Angelia Sparrow's Blog, page 7
September 6, 2015
A death in the family
A friend of mine was found dead on the job Saturday morning. Just another death in the big city. Just another headline.
Metro Taxi cab driver killed in Saturday morning shooting in NE Denver
A headline, a map, a picture of the boss and a a cab and a terrible picture of him.
He was my husband's best friend through high school. He stood best man at our wedding. We talked often, even though I hadn't seen him in person since '94 (I was too pregnant to travel to his wedding). I was one of the few people who had his email address.
We quarreled, often. He mansplained. I outweighed him by twenty IQ points and was not afraid to use them. Somehow, we still managed to write a book together.
He was always there. And we believed he always would be. That deep, sexy voice, with laughter and a northwoods accent, on the other end of the phone.
I talked him through learning to use a word processor. He listened and served as a rant board for parts of my life that Mudd really didn't understand. My husband would stroke me and say "Do what you want and what's best for the story" on the writing. Darren would talk sense and get me over the rough patch. Even if his sense wasn't good sense, it let me refine my thinking enough that I could see the path.
He leaves behind a wife, both parents, a sister, at least one niece, a gaming group, his hetero life mate and our kids who called him "Uncle Darren."
As a friend of mine said, "Hit the Summerland running."
Denn die Todten reiten schnell
Metro Taxi cab driver killed in Saturday morning shooting in NE Denver
A headline, a map, a picture of the boss and a a cab and a terrible picture of him.
He was my husband's best friend through high school. He stood best man at our wedding. We talked often, even though I hadn't seen him in person since '94 (I was too pregnant to travel to his wedding). I was one of the few people who had his email address.
We quarreled, often. He mansplained. I outweighed him by twenty IQ points and was not afraid to use them. Somehow, we still managed to write a book together.
He was always there. And we believed he always would be. That deep, sexy voice, with laughter and a northwoods accent, on the other end of the phone.
I talked him through learning to use a word processor. He listened and served as a rant board for parts of my life that Mudd really didn't understand. My husband would stroke me and say "Do what you want and what's best for the story" on the writing. Darren would talk sense and get me over the rough patch. Even if his sense wasn't good sense, it let me refine my thinking enough that I could see the path.
He leaves behind a wife, both parents, a sister, at least one niece, a gaming group, his hetero life mate and our kids who called him "Uncle Darren."
As a friend of mine said, "Hit the Summerland running."
Denn die Todten reiten schnell
September 5, 2015
My Sexy Saturday: Talk Sexy to me
We know all about talking sexy to me. We know that lovers have a special language that only two of them share. The hidden looks, the longing gaze, the love shining in their eyes all accompanied by those sexy, sexy words. Sometimes, they are whispered, sometimes spoken aloud and occasionally shouted from rooftops.
All this month, I will be promoting Terror of the Frozen North
When Edward Kilsby, Lord Withycombe is blackmailed into an arctic expedition, all hell breaks loose.
Your Seven Sexy Paragraphs
Nigel hovered at Edward’s side, his seductive whisper weakening Edward’s last resolve even further. “I always know what you need. I’m the only one who ever stopped the nightmares. Sarah couldn’t. All the women you bought couldn’t. Even your dear American can’t.”
“Don’t.” Edward unlocked the basement.
“Don’t what, love?” Nigel’s hand clamped hard on the back of his neck, his slim fingers stronger than they looked. “Have you forgotten how this plays out? Mine, darling Edward, and you do as I say.” The little man’s grip tightened uncomfortably until Edward set his jaw against the pain.
“Don’t talk about Charles,” he said, turning on the bare electric bulb. A set of manacles hung from one bare wall, their key on the same hook as their chain, and a cabinet stood near them.
“To the wall, Edward love.” Nigel gave him a shove and released his neck. “Let me stop your nightmares.”
Edward cursed his own weak will with each step that took him closer to the manacles. Someday, the War would be over inside his head as well as outside it. Someday, he wouldn’t need this. The
promises he’d repeated to himself over the last five years seemed thin and fragile, dreams to be blown away in a puff of breath. He stripped off his clothes, locked himself in and watched Nigel
rummage in the cabinet.
“Ah, that’s the very ticket.” Nigel pulled out a cat-o’-nine-tails and tested it on his own thigh.
Other Sexy People:
All this month, I will be promoting Terror of the Frozen North
When Edward Kilsby, Lord Withycombe is blackmailed into an arctic expedition, all hell breaks loose.
Your Seven Sexy Paragraphs
Nigel hovered at Edward’s side, his seductive whisper weakening Edward’s last resolve even further. “I always know what you need. I’m the only one who ever stopped the nightmares. Sarah couldn’t. All the women you bought couldn’t. Even your dear American can’t.”
“Don’t.” Edward unlocked the basement.
“Don’t what, love?” Nigel’s hand clamped hard on the back of his neck, his slim fingers stronger than they looked. “Have you forgotten how this plays out? Mine, darling Edward, and you do as I say.” The little man’s grip tightened uncomfortably until Edward set his jaw against the pain.
“Don’t talk about Charles,” he said, turning on the bare electric bulb. A set of manacles hung from one bare wall, their key on the same hook as their chain, and a cabinet stood near them.
“To the wall, Edward love.” Nigel gave him a shove and released his neck. “Let me stop your nightmares.”
Edward cursed his own weak will with each step that took him closer to the manacles. Someday, the War would be over inside his head as well as outside it. Someday, he wouldn’t need this. The
promises he’d repeated to himself over the last five years seemed thin and fragile, dreams to be blown away in a puff of breath. He stripped off his clothes, locked himself in and watched Nigel
rummage in the cabinet.
“Ah, that’s the very ticket.” Nigel pulled out a cat-o’-nine-tails and tested it on his own thigh.
Other Sexy People:
September 2, 2015
Smallville rewatch, Episode 1.03
Recap:
Open on football team playing in the rain. And boy is it raining. They're soaked and the rain is so thick they're having trouble seeing. Coach loses his temper when Whitney bungles a play because of bad visibility.
Smallville wins the game and runs raucous and cheering into the lockers. Coach Walt gives them a pep talk before relaxing in his private sauna--bought by alumni--with meteor rock steam.
Principal Kwan interrupts the steam, with the news 7 players cheated on their math midterm. Kwan refuses to cover up the infraction so Walt can win another game. Walt yells a bit, and Kwan leaves. Walt accidentally sets his desk on fire.
Credits.
Chloe has done an expose on the football team. And is getting threatening letters. Nothing ever changes.
Lana has a fight with Whitney which Chloe characterizes as a "pompom melt down."
When a player throws a football at Chloe's face, Clark catches it. And Coach sees him throw it back hard enough to wind the player who catches it.
Coach approaches Clark about being on the team. He even flatters Clark, telling him football is in his genes. Clark does his best to be diplomatic and avoid it. Clark finally agrees.
Lana continues her fight and pompom meltdown.
Clark breaks the news to Jonathan. J. stands firm because of the risk. "you were meant for much more than winning football games." And once again, Clark brings the bitchery.
"I don't need to live vicariously through your achievements."
"Why would you? You got to play." OUCH!
This is pure Martha coming through. For all that Clark idolizes Jonathan (even as much as they disagree), this ability to cut to the quick with a couple of well-chosen sentences is purely Martha's tactic. And it's part of why Lex loves him.
Clark announces he is playing football, and Jonathan can't stop him.
Luthor mansion. Lex has just been working out, and comes to the study to find three men waiting for him. Dominic speaks for them all. Lex canceled the meeting, Lionel insisted the men go down for it anyway. Argument, which Lex refuses to take seriously, playing billiards instead. Lex called the advisers drones and Dominic threatens to tattle. Lex encourages it and ends with a snipe about Dominic's sister.
Lana's place, and she's packing away her cheerleading gear.Talk with Nell, and asserting her independence. Nell looks decidedly displeased.
Jonathan shows up to watch practice. Practice goes badly. After a session as a tackling dummy, Clark puts too much behind things.
The cheating plot thickens as one of the boys informs the principal that coach gave them the answer. Kwan has tried getting him suspended, but the connections are too deep. Coach loses his temper and sets the TV on fire. He channels that same anger and sets Principal Kwan's car on fire when Kwan goes to start it. Clark saves the principal.
Dinner fight about the football. Jonathan grumbles and Martha gives him sass. "You were the obedient son who always listened to his father and didn't run away one summer and try out for the Metropolis Sharks." Martha's for letting Clark try it. But Jonathan is afraid of someone suspecting and taking Clark away.
Lana is waiting tables as Chloe, Clark and Pete show up for coffee. Clark and Lana chat about her leaving cheerleading "Time to break the vicious cycle." Lana gets snapped at for not being faster with the waitressing.
Football players summoned to a secret meeting. Chloe follows as Lana drops a whole tray of cups.
Coach chews out the players about the snitching. After he backhands the player, the sprinklers shoot fire instead of water. And Chloe is getting pictures.
Luthor mansion and Lionel bursts through the study doors, jovial and quite angry himself. Instead of layoffs, Lex has increased hiring, planning to corner the market. Ouch. "You know perfectly well how I feel about you" as Lex flinches from his touch. That has to be the set-up for about a gajillion Luthorcest fics.
And Lex is more petulant than witty. All the confidence, all the power has drained out of him and he is disengaging from this conversation in every possible way.
A history lesson--Caesars sending their sons to the farthest provinces--and Lex, just shrugs with a "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Some of the first eye contact in this scene as Lex accepts the challenge to duel to defend his plan. Lex is a lefty. And as he tumbles across the pool table (this purple baize pool table is a major fic fixture) Glover cannot disguise the fact he's fifty-six and not as spry as he'd like to be. The rest of the scene is quick and harsh.
The barn. Night. Clark getting ready for the pep rally and Martha playing peacekeeper. "If the Kent men weren't so stubborn, I wouldn't have to."
Chloe is playing Nancy Drew again and confronts the snitch player. She plans to run the picture of the sprinklers. Coach stops him, asking what he told her. He burns Trevor's arm with his hand and announces he'll take care of it.
Chloe's computer combusts. She yells for Clark's help, and dives through the flames separating her from the door. Clark saves her and coach is satisfied that her computer melted.
Torch Torched. And Chloe tells Clark everything but he doesn't believe her. She sends Clark in to talk to Trevor.
Lex is reviewing files in the coffee shop and Lana is waiting on his table. Clark comes in and she says she can't make the game. Lex figures it all out. "You're out late waiting for him to go to bed so you can avoid the uncomfortable silence when you get home." Lex feels he has caved where Clark and Lana have stood their ground. They give him some sarcasm "Playing football and pouring coffee, we're a couple of real rebels." "Long live the revolution."
Lex has just the fleck of whipped cream on his lip as he gives Clark the word that Lana brought him nothing resembling his order. He knows it's there because he got the rest. I can't say it's a deliberate offer...
"is that what you ordered?"
"Not even remotely."
Clark goes to see Trevor who is surrounded by extinguishers. He's really scared now. Clark talks to him and sees the burn. Clark goes to the sauna to talk to the coach. Meteor rock steam isn't good for you, Clark. Coach realizes this and locks Clark in the sauna and goes to win his game
Jonathan finds Clark, who is fine once he's out of the steam. Fight scene. This time with fire, lots of it, and coach self-immolating in the fiery shower.
Lionel marches in, not as big of a barge. He shoves Lex's new proposal at him, even more unhappy with it. Lex offers a rematch. "or are you afraid you can't take your son again." (not touching that!) And Lionel says he gets one chance to be defiant.
As the rescue crews clean up, we get the Kent heart-to-heart. A deep contrast from the previous scene. The difference is Jonathan loves his son and wants Clark to find his own best.
Lana got fired. Clark is reconsidering football. "Sometimes, I just want to scream." in a scene reminiscent of Cabaret, Clark and Lana stand and scream.
Stats:
Death toll: 1, Coach Walt
Attempted murder: Chloe
Injury: 2, burns, Principal Kwan and Trevor
Destruction: Kwan's car, many dishes at the Beanhole, the Torch, Walt's office and the locker room and the showers
Commentary:
As a Freak of the Week, this episode is deeper than most, looking at small town personal politics, bullying by authority figures and the worship of football in the midwest. There is also the recurring theme of struggling to crow up, even as adults try to force the characters into neat paths. Lana quits cheer-leading, despite it being a family tradition. Clark plays football, but over Jonathan's fears. Lex defies Lionel over the plant management.
Clark is very much Jonathan's son. His actions and attitudes are almost identical (see the milk bottle in ep 1) But he has Martha's brains and subtlety. He knows when to punch and when to slip in a shiv instead. These skills will serve him throughout the series. Tom Welling is getting better by the episode.
Lana is trying to be more than the pink princess girl next door, and in these early eps we see the potential for her to be. This will vanish midseason, going dormant until about season 4. Am I wrong to be shouting for her to dump Whitney? He's a controlling twerp, even in his teens.
Pete and Chloe are very much sidekicks, still. Useful for one-liners and background, but now starting to get into peril to show Clark's abilities. Chloe's insatiable curiosity is going to keep growing and getting her into trouble.
This episode also gives us some of the first Lex-Lionel interactions. Lex is trying the avoident path, canceling meetings, trying to do things his way, which does not jibe with Lionel's way. Throughout the encounter, Lionel is lecturing, trying to teach, but Lex is tuning him out. The ease with which Lionel beats him at fencing is important here and will be revisited in later seasons.
This episode is still laying groundwork. We'll see fallout from Lex's decision and Clark's and Lana's, and even the attack on the Torch in later episodes. But it also establishes that for a town of 20,000 people, Smallville is still very small, with everyone in everyone else's business.
Open on football team playing in the rain. And boy is it raining. They're soaked and the rain is so thick they're having trouble seeing. Coach loses his temper when Whitney bungles a play because of bad visibility.
Smallville wins the game and runs raucous and cheering into the lockers. Coach Walt gives them a pep talk before relaxing in his private sauna--bought by alumni--with meteor rock steam.
Principal Kwan interrupts the steam, with the news 7 players cheated on their math midterm. Kwan refuses to cover up the infraction so Walt can win another game. Walt yells a bit, and Kwan leaves. Walt accidentally sets his desk on fire.
Credits.
Chloe has done an expose on the football team. And is getting threatening letters. Nothing ever changes.
Lana has a fight with Whitney which Chloe characterizes as a "pompom melt down."
When a player throws a football at Chloe's face, Clark catches it. And Coach sees him throw it back hard enough to wind the player who catches it.
Coach approaches Clark about being on the team. He even flatters Clark, telling him football is in his genes. Clark does his best to be diplomatic and avoid it. Clark finally agrees.
Lana continues her fight and pompom meltdown.
Clark breaks the news to Jonathan. J. stands firm because of the risk. "you were meant for much more than winning football games." And once again, Clark brings the bitchery.
"I don't need to live vicariously through your achievements."
"Why would you? You got to play." OUCH!
This is pure Martha coming through. For all that Clark idolizes Jonathan (even as much as they disagree), this ability to cut to the quick with a couple of well-chosen sentences is purely Martha's tactic. And it's part of why Lex loves him.
Clark announces he is playing football, and Jonathan can't stop him.
Luthor mansion. Lex has just been working out, and comes to the study to find three men waiting for him. Dominic speaks for them all. Lex canceled the meeting, Lionel insisted the men go down for it anyway. Argument, which Lex refuses to take seriously, playing billiards instead. Lex called the advisers drones and Dominic threatens to tattle. Lex encourages it and ends with a snipe about Dominic's sister.
Lana's place, and she's packing away her cheerleading gear.Talk with Nell, and asserting her independence. Nell looks decidedly displeased.
Jonathan shows up to watch practice. Practice goes badly. After a session as a tackling dummy, Clark puts too much behind things.
The cheating plot thickens as one of the boys informs the principal that coach gave them the answer. Kwan has tried getting him suspended, but the connections are too deep. Coach loses his temper and sets the TV on fire. He channels that same anger and sets Principal Kwan's car on fire when Kwan goes to start it. Clark saves the principal.
Dinner fight about the football. Jonathan grumbles and Martha gives him sass. "You were the obedient son who always listened to his father and didn't run away one summer and try out for the Metropolis Sharks." Martha's for letting Clark try it. But Jonathan is afraid of someone suspecting and taking Clark away.
Lana is waiting tables as Chloe, Clark and Pete show up for coffee. Clark and Lana chat about her leaving cheerleading "Time to break the vicious cycle." Lana gets snapped at for not being faster with the waitressing.
Football players summoned to a secret meeting. Chloe follows as Lana drops a whole tray of cups.
Coach chews out the players about the snitching. After he backhands the player, the sprinklers shoot fire instead of water. And Chloe is getting pictures.
Luthor mansion and Lionel bursts through the study doors, jovial and quite angry himself. Instead of layoffs, Lex has increased hiring, planning to corner the market. Ouch. "You know perfectly well how I feel about you" as Lex flinches from his touch. That has to be the set-up for about a gajillion Luthorcest fics.
And Lex is more petulant than witty. All the confidence, all the power has drained out of him and he is disengaging from this conversation in every possible way.
A history lesson--Caesars sending their sons to the farthest provinces--and Lex, just shrugs with a "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Some of the first eye contact in this scene as Lex accepts the challenge to duel to defend his plan. Lex is a lefty. And as he tumbles across the pool table (this purple baize pool table is a major fic fixture) Glover cannot disguise the fact he's fifty-six and not as spry as he'd like to be. The rest of the scene is quick and harsh.
The barn. Night. Clark getting ready for the pep rally and Martha playing peacekeeper. "If the Kent men weren't so stubborn, I wouldn't have to."
Chloe is playing Nancy Drew again and confronts the snitch player. She plans to run the picture of the sprinklers. Coach stops him, asking what he told her. He burns Trevor's arm with his hand and announces he'll take care of it.
Chloe's computer combusts. She yells for Clark's help, and dives through the flames separating her from the door. Clark saves her and coach is satisfied that her computer melted.
Torch Torched. And Chloe tells Clark everything but he doesn't believe her. She sends Clark in to talk to Trevor.
Lex is reviewing files in the coffee shop and Lana is waiting on his table. Clark comes in and she says she can't make the game. Lex figures it all out. "You're out late waiting for him to go to bed so you can avoid the uncomfortable silence when you get home." Lex feels he has caved where Clark and Lana have stood their ground. They give him some sarcasm "Playing football and pouring coffee, we're a couple of real rebels." "Long live the revolution."
Lex has just the fleck of whipped cream on his lip as he gives Clark the word that Lana brought him nothing resembling his order. He knows it's there because he got the rest. I can't say it's a deliberate offer...
"is that what you ordered?"
"Not even remotely."
Clark goes to see Trevor who is surrounded by extinguishers. He's really scared now. Clark talks to him and sees the burn. Clark goes to the sauna to talk to the coach. Meteor rock steam isn't good for you, Clark. Coach realizes this and locks Clark in the sauna and goes to win his game
Jonathan finds Clark, who is fine once he's out of the steam. Fight scene. This time with fire, lots of it, and coach self-immolating in the fiery shower.
Lionel marches in, not as big of a barge. He shoves Lex's new proposal at him, even more unhappy with it. Lex offers a rematch. "or are you afraid you can't take your son again." (not touching that!) And Lionel says he gets one chance to be defiant.
As the rescue crews clean up, we get the Kent heart-to-heart. A deep contrast from the previous scene. The difference is Jonathan loves his son and wants Clark to find his own best.
Lana got fired. Clark is reconsidering football. "Sometimes, I just want to scream." in a scene reminiscent of Cabaret, Clark and Lana stand and scream.
Stats:
Death toll: 1, Coach Walt
Attempted murder: Chloe
Injury: 2, burns, Principal Kwan and Trevor
Destruction: Kwan's car, many dishes at the Beanhole, the Torch, Walt's office and the locker room and the showers
Commentary:
As a Freak of the Week, this episode is deeper than most, looking at small town personal politics, bullying by authority figures and the worship of football in the midwest. There is also the recurring theme of struggling to crow up, even as adults try to force the characters into neat paths. Lana quits cheer-leading, despite it being a family tradition. Clark plays football, but over Jonathan's fears. Lex defies Lionel over the plant management.
Clark is very much Jonathan's son. His actions and attitudes are almost identical (see the milk bottle in ep 1) But he has Martha's brains and subtlety. He knows when to punch and when to slip in a shiv instead. These skills will serve him throughout the series. Tom Welling is getting better by the episode.
Lana is trying to be more than the pink princess girl next door, and in these early eps we see the potential for her to be. This will vanish midseason, going dormant until about season 4. Am I wrong to be shouting for her to dump Whitney? He's a controlling twerp, even in his teens.
Pete and Chloe are very much sidekicks, still. Useful for one-liners and background, but now starting to get into peril to show Clark's abilities. Chloe's insatiable curiosity is going to keep growing and getting her into trouble.
This episode also gives us some of the first Lex-Lionel interactions. Lex is trying the avoident path, canceling meetings, trying to do things his way, which does not jibe with Lionel's way. Throughout the encounter, Lionel is lecturing, trying to teach, but Lex is tuning him out. The ease with which Lionel beats him at fencing is important here and will be revisited in later seasons.
This episode is still laying groundwork. We'll see fallout from Lex's decision and Clark's and Lana's, and even the attack on the Torch in later episodes. But it also establishes that for a town of 20,000 people, Smallville is still very small, with everyone in everyone else's business.
Shameless Self Promotion: Half Price Sale
All Brooks and Sparrow books are 1/2 price at Amber Quill until Sept 8! Including the brand new Terror of the Frozen North!
http://www.amberquill.com/store/m/200-Angelia-Sparrow-/-Naomi-Brooks.aspx
All of these titles, some as low as $1.50
Sideshows, ancient gods, kinky contemporaries. All for your reading pleasure!
http://www.amberquill.com/store/m/200-Angelia-Sparrow-/-Naomi-Brooks.aspx
All of these titles, some as low as $1.50
Sideshows, ancient gods, kinky contemporaries. All for your reading pleasure!
August 30, 2015
Smallville Rewatch, Episode 1.02 Metamorphosis
The format is still evolving. I'll post about 3 of these this week to catch up, and then one a week after that.
Previously on Smallville... A recap of last episode.
Note: Clark's watching of Lana is still creepy.
Exterior, night, the Lang house.
Kid in a tree, filming Lana as she tosses a tiara into a drawer full. Impressive for a Freshman. She opens a plain brown paper box on her bed, and it's full of butterflies. they flit around her and stalker!boy films it, seeming pleased at her expression of delight.
He drives an old style Volkswagen Beetle, heading for home. Greg's mom confronts him about his taping of Lana and his bug collecting. She is, as is typical of small towns, more concerned with her own reputation and comfort level than the invasion of Lana's privacy. But she has had it and plans to call a military academy and send him away.
His butterflies are gorgeous, but rather too green. He's got meteor rocks in some of the habitariums. Thinking to take his collection somewhere save, he loads them all into his beetle but a stop sends one to the floor. The swarming wasps cause him to have a car accident, and the screams continue from the glowing green interior of the Volkswagen.
So, this is our set-up. Creepy stalker kid with a passion for bugs, gets hit with bug bites and stings compounded by meteor rocks. It's our first true Freak of the Week episode.
A cricket crawls on his broken glasses. A poster reads "Greetings from Californication" as Mom comes looking for him, only to find the habitariums gone. (this will be important later) Greg, looking about 30, sporting a lot of stings and marks, is plaster in the corner of the ceiling.
Opening Credits. The six kids: Tom, Kristen, Michael, Eric, Sam and Allison are billed. Annette gets a "With" credit and John gets an "As" credit. (I had to go to TV Tropes for this next bit, and I escaped unscathed) Tom Welling has top billing, because he is Clark Kent. The "With Annette O'Toole" indicates she is a better known actor, but has a smaller part. The "As" credit is much the same. Coming last, it means they are banking fairly heavily on John Schneider's name. More credits. This is first season, John Glover is still being credited as a guest star. Since he's not, expect no Luthor tension.
Chad Donella is Greg Arkin, the bug boy. He's been in Final Destination, Shattered Glass and Taken 3
Flying montage, right into Lana's room, where she is sleeping in a pretty white camisole embroidered in pink and yellow. She's on her back, her hair is perfect. She isn't snuggled down, drooling into the pillow with bedhead. He's hovering over her bed. She says "It's all your fault, Clark." Then Martha calls his name, Clark wakes and lands face first on his own bed, breaking it.
I've heard about sex dreams, but that was a lulu. Flying is nearly always a sex indicator, as is the presence of Lana. The fact Clark has actually achieved levitation indicates he'll be washing those jeans out before breakfast.
Homecoming banter at the farmer's market. And Clark brings the bitchery! Whitney tries passing the scarecroww bit off as a joke, but Clark isn't having it. he wants Lana's necklace back and Clark tells him to go to the cornfield and find it.
Lana is admiring stained glass butterflies when Greg steals up on her. he looks a l;ot better without the glasses and ferocious acne. This whole bit lends credence to my theory that Lana is herself a meteor mutant whose power is making everyone fall stupidly in love with her. And on some level she knows this, because when he proposes working on his paper at his house, she says library. His flat stare and intensity make him scary, even when asking for homework help. Whitney shows up to do the macho possessive thing.
And Lex appears, plucking an apple out of Clark's basket, complimenting him on his taste in women, and inquiring about the previous night. "You were tied to a stake in the middle of a field. Even the Romans saved that for special occasions."
Jonathan hesitates, but shakes Lex's hand this time. Lex comments on this. He stares after Lana, while taking a particularly large and symbolic bite from the apple.
Whitney is driving alone. Greg leaps into and then out of a tree, landing on the roof of Whitney's Ford truck. Whitney goes through a LOT of trucks this season and this may be the first casualty. Yep, it ends on its side, roof caved in, windows and windshield broken. Whitney unconscious on the airbag and a small fire on the undercarriage.
The Kents happen along. Jonathan grabs his extinguisher, but Clark is already pulling Whitney out. The truck explodes and Clark shelters Whitney with his own body. (That sounds a lot gayer than it is. OTOH, They're practically spooning in the middle of the road and Clark has his arms around Whitney as the fireball overtakes them) Jonathan burns his hand touching Clark's shoulder, but Whitney isn't even singed. Clark's sooty.
Father/Son talk time. He's worried about freaking Martha out. And he confesses the floating thing, wanting explanations. "As soon as you start breaking the law of gravity, we're in uncharted territory." Clark is afraid of the things that are happening.
Cut to Luthor Mansion and Lex examining the necklace before putting it into a box.
Cut to Lana on her horse, galloping and then walking him into the stables. Lex is there and offers advice. She's already seen more of Lex than Lex is comfortable with, after catching him skinny dipping about 5 years before. (And why would Lionel be having Nell stay over?)
The conversation is a lot of Lex playing dumb, getting answers that he already knows from Lana. And he drops the suggestion she ask about what Whitney was doing before the game.
This is typical Lex behavior. Many times, I think he's asking to see how honest people will be so he knows how to treat them. A hazard of growing up around a pathological liar. Lana's candor in this scene seems to have won him over.
Greg's mom comes home to find the heat set at 103. Her white walls are covered with handprints and Greg's room is full of webs. Greg, looking disturbingly like Christian Bale, shows up, shirtless, and possibly entirely naked. A brief, fairly brutal scene with a lot of unsavory implications, ends with him spewing webbing.
Clark examines Lex's mock up of the Siege of Troy. It was a gift when Lex was 9 to prepare him to enter the modern battlefield of business. Because it's Troy, he gets in a bit about a Whitney stringing Clark up out of jealousy. As he stands entirely too close... and he works those eyebrows. Also, his face is looking down while his eyes are looking up at Clark. This is classic flirtation, but again, a feminine position
(Note: it's always "The Quarterback" never Whitney or Fordman.)
Lex tosses out a sociopathic suggestion, that Clark should have let Whitney die in the accident. It would solve his problems. He rounds on Clark to check the response and reminds Clark he's kidding. Except he looks totally earnest. He then offer's Lana's necklace to Clark and observes that Clark is completely NOT fine around that necklace. The box is made of lead, and when it snaps shut, Clark is back to himself.
Lana confronts Whitney about the scarecrow. Whitney confesses he's lost the necklace.
And now Greg waylays her. She forgot the study date. He has a jealousy reaction over Clark.
Clark, meanwhile is experimenting with the necklace, only to find Lana in his loft. His "fortress of solitude". Clark asks why she's there. She apologizes for the scarecrow thing, even though it's not her fault. We get the story of the necklace again.
"Life is about change. Sometimes it's painful. Sometimes it's beautiful. Most of the time, it's both."
Cut to Greg sloughing off skin in the shower. Eww.
Jonathan is fixing a disc harrow. Clark comes down to help, and Greg jumps him. They hunt for Greg in the rafters. Greg pushes Jonathan through the loft rail, directly over the harrow. (saw this one coming. Lots of dangerous stuff on a farm) Clark gets between Jonathan and the harrow, bending several discs out of shape.
Clark is an expensive person to have around. He can do chores in 5 minutes flat, but he is destructive in the process of saving people.
Kent parents and Clark trying to figure out what is going on. Clark and Pete used to hang out with Greg in grade school. Now, Greg is leaving gooey green footprints on their barn ceiling.
"I dunni, seems kind of out there."
"This coming from a man whose been hiding a spaceship in the storm cellar for the last 12 years." I adore Martha's sass.
Clark tells Jonathan about the Wall of the Weird. He blames himself for the meteor shower. Jonathan suggests LuthorCorp is responsible for the weirdness. Cue serious bit of talk about feelings and being human.
School. Clark checks with Chloe about Greg. Brief cuteness.Then Research.
Greg's house. It's a mess, at odds with his neat freak mother. We hear about the tree fort. Chloe does B&E. They find bits of Greg in the drain. They piece together that Lana is in danegr, and find Greg's desiccated mother.
Whitney comes to talk to Lana. Jealousy caused him to choose Clark for the scarecrow. Greg shows up, tosses Whitney into a stall and approaches Lana who has the sense to be afraid.
Clark finds Whitney and they're off to the rescue together.
Or not. Clark gave directions and vanished as Whitney started up his new truck.
Lana under webbing. Greg is observing. And Clark is trying to reason with him. Greg knocks Clark out of the treehouse, and vaults the foundry fence. The foundry was hit in the meteor shower, so it's full of rocks. Clark is very sick when Greg hits him with the iron pipe.
fight and chase scene. Clark takes refuge in a lead crucible. Greg pulls the wrong chain and gets squashed into millions of smaller bugs.
Whitney rescues Lana from the web. Clark watches him get the hug and cuddle.
Clark hangs the necklace on her doorknob and vanishes.
Death toll: 2. Greg and Mrs. Arkin
Property damage: Whitney's truck, the disc harrow, Greg's Beetle, Clark's bed.
Information gained: Clark is very allergic to meteor rocks. They make his veins glow green. Lead blocks them out. Lana knows what Whitney's capable of. Lex discovers he likes Lana. And Clark can levitate, but only when sleeping.
Not a terrible episode. It's not as rich as they will become, but for a new show trying to find its feet, this is a good one off.
Previously on Smallville... A recap of last episode.
Note: Clark's watching of Lana is still creepy.
Exterior, night, the Lang house.
Kid in a tree, filming Lana as she tosses a tiara into a drawer full. Impressive for a Freshman. She opens a plain brown paper box on her bed, and it's full of butterflies. they flit around her and stalker!boy films it, seeming pleased at her expression of delight.
He drives an old style Volkswagen Beetle, heading for home. Greg's mom confronts him about his taping of Lana and his bug collecting. She is, as is typical of small towns, more concerned with her own reputation and comfort level than the invasion of Lana's privacy. But she has had it and plans to call a military academy and send him away.
His butterflies are gorgeous, but rather too green. He's got meteor rocks in some of the habitariums. Thinking to take his collection somewhere save, he loads them all into his beetle but a stop sends one to the floor. The swarming wasps cause him to have a car accident, and the screams continue from the glowing green interior of the Volkswagen.
So, this is our set-up. Creepy stalker kid with a passion for bugs, gets hit with bug bites and stings compounded by meteor rocks. It's our first true Freak of the Week episode.
A cricket crawls on his broken glasses. A poster reads "Greetings from Californication" as Mom comes looking for him, only to find the habitariums gone. (this will be important later) Greg, looking about 30, sporting a lot of stings and marks, is plaster in the corner of the ceiling.
Opening Credits. The six kids: Tom, Kristen, Michael, Eric, Sam and Allison are billed. Annette gets a "With" credit and John gets an "As" credit. (I had to go to TV Tropes for this next bit, and I escaped unscathed) Tom Welling has top billing, because he is Clark Kent. The "With Annette O'Toole" indicates she is a better known actor, but has a smaller part. The "As" credit is much the same. Coming last, it means they are banking fairly heavily on John Schneider's name. More credits. This is first season, John Glover is still being credited as a guest star. Since he's not, expect no Luthor tension.
Chad Donella is Greg Arkin, the bug boy. He's been in Final Destination, Shattered Glass and Taken 3
Flying montage, right into Lana's room, where she is sleeping in a pretty white camisole embroidered in pink and yellow. She's on her back, her hair is perfect. She isn't snuggled down, drooling into the pillow with bedhead. He's hovering over her bed. She says "It's all your fault, Clark." Then Martha calls his name, Clark wakes and lands face first on his own bed, breaking it.
I've heard about sex dreams, but that was a lulu. Flying is nearly always a sex indicator, as is the presence of Lana. The fact Clark has actually achieved levitation indicates he'll be washing those jeans out before breakfast.
Homecoming banter at the farmer's market. And Clark brings the bitchery! Whitney tries passing the scarecroww bit off as a joke, but Clark isn't having it. he wants Lana's necklace back and Clark tells him to go to the cornfield and find it.
Lana is admiring stained glass butterflies when Greg steals up on her. he looks a l;ot better without the glasses and ferocious acne. This whole bit lends credence to my theory that Lana is herself a meteor mutant whose power is making everyone fall stupidly in love with her. And on some level she knows this, because when he proposes working on his paper at his house, she says library. His flat stare and intensity make him scary, even when asking for homework help. Whitney shows up to do the macho possessive thing.
And Lex appears, plucking an apple out of Clark's basket, complimenting him on his taste in women, and inquiring about the previous night. "You were tied to a stake in the middle of a field. Even the Romans saved that for special occasions."
Jonathan hesitates, but shakes Lex's hand this time. Lex comments on this. He stares after Lana, while taking a particularly large and symbolic bite from the apple.
Whitney is driving alone. Greg leaps into and then out of a tree, landing on the roof of Whitney's Ford truck. Whitney goes through a LOT of trucks this season and this may be the first casualty. Yep, it ends on its side, roof caved in, windows and windshield broken. Whitney unconscious on the airbag and a small fire on the undercarriage.
The Kents happen along. Jonathan grabs his extinguisher, but Clark is already pulling Whitney out. The truck explodes and Clark shelters Whitney with his own body. (That sounds a lot gayer than it is. OTOH, They're practically spooning in the middle of the road and Clark has his arms around Whitney as the fireball overtakes them) Jonathan burns his hand touching Clark's shoulder, but Whitney isn't even singed. Clark's sooty.
Father/Son talk time. He's worried about freaking Martha out. And he confesses the floating thing, wanting explanations. "As soon as you start breaking the law of gravity, we're in uncharted territory." Clark is afraid of the things that are happening.
Cut to Luthor Mansion and Lex examining the necklace before putting it into a box.
Cut to Lana on her horse, galloping and then walking him into the stables. Lex is there and offers advice. She's already seen more of Lex than Lex is comfortable with, after catching him skinny dipping about 5 years before. (And why would Lionel be having Nell stay over?)
The conversation is a lot of Lex playing dumb, getting answers that he already knows from Lana. And he drops the suggestion she ask about what Whitney was doing before the game.
This is typical Lex behavior. Many times, I think he's asking to see how honest people will be so he knows how to treat them. A hazard of growing up around a pathological liar. Lana's candor in this scene seems to have won him over.
Greg's mom comes home to find the heat set at 103. Her white walls are covered with handprints and Greg's room is full of webs. Greg, looking disturbingly like Christian Bale, shows up, shirtless, and possibly entirely naked. A brief, fairly brutal scene with a lot of unsavory implications, ends with him spewing webbing.
Clark examines Lex's mock up of the Siege of Troy. It was a gift when Lex was 9 to prepare him to enter the modern battlefield of business. Because it's Troy, he gets in a bit about a Whitney stringing Clark up out of jealousy. As he stands entirely too close... and he works those eyebrows. Also, his face is looking down while his eyes are looking up at Clark. This is classic flirtation, but again, a feminine position
(Note: it's always "The Quarterback" never Whitney or Fordman.)
Lex tosses out a sociopathic suggestion, that Clark should have let Whitney die in the accident. It would solve his problems. He rounds on Clark to check the response and reminds Clark he's kidding. Except he looks totally earnest. He then offer's Lana's necklace to Clark and observes that Clark is completely NOT fine around that necklace. The box is made of lead, and when it snaps shut, Clark is back to himself.
Lana confronts Whitney about the scarecrow. Whitney confesses he's lost the necklace.
And now Greg waylays her. She forgot the study date. He has a jealousy reaction over Clark.
Clark, meanwhile is experimenting with the necklace, only to find Lana in his loft. His "fortress of solitude". Clark asks why she's there. She apologizes for the scarecrow thing, even though it's not her fault. We get the story of the necklace again.
"Life is about change. Sometimes it's painful. Sometimes it's beautiful. Most of the time, it's both."
Cut to Greg sloughing off skin in the shower. Eww.
Jonathan is fixing a disc harrow. Clark comes down to help, and Greg jumps him. They hunt for Greg in the rafters. Greg pushes Jonathan through the loft rail, directly over the harrow. (saw this one coming. Lots of dangerous stuff on a farm) Clark gets between Jonathan and the harrow, bending several discs out of shape.
Clark is an expensive person to have around. He can do chores in 5 minutes flat, but he is destructive in the process of saving people.
Kent parents and Clark trying to figure out what is going on. Clark and Pete used to hang out with Greg in grade school. Now, Greg is leaving gooey green footprints on their barn ceiling.
"I dunni, seems kind of out there."
"This coming from a man whose been hiding a spaceship in the storm cellar for the last 12 years." I adore Martha's sass.
Clark tells Jonathan about the Wall of the Weird. He blames himself for the meteor shower. Jonathan suggests LuthorCorp is responsible for the weirdness. Cue serious bit of talk about feelings and being human.
School. Clark checks with Chloe about Greg. Brief cuteness.Then Research.
Greg's house. It's a mess, at odds with his neat freak mother. We hear about the tree fort. Chloe does B&E. They find bits of Greg in the drain. They piece together that Lana is in danegr, and find Greg's desiccated mother.
Whitney comes to talk to Lana. Jealousy caused him to choose Clark for the scarecrow. Greg shows up, tosses Whitney into a stall and approaches Lana who has the sense to be afraid.
Clark finds Whitney and they're off to the rescue together.
Or not. Clark gave directions and vanished as Whitney started up his new truck.
Lana under webbing. Greg is observing. And Clark is trying to reason with him. Greg knocks Clark out of the treehouse, and vaults the foundry fence. The foundry was hit in the meteor shower, so it's full of rocks. Clark is very sick when Greg hits him with the iron pipe.
fight and chase scene. Clark takes refuge in a lead crucible. Greg pulls the wrong chain and gets squashed into millions of smaller bugs.
Whitney rescues Lana from the web. Clark watches him get the hug and cuddle.
Clark hangs the necklace on her doorknob and vanishes.
Death toll: 2. Greg and Mrs. Arkin
Property damage: Whitney's truck, the disc harrow, Greg's Beetle, Clark's bed.
Information gained: Clark is very allergic to meteor rocks. They make his veins glow green. Lead blocks them out. Lana knows what Whitney's capable of. Lex discovers he likes Lana. And Clark can levitate, but only when sleeping.
Not a terrible episode. It's not as rich as they will become, but for a new show trying to find its feet, this is a good one off.
August 27, 2015
Smallville Rewatch Ep 1.01, Pilot
On Dreamwidth, some of us are doing a Smallville watch and discussion. The show is 13 years old.
I'll be reposting my commentary here. The format changes over the first few episodes, so bear with me as I find my stride,
Episode 1.01, Pilot
Commenting as I watch:
Establishing shot is great. Subtle, in that if you're not paying attention you miss the afterburners.
Less than a minute in and I already ache for Lex. I want to cuddle him and tell him it's all right, helicopters are noisy and scary, and he needs to be wearing his ear protection. Parental pressure sucks. (also, Gene Wilder is shouting in my head "Destiny, Destiny, no escaping, that's for me!")
The bit with Lana and Martha in the flowershop is heartbreaking, knowing what's coming. And I kinda hate Nell. She manages to convey her desire for Jonathan and her contempt of Martha in five short lines.
And Annette is so beautiful. Just saying that right here. Schneider has aged since leaving Hazzard county but not badly. He's only 42 in this episode. (for reference, I was 35 when this aired) With a few expressions, he makes it clear Jonathan is clearly the former big man on campus, quarterback and all of it.
The colors are intense. The town is all red and yellow with that one oddly Spanish/Moorish building (they must not be far from Kansas City) right there. Very 1950s wholesome small-town looking. And Lex heading into the cornfield, his red hair the same color as the corn tassels, stark against the green.
The scarecrow... I used to think this was an anomaly, a cruelty specific to the comic book universe (and an excuse later to get Welling down to his boxers) As I've read in the years since, this falls very much in line with male tribal/pack behavior.
Okay, Langs, it's one thing to stare at the smoke trail. It's another to stare at the meteorite coming right at YOU! One point for carrying the stupid ball.
The worry changing to revulsion on Lionel's face. He does love his son, even as he has great plans for the boy, and now... now it may all be futile. We see a man whose future and dynasty may be crumbling around him. There's panic mixed in with the revulsion.
Tiny bare feet and big blue eyes. Meep. And the ship has changed shape since the pilot.
~~~
Cut to present. Clark is researching super strength phenomenon, a very David Banner moment. And I love Martha being harried as she tries to get everyone around. The milk bottle gag is great.
That even someone as good looking, tall and clear skinned as Clark thinks he's a total loser is interesting messaging. It speaks to our insecurities as teens.
Chloe comes off like a slightly hyperactive Willow Rosenberg. I adore her from the moment she appears. And Pete's off handed Scooby comment is perfect. Her reaction to the scarecrow tradition, "years of therapy waiting to happen" is also spot on.
Lana's meteor rock necklace... That's morbid as all get out. and "Statistical fact, Clark Kent can't get within 5 feet of Lana Lang without turning into a total freakshow." He doesn't know what's causing it. This also establishes Whitney as the current BMOC, getting his girlfriend to check his homework, lording it over the others.
Lex...
And the bridge wreck. after seeing the computer simulation for several seasons, the scene itself is gut wrenching. We've all had bad moments behind the wheel, but this, and the fear on both boys' faces at impact, just left me a little queasy.
Clark doing CPR with no hesitation and Lex looking as if he's just seen an angel. No wonder it is an iconic slash ship.
"I could have sworn I hit you."
"You did hit me. You did." (right in the feels. There is no sub in this text)
Jonathan refusing to shake Lex's hand is a big bit of male symbolism. Men of his generation, and Lex's station, always shake hands. To refuse to do so shows you think someone is beneath contempt. It establishes his anger, his dislike of Lex and his position (again) as the male authority on the show.
The telescope thing, very Rear Window, but very creepy.
Whitney comes off as self-aware, ambitious. He knows that football stars are replaceable, there's a new one very year or two, and most of them don't ever make it out of their small towns. (Our own senior class quarterback is now the football coach at my old high school) They work and drink beer and never do much more than talk about their glory days in high school and maybe college. He wants more.
We're 20 minutes into the episode and we're just now getting some plot, instead of introductions. One of those "remember whens" Whitney was talking about. And he has learned nothing in the intervening 12 years.
He starts off insulting and confrontational and then quickly retreats behind "it was just a game, just a joke" after being shocked. This guy is Schroedinger's douchebag.
The sporty little red truck from Lex is a nice gesture (a bit grand, but hey, Luthors), but the look on Martha's face says he won't get to keep it.
Woodchipper. Never a good item in a scene. Someone's arm is going in that before the end.
Also, Jonathan wears proper safety gear. Now I want to do a Goofus and Gallant style cartoon strip. "Lionel arrogantly refuses to wear his ear protectors in the helicopter. Jonathan wears all his protective gear when operating heavy machinery." And just as a side note: an old piece of fic I beta'd in 2003.
Yep, Clark's arm into the chipper.
And now for the father/son talk.
"I suppose you stashed my spaceship in the attic?"
"Actually, it's in the storm cellar." Jonathan's calm, slightly embarrassed confession makes this scene.
The scene in the graveyard with Lana... Her Canadian accent is really strong. This one is a little morbid, but kind of cute. They're using her dead parents as a way to communicate, all the things they haven't been able to say to each other before now. And I love how fast Clark denies being upset about a boy.
The scene with Lex fairly pants with seduction. First the fencing lesson and the sword impaling the wall next to Clark. Lex stripping off his jacket and letting the suspenders fall as a prelude to taking off the padded trousers. The look in the mirror that goes on a beat or three too long, becoming vain and seductive instead of just a statement of fact. And "How about you Clark? Did you fall far from the tree?" There is nothing innocent or friendly in that smile.
Somehow the baldness makes Lex feminine. I'm sure there are endless papers about that. But I'm watching him move, very controlled, very conscious of every move, and very sexual. (I've been watching Michael Rosenbaum in "Impastor" and he moves completely differently as Buddy.) His voice is soft, sweet. Not a "hail-fellow-well-met," but "let me tell you secrets--like the flying during his near death experience--and look at you because you are shy and beautiful."
The gaze timing is perfect. It doesn't run long enough to make watchers uncomfortable (see the Hoth hangar scene) but it is quite intense.
Wall of the Weird. That is all
And at 34 minutes, we have hit the first Superman=Jesus moment. It's not the only one and it won't be the last.
Not going there. No. Lex is having a bad flashback night. I find the speed of his unknotting unrealistic. (okay, kid with superspeed, sure, untying ropes in seconds...oops) And Lex has his first piece of Kryptonite.
Although Jeremy and his vengeance are supposed to be the plot, he gets less than ten minutes of screen time as he tries to go Carrie on the Homecoming dance. (Chloe is having a blast with Pete. Lana and Whitney are being perfect and plastic)
So the players are all on stage, the relationships are established.
And Clark knows he's not human. It's not a terrible pilot.
I'll be reposting my commentary here. The format changes over the first few episodes, so bear with me as I find my stride,
Episode 1.01, Pilot
Commenting as I watch:
Establishing shot is great. Subtle, in that if you're not paying attention you miss the afterburners.
Less than a minute in and I already ache for Lex. I want to cuddle him and tell him it's all right, helicopters are noisy and scary, and he needs to be wearing his ear protection. Parental pressure sucks. (also, Gene Wilder is shouting in my head "Destiny, Destiny, no escaping, that's for me!")
The bit with Lana and Martha in the flowershop is heartbreaking, knowing what's coming. And I kinda hate Nell. She manages to convey her desire for Jonathan and her contempt of Martha in five short lines.
And Annette is so beautiful. Just saying that right here. Schneider has aged since leaving Hazzard county but not badly. He's only 42 in this episode. (for reference, I was 35 when this aired) With a few expressions, he makes it clear Jonathan is clearly the former big man on campus, quarterback and all of it.
The colors are intense. The town is all red and yellow with that one oddly Spanish/Moorish building (they must not be far from Kansas City) right there. Very 1950s wholesome small-town looking. And Lex heading into the cornfield, his red hair the same color as the corn tassels, stark against the green.
The scarecrow... I used to think this was an anomaly, a cruelty specific to the comic book universe (and an excuse later to get Welling down to his boxers) As I've read in the years since, this falls very much in line with male tribal/pack behavior.
Okay, Langs, it's one thing to stare at the smoke trail. It's another to stare at the meteorite coming right at YOU! One point for carrying the stupid ball.
The worry changing to revulsion on Lionel's face. He does love his son, even as he has great plans for the boy, and now... now it may all be futile. We see a man whose future and dynasty may be crumbling around him. There's panic mixed in with the revulsion.
Tiny bare feet and big blue eyes. Meep. And the ship has changed shape since the pilot.
~~~
Cut to present. Clark is researching super strength phenomenon, a very David Banner moment. And I love Martha being harried as she tries to get everyone around. The milk bottle gag is great.
That even someone as good looking, tall and clear skinned as Clark thinks he's a total loser is interesting messaging. It speaks to our insecurities as teens.
Chloe comes off like a slightly hyperactive Willow Rosenberg. I adore her from the moment she appears. And Pete's off handed Scooby comment is perfect. Her reaction to the scarecrow tradition, "years of therapy waiting to happen" is also spot on.
Lana's meteor rock necklace... That's morbid as all get out. and "Statistical fact, Clark Kent can't get within 5 feet of Lana Lang without turning into a total freakshow." He doesn't know what's causing it. This also establishes Whitney as the current BMOC, getting his girlfriend to check his homework, lording it over the others.
Lex...
And the bridge wreck. after seeing the computer simulation for several seasons, the scene itself is gut wrenching. We've all had bad moments behind the wheel, but this, and the fear on both boys' faces at impact, just left me a little queasy.
Clark doing CPR with no hesitation and Lex looking as if he's just seen an angel. No wonder it is an iconic slash ship.
"I could have sworn I hit you."
"You did hit me. You did." (right in the feels. There is no sub in this text)
Jonathan refusing to shake Lex's hand is a big bit of male symbolism. Men of his generation, and Lex's station, always shake hands. To refuse to do so shows you think someone is beneath contempt. It establishes his anger, his dislike of Lex and his position (again) as the male authority on the show.
The telescope thing, very Rear Window, but very creepy.
Whitney comes off as self-aware, ambitious. He knows that football stars are replaceable, there's a new one very year or two, and most of them don't ever make it out of their small towns. (Our own senior class quarterback is now the football coach at my old high school) They work and drink beer and never do much more than talk about their glory days in high school and maybe college. He wants more.
We're 20 minutes into the episode and we're just now getting some plot, instead of introductions. One of those "remember whens" Whitney was talking about. And he has learned nothing in the intervening 12 years.
He starts off insulting and confrontational and then quickly retreats behind "it was just a game, just a joke" after being shocked. This guy is Schroedinger's douchebag.
The sporty little red truck from Lex is a nice gesture (a bit grand, but hey, Luthors), but the look on Martha's face says he won't get to keep it.
Woodchipper. Never a good item in a scene. Someone's arm is going in that before the end.
Also, Jonathan wears proper safety gear. Now I want to do a Goofus and Gallant style cartoon strip. "Lionel arrogantly refuses to wear his ear protectors in the helicopter. Jonathan wears all his protective gear when operating heavy machinery." And just as a side note: an old piece of fic I beta'd in 2003.
Yep, Clark's arm into the chipper.
And now for the father/son talk.
"I suppose you stashed my spaceship in the attic?"
"Actually, it's in the storm cellar." Jonathan's calm, slightly embarrassed confession makes this scene.
The scene in the graveyard with Lana... Her Canadian accent is really strong. This one is a little morbid, but kind of cute. They're using her dead parents as a way to communicate, all the things they haven't been able to say to each other before now. And I love how fast Clark denies being upset about a boy.
The scene with Lex fairly pants with seduction. First the fencing lesson and the sword impaling the wall next to Clark. Lex stripping off his jacket and letting the suspenders fall as a prelude to taking off the padded trousers. The look in the mirror that goes on a beat or three too long, becoming vain and seductive instead of just a statement of fact. And "How about you Clark? Did you fall far from the tree?" There is nothing innocent or friendly in that smile.
Somehow the baldness makes Lex feminine. I'm sure there are endless papers about that. But I'm watching him move, very controlled, very conscious of every move, and very sexual. (I've been watching Michael Rosenbaum in "Impastor" and he moves completely differently as Buddy.) His voice is soft, sweet. Not a "hail-fellow-well-met," but "let me tell you secrets--like the flying during his near death experience--and look at you because you are shy and beautiful."
The gaze timing is perfect. It doesn't run long enough to make watchers uncomfortable (see the Hoth hangar scene) but it is quite intense.
Wall of the Weird. That is all
And at 34 minutes, we have hit the first Superman=Jesus moment. It's not the only one and it won't be the last.
Not going there. No. Lex is having a bad flashback night. I find the speed of his unknotting unrealistic. (okay, kid with superspeed, sure, untying ropes in seconds...oops) And Lex has his first piece of Kryptonite.
Although Jeremy and his vengeance are supposed to be the plot, he gets less than ten minutes of screen time as he tries to go Carrie on the Homecoming dance. (Chloe is having a blast with Pete. Lana and Whitney are being perfect and plastic)
So the players are all on stage, the relationships are established.
And Clark knows he's not human. It's not a terrible pilot.
August 26, 2015
Magic in the DJ universe
I write an Urban Fantasy series. And this questionnaire came over my tumblr.
So, let's talk about magic in my Urban Fantasy 'verse, where werewolves drive trolleys and teach New England Transcendentalist lit classes, where vampires are the shadow government, where biker mages deal with Nightside threats and where Cthulhu and other Great Old Ones seek readmission to our world (which is handy for the buses and closer to the shops)
(covers link to buy pages)
How is it learned and executed?
Magic is learned through schooling. A human child who exhibits power is tracked by the local wizards, until age 9-12. Then they are tested. This looks like any ordinary school testing. It is decided whether or not to train the children then. A child with some magic who is not promising (or of the wrong ethnicity) will be left to wither, becoming a No-Talent. No-Talents aren't human enough to live with normal people and aren't magic enough to survive on the Nightside.
"No-Talents like me go out one of three ways: a spike in the vein, pickled in the bottle or ripped apart by something Nightside. I wasn't guessing the first, but those who knew me had their bets on the other two."
A child from a family of wizards will begin training in the cradle, especially fire mages. They tend to have a bit of a head start on those whose magic isn't a dominant trait. But it evens out by their twenties.
There is a strong hereditary component in magic. Many women are breeder witches, who are encouraged to have a lot of kids, starting quite young. They often have talents as doulas and healers, and all learn other forms of magic to practice and teach the kids. Moira McKay, a powerful Scottish breeder witch has 13 children, including 2 combat mages (one the first to retire in a century, the other the most powerful of his generation), a breeder, a necromancer, and others. She herself is a powerful talismonger in her 90s. Male breeders are more uncommon, but there are some.
Because of the high risk, male combat mages are expected to bank sperm each year. Female ones are required to have two children after training and before being assigned to a unit. Most combat mages don't have the right personalities for families, or even long-term partners, so the kids end up being raised by a breeder sib.
Kids are encouraged to get their basic learning out of the way. Magic training begins about 12-13, and is mostly extra-curricular. At 15, combat mages are encouraged to get a GED or equivalent and start actual combat training. (those who delay until high school graduation, or worse, college, run the risk of losing all their power) Breeders are encouraged to have their first child about 17.
Execution is simply bending mana to the user's will. Some need more ritual than others. Some store spells in objects for later use.
How is it accessed?
Will power, primarily. Imagine the ward, draw it in the air with your finger and open your eyes to see the pretty blue lines you made. Take aim, conjure the fire in your mind and scorch your target flat. Visualize your desired person, and talk to them. If they have a dab of mana, they'll hear. Visualize a double of yourself and send it to visit (sending a fetch) relatives clear around the world.
Does it have a will of its own?
Mana is much like the Force. It can nudge a user, or even compel her, but he also controls it. The mana works as an aphrodisiac bringing a couple together and smoothing the way for them to get together physically. But the couple can fight it, and do on several occasions. The magic isn't sentient, but it flows with events and shapes them at the same time.
Is it restricted in space and time?
It is to a degree. Spells have a limited range and duration. If you throw a small fireball, it will go only a certain distance, set stuff on fire and burn out. You cannot pull magic from a different time. However, mages from all over the world can send their power to a specific spot if needed.
What does available magic do?
Whatever the user needs it to. It can show the future, be used in battle, summon or banish demons, control the Fae (if briefly), move objects, make things visible or invisible, and travel between planes.
How does it relate to the character, plot and theme of the book?
Our lead is a No-Talent. So she has to deal with the derision of the magic folk she works with. Not having magic makes her job harder. She has enough to use magical objects, like banishing talismans, and to be aware of the magical world around her.
What is the cost of magic?
Magic is energy. Casting takes energy out of the caster, even if they are mostly channeling the power around them. A hard session leaves a caster hungry, thirsty and tired. Combat can also leave them jacked up, as if on stimulants, and very horny.
What can it not do?
It can heal, even if one is at death's door, but it cannot bring back the dead. It cannot make solid objects. It is energy, and converting energy into mass is a pain.
How long does it last?
Most of the spell effects I've been working with are short term things: fireballs and such. Wards and illusions can last for weeks, months or even years, depending on the caster. Visions tend to be fairly brief, (DJ has about 2-5 seconds' worth of precognition, set about 2-5 minutes ahead) Banishment tends to be permanent, until the creature finds another path back in.
Who can use it?
Anyone who can access the mana. That means mostly those born into magical families, but some born to human parents as well.
How do others react to it?
Magic users tend to be delighted about other mages, to a degree. Combat mages, especially itinerant ones, are not welcomed by law enforcement. Some are old-fashioned and stodgy and secretive. Others are "Welcome aboard for a wild ride." Humans for the most part won't see magic, even when it's staring them in the face. They don't know the signs that someone is a werewolf. People see what they expect to much of the time, and nobody expects pixies zipping around a McDonald's.
Then again, combat mage. He carried it around him like Marines carry their attitude or really wealthy people wear their money. He’d dialed it back after the entrance, but the power just rolled off him.
I’d seen mages that powerful before. They’d walk down the street and people would get out of their way without even seeing them. If you asked the passerby later, they’d have said it was body odor or something. Most people didn’t know magic when they saw it or felt it.
Excuses are almost always made when something large happens.
Jackson nodded. “You’ve tangled before then?”
I just pointed to my face. “Chernobyl. 1986.” We’d covered up my failure with the tale of a nuclear-power-plant accident, but people had still died. That was on me, all the deaths, and the magic, not the radiation, had rendered the place unlivable.
Why haven’t people with this power taken over the world?
They have. The humans just don't know it yet. The ones in charge are often born to human parents, so they regard themselves as humans who can do magic, instead of mages first. This is deliberate. It fosters a benign policy toward ordinary people--our parents, sisters and brothers--and keeps the monomaniacal ones from revealing the Nightside and turning humans into cattle (and some of that is the plot of the book i'm currently working on)
So, let's talk about magic in my Urban Fantasy 'verse, where werewolves drive trolleys and teach New England Transcendentalist lit classes, where vampires are the shadow government, where biker mages deal with Nightside threats and where Cthulhu and other Great Old Ones seek readmission to our world (which is handy for the buses and closer to the shops)
(covers link to buy pages)
How is it learned and executed?
Magic is learned through schooling. A human child who exhibits power is tracked by the local wizards, until age 9-12. Then they are tested. This looks like any ordinary school testing. It is decided whether or not to train the children then. A child with some magic who is not promising (or of the wrong ethnicity) will be left to wither, becoming a No-Talent. No-Talents aren't human enough to live with normal people and aren't magic enough to survive on the Nightside.
"No-Talents like me go out one of three ways: a spike in the vein, pickled in the bottle or ripped apart by something Nightside. I wasn't guessing the first, but those who knew me had their bets on the other two."
A child from a family of wizards will begin training in the cradle, especially fire mages. They tend to have a bit of a head start on those whose magic isn't a dominant trait. But it evens out by their twenties.
There is a strong hereditary component in magic. Many women are breeder witches, who are encouraged to have a lot of kids, starting quite young. They often have talents as doulas and healers, and all learn other forms of magic to practice and teach the kids. Moira McKay, a powerful Scottish breeder witch has 13 children, including 2 combat mages (one the first to retire in a century, the other the most powerful of his generation), a breeder, a necromancer, and others. She herself is a powerful talismonger in her 90s. Male breeders are more uncommon, but there are some.
Because of the high risk, male combat mages are expected to bank sperm each year. Female ones are required to have two children after training and before being assigned to a unit. Most combat mages don't have the right personalities for families, or even long-term partners, so the kids end up being raised by a breeder sib.
Kids are encouraged to get their basic learning out of the way. Magic training begins about 12-13, and is mostly extra-curricular. At 15, combat mages are encouraged to get a GED or equivalent and start actual combat training. (those who delay until high school graduation, or worse, college, run the risk of losing all their power) Breeders are encouraged to have their first child about 17.
Execution is simply bending mana to the user's will. Some need more ritual than others. Some store spells in objects for later use.
How is it accessed?
Will power, primarily. Imagine the ward, draw it in the air with your finger and open your eyes to see the pretty blue lines you made. Take aim, conjure the fire in your mind and scorch your target flat. Visualize your desired person, and talk to them. If they have a dab of mana, they'll hear. Visualize a double of yourself and send it to visit (sending a fetch) relatives clear around the world.
Does it have a will of its own?
Mana is much like the Force. It can nudge a user, or even compel her, but he also controls it. The mana works as an aphrodisiac bringing a couple together and smoothing the way for them to get together physically. But the couple can fight it, and do on several occasions. The magic isn't sentient, but it flows with events and shapes them at the same time.
Is it restricted in space and time?
It is to a degree. Spells have a limited range and duration. If you throw a small fireball, it will go only a certain distance, set stuff on fire and burn out. You cannot pull magic from a different time. However, mages from all over the world can send their power to a specific spot if needed.
What does available magic do?
Whatever the user needs it to. It can show the future, be used in battle, summon or banish demons, control the Fae (if briefly), move objects, make things visible or invisible, and travel between planes.
How does it relate to the character, plot and theme of the book?
Our lead is a No-Talent. So she has to deal with the derision of the magic folk she works with. Not having magic makes her job harder. She has enough to use magical objects, like banishing talismans, and to be aware of the magical world around her.
What is the cost of magic?
Magic is energy. Casting takes energy out of the caster, even if they are mostly channeling the power around them. A hard session leaves a caster hungry, thirsty and tired. Combat can also leave them jacked up, as if on stimulants, and very horny.
What can it not do?
It can heal, even if one is at death's door, but it cannot bring back the dead. It cannot make solid objects. It is energy, and converting energy into mass is a pain.
How long does it last?
Most of the spell effects I've been working with are short term things: fireballs and such. Wards and illusions can last for weeks, months or even years, depending on the caster. Visions tend to be fairly brief, (DJ has about 2-5 seconds' worth of precognition, set about 2-5 minutes ahead) Banishment tends to be permanent, until the creature finds another path back in.
Who can use it?
Anyone who can access the mana. That means mostly those born into magical families, but some born to human parents as well.
How do others react to it?
Magic users tend to be delighted about other mages, to a degree. Combat mages, especially itinerant ones, are not welcomed by law enforcement. Some are old-fashioned and stodgy and secretive. Others are "Welcome aboard for a wild ride." Humans for the most part won't see magic, even when it's staring them in the face. They don't know the signs that someone is a werewolf. People see what they expect to much of the time, and nobody expects pixies zipping around a McDonald's.
Then again, combat mage. He carried it around him like Marines carry their attitude or really wealthy people wear their money. He’d dialed it back after the entrance, but the power just rolled off him.
I’d seen mages that powerful before. They’d walk down the street and people would get out of their way without even seeing them. If you asked the passerby later, they’d have said it was body odor or something. Most people didn’t know magic when they saw it or felt it.
Excuses are almost always made when something large happens.
Jackson nodded. “You’ve tangled before then?”
I just pointed to my face. “Chernobyl. 1986.” We’d covered up my failure with the tale of a nuclear-power-plant accident, but people had still died. That was on me, all the deaths, and the magic, not the radiation, had rendered the place unlivable.
Why haven’t people with this power taken over the world?
They have. The humans just don't know it yet. The ones in charge are often born to human parents, so they regard themselves as humans who can do magic, instead of mages first. This is deliberate. It fosters a benign policy toward ordinary people--our parents, sisters and brothers--and keeps the monomaniacal ones from revealing the Nightside and turning humans into cattle (and some of that is the plot of the book i'm currently working on)
August 25, 2015
Fall Convention Schedule
Or as I like to call it, the Fall Death March.
Now, Elizabeth Donald's is deathier (hail Fearless Leader of the Literary Underworld), and includes things like DragonCon, but mine is still a challenge.
Gabriel went to Memphis Gaming Expo, and showed off Mortalus.
This weekend is River City Comic Expo, in Little Rock. $5 to get in, and we'll be at the Statehouse Convention Center. Books, Jayne Hats and hobbit boxes.
Yes, those are actual pages. The copy was too dilapidated to keep and I was heartbroken to throw it away. Gabriel fixed the problem. This is mine, but there are two more, one with riddles and one with maps.
Mephit Fur Meet is Labor Day Weekend at Whispering Woods in Memphis (well, Olive Branch). I have a small but good writing track planned. This is a convention full of stuffed animals who hug you back. Inkstained Succubus is debuting our Conspiracy Arts line. (These are the things we do when we are away from the computers)
And Olivia is selling her first ears and tails.
The Imaginarium... This is THE place if you want to be a writer or are starting to write, or are a writer. Best writing track around, and an expo hall--FREE TO THE PUBLIC!--full of some of the best small press work in the country. Louisville KY, Sept 11-13, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. I'll be there with the Literary Underworld.
The Farmers' Market in West Memphis is Sept 19. Sanity may prevail and we may stay in. Or greed may win and I may haul everything out.
ContraFlow, New Orleans, Oct 2-4. A small convention but we had a great time last year. We hope to have a book or two to debut.
Festival of Souls, Oct 15-18. Meeman Shelby State Park, Memphis. This is a pagan festival. Conspiracy Arts is more our focus, but we will have books too.
ConTraception, Nov 6-8, Kansas City, MO. (Independence) Brilliant little relaxacon. Books, crafts and other goodies, readings and a couple panels. This is just a fun weekend run by people I've known nearly 30 years.
Geekonomicon, Dec 11-13, Biloxi, MS. This is a new con in our schedule. We're hoping to do well here. The folks were very friendly and we felt terrible about cancelling out last year.
Now, Elizabeth Donald's is deathier (hail Fearless Leader of the Literary Underworld), and includes things like DragonCon, but mine is still a challenge.
Gabriel went to Memphis Gaming Expo, and showed off Mortalus.
This weekend is River City Comic Expo, in Little Rock. $5 to get in, and we'll be at the Statehouse Convention Center. Books, Jayne Hats and hobbit boxes.
Yes, those are actual pages. The copy was too dilapidated to keep and I was heartbroken to throw it away. Gabriel fixed the problem. This is mine, but there are two more, one with riddles and one with maps.Mephit Fur Meet is Labor Day Weekend at Whispering Woods in Memphis (well, Olive Branch). I have a small but good writing track planned. This is a convention full of stuffed animals who hug you back. Inkstained Succubus is debuting our Conspiracy Arts line. (These are the things we do when we are away from the computers)
And Olivia is selling her first ears and tails.
The Imaginarium... This is THE place if you want to be a writer or are starting to write, or are a writer. Best writing track around, and an expo hall--FREE TO THE PUBLIC!--full of some of the best small press work in the country. Louisville KY, Sept 11-13, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. I'll be there with the Literary Underworld.
The Farmers' Market in West Memphis is Sept 19. Sanity may prevail and we may stay in. Or greed may win and I may haul everything out.
ContraFlow, New Orleans, Oct 2-4. A small convention but we had a great time last year. We hope to have a book or two to debut.
Festival of Souls, Oct 15-18. Meeman Shelby State Park, Memphis. This is a pagan festival. Conspiracy Arts is more our focus, but we will have books too.
ConTraception, Nov 6-8, Kansas City, MO. (Independence) Brilliant little relaxacon. Books, crafts and other goodies, readings and a couple panels. This is just a fun weekend run by people I've known nearly 30 years.
Geekonomicon, Dec 11-13, Biloxi, MS. This is a new con in our schedule. We're hoping to do well here. The folks were very friendly and we felt terrible about cancelling out last year.
August 24, 2015
Vaccines
Old King Plague is dead.The Smallpox plague is dead.No more children dying hardNo more cripples living scarredWith the marks of the Devil's KissWe still may die of other thingsBut we will not die of this!--Ballad of Smallpox Gone, by Leslie Fish.
The other day, a friend asked what that scar on my back was. I've circled it in the picture above. "That's my smallpox vaccination scar." I ended up showing it around the room of thirty-somethings, as if it was a relic of a bygone era.
Then I realized it was. The oldest in that room will be 37 next month. She has no smallpox scar. My children never were vaccinated for smallpox. The last case was in 1977. In fact, by 1914, most industrialized countries had it mostly wiped out through vigorous vaccination programs that started in 1800. there are only two places smallpox virii are stored, and WHO recommends destroying them.
The disease that killed Ramses V, Edward VI (Henry VIII's only son) Tad Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln caught it and had to be quarantined shortly after the Gettysburg Address), Jonathan Edwards, and Pocahontas has not been an actual threat since I was in single digits.
When I was a kid, there was no question about vaccines. They used to line us up in the school gym, Army style, and use a needle gun. We all got them or we didn't go to school. If we missed them, the school nurse would have a shot clinic early in the school year. I was jealous of the kids who needed a polio vaccine, because it came on a sugar cube.
Now, intelligent people, people I know personally who should know better, are coming out anti-vax.
Presidential candidates are coming out against mandatory vaccines.
Let me repeat that.
Presidential candidates are coming out against mandatory vaccination.
This one phrases it as parental choice on "more esoteric vaccines" (in short, Gardasil) and that schools shouldn't mandate it. Others witter on about personal choice and freedom. People claim there is mercury in them or they cause autism. Both of these have been debunked so many times it's verging on ridiculous that people still believe it.
I'm waiting to see which of the other politicos comes out in favor of epidemics and death,
All right, let me lay this out.
Smallpox is eradicated. The scourge that haunted humanity for 10,000 years has been wiped out by vaccination, within my lifetime.
Measles was on its way out in 2000. There were no deaths from it for ten years
For reference:
Measles wiped out 1/3 of the native Fijians in 1875. In the 1850s, it killed 20% of Hawaiians. 7-8 million children died every year before the vaccine was introduced. In 1980, there were 4.2 million measles cases world-wide. in 2014, there were 426,000. About 158,000 people a year still die of it. Compare that. 158,000 vs. 7-8 million.
My mother remembered the fear that summer time brought, and Polio. Of the avoiding public places and pools, and iron lungs. My grandparents remembered FDR in his wheelchair.
Donald Sutherland, Arthur C Clarke, Alan Alda, Mia Farrow(8 months in an iron lung), Dr. Oppenheimer all had polio. Dinah Shore still has a limp from it. Clarke died of complications from post-polio syndrome. Margaret Steiff, whose toy company makes famous teddy bears, was wheelchair bound from it.
My children know none of this. Only one of them ever got chicken pox. The rest got the vaccine.
My generation doesn't remember iron lungs. I think I knew one or two kids who got measles. My generation didn't have quarantine cards in the windows or classmates dying of it. And this is why the anti-vax crowd runs 50 and under.
~~~
I could keep going.
But those who believe won't hear facts. Facts only make them angry and they talk about falsification and conspiracies.
~~~
But let's talk a moment about Gardasil.
This protects against HPV of the kind that causes cervical cancer.
many people are against it for moral reasons. Although what morality there is in raising your daughter's chances of cancer eludes me.
I have sat on the table and heard the words "squamous cells." I planned and plotted and sorted in my mind for weeks. I know what it smells like when the doctor burns the top layer of cervical cells off with a hot electrode.
If I can spare my kid that, absolutely.
My daughters are going to have sex. Probably not with one person for the rest of their lives. I know this. I accept this. The people who are against Gardasil almost uniformly do not accept that fact. (even though they themselves are in the "more than one partner" corner)
If this was about lung cancer, there would be no controversy.
But Sea and Stars forfend that some woman should have sex and not die!
~~~
Get the vaccines.
Protect your kids.
Protect those who can't get the vaccines or whom the opportunistic infections would kill.
Think beyond "my kid is getting poked with a needle. NO!"
The other day, a friend asked what that scar on my back was. I've circled it in the picture above. "That's my smallpox vaccination scar." I ended up showing it around the room of thirty-somethings, as if it was a relic of a bygone era.
Then I realized it was. The oldest in that room will be 37 next month. She has no smallpox scar. My children never were vaccinated for smallpox. The last case was in 1977. In fact, by 1914, most industrialized countries had it mostly wiped out through vigorous vaccination programs that started in 1800. there are only two places smallpox virii are stored, and WHO recommends destroying them.
The disease that killed Ramses V, Edward VI (Henry VIII's only son) Tad Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln caught it and had to be quarantined shortly after the Gettysburg Address), Jonathan Edwards, and Pocahontas has not been an actual threat since I was in single digits.
When I was a kid, there was no question about vaccines. They used to line us up in the school gym, Army style, and use a needle gun. We all got them or we didn't go to school. If we missed them, the school nurse would have a shot clinic early in the school year. I was jealous of the kids who needed a polio vaccine, because it came on a sugar cube.
Now, intelligent people, people I know personally who should know better, are coming out anti-vax.
Presidential candidates are coming out against mandatory vaccines.
Let me repeat that.
Presidential candidates are coming out against mandatory vaccination.
This one phrases it as parental choice on "more esoteric vaccines" (in short, Gardasil) and that schools shouldn't mandate it. Others witter on about personal choice and freedom. People claim there is mercury in them or they cause autism. Both of these have been debunked so many times it's verging on ridiculous that people still believe it.
I'm waiting to see which of the other politicos comes out in favor of epidemics and death,
All right, let me lay this out.
Smallpox is eradicated. The scourge that haunted humanity for 10,000 years has been wiped out by vaccination, within my lifetime.
Measles was on its way out in 2000. There were no deaths from it for ten years
For reference:
Measles wiped out 1/3 of the native Fijians in 1875. In the 1850s, it killed 20% of Hawaiians. 7-8 million children died every year before the vaccine was introduced. In 1980, there were 4.2 million measles cases world-wide. in 2014, there were 426,000. About 158,000 people a year still die of it. Compare that. 158,000 vs. 7-8 million.
My mother remembered the fear that summer time brought, and Polio. Of the avoiding public places and pools, and iron lungs. My grandparents remembered FDR in his wheelchair.
Donald Sutherland, Arthur C Clarke, Alan Alda, Mia Farrow(8 months in an iron lung), Dr. Oppenheimer all had polio. Dinah Shore still has a limp from it. Clarke died of complications from post-polio syndrome. Margaret Steiff, whose toy company makes famous teddy bears, was wheelchair bound from it.
My children know none of this. Only one of them ever got chicken pox. The rest got the vaccine.
My generation doesn't remember iron lungs. I think I knew one or two kids who got measles. My generation didn't have quarantine cards in the windows or classmates dying of it. And this is why the anti-vax crowd runs 50 and under.
~~~
I could keep going.
But those who believe won't hear facts. Facts only make them angry and they talk about falsification and conspiracies.
~~~
But let's talk a moment about Gardasil.
This protects against HPV of the kind that causes cervical cancer.
many people are against it for moral reasons. Although what morality there is in raising your daughter's chances of cancer eludes me.
I have sat on the table and heard the words "squamous cells." I planned and plotted and sorted in my mind for weeks. I know what it smells like when the doctor burns the top layer of cervical cells off with a hot electrode.
If I can spare my kid that, absolutely.
My daughters are going to have sex. Probably not with one person for the rest of their lives. I know this. I accept this. The people who are against Gardasil almost uniformly do not accept that fact. (even though they themselves are in the "more than one partner" corner)
If this was about lung cancer, there would be no controversy.
But Sea and Stars forfend that some woman should have sex and not die!
~~~
Get the vaccines.
Protect your kids.
Protect those who can't get the vaccines or whom the opportunistic infections would kill.
Think beyond "my kid is getting poked with a needle. NO!"
August 22, 2015
My Sexy Saturday: That Sexy time of Day
There are people who make love in the morning. There are people who make love at night. Or maybe it’s the afternoon. Whenever it is, it’s that sexy time of day.
From "WaterWheel" from the Devout anthology.
Buy Link
Blurb:
Let's face it; spirituality can be sexy. That goes double for men of the cloth, who display such passion and devotion toward their chosen deities. For some, nothing is more erotic than men dedicating their lives to faith and service. However, even the most pious men aren't above temptation, and the men of Devout find themselves more than eager to explore a more carnal interpretation of worship. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy five doses of old-time religion spiked with erotic intrigue and a delicious hint of sin that will have you reaching for some holy water, preferably with ice.
Lord Rhys, heir to the earldom of Kent, is intelligent and unattainable as far as Father Andrew is concerned. To avoid a great famine, the unlikely pair sets out to commission an engineer to build a much needed Water Wheel. However, if the power-hungry Bishop of Rochester has his way, their quest and budding affection are both doomed to failure.
Your Seven Sexy Paragraphs:
“Never desired a woman.” Rhys smiled. “But what of a man?” He leaned
closer, and the afternoon was suddenly much too warm for Andrew's liking. “What of
the bishop? I see the way he looks at me, and he regards you with the same hunger.”
Andrew looked at the ground, his clear eyes not betraying his disgust at the
thought. “My uncle keeps his own counsel on whom he takes into his bed, vows or no
vows. I am not among that number.” He looked up at Rhys, feeling his own hungers
naked on his face. “I would that you were not one of them either.”
Rhys said nothing but closed the distance between their mouths in a breath.
He lingered there, his lips warm and his breath sweet, until shivers ran over Andrew's
scalp and down his arms. The serpent he carried, the reminder of Adam's wickedness, rose and filled, as it sometimes did upon awakening.
Rhys chuckled as they parted. “You delight me, and yet you have no idea of
your loveliness or desirability. I would not fill the bishop's bed. Not for a hundred
water wheels or a thousand earldoms. For another kiss as that, I would fill yours with
nothing but happiness.”
Andrew blushed and looked at the river. “I have desired you as a man desires
a maid since Easter three years ago. You rode beside your father, and I was surprised
to see you grown so tall. The light from the windows fell on your hair, and I thought
of little but the smile on your face even as my mouth sang the service.”
Rhys pulled him in close and held him. Andrew remembered being cuddled
so as a very small child, but no one had held him close for years. Rhys' arms encircled
him as if keeping the entire world at bay.
Andrew tipped his face up and kissed Rhys, the soft pink lips enticing him
and sending his head swimming like fine wine. He wanted the afternoon to last
forever, the spring sun slanting through the budding leaves, the brook babbling
around their feet, and Rhys' mouth on his, their breaths mingling and their skin warm as they pressed together.
The Other Sexy People:
From "WaterWheel" from the Devout anthology.
Buy Link
Blurb:
Let's face it; spirituality can be sexy. That goes double for men of the cloth, who display such passion and devotion toward their chosen deities. For some, nothing is more erotic than men dedicating their lives to faith and service. However, even the most pious men aren't above temptation, and the men of Devout find themselves more than eager to explore a more carnal interpretation of worship. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy five doses of old-time religion spiked with erotic intrigue and a delicious hint of sin that will have you reaching for some holy water, preferably with ice.
Lord Rhys, heir to the earldom of Kent, is intelligent and unattainable as far as Father Andrew is concerned. To avoid a great famine, the unlikely pair sets out to commission an engineer to build a much needed Water Wheel. However, if the power-hungry Bishop of Rochester has his way, their quest and budding affection are both doomed to failure.
Your Seven Sexy Paragraphs:
“Never desired a woman.” Rhys smiled. “But what of a man?” He leaned
closer, and the afternoon was suddenly much too warm for Andrew's liking. “What of
the bishop? I see the way he looks at me, and he regards you with the same hunger.”
Andrew looked at the ground, his clear eyes not betraying his disgust at the
thought. “My uncle keeps his own counsel on whom he takes into his bed, vows or no
vows. I am not among that number.” He looked up at Rhys, feeling his own hungers
naked on his face. “I would that you were not one of them either.”
Rhys said nothing but closed the distance between their mouths in a breath.
He lingered there, his lips warm and his breath sweet, until shivers ran over Andrew's
scalp and down his arms. The serpent he carried, the reminder of Adam's wickedness, rose and filled, as it sometimes did upon awakening.
Rhys chuckled as they parted. “You delight me, and yet you have no idea of
your loveliness or desirability. I would not fill the bishop's bed. Not for a hundred
water wheels or a thousand earldoms. For another kiss as that, I would fill yours with
nothing but happiness.”
Andrew blushed and looked at the river. “I have desired you as a man desires
a maid since Easter three years ago. You rode beside your father, and I was surprised
to see you grown so tall. The light from the windows fell on your hair, and I thought
of little but the smile on your face even as my mouth sang the service.”
Rhys pulled him in close and held him. Andrew remembered being cuddled
so as a very small child, but no one had held him close for years. Rhys' arms encircled
him as if keeping the entire world at bay.
Andrew tipped his face up and kissed Rhys, the soft pink lips enticing him
and sending his head swimming like fine wine. He wanted the afternoon to last
forever, the spring sun slanting through the budding leaves, the brook babbling
around their feet, and Rhys' mouth on his, their breaths mingling and their skin warm as they pressed together.
The Other Sexy People:
