'it really was just like a demoralizing thing'

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News Arcane Arcane’s Latest Trailer Teases the Next Stage of a Sisterly Face-Off The League of Legends series winds down next month By Molly Templeton | Published on October 16, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share Netflix’s animated Arcane series is coming to an end with its second season, but there’s plenty of action to come before it’s all over. The story of sisters Jinx and Vi—voiced by Ella Purnell and Hailee Steinfeld—continues in season two, as they face the consequences of their first-season actions. Purnell told Netflix, “One of the biggest themes of Arcane is, you are the choices that you make, and you can never predict the consequences of those choices.” Here’s the synopsis, per Tudum: Arcane tells the origin story of two iconic League of Legends champions, who just so happen to be sisters. Jinx (Purnell) — also known as Powder — and Vi (Steinfeld) find themselves on rival sides of a brewing war between the utopian city Piltover and its oppressed underbelly Zaun. Powder and Vi are completely transformed by the end of the first season, as Powder becomes the mischievous Jinx and Vi proves she’s one champion you don’t want to mess with. Arcane also stars Katie Leung as Caitlyn, Reed Shannon as Ekko, Brett Tucker as Singed, Mick Wingert as Heimerdinger, and JB Blanc as Vander. While this particular show only has this second and final season to go, co-creator Christian Linke told Tudum that Arcane is “just the first of many stories that we want to tell in Runeterra.” The final season of Arcane comes in three parts: Act I on November 9th, Act II on November 16th, and Act III on November 23rd. It all happens on Netflix.[end-mark] The post <i>Arcane’</i>s Latest Trailer Teases the Next Stage of a Sisterly Face-Off appeared first on Reactor.

News fairy tale A24 to Adapt Stephen King’s Fairy Tale Into Series; Fringe Showrunner On Board By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on October 16, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share The feature adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Fairy Tale we first heard about in 2022 is getting reimagined into a ten-episode series. Deadline broke the news that A24, the studio behind films like Longlegs, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Midsommar, has picked up the project. Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy), who wrote the feature script, is still involved. He will be working with J.H. Wyman, whose previous credits include showrunning the TV series Fringe, to expand the story over ten episodes, something that will be feasible given the book clocks in at over six hundred pages. Wyman will also serve as showrunner for the Fairy Tale series. Here’s the synopsis for Fairy Tale: Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. Then, when Charlie is seventeen, he meets Howard Bowditch, a recluse with a big dog in a big house at the top of a big hill. In the backyard is a locked shed from which strange sounds emerge, as if some creature is trying to escape. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie the house, a massive amount of gold, a cassette tape telling a story that is impossible to believe, and a responsibility far too massive for a boy to shoulder.Because within the shed is a portal to another world—one whose denizens are in peril and whose monstrous leaders may destroy their own world, and ours. In this parallel universe, where two moons race across the sky, and the grand towers of a sprawling palace pierce the clouds, there are exiled princesses and princes who suffer horrific punishments; there are dungeons; there are games in which men and women must fight each other to the death for the amusement of the “Fair One.” And there is a magic sundial that can turn back time. The project is still in its early days, so no news yet on casting or when we’ll be able to watch.[end-mark] The post A24 to Adapt Stephen King’s <i>Fairy Tale</i> Into Series; <i>Fringe</i> Showrunner On Board appeared first on Reactor.

Books book review A Romantic Spooktacular: If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens A review of Colby Wilkens’s romantic horror novel. By Alex Brown | Published on October 16, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share Colby Wilken’s debut novel If I Stopped Haunting You is the kind of horror I love, where things are scary but not too intense. Hocus Pocus, Beetlejuice, Caspar, Little Shop of Horrors, I’m into all that “cozy horror.” I also read a ton of romance as a genre, and almost exclusively queer and/or BIPOC. What a pleasant surprise, then, that this book also hits my romance interests. Call it “horroromance” or romantic horror or whatever you want, but this book feels tailor made for me. The story opens four months prior at a convention. Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm are on a writers’ panel talking about craft when things get heated. Pen, a biracial white and Native author who hasn’t managed to get anything published since her debut a while ago, calls out Neil, a bestselling horror author, for tokenizing his Indigenous identity and playing up stereotypes to appeal to his predominantly white audience. Unable to stop herself, Pen takes things way too far and cuts herself off from social media in embarrassment. Now, she and Neil find themselves unexpectedly trapped at a rural writers’ retreat with two close friends (and exes) Laszlo and Daniela. The Scottish castle they rented out for the week is smothered in a snowstorm, leaving them isolated and unable to leave. Both of them plan on spending their time alternately sulking about what they think the other believes about them and privately lusting after the other, but the house has plans of its own. You see, the Scottish castle isn’t just some backwater romantic getaway. It’s also haunted by a very pissed off dead woman. As things heat up between Neil and Pen, the ghost makes herself known, and she has her sights set on our love interests. To deal with the ghost, Neil and Pen must confront their issues and clear the air, not just about how they relate to their Indigenous identities in their work but also how they feel about each other post-convention. Is there anything more to their mutual desire than sexual attraction? What are they going to do about it if there is? And why is a ghost so interested in their relationship, anyway? Buy the Book If I Stopped Haunting Colby Wilkens Buy Book If I Stopped Haunting Colby Wilkens Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget In my opinion, whether or not a romance novel works depends on the love interests. Not just their romantic and sexual compatibility but everything else about them. I’m asexual and aromantic, so I tend to treat romance, both the thing real people experience and the genre itself, as fantasy fiction. Lust? Attraction? Might as well try and convince me wizards are real. I have a personal conspiracy theory that allosexuals are under some sort of mass delusion when it comes to attraction. And yet I love reading romance novels. I consume several a week, I love them so much. For me, it’s the relationship underneath the romance that I like exploring. I want to know there’s more to these characters than being hot at each other. I want to see them work through their shit until they are worth each other’s affections. I especially like flawed characters who discover whole new flaws they didn’t even know they had and who confront them anyway. Tropes are nice, but complex people finding a way to be good partners to each other is the real ticket.  If I Stopped Haunting You has all that in spades. Neil and Pen are the messiest love interests I’ve seen since I reread Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters series last year. They arrive at that castle thinking they have one small mess each only to realize a few days in they are both drowning in messes, some of which were created by society and colonialism but most of which are self-inflicted. It’s the classic miscommunication plot device, the “this whole thing would be resolved in two minutes if they just talked to each other” trope, but it feels natural instead of forced. I was rooting for them to sort themselves out as much as I wanted them to kiss. In contrast, the secondary characters, particularly Laszlo and Daniela, were the weakest part of the book. They are more sketches of ideas than fully fleshed out characters. They disappeared for big chunks of the story with our love interests barely noticing their absence, and even when they’re on the page they only turned up when Pen and Neil needed emotional plot devices. I couldn’t understand why Pen and Neil were so opposed to telling their friends about the ghosts, but it ended up excluding them so fully from the main plot that they had very little to do. It was as if they ceased to exist the moment our love interests stopped talking to them. Wilkens also didn’t do as much with the setting as she could have. We get basic descriptions, but I finished the book not really understanding the landscape inside and outside the castle. We only see a couple of rooms, and most of that time is spent on Pen and Neil either arguing, flirting, or running away.  If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is a romance with a horror twist that delighted me from start to finish. In spite of some weaker elements in characterization and description, I was hooked. Our love interests are charming and emotionally messy, and their rocky journey was a pleasure to follow along with. The sex scenes are the right amount of steamy, but the real selling point is hearing from two characters who normally don’t get to take center stage in traditionally published romance novels. Wilkens does a fantastic job of exploring how both Pen and Neil approach “authenticity” in a way that is as refreshing as it is honest. [end-mark] If I Stopped Haunting is published by St. Martin’s Griffin. The post A Romantic Spooktacular: <i>If I Stopped Haunting You</i> by Colby Wilkens appeared first on Reactor.

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DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—U.S. service members arrived in Israel on Monday amid the country’s chaotic multifront war with various actors in the region, and more troops will arrive soon, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The Pentagon previously announced on Sunday that the troops would be deployed to the Middle East along with a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile battery system, meant to help Israel defend itself against potential missile attacks from Iran. The approximately 100 troops that arrived on Monday will help operate the THAAD system, though the Pentagon wouldn’t say when it would be operational, given the sensitive security nature of the situation. “Over the coming days, additional U.S. military personnel and THAAD battery components will continue to arrive in Israel,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said on Tuesday. “The deployment of the THAAD battery to Israel underscores the United States’ commitment to the defense of Israel and to defend Americans in Israel from any ballistic missile attacks by Iran.” Though U.S. forces are not permanently stationed in Israel—unlike in Arab states in the region—it isn’t untypical for troops to be temporarily deployed there for joint training exercises or operational activities. The U.S. also previously deployed a THAAD system to Israel in 2019 and 2023. The THAAD system that’s been deployed to Israel now is to provide defenses against a possible Iranian ballistic missile attack. Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles against Israel in April, and again in late September. It’s highly unusual for Iran to launch strikes from within its own orders, as it typically relies on its various terrorist networks throughout the Middle East to conduct attacks against Israel or U.S. forces in the region. The current situation in the Middle East is fraught, however, and is quickly escalating. Israel went to war against Hamas in Gaza after Oct. 7, 2023, after the terrorist group invaded Israel and killed roughly 1,200 people, and now the current war is turning toward Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran. The Biden-Harris administration has urged for caution and deescalation in the region for months, though the conflict has shown no signs of slowing down. Various ceasefire deals have been discussed though none has come to fruition, as neither Israel, nor Hamas or Hezbollah, seems interested. U.S. forces have fallen under the crossfire in the conflict in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan over the past year. Three U.S. service members were killed in a terrorist attack against a coalition base in Jordan in January. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post US Boots Hit Ground in Israel as Threat From Iran Looms appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Late winter is the ideal time for spring garden and getting your soil ready. Get a head start this season with these helpful garden tips. Tips And Tricks On How To Prepare Your Spring Garden – This was originally posted on Survival Life and has been shared with permission – Spring and summer will be here before you know it! For some gardeners, the most exciting part of the spring and summer months are their gardens! Fresh flowers and vegetables – there’s nothing like the feeling of this accomplishment in your spring garden! There is so much preparation that goes into gardening, some of which you can actually start on now. It’ll make the spring and summer months a lot less hectic and it will give you more time in the garden later on! Here are some things you can start doing now for your spring garden!   Preparing Your Spring Garden Ordering Summer Flowering Bulbs and Seeds Summer flowering bulbs can be planted in early spring for a colorful summer display. Most summer bloomers such as gladioli, calla lilies, dahlias, tuberous begonias, and crocosmias love warm soil and sun. If you garden in a mild climate (Zones 8 to 10), you can plant these bulbs in the early spring and expect flowers by summer. If you garden in a colder area, early spring planting isn’t feasible. Instead, wait until late spring or early summer.   Clearing Up Garden Beds and Borders Remove leaves and other debris from all garden beds, lawns, and ponds. It is a good idea to cut back the old dead growth of deciduous grasses and herbaceous perennials. If the soil is workable, you can dig a 5cm layer of organic matter such as well-rotted manure, compost, or recycled green waste into empty garden borders.   Edible gardening doesn't need to stop in winter with these 15 plants! https://t.co/NI0dWqEVip via @HomesteadingUSA — EmsyDoodle (@Misfit_Gardenin) February 27, 2017   Checking For Garden Pests Removing hibernating pests now can save a lot of trouble come spring and summer! Take a closer look at the crowns of your perennial plants and you may find slugs, snails, and aphid colonies sheltering for the winter.   Removing Weeds | If you have found that patches of weeds are beginning to grow in your garden, remove them and dispose of them carefully. Pulling or tearing at certain weeds such as couch grass can cause the roots to spread, so be sure to dig them out using a trowel. Do not place the weeds in a compost pile, as you will not want to accidentally spread the seeds around your garden. Once the weeds are clear, do a thorough clean up by removing leaves and other debris from the garden beds and borders.   Covering Soil With Compost Cover bare soil with 3-6 inches with compost (organic matter). Compost acts as a slow release fertilizer and provides much-needed nutrients to the soil and plants to keep them healthy. Avoid artificial and chemical fertilizers as they do not benefit the soil long term. If you do not have a compost pile – no worries! We will cover that in just a moment.   Repairing Fences, Gates, and Trellis Even though it’s cold outside, this is the perfect time to repair your fences, gates, and trellis. Any broken structures are best fixed now so you have more time to spend in your garden during the spring and summer. If possible, treat your wooden garden structures with a wood preservative during the dry periods. Want to see the full article? Keep Reading Here On Our Sister Site Survival Live! Winter is normally a tranquil time in the garden however soon spring arrives and you’ll be caught up for all of the seed-sowing, developing, and supporting your garden as it wakes up! Getting your garden all together early will help make the spring somewhat less chaotic. What steps do you take to prepare your garden for spring and summer? Tell us in the comment section below. Want to get started with flower gardening? Here'are helpful tips made easy for every beginner to achieve that dream garden! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!   This post was originally published in January 2017 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.

SELCO: “The media manipulated people, bombarding us with fear and hate” during the Balkan Wars. Sound familiar?

'Keep Texas Texas': Cruz Finally Starts Swinging at Allred