#so...kirsten has helped loads

[cerastes]

Since you like talking about relationships, I've got one I've been rotating in my head but can't really figure out: Kal'tsit and Muelsyse. They're both extremely long lived and, judging from Mumu's song, it's a major source of pain for her. But their personalities, at least on the face, are so totally different. I imagine they'd take quite a while to figure each other's shit out, since neither seems inclined to speak clearly or trust anyone more than necessary, leading to a dynamic that evolves quite a bit, and for a long time, perhaps to the confusion of less observant peers.

With both being practically the urban fantasy equivalent of long lived archmages with aching hearts, as well as experts on their particular fields, there's quite a few parallels one could make between them and their interactions would be very fascinating indeed!

However, I think you touched upon something that I think is both important and a bit different from how you put it: A main difference between Kal'tsit and Muelsyse is, in fact, that Kal'tsit does allow herself to trust in others, while Muelsyse keeps her cards close to her chest, even among those who she supposedly trusts.

Kal'tsit isn't naive, but she does in fact allow herself to trust others... A whole lot, in fact. She believed and trusted Theresa, and still tries to carry out her goals, she trusts in Amiya, not just because Theresa chose her, but because she really believes she's got what it takes. She trusts Rhodes Island Operators so much that, even though she's a powerhouse herself, she doesn't handle everything that Rhodes Island has going on and even has some Operators she implicitly trusts enough to let them handle some seriously dangerous stuff either under her or by being her extension in other endeavors she can't be there for personally, such as Margaret Nearl and Elysium. Reluctantly, she trusts in Doctor's abilities and temperament, in part out of necessity, in part because love it or hate it, Theresa did trust Doctor quite a lot, and so she'll trust in Theresa's trust.

Muelsyse, on the other hand? Her 'trust' is hugely utilitarian. Her choice of joining up with Rhine Lab was born out of necessity, as she judged that Kirsten and company would be her very best bet to achieve her own goals, but that backstabbing environment doesn't particularly allow one to make good friends or trust anyone too easily. In fact, during Mansfield Break, Muelsyse quite literally couldn't compute why Silence would be helping Anthony (Mountain) without ulterior motives: The fact that Silence would do it first and foremost out of the goodness of her heart was unbelievable to Muelsyse, because it goes against everything she's learned, especially in Rhine Lab. In a way, one could argue this is where she started changing a little, and it brought to mind how Saria was legitimately trying to be there for Ifrit because Saria legitimately holds affection for her, which Muelsyse thought was a load of barnacles before, at least without any sort of further objective or ulterior motive. Hell, Muelsyse's character song is a perfect fit for her: Chipper and energetic, yet, the lyrics are very sad and lonely.

I think a dynamic between Kal'tsit and Muelsyse would fundamentally be very... Curt, initially. All business from Kal'tsit's end, because Muelsyse has yet to earn her trust, all plastic smiles and idle hands from Muelsyse, because unless Kal'tsit can verifiably be of use to her beyond being a bigwig at RI, she doesn't need to know her.

But Kal'tsit grows on you, you know? Doctor's not the only one with those people skills... Perhaps they are at another level altogether, given they can handle even the freakiest freaks and weirdos and wrangle friendship out of them, but to say Kal'tsit isn't formidable in the arena of trust is but a lie. She'd get in, I'm sure. Muelsyse would see someone akin to her in ways other Terrans simply could never achieve, and while they are very different in terms of demeanor... Well, so are Kal'tsit and Closure, and Kal'tsit and Warfarin, two good friends of hers. Kal'tsit can definitely deal with Muelsyse's antics, and I think Muelsyse would enjoy seeing someone so similar to her in so many ways that can also allow herself to trust others. Maybe Kal'tsit could be important in just that: Muelsyse allowing herself to trust more.

#arknights #kal'tsit #muelsyse

[historyhermann]

"Kim Possible" Is A Fun Comedy and Action-Adventure

What if an ordinary high school girl saves the world on a daily basis, but is more afraid of her life as a teenager than any villains plotting to take over the world? Kim Possible answers that question in this well-regarded comedy-adventure series.

Reprinted from The Geekiary, my History Hermann WordPress blog, and Wayback Machine. This was the thirty-second article I wrote for The Geekiary. This post was originally published on March 6, 2022.

Kim Possible is an all-ages animated comedy, action, and adventure series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle. It ran for 87 episodes across four seasons, with episodes ranging in length from 11 to 22 minutes. Even though Kim Possible aired from 2002 to 2007, and many shows have come and gone since then, it shines in its own way.

As a warning, this recommendation discusses some spoilers for Kim Possible.

Kim faces off against Shego

Kim Possible centers on its titular hero (voiced by Christy Carlson Romano), a high school student who fights crime and saves the world at the same time. In fact, she finds being a teen even tougher than fighting villains like Dr. Drakken (voiced by John DiMaggio) and Shego (voiced by Nicole Sullivan). Kim is helped by her childhood friend, Ron Stoppable (voiced by Will Friedle), his naked mole rat, Rufus (voiced by Nancy Cartwright), and a computer genius named Wade Load (voiced by Tahj Mowry).

The story is mainly told from Kim's perspective, as she tries to balance her life as a crime fighter and a teenager in high school. Major supporting characters include Kim's parents, James (voiced by Gary Cole) and Ann Possible (voiced by Jean Smart), and the "tweebs" as Kim dubs them, Jim (voiced by Shaun Fleming) and Tim (Spencer Fox), who are Kim's younger brothers. Her brothers are a little like Phineas and Ferb, and have a bigger role in helping Kim and her friends in the show's fourth season.

Throughout Kim Possible, Kim faces off against Bonnie Rockwaller (voiced by Kirsten Storms), who is equivalent to Mandy in Totally Spies!. She is a rival classmate that is inconsiderate and is the complete opposite of Kim.

Kim is also helped by one of her best friends, Monique (voiced by Raven-Symoné), who helps her achieve a healthy work-life balance. In the fourth season, Monique designs Kim's new mission suit and even gets Kim a new pirate uniform in one episode. Since she knows a lot about fashion, she is akin to Tomoyo Daidouji, who designed all of Sakura Kinomoto's outfits in Cardcaptor Sakura.

When Kim, Ron, Rufus, and Wade, known collectively as Team Possible, aren't battling Drakken and Shego, they fight a variety of other villains such the half-monkey/half-man Monkey Fist (voiced by Tom Kane), Scottish golfer Duff Killigan (voiced by Brian George), German evil scientist Professor Dementor (voiced by Patton Oswald) and the wealthy father-son team, Señor Senior, Sr. (voiced by Ricardo Montalbán and Earl Boen) and Señor Senior, Jr. (voiced by Néstor Carbonell). The latter two are villains only because they are bored.

Since the show is for all ages, it doesn't have any gratuitous violence nor any mature themes present in series like Human Kind Of, Inside Job, and Disenchantment. Despite this, the show is still strong with funny jokes and situations. Even though it ended 15 years ago, the humor holds up.

The dialogue of Kim Possible is fast-paced and meant to cater to adult viewers, along with some visual jokes. This makes it similar to Phineas & Ferb, which has a spy subplot between a crime-fighting platypus and a evil scientist. Kim Possible is different because Drakken was formerly a classmate of Kim's father, making for intriguing stories throughout the series.

Unlike other Disney productions, the series is not very musical, meaning that there aren't songs in almost every episode as is the case for its more recent shows like Elena of Avalor, Milo Murphy's Law, Mira, Royal Detective, and Sofia the First. Even so, there are occasional songs throughout the series. Furthermore, the theme which opens every episode ("Call Me, Beep Me!," sung by Afro-Cuban actress and singer Christina Milian) gets you in the mood to watch each episode.

The characters, especially Kim and Ron, develop over the course of Kim Possible and realize who they are as people. This makes the viewer more invested in these characters and want to watch more episodes. Each plot, even if a simple one, is fascinating and pulls you in, building the story and making you care about what happens next. The series doesn't take itself too seriously, which makes it even more appealing.

Much of the comedy in Kim Possible comes from Drakken's hair-brained schemes or Ron's antics. Only Kazuda Xiono in Star Wars Resistance and Oscar in The Proud Family rival Ron's goofiness. He matures through the series. In the process, he becomes more romantically attracted to Kim, while she is attracted to him. He remains afraid of monkeys, making Monkey King his main arch-foe, while gaining what is known as the "mystical monkey power."

I have not seen the James Bond films that the series is parodying, nor that many spy films, but that didn't make me less interested in the show. I did see similarities between Kim Possible and the more recent Carmen Sandiego series, which has a similar set-up. I wouldn't be surprised if Kim Possible had somehow influenced that show. Unlike that show, Kim Possible has storylines which criticize celebrity culture, boy bands, consumerism, school popularity, fast food industry, fashion industry, corporate world, and not accepting other people.

Kim Possible is different from other shows in that Kim does not follow any stereotypes about women, which are often ingrained within and manifested by female characters. She can easily serve as a role model for people, just as much Carmen Sandiego in the new series about her, or Rapunzel in Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. This is because Kim has a loving family and supportive friends. She has a group of people ready to stand by her and help no matter what, even doing missions for her if she is too sick.

Kim is a bit of an optimist, as made clear by her slogan that she can "do anything." This comes to a head in some episodes as she begins to realize that she can't do everything, and she should have others help her if she is in trouble.

Similar to Adora in the award-winning series, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, or Carmen Sandiego, Kim has no secret identity. Instead, everyone knows her name and who she is, which makes her vulnerable at times. Even so, she is still able to travel the world and fight evil wherever, while keeping her social life back in the town of Middleton.

The voice actors of Kim Possible are well-known for other shows, like Futurama, The Simpsons, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The show has an air of authenticity since Romano was only 16 years old when she took the role of voicing Kim, meaning that she was maturing as the show was moving forward, just like Kim herself. This is similar to what Abbi Jacobson, who voices the protagonist in Disenchantment, said about her voice acting for Princess Bean in that series.

Shego talks to Kim after saving her from Warmonga in Season 4

One character in Kim Possible stands out: Shego. Although she is a villain and a criminal mercenary, some have argued that she is a feminist icon because, like Kim, she is no damsel in distress. She is a powerful woman who often makes sarcastic remarks and can have an abrasive personality at times. She can stand face-to-face with Kim and is her match in more ways than one, as she can be cunning and ruthless. In fact, she is perhaps one of the smartest characters in the series, even able to take over the world in the 2003 film, Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time.

Sullivan, her voice actress, delivers her lines with such precision that it makes you love Shego that much more. Unlike other villains, Shego is never shown killing anyone in the series, even if she views human life in a callous way.

She is clearly a badass and has a moral compass, unlike other villains. Despite the fact that others respect her, she could care less for them. She would rather read villain magazines, file the nails on her gloves, paint her nails, listen to the latest pop music, or go on vacation. She is unique in that she possesses green energy which can be generated from her hands. She is also as agile and fit as Kim. Their fights are just as epic as the sword fights in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and Star Wars: Clone Wars.

This has led some fans to ship her with Kim. Kigo has over 400 fanfics on Archive of Our Own. In the show's canon, however, Shego has a romantic relationship with Drakken following the conclusion of the show and is shown crushing on various men throughout the series. In the show itself, Kim and Shego have a mutual respect for each other, even though they are rivals. Kim even worries when Shego becomes "good" in a Season 4 episode and occasionally working with her.

Shego is very popular with fans, garnering thousands of stories, cosplays, and fan art. Even voice actress Amber Romero, who voices Parsley in High Guardian Spice, gave a nod to naming her cat "Shego."

Ron and Kim talk on the phone at the beginning of Season 4

The show's staying power is a testament to the fans. After the airing of the show's first three seasons and 2005 film, Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama, production on the series was halted by Disney executives. The success of the film convinced executives to renew the series for a fourth and final season, giving the series another 22 episodes, which Schooley called a "bolt out of the blue." The series makes clear that fans have the power to push for a show's continuation and can convince executives to change their minds.

The fourth season has a different tone than the previous seasons, as Kim and Ron are in a romantic relationship, something which started at the conclusion of the 2005 film. Much of the season is focused on that, and the strain it puts on both of them. The theme song is the same, but the opening sequence is different than the one used in the first three seasons.

In the season, Kim wears a battle suit, is more nimble, and is in her last year of high school, as are Ron and Monique. She also deals with the tweebs in school as they are now freshmen in her high school. Wade falls for Monique, Kim gets her own car, tries out a new crime-fighting outfit, and attempts to get Ron to eat a balanced diet.

Other Season 4 episodes focus on raising a young sibling, a shapeshifting villain, pirates, living history, job insecurity, voice-activated technology, social isolation, robots, mentorship, pneumatic tubes, babysitting, mind control, information control, lost pets, nannies, roleplaying games, high school graduation, alien invasion, and genetic mutation.

Beyond that, some of my other favorite characters include Camille Léon (voiced by Ashley Tisdale), Electronique (voiced by Kari Wahlgren), Motor Ed (voiced by DiMaggio), Will Du (voiced by B. D. Wong), Master Sensei (voiced by George Takei), Yori (voiced by Keiko Agena), and Zita Flores (voiced by Nika Futterman).

By Season 4, however, Yori's crushing on Ron has come to end, as Kim and Ron are dating. She is like a strong female character in anime and she respects Ron for who he is and is a skilled fighter. Camille is a terrible slimeball, but her ability to shapeshift into anyone makers her a worthy adversary. Motor Ed is an intriguing, but terrible, character not because of his often use of of the word "seriously" or that he plays air guitar. Rather it is due to the fact that he is a male chauvinist who has an eye out for beautiful women, like Shego, who understandably wants nothing to do with him.

Most reviews of the series are positive, but some are more critical. For instance, Lyn Mikel Brown in Girlfighting was dismayed at Kim for promoting a thin and beautiful heroine as an "average girl," the reliance on Ron, her biggest threat as Bonnie, and Kim set against other girls. This has some truth to it. Kim is a pretty and smart action hero and more cartoons have said that all body types are beautiful, not just those who are thin and athletic. However, Brown is forgetting that one of Kim's closest friends is Monique.

Additionally, there's nothing to say that Kim wouldn't have more female friends, since she has a network of people across the world who owe her favors. Some have argued that Kim is bisexual and have done so in some fanfics. They've even extended the same to Ron or to Shego.

The series has a bit more diversity, even with two White protagonists, than some more recent Disney series like Tangled and Phineas & Ferb. Wade's voice actor, Lowry, is part Afro-Bahamian and Monique's voice actor, Raven-Symoné, is a Black woman. Although both have important roles in the first three seasons, they have even bigger roles in the show's fourth season, with both going directly on missions - more for Wade than Monique. Additionally, Kevin Michael Richardson (as "Slim" Possible) is a Black man, Roz Ryan (as Wade's mother) and Sherri Shepherd (as M.C. Honey) are Black women.

There is other diversity in the cast. Adam Rodriguez (as Burn) is of Puerto Rican descent, Brian George (voice of Professor Acari) is of Indian descent, Gedde Watanabe (as Professor Robert Chen) is of Japanese descent. Clyde Kusatsu (as Nakasumi), Lauren Tom (as Miss Kyoko), and John Cho (as Hirotaka) are Japanese, while the late Montalbán was Mexican, and Carbonell is of Cuban descent.

Despite this, the show does not feature any outward LGBTQ characters even though Raven-Symoné, Wong, and Takei are gay and part of the show's cast. The closest we have are characters cross-dressing: Professor Dementor wearing a dress in an attempt to trick Kim, Ron and Wade dressing up as women in one episode, or Mr. Barkin wearing a dress on multiple occasions. If the show was to get a fifth season or was rebooted, hopefully this would improve, with complex and captivating LGBTQ characters, more diversity in the cast, and having protagonists in college like the later seasons of Totally Spies!. Some additional racial diversity in the series would also be a plus.

Kim Possible continues to remain popular, garnering a crossover episode in Lilo & Stitch: The Series in August 2005, and a live-action film entitled "Kim Possible" in 2019. Even so, it is very unlikely that it will return, regardless of the recent revival of The Proud Family. This is because the series ended on a declarative note, similar to the final episode of Futurama, except that in this case Kim and Ron graduate from high school, and the story is not starting over. However, some have pushed for another season.

Is it any surprise that Kim Possible was nominated for Annie Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, Kids' Choice Awards, and Daytime Emmy Awards? In 2005, the series won a Daytime Emmy for "Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing," specifically for live action and animation. Of course, awards aren't everything, but the fact it was nominated for 15 awards between 2002 and 2008 says something about the series.

Even though Kim Possible ended over 14 years ago, it has staying power now and in the years to come. It can currently be watched on Disney+, where it is not in chronological order, or through DVDs of all four seasons which can be checked out from your local library.

© 2022-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

#wordpress #kim possible #kp #comedy #action adventure #shego #kigo #libraries #lgbtq #arcane

[amazingamysalley]

I Love DICK (1999)

Last night, I watched Dick (1999) with my fiancee. I had remembered watching this a while ago and liked it, but wasn’t sure if it would hold up.

Oh yeah, it holds up.

For those who have never seen it, or don’t even know what it is, it’s a satirical retelling of Watergate that puts two teenage girls and the center of the events. It’s funny, it’s brightly colored, and it has a loaded cast full of Saturday Night Live and Kids in the Hall veterans. It’s a film that is great at creating impressions of the historical figures (albeit comically exaggerated a bit), even if they aren’t necessarily good impersonations. Although I think most of the “real people” work well in that manner, Nixon (Dan Hedaya) and Kissinger (Saul Rubinek) are clear standouts.

Given all of that, it would be a fine 90 minute comedy, worth watching once and dismissing. What makes it far more memorable, and makes it one of my favorite films, is because the two teenage girls are played by Kirsten Dunst (as Betsy) and Michelle Williams (as Arlene). Sure, they play up the silly, obliviously naive sides of the characters very well. What makes their performances so special is how they go beyond the surface and give their respective character’s emotional depth. When Arlene develops an intense crush on Nixon, it plays as goofy as it sounds, but she also makes it feel genuine. As such, when she is hurt once Nixon is revealed to be, well, Nixon, we feel that pain. Once Nixon’s mask is off, both of them are great at expressing their character’s disillusionment with the administration, and then their less than competent (although ultimately effective) enthusiasm at helping Woodward and Bernstein uncover the conspiracy. In the end, there’s a lot more I could write about this film, but I promised to keep these really short. I will just say that Dick is only about 90 minutes long, so check it out if you’ve never seen it. 

#dick 1999 #movie titles that require the year to go with it in the tag #films #my favorite films #this isn't the best frame from the film but its one of the goofiest

[primrosetransport]

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Give us a call at present and get a free quotation or assessment of your transfer. Careful Movers offers skilled, dependable and reasonably priced office furniture removals and relocation providers Moving Company Houghton. Our teams are experienced in transporting technical equipment, IT infrastructure, stock, inventory and large furniture.

JHB Removals as a full serviced removal company provide fast response time in your removal citation supported by quality workmanship, packaging materials's and assist providers to make sure a protected secure move. Our well-trained and talented furnishings movers whom are available in Johannesburg are in a place to help. Including with the packing, loading and transporting required when moving to a new Staff Relocation Houghton home. Careful Movers can help with each local and long-distance moving solutions in and around towns in the Johannesburg space. The home furnishings movers’ teams can take all the stress off your shoulders. From supplying packing supplies, doing the actual packing for you, wrapping of all massive furniture objects, loading and offloading the furniture.

Trust Careful Movers to be affordable, professional in addition to efficient in handling your particular moves. We provide an extensive range of packing providers obtainable in the Johannesburg space, as properly as packing materials, to assist guarantee your valuables are expertly wrapped, packed and transported. This is something that is usually over looked and taken frivolously. How good and correct your future has been packed might determine the situation you will obtain them in. Contact Careful Movers packers and movers today to take this burden off your shoulders. All our furniture removals trucks are enclosed and are outfitted with necessary blankets and packaging materials.

Kirsten’s passion is assisting folks to cherish life experiences and live a fulfilled way of life, without muddle and the burden of fabric issues. We are consultants at removal of unwanted items and organization of the entire home or any room within the home, from your lounge to your garage and every little thing in between. Tree Fellers Houghton  will  provide you with skilled tree fellers who will guarantee to have your tree under management within the similar day.

I highly rate her communication skills, particularly written email correspondence. I was so impressed with Sakkie and his team that I forgot to mention that Stuttaford Van Lines was the one company, out of about 12, which phoned me and offered to send a consultant to us. Nadia was so useful and environment friendly and it was a pleasure dealing with her. We are nonetheless busy making our new home our new home on this part of the nation where every little thing seems to work first time too!!! The climate has additionally been sort to us which has and is making our job of placing things of their right locations much simpler.

Unrest at Turfloop additionally had a direct bearing on the financial system of Pietersburg. With a large staff complement, 90% of whom had been residents of Pietersburg and who together earned about R3-million in salaries, the town was a natural choice for shopping trips. In 1932, with the help of Superintendent Dr Andrew, the new hospital introduced Home Removals Houghton an Indian part after Amod Bava and the Young Men’s Muslim Society put up the value of the power. Presumably, the State did not see it as an obligation to offer medical companies for Blacks, Coloureds and Indians, and these groups had to mobilise their own resources to organise these services.

This moving company additionally offers vans to hire and moving and packing providers. This is cost and time environment friendly to these individuals Storage Solutions Houghton who're unable to do their packing for his or her future relocation because of their busy schedules. Bulls Removals is South Africa’s top 5 skilled home moving company.

The devoted load is an specific service from your home to the delivery handle. This normally is an in a single day delivery service in most provinces except those that are far-off. Provinces like Limpopo would possibly want 2 travelling days from the Western Cape province. The distance between your present house and your potential home, as nicely as anticipated site visitors circumstances, performs an enormous role on this. The company is set aside from its rivals as it offers its purchasers a assure that if any of their possessions are damaged or damaged throughout a transfer, they'll both repair or substitute the item. Biggles Removal's popularity exceeds theirs and they are a well known Furniture Removal Company.

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#Staff Relocation Houghton

[ear-worthy]

Science Vs Latest Episode: Is There A Fountain Of Youth?

 There are a lot of fads, blogs, and strong opinions, and then there’s the Science Vs podcast from Gimlet, a Spotify Studio, to break down what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between. In today's society, a "wake-up call" is needed since so many political extremists seem to pronounce their expertise in a scientific myth that they've garnered from Facebook or some right-wing podcaster. To them, everything is either a hoax, the deep state or a conspiracy.

That's why Science Vs continues to act as the light that prevents the darkness from taking over. Research, analysis, and factual accuracy dominate on this podcast. How refreshing.

The simple question of what actually works when it comes to keeping our skin looking young and fresh has become confused by the billion-dollar skincare industry, which floods us with scientific-sounding claims that we need to put expensive chemicals on our face, but - are these fancy creams actually doing anything?

 In this new episode, host Wendy Zukerman pits facts against fine lines to seek out the real science behind trying to engineer a fountain of youth. Wendy speaks with dermatologist Dr. Natalia Spierings, pharmacist Dr. Szu Wong, and journalist Kirsten Drysdale, examining why we get wrinkles and the promises of the skincare industry to ask whether we can actually put something on our skin to prevent wrinkles or make them go away. Some key takeaways from the episode include:

●      As we get older, there are fewer proteins like elastin and collagen, which give our skin structure. In addition to the process of aging, UV rays from the sun can also penetrate into the skin, damaging that elastin and collagen. This is why baby skin is always so smooth, and older people’s skin is a little more rough.

●      It’s incredibly difficult for an ingredient to go from skin application to get deep into the skin. It has to start by passing through the top layer of skin barrier, the stratum corneum. To get through, it needs to be fat soluble, which takes a bunch of skincare products out of the game like one popular ingredient, Vitamin C, which is water-soluble so can’t really penetrate the skin. Secondly, the space between the cells that they’re trying to squeeze past is tiny, which eliminates a whole other load of skincare products including Collagen and Hyaluronic Acid.

●      One of the most common chemicals that people put on their skin to prevent wrinkles is Vitamin A creams. The one you’ve probably heard of is Retinol, and then there's a prescription version called Tretinoin or Tret, which is mostly used for acne. Studies going back decades show that for some people, when putting tretinoin on their skin for months, it can help stop the degradation of collagen and elastin. However, over the counter Vitamin A creams might not work that well for wrinkles…

●      Before wrinkles set in, or to prevent bigger ones from forming, the only thing that comes in a bottle that you really need is SUNSCREEN.

So check out this latest episode to learn more about the science of aging. 

It was author Dan Wakefield who waxed philosophically on the challenge of aging.

 "That's why it's so hard to look in a mirror. You are looking at yourself, but you don't recognize yourself. It's a shock. The person you see is older, and heavier, and has wrinkles. But you don't feel that way inside, and it's hard to believe that's how you really look now, how other people see you."

#podcast #science #beauty #fear of aging

[the-wandering-daughter]

Dinner at Lisa’s

Tonight, I sat across the table from Kirsten. She was the Wi-Fi password. I wonder if their other daughter feels any type of way from not being the Wi-Fi password. I know I would, but I have had my feelings hurt by my parents my whole life so it wouldn’t be any surprise. My brother would definitely be the Wi-Fi password. 

Maxton, Kirsten’s husband, rocked their baby Oliver almost the entire time I was there. Maxton seems like such an amazing father. I watched Lisa, Kirsten’s mom, jump up when Kirsten asked if there was a load in the wash, as Oliver had just thrown up on their bed. Lisa ran upstairs and pulled the clothes out of the dryer into the hamper, hung the comforter over the banister still wet, and threw their bedding in the wash immediately. 

That was me. I was Lisa, I am the good mom. Maxton, well that was Leighton. I sat there and I realized how disassociated I was from this evening. 

Tonight, as a woman, a mother, and an adult who forms their own opinion, I re-met my Great Uncle Henry. I say re-met because I literally struggle so fucking much with dissociative amnesia. 

I always thought my Grandpa Samaniego and his siblings had this trauma-filled childhood and were too old-fashioned and simple to seek any sort of therapy and used that as a hall pass for his shitty upbringing of his children. I imagined they were all so distant like us. 

Tonight, I was proven so fucking wrong. 

Great Uncle Henry breeds Goldendoodles with his wife. He has raised a completely stable, healthy, and capable human being and daughter in Lisa. Lisa is happily married and has a big family of 4 kids. Lisa and her husband still have some kids living at home. Lisa’s kids laughed about how they still call their dad for help with English homework.

Tonight, I got to see a happy and healthy Samaniego family and it broke a piece of me. It tore me because how the actual fuck did my grandfather let this slip away from him? How can you look at this beautiful family and not want exactly what the fuck they have?

I cherish the small steps I take as a mother to get to where we need to go, to raise a solid human being. I really do. But seeing Lisa jump to help, seeing her full home, seeing her in the kitchen, I can’t wait for that.  I can’t wait to be the good mom. 

Being a single mom, bad cop, it’s tiring. I find peace knowing I will get to enjoy Leighton as a young adult. I know I am raising a good human. I am grateful, but tonight, it also feels so heavy.

#trama #brokenhome #familytrauma #healing #raisingmyself #thewanderingdaughter

[primeiptvservices22]

Grab the beast login beast IPTV service

What is the Best Streaming Service for Movies?

Whether it’s an IPTV operative or an IPTV enterprise, each IPTV service provider wants to settle on top of the latest trends in the trade, it is enormously indispensable to get updated with the foremost trends of the IPTV world. The most important trends make clear the necessity of IPTV in order to produce the business wherever broadband internet is used for the release of television programming. To assist you to comprehend; go all the way through the blog where a number of the accepted trends in the IPTV trade are listed as the interests of the populace that are leading the bazaar right now. But the main thing that a person needs to focus on is which is the best streaming service for movies but first of all, let us have a view on various latest and popular movies.

The Power of the Dog (2021)

More than a decade later than her preceding film, Bright Star, unexpected filmmaker Jane Campion has stretched out the director's chair once more to watch over The Power of the Dog. She finished up winning an Oscar, so it was a superior move. The Western centers that are on Phil Burbank, a bossy rancher who uses the control of deadly manliness to have his means, mocking his brother for lessening in love. The Power of the Dog is an enticing exercise in the delicate shifts of emotion as well as power in relationships. Jesse Plemons Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as Kirsten Dunst, is huge, helping to bring Campion's masterful dream to life.

News of the World (2020)

Paul Green grass (Jason Bourne) directs Tom Hanks in the moving Western. Civil War experienced individual Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd discovers a youthful girl years later than she was captured by inhabitant Americans as a baby. While helping come back her to her family, he does his customary job of traveling to towns as well as reading newspapers for a minute fee. Don't expect a high-octane act: This highway movie is fueled by character growth and stunning views. Still, you'll wish to resolve in for a comforting journey with wholesome sympathetic Hanks at the routing wheel.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

The Coen Brothers dribble up the western powder with a collection film that gives you six vignettes of the entire set on the American frontier. One of them is on the subject of the titular Buster Scruggs, a cheerful singing cowboy who carelessly sets off a rocket in a cantina. But there's a murky twirl that remains you on your toes. Sewing the break of its stories mutually with steady black humor.

The Platform (2019)

From Netflix's imposing secrete of international films comes Spanish sci-fi shock The Platform. Its high-concept tale centers on a loom that delivers foodstuff to the public on each of its loads of levels by the use of a platform. Those at the top problem the best, as well as the most plentiful spread, which is devoured as the display place, lowers down the levels. Social explanation rings all the way through this dystopian suspenseful story, which takes shocking, sporadically horrible turns all the system to the base.

The Wonder (2022)

This psychosomatic period play from Chilean leader Sebastián Lelio opens its storybook in the mainly surprising of ways. Asking you to consider the authority of storytelling, The Wonder centers on English nurture (Florence Pugh) who is tasked by means of watching a youthful girl in 1862 rural Ireland -- a girl that appears not to have eaten for months. Nurse Wright gets to the base of what's going on, at the same time as discovering the payback of her personal storytelling. The Wonder can be sluggish going as well as owes a lot to Pugh's simmering presentation, but it holds you in anticipation of the gripping end.

Passing (2021)

Rebecca Hall makes her managerial debut in superb fashion with her altered copy of Nella Larsen's 1929 novel Passing. It tells the tale of two glow-skinned Black women, one of whom chooses to "bypass" as white. Tessa Thompson as well as Ruth Negga embody the duality in the spirit of this weak story, shot in black as well as white. Gracefully handled, Passing is an affectionate portrait revealing influential psychosomatic depths.

Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021)

Andrew Garfield takes the attention for this biographical melodious drama regarding Jonathan Larson, the late composer at the back of Rent and Tick, Tick... Boom! The film, helmed by Lin-Manuel Miranda in his executive debut, follows Larson's career as well as the time pressure he feels to go away a lasting impression. With joy-inducing melody, a significant narrative regarding the imaginative method, and an obsessive presentation from Garfield as Larson, Tick, Tick... Boom! Is a polished as well as a feel-good tribute.

Beast IPTV Service

Beast IPTV Service is an IPTV service that does do better than most of its competitors out there. If you are searching for an IPTV that provides you with a broad variety of channels, a hard VOD line-up, HD quality, well-mannered uptime, as well as a simple-yet-effective EPG skill then Beast IPTV Service is surely the wonderful choice. Of course, as is ordinary with nearly all IPTV services, there are a number of downsides by means of the service as well. Some channels could load gradually at times, or else not load at all, but there are no grave issues with the service.

Beast IPTV Service is one of the fresh entrants in the IPTV trade as well as they’ve speedily made a mark on the scene. Anyone who’s agreed it a try has been flattering the service for its quality as well as reliability. Looking at how this is a fresh entrant, the on-the-whole quality as well as consistency is absolutely up to par with a number of the oldest players in the business.

The first-class thing regarding Beast IPTV Service so remote is that it hardly ever goes down, so you get to stream your preferred channels roughly all the time. Best of all, they permit 4-connections so that you can stream the IPTV channels on up to at least 4 devices at a similar time. So, if you wish to stream the IPTV on numerous devices then you can effortlessly do so on up to 4 devices, other than according to their purchaser support, all devices should be on a similar IP; on the other hand, our testing shows that devices on diverse IPs as well work.

When it comes to content, there are a variety of channels accessible from all the regions of the globe. The mainly popular UK, US, as well as CA channels are all accessible along with a broad variety of intercontinental channels from diverse countries like UAE, Germany, Turkey, Denmark, and more. There are your common Entertainment channels, Sports, Music, Kids’ shows, and more. In addition to all of that, they moreover proffer a vast VoD segment that works faultlessly on their app. The Adult section, on the further hand, is locked by defaulting as well as you want a pin code to unbolt it which is huge for keeping it away from Kids as well as Family.

When it comes to supported devices, Beast IPTV Service supports a lot of diverse devices ranging from your preferred smartphone to the Amazon Firestick. They have an easy way of the site up their stream all the way through SO Player which is accessible on all the well-liked app stores next to with a downloadable APK on its authorized website. All you require is a username/password to log in to the app as well as the IPTV will be routinely set up for you. They moreover have complete tutorials on their website on how you are capable of setting up the IPTV on a cluster of diverse devices.

If you are having any concern then the client support team is just an email away as well as they always get back to you in 48 hours which are not that fast, other than not bad bearing in mind the IPTV industry is far at the back when it comes to client support. Luckily, they moreover have a live chat alternative that provides you with immediate answers.

Grab the beast TV login

Step 1- Before you put in the Beast TV app; award the essential permissions on the grate stick. Move as well as change unknown sources. This could be done by the use of the next way: move to your Device Settings then My fireplace TV after that Developer choice > change “Apps from Unknown Sources”

Step 2: Once enabled, and then install the Downloader Application from the Amazon app store. This may act for the cause that the entrance to put in the Beast TV Application. To put in Downloader, wish the within the sky-scraping left of your Amazon fireplace Stick screen, as well as look for “Downloader” desire the app as well as install it.

Step 3: Once “Downloader” is open, head over to the all-purpose resource locator tab, as well as the kind on the official website then Press, and enter to the right to use the Beast TVAPP transfer sheet.

Step 4: Within the Beast TV Page, select the blue “Download” button.

Step five: A quick can crop up, asking you to place in ‘Perfect Player. Install this application just by choosing ‘Install‘on the extremely despicable left element of the screen.

Step half dozen: Open the Player Application. Once open, the app can be registered with our Beast TV subscription. Then choose Settings (Gear button on the top right of screen) then General

Step seven: Generally, some information needs to be entered. Enter the record link on or after the Beast TV Activation email in the ‘Playlist Link’ class of Player. Press okay to confirm the access.

Step eight: Next, go into the ‘EPG link’ from the Beast TV Activation Email hooked on the EPG class of Player. Once approaching the link, be assured to correct the EPG set to ‘Download at each Update’ to verify your TV Guide is more often than not accurate.

Step nine: Once you’ve entered the essential information, select the rear button on your fireplace Stick remote. The application can locate the show in a catalog of TV channels.

How to use the AAP + settings that have got to be enabled?

Before we will proceed with the oppression of the Beast TV service, there charge a handful of changes that have got to be shaped to the app to make certain Associates most optimistic streaming skill.

1 – Change Folder teams. Within the Player application, select the “Three lines” button on your fireplace stick remote. Then, select the “Main Menu” option. In “Main Menu” select the Settings/Gear button. Now, press “GUI“ And change “Show Channel teams as folder”. Select back just a quantity of times on your remote, till the home screen of Player displays.

This will mechanically type the channels by Country cluster via a folder. To means in these folders, choose the left button on your remote on any excellent Player screen, to induce the channel teams.

2 – Change EPG within the Player home screen, grip the “Three Lines” key on your fireplace stick remote as well as push the “Show EPG” button. This might make available you with a complete TV guide. Dail for [phone] Free Trial Visit https://primeiptvservice.com/

[linnet92holder]

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[booasaur]

Vigil (2021) - 1x03 - “There are still some bits of light. Something or...or someone will come along and make it seem worth it.”

#vigiledit #bbc vigil #amy silva #kirsten longacre #suranne jones #rose leslie #vigil spoilers #vigil 1x03 #amy x kirsten #femslash related stuff #awww #when she lifts kirsten's arm around her #and the quote's quite nice #so...kirsten has helped loads #but presumably amy still couldn't let the past go--understandably #wonder what happens next #so much has been uncovered but there's a full half to go

[mrsackermanx]

good boy

description: levi finds you nervous before an expedition, and helps share the load.

wc: 1.2k

themes: self-indulgent subby levi, use of ma’am, mommy kink, canon verse, levi’s not tough for long, casual sex, public sex, creampie, light degradation

an: i haven’t wrote any smut in a minute and this has been chilling in my drafts, not really beta red but i miss writing smut so sm

"Who's there?"

You jolt, the leaves you're fidgeting with ballooning to the floor, and then another rustle in the bushes. And there he is, prying himself through the forest, feet deft and determined.

"Cadet, why aren't you in your tent?" Your heart skips as he steps over you, never has he looked more ethereal than he does in this moonlight. "What's wrong?" You nervously clear your throat, folding your arms tighter together in your barely decent nightdress. "Tsk, you all make me sick, are you waiting for Jeager or the like? It's not my business...but be up in the damn morning."

You giggle and he pauses, taking the opportunity to cage you in against the bark of the tree you’re leant upon. “What’s funny?” he urges, jabbing his knee into your jaw.

"My tastes are more refined Cap."

"Oh? So you're waiting for Sasha or…Mikasa in that dress?”

"Maybe I’ve been waiting for you."

He crouches to face you, cheeks reddening at the sight of your casually revealed skin. "Now that I'm here, I can take you back to your tent, did you get lost?"

You shake your head, a smile sweet on your lips, "I'm just nervous for the expedition tomorrow, and I need something to take my mind off it.”

"That's...normal." he grumbles, turning away from you with a disgruntled expression. But when you sneak your hand across his thigh, he switches, hand snatching yours. "Fuck are you doing?"

"Captain Levi.” you croon, voice dribbled in honey and sweet cinnamon.

"Let's go back to the site-"

You pull down the neckline of your nightdress and spring your breasts free, twirling your cold pebbled nipples. Though Levi is not one to play games, especially not the night before an expedition, as he lurches forward and grabs your throat. "What the fuck are you doing, coming on to a superior, you're better than this."

You smirk. "Do it harder."

He’s glaring, but his eyes are glued to your nipples. "I'm sure you'd fucking like that, wouldn't you?"

"I wouldn't mind if you wanted to use me for the night."

"Listen if you want a cock in your face so bad I’m sure Kirsten, Braun or even Artlert wouldn't mind a stab at it, but you can stop this shit with me. You're nothing but a brat to me."

Your eyes widen and your dumbfounded you've never heard him say anything this lewd all these years. "Fuck you."

"In your dreams." he snarls, dropping his grip on your neck, and standing to his feet. "Now follow me, you're going back to your tent."

"Bet your dicks fucking tiny right? Is somebody insecure?” you cackle. Your heart stops, he stops. Slowly turning back to regard you with the sickest grin on his face, as he marches back your way, hands on his belt.

"Wanna take a look at it? You that hungry?”

"Fine." Your nonchalance is firing him up even more. He practically rips his belt off before your eyes, glancing down at you expectantly while his fingers strum against the bark of the tree. You unzip his trousers, a confident hand sliding down his pants to feel something. "Well…” Oh. “Fair enough. But why are you so hard?”

"You're tits are out." he deadpans. "Just because I control myself better than half of these men ever could, doesn't mean I don't have eyes."

"Oh, so how does this make you feel." You ruck your dress up, spreading your thighs wide to show him your glistening cunt.

He carefully licks his lips, hardening in your hand, "I'm sure you can feel your answer."

"My mouths nice and warm you know, and I’m more than happy to help you out."

"You want it in your mouth?"

"M-" He grabs your face, tugs down his pants and squeezes your nose, shoving his entire length down your throat. "Dirty fucking girl." he groans, fucking your throat with no building rhythm. You play along with no complaints, letting him bunch and knot your hair between his fingers for leverage, while you latch your hands on his hips, letting him take free reign of your mouth. "I'll come on these tits, you were so, desperate to show me." he grunts out breathless, fucking your hot wet mouth even harder.

You moan, fingers trailing to your folds to circle the wetness growing there onto your clit, eyes rolling back as you both shake and whimper together. "That's it, choke on me, this mouth needed shutting up!"

Your gasping, your nose hitting his pelvis with every deeply filling hit of his cock to your throat. Though when he slows a second he notices you struggling and stops, pulling away in short brisk pants. "Pretty little bitch can't take a cock? Pathetic."

You stand up, plunging your lips onto his and walking him backwards until he cushions both of your falls onto the grass. "Fuck Cadet, you're good, do you do this to all the men here hm? Fucking charmer huh?"

"Hey Levi." You latch your lips onto his jaw, pressing hot kisses all over his ears to make him groan as you grab the base of his cock and angle it to your cunt. "I'm gonna ride it, and you're going to finally shut your fucking mouth."

He fights the urge to snarl, ‘get on it then’, how can he with that hungry look in your eyes?

"Yes ma'am, I’ll shut up.” he groans, pulling you close by the hems of your dress. “Fucking take me.” he whispers, whimpering as you slide him in.

“You like this?”

"I've never had it so damn good, the fuck you doing to me?” You rock on him, squeezing fistfuls of his soft black tresses between your fingers, and making his eyes flutter back. He’s gripping your dress like a reign, (though he’s far from riding) watching in awe as you fuck him.

"Yeah?" You pull on his hair even harder and he whines out, hips eagerly thrusting up to yours. "Who's desperate now, how embarrassing. Look at me when i'm fucking you Levi."

He nods weakly, eyes lidded as he glances up at you, "Look at you letting me use you, you're dirty Cap, real dirty."

He shakes his head, clammy hands digging in tight on your waist, "This fucking, pussy of yours." he pants, eyes rolling back as you follow your hands to his nipples and massage them, licking along the throbbing pulse points running through his neck. “Fuck me, fuck your f-fucking captain. Please!“

"You needed to be fucked didn't you Cap? Always so uptight."

"Mm, a woman on my cock, I needed you." he babbles, yelping when you pinch his nipples and make him arch into you further. "I'm gonna fucking finish, please don’t make me come so soon, I want you to feel good too mommy.” You gasp, moaning out his name like a madwoman. You grow faster, moaning on him as you fuck yourself on his cock. Your noises syncing as his hot climax spurts up into you, his entire body shaking fitfully as he releases, but you carry on. Shoving your fingers down his throat as you bounce on him, smirking at the tremors racking through him below you. "Ah, oh, fuck, please!" he gargles.

"You can't fucking take it?" you chuckle darkly, clutching his throat tight and kissing his forehead. "But I need to come."

"Use my face, please. Instead, I’ll use my tongue so good."

"You will?"

"Mm, please i'll be so good."

"What a good boy...but no."

He's yelping out now, balls tightening a second time as he fondles your breasts with sloppy kisses, eyelids fluttered shut, skin dripping with sweat, tongue outside of his mouth. "Cover my dick, keep getting it wet, oh, oh, it’s so wet oh my-"

"Levi, shut up." you moan, clamping your hand over his mouth, and smirking, your climax dangerously close.

"Keep being a good boy for me."

"Yes mommy."

"Oh fuck, mommy's gonna come so good now."

"Please mommy, come on me, fucking need you!-Ah, fuck!" He sobs, covering his face as he comes a second time, this time it feels so fucking good it's unfair...surely. You're clenching sporadically on him, so hot and wet around him, throbbing even, your cum slipping down to mingle with his settled at the base of his twitching dick. "Oh Captain, that was fucking good." you groan, collapsing down onto his chest, and grinning when he wraps his arms around you.

"You'll catch a cold in this."

"Not after what we just did."

"Don't tell anyone...about what I said."

"No worries, I liked it."

"Captain!"

"Levi! Where are you?!"

"Oh fuck get off me-"

MrsAckermanX 2021 ©

#levi x reader #levi ackerman #aot fanfiction #levi fanfiction #drabble

[engie-ivy]

Receiving a love confession from Sirius Black is probably the dream of almost every student at Hogwarts. Remus just whishes Sirius would move on, but you should be careful what you wish for...

Don't worry, it's a short, fluffy Wolfstar get-together. Lily knows about Remus’ Furry Little Problem in this.

How do you feel about Sirius Black?

“I swear to Merlin, if Gina Simmons looks at me like that one more time, I’m gonna give her something to be mad about,” Lily grumbles, her eyes flaming with anger.

Gina Simmons, who had been glaring in their direction, quickly turns her head as Remus looks over his shoulder. She whispers something to Beth Walker and Davey Martens, who both glare at Lily and Remus as well.

Remus sighs. “Is it always like this?”

Lily’s expression softens. “It gets less,” she says. “But there’s this persistent group that just can’t get over it. This morning, I heard Rosemary Rowle call me ‘an entitled bitch who thinks she’s too good for James Potter’. Rosemary Rowle! The girl who can’t finish a sentence without mentioning her ‘daddy, who has such an important job at the Ministry’ calling me entitled!” The angry expression is back and she clenches her quill so hard Remus worries she’s gonna break the thing.

Remus frowns. “I overheard Randall Thorne ask Jules Flemming whether he reckoned I thought I could do better, and during Potions Kirsten Pembroke threw a vial of Armadillo bile over me!”

Lily winces. “I’m sorry. I should’ve warned you to stay away from Kirsten Pembroke if she has throwable substances within reach.”

“I just don’t understand what their problem is,” Remus mutters.

Lily smiles ruefully. “You’re now officially part of the club of people who have committed the atrocious crime of rejecting the school’s most popular and beloved students, Potter and Black. With you joining, our member count is now a total of two.”

“But that’s the thing! I rejected him,” Remus says. “Nothing’s changed. They can go on writing Mrs or Mr Black on their notebooks for all I care.”

“Oh Remus,” Lily sighs wistfully. “To be so naive. I’ve rejected Potter about fifteen times now, and they still won’t forgive me for him apparently choosing me over them. Of course, in my case it doesn’t help that Potter still refers to himself as the future Mr Evans,” Lily adds with a grimace.

“It just doesn’t make sense,” Remus says, shaking his head. “They should be thankful I don’t return his feelings!”

“Well, first of all, you saying no to Black doesn’t chance the fact that he’s head over heels in love with you. Not immediately, at least. So he’s still just as unavailable to them. And more importantly, in their eyes you were given the greatest gift that can be bestowed upon a man or woman: a full-blown love confession by Sirius Black.” Lily rolls her eyes while speaking. “And the fact that you didn’t even appreciate it, just makes it worse.”

“I never asked for-”

“I know, Remus, I know. I’m just explaining how they see it. You and I are the horrible people who had the audacity to break their heartthrobs Potter and Black’s hearts.”

Remus groans. “I whish Sirius would see how ridiculous it is for him to be in love with someone like me.”

“Remus,” Lily says in a dangerous tone.

Remus ignores her. “I whish he’d just move on. I whish he’d date someone else, so they’ll have no reason to pester me anymore!”

Remus is writing his essay. Frantically. Or rather, furiously. Pressing hard on his quill while scribbling in angry, fast strokes, a pile of broken quills already forming next to his parchment.

“Did that essay murder your family?” Lily asks, as she sits down in front of Remus. “I honestly thought you’d be in a good mood.”

Remus looks up at her, a sulky expression on his face. “So you’ve heard?”

“Heard?” Lily asks. “I’ve orchestrated the whole thing!”

Remus gives her a confused look, so Lily elaborates.

“After our last conversation, I went up to Black and I just told him ‘oi, the whole school knows about your unrequited love for Remus, and some twats are giving him a really hard time about it, so if you could just take someone on a date to Hogsmeade this Saturday so they’ll stop pestering Remus, that’ll be great’. And he agreed!”

Remus just blinks at her.

Lily frowns. “That’s what you wanted, right?”

“Yes!” Remus says a little too quickly. “I just... don’t get why he’d ask Alyssa MacMillan. She’s rather dull, don’t you think?”

Lily shrugs. “She’s nice enough, but more importantly, she thinks Black is fit and would love to go out with him, but she’s got no real feelings for him and isn’t looking for a relationship, so she won’t mind just drawing people’s attention away from you, or draw his attention away from you, for that matter.”

“Right,” Remus says. “Guess I just didn’t think she’s his type, is all.”

“Who knows,” Lily smiles mischievously. “It could become some kind of Fake Dating, Friends to Lovers scenario, and they might fall in love for real! Then your problem is solved for good.”

Remus looks at her like she just told him puppies have gone extinct.

“Merlin, Remus. What is it? Is this some kind of ‘I don’t want him, but I don’t want anybody else to have him either’ thing? Because that’s really shitty!”

“No,” Remus says defensively. “No, that’s not it. I just think Sirius can do better than Alyssa MacMillan, but if that’s what he likes, than good for him.”

“Oh, for Godric’s sake, you’re jealous!”

“No, I’m not! Or at least, I don’t think I am. Am I?”

Lily folds her arms over her chest and stares at Remus intently. “Remus Lupin, do you have feelings for Sirius Black?”

“I... I don’t know,” Remus looks quite miserable. “I mean, I’ve never thought about it.”

“Never thought about it?” Lily exclaims. “How do you mean, never thought about it? Do you remember that evening when Black took you out on a moonlit walk by the Great Lake, and poured his heart out to you, saying how he’s been crazy in love with you since the beginning of fifth year, and asked if you wanted to go on a date with him, to which you answered no? That would’ve been the moment to think about it!”

“It’s just...” Remus anxiously runs a hand through his hair. “With my condition, romantic relationships simply are not an option. I always saw romance as one part of being a teenager I didn’t have to concern myself with. I guess I just started to automatically ignore all thoughts and feelings related to romantic relationships. When Sirius made that confession, I was shocked, and the only thing I could think was ‘no, he can’t, he shouldn’t. I don’t do romance. I have to put an end to this immediately’. I never considered my own feelings. I mean, why would I?”

“Well, that’s a load of crap,” Lily scolds.

Remus opens his mouth to protest, but Lily cuts off whatever he was going to say.

“Not that you thought all of that, I believe you did, but that you can’t have romantic relationships with your condition is nonsense.”

“It’s never been done,” Remus argues.

“If no one ever did anything that’s never been done, we’d still be living in caves,” Lily firmly replies.

Remus fiddles with the hem of his sweater. “You really think it’s possible?”

“I don’t think it’s possible, I know it’s possible. So now we have established that, how do you feel about Sirius Black?”

“I’ve never thought-”

“Well, think about it now!”

“I don’t know,” Remus says, staring at the table. “Of course I think he’s attractive, but that doesn’t mean anything except that I have eyes. I mean, who doesn’t think he’s attractive? With that hair and those eyes... And I have even more reason, sharing a dorm with him. I see him when he comes out of the shower wearing just a towel, sweet mother of Merlin...”

Lily waits patiently for Remus to finish daydreaming.

Remus shakes himself out of his daze. “And of course I like him as a person. I wouldn’t have been friends with him all these years if I didn’t like him as a person. And what’s not to like? He’s clever, funny and brave, but he also has this really sweet side, you know? A side he doesn’t show much, and I guess it makes me feel special that he does show it around me. He always makes me feel special. It’s kind of weird, actually. He makes me feel special, but at the same time he makes me feel like I can just be myself, and that’s enough. I feel comfortable around him, and I suppose I do prefer his company above anyone else’s. Even on those moments when I normally don’t want to see anyone, he’s the only one I prefer being with over being alone. And when he’s not around I often find myself thinking about him. Now that I think about, I think about him almost all the time...”

Remus trails of and looks at Lily with wide eyes. Lily just nods.

“Oh Merlin,” Remus groans, hiding his face in his hands.

“Remus, Remus, Remus,” Lily sighs. “You’re so lucky to have me as a friend. Here’s what you’re going to do...”

“Padfoot?”

Sirius whirls around, and grins at Remus. Remus can tell he’s trying to act like everything’s normal between them, but he can also tell that his grin is somewhat forced and there’s a hint of pain in his eyes.

“Wotcher, Moony.”

“I wanted to talk to you,” Remus says.

The grin fades from Sirius’ face, and he runs a hand through his hair. “Ah, yeah, Evans told me about those people that’ve been bothering you. I’m really sorry, Moony. If I had known...”

“It’s not your fault,” Remus says.

“I know you feel uncomfortable about my feelings for you.” There’s a sadness in Sirius’ voice. “I won’t mention it again. I never meant to make you uncomfortable. If I could change it, I would, but being in love with you has become such a big part of me, and it’s not something I can just stop. Turns out, you’re a very hard person to not be in love with.”

“I don’t want you to not be in love with me!” Remus says.

Sirius frowns. “You like having me hopelessly pine after you that much?” He looks slightly hurt.

“No,” Remus says quickly. “No, I just think I might have been... too hasty in rejecting you?”

“Moony,” Sirius sighs. “You have every right to reject me. You don’t have to try and force yourself into feeling something you don’t, just because you pity me, or some stupid twats think they can judge you.”

“I rejected you because I didn’t think you should be with...” Remus gestures vaguely at himself. “Well, with someone like me. It only occurred to me recently, very recently, that I never even considered whether I have feelings for you.”

“And do you...”

“I do.”

“Oh.”

“Oh indeed.”

Sirius lets out a nervous chuckle. “So do you want to-”

“No!”

Sirius blinks in confusion. Remus quickly tries to clarify.

“I mean, no, you already asked me last time, this time I want to ask you.”

Sirius mutters something under his breath about a bloody emotional roller-coaster. Remus continues.

“I already talked to Alyssa MacMillan, and she told me to ‘go get my man’, so since you’re now free this Saturday, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me, as in a date?”

Sirius’ face lights up in a smile so beautiful it makes Remus a little dizzy. “I’d absolutely love to!”

#my tumblr writing #wolfstar #wolfstar fanfiction #wolfstar fic #marauders #marauders fanfiction #marauders fic #sirius black #remus lupin #remus x sirius #lily evans #wolfstar fluff

[themedicalstate]

How to Use Masks during the Coronavirus Pandemic

What kinds of face coverings work for protection against COVID-19? How do you use them safely? A series of simple steps outlines the answers

Update (11/11/20): On November 10, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on cloth face masks to add that they can protect the wearer as well as prevent that individual from infecting others.

Any mask worn for day-to-day protection against COVID-19 is going to be imperfect, at least for now. Supplies of N95 respirators—the most effective mask type—should find their way to those in daily close contact with infected people. This requirement leaves the rest of us reusable cloth face coverings and single-use paper surgical masks. (The latter are also in high demand for frontline folks, so if you’re looking to buy, try to acquire fabric masks.)

“These are not going to be perfectly efficient,” says Kirsten Koehler, an occupational and public health expert who studies personal protection at Johns Hopkins University. But they can still help limit the virus’s circulation, especially if they are worn by those infected with the novel coronavirus—many of whom may be asymptomatic. “We’re trying to prevent spreading disease to other people,” Koehler says. “Hopefully the mask is helping to protect us, too.” Even with our faces covered, she adds, we should continue to perform social distancing and isolation. A handful of best practices can help make the most of our imperfect personal protection.

How to Wear a Mask

The mask should fit without gaps and fully cover your nose and mouth. Take special care to ensure a snug fit across the bridge of the nose. If your mask doesn’t have a flexible wire built in, you may be able to MacGyver a pipe cleaner, a tie for a coffee bag or another object into the role.

Are there special precautions bearded individuals should take? Koehler doesn’t think so. “None of us are getting a perfect seal around our nose anyway,” she says. “It shouldn’t make that big of a difference.” If the mask is on correctly, air will pass through it rather than around it. Your breath will probably make it feel kind of humid and “swampy” inside.

When to Take a Mask Off

There is not a lot of data on how long a mask can be effectively worn. According to the World Health Organization, a face covering should be replaced when you have breathed through it enough for it to become damp. That effect is only likely to happen after several hours: For a trip to the grocery store, one mask will probably do. If you will be out longer, bring a spare if possible.

How to Take a Mask Off

How to Clean a Reusable Mask

Placing a cloth mask in a paper bag immediately after taking it off has two purposes: the container isolates the mask from accidental handling, and the paper allows it to dry out. Before wearing the covering again, let it sit in a warm spot—still in that paper bag—for two or three days. The science here is nascent, but one study found that the coronavirus reaches undetectable levels on fabric after two days. And after a week, levels were undetectable on the insides of surgical masks, though they remained detectable on the outsides. Koehler recommends setting the paper bag on a sunny windowsill or in the natural oven of your car because the virus becomes inert faster at higher temperatures. Alternatively, if you have your own laundry facilities, you can pop a used mask straight into the washing machine with the regular laundry. A bag for washing delicates will keep mask ties from making a knot of the whole load. You can also wash a mask by hand: soak it in bleach suitable for disinfection for five minutes and then rinse it thoroughly. Face coverings should be decontaminated after each use—so have a few on hand if you are going out more often than your decontamination schedule allows.

How to Keep Your Glasses from Fogging

For the bespectacled among us, the foggy-glasses struggle is real. And in general, it means your mask isn’t fitting super well. If the material were tight across your nose, air would not be leaking from the top in the first place. Here are a few ideas to improve that fit:

Tissue: A piece of facial tissue tucked between the glasses and the mask can both push the latter into a tighter fit and prevent exhaled vapor from rising.

Tape: A bit of medical tape across the top of the mask can hold it more securely to your face at the cheeks.

Soap: A little soap on the insides of the lenses can keep fog from forming. One paper recommends dousing the inner surface with soapy water and allowing it to air-dry. A pinky nail’s worth of liquid soap, rubbed directly onto the insides of the lenses, is another option.

Materials and Effectiveness

The science on mask efficacy is spotty. A few laboratory studies have examined how fabrics protect against particles of different sizes. They were mostly done in the pre-COVID-19 era to examine air pollution and the flu. But the medical gold standard—a randomized controlled trial of masks in daily use—is difficult and has ethical concerns, because it would require knowingly exposing people to pathogens or pollutants. That said, the existing lab studies have helped teach researchers a lot about how particles interact with fabrics and paper.

Are paper or fabric masks more effective?

One study compared fabric and paper surgical masks’ ability to filter air pollution. Researchers examined the materials under a microscope and found fabric had a more open structure with bigger holes—often larger than the droplets believed to transmit the coronavirus. These droplets cover a huge size range: they can be wider than 100 microns—big enough to see as they fly out—down to the submicron scale.

Another study found paper masks were more effective than cloth ones at protecting against the flu. But there is more to consider than material. Fabric masks are typically sewn with two layers, which helps them trap more particles than a single cloth layer alone.

In general, even if paper face coverings are more effective, they have a shorter lifetime than cloth masks. And they are in high demand. Although the supply of surgical masks is starting to rebound, Koehler still advises the use of cloth ones. “We want to make sure that medical personnel have access to the supplies that they need,” she explains.

Okay, so what should I look for in a cloth mask?

Whether you acquire one from someone else or make it yourself, there are a few things to pay attention to. The fabric should be high-quality and tightly woven. In woven fabric, the fibers cross at right angles, whereas a knit’s structure involves tiny V’s of thread. Look for a right-angle weave and avoid knits. A tight weave—such as one you might find in a fancy pillowcase—blocks most of the light if it is held up to a window. These are, of course, difficult properties to assess when buying online.

The shape of the mask should fit your face well. Rectangular coverings usually have a length of wire built into the top so they can be molded to your face, while those with a curved design rise up over the nose a little more.

To make your own covering, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web site has several designs for different levels of crafting skill. Designs for curved-style cloth masks are fairly widespread as well.

Experts recommend the public should avoid masks with built-in valves. They are designed to release air when the wearer exhales, reducing humidity but also allowing unfiltered breath to exit the coverings.

Are masks for the protection of the wearer or those around that person?

Both. They are most effective at preventing an infected mask wearer from spreading the virus to others. But ideally, they can also provide some protection against incoming virus-laden droplets.

Droplets evaporate as they move through the air, so they are biggest when they are first coughed out. Because cloth masks are more effective at blocking larger particles, they are most efficient at stopping the spread if they stop the droplets at their source.

Have we proved that masks themselves significantly help? Or do mask wearers tend to simply be more careful in general?

Randomized controlled studies have shown mask wearing is indeed effective against the flu, but such trials do not currently exist for masks and the coronavirus. “The evidence isn’t always as perfect as we would like it to be,” Koehler says. “Based on the aerosol science, we know that the masks are going to help reduce the transmission of these particles. Can it be 100 percent effective? Maybe not. But can it help? I think so.”

By Katie Peek (Scientific American - Updated 11/11/2020). Images by Brown Bird Design.

#science #medicine #infectious diseases #public health #medblr #COVID-19 #wear a mask #wash your hands #stopthespread

[brywrites]

This Too Shall Pass

Author’s Note: When things get super stressful, I seek comfort in books and fiction and loved ones. I watched an Instagram story from Kirsten Vangsness where she explained facts about coronavirus and social distancing and it made me feel strangely comforted to hear “Garcia” talking us through this. So I wanted to write a short piece where Reid comforts the Reader during quarantine. I hope you’re all staying safe during this, and if you ever find yourself questioning whether or not this is all necessary, remember that that Spencer Reid literally locked himself in a room with anthrax to prevent it from spreading, so STAY INDOORS and WASH YOUR HANDS! LIVES DEPEND ON IT!

                           .............................................................

They’ve been together for five months when the pandemic hits. And when the stay-at-home orders are announced, she ask to stay with him. Of course, he obliges. Neither of them wants to go through this alone. With a what groceries she can find and a suitcase full of clothes and necessities, Spencer drives her across the city to his place, which is to become their home for as long as it took.

The first few days are slow. He’s teaching full-time, though his class this term only meets once a week. Georgetown shuts down and she teaches her technophobic boyfriend how to set up Zoom calls for classes. The class has been made pass/fail and he’s reduced the course load.

“They have enough to worry about right now,” he says. She knows the feeling. She is in the penultimate year of her PhD program and sets a strict regiment of editing and writing for herself, but it feels futile most of the time. 

Days turn into weeks and they lounge around the apartment together, reading books and watching  previous seasons of Doctor Who and old movies - anything that will take their mind off of the world outside. She teaches him how to cook and to bake, which are quickly becoming her preferred forms of stress relief. A month ago, the prospect of spending infinite days together with Spencer would have delighted her. Falling asleep in his arms. Kissing him against the kitchen counter. Holding his hand while they make coffee. Days with nothing to do but relish in the love they shared. But now it’s different. Now it’s scary.

She has trouble sleeping. One night he wakes up to find her sitting up in bed, staring in horror at her phone. “What are you doing up?” he asks. “It’s 3am.”

“It’s just so awful,” she whispers, her voice breaking. “So many people...” He sits up immediately and gently taking the phone from her hands and setting it on the nightstand. “It feels like the end of the world, and I don’t want the world to end.”

Speaking her fears out loud only seems to elevate her anxiety, and she finds herself on the verge of tears. “There’s so many people I love that I haven’t seen in so long. There’s so many things I wanted to do. I’ve spent the last six years on this doctorate, and for what? I might not even graduate. I might not even get to finish it. And even if I do, what’s the point of it? People are dying and my dissertation isn’t going to do anything to stop that. And Keera!” Her best friend, the head nurse at GW Hospital’s ER. “What if she gets sick? What if something happens to her?” Now the tears fall freely. 

Spencer wraps his arms around her, and she leans into his chest, seeking the comfort of human contact. It’s a luxury these days, one she is grateful for. How many people are left without someone they can hug? She holds him a little tighter. “I know. I know it’s scary, sweetheart. I’m so sorry,” he says. And she knows he understands - every day he video calls his mother to try and offer her comfort. They both hope that this will be over before she passes away. And he has friends in the medical field as well. Savannah is a doctor in Bethesda, and she’s had to isolate herself from Morgan and Hank when she’s home - which these days is far too infrequently.

“I just need to know it’s going to be okay,” she says. He’s always had a knack for making her feel better, calming her anxiety. When she has a panic attack about something, he has an army of facts ready to help talk through her fears with her and help her rationalize her thoughts. 

Not this time. “I don’t know if I can,” he says. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. But I know this - humanity has thought the world was ending many, many times. The Black Plague. Krakatoa. Both World Wars. The Cold War. And every time, somehow, we survive. That’s the amazing thing about humans. We find a way. We keep going.” He rubs her back. “So I have to believe that we’ll survive this too. That against all the odds, we’ll be okay.”

She nestles her head under his chin, close enough to feel his heart beating against her cheek. “It’s okay to be scared,” he tells her. “And it’s okay to be sad. But it’s also okay to have hope. Hope is the best thing we do as a species. And it’s also okay to talk to me about this, you know? We have each other. No matter what happens, I’ll be here. I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too,” she says. She tries to give him a smile. “If I have to be quarantined for a few months, I’m glad it’s with you.”

He kisses her forehead. “Quarantine or not, there’s nobody else I would rather share my life with.” 

He answers all the questions she can think of about the virus and pandemics. He reminds her of the plans they have made to stay safe and social distance, reassuring her they are taking the proper precautions, only leaving the apartment to get groceries and medicine once every two weeks. They make plans for the day. She’ll call Keera to check in on her. They’ll tune into Garcia’s daily livestream video. He’ll try to bake bread without burning it. They lie back down, side by side, his arms still around her. 

For now, it is dark. But morning will come soon. Against all odds they will hope. They will love. The sun will rise, and they will try again. 

#spencer reid #criminal minds fanfiction #reid x reader #spencer reid x reader #brywrites #fanfiction #bry's writing

[deniigi]

Big Red is my favorite Red. I love him and he is amazing. Would love for him to be my big brother bc he seems like he'd be so fun to fuck with and be buds with. I love him and Foggy and Sam and Peter and Wade. Just love them all to bits

Awww, I’m so glad anon.

Big Red is my favorite Red too, honestly. I have loads of little fics of him interacting with people and generally being unimpressed with the world (tho failing because he’s a SAP)

Here’s a little snippet of Foggy having feelings over him because it’s tooth-rottingly sweet.

———

Sam came home an hour after everyone else with a bag full of greens and a brow that said everything Foggy needed to know.

He decided that he need a drink for this.

“SENSEI.”

Something clattered and Matt swore in the other room.

“Get out here, we’re bonding,” Sam shouted.

 –

Dumplings.

Handmade. Homemade.

Everyone had to participate. Kirsten was not allowed to leave the house. Matt was not allowed to leave the house.

Sam had turned on every light in the kitchen and rustled off to go grab the standing lamp in the living room so that he could really make sure he had a handle on all his folds.

He taught Kirsten and Foggy how to fold the dumplings. Theirs looked a little drunk. Maybe more than a little drunk.

Ehn, well.

Art reflects life and all that.

Foggy took another sip of beer and peeked over Matt’s head to watch his slow, careful sealing technique.

Matt was a perfectionist. Foggy knew this about him. Back at Columbia, he used to restack his books so that they were all perfectly even across the spines after a paper deadline had passed.

He was equally fastidious with the dog’s nails and their teeth and he needed all the furniture in the living room to be exactly so. He would know if something had been moved during cleaning and he would find it and fix it before he let himself sleep.

Sam was similar, except Sam had a much higher tolerance for mess. He liked everything to have its place. All of the drawers in his room where labeled and he had specific cups for different kinds of pens and the like, but he was more artistic than Matt and so was willing to let his space be a chaotic for days at a time before he scraped everything back into its happy home.

He kept telling Matt that the dumplings didn’t have to be perfect. They just needed to be sealed. But Matt refused to believe this. He’d been given an example–one of Sam’s dumplings—and he’d felt it all over and decided that this was how dumplings were shaped and anything that did not exactly repeat that shape was not allowed to exist in his presence.

Sam had asked Foggy before if Matt had OCD.

“He has rituals,” he claimed.

“They don’t interfere with his life,” Foggy had told him. “He’s just naturally finnicky and the organization helps him find things when he needs them.”

Sam had pursed his lips and tapped his foot like he wasn’t so sure about the first part of that, but Foggy knew better.

Perhaps, if Matt wasn’t taking as many meds as he presently did and perhaps if he hadn’t finally allowed himself to be dragged to that first therapy appointment, then he might have developed a mild form of OCD. He certainly had enough trauma to be triggered into that kind of thing, and there was a chance that the anxiety that Matt remembered his father pacing around their apartment with might have been a touch more than stress-related. But things as they were, Matt didn’t have OCD.

He had PTSD.

Bad.

Bad enough that if things weren’t perfect after he’d done everything he could to make them that way, his hands would start shaking and he’d start laughing a little nervously, and sometimes, he’d go hide in a quiet room and try to calm himself down by repeatedly reminding himself that whatever it was, it ‘wasn’t a big deal.’

That wasn’t a ritual. That was what happened when you beat the shit out of a little kid until they did exactly what you said, every time you said it.

He placed a kiss on the top of Matt’s head to let him know that he was doing good work with his third dumpling.

Matt tipped his face back to receive the next one on his lips.

“They look awful?” he asked.

No.

They looked perfect.

—

I have a little series I’m provisionally calling ‘Blindspot and the Ordeal of Being Known’ which I’ve been playing with that looks at Sam’s relationship with social media and his relationship with Matt through that type of lens. It’s very cute. Maybe I’ll get enough of it together to post one day.

#fic #ficlet #inimitable verse #tw: mental health

[daredevile]

Fic Recs

Since I recently hit my first milestone, I thought I’d share some amazing works written by extremely talented people which inspired me to write.

Sugar Daddy by @kentuckybarnes and @nacho-bucky If there’s an award for the story which made me laugh the most, Sugar Daddy would take the cake—or dare I say the icecream. I have no idea how you two managed to make so many dirty puns that I didn’t know existed in the English language. Thank you for enlightening me. Honestly, Hannah’s and Cait’s whole masterlists should be on here, because every single one of them is truly amazing and definitely worth reading!

Symphony, Say It and Guardian Angel by @sgtjbuccky I had to include all three because I really can’t choose. As far as I can remember, these were the first few series I ever read for Bucky and they’re most probably what got me addicted. Salina, you manage to shatter my heart with your words every time I read either one of these and I have no idea how you do it. 

Stray by @jaamesbbarnes Came for Bucky, stayed for Alpine and Doriane’s incredible writing. There’s so much fluff and angst weaved into the plot at the right times, it hit me right in the feels especially towards the end. The epilogue was just perfect! I can’t help coming back to it because it’s one of the softest stories I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

Not Happening by @notimetoblog Bucky and online dating? Being matched to the reader? Yes, please. This was so entertaining and fluffy, I love the banter between him and the reader! The whole meaning behind his photographs was so sweet, I was giggling so much throughout the series my dog probably thought I was insane.

Are You With Me? by @serpienten​ I don’t know why I’m just drawn to angst, but this is another amazingly written fic that must be read. Nik, Bucky’s thoughts and feelings are very apparent through the descriptions, I love how you showed that with no dialogue. You can feel how they’re slowly drifting away, it really struck me the first time I read it, especially the last line. 

The White Wolf by @captain-ariel-barnes Well, I certainly never knew I needed Mobster!Bucky until I read this series. The whole story was so soft and Bucky’s personality when he’s with the reader is absolutely sweet, especially when he’s supposed to be the most feared man in New York. It gets really intense in the later chapters and I love how Bucky’s distress is conveyed. I’m pretty sure I’ve read this at least 5 times because I need that all that fluff in my life. 

Blue by @softlybarnes Roadtrip AUs are one of my favourites because I love reading how people describe places and how it ties into the characters. Becca’s writing is simply astonishing! You can feel the relationship between Bucky and the reader gradually developing, it’s beautiful. I literally couldn’t handle all the fluff and softness, the opening line itself got me intrigued. 

A Lesson In Love by @buckyywiththegoodhair Undoubtedly, the best college AU, I’ve ever read. No hesitation. In fact, it’s one of my favourite series ever! I normally love the whole friends to lovers trope but this is just a whole new level. Bucky being the sweetest human being on the entire planet and just loads and loads of fluff with sprinkles of angst. You have found my weakness. If you haven’t read this, I assure you it will be one of the best fics you’ll ever read.

You Saw Me by @wintersxsoul​ Now, I’ve read my fair share of soulmate AUs, but this has to be one of the most heartbreaking ones. I may or may not have cried let a few tears come out. The dynamic between Bucky and the reader is so tragic once the reason for his attitude is told. Not to mention, the flashbacks literally murdered me. 

Enouement by @serzhantkris​ Where can I even start with this series? I love the whole idea of the story being told in reverse-chronological order. Seeing the journey of their relationship from present to past is really interesting and it only broke my heart further. This is so well written and so clever in terms of plot progression, it’s definitely a must-read along with Kirsten’s entire masterlist, especially if you’re looking for angst.

I’m sure I missed some amazing fics that deserve to be read and shared. Please tell these writers and anyone else if they’re works entertained you even in the slightest fraction, they truly deserve all the appreciation. Thank you :)

#fic recs #bucky #bucky barnes #bucky fic #bucky series #Winter Solider #marvel #mcu #james buchanan barnes #james barnes #bucky x reader

[aion-rsa]

Upcoming Movies in September 2020: Theaters, Streaming, and VOD

https://ift.tt/2CUVT60

Movies are back! Granted they never really left either, with Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, and others keeping us satiated with content these past five months. Still, the streamers are about to be reinforced for those willing to return to movie theaters: Major Hollywood blockbuster releases are coming, and limited rollouts are slowly making their way back into cinemas around the world.

For that reason, we’ve assembled a list of potential moviegoing experiences in September, whether on the big screen (please consider the risks of attending a theatrical screening) or at home via video on demand. It’s time for the popcorn to get popping.

Bill & Ted Face the Music

Now playing in theaters and VOD in the US (September 23 in the UK)

One of the biggest movies yet to eschew its intended theatrical window for a premium video on demand (PVOD) release is this most excellent adventure. It’s been 29 years since we last saw Alex Winter’s far out Ted or Keanu Reeves’ perpetually astonished Bill, yet it’s good to have both back in their legendary stoner roles. 

The fact they’re middle-aged and still having adventures through time and space, and against the visage of Death—he’s still cheating!—is pretty sweet. As is Keanu coming back to this role one Speed, three Matrixes, and nearly five John Wick chapters later. But this time they’ve got daughters (played by Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine)… but rest assured, the children are as amused as their dads.

Tenet

Now playing in the UK (September 3 in the US)

Already playing in the UK, Tenet will be making its much vaunted North American debut in “select U.S. cities” in September. We’re still not entirely clear what that will look like, but hopefully it will be worth it for this mysterious and visually dazzling Christopher Nolan epic. 

Early reviews are in, and the majority promise Nolan’s most exciting use of IMAX spectacle to date, though even without spoilers, this one might be too big for its own good. Our own Rosie Fletcher describes it as Nolan’s long-whispered about James Bond movie meets Doctor Who…

The New Mutants

Now playing in the U.S. (September 4 UK)

Josh Boone’s journey into the X-Men universe has been pushed back so many times it almost feels like a mythical lost movie. So when it finally arrives in UK cinemas on Sept. 4 (it landed in the U.S. at the end of August) it might feel like a bizarre flashback to another era – namely that of 2017 when the main shoot took place. 

Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Blu Hunt, and Henry Zaga star as five young mutants held in a sinister facility against their will. It’s been positioned as an action horror which in theory sounds pretty cool, though what the final cut will look like is anyone’s guess.

Mulan

September 4 (Disney+ with premium)

One day after Tenet makes its U.S. debut, Disney, and more specifically Disney+, offers a starkly different vision for the future of cinema with Mulan. Whereas Tenet will attempt to jumpstart moviegoing, Disney has pushed one of their biggest 2020 blockbusters exclusively to streaming in all markets featuring Disney+, including the U.S. and UK. That means if you want to see Niki Caro’s anticipated reimagining of the 1998 animated Disney movie, you are going to have to pay $30 on top of your Disney+ subscription to get a load of this bad boy on a new PVOD model.

Read more

Movies

Mulan and Tenet Show Competing Visions for Future of Movies

By David Crow

Movies

UK Cinemas Slam Disney After Mulan Streaming Announcement

By Kirsten Howard

Even so, the film’s need to step away from the 1998 version’s iconography—Chinese moviegoers generally dislike musicals—appears to offer an opportunity to make a modern 2020 epic that can stand on its own two feet.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things

September 4 (Netflix)

Charlie Kaufman does horror? Well, uh, maybe?! For his first Netflix original production, the idiosyncratic writer-director behind Synecdoche, New York, and the Being John Malkovich screenplay is adapting Iain Reid’s thriller novel, I’m Thinking of Ending Things. But Kaufman is expected to come at it from his singularly off-center perspective.

With a somber setup about a young woman (played by Wild Rose’s talented Jessie Buckley) going to meet the parents of her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons), the movie is actually about an unhappy lover planning to terminate her relationship. Yet when she meets Mom and Dad (Toni Collette and David Thewlis), things are going to get weirder, if not necessarily better for the relationship…

The Roads Not Taken

September 11 (UK)

Sally Potter’s wistful drama was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival earlier in the year before the world went into lockdown. It follows Leo (Javier Bardem), a man with dementia, as he imagines different paths in life he might have taken, while his daughter Mollie tries to help him keep various appointments and struggles with decisions about her own future. A very personal study of mental illness, grief, and regret.

The Devil All the Time

September 16 (Netflix)

Southern fried noir might be the creepiest noir. With its rural and sunny backdrops, and a smiling Christian face, its pleasantries belie an evil heart. And Tom Holland of all people will be driving right to the dark center of it in The Devil All the Time, a new thriller by writer-director Antonio Campos. 

Ready to bow on Netflix this month, the all-star cast, which also includes Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, Sebastian Stan, and Robert Pattinson, as a fire and brimstone preacher no less, The Devil All the Time reimagines post-WWII Tennessee backwoods as a hotbed of corruption, hypocrisy, and murder. Sounds about right.

Antebellum

September 18 (U.S. Only)

Co-writers and directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz appear to have cracked the code in making one of fiction’s favorite fantasies terrifying. You know the type: From Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court to Midnight in Paris, some congenial fellow travels back to a point in history he loves and has an all-around splendid time. Now imagine that same scenario except the protagonist is a Black woman. And she’s sent to the Antebellum South on the eve of the Civil War. Scared yet?

It’s a disturbing premise that aims to put Antebellum in the same wheelhouse as recent horror movies that have tackled American racism head on, including Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Us. The movie stars the ever compelling Janelle Monáe as a 21st century author trapped inside a 19th century nightmare, and it’s one of the most intriguing setups of the year. It also will be available on VOD and in select theaters.

The King’s Man

September 18 (September 16 in the UK)

Kingsman: The Secret Service was one of the nicer surprises of 2015. A better Bond movie than that year’s Bond film, this Matthew Vaughn directed and Jane Goldman co-written spy adventure was both a satire and loving homage to 007 movies of the 1960s and ‘70s, with excessive swagger and style to boot. Unfortunately, Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) didn’t live up to its predecessor. It did, however, make enough money to spawn a prequel. Which brings us to The King’s Man.

As Disney/20th Century Studios’ latest release, this movie sees Vaughn return to the director’s chair as he travels back in time to World War I and the origins of the Kingsman secret service. With the same daffy style but now in period garb (it worked for Vaughn in X-Men: First Class), the prequel hopes to recapture the charm of the original. It certainly has a winning cast that includes Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Bruhl, Djimon Hounsou, and Gemma Arterton.

Kajillionaire

September 18 (October 9 in the UK)

One of the happy discoveries out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Focus Features’ Kajillionaire is a movie we’ve had our eye on for a while. The picture is writer-director Miranda July’s pleasant vision of criminality and heists being the stuff of family team-building. Take Evan Rachel Wood as Old Dolio. She’s an adult daughter whose depression has forced her to live at home with her small time crook parents. But Mom and Pop (Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins) have a plan; they’ll incorporate their daughter in the next heist and bring her out of her funk. It’s a charming premise that won over almost every critic who saw it back in January.

The Nest

September 18 (U.S. Only)

Another apparent highlight out of Sundance this year, Sean Durkin’s The Nest presents itself as a foreboding drama. As the follow-up feature from the director of Martha Marcy May Marlene, the film intends to be an unsettling account of a wealthy marriage descending into Gaslight levels of manipulation. With Jude Law as the rich patriarch and Carrie Coon as his quietly suffering wife, a sudden move to the country reveals dark dimensions to their relationship and the brittleness of domesticity. If the buzz is to be believed, the wound up WASPy tension in this could strangle an elephant.

Enola Holmes

September 23 (Netflix)

Did you know Sherlock Holmes had a little sister? You’re about to thanks to some strong synergetic mojo going on at Netflix with Enola Holmes, a new mystery/adventure that stars The Witcher’s Henry Cavill as Sherlock, The Crown’s Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Holmes, and Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown as the eponymous Enola. That’s right, Eleven’s going to use her own English accent and play Sherlock’s kid sister. 

Often kept in her famous brother’s shadow, it is up to Enola to do him one better when she sets off to find their mysteriously vanished mother. In the process, she proves she’s a super-sleuth in her own right and brings to light a deadly conspiracy. The game’s afoot!

Misbehaviour

September 25 (Open in the UK)

A crowd-pleaser that debuted earlier in the year in the UK, Misbehaviour has all the markers of a charming dramedy with real world ramifications. In fact, it’s set during the events of the Miss World competition in 1970, a televised beauty pageant in London that was then the most-watched event on the planet. In this context, the Women’s Liberation Movement reached international acclaim by disrupting the proceedings, and a Woman of Color from Grenada became a contender for the Miss World title.

Director Philippa Lowthorpe (The Crown) reportedly explores these events to winning results with an ensemble of players that Keira Knightley and Jessie Buckley as lead activists, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Jennifer Hosten (aka Miss Grenada), and Greg Kinnear at his greasiest as an aging Bob Hope.

Greenland

September 25 (U.S. Only)

Imagine this: A comet that is supposed to gently pass Earth by was misjudged by the science community, and instead a cataclysmic extinction level event occurs with comet fragments destroying parts of the world one action scene at a time! Yeah, in 2020 that sounds about right. It’s also the plot of Greenland, a new high-concept survivalist action movie starring Gerard Butler as a family man who, realizing Florida is gone and his home state is next, tries to save his wife (Morena Baccarin) and child by getting his family to the last place that may be spared: military bunkers in Greenland!

And you thought U.S. leadership was being ridiculous when it tried to buy the country a few years ago…

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