where the suspense *makes* the experience.

Go watch it and then come back!

(Please please *please* come back and either comment or message me. I desperately need someone to scream at about this movie)

So many Bat Family feels that I was not expecting! The Street Robins just made me so happy and so far as a well-constructed Bat Family goes this movie gets 11 out of 10. (I already have headcanoned backstories for the Robins and have plans to write some fic. So there is that.)

On a related note, I take the twist ending to mean that the BatFam won’t be staying at just Bruce, Selina, Alfred, and the boys for long because obviously little Barbara Gordon is out there in desperate need of a good family. (I did mention that I have plans for fic)

The lip-service given to women’s rights, all while overtly sexualizing Selina was irritating. Was the dressing room scene really necessary? (No. No it was not.)

That being said, I did love this Selina. Something about Catwoman fighting bad guys in full skirts is exceptionally badass.

Poor Pamela.

I am furious that we finally get Leslie only for her to be murdered. And Sister Leslie was just the bomb. (Her murder should have been my indication that nothing was sacred.)

I love the Robins so much. So much.

Harvey Dent being a figurative two-face (courtroom scene was brilliant!) instead of a literal one was so well executed.

I want Selina and Dickie to bond over circus backgrounds.

So. The elephant in the room. The twist ending.

I’m conflicted, because on the one hand it was a genuine twist that I did not see coming (but was actually very well foreshadowed in retrospect) until the last minute when my creeping dread was realized into certainty, on the other...Jim Gordon deserves better. Commissioner Gordon, one of the few truly good men in Gotham, leaves the world a darker place for his lack of existence in this elseworld.

That being said, I didn’t feel like it was a Shock ValueTM move necessarily. I sincerely believe that having Jack the Ripper be literally anyone else would have been incredibly predictable and left this movie feeling rather unsatisfying. And the red herrings pointing at Harvey were so well done. Despite the fact that this movie is specifically made to be dark and gritty, it didn’t feel like Gordon was the bad guy for the sake of *being* Dark and Gritty. Which I do feel is an important distinction. (Good storytelling covers a multitude of sins apparently)

That being said, The only way I’m able to move on with my life after having one of my heroes corrupted this way is to decide that the soul inside that Jim Gordon is the one that would have belonged to James Gordon Jr in another world and the Jim Gordon that we all know and love is, in fact, the Ripper’s young son. A generation flip if you will. Instead of being Babs’ father in this world, our Jim is her little brother. Nothing anyone says or does will convince me otherwise.

This movie guys. I am destroyed.

EDIT: I am also ridiculously gleeful about the fact that instead of Bruce showing up with (another) orphan like “Alfred! Here is your new grandchild!” Alfred is the one who presents Bruce with three children. “No, Master Bruce. They belong to you.” I am slain.

#Gotham by Gaslight #SPOILERS!!!#BIG FAT SPOILERS!#Bruce Wayne #Selina Kyle #Dick Grayson #Jim Gordon #Leslie Tompkins #Is cooler than you #Jason Todd #Tim Drake #(His haircut is horrendous btw #I hate it so much)#(I hc its the result of Dick cutting his hair)#(bc we all know that Dick cannot Personal Style in any universe)#My Posts

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londontheatre · 7 years

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Ottilie Mackintosh as Louise & Romayne Andrews as Justin – A Fox on the Fairway

A note in the programme from A Fox on the Fairway playwright Ken Ludwig may well suit American audiences (the Samuel French Acting Edition of the script encourages theatres to include it in their programmes, even to the point of advising that a free online copy is available on his website), but it comes across as slightly superfluous to a Home Counties one. It is, however, interesting to note how people on the other side of the Atlantic are briefed on what Ludwig calls “the great English farce tradition”, and I daresay it proved a useful reminder of its illustrious history in any event.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with assuming no prior knowledge, and theatre productions should be appreciated and understood without having read up about it beforehand. Here, British accents have been retained by the cast in a play originally set in America. For instance, a line where one character asks another “Are you English today?” in response to a quaint turn of phrase becomes “Have you been reading PG Wodehouse again?” It works to some extent, particularly when there is a rain delay to golf activity.

But, in the end, the production’s creatives can take the play out of America but don’t entirely succeed in taking America out of the play. Let’s just say two things. Firstly, employment laws over here are somewhat different – employers cannot fire people just because they don’t like them. Secondly, the obsession with winning at any cost or consequence is distinctly American. Anyway, to rank amongst the best of farce plays, British or otherwise, this one needs to be substantially pacier than it is.

While the entrances and exits are aplenty, there seems too much of a gap between one door closing and another opening, physically and consequently figuratively speaking. As ever with comic farces, one must not read too deeply or analytically into the plotline – it is, after all, supposed to be ridiculous. If anything A Fox on the Fairway starts off a little too credibly, and it’s a while before anything significantly zany happens.

The set sufficiently portrays a prestigious country club – the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch workshop department clearly had fun constructing it. In terms of casting, it’s the ladies who steal the show between them. Muriel Bingham (Sarah Quist) makes a late entrance in the evening’s proceedings but is a breath of fresh air, whilst Pamela Peabody (Natalie Walter) proved confident and headstrong. It’s Ottilie Mackintosh who shines brightest, as Louise Hindbedder, an employee of the Quail Valley Golf and Country Club, run by Henry Bingham (Damien Matthews). Hindbedder’s reactions to events as she sees them (jumping to conclusions, yes, but reasonable ones purely based on what is in front of her eyes at any given moment) were priceless, and a constant source of amusement. Quite rightly, she gets to say the show’s epilogue.

I thought Matthews’ Bingham could have been a little more vocal – a tad more explosive, if you will, given the importance he claims to attach to the golfing tournament underway during the play. Some good physical theatre (think ‘Cocktail Counterpoint’ in La Cage Aux Folles, for example) livens up the show before the interval. I think I would have preferred the William Tell Overture at the curtain call as suggested by the playwright in his curtain call instructions in the script – the alternative choice of music (I won’t say exactly what it is, as that would too much of a spoiler) seemed out of kilter with a distinguished golf membership club.

Shooting under par (a good thing, for the uninitiated in golf terminology), this is one of those shows that in lesser talented hands, could have been taxing and arduous. For those who “stay the course” (to quote Louise Hindbedder), although it’s not entirely clean, this is a gently comical and entertaining production, and there are more than a few laughs to be had. If it comes across as reticent and understated in places, perhaps it is rather genuinely British after all.

Review by Chris Omaweng

It’s the day of the annual golf tournament between rival country clubs. Bingham, president of Quail Valley, discovers that his star player has switched sides. Wagering his wife’s antique shop on the outcome now seems like less of a sure bet. Fortunately, he discovers that his new young assistant is a phenomenally good golfer.

Bad weather, the lead lost, the shop is under threat, and Bingham’s wife catches him too close to his stunning sex-starved vice-president! What else could possibly go wrong…? Golfing has never been so outrageous!

Cast: Damien Matthews as Henry Bingham Natalie Walter as Pamela Peabody Sarah Quist as Muriel Bingham Simon Lloyd as Richard ‘Dickie’ Bell Romayne Andrews as Justin Hicks Ottilie Mackintosh as Louise Hindbedder

Creatives: A Fox on the Fairway By Ken Ludwig Director Philip Wilson Designer Colin Falconer Lighting Designer Johanna Town Sound Designer Max Pappenheim Assistant Director Sally Wippman Assistant to Lighting Designer Jess Bernberg

Running Time: 120 minutes (including interval)

Queen’s Theatre Billet Lane Hornchurch RM11 1QT

http://ift.tt/2wnNHUd LondonTheatre1.com

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tellingittash · 1 year

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Religious Studies Term Of The Day: Singh

Hey everyone. Happy Saturday. Today I wanted to look at the last name “Singh” and it’s spiritual importance to the Sikh people. Singh is an Indian last name best translated as “Lion.” Many people in India or of Indian inherit this last name from their parents. Sikhs, a religion originally from the Punjab region of India, will have this last name more than any other group because they attach spiritual significance to the last name. In fact, typically, any male child born into the Sikh faith will be given the last name Singh. This was a tradition that Guru Gobind Singh, who called forward the panj piare, the Lovely Five, and started the Khalsa with many new distinctive factors, including changing his own name and the names of the panj piare to Singh. This was to emphasize their loyalty to the guru and their willingness to fight as lions to protect him, or it as the current Guru stands. The implies that faith is so important to the Sikh people, so much so that it is their identity through and through, but of course individual tastes may vary in this communal tradition. Anyway, I hope that you all are safe out there and have a great day.

#religiousstudies #religious studies #religion #religiousliteracy #sikhism #sikhs #sikh community #sikhhistory #singh #male names #masculine names #women and religious traditions #Leona m anderson #Pamela Dicky young #Doris r jacobsh #guru gobind singh

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tellingittash · 1 year

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Religious Studies Term Of The Day: Bodhisattva

Hey everyone. So today I wanted to talk about Bodhisattvas. To do that, I need to talk about arhatship again. In Theravada Buddhism, the goal of the Buddha’s teachings are to get people to become enlightened, to become arhats, where they no longer feel desire, aversion, or ignorance. However, eventually a tradition comes along in Buddhism claiming to be better than Theravada, the Mahayana Buddhists. These new thinkers thought that individual enlightenment is great and all, but they had a problem with what they saw as the core philosophy. A great illustration I heard in college is that of an apartment building on fire.

Now, imagine that you live in an apartment building and it’s suddenly caught on fire. Most people would want to get out of it. That’s natural. That’s why so many people have religions at all, to escape the suffering of life. The Mahayana Buddhist might go as far as to say that the Theravada Buddhist would try to tell everyone, or at least everyone on the way out, about the fire and make sure they knew to escape but then let them save themselves as they escape as soon as possible. The Mahayana Buddhist would then suggest that a better man would be the person who, after figuring out how to escape, doesn’t do it, but stays inside to ensure that every person can escape, to quite literally save everyone. Heck, with the ideas of samsara in mind, they might actually stick around to save every dog, cat, fish, cockroach, and rat too while they’re at it.

Thus, the idea of the Bodhisattva was born. Sure, find enlightenment, but what you should do is swear to not find nirvana until every living soul finds nirvana first. That’s pretty incredible, not unlike the idea of martyrdom that’s glorified in faiths like Christianity. Thus, Buddhism changed drastically in this denomination. No longer did monks and nuns see themselves as people who sit under trees and meditate, but now they were active in communities, seeing the purpose of their lives as requiring two extra steps on top of the Eightfold Path, trying to do whatever they could for the betterment of all.

Even the idea of reincarnation changed. Now it was not just a system of wanting to go up and not down, or getting it just right at the human level, but an acknowledgment that every reincarnation could land the Bodhisattva anywhere. They could be a monk who has to save a tiger cub from its hungry mother, a wealthy prince who has the power to give anything to anyone, a quail with malformed wings, a warthog who has to deal with the abuse of a monkey, or a monkey who has to deal with the sexual advances of a rock demon, and all are aware of their vows and their purpose. All beings need enlightenment, and so the Bodhisattva goes wherever he is needed. There are so many stories about these figures and I highly recommend finding them out because they are quite cool tales to read and reflect upon.

Anyway, I’d love to learn more about the Bodhisattvas if anyone has more information. I hope that you all are having a good day and staying safe out there.

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