#also a maybe valid credit card

[mossiestpiglet]

never underestimate my ability to forget the existence of valuable objects for years at a time

[fortunelowtier]

I was gonna reblog my original post but I didn't wanna spam people with a long ass post (this post is already long enough) so instead I'll just link the previous post here and if yall wanna go look at it you can, but the short version is that a few days ago I made a post talking about HBs incredibly high turnover rate, and apparently within a few days it got enough traction to where it started spreading to the higher-ups of Spindlehorse, including Viv herself. I decided to make this update post just as a way to debunk what I can and as clearly as I can. 

First tweet:

So for starters, they say this as if IMDB's numbers aren't publically available, it's not like I pulled these numbers out of my ass without merit, these are numbers I got off of IMDB. And I know some people might pull the high school English teacher card of “Anyone can edit that!!” and to be honest I dont feel like going into the semantics of one of the most non-arguments you can possibly use so all I’ll say is that the process of editing a Wikipedia or IMDB page is not as easy as your English teachers taught you to think it is. Sure you can edit it but it's another story if the edit will be saved. There's moderation, it's not a free-for-all.

Also, I find it interesting how this tweet was made (and subsequently deleted) mere days after their promotion to Animation Director, and if there's anything I've learned from Spindlehorse controversies it is that if someone is in any real position at the top of the companies proverbial food chain they shouldn't be allowed to speak for the experiences of employees lower on the ladder than them, especially when a lot of them seem to have a habit of denying certain claims despite the public availability of numerous pieces of evidence pointing toward the contrary

It's like if you visited a bunch of former employees of a restaurant with a high turnover rate with proof that they had worked there and for exactly how long they worked there and then the manager comes along and tries to basically say “NUH UH” despite information proving the contrary being publicly available (maybe not the best analogy but you get what I mean)

—

Ok now onto the second one by Viv herself:

There’s a lot to dissect here so I’m gonna break it down bit by bit.

Firstly:

"They’re listing every single credited person in EVERY art department"

So the way I got my numbers was by going to the Series Animation Department section of HB's IMDB, highlighting every name from the beginning of the section to the end, and then pasting them into this website which gave me the line count of 444. Was that the most optimal way of doing so? No, especially after I learned after the fact that there's a way to just see the numbers straight up, but that hardly matters considering the fact that there are allegedly more people in the animation dept who were uncredited, however, I'm still waiting on some more info from my source as to the validity and the scale of these claims (How many people were uncredited, how little were they paid for their work, etc etc) to make a proper post about it, so until then ill just leave it at that as to not make accusations without merit.

So, humoring Viv, I added up the total IMDB credits for the Art Dept and Visual Effects Dept, as well as the Sound Dept since I qualify sound as a form of art and because I wanted to give Viv as fair a chance as possible and actually tally the total credits of “every art department” as Viv claims I did, and it still only equals 155 total credits, a little over a third of the credits in the Animation Dept

Secondly:

“That includes the TC and Chaos credits”

So these are in reference to Toon City and Chaos Emporium, 2 companies known as a source for outsourcing animation, and just to humor Viv I decided to go onto IMDB and tally up all of the Chaos and TC credits since according to her that's where I got most of my final number.

After doing so, Chaos Emporium had a total of 15 credits, and Toon City had a total of 45

So Viv is making it seem like the TC and CE credits make up a large majority of them, which is why I got the number I did, when in reality when combined they only equal 60 credits. 14% of the total (technically it’s 13.5% but I’m rounding to the nearest whole for the sake of convenience)

Thirdly:

“We dont even have 400 people. Simply Misinformation.”

You’re right Viv, you dont have 400 people, because I never said you did, nor did I imply you did. I said you've had 400. Of course you dont have 400 current employees, your company burns through them like paper because you underpay them while you go burning your Amazon and merch money on cruises and vacations and continuously post photos of you buying from zionist companies knowing full well that they're part of an active boycott.

—

So yeah, that's my 2 cents. Sorry if this sounded like some shit you'd see on a Twitlonger but after Viv was made aware of the posts I made about the turnover rate (and subsequently blocked me within the hour after seeing it) I knew that it wasn't gonna be long before I had people DMing me about how wrong I was because “Viv said it was wrong so it must be wrong”. 

One more thing I wanna add because I've gotten a lot of angry messages/asks about this, a lot of Viv stans seem to think I have this bizarre hate boner for Viv when I really don’t. I don’t hate Viv, I hate what she’s become. I hate how ever since the HH pilot she’s become a bully who can’t take criticism. And not just on the surface level of “criticism makes her upset”, because yea no shit, criticism makes everyone upset at least a little, and it's why I hate it when people see someone being upset at criticism and going “ERMM, CANT TAKE CRITICISM?”

When I say “Viv can’t take criticism” I mean she actively tries to shut down any convo about it without trying to learn from it. She blocks anyone who talks poorly about her or her company and makes baseless claims knowing full well her fans will follow her to the ends of Hell regardless of whether or not what she’s saying is even correct.

That’s all I got for now

[tarotwithdanise]

What qualities do you bring in a relationship?

1 - 2 - 3

SOURCE AND CREDITABLE : All of the pictures are collected and downloaded from pinterest , I don’t own any of them but credits goes to the rightful owners however edits goes and the reading itself belong to me. I use the editor tools canva and ibispaint for the header and divider. If saved/downloaded the divider use a proper credits and tag/mention along my acc @tarotwithdanise. Expect grammatical errors with this reading, bear with it because english isn't my mother tongue.

💌 check out my back-up account @danisetarot bio ; click the link, choose your favorite deals that you wanted to purchase and then send all of them to my email account (daniseallure@gmail.com)

PILE ONE

Right off the bat, you will bring harmony with this relationship. It's like you were the one who will balancing this relationship, I see that you will going to mirror each other most of the time. You maybe bring this possessiveness and jealously towards your partner when they're with others, well that's okay though and that's valid. Your love language is maybe act of service and physical - you were probably like helping them out with their garden or cleaning their house windows. Also, sitting alone in a couch just feeling each other or holding hands while waiting for sun to rise. There's a lot of things can be happening between the two of you when you are alone. As well, with the hermit card here this talks to me that you two prefer to have an alone time, like discussing about your future plans, getting to know each other more and etcetera to build a strong romantic relationship with them.

Your partner probably likes your jokes, you might be a jokester. You were type of individual who is happy as clam, you enjoy every moments you will have with them perhaps that you maybe someone who is likely resist of change? yeah change, you kinda afraid of changes. I see that almost of your all your cards talks about ‘stability and security’, so I'm not quite sure where this insecurities you have for this relationship come from? where your partner make sure to love and give you the best care as they can. It may not be perfect but atleast they're trying their best, maybe from your past? You are like all in one package, you will bring flaws and good points for this relationship to build stronger and longer as you can.

PILE TWO

The first thing I noticed with your traits is that you have this motherly nature, regardless to your gender. You also like to initiate the conversation with your partner, you probably nourish every romantic relationship you have or will going to have. You also like to explore things or other places, it's soothing for you. And maybe you may want to travel with your partner in every places, cities or countries someday. I do see here you like get aways, you and your partner will be like best buddies at the same time lovers.

They will learn many things from you and so they do too from you. While, if you are single currently you are ready to mingle or if not, you are open with any romantic connection. I also feel, you were type of individual and lover where you like to fit-in with your person standards, like you were trying your best to be your person ‘ideal type’ in reality. You will also make your person as whole and complete individual. You will make them the best person on the earth. I do feel here for this pile the first up until the last seconds, you will love your person is about strong and unconditional love. Like a beautiful flower growing, the more it's grows the pretty and blooming it is.

You probably thinking that every person that come on your way is important. You were also a fighter or maybe someone who is ready to fight who everyone that will try to come across with your relationship. You don't give a f*ck about will others people will says about your relationship you have with your partner. You are good at starting conversations, you are not afraid to tell what's in your mind ; someone who can be very honest. You are charismatic and nurturing person that makes your (every) partner to fall in love with you way deeper.

PILE THREE

This is somewhat a heavy spread. Okay, you maybe feeling unlucky when it comes to love and it seems like you are not yet ready to take risk and embrace change, you are waiting for change to come but you aren't taking the first step to continue your journey when it comes your relationship with others. You are not going with the flow as your Guides and Angels wanted you to do so, it seems like you are just sitting there and waiting for change to come. Changes when it comes to love won't come on your way if you are not taking any actions for it, the possibilities of you getting on a relationship keeps delaying and delaying by itself.

You not even trying yourself to keep learning, you are putting boundaries, restricting and trapping yourself in a cell of negativity which is stopping you to start a new beginnings. Well, about the qualities you bring in a relationship? You will be a great partner to them. Someone who is willing to give everything all of they have with their partner. Aside from that, you may have trust issues and lead a relationship like be a dominant. You prefer a partner who is under to you rather than you will be under to them in a good or bad way because that's depend on you. I also do see here that you are finding someone who is sharing the same interest, hobbies and mindset like yours.

© tarotwithdanise ── all rights reserved. do not copy, translate, alter, or repost my work in any other social media platforms with or without my explicit permission.

[chaifootsteps]

sometimes I see fans say the reason Verosika felt like Blitzo was bad in bed was because he didn't really love her. meanwhile Stolas has no complaints on that front because they're more sexually compatible

honestly, I really disagree. when Ozzie's came out my read on Blitzo's behavior was that it was another way of keeping people at a distance. that he didn't meet Verosika's needs that great because he was self sabotaging again and when that didn't work he picked the nuclear option of stealing her credit cards (in other words, the old 'I'll do something I know is sucky then deny it was that bad to make you break up with me because I'm too much of a coward to do it myself' routine - he snaps back at her in e3 but in e7 he looks regretful when she calls him a heartbreaking freak; knowing he really did hurt her hurts him).

He and Verosika were actually dating and going steady together. They had a real relationship but Blitzo just wasn't emotionally ready for things to get serious or to trust anyone who says they love him. Which Verosika very likely did, she got his literal name tattooed on her arm

Meanwhile with Stolas they're not actually dating so Blitzo doesn't have to get as anxious on that front since he thinks all Stolas wants is sex not love or intimacy, not to mention his entire business is riding on him keeping Stolas sexually satisfied. It seems more likely that Blitzo is the one getting less sexually out of his arrangement with Stolas - even in full moon where he's suddenly the most enthusiastic he's ever been on screen he still takes about sex with Stolas like it's a chore he needs to do and do well ('taking a break from having to plow Stolas', 'now I'll have to do this specific position I was keeping in reserve to keep him happy'). Sure, Blitzo maybe enjoys the sex but fundamentally it's just part of his job (and Stolas in season one was written like someone who had a completely voracious sexual appetite who basically just dragged Blitzo along for the ride)

not to mention how Blitzo seems to derive some of his self esteem from being good at sex - with Verosika that slipped because he had other validation from her in that she presumably liked him as a person before he screwed her over and they broke up

of course now we're in season 2 and trying to make Stol!tz happen by any means necessary it's probably only a matter of time before the whole thing gets flattened into 'Blitzo actually enjoyed being forced into sex where his partner used him like a toy and him missing that is a sign he really loves Stolas!' whereas with Verosika he wasn't actually into her, or something like that

This is an excellent analysis and also tough to read, because you just know all of this is something that would have gone without saying in a better show. Also, that the people saying that Stolas's sexual satisfaction = proof that Blitzo loves him are the same ones who were claiming Blitzo looked tired and absolutely miserable in that picture of them together. You know, this one.

As heartbreaking and fucked up as it would have been, I actually wish they would have left in the "Is this because I couldn't cum a couple of times?" line from Blitzo when Stolas starts to take the book back. It would have been so telling, and I'm sure that's exactly why they cut it.

[babyb1ues]

About Xavier’s online presence, virality and what it could mean for his identity

I find it interesting that he often ends up in front of a camera somehow, someway despite wanting to be “lowkey.” It makes sense that he’d avoid any type of photograph or video since he’s been around for so long, and having records of his existence could be detrimental and suspicious, but I wonder if meeting MC just has him throwing caution to the wind. Or maybe it’s because he thinks it’s his last “spring” so it’s like, whatever.

I always believed that he definitely had gone viral before, and the 4 star card that just dropped validates me, lol.

This text above happened before the myth card, aka before the movie, so I also think he got the gig from this. Wouldn’t be surprised if producers especially asked for him.

So, he has a sort of online presence. You’d probably could search pictures of him online. He’s been on a TV ad, has interviews and pictures of him going around, has his name in the Lumiere movie credits, not to mention his face was posted for promo by the movie’s account. It’s like if your face got posted on twitter by Marvel. Like, it’s not lowkey… at all.

Lumiere is a huge IP. It’s a brand at this point, of course it’s huge, there’s nothing people love more than /based on a true story/ and /superheroes/. Lumiere is beyond celebrity status and has become an icon in its own right. But that also means, he’s immensely talked about. There’s probably forums and online discussions about his identity—who he is, where he’s gone. Like, he probably has a Netflix documentary. Zooming in and dissecting grainy pictures of Lumiere, trying to get whatever detail they can. Mannerisms, physical appearance, fighting strategy, and god knows what else. I imagine he’s been picked apart to exhaustion.

With fame and mystique comes the conspiracies. So, they got his basic characteristics—build, hair color, fighting strategy, his fucking /evol/. And maybe even add in a witness report. Imagine somebody saw his eyes, heard his voice.

And then there’s Xavier, a notable and talented hunter who just so happens to sort of resemble Lumiere, and sort of fights like him, and his evol sort of looks like his. And you know this because it’s all fucking online.

It’s not hard to put two and two together. But hey, it’s just a conspiracy.

You think that with him being around for so long, he’d be wary of cameras, of leaving a trail. But he doesn’t seem to mind, or at least doesn’t act paranoid about it. I don’t know if it’s nothing or if it’s an intentional thing planted by the devs. To have his real identity leaked would be a mess—the public reaction, the pr nightmare. And there’s also the actual bounty on his head, how easy it would be to find him now.

I think somebody’s bound to find out. And for the sake of the plot and my own entertainment, I kinda hope they do 😁

[olderthannetfic]

I do think the disclaimers from authors about NOT ENDORSING!!!! certain behaviors in fics is pretty funny, but I’ll admit I do it too. Oddly I only put warnings for abuse of the self, not the abuse of others. I write a fair bit of fic that “romanticizes” (or seems like it does) suicide/self harm/eating disorders to the point where it can almost be a tutorial of how to do it if I’m graphic enough. So in those I normally just add dead dove tags and put a disclaimer about how the trigger warning is no joke and you shouldn’t do the things that the characters do in the fic. It’s not like a Lifetime Movie end credits where the authors note is filled with hotlines and stuff, just a quick little note that, hey, yeah, if you’re considering this, don’t do it.

Oddly, I don’t think that behavior comes from fandom itself but rather from a completely different corner of the internet — when I struggled with the same stuff that I write about, it was pretty common for everyone’s bio to say that they “don’t promote” or they’re “not pro” and I guess old habits die hard. (Whether or not certain types of depression/SH/ana blogs etc really DONT promote or those words are just a please-don’t-ban-me card is a completely different discussion.)

It’s pretty ironic actually because when I’m on the other side of things (as the reader), reading about it is really cathartic in fic, but triggering (not in a fun way) in “real” books. Like there’s several books I had to DNF or shelf because it got to be too much, but oddly enough fic actually helps me a lot.

WOW that was all way heavier than I intended to get when I first started typing this ask! But yeah, that’s my own personal relationship to “I do not endorse” and I didn’t realize how odd it actually is until I started reading some of these other asks! I don’t think any type of “this is bad, actually” authors note is ever necessary honestly, but I also don’t think they’re that big of a deal — if a note from the writer about how they’re ~totally against the “bad” thing they’re writing about~ really takes you out of the fic that much, I don’t understand that either…it’d be one thing if they rambled on and on but even then I don’t think it’s that big of a deal 🤣 Annoying maybe but no one is required to read the AN.

My general threshold is “would a movie/podcast/real™��� book have a similar Viewer Discretion Adviced notice? If so, your A/N is likely fine and not virtual signal-ly or OTT at all.”

--

Heh. I think you're assuming a very different type of PSA from what other people are.

From what I've read, self-harm, suicide, and disordered eating are some of the topics that are a bit Monkey See, Monkey Do. Even support group discussions may increase the desire to cut, for example. It's still not 1:1, and we should be able to make art about serious topics, but a PSA doesn't feel totally absurd here. There are plenty of scientific studies showing measurable increases in people hurting themselves IRL after consuming certain material. Even if you did include a hotline, most people's objection is like "That number isn't valid for where I live", not "No one should ever do this".

I think if you polled people, you'd find that many of the PSA-haters are actually totally fine with "Hey, this fic contains serious depictions of mental illness. Make sure you're up for that today." and similar warnings.

But what people are actually talking about in 99% of "PSAs suck" discussions is rape fantasies.

Some clown writes a fic that is blatant fap material for people who like bodice ripper ravishment, and then they plaster it with "Rape Fantasies Bad" commentary that shows that they're judging themselves and their readers in a puritanical way that's a mega-buzzkill, completely out of keeping with the tone of the fic, and completely out of keeping with the actual scientific evidence.

Rape fantasies are commonplace and not a big deal, and to the extent that any depictions are demonstrably harmful, it's things like mainstream Hollywood movies reinforcing very standard cultural narratives, not somebody's sex pollen fic that's probably full of "It's so wrong, so why is it so hot???" anyway.

[lurkingteapot]

2023 post round-up/summary

Lovely @twig-tea tagged me here, so I'll try my hand.

I'd abandoned tumblr for about 4? 5? years 2016ish through 2020, had a short stint with it again in 2020, took peeks and vehemently disagreed with much of what I saw in 2021-2022, and grudgingly settled back in in 2023. I wasn't going to interact. I wasn't.

Jan-April: *crickets* I was being strong!

Then, I saw people moaning about how they'd learn Thai if only it was on Duolingo, and you know how spite can be funnelled into positivity? I did that! Result:

May

Popular: Free Thai Language Learning Resources, most popular by a landslide. This pleases me greatly, as I put a lot of work into it and always hope more people start picking up this language.

Favourite: maybe my thoughts on Ming, piggybacking off @kenmakaashi's post?

June

Popular: my musings on translation and how it relates to fannish reception of media, which was my most popular post of the year and 'broke containment', if only in a very small way. Some of the additions in the tags and reblogs are fantastic, do go have a look if you like!

Favourite: toss-up between my attempt at showing a parallel between a silly moment in Our Skyy 2 x BBS and a scrapped shot from BBS proper and this rant about Romanisations of Thai and why G**gle translate is the devil (that bit is in the conversation downthread), which let me meet @plantsarepeopletoo.

July

Popular: Summary of James Welker's 2006 essay "Beautiful, Borrowed, and Bent: “Boys’ Love” as Girls’ Love in Shōjo Manga"

Favourite: the offerings are slim here … let's go with the one in which I once more was salty about the way folks talk about BL

August

Popular: Only Friends' Ray isn't just The Drunkard, but also The One Who's basically Given Up On Himself, as per his title card (this one was so popular it got stolen and reposted – without credit or permission – to twitter 🙃)

Favourite: Thinking about Drama, the Romance genre, and tropes, and how those relate to our perception of BL (good additions from various folks in the notes; conversation with @visualtaehyun in reblogs and @twig-tea in the replies).

September

Popular: IFYLITA Ep 6 poem context notes

Favourite: toss-up between complaining about badly machine translated content in Love in Translation and musing on the name of Khun Yai's favourite bar

October

Popular: my long-winded answer to @zimmbzon's ask "Hi, how would a non-binary person (me) get around the binary gender rules and vocab in Thai?"

Favourite: uhhh … maybe my musings on honorific translations in kimi ni wa todokanai? (yes, technically a reblog from sideblog, shh)

November

Popular: most popular was this throwaway therapy vent containing food for thought and while I guess this meme is mostly fannish I'm linking it anyway because it's my blog and I'll cry if I want to (or something)

Favourite: when I called out the resemblance between the Last Twilight trailer and Intouchables (2011). Literally no one cared, but then @my-rose-tinted-glasses independently came in strong with receipts as soon as the actual first episode aired and made me feel validated af.

December

Popular: Why I'm pretty sure Last Twilight's "fried rice/false rice" joke was funnier in Thai

Favourite: the saga of the songs in Ep 4 of Last Twilight

I didn't do any round-up posts, but I'll include the other category @twig-tea added:

Five other posts that I want to highlight because I can:

BL Favourites Tag Game (July 2023)

Link to fujoshi.info with information on WHY you should check out that site if you're interested in having an informed opinion on BL and the genre's history.

contemporary issues in Thailand as mentioned in Only Friends ep 1

Thoughts on code-switching in Step by Step

Reply to @mynameisnotthepoint's comment-via-ask on my anti viki rant

I'm not going to tag anyone because I'm completely lost – I was mostly off tumblr for nearly three weeks; if you made a post like this you'd like me to see, please link me/tag me! <3

[hypergamiss]

I (24yo) was ghosted and blocked by this guy (34yo) I was seeing for a month. We had been talking everyday for a month and he was even calling me baby the end of week four. He sent me nudes, which I made clear that I was not going to be doing that myself and he said not to worry about because he's big on consent. We had talked on the phone for a few hours. He said that he wanted to have a conversation about sex before we did anything. I said that I completely agree with that. Then we finally met. The date went well. He said he really liked me and then asked for a second date. I decided on the restaurant and he responded saying that he was happy with whatever I planned. I have not heard from this man since.

I reverse searched his phone number and found his social media. And no, nothing happened to him, he's still posting stories. Out of the 1,000 people he followed the only women he followed were his female family members and then everyone else was porn stars, red pill podcasters and athletes. I'll also add that the kept asking me if I wanted to try his drink every 20 minutes even though I told him I don't drink alcohol. I know these are all major red flags but I can't help but feel embarrassed by essentially being stood up and played. I've never had this happen before. At first I was blaming myself and trying to find a million reason why this man wouldn't like me. Maybe I came off too strong? Maybe I moved too fast? I don't know what I could have done. I like to tell myself that he looked at his credit card bill and decided he couldn't afford me lol.

After typing out this question, I see that I really did nothing wrong. I'm still bothered by it though. Why go through the effort of planning a second date if you didn't really want to go? To go from good morning texts every morning for a month and then nothing, is just cruel in my opinion. I've been seeing another man who is very into me for a few months now, but I can't help but still think about this other man because I really liked him.

"I can't help but feel embarrassed by essentially being stood up and played."

I think that your feelings are valid, but the way I see it is that I would most definitely prefer to be stood up and played by a man like this instead of having let things go further! Imagine if you would've continued to date him and only found out about everything after becoming emotionally attached, or even worse, had sex?

"I've never had this happen before."

There is a first for everything my dear.😅

"I like to tell myself that he looked at his credit card bill and decided he couldn't afford me lol."

I don't think that he could've afforded you in any way (monetarily, emotionally, etc) and been able to be the man you needed him to be.

"but I can't help but still think about this other man because I really liked him."

The way he ended things might've been one of his red pill tactics to get you to still think about him and/or chase him. You might've not actually liked him as much as you think you did, there is a probability that his mind games are actually working to an extent. Kudos to you for not falling into this trap and moving on with your life!🫶

[librarycards]

This is about the ED rage post and I just want to vent but

I had a psychologist and I was maybe 5 or so months into AN/bulimia recovery, I had to weight restore, and I was triggered by a situation where my parent had looked through my credit card statements and shamed me for getting takeout/fast food too often (once a week) and that it would make me get fat/unhealthy/etc. I brought this up to my psych looking for validation and support and he basically responded by saying that fast food was unhealthy actually and started bringing stuff up about seed oils and it sent me into a rage and I stormed out of the session, later having to apologize to HIM and he blamed my reaction as a “BPD episode”

He was the head of his practice and said that I would not be allowed to try and change to a different psych who worked there, but they were the only dbt clinic in my area so I had to stay

This was also the same psych who told me I was being paranoid and self destructive by staying home for Christmas because I wanted to wait the full ten day incubation period after testing positive for Covid, this was while that was the cdc recommendation at the time, December of 2020

jesus fucking christ. i wish i could say i was surprised, but i am not one fucking bit. solidarity, anon, and i + a ton of ppl i know have been through similar stuff.

[weirdstuffinthewoods]

Bride of Chucky

A Review

Ronny Yu made the correct choice working with the one and only father of Chucky, Don Mancini. I feel like Don's seamless continuing control over the Chucky franchise paired with Ronny Yu's absolute lack of knowledge of the Chucky franchise (and his love of the monster) made for a one-of-a-kind franchise installment.

Writing- 5/5

This entire script takes the snark we know Chucky for and dials it up by giving him a dominating sparring partner in Tiffany Valentine. There are some jokes that kinda feel needless (repeating the "what a crock" joke only got an "eeh" out of me), but Voodoo for Dummies?

And lines like:

"For God's sake Chucky, drag yourself into the 90s"

"Martha Stewart can kiss my shiny plastic butt!"

When Chucky tells Tiffany to "act natural" and this is her response

The entire weird sex scene conversation that 100% does happen in a film about two sentient dolls? It was only a matter of time before we got here, let's be honest.

The addition of Tiffany Valentine allows for a totally valid reason to shake things up- creative kills, high-speed freeway chases with two DOLLS holding two whole adult humans hostage, and the film's only gay character (spoiler but RIP David) getting absolutely blasted by an 18-wheeler for no reason other than Don probably just realized the cast needed to shrink real quick.

Special mention-

The honeymoon suite kill scene. Yeah, it looks a little cheesy, but you best believe before I was old enough to watch horror movies, my older cousin was telling me about this scene in vivid, terrifying detail (much scarier than reality, but what can you do?)

Soundtrack- 4.5/5

Living Dead Girl starts this movie off with a bang and a moment I haven't forgotten for one second of my spooky sapphic life. These are the moments in which horror icons are made.

The soundtrack is mostly upbeat drums and chugging guitar riffs which I loved (it especially added to the freeway chase) I just didn't go full 5 stars because I didn't notice it as much as I'd want to in a party movie like this (because yes, if I ever do host a halloween party I will be popping in this exact VHS to play on repeat).

Also shout out to my boy, Graeme Revell. Been a legend since The Crow in my eyes (but also for so much iconic 80s and 90s horror....and Sharkboy and Lavagirl) and I'll always get excited when I see that name in the credits!

Effects- 4.75/5

First let me say Chucky looks fantastic. Can he emote as well as Tiffany with those pencil-thin eyebrows? Maybe not but this is the opus version of Chucky, so.

The animatronics are still my favorite thing to watch in a Chucky film because you forget that these aren't sentient dolls almost constantly (except when Chucky's body double is crawling on all fours- that's some nightmare fuel). Their faces are so expressive (for rubber doll faces) and there's even a shot of Tiffany walking across the floor of a Winnebago (maybe?) without a wire in sight! Oh, how far we've come.

The effects in some scenes are a little cheesy (the honeymoon suite kill, the gross, fleshy title card, etc) but it's easily overlooked because Chucky and Tiffany are by far the main event of the sfx team.

Extra ratings?

Queerness-3/5

Written by an out gay man, HELLO!

Alexis Arquette!! Easily the second-hottest person in this movie, I loved seeing her camp it up (in a masc role, but goths love to play with androgyny so I'll take it) as the try-hard Damien.

This also unexpectedly features the gbff trope usually reserved for rom-coms in David, a guy whose queerness isn't painfully exaggerated like some portrayals were at the time, and who's probably the most level-headed of the bunch.

RIP, -2 because David got blasted by a big rig and not in the fun way.

Bride of Frankenstein retelling 5/5

It's pretty obvious on rewatch, but this is a whole Bride of Frankenstein retelling. It even follows the title convention (I tell my younger self who completely missed the comparison). I haven't read the dissections of the original that explain why the bride is a metaphor, but in a more literal sense, this Bride has the power unlike her predecessor. Even though she falls in with a toxic ex, she has autonomy and pushes back, eventually sort of kind of helping the two teens (who are not interesting enough to put in this review) stop Chucky. And she gives birth to a weird demon baby while mostly charred through a non-stretch plastic vagina so. That's pretty metal.

Tiffany Valentine 11/5

TIFFANY VALENTINE THE WOMAN THAT YOU ARE

THE COSTUMING

THE TRAILER SET DRESSING

But most of all the performance!!!

I may be looking through heart eyes, but I'm not wrong!

Overall, Bride of Chucky will never not be one of my favorites. The addition of Jennifer Tilly allowed the Child's Play series (and all future iterations), to have fun, but to also play with the tone of its installments. Seed of Chucky and the Chucky series tend to focus on Chucky (and friends)'s humanity and personalities, whereas Curse and Cult of Chucky take the franchise back to an exciting, sometimes scary, and eventually openly queer and complicatedly sapphic place. Ignoring the reboot (which he was thankfully not responsible for), Don Mancini's got quite a legacy going, and Ronny Yu had a key part in that.

[hambonusmaximus]

This will very much be a long personal post, so feel free to skip this if you don't care enough about what's going on in my life.

(Also mentions of depression if that sort of thing bothers you)

Also also, I'm just jotting down thoughts as they come to me, so my points might end up disjointed.

As I mentioned above, this post is mostly going to be talking about my depression, where I believe it stems from and how its affecting me currently. This isn't meant to be pointed at anyone in particular, these are just what I'm going through and how I feel about it.

For whatever reason, I really feel like my depression has really been kicked into overdrive lately, and its got me thinking about why, and what I should possibly do about it. Its honestly been really hard to enjoy things lately, and me wanting to spend time with friends just makes me feel like I'm being a bother most of the time. I know that they would tell me that I'm not a bother, but I can't shake the feeling that me trying to insert myself into their lives just makes me an annoyance that everyone would be better off without. I worry that I come off as some attention-seeker that craves validation, or that I'm constantly trying to make conversations about me, and while there is definitely a part of me that desires validation, which I'll get more into in a bit, I genuinely do not mean to make things about me all the time. I guess maybe I try to make myself more relatable and that's where these thoughts come from, I just hope that I'm the only one that thinks that.

As for that point about needing validation from others, that I believe stems from the part of my life where most everyone seemed to hate me for seemingly no reason. I won't go into my entire life story, because no one wants to hear that, but I will just say that, from around 6th grade all the way up until my 30's, I would constantly be belittled, insulted, bullied, beat up, and told that I'm a lesser person for just being who I am. I never had many friends growing up, even well into my adult life, and even some of the people I considered friends would eventually turn their backs on me. I was miserable for so long. It got to the point where I just wanted it to end. I would have accepted death at any point during that time. Not enough to take my own life, but I wouldn't have fought against it either way.

Suddenly, in the last couple of years, things starting getting better. I was getting promoted at my job and earning more money, I was paying off credit card debt that I never thought would have been possible... and most importantly of all, I reconnected with an online friend from years ago, one that I never actually figured would connect with me again. Then he introduced me to more of his friends, and then more, and suddenly I'm surrounded by so many wonderful people that all seem to really like me. It felt sort of overwhelming, and to be honest it still does at times, but I actually felt like I was worthy of love and praise rather than just being some nobody that didn't matter to anyone. I've never had this many friends at one time, and its been incredible to say the very least.

However, that brings me to my next problem; the feeling that I'm just an awful friend. I don't like having this feeling, but I cannot help it some times. I generally don't reach out to talk with friends in DM's, because (again) I don't want to be a bother, so I prefer to wait and see if they would reach out to me. It feels selfish of me to expect others to initiate a conversation when I can't bring myself to do so.

Another problem is, as I mentioned before, I feel like I try to insert myself into other people's lives without considering their feelings about it. I do want to be a part of my friends' worlds, as much as they are a part of mine, but again I get this gnawing voice in my head that tells me I'm being selfish. Like, two friends could be having a conversation about something, and I feel like I have to feel included somehow. I don't do it intentionally, or maliciously, but it feels like it comes off like I do. I hate that I feel like I can't help myself sometimes.

Regardless of all that, there is one thing that worries me most about my new friends; that feeling that, inevitably, I'll either say or do something that will drive them all away, and leave me with no one left to care, back where I started those years ago when I was at my lowest. That worry has been keeping me from really enjoying the things I want to do, like playing games or making art, and even hanging out with those same friends. Perhaps that's why those feelings of me being a bother to everyone is so prominent in my mind.

I don't really know what all I could do to change the way I think. I also don't expect this post to be able to change anything either. I suppose its just a way for me to put this all out there so others are aware of what I'm going through mentally. It does feel kind of nice to be able to vent this all out in some way that doesn't feel intrusive or mandatory to others. I also don't want this to seem like engagement-bait or whatever, that's not really a thing I like to do.

If you've read up to this point, I really appreciate you taking the time to do so. If you are a friend of mine, please don't feel pressured to check in on me or try to explain anything to me. These are simply my thoughts, not pointed at anyone but myself. I love and cherish you all, you mean the world to me, and nothing will change that.

[blowflyfag]

WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT/FEDERATION MAGAZINE: May 2008

ECW INTERVIEW 

O.M.G.!

ECW’s resident mouthpiece, Joey Styles, weighs in on “new” versus “original.” the making of Stone Cold Steve Austin and gross-out classic matches he just can’t bring himself to rewatch.

BY MATT CHRISTENSEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY BOB CROSLIN

“I'M NOT GOOD WITH GORE. I DIDN’T EVEN WATCH SEE NOT EVIL!”

[“The room service here is dreadful.”]

“New ECW.” “Original ECW.” When are people just gonna say “ECW” and leave it at that?

Absolutely never. Diehard “Original” ECW fans still exist all over. Whenever I'm noticed in the Northeast, it’s rarely due to my involvement with the new ECW.

Would the ECW stars of today be able to thrive, or even survive in the original ECW?

There are plenty of Superstars now who would’ve fit in perfectly in the old ECW. Guys like CM Punk, Chavo Guerrero, Shelton Benjamin and Elijah Burke would have thrived. They would’ve just been doing more hardcore things, maybe two times a week, instead of having spectacular athletic matches five times a week.

Is the revamped ECW the reason we don’t get as many “OH MY GOD!?!”’s?

No, I save it for special moments. At WrestleMania 23, when the ECW Originals defeated The New Breed, that was special. It was career validation for those four guys. Only RVD had competed at WrestleMania before, and his teammates, Sabu, Sandman and Tommy Dreamer, probably never, ever expected to do so. It was a very special night, so I leaned into Tazz and said, “There’s only one thing left to say…’OH MY GOD!’

What ECW matches made even you gag?

There are two classic matches that I never, ever need to watch again–one at Born To Be Wired, which featured Sabu vs. Terry Funk in a ring with barbwire instead of ring ropes. And Beulah McGillicutty vs. Bill Alphonso in 1997; I’ve never seen that much blood in my life. Fonzie actually had to be rushed to the hospital to get more blood put in him. And with Sabu and Funk, Terry almost lost an eye. I’m not good with gore. I didn’t even watch See No Evil! 

Which Superstar are you most proud to say that ECW “discovered”?

Guys like Rey Mysterio, Tazz and Chris Jericho really broke out and made an impact on the wrestling world in ECW. But I'm specifically proud that ECW is where “Stunning” Steve Austin became “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. It’s where he began picking up the microphone and being himself. Mick Foley was also held back in WCW because he didn’t fit its image of a champion, but he could spellbind an entire viewing audience. ECW let him do just that. 

Are there any underutilized Superstars in ECW today?

Up until very recently, people had given up on Tommy Dreamer and Stevie Richards. Maybe because they were perceived as being too old, or maybe because people were trying to forget about the old ECW. But those two have so much to offer, and they’re finally getting the credit they deserve. 

As a commentator, who are your role models? And please don’t say Mongo McMichael…

I’ve learned a lot from Michael Cole since joining WWE, actually. But I grew up listening to two people–Vince McMahon doing WWE commentary and Jim Ross working with NWA. I always aspired to be a combination of the two by fusing Vince McMahon's enthusiasm with Jim Ross’s credibility and knowledge. 

Best piece of advice from Good Ol’ J.R.? 

When I first started, JR sat down with me for five straight hours [HOLDS UP ALL FIVE FINGERS ON HIS HAND] and helped me understand what being a WWE announcer was about. Initially, I couldn’t grasp the style, and he didn’t hesitate to help educate me. Without Jim Ross’ help, I wouldn't have lasted more than a few weeks in WWE.

How does two-man annoying compare to the one-man show you rain in the original ECW? 

It’s been my life-long dream to be a professional wrestling announcer. I’m most proud of ECW’s first pay-per-view–Barely Legal. That was the first time I ever did live television. We had some Japanese wrestlers on the card, and I actually asked them to put me in some of their signature holds, albeit lightly, so that I'd know what to look for during the match. After the show, I was in years. I knew that night was going to make or break my career.

Is the passion still there after 15 years in the business?

When your dream becomes your job, sometimes you become numb to it. But, without question, the road to WrestleMania always makes me feel like a 13-year-old kid again. For the entire WrestleMania weekend, though I'm privileged to be calling the action, I’m there as a fan. 

SPEED ROUND

Styles rates famous sports catchphrases

“BOO-YAH!” - STUART SCOTT

It definitely distinguished him on ESPN. When it’s forced, it’s obvious, but when it’s genuine, I think it’s great.

“HE COULD…GO…ALL...THE…WAY!” - CHRIS BERMAN

I love it. Chris Berman is the voice of ESPN.

“IT’S AWESOME, BABY!” - DICK VITALE 

This one is probably a bit overused. And “Awesome, with a capital ‘A’” is definitely too much. But hey, it’s Dick Vitale, so who am I to critique him?

“DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?” - AL MICHAELS 

This is one of those lines that will live forever. I actually stole it when Mikey Whipwreck won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship in 1995.

“BUSINESS IS ABOUT TO PICK UP!” - JIM ROSS

It’s such a distinct sentence; it lets you know that something’s about to happen. In fact, every time I say, “Things are getting more interesting by the moment,” It’s my homage to JR’s signature phrase.

[bitchesgetriches]

Hey bitches! So, I'm currently paying off some medical debt that has a high interest rate (I used a credit card for it, which was probably a mistake), and I was curious about whether it is best to just focus on paying that off asap and then focus on saving money or to split and do both? I'm fortunate enough to live with my parents still, but I would like to move out sooner or later. My focus has been on getting rid of the debt and then saving after it's paid off, so I'm on track to be debt-free in 2 months (aside from student loans, because if the loan relief is approved by supreme court, it would practically eliminate what i'd have to pay). But then I just get frustrated with myself for not having much of a savings. I feel like focusing on being mostly debt-free and then saving is a good move with my circumstances, especially with high interest rates. But I can't help but wonder if maybe it would be better to take more time to pay the debt off, and save at the same time.

Hey kiddo. It sounds like you're making some solid, well-informed, mathematical decisions here. But your frustration is also totally valid!

Never forget that personal finance is personal, and even if a decision seems mathematically sound on paper... if it causes you emotional anguish, you are perfectly allowed to go a different direction. So if you're worried about your savings... start saving and lessen the amount of debt you're paying off! It'll be ok!

We explain a bit here about how to do the math on saving (investing) vs. paying off debt:

Investing Deathmatch: Paying off Debt vs. Investing in the Stock Market

Did we help you out? Tip us!

[chaifootsteps]

[major spoilers for Netflix's Baby Reindeer]

so it's a show about a comedian Donny Dunn based autobiographically on the creator's experiences having been stalked and sexually harassed by a woman and in his past having been groomed and raped by a man

the show treats it with care and shows all the side effects of SA and rape - he questions the effect of his past assault on his sexuality, he ends up accepting the stalker's facebook invite and not reporting her for a while because despite how scared he is of her he feels validated by the attention, etc etc

my point here is if a show wants to talk about abuse, or about rape, it should actually do that. and if it wants to represent female on male abuse it should do that, too

but as it is, abuse or SA is just something that gets mentioned once in Helluva and then never again.

like, how have his experiences with Crimson shaped Moxxie? does he ever think about the murder of his mom? Crimson could come back in a future ep (probably) but is Moxxie at all concerned about that? idk, because the show doesn't bother giving characters a consistent emotional state except when it remembers to

same with Stolas and Stella. Fans leapt to claim Stella raped Stolas based on flimsy evidence, yet only cared if Stolas was slightly tipsy (and tied up) the first time he slept with Blitzo the moment they could use that information against Blitzo. and yet they're all for stol!tz despite how bad a person Blitzo supposedly is? We also see Blitzo and Stolas both have lousy dads but the effect of this on them is largely unknown. worse still, the show could have had a good lens on cycles of abuse by showing how Stolas was neglected and mistreated, but he still turned that treatment on someone with less power and made self-serving excuses for it, but nope. we can't have that

the closest the show has gotten to a realistic depiction of the effects of abuse is Blitzo himself. he's seemingly hypersexual in present day because of how his father made him feel like nothing by literally selling him off for an afternoon to a rich family and also because his trauma around the accident has left him with a deep seated fear of letting people in, in case he lets them down and them loses them. he behaves in contradictory ways that are frequently unheathly. he reads like someone who has compartmentalized the living daylights out of his poor treatment by Stolas because he maybe thinks he doesn't deserve better, and previously when he had someone better he self-sabotaged by stealing their car and maxxing out their credit cards so they would dump him

and how does the show treat him? victim blaming him for being sexually coerced by Stolas & being unable to give informed consent to Stolas' deal, then levelling every 'not a perfect victim!' excuse and 'not if he enjoyed it!' rationalizaion against him. it's honestly been morbid to watch the show do backbends to excuse Stolas and the fandom not only swallow it but say worse things about Blitzo on the regular

Morbid is an excellent word for it. I know that there's really no comparison, that Baby Reindeer is based on a true story (and basically one long therapy session for Gadd) and HB isn't, but if Baby Reindeer was about how how all of Donny's problems could be solved by marrying the man who abused him, you'd have HB.

[artzychic27]

More fancy villains au please?

Metamorphosis: Perpare for trouble!

Prince Paon: And make it double!

Metamorphosis: To protect the world from devastation!

Prince Paon: To unite all peoples within our nation!

Metamorphosis: To renounce the evils of truth and love!

Prince Paon: To extend our reach to the stars above!

Metamorphosis: Metamorphosis!

Prince Paon: Prince Paon!

Metamorphosis: Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light’

Prince Paon: Sureender now or prepare to fight!

Ladybug: … Do you have to do that every time?

Metamorphosis/Prince: YES!

Sometimes for the hell of it, they go out transformed. They aren’t doing anything. They’re just walking and talking

It’s the citizens that got a problem. Always staring at them like some attraction

Prince Paon: So, she says… *Notices a lady staring at them* … Uh, can I like, help you?

Lady: … *Looks away*

Prince Paon: Yeah, I thought so.

As fancy villains, they go to fancy restaurants. They drink expensive tea bought with Audrey’s credit card and look badass while sipping that shit

Somehow they sparkle. It’s weird, just… When they pose, there are sparkles coming from out of nowhere

They like to show up where they’re not invited. Imagine the scenes from Cruella where she crashes each event in those outfits

It’s mostly at Audrey and Gabriel’s fashion events. They show up in extravagant versions of their usual outfits and cause a fucking scene amongst all the gaudy glitter and conservative outfit wearers

They’ve never heard of gender roles. Metamorphosis is in a suit and carrying a cane, Prince Paon has heels, a tiara, and a hand fan

And of course, they’re going to show up to events where Ladybug and Chat Noir are invited, just to be little shits since they can’t fight at an elegant black tie event

Prince Paon: Those pigtails make you look five.

Ladybug: You motherfu-

Prince Paon: *Smirks* Language. Let’s not upset the Prime Minister.

Chat Noir: Easy, m’lady.

Metamorphosis: So, is that leather suit like a kink for you?

Chat Noir: Say what, motherfu-

Metamorphosis: Oh, is that the President with his five year old niece?

Prince Paon: *Whispers* We could do this all night, motherfuckers.

Disaster Gays when they’re not Distinguished Gay villains

Marc will never forgive himself as Prince Paon for flirting with Nath. Fortunately, Zoé knows not to make that mistake… Maybe

The worst excuses to transform

Now, as for why they are doing this… Spite. They want to spite the Bourgeois family, Gabriel Agreste, Lila Rossi, The Austins minus Tomassian, Lucien Rebois, and anyone else they don’t like until they crack and end up in a mental ward

As you can see, they have a very valid reason to be villains

Next on their list is Tomoe. She’s had it too good for too long

Marc goes feral when he hears about Nath’s ex, and Zoé is considering a pyrotechnic Akuma to take care of Cosette’s family. They’ve also had it too good for too long

They’re the people who walk away from an explosion and look badass as they put on a pair of shades

[nem0-nee]

On "heavy inspiration"

First, I'd like to apologize for the contents of this post. I do not wish to be a blog that just complains about matters, but I feel like I need to say this at least once.

If you don't agree with what I say, that's perfectly fine. We can agree to disagree, that is all.

It never fails to anger me when I see any issue related to tracing and "heavy inspiration." These are definitely tools when it comes to learning more about art, but there's definitely a line that dictates whether the use of those methods are acceptable or not.

I will not be naming names, but back then there was a blog which was "heavily inspired" by me. I'm flattered that I inspire people out there, but this case was truly something else.

[NOTE: If you recognize the account I'm referring to, please don't bring them up. I don't want this to escalate, nor do I want to stir up any issues. This is just to discuss what happened.]

There was a time where I've made a character sheet/template for one of my OCs, intending it to be for her specifically; every element about it reflected her as a character in general. A few days later, I see that a certain blog had done the same with their own sheet. The only difference was that it was all mirrored. I commend them for giving me credit, however I was not on board with what they did.

DISCLAIMER #1: Yes, I am aware that I may sound like a whiny baby for being possessive over a character template. It truly sounds absurd, and even now I don't know if what I felt was valid. But my reason for it was that I had specifically designed that sheet for THAT character. It was completely original, as I had made it all from scratch. It took me a while to conceptualize it all. Then someone comes along, taking and running with it without asking me? Can you blame me for being upset?

I didn't want to cause an issue, so I privately settled this issue with them. I made it clear with them that they should've asked me first before doing it, but also added in that they don't have to take the post down. I may be protective of my works, but I'm not a jerk to force someone to take down their own hard work. Plus, I didn't want to cause any drama nor controversy over a character sheet, so I just kept my mouth shut.

Additionally, I made a post as a measure to make sure this incident doesn't repeat.

You'd think this would all stop, but it surprisingly didn't! A few months later, I released a Birthday Union Card for one of my characters. I took some creative liberties with it and added my own twist to things. So, I gave my OC a different kind of bow and nail polish. A few weeks later and what do I see? The same kind of bow and nail polish are on their own birthday card too!!

DISCLAIMER #2: I am aware I don't own these "creative liberties" or certain aspects of design. I would've brushed this off as a coincidence if they hadn't taken "major inspiration" from me before, but this was the second time it all happened. I was beginning to get paranoid; I felt like they were keeping note of everything I do so they could do the same. damn. thing. Plus from what I know, I don't think anyone has done this before? Maybe that's just me...

Don't get me even started with the post formats! I did things a certain way back then, mixing up the font styles, incorporating colors, cringeworthy quotes- you name it. Would you believe me that they got inspired by me to this degree? That they would format posts that contained similar content as me IN A SIMILAR WAY?

DISCLAIMER #3: I am aware that I don't own post formats. My point here is that they were truly coming across as a copycat. I believe they could've changed things up for the sake of originality. But I suppose you can't have everything nice in life.

Every time they post something, the first thing that comes to mind is "what did they copy from me this time?" And it's truly a shame. Any slight resemblance or similarity to what I did stirred panic within me. It wasn't healthy, and I felt like I couldn't do anything about it.

Though, I must admit I'm not entirely in the right for this. Thinking about it, I may have enabled them due to my lack of communication.

FAULT #1: I must acknowledge my fault for not telling them off enough. I really thought they'd just eventually stop and learn from their mistakes. I just didn't have the heart to tell them any more. Being accused of copying is not a great thing, and I didn't really want to be that person. Unfortunately, look where that got me.

FAULT #2: It's also my fault I decided to follow them back despite the first instance and didn't block them. Admittedly, I have a bad habit of wanting to see the good in people. So I assumed that they would change in the long run.

Things only stopped when I finally blocked them and notified them about it. I don't think they're active on here anymore, and sometimes I worry if I was the reason for that. I wished it didn't come to this point.

This is a cautionary tale for fellow artists out there. Please, don't take things without permission. This whole incident took a toll on me for months, and I still fear instances of these. Some artists may be more lenient and wouldn't mind, but there are definitely others who are not okay with "heavy inspiration." Always, ALWAYS ask.