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hacash · 3 years

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season 3 predictions

(all of which are likely to be made completely redundant by 2x12 but HEY HO LET’S GO)

Sam. I think the opportunity offered to him by Edwin is too great to pass up but I just can’t imagine the show and the Richmond team without Toheeb Jimoh. Given that the writers have said they’ve planned these arcs in advance I don’t think he’d be written out for the sake of a new acting gig. Therefore because I’m selfish and desperately hoping he stars in season 3 (and could hardly pop back as a recurring character while on Edwin’s team) I could see him doing a Leslie Knope from Parks and Rec: ‘I want to leave Richmond better than when I joined it’. After what I hope will be a promotion for the team I could potentially see him asking Edwin for a year’s grace to help Richmond win the Premier League, and then he’ll happily take him up on his offer.

I’m also hoping like hell that this would be the push Rebecca needs to see there’s not going to be a future in the relationship with Sam. It’s interesting that although Bill Lawrence has openly agreed that the employee/age difference is concerning, there’s been little acknowledgement of that in the show, so I wonder if there’s going to be fallout in episode 12 in some fashion. Regardless, I think it’s time to say goodbye to Sambecca.

Keeley and Roy. I am firmly of the opinion that they ain’t breaking up any time soon. There’s no way in hell Roy has knelt down in front of Keeley so many times without it meaning something, so I am certain that next season will be the planning of the Kent-Jones wedding.

I also have a sneaking suspicion that Keeley might end up being the next opening-shot of the season. After episode after episode of her working as Roy/Rebecca/Jamie’s emotional support, we got a tantalising glimpse into her psyche last episode: both with her uncertainties around being featured in Vanity Fair and her ambitions being shaped by her mother’s history. I love Keeley but quite frankly we haven’t had enough of her as plot - I really think/hope she might come to the fore next season.

Nate. I fully believe there’s no way in hell Nate will still be working at Richmond come the end of the season, though I can imagine him walking away in a fit of pique rather than Rebecca firing him. (Frankly, I can’t see Ted letting Rebecca do that.) I think he’ll end up joining another team - possibly with or without Darth Mannion’s help - and, although a lot of people here want this to be a devastatingly humiliating/humbling experience for Nate, I’d love to see this as an opportunity for him to genuinely grow outside the confines of Richmond (which forms way too much of his identity - and let’s be honest, can’t always hold good memories for Nate when he was literally asking his teammates not to physically harass him on a daily basis). I can definitely see someone - HigginsHigginsHiggins - giving him Sharon’s number to call before he leaves, and I like the idea that in the season break Nate could be dealing with some of his issues and returning to the Nate the Great we know and love.

However, I then think Nate will somehow end up back at Richmond. While you could argue that it would be better for Nate to make a clean break, it would honestly be a waste of Nick Mohammed’s bloody sterling acting talents to keep him away from Nelson Road for too long in season 3. I have no idea how a redemption arc here might look, but it would have to be good, and if there’s forgiveness to be offered, it should take more than the space of an episode - although I hope they don’t stretch it out too long. Rebecca and Jamie were forgiven relatively quickly; it would be a shame and a bad look if Nate’s own forgiveness journey was too disproportionately drawn out.

I’d also love to see Jamie, Colin and Isaac apologise for their season 1 bullying of Nate. Much as the bullying Nate suffered doesn’t excuse his shoddy behaviour, Nate’s own bullshit doesn’t excuse what our beloved trio pulled in season 1 - and crucially, we never saw them apologise to Nate or try to make amends. I really love apology scenes and I’d love to see Nate with some friends beyond Ted and Keeley - and that li’l scene in the Liverpool karaoke bar with Isaac, Colin and Nate doing shots together means I want more of this friendship.

Some sort of Jamie/Nate commiseration over shit dads and over-compensating for the emotional wounds they give us? Please?

More Higgins. In many ways Higgins is the emotional rock for our beloved Richmond: he’s the only one not suffering from some sort of untold trauma or struggles, and is able to live with a relationship with an imperfect father and yet be a fantastic father himself. I’d love to see a storyline where Higgins isn’t on the periphery but straight in the heart of the action, potentially adopting a Richmond boy or two along the way.

By saying this, I mean Jamie. If we get a scene where Jamie is invited around to the Higginses for Sunday lunch I will cry. Much like Nate needs space apart from Richmond to grow and heal, Jamie needs close relationships with people who aren’t Keeley for security - mature familial relationships, and quite frankly the Higginses are the stable family dynamic Jamie needs right now.

Why the fuck does Colin feel the need to remind himself he is not a piece of shit? Enquiring minds need to know. We’ve had episode storylines that focus on Dani, Sam, Jamie and Isaac; I just want one with Colin where I’m not emotionally devastated by the end of it, thank you Headspace.

This isn’t so much a prediction as a plea, but an entire episode where the Richmond boys are the focus. A night out in Richmond, that long-promised pillow fight, them finally taking Colin to go clothes shopping for something that isn’t a button-up polo shirt - I honestly don’t care, I just need as much of their antics as Apple TV allows.

On a slightly more realistic note, the Himbos Greyhounds content rose significantly from season 1 to season 2, so I can see the writers carrying on with that arc.

Ted. Fuck knows. At this point I can’t trust myself to predict Ted’s actions - I do think Nate’s going to be leaving Richmond, and so I can’t see Ted leaving as well. It would be amazing if Ted used the dubiously-written expose (c’mon Trent, you couldn’t have given Ted a head’s up or asked for a quote before the article was put online? forget dubious journalism ethics that just...seems inefficient not to approach him for a comment while you were writing the piece) as an excuse to talk more about mental health in sport. I definitely think episode 12 is going to have Richmond rally around Ted, and so I do hope the article isn’t going to drive Ted further into hiding and that he’ll be at Richmond by the time season 3 comes around.

Ted and Rebecca. I can’t have been the only one that caught that little look by Ted when Rebecca left his office in 2x11, right? Certainly the show has set up a whopper of a truth bomb for season 3, when there’s another heart to heart in Ted’s office, and though it could be anything, my little shipper heart is screaming some sort of romantic confession of love. I don’t know, it just feels like there is a...a something between Ted and Rebecca that’s going to happen in 2x12, and I can’t help but think it’s going to lay the foundations for whatever happens in season 3 big time.

#ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers #ted lasso speculation

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itsbuckytm · 3 years

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Old pals. Bucky Barnes x Reader

In which the reader and Bucky misses each other after being appart for many months and during the current events, he has been secretly looking for her.

*Very much inspired by Episode’s 3 of TFATWS*

Enjoy! 💗

Bucky has always been the type to be cautious about his surroundings and to whoever intended to enter into his life. The constant fear of losing someone became to much of a habit for him needless to say, he was very found of you the first time Steve has ever introduced you to him. The smile you flashed at him almost hitted him, feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline he wished wanted to erase. Of course, not having to experience such emotions by the decades his cheeks turned into a shade of pink rather visible to which Sam in later events was his favorite thing just to tease the poor lovable boy.

After everything happened, everyone grew apart, first with Sharon offering you to stay with her in order to recover and of course to get your mind off things, especially since the new Captain America recently presented to the whole nation. You knew for a fact that neither Sam or Bucky was going to like it. “I wonder how they are taking the news.”

“Probably horribly,” Sharon knew the look on your face suddenly changing to quickly closing the TV. “You do realize you’ve been rewinding the same old scene over and over again, your making yourself more crazy.”

She was right, you couldn’t even remember the last time you spent without having to clue yourself in front of the TV screen. Since that day, Bucky’s face vaguely reoccured in your mind letting yourself as a distraction in hope he would come back one day.

“On earth to, Y/N.” Sharon’s voice woken you up to reality before quickly turning the TV off giving her a forced smile. “Don’t play the : I’m fine with me, tonight we have some guest and I’ll need more than my assistant to help.”

With a sigh you couldn’t really complain after all. If only there was one thing to keep you distracted from it all, it was definitely tonight’s party. At least you could stress over what to wear instead of what Bucky nor the new Captain America is up to.

Hours of preparation, Sharon decided to run for a last errands. “I suggest you get dressed right now. For my sake and yours, please Y/N.” And with that she left by giving you a quick peck on the cheek. “And brush that hair!”

Laughing softly to yourself, you were quite great full to have such a friend like hers. Heck if it wasn’t for Bucky’s and yours sake, Steve, the moment he knew what was the best, Sharon was his first instinct to keep you under her wings and that was also for the both of you sane.

Remembering the first day you ever met Bucky has always become your source of comfort. The smile he never once had shared with much people only Steve and you only showed how he was for the people he deeply cared. And deep inside, he felt every guilt for letting yourself go. Now if he could only see you again...

Hours passed and strangely Sharon’s errands felt like forever. You tried to call her only to be her voice call on the other end. All dressed, you decided to treat yourself with a little glass of wine that poorly sat there unused.

Taking your first sip you hear from afar few voices that seemed strangely familiar, with another voice with a sentence such followed. “It’s good to see you again.”

“I’m guessing someone will be more eager to see you both.” Sharon replied as the footsteps became more clearer and clearer. Frowning with confusion you tried however, to hide such little known about who might be behind the door and quickly sat down with a magazine in hand. “Y/N, Already dressed I see?”

Looking up from your current read you couldn’t really form an expression. That is when you saw the three men standing just before you. And one in particular seemed more troubled about seeing you here.

“Y/N? I thought...” Sam’s confusion was writing all over his face. Yet happy to see you but quickly cut him up.

“Dead? Guess I am not.”

Silence corrupted the room, that is when Zemo requested for a drink to Sharon whom served him right away. You smiled softly at both of the men, giving a warm hug to Sam first. “I missed ya,” He murmured in which you said the same in returned. “And grown to.”

Chuckling softly by his compliments you nudged him by the arm. On the other hand Bucky remain strangely calm. “How’s the cat?”

Sharon knew the relationship between you and him and you were great full that at least she was trying to break the discomfort between you two.

Groaning like usual Bucky rolled his eyes, “Doing great, thank you.” With not so little emotions shown his eyes remained on you. A little longer and you could feel a shade of pink appearing in your face. That is if you tried to covered it which failed by Zemo’s remark. “Are you okay, Y/N? You seemed a little flushed.”

“Shut up.” Bucky’s response caught everyone on guard including Zemo in whom he quickly of course chuckled.

Sharon gasp by looking at the time. “Shit, guest are coming soon. I recommend you all to not make a damn mess. Your also welcomed with me.” And with that everyone including Bucky decided to show a little tour before the party could even starts.

Throughout the tour, Bucky remained by your side. You could feel his soft eyes on you as if to make sure you were okay. As Sharon, Sam and Zemos were listening or admiring the place at all, Bucky leaned to whisper a few words. “You look good tonight.”

Your eyes snapped at the scene in front of you, and looked at him. That soft smile you remembered is back and all you could do was to thanked him. “Thank you... you look not so bad yourself with that new hair cut.”

Chuckling softly you looked at him with confusion. “Guess everyone was right, we’re not the greatest with words ugh? And yet everyone seemed to be saying we have a thing for one another.”

“A little to optimist much?” You teased him and he simply shook his head laughing along with you. This little interaction of course didn’t last long, Sam with a smirk called the both of you. “Come on lovers! We have a party to attend to!”

With a smile on your face you took Bucky’s hand. “Shall we?” He nods and you lead him to the party.

Lights, music being blasted and people having a blast. Bucky couldn’t remember the last time he had a dance, and by over the years he knew he had to get himself on trends but of course that failed quickly.

“Dances in my days sure did changed.” He looked at everyone and met your eyes, in which sparkles through the colored lights. Feeling almost lost into them, not wanting to let go of such beauty in front of him. Before soon being woken up to reality by your voice, he dearly missed. “Well old man, let me show you what you’re missing.”

Your bodies getting closer and closer by the sound of the music, hips moving and his hands gently gripped itself around your waist. Seeing you this happy was probably a first for him and he sure wasn’t going to destroy such happiness not only you but for his own sake.

Feeling your lips brushing on his the moment you grew slightly more closer and a sudden blush crept on both of your cheeks. “God damn I’ve missed you, Y/N.”

He couldn’t take it any more, his lips soon kissing yours in return. Corrupted with such lust and hunger that whatever was around you seemed to have faded.

Not so long after it, Sam’s voice interrupted your moment in which a Bucky looked at rather irritated. “What? I was having some unfinished business here.”

“Sorry to break it to you both, but we got some business to do.”

With a sigh Bucky with his thumb wiped his moist lips, chuckling softly by the atomic duo you leaned to whisper. “I can wait.”

Shaking his head Bucky refused to do such things. “Sorry Sam, but we will have to wait a little longer.”

“I haven’t seen Y/N in ages and I need to show who she belongs to.”

#bucky barnes #bucky imagine #bucky x you #helmut zemo #i love zemo #sam wilsom #sam x reader #sam x bucky #tfatws #tfatws episode 3 spoilers #sharon carter #marvel imagine #steve rogers #bucky barnes x oc #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x reader #sebatian stan #winter solider x reader

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katoodlez · 3 years

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THAT WAS SUCH A GOOD EPISODE (the sam and bucky show episode 3, spoiler review!)

Episode 3 was an EXPERIENCE let me tell you.

1) Zemo. I was so excited to see Zemo all week but let me tell you i did NOT expect to like him so much. Fashion icon, sassy villain, he gives me Loki vibes. Actually next to Loki himself, favorite Marvel antagonist, 10/10. His interactions with Sam and Bucky were absolute GOLD and they really vibed together ngl. Like how Sam and Zemo agreed that Marvin Gaye was amazing or the way that Zemo just showed up with everything they needed (like a prIVATE JET COugh what is he the new tony stark?) oh and also his dancing at the party scene LMAO that sEnt me— (not to mention Zemo’s consistent underhanded comments about America lmao)

2. The party scene in Madripoor. And the night shots of Madripoor as well. SO BEAUTIFUL. Lowkey gave me Black Panther vibes, i think because it was similar in vibe to the BP scene in Busan. It was so colorful and cool and i loVED it.

3. Bucky telling Zemo that the Winter Soldier code words won’t work on him anymore and then jumping back into being the Winter Soldier for a mission is just 🥺😭😭😭😭

4. Sam checking up on Bucky throughout the episode too esp after he had to pretend to be the Winter Soldier again 🥺🥺🥺 I really liked how we saw their friendship/bond develop in this episode

5. Ok but the scene where Bucky was explaining to Sam how he would hYpoTheTicAlLy break Zemo out of prison was HILARIOUS lmao watching Sam be confused and gradually realize that it wasnt a hypothetical was the best. its the very definition of “ask for forgiveness, not permission”

6. For as much as John Walker is a pain I really appreciated every scene he had in this episode. I think it was fair for people to dislike him immediately since he’s written to be the antagonizing force to Sam and Bucky, but aside from being explicitly ignorant and implicitly the wrong person to carry the legacy of the shield, we haven’t seen him actually do anything particularly “bad” thus far. However his few scenes in this episode, especially how he uses the shield and mantle of Captain America for intimidation at the beginning and how he’s willing to do stuff “off the books” to stop Sam and Bucky begins to give a clearer indication of his true colors. For what its worth im very excited to see what happens with his character, and he’s genuinely interesting to watch.

7. Sharon Carter is a badass and I will not be taking objections, thank you. I just finished watching agent carter this week and she really reflects Peggy’s class and fighting skills. She held her own against every bounty hunter in Madripoor while the sambuckzemo trio was conducting a nice little QnA with Dr Nagel. A true MVP. I wasnt sure who she was talking to after she separated from them tho so im super excited to see more of her character. (Also it was very nice to see what happened to her after civil war, especially the sacrifice she made to help team cap)

8. Not Sarah calling Sam while they’re supposed to be undercover— Sarah is the best but I felt her exasperation with her brother oml 😂 also when she called him Sam I almost imagined him going “who’s sam?” like Miles Morales being “play dumb” xddd

9. “I can’t run in these heels!” Has the same energy as “If i run in these shoes they’re gonna fall off” from CA:WS

10. I may have nerded out when they did the scenes in Sharon’s art gallery bc I saw my favorite Claude Monet painting there—

11. Sam calling Torres whenever he needs some help or backup— Torres my beloved i hope they bring him back soon!

12. The callback to the “can you move your seat up” line xdd. Some things never change

13. Bucky’s notebook is the same as Steve’s notebook I— 🥺🥺

14. Sam downing the snake cocktail and Bucky giving him the nod of approval LOL

15. “itS in eVerY aCtiOn mOviE” LMAO

16. “bionic staring machine” poor Bucky

17. AYO AT THE END. THE WAKANDANS HAVE MADE THEIR ENTRANCE AND EVERYTHING IS BETTER NOW WHOOOO

There are wayyy too many things i loved about this episode that will probably resurface in my brain this week but for now I gotta go do work so thats it for now, my level of hype for the next episode went 📈📈📈📈

#falcon and the winter soldier #sam wilson #bucky barnes #zemo #sharon carter #marvel #mcu #memes

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logicalstansadvice · 3 years

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Spoilery asks & answers about Ep 4 behind the cut!

Anon 1:

Bucky breaking down crying in fear that slowly turned to relief... One of Seb's best acting moments ever? I definitely thought so. I'm sure he's been waiting for a moment like that for a long time and he certainly made the most of it.

Anon 2:

Bucky was on trending right after the opening scene, as was Steve Rogers. But most today are talking about John Walker and the final scene.

Anon 3:

Now....what did you think of episode 4 of TFATWS? / I loved it ❤️ Can't believe we have only 2 more left 🥺

Anon 4:

I guess this is a spoiler but Seb really nailed that first scene of ep 4. Not that he didn’t do as well later but the first one stood out for me

Anon 5:

I'm kind of freaked out about the arm thing. I get that the arm is a weapon, but it's also HIS ARM. Bucky still doesn't have autonomy over his own body, which is devastating. And the fact that no one except Sam actually trusts him at this point is so sad, He even called himself crazy, after Sharon called him a psycho and his own therapist made a joke about him killing people. I trust Bucky and Sam and NO ONE ELSE lol.

Anon 6:

Every actor in TFATWS is doing an amazing job, but holy hell Seb better get some first-rate projects after this.

Anon 7:

Was I the only one shocked when Bucky's arm fell off? I had a mini heart attack when I saw it on the floor.

Anon 8:

I saw the last fatws ep. and when i was watching the Ayo&Bucky scenes i remembered the shitshow that went on here when people were shipping him with Shuri and accusing anyone who disagreed of racism. Maybe the reaction to Ayo&Buck will make these dum-dums realize what the real issue was.

Anon 9:

So the original plot of the series was about a virus that was killing thousands of people, only the rich were being vaccinated, so the scene of the flag stealing vaccines. There are writing problems in the series, but I think it is because of how much it was affected by the covid.

Anon 10:

What's with this conversation that Bucky can't be shipped with Ayo because she's a lesbian in the comics? Since when did a character's sexuality prevent something from this fandom? As far as I know, she never said that she is a lesbian in the comics, she can be bi. Want to see what the conversation will be when Bucky flirts with Sarah next week? BTW they have great chemistry.

Lady Danger - SO much happened in this episode, not only in obvious ways but on a micro-level. 💯 that opening scene was one of Sebastian’s best performances (but I’m not all “give him an Emmy” level). The look of betrayal he gave Ayo when she deactivated the arm killed me, especially given she was the one there when they tested Shuri’s work on the code words.

Heroine - Anon 10, people need to realize that, while based on the comics, the MCU has its own canon. This is how people who don’t read comics, like myself, can follow along so easily. You cannot perfectly line them up. Sometimes you just have to let it go and enjoy what they give you. However I do understand that some of the choices they make (ignoring disability and sexuality status of characters) are frustrating/upsetting.

Anon 9 - that makes the odd cuts/voiceovers in the last two episodes make a lot more sense!

Ruby Woo - what a fuckin' ride!

Favorite part: the Dora Milaje kicking CA and Battlestar's asses 😂! Bucky being a sassy lil shit on the sidelines was hilarious; I liked all his interactions with Ayo and anon 10, some of us are thinkin' they definitely boned, LOL. The look on her face as she deactivated his arm meant she hoped she would never have to use that 'Kill Bill exploding heart' move on him, but he forced her hand. And her Russian was A+. I stan Ayo! And Ayo-Bucky, lol. I can't wait to see if they make up.

There is also the super serum vials and whether or nor there are any left....we will soon find out, I'm assuming.

John Walker is a condescending pos who murdered a man out of vengeance using the shield that Steve carried with pride and honor. He desecrated it, that bastard! I can't WAIT for him to get what's coming to him, whether it's a beatdown by Bucky/Isaiah/the FS/Sam/all of the above.

I'm also assuming Zemo makes another appearance, so there's that to look forward to. Great episode!

#logicalstansadvice #anon asks answered #asks answered #tfatws spoilers #the falcon and the winter soldier spoilers

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travelingtheusa · 3 years

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SOUTH CAROLINA

2021 May 13 (Thu) – We stayed home most of the day, working on caravan issues. I took an Advil last night so I could at least sleep. It helped a little but not as much as I needed.

At 4:30 p.m. Vanleigh called to ask for the tag number on the Spyder panel. We have no heat, no air, no tank readings, and the temp says it’s -426 degrees. They messed it up during the owner’s rally in Arkansas and we are having a dilly of a time getting it fixed. They are now trying to figure out what model panel we have. What a mess!

Following the phone call from Vanleigh, we drove to the park to watch Noah’s baseball game. His team is playing in the finals. Tonight’s game did not go well. They play again next week. After the game, we took Noah to WalMart to get him a birthday present. His birthday is next month on June 18. We won’t be here for his party. He chose a Lego game with Mario (is that character still around?). It is somehow connected to a video game. I don’t understand it all but he was very happy with it. We bid everyone goodbye and came home to prepare for tomorrow’s move. The fridge smells worse than ever.

2021 May 12 (Wed) – We continued working on caravan issues. Adjustments had to be made on the Corning Glass Museum tour and some prices have gone up since we quoted costs last year. The Museum of Play is going through renovations and the diner is closed. We are making adjustments as needed.

I was so sick today. I have a sore throat, runny nose, and sinus headache big enough to choke an elephant. I am not supposed to take any Advil, Motrin, or Excedrin because of the chemo I am on. It could cause a bleeding episode.

Something has gone bad in the refrigerator. We have searched high and low but can’t find it. Every time you open the door, the most awful smell wafts out into the air.

2021 May 11 (Tue) – We went over to Trap’s for dinner. He has the bug, too.

We spent the day working on caravan “stuff.” I called all the restaurants and venues to confirm (1) that the caravan is still on, and (2) to check that they are still in business. We had some changes, but for the most part, a good deal of our planned activities will take place. The Lake Placid Olympics Museum is closed for renovations until 2022. That’s disappointing.

2021 May 10 (Mon) – We took Sam to Home Depot to buy fencing for the new house. They did not have everything they wanted. Construction is going like crazy right now and as soon as materials come in, they sell out. Sam put in an order for the posts and sheets. We used my military discount to get 10% off the total cost.

After we got home, Sam checked with Lowe’s and found they had the materials on hand. So, she cancelled the Home Depot order and we ran to Lowe’s to pick up ten posts, ten bags of cement, and eight 2x4’s. They did not have any doors in stock. The rest of the order is going to be delivered. We then dropped the material off at the new house. While we were there, the delivery truck arrived from Home Depot with their new refrigerator. That was great timing!

We stopped at home to feed the animals, then went to watch Hudson play soccer and Noah play baseball. It was a long day. To kick it off, it looks like I have caught the kids’ virus. They’ve all had runny noses since we arrived. Now I have it!

2021 May 9 (Sun) – Hudson had a soccer game this morning. Afterward, we all went to Paris Mountain State Park for a hike in the woods today. It reminded us of upstate New York when we used to camp and hike there with the kids.

2021 May 8 (Sat) – Paul and Travis went to the new house to put in the floors upstairs in the boys’ bedrooms. I stayed at the house with Sam and the boys. Noah had a baseball game.

2021 May 7 (Fri) – We drove to Sam’s house today to help her load up some items to bring to their new house. They bought a house in Taylors although their rent for the house in Simpsonville doesn’t expire until August. That gives them some time to get things done before moving in. The traffic was very heavy and it took us about 40 minutes to get there when it should have taken 20.

The new house has a very steep driveway. It is in a cul-de-sac and on a hill. The deck in the back of the house is 3 stories high! The crawlspace has a ceiling height of about 26’. It is unfinished and gets a lot of water in there. The house itself is very modern and updated. There are 2 bedrooms and a bath upstairs and 2 bedrooms, a great room, a bath, a laundry/mud room, and large kitchen with nook area. It was built in 2014 and is in a pretty new development. There are new developments going up all over the place around here. The rate of construction is mind boggling. I wonder what it’s doing to the infrastructure. It’s like what was happening to Las Vegas a few years ago.

After we dropped off the items to the new house, we went to lunch at Denny’s. Hudson had school today but Noah had a virtual class. So Noah, Lincoln, Sam and us went to lunch. The service was very slow (typical for this area). They went home and we returned to the campground to feed the animals and walk Bonnie. I even got in a quick nap!

At 5 p.m. we went back to the new house to help Travis do some work. He was there with a co-worker. They were ripping up the carpet in the upstairs bedrooms. Paul and Travis walked around the house and consulted on things that needed to be done. I played with the boys until it was time to go. Sam had left earlier with Lincoln because he kept getting in the way. Since Travis had the work truck, he couldn’t fit the boys. So we drove the boys back to their house then returned to our trailer.

2021 May 6 (Thu) – We drove into Greer to look around and pick up pet food. Then we stopped at La Reata for lunch. It was a Mexican restaurant with good food. The margaritas were delicious.

After a quick stop at home, we went to the BMX Zentrum to take a one-hour tour of the factory. It is the only BMW production plant in the United States. The entire plant was very clean and bright. We saw robots and people putting parts together to produce cars. It was interesting but not as good as the Mercedes tour we took a few years ago.

Another quick stop back at the trailer, then we were off to see the grandsons. They are growing like weeds (as expected). They appear to be very happy down here in South Carolina. The schools reopened and they started going back into the classroom last week. Sam cooked dinner then we all took off for the ball field where Noah had a baseball game. Greg and Sharon were also there. Noah did very well and after the game, the coach gave him the game ball for his outstanding playing. Everyone was delighted!

Then it was a drive to Bruster’s to celebrate with ice cream for everyone. We didn’t get home until after 8 p.m. The poor animals! They usually eat between 4 and 4:30. And Bonnie needed to go out immediately.

2021 May 5 (Wed) – We packed up in a light rain and left Lebanon, TN at 10 a.m. There was rain on and off during our more than 4 hour drive to Greer, SC. We are here to spend 10 days with Travis and his family.

The campground is nice. The sites are a little close together. We have FHU with a back-in site. There is an upper and a lower level to the campground and we are located on the lower level. There’s a large dog park for Bonnie to run in and some trails in the area.

As we were driving into the area, we spotted a BMW factory. After we got set up, I checked the internet and found the factory offers tours. I promptly ordered two tickets for a factory tour tomorrow. Not only did they send an email to confirm our reservation, an agent called to go over the rules – no open shoes, arrive 30 minutes early, and bring a mask. I guess too many people ignore the rules outlined in the email so that they have to call and repeat them.

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rupaulvisage-blog · 7 years

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(The artwork above is not mine, it is an edited version of another artist)

Ok so Fauxteen (fauxteen.tumblr.com / instagram.com/fauxteen) and his Drag Race/Steven Universe crossover got me feeling all sorts of ways. Go check out his other work and support it because it’s all incredible!

I’ve always loved the idea of having a RuPaul’s Drag Race superhero crossover team ala Justice League, X Men, Sailor Moon etc. and his Steven Universe crossover is the best thing I’ve seen that comes close to that. (Other than Fire Crotch and Melanina henny.) So I decided to come up with a concept for a Drag Race super hero team, and use his artwork as a concept piece.

For the design of the team, I wanted the queens to be unified with a similar texture but each have their own signature color and aesthetic. I took the standard colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple & pink) and added a few others (turquoise, brown, black & white) to round the number to 11.

Each Queens Assigned Color:

Bebe - Brown If you google image search Bebe, or go to her website, she is always wearing brown and is always in some sort of animal print, and these two go great together. Her iconic Cameroon look was cleary the inspiration for her outfit in the piece. The color brown also has a great animalistic quality to it which goes hand in hand with her brand. (The outfit seems to be inspired by her Cameroon look)

Tyra - White When I think of Tyra, I think of her in her iconic wedding dress which initially had me place her with white. What I love is that white represents light, hope and purity amongst many things, which is why it’s the color worn by brides and angels. It’s ironic to put Tyra in white, almost in the same way she calls herself “America’s Sweetheart.” It gives me life thinking of her in a pristine angelic outfit knowing the attitude she has. <3 #jump #twice (The outfit seems to be based on her Season 2 promo picture, but as well, the wedding dress which had the same shape)

Raja - Blue Not necessarily inspired by a look, but when I think of Season 3, I always think of the color blue because of the promo trailers for the season. I’ve naturally associated that with Raja, and the color fits her very well. It’s sleek, cool and royal which matches Raja’s qualities. When it’s right, it’s right. (The outfit seems to be based on her entrance look, wearing the cyclops hat)

Sharon - Green Green’s hard to pull off and Sharon can pull off anything. I’m instantly reminded of her pride boat look, as well as her crowning look when she wore green. It’s also the color associated with witches which fits her brand very well. (The outfit seems to be a combination of her Season 4 promo look, as well as her crowning look)

Chad - Pink Chad’s the closest a winner has come to being a Barbie girl. She was often critiqued for being too perfect, too pretty, and too polished. Pink goes well with Chad’s princess aesthetic, being a showgirl, and having the bubbly personality she does. (Her outfit seems to be inspired by her AS1 promo look, as well as yellow bang cut wig she wore in Season 4)

Jinkx - Orange I always think of orange with Jinkx mostly because of her hair. Many outfits come to mind as well including her Season 5 crowning look, and her Season 8 reunion look. Something about the warmth of orange and the cookiness of it matches Jinkx and her broadway aesthetic very well. (Her outfit seems to be inspired by her Episode 1 Hollywood look)

Bianca - Black Bianca is one that could’ve been many colors, such as red or purple, but I decided to go with black. She is known for claiming she has a black heart, as her forte is reading people and throwing shade. She is known for being “evil,” and the color black is associated with darkness. However similar to Tyra, having Bianca in black is ironic for we know that she actually has one of the biggest hearts. It’s fun seeing her look so evil when you know she’s the opposite. (Her outfit seems to be inspired by her Season 7 reunion look, and her wig from the Season 6 black & white runway)

Violet - Purple Need I say more? Her name and essence matches the color perfectly! The femininity of pink but so much edgier.(Her outfit seems to be inspired be her Death Becomes Her look)

Bob - Yellow From Bob’s logo, to her crowning look, to many of her photoshoots, Bob always seems to wear yellow and the color seems to match her very well, more so than any other winner. It’s very bright and sunny, and since Bob is all about making people laugh and stealing the show, she really is always the brightest one in the room. (Her outfit seems to be inspired by her Book Ball look)

Alaska - Turquoise Alaska’s like Sleeping Beauty, she’s either very blue or pink to me. For this design, I decided to go for a turquoise color. This matches her new association with snakes very well. It also fits with the original concept behind Alaska, in which her character is an alien from the planet Glamtron. Not to mention the color turquoise is very arctic (as in the state of Alaska which I often forget to associate with her.) She was probably the most versatile to pick a color, but I think turquoise is a right choice. (Her outfit seems to be inspired by her AS2 promo look, and her wig being classic Alaska)

Sasha - Red The bitch is always in red, and so many of her outfits have splashes of red to them. As well, after her performance to So Emotional with the rose petals, the color red fits her even better now. (Her outfit seems to be inspired by her entrance look which no tea, no shade has the same silhouette of many other outfits of hers. The wig is obviously from So Emotional)

For their actual powers, I only began to brainstorm but wasn’t having that much luck. Maybe Bebe can turn into a jungle cat, and Jinkx can put people to sleep with her singing (Hey Jigglypuff! I just saw Jigglypuff girl!) or maybe she can control the weather (“monsoon”). If you have any ideas let me know!

Also I’d love to here your ideas on a backstory, why they all fight together and how they got their powers, as well as what Ru’s position is in all of this.

I tried to think of one and came up with a rough draft below that needs a lot of work.

I’d love to see other ideas or concepts behind something like this.

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BACKSTORY:

Long ago… before time as we know it… the world was made up entirely of the Gods. We know the famous ones, there was Zeus the king and god of thunder, Aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty, Poseidon the god of the sea, Ares the god of war, Hades the god of the underworld and so on and so on. But there was one god that seemed to escape the history books, and that god was known as… RuPaul! She was the god/goddess of one of the most powerful forces in the universe… queerness! (YAS GAWD!) She spread her eternal message of loving thine self before loving someone else and was easily the most fabulous god and one of the most powerful. Everybody loved her and looked to her for direction in the most troubling of times. Ru was in fact the god who invented colour and the rainbow itself. Many of the Gods had items that sourced their powers; Zeus had his lightning bolts, Poseidon had his trident, etc. RuPaul however carried the source of her powers upon her head in a luxurious crown. The crown was bejewelled with several gemstones along the surface, each gemstone a different color with a different power and meaning behind it. There are many stories from the ancient days about the goddess RuPaul, but those are for another time.

As the world began to evolve more and more throughout time, the gods naturally faded away and became one with the world…

When the world was in it’s 20th century, it was not in a progressive era that it should’ve been and was in need of some saving. In early 1960, a woman by the name of Ernestine became pregnant with a child. One day, a strange physic woman came to her and told her that her child was the incarnation of a legendary god, and that she was to name the child RuPaul. By the end of the year, Ernestine gave birth to the child, and as instructed, named him RuPaul. Ru began to grow up in the world without knowing who he truly was.

Then one day as he walking home, a young Ru walked past an old antique shop he had never seen before, and decided to go inside. The shop was filled with many wondrous things, and no one was in there except a mysterious woman who seemed to own the shop. Ru took a look around, and eventually came across a dazzling crown with various coloured jewels along the surface. It was like something out of a dream and he just had to have it! So Ru took the crown to the the front of the store and began to search his pockets for some money. The woman behind the counter just smiled at him and said “take this one on me.” Ru was so grateful, and just before he left the woman asked him for one more thing. She said she had one too many records in the store and asked him to take one off of her hands. She then gave him his very first record, a record containing the music of Diana Ross. With much appreciation for the gifts from the stranger, Ru left the store. That night at home, Ru was dancing around his room wearing the crown he got earlier, and truly feeling his fantasy. He decided to then play his new Diana Ross record. The music began, and as soon as she started singing, Ru’s crown lit up and all the powers within Ru were awakened. As time went on, Ru slowly began to learn who he really was, and what powers he possessed.

Around the time of the late 70’s, Ru went out in the world and began working as a female vigilante, using her powers to defeat crime against crime. She wore a fabulous iridescent costume and quickly gained public attention, making a name for herself. She met the likes of a woman named Michelle Visage who became Ru’s sidekick and trusted advisor. As well, she often worked alongside another vigilante by the name of Lady Bunny, who became Ru’s partner. Adventure after adventure, Ru sashayed and shantayed her way to victory in every battle. She saw many beauties of the world, as well as much of its darkness. Then, Ru made the biggest mistake any god could make… she fell in love. His name was Georges, and he was a farmer boy Ru met one night on the dance floor. Other than Michelle and Lady Bunny, he was the only one who knew Ru’s true identity.

One day, a new villain emerged on the scene. This villain however, was no ordinary foe Ru had faced in the past. He went by the name of Lord Padmunt and he possessed a tremendous amount of power, as well as led a powerful army of minions. The only one who could stop him was RuPaul, but Georges told her to be careful for she didn’t know the strength of his power. Lord Padmunt and Ru were great rivals who battled many battles for quite some time. With the powers of a god, Lord Padmunt could never defeat Ru. But then one day, he discovered her secret lover. He captured Georges as his prisoner and told Ru to surrender her powers, or the man she loved would die in front of her eyes. This wasn’t going to stop Ru who was determined to defeat Lord Padmunt. She managed to defeat him and banished him away, but in a terrible battle that severely injured both herself and Georges. Ru had a wide slash alongside her leg while Georges suffered a blow to the head. Georges was so severely hurt, that he was to remain in a coma for the rest of his life. Ru felt a tremendous amount of guilt on what had happened. As a god, she could easily heal herself of her injuries, but she didn’t have the abilities to heal Georges. Out of her love and respect to him, Ru surrendered her powers so that she could live the rest of her life as a mortal and have to endure the same pain inflicted upon Georges. With no powers, Ru swore to never fight another day in her life. Without her love, she went into a dark place and hid herself from the world, living in secrecy. The only two who knew of her whereabouts were Michelle and Bunny. The world believed Ru had died. And as their beloved hero was now gone, the people of the world strived to make it a better place in her honour and legacy. For some time, they actually did, and the world became a peaceful and more progressive place. But as we know, nothing last forever…

Much time had passed, and it was now the year 2008. The world was in happy place as Obama was just elected president. Ru watched the outside world through her television and was at peace in the direction things were headed, while knowing there was still more work the people of the world had to learn and do for themselves. However one day she was visited by her friend and former associate Michelle, who had come to deliver some news to Ru. Michelle had heard word of mouth through the grape vine, that a billionaire was trying to climb the ladder of the world to reach a more successful place. His name? Donald Trump. Michelle told Ru that this Trump character had plans to run for presidency and to hopefully become the successor to Obama. Although unqualified, Trump seemed to have a plan that would lead him to office without fail. Michelle would never bring news like this to Ru nowadays but she knew that this time it was important. She showed Ru a picture of Trump, and as soon as Ru glanced at his face, in an instant Ru recognized the smirk on Trump’s face and the gleam in his eyes. As a master of Scrabble, Ru also recognized that his name was an anagram of a name Ru once knew very well… Lord Padmunt. If he could manage to make his way to the highest position in the world, then there was no telling what danger lay ahead. Since Ru gave up his powers so he could grow old and live a mortal life in honour of Georges, he had previously vowed to never fight again, and he still vowed to honour that promise. But he knew something had to be done about this.

Ru went to a room in his lair with the highest amount of security, a room he hadn’t been to in years. In this room was his legendary crown. Ru took his crown and removed each of the eleven gemstones that were on its surface. Ru knew that by the end of 2016 to early 2017, Trump would become president. In this time, Ru knew he had to search far and wide to find eleven chosen ones who possessed enough charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent as Ru did to follow in his footsteps. He would give each individual a gemstone which contained a fraction of Ru’s powers. These would give the chosen ones many wondrous powers like the ones Ru once possessed. Michelle was worried about finding people qualified, but Ru assured her they were already out there. For as she had been reincarnated, so had all of her powers. With the help of Michelle Visage, Ru began his search…

[This is one method, where the queens are regular men who obtain super powers rather than pre-existing super beings who form a team]

In 2009, Ru came across Nea Marshall Kudi, a prince of his people in Cameroon who came to America and began working with wildlife and the UN. Ru found him to be the chosen one of his first gemstone, the golden brown sphalerite. This gave Nea the ability to transform into warrior, Bebe Zahara Benet. The world had a new hero and the first of her kind.

In 2010, Ru found James Ross, a runaway groom who was trying to escape his past and provide a better life for his young child. He worked his way through life by going to school during the day, while stripping at night. Ru gave him his second gemstone, the white diamond, and this gave James the ability to transform into warrior, Tyra Sanchez. While still having their own adventures, Bebe and Tyra also began to work as a team.

In 2011, Ru discovered Sutan Amrull. He was a creative makeup artist and photographer, who was highly spiritual. Ru gave him the blue sapphire which turned Sutan into the warrior, Raja Gemini. The team was now a trio.

In 2012, Ru found Aaron Coady, a club goer heavily involved in the punk rock scene, always getting into trouble, who often experimented with witch craft. Ru found him to be the chosen one to receiving the green emerald, which gave Aaron the ability to turn into Sharon Needles. Sharon joined the group as its fourth member.

Later that year, Obama was already leading into his second term, and Ru and Michelle knew they had work harder to finding successors to Ru’s powers before the end of Obama’s second term. They came across Chad Michaels, a former pageant winner, and current Vegas performer who possessed all the qualities in receiving the pink rose quartz. Chad Michaels now possessed the abilities to turn into super hero, Brigitte Love. However, in a bizarre plan that ended up working, Chad still referred to herself as Chad Michaels in hopes of using reverse psychology to protect her identity.

In 2013, the team came across Jerick Hoffer, a struggling Broadway actor who was best suited for the role of Ru’s next gemstone, the orange spessartine, which gave Jerick the abilities to transform into Jinkx Monsoon.

In 2014, Ru and Michelle began to keep a watchful eye on Roy Haylock, CEO of a successful company that catered to literature and reading. As the bad bitch in charge, she was the chosen one to receive the powers of the black gemstone, the schorl, giving Roy the great power of turning into warrior, Bianca Del Rio.

In 2015, the world was fascinated with its latest “It Boy” in fashion. A youngster by the name of Jason Dardo. Ru realized that this young model was in fact the chosen one to receive the powers of the purple amethyst, transforming Jason into vixen, Violet Chachki.

At the beginning of 2016, with three gemstones left, Ru and Michelle came across comedian Christopher Caldwell. After years of the team wondering who would be the chosen one to receive the yellow gemstone, Christopher fit the bill. He obtained the yellow citrine and became Bob The Drag Queen.

With two gemstones left, and Trump’s presidency coming closer and closer, Ru and Michelle worked twice as hard to find the two remaining chosen ones. But something funny happened. Justin Honard was a close ally of the team. He was dating Sharon around the time she joined the team, and although Sharon wasn’t suppose to, she revealed her identity to Justin. Because of this, Ru and the team kept Justin close as an assistant despite his difficult relationship with Sharon that ended up turning into a beautiful friendship. As they continued to search, in an epic battle against an enemy where Justin was held captive (similarly to how Georges once was), Justin was revealed to being the chosen one of a gemstone, and it turned out one of the chosen ones was under their nose the entire time. They threw him the turquoise gemstone transforming Justin into Alaska 5000.

Just as Trump was elected president, in 2017 the team finally found their final member. An artist who owned his own gallery by the name of Alexander Steinberg. He was given the red ruby, and it transformed him into warrior Sasha Velour.

As a new era of hatred begins, it’s the responsibility of RuPaul’s gemstones to help save the world…

#rupaul's drag race #fauxteen #rupaul #bebe zahara benet #tyra sanchez #raja #sharon needles #chad michaels #jinkx monsoon #bianca del rio #violet chachki #bob the drag queen #alaska thunderfvck 5000 #alaska #sasha velour

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agentscullerino · 7 years

Text

The death’s call - Chapter 3

Alright so here’s chapter 3! I’m posting it already since I got an inspiration and it is a compensation for taking so long with chapter 2. Hope you all enjoy!

After the episode in the morning, Sharon had decided to stay in her room. She was sitting on the desk in front of the biggest window and gazed down into the garden. When she had arrived, she hadn’t seen how big and beautiful it was. The amount of different coloured flowers was amazing. She made a mental note to herself to go explore it later, when the weather would be better. Dark and gigantic clouds had started to gather to the horizon, making everything dim. The smell of rain was in the air, and it didn’t take long when the first drops hit the window. Her mind was so busy with thoughts. She had gained a lot of information, but yet she felt she knew nothing and just had more questions. Sharon started to hum quietly. That’s what she did when she felt uneasy. Feeling uneasy was probably an understatement, since she was basically doomed to live forever with a woman she knew nothing about, and to help children’s souls to move on. On top of that, everything happened against her will. She touched her own hand and it felt like she had just been holding it in a bucket full of ice cold water. So she literally was dead, but didn’t feel cold. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t really feel anything like she used to. The warmth of her skin was gone, and her heartbeat was much more silent and weaker than it used to be. Sharon wanted to cry, but nothing came out, Tarja had stolen her tears too.

…

Later in the afternoon, when Charlotte came into the room, Sharon was still sitting on the desk like a statue.

“Miss Sharon? Is everything alright?” Charlotte asked cautiously when she closed the door behind her. Sharon woke up from her trance and turned around to face Charlotte.

“Yes, sure.” She lied, though it was obvious the young maid didn’t buy her claim.

“If you say so, but I can listen if there’s anything you want to tell.” Sharon bit her lip and wondered whether it would be safe to ask Charlotte about Tarja. She decided to take a risk.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about me being here… and also about Tarja. She barely has told me anything about herself, so could you tell me something about her?” Charlotte sighed, and said:

“Your question was expected. I can tell you something, but I’d suggest you first take the bath I prepared for you. You still have some blood in your hair from the last night.” Instantly Sharon tried her hair at the back, and felt the dried patch of blood there. It was basically the only mark on her from the last night. Sharon agreed to Charlotte’s proposal and took the bath. It was nice to feel clean, and change clothes. She had forgotten to go through the wardrobe, which turned out to have amazing outfits inside. They had a bit similar style in them than Tarja had, but yet it felt they had more personal touch to them. She chose just a black tank top and a skirt to go with it. A moment later, she sat in a chair while Charlotte was brushing her hair and braiding it. After a long silence, Sharon opened her mouth again.

“Where is Tarja currently?”

“Miss Tarja is on duty. Few children in the hospital.” Charlotte explained.

“Why didn’t she ask me to go with her? I thought I have to work with her.”

“Yes, but your new self is not quite ready yet. It would not have been wise to go with her yet.”

“She sure doesn’t tell anything to me personally… She is just one big mystery.” Sharon scoffed.

“She tends to be quite secretive, but she has her reasons. Give some time to her, you will see her true nature. Miss Tarja is not a bad person after all.” Sharon had hard time to believe Charlotte’s words but didn’t want to start arguing. Instead she asked:

“If I may ask… Are you an undertaker? Did Tarja create you too?”

“No, I am just a human. When I was younger, miss Tarja helped me to escape from my abusive parents and offered a sanctuary from here. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” Sharon was shocked, she had been thinking about Charlotte’s role in Tarja’s life, but had never imagined that Tarja had rescued her. Maybe Tarja had something else in her as well, and Sharon was determined to figure it out. Before being able to ask more, Charlotte was finished with her hair and left downstairs to prepare lunch.

Tarja didn’t come for lunch, neither she did come for dinner. It was past nine in the evening, when Sharon was wandering on the halls of the mansion and exploring everything out of boredom. She had found a glorious library, where she definitely intended to go back. She also found out that there was a little green house next to the garden which you could access without going outside. In the basement there was a pool, showers and a sauna. It was like a mini spa, which intrigued Sharon a lot. How on earth Tarja had money to maintain the mansion, and had she bought it to begin with? Another question to add on her mental note list. When she came back to the ground level, she heard music. Someone was playing a piano and singing beautifully. She started to search for the source of the sound, and found a door slightly open at the end of the hallway. Sharon peeked in to the dimly lit room, and saw a grand piano in the middle of the room. Tarja was playing it and sang such a heart wrenching song. Sharon didn’t recognise the song, but noticed that Tarja was singing it in the same language she spoke when she lurked around her apartment. She was wearing a long, red dress which looked gorgeous on her. The candlelight played in her long, silky black hair, which was tied loosely with a ribbon. Sharon felt like her feet were glued to the floor, she couldn’t but listen and stare. Before she realised, Tarja finished the song and said:

“Please come in Sharon.” Sharon blushed slightly, and stepped in to the room.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb.”

“Not at all.” Tarja said and gestured her to sit to a chair next to the grand piano.

“It sounded wonderful.” Sharon said, actually meaning it.

“Thank you. I sing and play the piano to relax. I sense you have something you want to talk about?” Once again, she was staring at Sharon and it felt like she could see through her. Sharon had to look at her own feet in order to escape the stare.

“Hmm yes… I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier. I am willing to see how it is to be an undertaker, since I don’t really have a choice anyway.” Sharon said, lifted her gaze to challenge the green eyes and continued:

“But I need to know everything vital. I want to know everything that involves me.” The expression on Tarja’s face wasn’t surprised, but amused.

“Very well. Do you have something special in your mind?”

“What will happen to the life I had? To my body?” Now Sharon knew she was really challenging Tarja, but didn’t break the eye contact. Tarja didn’t flinch, but said:

“Eventually… Someone will find your body. Then it gets buried of course. To humans it seems your life ended tragically, but in a normal way.”

“Can I… go see my friend or my mom? I mean…”

“Humans can’t see you unless you are assigned to carry them to the shadow. However, it is not wise to go search for your past life since it is not there anymore. In a way, Sharon, you did move on. “ For once Sharon thought that Tarja had some sense in what she was saying, but yet she couldn’t fully agree. Then she decided to go on the field that she knew was dangerous.

“Would you tell me exactly who are you?” You could see the change on Tarja’s face. From open and understanding into closed and harsh. Sharon had definitely hit some spot that should not have been touched.

“I’m not quite sure what you want to know about me?”

“Where are you coming from, and when did you became an undertaker?” The shadow on Tarja’s face grew, but she didn’t resist.

“When I was mortal, I lived in Finland.”

“That’s what the weird language was! You spoke Finnish to me!”

“Yes… I tend to use it when calming people, it is much more powerful.” Sharon nodded and waited for more.

“My time came in 2007, so it has been ten years. I have lived in here ever since. Later on, I brought Charlotte to live here as well.”

“Do you own the mansion?”

“No, it is owned by the undertaker clan. We just get to live here. Was that enough? I have something else to talk about.” For a moment Sharon wanted to ask more, try Tarja’s boundaries, but shut her mouth when she saw the dangerous glow in her eyes. She was hiding something painful.

“Yes.” Sharon said briefly, and watched Tarja to get up and pour herself a glass of wine.

“Do you want?” Tarja asked holding the bottle. “Sure.” When Sharon was sipping her wine, and Tarja had sat down, she began to tell about Sharon’s very first duty as an undertaker.

“Tomorrow night, there will be a fire in an orphanage. We have to go there and help the children. Since there are adults in the building too, it is expected to see other undertakers as well. It is not the easiest task to begin with, but I will guide you through it.”

“Wait… You know beforehand that there are people who are gonna die? Why don’t we rescue them?” Tarja let out a long sigh and said:

“Because it is not our job to do. Those children have faced their time and we must get them into the shadow. No arguing about this.”

“Alright. Can you teach me now how do I calm the children?” Tarja set her wineglass on the piano and Sharon mimicked her. Tarja grabbed Sharon’s hand and looked her straight in the eyes. Then she softly spoke:

“You can take their hand like this, or touch their shoulder. It is better if you lower yourself on their level. Close your eyes if it helps you to concentrate. Then, think about how much you want them to feel safe and warm.” Tarja closed her eyes, and soon enough Sharon could feel the warmth spreading all over her body. It was a feeling she could never get enough, every time it felt like she was experiencing it for the first time. She was sure there was something else in the touch too. Something magical, even… sexual.

“Now it’s your turn.” Tarja said, and Sharon blushed strongly. She was afraid Tarja could see her thoughts on her face. She took a better grip on Tarja’s hand, and closed her eyes. She concentrated, and sought for the will to relieve pain. Sharon felt how a wave of warmth travelled from her arms to her fingertips, travelling in Tarja. She felt how the warmth reached Tarja’s slowly beating heart, going through all the dark places in her. It was an amazing experience this way too. She kept pushing the force, enjoying how good it felt to spread the light in someone. Then she heard a small, pleased sigh escaping Tarja’s lips. She opened her eyes and let go of Tarja’s hand. The connection was broken. Sharon stared at Tarja who slowly opened her eyes, like waking up from a deep sleep. For the first time, Sharon could see how confused Tarja was. She blushed and was really perplexed. It was like someone had taken off the mask of coldness.

“Oh… well… That was quite a force…” Tarja mumbled and got up. “I think it is better we stop for today and go to sleep. Good night.” And once again, before Sharon had a chance to say anything, Tarja disappeared from the doors to the dark hallway. She really liked to just leave Sharon behind. Most definitely she was trying to avoid something, and what the hell was that small sigh? Was she… aroused? Did Tarja actually have similar thoughts that Sharon had? She felt her head spinning as she tried to make some sense in the situation. Sharon decided that it was safer to not to talk about it for now, just in case. Maybe things would solve themselves. As she climbed back upstairs, she saw the rain stopping. The clouds made way to the rising moon, illuminating the garden below. Tomorrow would be a clear day to begin her duties as an undertaker.

(I need your inspiration in) It take a stranger to make it so easy it made me dance to the sound of you breathing it makes it last as my last breath escapes me

Delain – Don’t let go

#sharja #tarja turunen #sharon den adel #delain #charlotte wessels #the death's call fanfiction

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justsomebucky · 7 years

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The Only Exception (Part 6)

Summary: AU. Reader is given the task of running a popular love advice internet show when her coworker is fired. Her cynical attitude toward love makes her offer some harsh advice, and more than a few hearts are caught in the aftermath. Will hers be one of them?

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Word Count: 2,725

Warnings: language, angst, self-reflection, discomfort, melodrama, mentions of trauma, fire, rescue (of secondary character), sad thoughts. I don’t know. I'm no Shonda Rimes, but, tread lightly.

A/N under the cut.

Part - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

A/N: Thanks for providing feedback on this story. I love that my writing invokes strong feelings. I haven’t taken anything lightly.

Two weeks later…

“I’m sorry, Miss Y/L/N, but I don’t think you have the right experience for this position. Best of luck to you in your job search.”

You thanked the hiring manager at the second – no, wait, the third – place you’d applied to, and ended the call with a big sigh.

That was your third rejection in a row, and these people hadn’t even waited until you were on the L train home to shoot you down. You shoved your phone in your pocket, glancing around the skyscrapers of Manhattan, ones that used to calm you down.

Now they just reminded you of rejection and failure.

You knew it was because of your meltdown; there was no way that this was going to die down anytime soon. It was still haunting you, from having to avoid googling your own name, to relatives emailing you memes of yourself, with the subject line ‘This one is really funny!’

The one meme of your face photoshopped on Grumpy Cat’s body was especially ridiculous, though it made you want to adopt a cat. Cats wouldn’t laugh or judge you.

Cats were too self-involved to care.

Your heels clicked on the pavement as you hurried to the subway entrance. There was no point on sticking around downtown for rush hour. You were grateful when the train arrived quickly, and you stepped on to find a seat, flopping down beside a man who was reading a newspaper.

Your thoughts drifted back to your YouTube debacle.

The memes weren’t even the worst of it.

The worst bit was that you didn’t have anyone to talk to about it. Your former-assistant-slash-best-friend Natasha and your former cameraman Scott weren’t legally allowed to talk to you about anything work-related until the investigation into the creepy emails finished. To be safe, you’d told them both to just wait until you heard from the company lawyer. No need to get them into a mess, too.

Natasha had made her feelings on the matter pretty clear, anyways, the night you quit your job, before the gag order.

“I know this job was beneath you, Y/N, but you had a chance to impact people’s lives, and you were so…so reckless about it.”

“Here we go. Here comes Saint Natasha, never does anything wrong, won’t even let me talk to her without trying to make me to blame. Don’t take May’s side and Bucky’s side just because you like Steve, Nat, I-“

“I’m not!” She moved to sit down on your couch beside you, her eyes large and pleading. “I promise, this isn’t about me, or Steve, or May, or Bucky. This isn’t about assigning blame. No one won this week...not one of us is squeaky clean here. I’m talking about you, now, Y/N. You’re a trained psychologist. You’re a wonderful, compassionate person. You know the signs of when to get help. You know the impact of words, especially when casually thrown at someone who is knee- or chest-deep in heartache.”

You weren’t ready to hear that yet; the thought made you want to crawl out of your own skin. “They shouldn’t have put me on the show. I shouldn’t be forced to do something I don’t want to do.”

“Everyone goes through that at work, Y/N. It doesn’t make it right, but it’s the way of the world since the markets crashed. There are steps employees can take, though. You could have gone over May’s head, or quit sooner. Instead, you accepted the role, and you hurt people, including yourself.”

You were silent for a moment, feeling the familiar sting of unshed tears in your eyes as you glanced away from her.

“I know it’s scary to quit, or to stand up for yourself, but think about how scary it is to ask for help from a stranger,” she said softly, reaching out to grab your hand. “Think of how those people had to have no one else to ask but you, and then think about what you told them.”

That did it. The tears poured down your cheeks as the stress of the last few weeks finally caught up to you. You were exhausted, physically and emotionally. “What am I going to do now, Nat? No one’s gonna hire me after this.”

“Someone will.” She smiled at you, brushing your hair back gently. “Someone will see your worth, and they will give you a second chance, and everything will be ok.”

As much as you appreciated the sentiment, you were starting to lose hope again. Three rejections in a row – this wasn’t something you were used to. Sure, it had been difficult getting a job in your field as an entry-level person, but now the markets were opening up. You had a good degree, a good bit of training, some…experience…and most of all, you still genuinely wanted to help people.

You sighed as you watched the buildings go by in the train windows.

“Something got you down, Miss?”

The man next to you put his paper down on his lap as you looked over at him. He was really handsome, and right now his eyes were full of concern.

“I, um…” Okay, so maybe Nat had a point about talking to a stranger. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine.” He nodded his head at you. “I’m Sam.”

“Y/N,” you replied, offering your hand to him, which he shook firmly.

His face scrunched up. “I think I recognize you.”

No no no no no…

“I just have one of those faces.” You looked back to the windows, feeling your face grow warm.

“No, I definitely recognize you. You’re that love doctor from YouTube, aren’t you?”

“Love Therapist,” you mumbled. “And I don’t do that anymore.”

He bit back a grin. “Yeah, no wonder. I saw your last episode. It was pretty friggin’ crazy!”

“What made you want to watch it?” You couldn’t look at him yet, not until you heard his answer.

“Honestly? Curiosity. It was all over the place: Love Guru hates love, has meltdown live!”

You groaned again, covering your face. “I don’t hate love!”

“What was that?”

“I said, I don’t hate love,” you repeated, dropping your hands to your lap. “I just hated that job.”

“Coulda fooled me.”

It sounded like it should be an insult, but his tone was too gentle, and it made you look up at him again in question. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, it sounds to me like you were taking your personal feelings out on others. You were hurting, too. But, we all have those days. Most of us just don’t have to show it to so many people.”

You were silent as you contemplated this.

“Anyways, Y/N, where are you working now?” Sam shifted in the tight space so he was facing you a little more.

“I’m not,” you admitted. “I just came from my third job interview, and they rejected me five minutes after I left, via phone. They couldn’t even tell me to my face.”

He hummed. “That’s not right.”

“It’s what I’m facing now that I was the infamous Love Therapist.”

“You don’t have to let that shit own you, Y/N.”

“I’m trying not to, Sam.”

“You’re taking these rejections sitting down with a whimper. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Bad things happen to good people all the time, and they carry on. It’s time to carry on.”

Again, you didn’t have a reply for him, suddenly feeling a little childish.

“Listen,” he began, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. He pulled out a business card, gesturing for you to take it. “I’m actually the head of the Red Wing Foundation, based here in Brooklyn. Have you heard of it?”

You shook your head no, accepting the business card with interest. Sam Wilson, Founder and Executive Director.

“The idea for a foundation formed after my last stint in the Army. I wanted to help veterans, reservists, first responders, even those currently active…anyone who went through some major traumatic events that needed help. It’s based in a community center down on Union Avenue, and it’s got career help, continuing education courses, support groups, even on-site therapy sessions.”

“It sounds wonderful,” you told him, feeling your chest tighten a little. If any city in America needed a center like that, it was New York.

Note to self: keep things in perspective.

“It really is. I’m in meetings all afternoon, but I think you should come by tomorrow, have a look around.” The train slowed to a stop, and Sam stood up. ”If you call my assistant, she’ll schedule a time for you to stop by.”

“Sounds good, Sam. Thank you so much!” You gave him a big smile, grateful for the offer, especially from someone who’d seen your show and still thought you were worthwhile.

With a final nod, Sam left the train, disappearing into the rush of people.

You felt more hopeful than you had in weeks.

True to his word, Sam’s assistant Sharon scheduled a time for you to meet with him the next day. The center was about seven blocks from your apartment, but that was nothing compared to hauling it to Manhattan every day.

Sharon informed you that therapy sessions were held three times a day, in the morning, afternoon, and evening, so that people on shift work could still make it to one if they wanted. The sessions were donation only, meaning that anything you could afford to pay, you were welcome to donate, but if you couldn’t you didn’t have to. The Foundation covered the remaining costs.

It seemed a little too good to be true, and you were a little nervous. You’d never dealt with trauma, PTSD, or anything like that before, but you were willing to learn for those who needed help.

Once again, you didn’t have anyone to talk to about this opportunity. Despite the ups and downs of the last few weeks, you really missed Natasha.

With a big sigh, you took the takeout food you’d ordered over to the couch and turned the TV on. The local news was on, and your favorite weatherman was mentioning how gorgeous and sunny it was going to be tomorrow. That was good news, at least.

The TV kind of became background noise as you concentrated on your dinner.

You looked back up, though, when you heard the reporter mention a fire.

“I’m here on the scene of a two-alarm fire at Japanese restaurant in the heart of Brooklyn, where multiple units have been dispatched to try to contain the blaze. We don’t yet know if anyone is trapped inside. Unofficial sources have told us that it started as a grease fire in the restaurant you’re seeing here.”

The camera zoomed, and you saw the awning of the restaurant that Bucky had taken you to on your date. You sat up, food forgotten, and watched in horror as his surrogate family’s restaurant burned to the ground.

The camera focused back on the reporter, and she held a hand to her earpiece, then nodded. “I’m getting new word in now, that one person – a woman, approximately in her sixties – was rescued from the apartment above the restaurant.”

The anchor at the desk gave a very serious nod. “Do you have any word about her condition, Sheila?”

Sheila shook her head. “Not at this time. I will keep everyone updated as Action News continues to be on the scene. Back to you, Tom.”

Your hands were shaking as you tried to google for any more details about the fire. No matter what had occurred between you and Bucky, you still hated to see that poor woman’s whole life go up in flames.

It was about twenty minutes later that Sheila came back on to report that the fire was contained with minor damage to surrounding buildings, but the restaurant was a total loss.

What you saw next completely shocked you.

Sheila was standing next to a soot-and-sweat-covered Bucky Barnes, in full fireman gear, and looking totally upset and uncomfortable.

“I’m told that you’re the fireman who rescued the woman from the apartment, is that accurate?”

“Yes,” he replied gruffly. “But I’m not going to comment about her identity or current condition.”

“Fair enough. Can you confirm that this fire is contained?”

“It’s about eighty-five percent contained at the moment, with three units assisting.” Bucky wiped the sweat from his brow, then glanced over his shoulder. “Excuse me, ma’am, but I have work to do.”

He turned and left Sheila standing there, a little flustered about his sudden departure.

Despite everything, you had the strongest urge to text him and ask how she was doing. You wanted to make sure he was okay, remembering how he lost his little sister in a fire. You couldn’t imagine what was going through his mind just then.

You didn’t text him that night, knowing that the rift between you was still there.

That didn’t stop your heart from hurting for him, though.

After a restless night’s sleep, you meandered around your apartment, slowly getting ready for your meeting with Sam. There was no saving the puffiness around your eyes, but the rest of you looked pretty good.

Your walk to the community center took you past the charred remains of the Japanese restaurant, now blocked by yellow caution tape. Your heart sank as you wondered what the poor woman would do, now that everything she’d worked for and built with her late husband was gone.

Maybe the foundation could help.

Maybe you’d see about helping them expand to any trauma victim.

That was getting way ahead of yourself, though, since you weren’t even technically offered anything more than a tour of the facilities.

Sam greeted you warmly when you arrived, and you were in awe of the sheer magnitude of what he had designed here. There was so much for someone to partake in for such a little building. Everything was handicap-accessible and user friendly. You could tell Sam really poured his heart into this project.

“So what do you think so far?”

You looked at Sam in awe. “I’m stunned that I didn’t know this was here sooner. I guess I didn’t do my research well enough.”

“It’s a growing project. We aren’t endorsed by a celebrity or anything, though quite a few are generous benefactors. In other words, the work ain’t sexy, but it helps a lot of people.”

“I’m sure.” You took a few steps forward to peer into the window of one of the therapy rooms. It was a closed-door session, but you were still impressed with what you could see. The session was small enough to allow for everyone to get a chance to talk, but big enough to not feel the pressure of talking if you didn’t want to. “Do they have breakout sessions, one-on-one?”

“Some do,” Sam nodded, walking over to you. “Sometimes the heavier cases require a more specific training for recovery.”

You nodded, stepping back from the window. “And what are the stats? Do you have more veterans, or first responders, or…?”

He shrugged. “A mix, I’d say. Not everyone’s a regular. Sometimes they just come back when their problems flare up. But that’s the kind of thing we’re prepared to handle here.”

“Got it.” You looked back at him nervously. “So I guess that concludes the tour?”

“Not exactly.” The corner of his mouth lifted ever-so-slightly. “If the foundation offered you the training to obtain your trauma therapy certifications, would you be willing to come help us out?”

What? Was that even a question? “Of course I would! This is exactly how I always envisioned myself helping others. And you don’t mind…”

He raised an eyebrow at you. “Don’t mind what?”

“You don’t mind my past job experience?”

Sam chuckled, putting a hand on your shoulder. “Y/N, I’m not about to hold your past mistakes against you if you’re sincere about your work here. You aren’t just that show; you had a great column, too. I’ll take a chance on you. I don’t know if you noticed or not, but I’m a big believer in second, third, fourth, however many chances someone needs, as long as they’re trying to be better.”

You could be better.

You could make a positive impact on people here, and you were grateful for the opportunity.

“When do I start?”

Part - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

PERMA TAGS (closed for now): @sprinkleofhappinessuniverse @alurea-actually @smkunz613 @marvel-fanfiction @bluebrrn @simplyme8308 @cleanslates @ailynalonso15 @jaydenval @imnoaingeal @miss-jessi29 @kittthekat @crownie-sr @indominusregina @wonder-carolina @captain-ros3ann3 @amrita31199 @tatortot2701 @melissalovesmusicyay @kcsavege4134 @lilasiannerd @hardcorehippos @buckyswinterchildren @hello-sweetie-get-the-salt @cosmic-avenger @mirkwood---princess @neverbeforgotten @minervaem @givemethatgold @assbutt-son-of-a-bitch @decemberftw @widowvinter @nolaimagines @notsoprettykitty @dracsgirl @hollycornish @feelmyroarrrr @ancchor @seeyainanotherlifebrotha @aenna-4 @kithlin @heytherepartner @polkadottedpillowcase @johnmurphys-sass @aeillo @winterboobaer @kaaatniss @whyisbuckyso @super-daryl-dixon @wishingtobelost @capdanrogers @gallifreyansass @rockintensse @minaphobia @vaisabu @rchlnwtn @imamoose @ria132love @sofiadiaz04 @actual-bucky-barnes-trash @dolthiac

Story Tags (Closed): @mcusebstan @youpocketwitch @universal-glitch @thewinterdorito @aqueenwithoutherkingx @ani808 @themistsofmyavalon @logan8546 @the-renaissance @lostinspace33 @mcsmashdesigns @stormin-thru-glitter @cantchoosejustonefandom @vivianbabz @sociallyimpairedme @pinkleopardss @stomachfilledwithbutterflies @frnkensteingrl @wunnywho @buckys-fossil @mytrueself @tigers-have-teeth @kenobi-and-barnes @with-a-hint-of-pesto-aioli @grumpybeyonce @zxcorra @themanwiththemetalarm @marvelgoateecollection @blueeyedboobear @comicariadne @blue1928 @pixierox101 @wildestdreamsrps @buckybarnesbestbabe @vindictivegrace

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes drabble #bucky barnes reader insert #au!bucky #AU!buckybarnes #bucky barnes au #fireman bucky au #fireman!bucky #bucky barnes fireman au #firefighter!bucky #firefighter bucky barnes au #jsd only exception

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nappe-plays-the-sims · 7 years

Text

Uberhood Story Episode 1 Summary

Figured it might be useful since it’s pretty long. Spoilers under the cut! Episode 2 summary coming soon, as will the Episode 3 summary when that is done of course.

Episode 1

On a normal Strangetown evening while it rains cats and dogs, Olive Specter calls General Buzz Grunt and asks him to come over. She shows him an ancient artifact, temporarily shaped into the form of a Freezer Bunny statue, and summons Lyla Grunt’s ghost.

Lyla explains that she was blackmailed by a group calling themselves the “World Organization Of Hostile Objectionable Obliterators”, led by Mystery Sim, that wanted her to take the artifact. As soon as she touched it, she was electrocuted and died. It is implied that only supernatural beings can touch the artifact without being harmed. As her ghost disappears, Buzz and Olive decide to move the artifact somewhere else where it can recieve military protection.

Back in Pleasantview, Woodland Park, Mortimer Goth and Dina Caliente are cuddling up on a bench. The former speaks vaguely about a change being on the way, then jumps into the pond to take a swim. Dina goes home and says they will see each other for dinner tonight.

Cassandra Goth recieves a phonecall from Officer Kauker that her father has been forcibly removed from Woodland Park by the police. She remarks that they should be more respectful since Mortimer saved SimNation many years ago, then hangs up. Concerned about her father’s recent impulsive behavior, she asks Don Lothario if he knows what’s happening, since he started acting odd after they got engaged. Don denies it, but flashbacks reveal that Don and Mortimer used to be romantically involved.

In Desiderata Valley, John Mole wakes up next to Sharon Wirth, and shows interest in committing more to their relationship, but she declines. The Grim Reaper, looking like his The Sims 4 self, looks at them through the window, then goes for a swim in John’s swimming pool. Natasha Una watches them through a telescope while wearing a suit of armor. John talks to his parrot, Peggy, and thinks about his time in Strangetown when he tried to solve Bella Goth’s disappearance.

In Strangetown, Erin Beaker finds her roommates Kristen Loste, Lola Curious and Chloe Curious passed out in her room, implied to have been drinking and watching sports games all night while Erin worked extra shifts at the pet shelter due to the cat and dog rain crisis. It is revealed that Erin has a pet wolf named Sansa. The wolf bites her.

In Pleasantview, Dina worries about her relationship with Mortimer, while her twin sister Nina Caliente suffers from flashbacks from when Gordon King broke into their house and got into a fight with her.

Olive magivestigiums into Mortimer’s home. It is said that she tried to kill him over a misunderstanding at some point. Olive tells him that they have to forget about the past and focus on gathering their own army to fight the one Mystery Sim has built, as rumours say that they have found their own artifact and is using it to power up their forces. Mortimer says that “she” (hinted to be Cassandra) said that a storm was coming which shows that her powers are getting stronger, but he doesn’t think they should involve her since she deserves to live a normal life. It is also revealed that Mortimer thinks Bella is dead, but Olive disagrees as she is unable to reach Bella through her artifact. Olive asks Mortimer to gather the people he chose before tonight. Alexander Goth eavesdrops on the conversation.

Alexander wonders what’s going on, and Mortimer declares that they are leaving Pleasantview immediately. Cassandra, home from a date with Don, disapproves and demands answers about Mortimer’s behavior. Mortimer pulls out a remote control-looking item and presses a button.

In Strangetown, Buzz Grunt recieves a call that soldiers assigned to protect the artifact were attacked this morning. One of them says that they saw a woman in a red dress. Buzz yells at them to call John Mole and offers to pay him twice the amount, personally, to open up the case again.

In Desiderata Valley, John gets a phonecall about the case and accepts the job. He calls Natasha to ask her to watch Peggy for him while he is gone. Natasha accepts, but we see that she is standing in the backyard of the house when answering the call, staring down at Marcel Jocque, who has seemingly drowned in the pond. The Grim Reaper, now in his The Sims 2 form, remarks how awful it is (not the death, the rain).

In Strangetown, The Singles household worries about Erin, who is still not home. Chloe angrily remarks that they have nothing to worry about since The Night Beast has been gone for years.

In Pleasantview, Mortimer carries a sleeping Cassandra and Alexander out to his car then drives away.

Dina wonders why Mortimer cancelled dinner at the last minute, and expresses concern to her sister, questioning herself and whether she has done something to upset him. Before Nina can answer, Olive magivestigiums in, furious that Mortimer has ran away from the mission. She explains to them about the World Organization Of Hostile Objectionable Obliterators and says that she has to track him down, and wants to bring one of the people he chose for his army. Dina offers to go, thinking he chose her, but it turns out that Mortimer chose Nina, making Dina feel even more rejected. Nina promises that she will find Mortimer and make him explain himself to her.

In Strangetown, Cassandra is angry with her father for kidnapping her and Alexander. A werewolf approaches their car, as does a vampire. The vampire, revealed to be Virginya Feng, talks to Mortimer, saying that she admires him for saving SimNation with his invention many years ago. Virginya expresses sympathy and bites him in the neck, but is surprised when his blood tastes weird. Mortimer then reveals that he is immune to vampire bites, and also that he is immortal.

Olive and Nina appear, with the former screaming at Mortimer for running away from the mission. Mortimer says that he can’t lose someone close to him again, and says that Dina is better off without him anyway, but Olive protests. She pulls out another artifact, one she found in Mortimer’s home, and approaches Cassandra with it, telling her that it can be used to awaken her powers so she can defend SimNation. Cassandra accepts. Nina punches Mortimer in the face for leaving Dina. After Cassandra goes through some sort of transformation with the artifact, Nina is up next.

Buzz goes to check on how the defense of the artifact is going, and is angered when he sees that all the soldiers are gone. While he is yelling to himself about their incompetence, he is electrocuted by Sara Starr, who is revealed to have left the Kine Society to join the World Organization Of Hostile Objectionable Obliterators. She looks away while Buzz dies, unlike her three helpers Luisa Libros, Optimum Alfred, and Cassandra Goth from an alternate universe (spelt “Kassandra”).

Nina, Cassandra and Virginya hide behind the group’s car. Cassandra’s skin has started glittering after exposure to the artifact for unknown reasons. Suddenly, the werewolf they saw earlier appears, despite the fact that Olive said she was going to look out for it. The trio attacks so the other group won’t kill the werewolf, and a huge fight breaks out.

Cassandra however, is not fighting physically, and instead starts screaming while seeing visions of people leaving her (Mortimer being abducted by aliens, Don being electrocuted while attempting to repair his stereo, Mary-Sue Pleasant being hit by a satellite, and Goopy GilsCarbo taking Alexander with him with the support of a Social Worker, Alexander happily hugging Goopy). It turns out that Kassandra is producing these visions. She mocks Cassandra’s fears and taunts her, saying that no one actually cares about her.

Luisa, who has managed to win her fight over Nina, makes fun of her, saying that it was easy and that it was no wonder that even the burglar could beat her. Nina gets up and yells at her, causing lightning to hit Luisa and instantly kill her, turning Nina’s skin dark green in the process. The survivors of the group run away, and the trio picks up the artifact.

Emily Emory is surprised when someone knocks on the door of Espiritu Estate, but it turns out that it is the Strangetown police (consisting of Jason Cleveland, Jenna Cameron and Chandler Couderc) coming in for questioning. It is implied that it has happened several times. They ask if Bella Goth has returned to the mansion, to which Emily replies that she has not. The ghost of Isaac Rossum plays with the stereo.

Mortimer, Cassandra, Alexander and Nina are allowed to stay at Olive’s mansion over the night. Olive is worried about where they will keep the artifact, since she can’t keep it in her house much longer, which was why she called Buzz to begin with. The werewolf from before detransforms, and is revealed to be Erin Beaker.

John arrives in Paradise Place, one of Strangetown’s villages, and knocks on Circe Salamis’ door. He asks to see Loki Beaker, but Circe declares that Loki has changed drastically since last time John saw him, and that they have gotten divorced. John asks if he can stay at her place, and she accepts, but points out that he has to sleep in the couch since someone else lives in the guestroom. They talk about how Circe used to own a lot of animals, that she claims to have gotten from Felicity Island and Wanmami Island, and it is revealed that it was Circe who gave John his pet parrot.

Cassandra and Mortimer talk about her right to decide things for herself, even if they could be dangerous, and Cassandra asks him not to keep any more secrets from her. Mortimer thinks about his romance with Don, but still lies to Cassandra and says that he is not keeping anything from her.

Circe and John share a kiss and start making out, when John suddenly pulls away from her and says that he can’t continue since he has a girlfriend. However, Circe doesn’t believe him, and thinks that Loki has hired John to try to manipulate her into handing over Nervous Subject, so she uses a spell to transform John into a cat, and declares that he will be Nervous’ pet now.

#about uberhood story #ghosts tw #death tw #military talk tw #drowning tw #stalking tw #murder tw #violence tw #alcohol tw #police tw

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roslinadama-sinequanon · 7 years

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Thoughts on Shockwave Pt.1

1. Andy Flynn in a leadership role-The beginning crime scenes are always the most boring part to me--because Sharon is never there. So we will start with the next scene. Andy Flynn really fits nicely in his new leadership role. He and Sharon seem to make a good team both personally and professionally. While the team was watching the video of the bombing, Andy was leading the questions while they were responding to him as the man in authority. Not sure I can remember a time I’ve heard Julio refer to Andy as “Sir” as he did in his response in this scene. I don’t like that Andy has been sort of marginalized by his heart attack--I was afraid that would happen-- but if he gains more authority and has a more commanding presence it will make not getting him in the field much more palatable.

2. The look on Sharon’s face when Andy alerts her to Winnie’s press conference- Man, she was PISSED. I loved the way the camera followed her steely determined walk through the murder room to the press conference. Sharon was oozing barely restrained fury, followed by her angry posse to back her up. They even had the deadly posse glares down pat. I did not expect Sharon to lay into Winnie in front of their subordinates and the press, Sharon is nothing but professional, but I was hoping for a little more. Once the conference was done, I would love to have seen Sharon express some of the rage she was feeling—which could have been done a couple ways. Sharon asking to speak to Winnie in private then taking her task for disrupting their investigation. There is precedence for this. When Sharon felt Pope was in the wrong she had no problem telling him off and he has an even higher rank, so why not with Winnie? The only thing I can think of is that Sharon is trying to keep her composure because she knows Winnie is trying desperately to get her to lose her cool and could use that against her. Another way to get around this would be for Sharon to storm off to her office and have a kick the trashcan moment. I could see Andy following her into her office and with the door shut Sharon venting to him about Winnie. She can trust Andy because she would be venting to her fiancé, not her subordinate.

3. Winnie’s press conference- It was a power move, pure and simple. It had nothing to do with trying to solve the case. It was all about Winnie Davis proving that she is in charge and getting her name on the news. And when Winnie sees Sharon and the Darth Raydor death glare she was sending her way it did give her pause for moment. Which I liked. For that one moment she actually saw Sharon as a worthy opponent, which most of the time I don’t think she does. After being taken aback for a slight pause she continues on with a few looks Sharon’s way making it pretty apparent her words were as much for Sharon as for the press. I have never liked Winnie Davis; I think she is a whiney, power hungry, selfish, nasty bitch. But in this episode, I also felt that she is completely unprofessional—which will come up in further comments.

4. Morgue scene-Poor Morales, caught in the middle, not sure to whom he is supposed to respond. He is clearly uncomfortable with Winnie’s presence. When he asks whom he should send his report to Sharon says quietly, but firmly “Me” while Winnie jumps right in with a send it to me too. She is clearly trying to assert her authority over Sharon and it’s pissing Sharon off—and it’s sure pissing Andy off, and it’s making Morales uncomfortable.

5. Andy and Sharon handling the morgue scene-While Sharon tries to ignore Winnie, Andy is not letting Winnie off the hook. He questions her about intent and Winnie is so freaking condescending to them. Her “You might be afraid to call it terrorism” is aimed directly at Sharon—as if labeling her scared and weak. Sharon doesn’t bite; she just says in that quiet Sharon way that the only thing she is afraid of is failing to arrest the people responsible because they acted on wrong assumptions. The way she draws out the word wrong and looks at Winnie is the only thing that gives her away, letting Winnie know that SHE is the one who is wrong. Andy jumps right in reminding Winnie that this situation is a little outside her operational experience. Her response that it might be but her experience is in leadership and decision-making is clearly another dig at Sharon. Loved Sharon’s little lip quirk—she is trying so hard to keep her cool. But when Winnie continues on, throwing it in Sharon’s face that her qualities are what made Pope put her in charge while Fritz is gone, Andy is done with continual digs at Sharon telling her “that ask might have led you to some wrong assumptions too”. Basically telling her that just because Pope asked her to coordinate departments does NOT mean she got the Asst. Chief job. Though she is sure acting as if she thinks she does. Sharon jumps in before there is an all out argument between the two and brings them back to the case, but Winnie‘s glare at Andy tells him exactly what she thinks of him. Winnie does NOT like Andy Flynn-either because of past history or because he is Sharon’s boyfriend/fiancé or because Andy is willing to stand up to her or simply because she doesn’t seem to like anyone. Then Andy gets the call on his cell and says “Captain”—only interested in informing Sharon. Winnie looks at him expectantly; he catches her eye and deliberately turns from her to look only at Sharon while he giving the information needed. SCORE for Andy! I really like how this scene showed that while Andy is still Andy, he has definitely matured. He got his digs in and did not shy away from confronting Winnie but he never lost his cool and started yelling at her as he might have in the past. He was completely professional.

6. Gusty-It has become quite apparent that Rusty and Gus are at very different points in their life and are looking for different things in their relationship. There seem to be more issues between them than Rusty not being willing to move in with him until he can afford to pay his way. Rusty is 20 years old, he is still a kid and is still trying to figure out who he is. He just changed majors and is excited and passionate about his new career path. For the first time in his life he has a stable home and family with a loving mother who is always there for him and a man who is about to become his step- father—a relationship with a man that he’s never had before. He’s happy in college and with his internship and excited by the prospect of going on to law school and becoming a lawyer. The fact that Gus just assumes he will be willing to give all this up and completely uproot himself to move to Napa, transfer to a different college and lose his internship really pulls the rug out from under Rusty. I don’t blame him for being shaken up, especially since it came out of the blue and was done without any conversation or consideration as a lead up. Rusty is just not ready to give up all that he has up for the unknown and a relationship he does not completely trust.

Rusty is often called out for being selfish—and he most certainly is. Now I have noticed, so is Gus. Gus is clearly far ahead of Rusty in what he expects in a relationship. He’s been on his own a long time, has the career he wants and is now ready to settle down. But in this instance we see a really controlling side to Gus and Rusty has never responded well to that. I really don’t think either of them is mature enough to be in a serious relationship right now—case in point Gus breaking up with Rusty when he said he didn’t want to move in with him. There was no understanding or acceptance just a “see ya later, we’re done”. Contrast that to Andy being willing to endure a very slow old- fashioned courtship because it was what Sharon needed. Then Gus going storming off the minute Rusty does not jump up and down with excitement over all the decisions he made for the two of them moving to Napa. Contrast that to Andy wanting to live with Sharon but being willing to have conversations about how and when that might happen.

I like Gus, but I think Sharon foreshadowed their relationship pretty well when she commented they may have found each other too soon. They seem like the kind of couple who will break up and 10 years from now they will re-connect and both will be in the right place psychologically and emotionally for a real relationship.

7. Murder Room-Here is where I think Winnie really shows that she is unprofessional and not a very good detective. From the second the bombing occurred she jumped to the conclusion that it was terrorism and is unable to accept there could be any other motive—no matter how much evidence is presented to her. She even ignores or pooh poohs what the bomb squad has to say about it because the bomb squad backs Sharon’s theory, not hers. She is irritated and ignores anyone who does agree with her assessment. Contrast that with the way we have seen Sharon handle cases over the past several years. Sharon usually has a theory about the murder but when evidence proves that theory wrong she quickly changes adapts and follows where the evidence leads her, and is able to come up with new theories. She is always open and appreciative of the ideas, theories and expertise of her team, because Sharon is all about solving the case NOT about getting credit for herself for solving a case. Winnie cannot seem to do that, because for her it’s not about solving the case, it’s about proving that SHE is right and getting credit for herself. She wants the case to be terrorism because it’s all about Winnie and if it is terrorism, it will be a much bigger story, bigger headlines and more limelight for Winnie Davis.

8. Disgust of Winnie Davis in the Murder Room-Can’t tell you how much I loved all the disgusted looks cast at Winnie as she questioned the bomb squad in her usual condescending way. She is so NOT a team player. Winnie’s butting in obviously irritates the hell out of Sharon and it is also obvious that Sharon is really struggling with holding her tongue. She looks away from Winnie, probably because if she had to look at that superior condescending puss she would say something she does not want to say. Loved Julio lecturing Winnie about what terrorism actually means, but my favorite part was Wes! “So DEPUTY Chief” OMG the disgust in his tone is PERFECT. Then, “if you call the feds you risk losing the chance to swoop in and take all the credit.” He is saying what everyone in that room is thinking---And it is the role Andy Flynn would normally play, but he is not there. Not sure where he is but it was probably intentional as they seem to be changing his dynamic. Love that Wes did not back down, he looked Davis straight in the eye and said, “I think you heard me” when she questioned him. Sharon is shocked, as is everyone, but the team is also thinking “YES!” Winnie’s response to Wes, telling them all that if Sharon is wrong about the murder she’ll make sure she gets the credit for that shows us yet again that with her it’s all about credit and blame, not the case. Julio’s smile over Wes’s comments was priceless.

9. Sharon in the Murder Room-While it’s quite apparent that Sharon feels the same as everyone when it comes to Winnie, she is a thorough professional and makes sure to chastise Wes for the way he spoke to a commanding officer—though certainly not harshly. It is only when Provenza brings up the job that Sharon really shows emotion. First of all, she mentions the job changing the person not the person changing the job and we’ve seen that with Fritz--and don’t want that for Sharon. And my theory on that is that she is frustrated with not being able to speak her mind. She had to bite her tongue at the press conference, Andy got to say the things she wishes she could say in the morgue, and now Wes, and Julio to a certain extent, got to take Winnie on in the murder room, but Sharon is trying very hard to keep her cool for THEM. She doesn’t want the damn Asst. Chief position, but she is doing everything—including not getting into a pissing contest with Winnie—to keep herself in the running so Major Crimes will not be destroyed. Considering that she is the one who has had all the digs and barbs thrown at her all day, there is no one who more deserves the right to fight back more than Sharon and yet she has not. She’s been able been able to suck it up, whereas the team hasn‘t and I can see why that makes her angry and frustrated. But even after taking them to task she finished with telling them she is the happiest she has ever been in her professional life working with all of them to catch the bad guys. Awww…..She really does not want that job, she is feeling forced into it and she isn’t happy about it. I also think this is the moment that Wes really became a member of the team. I hadn’t really thought much about him before tonight, but he’s turned out to be really okay.

10. Rusty and Andy sending Sharon off to the bomb scene- We were shown again that Andy has really grown and matured. The old Andy might have argued or tried to cajole Sharon into letting him go into the field with the team. This new mature Andy has accepted that he has to approach his job in new way and appreciated that Sharon was in a rush to save lives and didn’t have time to listen to him complain about not being part of the action. Plus, who would have run the command center? Winnie? No way would Andy trust Winnie Davis with having Sharon’s back. The first time I watched the episode I too was unhappy that Andy didn’t have a word or a touch for Sharon as she went off into danger. With Sharon, there has always been a brush of her hand along Andy’s back, a soft touch to the shoulder SOME kind of acknowledgement that she is worried and loves him. Andy did not. I’m wondering if that is a reaction to some former boundaries Sharon had set in place on him at work when they first started dating. Whenever there has been any affectionate moments in the workplace they seem to have been initiated by Sharon, a bump to the arm at the service for Alice Herrera, her tapping the back of his hand to let him know she wanted to hold his hand, her going to him when Ricky outed them and sliding an arm around his waist. Even the one time Andy did initiate a hug during “Hindsight” he was very careful to look around and make sure no one was watching them. I’m sure now that they are engaged Sharon is probably more open about these things but old habits die hard. Plus in re-watching the episode there really was not time for a physical moment, Sharon was rushing to try to save lives and Andy understands that. I am glad that Rusty told her to be careful. Ever since the White Lies shooting when he didn’t seem to give a damn that Sharon could have been killed, it has bothered me that Rusty does not seem to worry about Sharon. But, I think now that he’s really seeing more of what she does on a daily basis and has gone through the shooting, watching a perp punch her in the face and now this, he is more aware of the danger she is in every day. What I do wish they would have added is Sharon turning to say she will be careful and catching Andy’s eye, he gives her a little head tilt and she nods back at him like “I understand, you love me and you want me to be careful” They’ve always been good at non-verbal communication and that would have only taken an instant.

11. Last scene/Bomb goes off-I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Andy in command. There is something very sexy about it in the same way that he’s cute and sexy when he’s being playful or grumbling. This new authoritative side to him is pretty hot. And it shows that Sharon has rubbed off on him and that he is gaining a sense of comfort in his new role.

Not sure why the bomber was taking pictures of the Major Crimes team, kind of weird if was just after the sisters.

I know many people were upset that Andy didn’t freak when the bomb went off, but in watching that scene several times, it is evident that he is in complete shock. That bomb went off and his world just sort of ended in that moment. He froze. Then behind him he hears a trembling voice saying “Mom, where’s Mom?” and feels a hand grip his arm. His instinct is that of a father. He immediately reaches back and covers Rusty’s hand with his own in a gesture of comfort. We didn’t get to see the scene play out but I’m sure Andy tried to push his terror back to keep Rusty from going off the deep end, while also knowing that he’s recently been through a bombing like that and everyone was fine. I thought Graham did a really good job in that scene, the way his bottom lip quivered at first, the way he trembled asking where his mom was and then the way he reached out for Andy. They really have become father and son.

12. Anticlimactic-If this were going to be the second to the last episode ever it wasn’t all that big a deal. If they really thought MC was done for, I would like to think the finale would include some major terrifying Philip Stroh stuff. It started with Stroh and it ought to go out with Stroh. Anyway, it’s not as if anyone is worried about the team, they immediately showed previews for next week with the team out and about with nary a scratch. And though we did not see Sharon we heard her voice and she’s fine. So, it’s hard to be worried when you already know everything works out okay. I do hope there is a little angst, maybe Andy rushing to the scene or the hospital because they were on radio blackout SOMETHING to make it not just exciting, but also moving. However, I do not hold out much hope, because with the way MC works I’m sure tomorrow nights episode will begin with everyone back at the LAPD working to find the killer with barely a mention of the bomb that went off.

#sharon raydor #andy flynn #shandy #Major Crimes #Mary McDonnell #tony denison #shockwave pt.1

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makingscipub · 7 years

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CRISPR, unicorns and responsible language use

I was looking through my twitter timeline on 12 June, when I came cross a tweet by Dietram Scheufele which said “’bend nature to our will.’ #CRISPR frame in new #Doudna book might resonate differently across audiences […] #scicomm”. The tweet made reference to an article by Sharon Begley in STAT News about Jennifer Doubna’s new book, co-authored with Samuel Sternberg, A Crack in Creation: The New Power to Control Evolution, in which they reportedly write that it “won’t be long before CRISPR allows us to bend nature to our will”. I became curious about this new book and its grand claim.

The book: publicity and reactions

On 16 June, Jennifer Doudna, a pioneer in a new way of modifying or ‘editing’ genes called CRISPR Cas9, came to the UK to talk with Adam Rutherford about her new book at a Hay Festival event held at the Royal Society. CRISPR Cas9 is based on exploiting the way that bacteria snip out parts of an invading virus’s DNA “and keep a bit of it behind to help them recognise and defend against the virus next time it attack”. Scientists, like Doudna, have “adapted this system so that it could be used in other cells from animals, including mice and humans”.

The blurb for the event (which I could unfortunately not attend) says: “’A Crack In Creation’ also asks us to consider what our new-found power means: how do we enjoy its unprecedented benefits while avoiding its equally unprecedented dangers? As Doudna argues, every member of our species is implicated in the answers to these questions. Somehow we must consider and act together. The future of humankind – and of all life on Earth – is at stake. This book is an essential guide to the path that now lies ahead.” (From what I can ascertain, unicorns were not mentioned at the event)

It appears that Jennifer Doudna wants to stimulate public debate about this new technique for genetic manipulation or gene or genome editing. This is a great example of what some call ‘upstream’ engagement with an emerging technology by one of its founders. This is also an example of what people would now call responsible innovation. As one reviewer of her book, Peter Forbes, says: ”It’s always difficult when something like this [gene editing] happens to sort the hope from the hype, but anticipation is now intense. Doudna does, though, sound many notes of caution.”

Another review of Doudna’s book by Nathaniel Comfort, is a little bit more critical and says: “Rather than guiding us through the ethical thickets of precision genetic engineering, or providing a candid, warts-and-all look at one of the great scientists of our time, the book mainly polishes her ‘good scientist’ image and rationalizes the unfettered self-direction of human evolution, within liberal bounds of safety, efficacy and individual choice.” I became more and more curious.

Unicorns, dragons and flying pigs

Let’s get back to the article mentioned in the tweet by Scheufele. After reading that tweet, I read the article by Sharon Begley for STAT news entitled, intriguingly, “CRISPR pioneer Doudna envisions a world of woolly mammoths and unicorns”. We are told that: “This Doudna doesn’t hold back. We are ‘on the cusp of a new age in genetic engineering and biological mastery,’ she and Sternberg write, dangling the prospect of ‘life-changing treatments’ and ‘lifesaving cures.’ She says she is ‘not kidding’ that CRISPR could bring about ‘woolly mammoths, winged lizards, and unicorns. … It won’t be long before CRISPR allows us to bend nature to our will.’”

Wow, I thought, these are some claims. I also asked myself whether this is really how one sorts “the hope from the hype”? And I wondered whether and how the unicorns were picked up by other news articles reporting on the book (they were not mentioned in the Forbes and the Comfort reviews).

I found an article for CBC radio that notes: “Imagine a world where genetic diseases can be edited and cured, where pigs can be ‘humanized’ to use their organs for transplants in people — and where we might even run into unicorns or winged dragons.”

Here lizards have turned into dragons. Interestingly, dragons had been discussed in the context of gene editing, but one of the co-authors of the book had intimated that they would not be created: “Dr Sam Sternberg – formerly of the University of California’s Doudna Lab, which pioneered work with CRISPR-CAS9 – said […] he is not hopeful genetic engineers could ever cross the Rubicon to create dragons.” (BBC interview, 3 January, 2016)

The other article appeared in The Daily Beast and was entitled “New DNA tech creating unicorns and curing cancer for real”. Unicorns and dragons are here joined by yet another mythical creature: “Scientists say that CRISPR-Cas9 may soon allow them to perform miraculous fixes to eliminate or alter mutations that cause everything from some cancers to Parkinson’s disease. More whimsically, the technology could be used to create, say, a unicorn, or a pig with wings; though it’s unlikely they could make swine fly.” Lizards have turned into flying pigs….

Unicorns in context

I was now thoroughly hooked; I ordered the paperback edition of the book; and read it. It is a breezy and enjoyable account of the whirl-wind in which Jennifer Doudna found herself after the discovery of CRISPR Cas9, a new way to target and edit genes.

This rather personal account of excitement and collaborations is interspersed with cautious reflections on the social and ethical implications of CRISPR, but also with references to mastery (“over the code of life”, p. 113; “to rewrite the very molecules of life anyway we wish”, p. 119) and control (chapter 4 is called “Command and Control” echoing the subtitle of the book: “The New Power to Control Evolution”). Control and caution jostle with each other.

I also found the unicorns. They make their appearance in chapter 5 entitled “The CRISPR menagerie” (paperback, p. 117). Here is the quote that got some people so excited: “Within a few decades, we might well have genetically engineered pigs that can serve as human organ donors – but we could also have wooly mammoths, winged lizards and unicorns. No I am not kidding.”

The next paragraph goes on to say: “It amazes me to realize that we are on the cusp of a new era in the history of life on earth – an age in which humans exercise an unprecedented level of control over the genetic composition of the species that co-inhabit our planet. I won’t be long before CRISPR allows us to bend nature to our will in the way that humans have dreamed of since pre-history”. We are back to the tweet that set me off in chase of unicorns.

I couple of pages later the book’s sometimes breakneck foray into a new CRISPR world populated by novel plants and animals, including unicorns, is somewhat slowed down by a note of caution: “We have a responsibility to consider the ramifications in advance and to engage in a global, public, and inclusive conversation about how to best harness gene editing in the natural world, before it’s too late.” This is a call for ‘Responsible Research and Innovation’ or RRI.

Unicorns and responsible language use

A Crack in Creation has, it seems, three aims: firstly and mostly to convey the excitement of CRISPR; secondly to point out emerging risks (especially with relation to germline editing); and thirdly to stimulate public debate. My question is: are unicorns the right way to go about stimulating this debate?

I have written quite a few posts about CRISPR, some more about responsible innovation, and some others where I try to include responsible language use in the RRI agenda. I have also written an article with Carmen McLeod entitled “The dilemma of raising awareness responsibly”. The book certainly exposes this dilemma.

Viewed from the perspective of RRI and responsible language use, A Crack in Creation might therefore not only stimulate public debate about CRISPR; it might also stimulate debate about responsible language use. As we have seen, unicorns grab public and media attention; but are they good examples of responsible language use, especially since they can easily morph into flying pigs?

Master builders

This episode in the history of gene editing and public engagement reminded me of the early days of nanotechnology, where excitement mingled with concern and public discussion. At the time (around 2003/2004), a former colleague of mine, José López wrote about the trope of the master builder which he saw running through some of the early nanotech discourses, a trope that is also commonly used in science fiction. In an interview he pointed out:

“’Looking at science fiction helps us understand how we talk about nanotechnology. Science fiction usually relies on revolutionary technology or a major event to define how society works. Nanotechnology gets talked about like that—some argue that it will change everything,’ López says. This world-changing technology or event is called a novum—time travel and parallel universes are classic examples. Science fiction then typically includes a master builder who interacts with the novum and drives the story line. ‘With this mindset, we perceive nanotechnology—and the scientists driving it, the master builders— as a way to reconstruct a new world,’ López says. ‘We’re speaking the language of hubris to think we can control the future in this way. We have to remember that nanotechnology is still in its infancy.’”

This is perhaps something we should reflect on in all the excitement and promise surrounding gene editing today, as it has implications for science, society and science communication.

Image: A unicorn, woodcut after C. Gessner, 1551, Wikimedia Commons

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justincharlacher · 7 years

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My Favorite Stuff of 2016

I was asked today if I had any favorite records of 2016, and after some consideration, the answer is no. I just didn’t listen to much music this year, and I’m actually relying on the year end lists of others to rectify that. I did watch a bunch of stuff and listen to a bunch of podcasts this year, so here is a list of stuff that moved me in those media, as well as two live music events that rocked me to bits in 2016.

Live music

The Local H reunion with original drummer Joe Daniels for a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their second record, As Good As Dead, kicked off in Chicago at the Metro on the anniversary weekend, April 15 and 16. I was there, and it was huge for me. Folks who know me know that Local H has been the band I’ve most consistently followed ever since seeing them touring for AGAD opening for Stone Temple Pilots in Philadelphia in November of 1996. So to be in their hometown for two sold out shows with Joe behind the kit for a set comprised of the entire AGAD record was amazing. It was made only better by the fact that current drummer Ryan Harding and singer/guitar/bass lunatic Scott Lucas kicked off the proceedings with a blistering set, and Lucas was then flanked by both drummers beating the ever-loving fuck out of a pair of quivering drum kits for a finale heavy on tunes from my favorite H record, 1998′s Pack Up the Cats. I would catch up with the tour a few weeks later in DC and Philly, a night that ended with a cheesesteak outing with the band and began with the fellas even tighter and more comfortable playing together. These dates were the highlights of my crappy 2016.

Nearly as awesome was seeing New Oreans sludge weirdos eyehategod in a tiny club in New York City in the fall. I’ve certainly seen EHG in tiny clubs before, but on this tour Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe was filling in for the ailing Mike Williams, and he was insane. I haven’t been into LoG for many years, and they long ago grew out of playing clubs, but this was a reminder of why I loved them so much. Blythe was a force of nature, a wild animal unleashed on a stage to a small room 2/3 full. Dude is the truth. Williams had a successful liver transplant at the end of the year, so hopefully he’ll back out croaking his unearthly vocals for the band soon enough, but catching the Blythe version was a real treat.

Podcasts

Extra Hot Great remains my favorite podcast. The crew who brought you Television Without Pity and Fametracker brave tech issues and thousands of miles of distance to bring discussion of television and ridiculous games. David T. Cole, Sarah D. Bunting, and Tara Ariano are the best thing I pipe into my earholes every week.

Slate’s Panoply network has expanded to include a wealth of great content, but I still gravitate to the OG lineup of The Culture Gabfest, Hang Up and Listen, and The Political Gabfest, which I turn on as soon as I wake up on Friday mornings. Each of these has three hosts with unique points of view and awesome chemistry, though they aren’t afraid to disagree.

The Read is Kid Fury and Crissle. Angry. Black. Queer. Put on your helmet!

The Film Pigs have the only podcast about movies on the internet, and certainly the only one that Chuck D. composed theme music for. Just ask them.

The Cracked Podcast often retreads ground covered in the articles on the site, but it’s worth it to hear Jason Pargin aka David Wong talk about anything. Dude is smart, thoughtful, and the kind of voice that needs exposure behind a humor site.

We Hate Movies. Start with the Boondock Saints II episode. You’ll thank me.

Television

Fleabag (Amazon Prime): This show you guys! Six episodes. Three hours. I dare you not to do it in one go. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a revelation as the eponymous hero with a foul mouth and the need to nervously chat with the audience throughout her adventures. To say too much would be doing disservice to the fantastic narrative that Waller-Bridge, who also created and wrote the show, has constructed. Just brace yourself for a wallop of an ending--and the urge to start over again as soon as you’ve finished. This was my favorite tv thing in 2016.

Catastrophe (Amazon Prime): Season two. Rob and Sharon are parents. What could go wrong?

Banshee (Cinemax): This show aired its fourth and final season in 2016, though I only caught up with the first three seasons earlier in the year. It’s the show for folks (like me) who love the kind of R-rated, big dumb action pictures that Hollywood doesn’t make anymore. An unnamed thief gets out of prison after 15 years and hauls ass to small town Pennsylvania to meet up with the woman he left behind. By chance, he witnesses the death of the town’s new sheriff, and using quick thinking and a hacker best friend dressed in drag, assumes the sheriff’s identity. As sheriff Nate Hood, our hero fights crime and corruption, and an apostate Amish kingpin. The action is filmed spectacularly, the violence would make Kurt Sutter blush, and it’s Cinemax, so you know the sex is sultry and plentiful. This show is an underrated gem.

Rectify (Sundance Network): Like Banshee, this one wrapped a four season run in 2016, and I had only just caught up with it. The tale of Daniel Holden, a man sentenced to death at 18 and released nearly twenty years later on a technicality (the show is cagey about his guilt), this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen on television, full stop. With standout supporting performances from Abigail Spencer and Clayne Crawford so powerful that I followed the actors to lesser network dramas, this show creates a portrait of people just trying to work through an emotional bomb that as been dropped as the shattered son, brother, friend, and step-brother they thought they’d never see again walks among them. Powerful stuff from Ray McKinnon, who I still think of as Reverend Smith on Deadwood.

Better Call Saul (AMC): Season two finds Jimmy with the opportunity to settle in as a legit lawyer and partner to Kim. Watching him willfully blow it is agony.

Search Party (TBS): So yeah...TBS is making quality dramedies now. Alia Shawkat leads a group of painfully self-involved friends as they search for a missing girl who they sort of maybe knew in college. Being lost in life is the real thematic game here, and the show finds a fresh way to engage this age-old trope.

Bojack Horseman (Netflix): I’m not sure that there has been a show as depressing as this one. Bojack Horseman wraps the self destructive tendencies of Walter White, Don Draper, and James McGill together and multiplies them. It’s made worse because he also really feels things, kind of. The third season dropped on Netflix in 2016, but you have to start from the beginning and give the show some time to hook you. It’s well worth it.

The People V. O.J. Simpson (FX): Never in a million years did I think I would even like this, but boy howdy... I loved it. Sarah Paulson is jaw-dropping in bringing Marcia Clark to life and her chemistry with Sterling K. Brown’s Christopher Darden is scorching. Whether or not Darden and Clark hooked up in real life, I can’t imagine many folks who didn’t want these two characters to just get busy already. Courtney B. Vance crushed the role of Johnnie Cochran. And what in God’s name was Travolta doing?! I hate Ryan Murphy products. I loved this show!

Finally, I’m going to toss out a group of good but not great shows that also watched intently in 2016. The Girlfriend Experience on STARZ expands on Soderbergh’s film with a real actress this time (though I think Sasha Grey did what was asked of her in the film). Quarry on Cinemax tells the story of a man who returns to Memphis after two tours in Vietnam and finds himself drawn into a mysterious underworld as an assassin. Lethal Weapon on FOX is far better than it has any right to be, and casts Rectify’s brilliant Clayne Crawford as Riggs to Damon Wayans’s Murtaugh. And Timeless on NBC tells the story of a hijacked time machine and the ragtag crew sent to chase it through American history. Abigail Spencer shows up in this one, so score another extension of Rectify. None of these shows is going to compete with greats like Rectify or Breaking Bad or The Wire, but even in a crowded tv market, I think they are worth a look. They are solid.

Movies

This is a short one as I saw very few new movies in 2016.

Green Room: Jeremy Saulnier brings the hurt with this tale of a hardcore band touring the Pacific northwest who get caught up with group of violent skinheads after a gig. Practical gore. Psychological horror. Patrick Stewart bringing soft-spoken menace as the cool leader of the neo-Nazi group. Also, one of Anton Yelchin’s final performances before his tragic death. This one had me watching through my fingers in the theater.

Brand: A Second Coming: This documentary chronicling the ups and downs of Russell Brand was probably the most thought-provoking film I saw all year. Directed by Ondi Timoner, who has made a career of examining male hubris, this film depicts a man who seems to truly mean well but simply cannot get out of his own way. I found it to be a very powerful character study.

The Nice Guys: I’m in the bag for Shane Black. He still makes the big dumb action pictures. I even liked Russell Crowe in this one.

The Conjuring 2: Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are terrific. These films are legit scary. James Wan expertly uses his camera for maximum tension.

Blue Jay: Sarah Paulson again. I love her. And I’ve also become very fond of Mark Duplass the actor. I’ve mentioned this film before. A lovely two-hander about what could have (and maybe should have) been.

So that’s it. On to 2017! Thanks for reading.

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