#and can just focus the roles that interest him as an artist

[charliethomascoxuniverse]

Marvel Star Charlie Cox Took Massive Pay Cut to Work With Snyderverse Legend Ciaran Hinds: “It’s definitely in my top 5 experiences”

by Shazmeen Navrange  March 31, 2023 (X)

Many actors take the risk to work for less pay just to reflect the best experience in their acting resumes. Well, Charlie Cox is one such actor, who doesn’t regret doing a film with the Snyderverse legend even with a pay cut. Cox is popularly known for his role as Daredevil in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He starred in the marvel series for almost four years and did three seasons. The show was then canceled for another season due to the rights issues between Disney+ and Netflix.

Charlie Cox will be returning to MCU with a stand-alone series of his own named Daredevil: Born Again. Apart from his franchise work, he has also been a part of films like The Merchant of Venice, Legacy, Eat Locals, The Maiden’s Conspiracy, Hello Carter, and others.

Why Charlie Cox Took The Pay Cut?

Ciaran Hinds is considered one of the most well-known actors in the industry. He has also been a part of DCEU and played the role of the supervillain named Steppenwolf. His character was a part of the 2017 Justice League as well as the Snyder Cut of 2021. He has been a beloved villain of the DCEU and who wouldn’t take a chance to work with him? That’s the reason Charlie Cox took this opportunity and was ready to work even with a pay cut. Apart from Hinds’ work in the DCEU, he has been associated with big films like Harry Potter and The Death Hallows: Part 2, Ghost Rider, Munic, Persuasion, and many others.

Charlie Cox played the lead role of Michael Kinsella whereas Hinds’ had the supporting role of Eamon Cunningham in the Kin series. The Stardust actor didn’t regret his decision as he thinks it was one of the top experiences of his overall career.

“Oh Yes. Yes I did. But it’s definitely in my top five experiences of all time. I thought I was doing a small low budget gritty series. I never thought we would have some of the other actors we got like Aidan Gillen, Maria Doyle Kennedy, and Ciaran Hinds, etc. A lot of those guys can demand very high paychecks on American jobs. The fact that they wanted to do this says a lot about them. Putting all of us together led to an amazing dynamic.”

Ciaran Hinds has also won the award for Best Supporting role in the series at Irish Film & Television awards. The show was worth Charlie Cox’s experience and also was a delight to the Irish Audience. The team did an incredible job in creating something so great on a tight budget. There are in total eight episodes in season one. The show was also renewed for a season 2, this year. The first two episodes are already streaming on RTE.

Marvel’s Big Paycheck To Charlie Cox

Well, Charlie Cox might not get the deserving pay in some other films, but he gets a good payday at Marvel. Even before the announcement of Daredevil: Born Again, Charlie Cox appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home which was a complete surprise for fans. It was known that the Stone Of Destiny actor was paid an amount of at least $4M. Other reports also suggested that he may have got up to $7M.

Well, Charlie Cox is now getting his own stand-alone masked superhero series. So it can be expected that he will get even more than the amount he was paid for a film like Spider-Man: No Way Home. Daredevil Born Again will be an 18-episode-long series that will stream on Disney+.

As of now, the release date isn’t confirmed but it’s known the series will be released in 2024.

~*~

[mysterycitrus]

Hey Greta! I was wondering if you had any thoughts on dick & cass siblingisms. I think they have so much potential as a dynamic but people don’t talk about them all that much. I figured I’d ask since you have immaculate takes on everything👍

oh em gee cass dick siblingisms……. my favourite weirdos! was a big fan of them together (particularly in murderer + fugitive) but also that time she threw him out a window. i think it’s a real shame we pretty much haven’t seen their relationship since gates of gotham 2011 because the potential dynamic there is so interesting.

cass is exactly like bruce -> dick understands bruce better than anyone else -> cass can read anyones intentions and true feelings -> dick is notoriously cagey and hard to read like…. that’s peak ‘no one understands u like ur siblings’ in my eyes!! no one in the world can hide from u, but then this random person with a complicated relationship with a father figure can predict ur feelings without u saying a word?? both confronting and comforting. i want them to communicate without saying anything — just weird grunts and nods — because i think it’d make tim and damian so mad.

in an ideal world we’d see a lot more focus of cass progressing as a detective, getting support for her learning disabilities from steph + babs + wendy, but id love to see an actual, proper case with just the two of them. cass isn’t just a martial artist — she’s super intelligent and just currently lacks the resources in other areas of the job! dick is experienced with connecting with and teaching people (specifically damian and rose wilson) and i think it’d be a really really cool story!

another angle would be passing the mantle of the bat to cass, and how dick would be a part of preparing her for that role. it’d be neat if there was some resentment there from cass— she actually wants to be batman, but she wasn’t considered. they both have such unique takes on what batman does or should do (dick found light in bruce’s darkness, cass can so clearly see a better future in gotham) that that dialogue would’ve been super super special to explore.

i also like the idea of like….. they both think the other is suuuper weird. like dick watches cass suplex a guy through dimensions like woag….. that’s crazy. and cass watches dick do a forward flip roll through space-time and she’s like ?????? sometimes bruce sees them talking about him on patrol and truly fears God in that moment.

[songoftrillium]

Meet The Art Team

Hello Kinfolks!

I've been really looking forward to this post for a while, and it's now time to unveil the art team I've assembled to put this project together! They're some heavy hitters that y'all ought to recognize, so without further ado let's meet them!

Mx. Morgan (They/Them)

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Mx. Morgan G Robles (they/them) is a freelance artist and illustrator based in Seattle, Washington. Their work is best known for its use of macabre themes, animals, and nature. They use these themes to explore mental illness, gender identity, or simply to make neat skulls.

They're known for producing book covers for several major publishers, and they've been brought in to design our book covers as well. In addition, they've developed a number of inside pieces as well!

Dogblud She/Her

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Dogblud (she/her), is a Midwestern cryptid working as a freelance artist and writer. Her work is near-exclusively sapphic, centering primarily around werewolves, werebeasts, and their strong thematic ties - horrific or otherwise - to all forms of womanhood.

A long-time fan of Werewolf: the Apocalypse, she's joined our team to produce all of the tribe artwork for the book, in addition to a number of other contributory pieces!

Meka (Any Pronouns)

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Meka is a Scottish comic artist with a flair for the dark and extremely bloody and a long-standing love of monsters and what they let us all explore-- for better and worse. Vehemently underground, they build stories about horror, grief, depersonalisation, and the isolation that comes with being just a little too weird and too angry to swallow whole. Art and catharsis go hand in hand, as far as she’s concerned.

In a throwback to the original game series, Meka has joined to produce a 22-page fully illustrated comic for the series entitled Cracking the Bone. A postgraduate in traditional comic artistry, we're extremely fortunate to have them on the team.

M.WolfhideWinter (He/Him)

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He is a part-time freelance illustrator from Scotland. His work is heavily inspired by the rugged terrain (and rain) of Scotland with a focus on werewolves inhabiting the wild landscapes both past and present. He explores themes of mental illness, societal stigma, dark folklore, and sad werewolves in the rain.

WolfhideWinter has joined our team as our monster-maker, dedicating their time towards depicting our primary antagonists of the garou: The Black Spiral Dancers, and the Wyrm's brood! We can hardly think of a body horror artist more fitting for the role.

----

As a final addendum, we have an additional writer that's joined the team at the last minute.

J.F. Sambrano (They/He)

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J. F. Sambrano is an author of horror and (urban/dark/depressing?) fantasy and an advocate for indigenous rights. He lives in Washington (the state) and is originally from Los Angeles (the city); the differences are staggering but the ocean and the I-5 are the same. He is Chiricahua Apache (Ndeh) and Cora Indian (Náayarite). He may or may not be a believer/practitioner of real world magic. If he were, he would not be interested in your hippy-dippy, crystal swinging, dream-catcher slinging garbage. But magic is real, let’s not fuck around.

Beloved Indigenous World of Darkness author J.F. Sambrano is joining our team to depict the Bastet in the Dawn Tribes! A friend and frequent topic of discussion on this blog, we are honored to have him on the team to bring the Werewolf: the Apocalypse he's long-felt the world deserves to life!

[littelestvic]

About the Damon Baker x Kris Gustin photo session and what it means to me as a queer artist obsessed with Joker Out

Note, this is not me trying to look smart and trying to talk about someone else's art pieces, although my dearest Daria made a small analysis on the Kris-Bojan set that I found very interesting, and it is interesting that these are a somewhat subjective views of Bojan and Kris's souls, or at least a visual representation of themselves as people. In any case, this is, if anything, an overview of what these art pieces make me feel and their significance to me.

First I must admit, as an artist, that these photos are beautiful and actually hold a lot of artistic value from my perspective. I think these should be seen as pieces of art and must be perceived in a different way than other Joker Out photos. However it is still very interesting how much these photos actually talk about the subject: these pieces are an exploration of Kris Gustin, the person portrayed, and I've honestly never have seen portraits that explore the nature of the subject in such a personal manner. Kris is displayed in a subjective, intimate way, whether how Damon sees him or how Kris himself sees himself deep down. I'm sure more elaborate and accurate explanations of Damon's art can be found online, as I actually didn't know of his work until now, but as I was able to read he focus a lot on the intimacy of the subject.

Anyways, there's a clear theme this session follows: femeninity and vulnerability. The usage of visible makeup (a first time for Kris on camera if I'm aware), the flowers, the exposed skin, the cloth (a typical femenine piece of clothing on Balkan/Slavic cultures), I think they were all choices to purposefully provide a more femenine vision of Kris. But he still allows himself to do poses similar to those I've seen him do before, there's still a hint of the Kris I know, his posing flows naturally and doesn't feel forced because this is just a natural extension of what he is, this is a natural exploration of his most femenine side, he is simply letting himself flow.

I think we all know Kris seems to be a man with a complex relationship with normative gender roles. Even as a cishet man he has this appearance and mannerisms that can be more related to a more "femenine" convention of gender and I have always wondered if he has ever struggled with this, and that if he has ever felt forced to keep the normative conventions of what a man should be. Things like asking to have his hair cut shorter after being called a girl when he was a child, or denying to be put makeup on by fans, he sometimes tried to run away from things that could be perceived as "feminine", maybe out of insecurity, maybe out of fear.

But there he is,

Glitter on his eyes,

Flower in his head,

Embracing himself.

I am a person with a complex relationship with gender roles. I was born a woman. I am short and tiny and have feminine features that simply cannot be ignored. I will forever be perceived as a woman by the people around me. I look like a girl, I have long hair because I am not allowed to have it short and I wear women's clothes. And while I don't want to be a girl, my relationship with femininity is actually very strong. I like pretty things, I like sparkles and pink, I like everything girly, I like girls. I've been told it's stupid to perceive myself as a guy since I look so girly, since I like so many girly things, and in times I don't feel I have deserved the masculine pronouns I use and my neutral name I've given myself (the ones I can only use online out of fear).

So I try to put some sense into it. I draw girly things because I like girly things. I draw men because I want to be like men. I draw men in pretty soft pinks and sparkles and sequins because that's what I am.

And I've found a safe place in Kris, with his non conforming masculinity that more often than not becomes femininity. As many other people like me, I like him because he helps me put sense to my feelings. I draw him in soft pastels and pretty clothes and delicate features because in my mind, if a man like him can be allowed to be femenine, then I can allow myself to feel the way I feel too. I can allow myself to simply not fit any binary gender convention, and I can allow myself to be myself. I like Kris because I find a part of me in himself, I relate to him and I see myself in his eyes. It is a complex relationship where I don't necessarily like him because I find him attractive, I am not actually sexually attracted to him; I see myself in him, in my own little weird way. I have distorted my own reality to make my own perception of him fit my needs. This is why I draw him the way I draw him. And perhaps that's why so many praise how I draw Kris. It is unique because it's personal. And I know he doesn't necessarily see himself this way, at least not in the degree I do. My Kris talks much more about how I see myself than how I see him. The way I draw Kris represents myself. My Kris is myself.

So when I saw him in this session, with the glimpse and the passion and the attitude I draw him like, it felt special.

"He looks like my art" I told myself. "He's seen himself the way I see him."

This is Kris,

This is my Kris,

This is me.

So I'm very thankful for Kris trying to open himself, and embracing this vulnerable side of him I purposefully push into the narrative of my art. He called these "therapy sessions", so I can't help but wonder if these have been helpful to him, if he has found something about him, if he has learnt to accept himself the way he is. He has helped me cope with complicated subjects of my life, and I cling to him to keep with life. He is my special little obsession that keeps me alive. So I can't help but sometimes wonder if he's happy, If he's loved, if he's content with himself.

And I think this exploration of himself will be very helpful to his soul. I am very proud of him, I am hopeful for his future, and I wish him the best.

I love you, my muse, and thank you for allowing yourself to see you with my own eyes.

[bokettochild]

lol I’ll guess that u listened to Monster while writing that scene? And yes I love Christian music. I care about the lyrics I’m listening to so Christian is what I tend to fill my playlist w. Plus, since I’m a Christian myself I like to support those artists and know they exist bc they’re less common than secular music.

On a LU note, favorite genres per boy? And do they focus more on lyrics or melody?

Oh fantastic! I was a bit wary of suggesting just the Christian artists I grew up on, but I'm glad to hear you enjoy it too! I tend to be more careful with what I listen to as well, but sometimes you don't get a choice (and that sometimes is when your room-mate doesn't give a darn).

For the LU boys:

Hyrule doesn't have a lot of experience with music, but most of what he hears in his era is folk music, much of it passed down from Legend's era (or just straight up written by Legend). He'd enjoy most stringed instruments, I think, but especially because stringed instruments are the best for group songs (the musician can sing too) and he loves the sense of community the music creates.

Legend would be a mix of folk and work songs, since, again, it's something he would have grown up around. He'd be pretty versatile about music though, but I think his favorite instruments would be the piano and the violin/fiddle. Still I think blues and jazz would be something he's really enjoy as well, or just anything really soulful, although he'd have to be in the mood.

Twilight is a country boy, need I say more? He's a fiddler himself, I think, but the banjo and guitar are special too. Mouth organ is a maybe, sometimes it's too much for his ears, but the way it compliments other music is something he really enjoys. French horn is something he really lives though (since it plays so prominent a role in Ordon's music)

Sky is accustomed to the lyre and flute family, but I think he'd really enjoy communal music like Legend, Twilight, and Hyrule. He'd probably get a rush from rock, but only in small doses, as I really can't see this man being a metal head. If he had the chance to hear a full orchestra though, I think he'd be utterly blown away and just dazzled! Same with a proper choir performance. He feels like the type of guy who'd enjoy a vocal arrangement as much as an instrumental one.

Time is a rock man. 80's style dad rock. He cannonically says things like "groovy", so this is cannon to me. (also @cantankerouscanuck got me hooked on the idea). He likes softer music too, but his happy music is the heavier stuff. The ocarina may be what he;s known for, but this guy performed with the Indigo-Go's, he knows how to handle a guitar!

Wind is a pirate, so like Legend, he's used to working songs mostly, but I think he'd also enjoy rock, like most 13-year-olds do at one point or another LOL. He'd be mostly versatile though! Anything with a beat makes him happy mostly (RIP Wind, you would've loved rap)

Four isn't much of a musical person, as none of the colors can agree and the chaos is a bit much, but when split, let's just say that they cover the full spectrum of musical interests :)

Warriors is one that I headcannon to come from a poorer background, so instruments weren;t much of a thing where he's from. Vocal arrangements and folk music were common, but because I love the idea of a Celtic Captain, there was a piper who came to town once and a bit and the music was much adored by a young Wars. Now that he's come city side, he's very fond of piano, but that deep love of the pipes will never leave him <3

Wild isn't much used to music, but I think he just likes anything you can play on an accordion, since the association with Kass and the Rito makes him happiest. Don't tell me that they don't all adore and treat "the champion's descendant" like one of their own! Rito village is his home away from home, but Kass's music is a constant no matter where he is. He'd like other music, I think, especially "exotic" music like what we hear played in Gerudo Town (Naboris' Theme slaps!) but the accordion is the sound of home to him.

[muzzleroars]

What? This is what I thought when he has V1's parents' same reaction.

lucifer sees v1 as a work of art that has become an artist in itself - being once of god, unlike any other angel, lucifer has massive amounts of creativity and appreciation for what humanity achieved through their own god-given spark. but beyond that, for v1 in particular, he sees something that has moved past its makers, it has forged its own path in defiance of what it was made for. he is fascinated by its mind, its construction, its life as something that may or may not have a soul (for what constitutes a soul, even lucifer does not know). but importantly it is a life not made by god, it is removed from him, and he wants to meet what god did not create. he wants to see what a full, vibrant experience it has, and v1 sure does. not disappoint lol so animalistic in behavior but with a razor-sharp mind, its first action is probably to challenge him to a one-on-one fight - not a surprise, given how much he knows through hell itself, but he worries he won't be an impressive match for it. he had been inert for so long and really...lucifer was never a warrior, his strength bolstered purely by his closeness to god. still, like anyone that can face v1 and live to tell about it, he finds the fight inspired, unpredictable, and a beautiful insight into a mind he cannot understand despite his godly knowledge. he is not moved by battle, but he can feel how v1 is, its emotions showing through and resonating within lucifer so that he gains insight into its passion. v1 finds its fascination in turn, recognizing right away that lucifer is not a fighter yet there is a disjointed fluidity in his movement, his choices largely defensive and illusory - he wouldn't be v1's first choice as an opponent, though his skillset is unique enough that it doesn't get bored. they stand as two perfect creations, the pinnacle of what god and man could create, and they find interest in the other purely for how alien they are. lucifer made for love and creation, v1 for apathy and destruction, curious of the other as they have been steeped in the role of their opposite.

gabriel doesn't ever really say anything to lucifer about his relationship with v1, mostly figuring it wouldn't be of any relevance to him as he seems preoccupied with attending to his fallen angels. but also...gabriel's aware that lucifer knows most of what's happened in hell and so his partnership with v1 likely isn't a secret to him. unsurprisingly, lucifer doesn't broach the topic for some time, his talks with gabriel a bit sparing and distant with his mind so attuned now to a self-centered focus in his isolation (GENUINELY does not remember how to talk to other people). gabriel actually begins to think he might not even have an opinion on their relationship, but he finds out that's quite far from the truth once lucifer is able to acknowledge more outside of himself. it's just...not what gabriel expected, if he expected anything at all. lucifer, already coming in with an appreciation of the bizarre, is actually happy for what v1 and gabriel have together. their relationship entirely defies the "natural" order of things, an act that would have been condemned fully by god and denied even as possible by v1's makers. he is glad too to see that love led gabriel to something better, it allowed him to finally follow what his heart had been telling him for all this time. it is a very rare thing to find such a kindred spirit and then to defy everything you were told you are in pursuit of that....and lucifer can find nothing more noble in the world than that. so while he continues to harbor his own issues with gabriel, he believes v1 has improved him by bounds and that he is now far more "palatable" than his siblings. gabriel has no idea how to take this, but v1 labels it an "endorsement" of its "personality"

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Oh no was the spin-off bad or just mediocre? Is there anything you particularly liked or disliked about it?

god okay let's get into the good, the bad, and the ???? of it all. hiding it entirely under a cut because spoilers ahoy.

the :)

I have reservations about the Riddler as a full protagonist that I'll articulate below, but I can't really fault any of the writing re: Eddie's dialogue at all. the characterization of the Riddler as an insufferably cocky and nosy motormouth works really well, and Hasan Minhaj seems like he's having a blast with the expanded role.

I also like ESCAPE ARTIST PICKPOCKET RIDDLER recognition!!!

also hey even though they didn't follow up on some of the very promising tidbits re: Eddie's potentially deteriorating mental state dropped in Unburied, I like that it was made clear that there are physical components to his riddle compulsion, namely mentioning that his chest was getting tighter. it adds an interesting dimension to his whole schtick!

having listed all these fun traits that I enjoy, I also respect that the story doesn't feel the need to like... soften Eddie in order to make him a more likeable protagonist. oh haha the funny little asshole man? yeah he killed people. he kills a guy literally in the course of the story after proclaiming in the very first episode that he's mostly non-violent. and he's 100% chill about it because fuck that guy! he doesn't matter, he's in the way of the riddle! and the whole ending with Nadira is... oofah doofah, that's crazy. that's crazy crazy. and it's pretty tasty!

I LOOOOOVE appearances from minor villains!!! bro we got THE FUCKING TALLY MAN in this!!! also hey when I wrote that absurdly long post-Unburied fic I CORRECTLY predicted Croc, Sportsmaster, and the fucking Condiment King someone. I don't know. pay me or kiss me on the mouth for that or something.

I wish there was more Barbara, of course, but I really like what we did get of her! I like that we've kind of skipped over any need for her to have a Batgirl era and just got straight to the good stuff of being almost Oracle. I love to see her exactly where she belongs: flagrantly committing cybercrime to save lives because she can.

also the sound design is still good, and I really like the new music for the opening and Azrael's motif

also speaking of Azrael I'm going to say ONE nice thing about how he was written which is that I DO think it's interesting that they directly pointed out that the concept of Azrael as an angel of death is actually much more prominent in Islam than Christianity while also making in unambiguous that the Nygmas are a Muslim family. it adds a little bit of intrigue to the connection between Nadira and JP, not nearly enough to actually redeem Nadira as a big bad in my eyes (see below) but it is interesting!

also lastly Eddie is flirting so hard with Bruce AND Barbara I love you problematic awful bisexual representation. AND Killer Croc wants to fuck him? madness.

the :/

I alluded to this earlier, but I don't know if I love Eddie promoted to the POV protagonist! it's a big departure from Unburied, not just in terms of who's the main character but also in terms of limiting the scope of the story. giving Bruce and Barbara's alternating perspectives in Unburied was brilliant for building up the mystery and creating suspense in the story, and when the story came together to focus fully on Bruce as Batman it felt organically earned.

and also on a more Eddie-centric note I just! think he works better as a supporting character for other people to bounce off of, rather than being a lead in his own right!

I'm putting this in :/ instead of :( because it's more of a matter of personal taste than anything but godddddd I wanted more Barbara :/ I love her :/ where is she :/ I'm mostly mad because I wanted a spinoff of her and Eddie solving crimes while he crashes in her couch and does petty crime but godddddd god god god I want her back so bad I love her more than Eddie and Bruce combined

while I like the emotional beats of the resolution with Nadira I don't... like her as a character or a storytelling device. like I'm sorry but I don't really care about the Riddler's family drama! especially not when it's as heavy-handed as "my sister told me riddles to distract me from our parents fighting." very reminiscent of the backstory where Leonard and Lisa Snart would hide out in an ice cream truck or whatever, please stop trying to make psychology this painfully clear cut.

I also didn't really need an origin story but I do like that it's kind of an updated version of his first BTAS episode!

I can't decide if Jean Paul unceremoniously killing off Flass is really funny or sucks shit. kind of both but it does veer towards the latter, I was really hoping that if they're going to keep making more of this podcast we would at least get to see Babs get an arc where she investigates Flass and gets justice for her dad on her own terms. but then again. it is pretty funny.

also god this isn't REALLY about the show but I have to say this. the Riddler a.) getting #calledout by Azrael for bearing false witness and b.) ESPECIALLY him trying to dunk on his sister by implying she should marry a white guy are SO FUNNY given the timing of the minor scandal re: Hasan Minhaj maybe just straight up making things up entirely in his comedy and SPECIFICALLY getting that poor woman doxxed by claiming she dumped him for racist reasons. I'M JUST SAYING. (editor's note: since absolved of all wrongdoing and the woman who wrote that piece is genuinely unhinged, but the timing was still BANANAS.)

the :(

I'm just gonna say it, man: I'm not into Colman Domingo's Bruce/Batman performance at all. I don't know what happened behind the scenes to precipitate Winston Duke leaving the role, but god fuck I'm in mourning. Duke is genuinely one of my favorite portrayals of Bruce ever for his distinctive Batman voice and how much expressiveness, vulnerability, and warmth he brings to the character, and while I wouldn't want his replacement to try and mimic that performance exactly (impossible!) it seems like Domingo just... wasn't even given the memo? this is a much flatter Bruce, and I simply cannot love him.

re: my complaints about Nadira above, her character is just handled in a really underwhelming way. having Eddie repeatedly call her "sis" is stumbling straight into the one of the worst of all lazy exposition techniques, especially since Bruce works his way to that exact revelation, like would it have killed anyone to just... let us wonder about the connection a *little* longer? also, again, those flashbacks are ARTLESS. in Unburied there's framing and context for all of the ways the past blends into the present, whether it's Strange's recordings or the story taking place inside Bruce's own meddled memories. it really feels like they're just hurling backstory at us with a catapult in this one.

the ultimate big bad reveal is... ugh. UGH. Unburied was a really cool nesting doll of a minor Batman villain being manipulated by a more well-known villain being manipulated by an A-list villain with a cool and unique spin on her backstory... Secrets in the Dark has an absolutely WASTED member of the Batfamily used as a killer of the week, controlled by a minor dirty cop and a complete OC who doesn't get much screentime at all. cool!

also hey listen. as soon as they start going "hmm... I don't know this is just too big for Flass... SOMEONE else must be helping him..." it's like. I don't know, man. do you think it's possibly the only new character introduced in the series who we know was just elected to a government position? do you think maybe that's who it could be?

also hey man speaking of which they just fucking. they just used Jean Paul as a random deranged serial killer and then the fucking Riddler managed to convince him to off himself. fucking. disrespectful. this feels like that episode of Arrow (sorry to cite Arrow in 2023, I know) when Helena's just like. an antagonist of the week for Oliver to fight. disrespectful!!!!

"Makenzie I thought you didn't even like Jean Paul why does it matter" I'M COMING AROUND ON HIM

overall the plot just feels way more hectic and unpolished than Unburied and it's Unfortunate!

also hey do you remember at the end of Unburied where Bruce just casually blows the lid open on Eddie being afraid that he's like. devolving and actively losing his grip on his own brain and it's like extra bad and scary because he has no idea whether it really means anything when he passes psych evals, etc? really cool how we never really brought that up again

where was Ace :( :( :( my good boy :( :( :(

[mostofthingsmostofthetime]

I just finished the first episode of Heartstopper, so here are some of my thoughts in no particular order.

The opening song is cool (will probably look up the shows soundtrack like I did with XO, Kitty).

Why did the camera focus so much on Charlie's bag & Elle's drink? Is it product placement?

Wow, no hate to the actor, but Charlie's eyebrows are THICK!!!!

Tori is beautiful but also kind of looks like a ghost (I think she’d be great for the role of  Violet Baudelaire from A Series Of Unfortunate Events) & why was she so pushy about the "dream guy" thing? Like let the poor boy breathe.

Is Nick's actor that much taller than Charlie's? I hadn't noticed.

I’m sorry, but knees are so weird to me lol. Also obligatory, 🎵 she's a runner she's a track star🎵.

Wait, is that PE teacher that will later interrupt the team theorising about Nick & Charlie's relationship? It's crazy how they’ve found actors who look so much like the characters in the graphic novels (other casting directors should take notes).

Ok fair enough about wanting your team to be good & wondering if the quiet, skinny, nerdy, boy is even into sports but the shit about him being gay is so stupid (bet it was Harry that said that).

Glad Charlie didn't get injured learning rugby, lol.

Nick's shorts seem a lot smaller than Charlie's ones do, but maybe that's the costume designer's way of helping Charlie’s actor look more skinny?

Omg Stephen Fry, what are you doing here lol?

Wow, people weren't kidding. Olivia Colman really did show up just to say one line. What a legend, lol.

Ben, did you really make Charlie walk all that way for such a lame ass kiss? Also, let him talk about his Christmas, you jerk!

I don't think that Form tutor is very good at his job (while Nick thankfully turned out to be nice) it’s usually not a great idea to put the skinny, gay, nerd that has already been bullied with the bigger, popular, seemingly straight, athlete, especially at an all boys school!

Ben, you dick. Like I get wanting to keep your relationship secret, but you did not need to pull the 'who the hell are you!' card. All you had to do was say hi in a confused/uninterested tone (then apologise later). If anything, your reaction came off more weird than what Charlie did.

I'm sorry, but I don't get the leaf animation. I mean, I GET it, just why leaves? Why not flowers or hearts or something? It just doesn’t seem that impactful to me, but maybe they have a deeper meaning that I'm just not grasping yet? If so, please let me know.

Ok, so I'm torn over the gay teacher. Like artistic? That's cool. Those glasses? Cute. Him giving Charlie a safe space to eat lunch? Great. Him being worried over Charlie potentially being bullied again? Awesome (take notes, Form guy), but his advice to Charlie seemed slightly lacking. Obviously, honesty & communication are important in relationships, but I'm a little surprised that possible safety concerns weren't addressed at all, especially from a fellow gay guy. Like I get that he doesn’t know the kind of guy Charlie's "dating" & that just because someone doesn't want to come out yet doesn’t mean they should be labelled as dangerous but internalised homophobia can make some people lash out & after everything Charlie's been through his clearly more likely to be vulnerable to situations like that.

Nick is a golden retriever in human form, they're 100% correct 😊.

Isaac? What happened to Aled? I hope he still shows up. He may be quiet, but he was so cute during Charlie's 15th birthday in the graphic novel.

Interesting to get to see Elle's time at Higg's (fuck that transphobic teacher & whoever was throwing sandwiches at her). Sad she doesn’t have any friends but I'm sure that'll change when she meets Tara & Darcy. Wow, is it strict over there, though, like you can't even be on your phone at lunchtime? Damn! Surprised they did it this way, though, as I was assuming they'd just make Truham co-ed so all the characters could be in the same place.

Tao, my guy, the drink thing is sweet but that hair is.....certainly.....a choice 😅.

The shots of Charlie looking at food, without eating, make me ☹️.

I gotta be honest, the montage of Nick & Charlie saying hi to each other was a little cringy to me compared to how it came across in the graphic novel, but they're meant to be teens, so I'll let it slide. It's also an effective way to highlight how differently Charlie's "boyfriend" treats him compared to an acquaintance.

Ben's hand covering up Nick's smiley face got me like ☹️/😠. They're not even together yet & I already felt like telling him to get off Charlie, like that boy is not for you! It’s ridiculous, lol.

Ben what you did was fucked up but it's hard to be scared of someone who looks so much like a meerkat in a wig (no hate to the actor) also did it seem like he just....skidded away when Nick pulled him off Charlie? Like, was the actor wearing Heelys lol? Or had someone just mopped the floor without telling anyone? Also, it's lame to wear a coat when you're cold? What in the toxic masculinity are you fucking on about Ben?

Omg the bathroom scene was so adorable, but I wanna know what kind of pen Nick was using because being covered in that amount of ink is crazy 😆.

Overall, it's very cute. I like Nick & Charlie. It’ll probably take a bit longer for me to really care about the other characters. Ben can catch these hands! And I’m looking forward to watching the Narlie relationship develop.

So while not overly ground breaking (though obviously important for LGBTQ+ rep) it's definitely enjoyable in a comforting sort of way which (considering medias fascination with marginalised suffering) is obviously important for queer youth but also must be quite healing for queer elders. Because you deserve wholesome, cheesy, romance just as much as anyone else.

[mxtantrights]

the greatest hits

got a request for a Jason todd x reader and this turned into a behemoth. if you want a part two to this let me know. it was super fun to write!! this is an au where all the bad things that are canon didn’t happen and we can have fun and everyone’s famous! 

to the anon who requested: I hope this is what you were looking for and thank you for the request!! 

Everything came to a head by the time you turned twenty one. At 18 you were already doing commercials and advertisements but when you turned 21 you finally got offered something. And you didn't know exactly what until you were sat in a room with a few executives, your manager and your agent.

A book cover deal. They wanted you to be the face of an author's character. Or, well, the author had seen your face and liked you so much that they wanted you to be the face claim of their character in the rom-com novel.

For you the answer was easy, it was yes. You signed on to do the photoshoot alongside a partner for almost double your rent. Gotham hadn't squandered all of your dreams yet.

Soon enough your face was on the book, and that book was almost everywhere. National, international, online, etc. It was a great opportunity for you to branch out and do the things you wanted and maybe do things you could've never dreamed of.

Like now.

Right now you're sat in a room with your agent outside talking over some finer details about a contract. And sat across from you is the one and only Jason Todd. You'd be a fool to not know him. He can do practically anything. It's why he, out of all the other Waynes, has more followers online.

He does poetry from time to time when he's not modeling or being the camera himself. He dances and he owns a chain of car shops. The man can do it all. Except maybe not everything. That's why you're here.

Jason Todd wants to venture into acting. It's something that his other siblings (namely Dick and Duke) have a handle on already. He wants to be like them, you guess.

The silence in the room is cut short.

"I think your agent wants to you close the deal, but I can't get a read on you." he says.

You can't understand it. You can't understand a lot of things in Gotham but this right here, Jason Todd sitting across from you and asking for you to star side by side with him in a feature film is one of them.

"I just don't understand, why me? I haven't even acted before. I could totally tank your movie and get you, and myself, blackballed from everywhere." you answer.

He chuckles, "I don't think that's true."

"You don't know me."

"But I want to, is that so bad? and at the very least you could get something from this too."

"oh what, a kiss from you?" you joke.

Jason crosses his arms against his chest. You can't help to think the shirt he's wearing is way too tight for him. But you can't focus on that right now. You cannot focus on the strong arms underneath the black tee. You can't.

“You still with me?” he asks.

You clear your throat, as if something suddenly got stuck in it. Not like you were checking him out. No definitely not. You are a professional. This is work. This is just work. 

As you’re about to reply with something witty that will make him lose that damn smirk of his, your agent and his step back into the room. Your agent looks over at you and with a simple nod they agree to the deal.

You're gonna star opposite Jason Todd in a feature film.

JASON TODD AND HOLLYWOOD NEW COMER SET TO STAR IN UPCOMING ROM-COM DIRECTED BY HARVEY DENT!

WHO IS JASON TODD’S NEW LOVE INTEREST?

-

Sitting across from Jason a couple of months ago was different. There was less tension then. Or there was a good amount of tension and a door clearly marked exit. Now you were sitting next to him in hair and makeup getting ready to film a scene.

Delores, ever the great artist, is doing her best to make Jason fit the role of ‘Mr.Corporate perfectionist’. Which includes a lot of concealer and a bit of mascara, which apparently Jason isn’t used to.

“Don’t they apply mascara when you model sometimes?” you ask.

You were annoyed at how long it was taking to coat his lashes. And it wasn’t even Delores’ fault. He won’t stop fidgeting in his seat whenever the wand comes even an inch near his eye.

He lets out a huff, “Not really. I’m usually good with eyeliner though.” 

“Business CEO’s don’t wear eyeliner in this movie, sorry Mr.Todd.” Delores speaks.

You can’t help the laugh that bubbles in your throat. And you don’t miss the snide eye that Jason spares you in the mirror. 

“You know I can met you on set right?” he asks you.

You turn to him fully. He’s sitting down normally, two pairs of clips hold back his hair from his face. Purple and pink. It would be adorable if he hadn’t become such a thorn in your side these past few days. Who knew?

“Oh but I'm gonna tell this story to UsWeekly, get a big payout and everything.” you remark.

Jason holds up the middle finger to you, playfully, and you return it back. Delores smacks his hand down and tries the wand again and this time he seems to let it happen. You watch as she coats his lashes once, twice and then three times.

“Done! Okay get out of here! Both of you!” Delores shouts.

You are the first to get out of your chair. Then Jason is hightailing it behind you. You hold open the door for him, he mumbles something of a thank you but it’s so low and quick.

When you two are walking to set in silence, under black Canada goose jackets Jason brings your hood up over your head. Almost destroying Delores’ hard work on your hair. You almost yelp at the action.

“Dude!” you shout.

“Paps.” he says simply.

And you follow his eyesight to a gaggle of photographers about twenty feet away to your left. You weren’t used to the sight yet. It freaked you out honestly. You were used to coming and going as you pleased. Maybe someone recognized you from close up. But not from a far. And not like this.

“Just make sure you’re walking with someone when you’re going somewhere” Jason says.

His words almost make you stumble. But you catch yourself in time. Thankfully you won’t look like an idiot to media royalty today. You look over at him, “Wait-why? is something gonna happen?” 

“No,” he looks at you for a second, “it’s just safety in numbers and all that.” 

“Oh. Got it. Thanks.” 

“No problem.

About a few steps away from set you realize something and look over at Jason.

“Why didn’t you put your hood up?” you ask.

He smiles, “Gotta give them the goods.” 

You groan and walk away from him then. Yeah, he’s gonna be more of a pain in the ass than you thought during filming. And then you’re gonna do promotion for the movie for the premiere with him. The pain was just beginning.

GETTING CLOSE? CO-STARS ON SET OF DENT’S “LOVE IN PEICES” CAPTURED ON SET!

JASON TODD AND CO-STAR FLIRTING ON SET? SEE PICS BELOW!!

-

Night shoots are impossible. They drain you and drain you and you’re still required to bring an award winning performance every time. Both you and Jason have struggled so much tonight that the director decided to call it a night and send everyone home.

Yet here you were, laying face down on the coach in your trailer crying. Yes sometimes challenges are fun. But most times they are exhausting. And you have to come back tomorrow and do the same thing all over again. Your chest and your head feel hot from embarrassment and nerves.

A series of knocks arrive on the door to your trailer. Your lights are on so whoever is looking for you must know you’re here, or that you don’t care about electricity and harm tot he environment. 

“Hey, are you decent in there?” 

It was Jason.

You picked yourself up and wiped the tears from your cheeks. But as you did you could see yourself in the mirror directly in front of you. Red cheeks, red eyes. Puffy eyes. Hair in complete disarray. 

“No..” you answer.

Somehow, the door opens anyways. You sigh and shut your eyes. Of course. You can hear Jason let himself in and walk your way. At this point you don’t know what to expect of him. Somedays on set he’s a bit standoffish, and others he can joke around and make it al feel normal.

You wonder what you’re about to get.

“Have you been crying?” he asks.

“No.” you like.

He scoffs. That’s when you feel a plop right beside you. You open your eyes and look over at him. He’s out of costume already. With the signature look of a brown leather jacket, a black tee and black jeans. 

“Today was hard for me too.” he speaks softly.

As if he were afraid to say it. Out loud. To you. You can’t believe he said it either. It’s not like him to admit defeat. Not in the time you’ve known him. He attacks everything with such passion and never gives up. 

“Maybe we just need to relax. Not be so in our heads so much for a couple of hours.” Jason offers.

You can’t help the smile that forms, “Are you-do you want to hang out with me outside of work hours-”

He holds out his hands in front of you.

“Alright don’t make it a thing and declare your love for me just yet. Let’s just see what happens.” he says.

It’s funny. You laugh a bit and he eases up and begins to laugh too. It’s the first time you see the crinkles around his eyes appear. Like in some of the photos that were taken by his brother, Tim, those seem authentic. Like him.

You’d like to get to know the real Jason.

SPOTTED: JASON TODD AND CO-STAR OUT FOR DRINKS!

COUPLE ALERT?! SEE PICS OF THE STARTS OF “LOVE IN PIECES” NOW!

CHEMISTRY READ: WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT JASON TODD AND HIS CO-STAR!

-

It’s the last day of shooting and everyone is doing fine. Well almost everyone. Not you. You are an absolute mess. You’ve managed to befriend a lot of people on set and you don’t wanna have to say goodbye to them after spending months with them. 

Especially Delores. 

Which is why you brought her a bouquet of flowers. Or, you had them ordered and you picked them up at the front gate of the lot so you could deliver it to her by hand. 

As you round the corner to the makeup trailer you come upon Jason. He’s got a bouquet of flowers in his hand as well. They look equally as good as yours. Probably better because he’s rich and knows what to spend money on.

When he sees you he looks like a deer caught in headlights. The sight is equal parts cute and hilarious. 

“Todd you can’t be trying to upstage me right now.” you joke.

It takes a moment for him to walk up to the door as you do. When he does he smiles at your bouquet which would have been nice if you knew he wasn’t trying to subtly make fun of your flowers over his.

He laughs, “We’re not even competing, hun. I’m gonna win every time.” 

You gasp and at your state of shock he opens the door first. You lunge after him and get inside. There’s Delores setting up some stuff for later today. When she sees the both of you she lets out a delightful noise, her hands clap together.

“Oh you both shouldn’t have!” she says.

You nudge Jason out of the way and embrace her. The flowers still in your hand. 

“We probably could have brought a whole flower shop and it still wouldn’t have been enough to thank you for all that you did.” you say.

She rubs your back, comforting you. And that’s when your can feel the water start to cloud your eyes. You pull away with a sad smile. She cradles your face in her hands.

“You’re gonna do great things, I just know it.” she whispers.

You nod and thank her again, offering her the bouquet. She takes it and then you move out of the way for Jason to give over his. You don’t notice how he seems to eye you a bit before he does. You’re too busy sipping the tears away.

“Whenever I do one of these or I need a stylist I’m calling you personally.” he chides.

Delores yelps at how he hugs her. He basically lifts her off the floor. You knew she was a small lady but Jason made it same like she was even smaller than that. You laugh at the way her legs dangle in the air for a moment before he puts her back down.

“Jason!” she laughs.

He offers her the bouquet. She takes it as well. 

“I’m gonna miss you two.” she says.

SPOTTED: JASON TODD WITH A BOQUET OF FLOWERS! GIRLFRIEND?

CHECK OUT INSTA FOR TOUCHY LAST DAY SET PICS FROM CAST AND CREW OF “LOVE IN PIECES”!

-

Doing interviews back to back is slowly rotting you from the inside out. Including the fact that you were expecting an important call from your agent who was out scouting for you. 

And maybe it was the outfit you were wearing too. Not that it was uncomfortable, you had the guts to say when things didn’t feel right on you. But this contraption you were in was about ten degrees too hot for a hotel in California. Even the air conditioning couldn’t help you.

Yeah, maybe it was the outfit making you sweat.

“I think we get a break after this one.” Jason says from your side.

You hear the tail end of his sentence, too busy in your own head worrying about other things. You turn to face him.

“Huh?” 

He lightly chuckles and places a hand on your knee. You hadn't realized you were bouncing it. Now you’re wondering if you were doing that the whole time. If you were, did you look like an asshole? Or just a nervous rookie?

“I said we’re getting a lunch break after this.” he repeats.

You nod your head, “thanks Jay.”

“Oh by the way, we settled on Thai.” he adds.

Since the press tour was majorly compromised of you, Jason, three other actors and the director you all wanted to go out to lunch today. Catch up on things, spend some time together.

You had told everyone before you didn’t mind what you ate, you weren’t picky when you got hungry. Any food would do.

“Is it close or are we getting a car?” you ask.

Jason arranges himself in his seat and it all kind of clicks in your head. You have been looking at him differently for a while now. Ever since that night he found you in your trailer crying and hung out with you. At first you thought it was just a friend thing, but now you’re realizing it’s not.

Definitely not when he looks good with the clothes his stylist picked out for him and his thighs-

“You’re doing that thing again.” he says.

You shake your head, “what thing?”

“The thing where you get in your head. Something I can help with?” he asks.

And in your dirty mind the answer is yes. But you don’t say that. You keep that thought and all the other ones you had before to yourself and you smile lightly at him.

“Just waiting on a call.” you answer.

Jason hums a noise. Before either of you can say anything the next interview steps into the room. And just like that both of your smiles are turned back on and you're greeting and waving, shaking hands and introducing, the works.

JASON TODD BEING A SIMP FOR FIVE MINUTES AND TWENTY SECONDS!

DENT TALKS CHEMISTRY BETWEEN CO-STARS!

SEE CO-STARS FOR “LOVE IN PIECES” SHARE SOME FLIRTY BANTER!

-

Well it’s not like you weren’t expecting to run in to him at the literal carpet premiere of the movie you filmed together. Okay, who are you kidding? You checked his socials and the cast group chat and heard that he might be working on another project and might not make the event.

And you were able to breathe a little. After not seeing him for a couple more weeks you were able to talk yourself out of the whole ‘maybe I don't think of him as a friend I think of him as more’ thing that was going on in your head.

It was good. 

Until it wasn’t. Until you were standing in front of a swarm of cameras about to bolt because your outfit felt a bit tight even though it fit you perfectly when you put it in hours ago, and your heart is beating out of your chest and reporters and photographers are calling your name and shouting directions.

Then the funniest thing happened. You heard it.

“Jason over here!” 

You’re pretty sure that if someone had recorded you, the video would’ve shown how wide your eyes got. And how quickly your head turned. 

He’s here.

Your eyes meet his from a few feet away. He’s already looking at you. In fact he’s not really looking at anyone else, or paying attention to the cameras for that matter. No he’s staring at you dead on.

Now he’s walking over to you. You try to keep it together. Know that with him so close the cameras will be back on you like they never left. You’ve seen the articles, the pictures that were taken out of contexts, the videos. 

You let out a shaky break and smile once more as he nears you.

“And to think I almost missed this.” he says.

You hum, “thankfully you didn’t. I’m kinda struggling here.”

“Let me help, sweetheart.”

Later in the night is when you realize he called you sweetheart. Your way too busy right now trying not to do something embarrassing in front of all the cameras.

He wraps an arm around your waist and faces the cameras. Which was not what you had in mind when he said help, but sure. You look over at him once, and that's all it takes for the photographers to shout at you to keep that pose. 

You bite your tongue from saying something foul. But before you can even swallow the words down in your mind Jason is in front of you. Standing right in front of you. None of the cameras can see you clearly.

“You hangin’ in there?” he asks

Nodding your head you try to take a breather. But then Jason Todd is leaning closer to you, his face next to yours as the breath from his mouth hits the side of your face and your ear.

“We can walk into the theatre if you want. You don’t owe them anything.” he says.

He pulls away and looks for your answer, as if it were in your eyes. And you knew right then and there that as hard as you tried to tell yourself that your feelings for him were totally platonic, they weren’t. You were an idiot for even trying.

“I thought you’d be too busy to be here tonight.” you answer.

“And miss this?” he repeats.

The way he says it send a shiver down your spine in the most infectious way. Because he’s not looking at anyone else, or anything else, but you. And you can’t help the way your lips spread into a smile at the thought. Or how much you like it when Jason smiles back at you.

You were so done for.

JASON TODD AND CO-STAR CARPET PHOTOS! 

HARVEY DENT AND BRUCE WAYNE REUNITE AFTER FIVE YEARS!

AFTER PARTY FOR “LOVE IN PIECES” PREMIERE SHOWS CO-STARS CLOSE AND PERSONAL!

SEQUEL TO “LOVE IN PEICES” ? DENT SAYS IT’S POSSIBLE.

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

Hey do you guys have any fics where Klaine are spies or like criminal master minds? Or separately maybe like a mafia story but where they BOTH come from mafia families? I don't know I'm in a bad ass klaine mood. Thanks!

Here's a list of various fics. ~Jen

Here is our mafia tag.

And of course this one!

A Mafia Romance by @yadivagirl [WIP]​

Blaine is the son of a powerful crime boss. He has no intentions of joining the family business, especially since he finally has a gorgeous boyfriend named Kurt, but everyone else has other ideas. When Kurt gets caught in the middle, Blaine’s true nature is unleashed. Like father, like son. Dark!Blaine. Features sex, violence, drug references, and heavy BDSM themes.

~~~~~

An Unrefuseable Offer by Aki and Tenshi

Mafia AU. Blaine is a jaded crime lord interested in Kurt, a singer at a speakeasy. Kurt is desperate to take care of his ill father. Blaine makes Kurt an offer, trade himself for Blaine’s money and influence to get Burt the best medical care. And then there’s Sebastian, who runs a rival mob. Angst, drama, and a dark, kinda romantic story

~~~~~

A Dangerous Game by dreamcatcher (darcangell23)

The year is 1924 and Blaine Anderson, son of the most notorious mafia boss in the east, has gone to his favorite speakeasy where he sees Kurt for the first time. It’s got to be love at first sight but falling for a mafia baby so a dangerous game to play. But is Kurt exactly who Blaine thinks he is? 

~~~~~

Spy fic:

Trigger Warning by @inkystars (on tumblr)

Blaine Anderson is one of the top international spies in the world, but is very insistant upon keeping his husband, Kurt Hummel, in the dark about that matter. Which ends up being a bit of a problem when Kurt is kidnapped

~~~~~

Criminal Klaine -

An Unwritten Life by GlassParade

An adaptation of the movie “The Brothers Bloom” – Blaine and Cooper are brothers and con artists, committing crimes worldwide with explosives expert Santana in tow. But Blaine wants out of the life, while Cooper wants to pull off one last con – and for his mark, he’s selected reclusive automotive heir Kurt Hummel. With Coop’s promise to finally let him go in hand, Blaine sets the hook and reels Kurt into a madcap global adventure in lies, violence, death…and love.

~~~~~~

An Honest Man by BlurglesmurfKlaine @jinglejavey

For nearly the past decade, Kurt Hummel and his best friend Rachel Berry have made their living swindling unsuspecting bachelors. Which proves to be pretty easy on his conscience, considering he doesn’t believe in love anymore. As they always say: “You can’t con an honest man... Good thing they don’t exist.” But their mark for their last con before they go their separate ways—Blaine Anderson—may just prove otherwise, and restore Kurt’s faith in love in the process.

~~~~~

FBI/criminal:

Catch Me If You Can by @afterthenovels

In the end, catching Kurt Hummel is definitely not what Blaine expected.

Special Agent Blaine Anderson catches con-man and art thief extraordinaire Kurt Hummel twice, and on the second time they strike a deal. They’re supposed to just solve white collar crimes together, but they might even end up solving each other in the process.

A White Collar AU.

Note: There are 9 more stories in this verse HERE.

~~~~~

In Spite of all the Darkness by wishesonfallenstars

When the bodies of teenage girls start appearing next to dumpsters over New York City, the NYPD calls in the FBI. Because Serial Killers are always stopped easier when there’s experienced back up on speed-dial, and with bodies starting to pile up, they need to move fast. (warnings inside)

~~~~~

Hidden in the Deep by LauGS @heartsmadeofbooks

Kurt Hummel’s only concern was getting the perfect role in the perfect Broadway show. But when one night he witnesses a real nightmare, Kurt’s focus shifts from saving his career to saving something much more important: his own life.

~~~~~

Mr Congeniality by ifinallyfoundsomeone

Miss. Congeniality!AU

Bomb threats are being sent to the newly made Mr. America pageant and FBI Agent Blaine Anderson has taken up the position of being an undercover agent to save the pageant. With some extreme grooming and guidance from his pageant consultant, Blaine infiltrates the world of Men’s pageants. Making some interesting friends, and maybe he even winning the heart of his slave driver pageant consultant, the gorgeous and fascinating, Kurt Hummel.

~~~~~

[lej222]

Please please please make a prediction about how the story will unfold starting from chapter 127 in Aslfua. I am a big fan of your theorie

Well, this is a difficult quiestion, but I will try to answer it. First of all, I believe everything depends on the author's intentions. I've read her previous webtoon, Cheese in the Trap, and I must say she has grown a lot as a storyteller and artist. Unripe Apples, in my opinion, is her best work so far in terms of characters, storytelling and symbolism. From the very start the ending had two different outcomes, at least the part of the ending most readers seem to care about - whether Cheol and Miae will end up together. The author has hinted the possibility of them parting ways since the very first chapters; in fact, when I read the narrator's parts it always feels like the narrator is looking back at the past, recalling fleeting moments that were important to the characters once. It's deliberately like an adult talking to children, noting how their age and inexperience about the world shape who they are in the storyline. Of course, the creator might have wanted them to end up together from the start, or maybe fan reactions and personal opinions could have changed her mind, maybe she always wanted a bittersweet ending and will stick with it - who knows. It will all depend on what she will emphasize in the upcoming part of the story, either way it will be fine.

As for other aspects of the story, I have lots of theories and have read other interesting ones as well.

In my previous post I talked about how ASLFUA should be read as a growth story instead of a romance. Like there are certain people we have to meet in our lives as if it was fated in order to learn from them. If we use this mindset, we can say that differents parts of the story are about the struggles and emotional growth of different characters. Part 1, ending with Miae's birthday, is mainly Cheol's story. It deals with his insecurities, problems and he matures significantly by the end of the first part. One of my personal favourite scenes is when he's just sitting next to the trash, broken, without any hope for the future - it's a visually impressive and tragic scene about a teenager who carries a heavy weight too big for a child. Part two, ending with ch126, is mostly about the changing friendship between Cheol and Miae, and the start of Miae's growth as a person. It is also the first time Jisu gets a center role in the story. Interestingly, characters who are acknowledged by the main characters and start to be a significant presence in their lives get their faces revealed. It's a funny visual solution, because it shows the focus of these kids - one who can expand their world and be a part of it is treated differently than those who are not. Jisu's face wasn't shown before simply because he wasn't the focus of Miae's limited world, once she acknowledged him as a person and learned his name his face was revealed. Part 3, in my opinion, starting from 127 will put more focus on Jisu as a character. There are multiple signs of him being a significant character from the very first chapter.

Jisu is an interesting case though, because we know almost nothing about him. It's pretty obvious that he parallels Cheol in many ways, they are opposites in almost everything. If the story becomes darker as the end of the year approaches, Jisu's backstory might not be as happy as some might first believed. There are numerous theories about him, I've also mentioned some of them before, like how he might be neurodivergent, a son of divorced parents, or maybe even abused. Some of these might be present at the same time, e.g. if he's on the spectrum he might be abused and bullied because of it, people who are different are always easy targets for those who want to abuse their power. Let's not forget his reactions when he was hit by the teacher and it became a running gag with Miae thinking he enjoys the pain - but if you reaaaaaally look at his expression and what he says about it the signs are all there, especially for those who have experienced similar treatment in the past. Jisu enduring all that might be his way of defiance for all we know. Considering that he has started to appear more since part2 and has been featured in ads and promotional arts, I would say his story will take central stage in part3 and will be the catalyst to Miae's growth as a person, in what exact way it remains to be seen.

Cheol and Miae will probably have an awkard relationship after the kiss without real resolution, but will still see each other in the summer. The bully from Cheol's old school will be back for sure, hopefully this time Cheol will ask help from his family and not act alone on the matter. I don't believe the academy kids will be featured that much, but I can imagine a Sora miniarc which could also take a darker turn. They will all have to say goodbye very soon with the end of the year approaching. I don't believe many of them will go to the same high school which ties to my theory that the story is about making connections in different parts of our lives. If Cheol chooses to go back to the countryside it won't be because he's still afraid and wants to hide from others - it will be because he likes being there. About Cheol and Miae the real question is whether they can grow together or if they have a different path they have to take. If it's not in the cards, it's not their fault, they are still kids after all. But if they are destined to be together I think the author will make them both mature together and communicate more about their feelings. I will be able to say more once the new season starts, but I guess these are the most important thematic points the story needs to address. :)

[goodluckclove]

John Green's Thoughts on Adulthood: A Post-Mortem Analysis

So I was thinking about the time years and years ago, back when writer John Green was more active on Tumblr. Someone asked if he would ever write a book about adults, and his perspective were that adults were boring.

There's mixed physical evidence online. I remember seeing it, the first line of the ask was captured on a Buzzfeed article from 2013. I couldn't find the actual ask, because from what I've heard at some point John Green was torn apart with such intensity that he is now just a collection of atoms. And I don't hate John Green. I liked his books when I was also young. I watched the VlogBrothers. If I met him in an author space I would thank him for introducing me to NaNoWriMo when I was in middle school.

And then I would ask if he was doing okay. Like - emotionally? Because the shit she said in that ask is some of the saddest I have ever heard in my life. I'm using this Wordpress post as a reference of the rest of what he said and I just want to go through why it's just such a fucked and dangerous thing to say as an author who advocates for young people.

Follow me!

“Would you ever write a YA novel where an adult plays a key role? I know you like to leave the focus around the teenagers and their “peer relationships… but I was just wondering if it had ever crossed your mind.”

That was the ask. Fairly reasonable! And John Green responded immediately with the following:

I mean, to be totally honest with you, I don’t really give a shit about adults.

This on its own is a massive self-report. Not to any sort of crime or character flaw. In my mind, it's part of the reason why I feel like a point where big enough online figures, writers included, either need a PR team or a LOT of therapy. But he continues.

Like, all of my friends are adults. My spouse is an adult. My parents and brother are adults. I know and like many adults. But I don’t want to write for them. Or God forbid about them. They’re just so…boring. It’s like, “Oh I have a mortgage. I buy six pairs of identical khaki pants at a time. I take care of children and watch the television program CSI.” I admire people who can make that crap into the stuff of interesting fiction, but…yeah. No.”

I am angry. I am very angry. If someone said this shit to me in person I would make a face. If we were sharing a space with anyone under the age of 21 I would immediately say "you need to shut the fuck up right now jesus christ".

The thought of a writer who really made his whole brand caring for youth telling them that their future is inevitably dull and unremarkable, especially when you deal with themes of suicide and mental illness, is actually one of the most artistically unethical things I can think of at the moment. I understand that John Green struggled with untreated OCD for very long time, so there's a chance this could actually just be him voicing an intrusive thought that honestly terrifies him.

But he's wrong. We know this, right? Including the adults on here who complain about the tedious aspects of adult life? We know that in a majority of cases it is generally better to be a legal adult than a minor? If you are someone who would go back to being in high school because you maybe had less responsibilities, are you really prepared to lose bodily/legal/societal autonomy?

Like I struggle in life. Sometimes I've struggled a lot. But at my worst, when I was unemployed and flat broke and I couldn't even sell my blood because I took Lithium, if someone told them they could magic me back to being 16 years old again I would scream in their face until they left.

Also, I have a mortgage. It's not boring. Mortgage and insurances are, in fact, pretty confusing and something you have to learn and research. The most boring part about my mortgage was the thirty minute meeting I spent signing paperwork, and once I did that I owned a house with my wife.

Young people who see this - there are going to be boring parts of your life. That's a thing that happens, and sometimes you'll actually be grateful for it. You aren't boring for being thrilled that there's a sale on khakis if you're buying them for a theatrical production, or donating them to a war relief effort, or you're using the fabric, or if it allows you to save money and time in a way that means you get to have a smoothie or something later.

I cannot speak for the experiences of people with higher support needs than I have. But I did talk about this to a friend with higher support needs, and they agreed that being an adult rules. There is a point in which you are no longer an extension of your family or upbringing and it is your life.

It's not always fun. It's scary and confusing and lonely. I had to learn a lot of what my parents never taught me. Adults are always learning things. But since I graduated high school, the only boring period of my life has been the times where I overworked myself into a breakdown and was forced to recover.

And, considering where John Green is now, that kind of explains his perspective a lot.

I hope he figures stuff out. There's no age limit to having to figure stuff out. We're all going to have to do it a lot in our lives.

[twistedtummies2]

Top 10 Portrayals of Renfield

The time has come to cover our last supporting player in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I’m skipping over Arthur Holmwood and Quincey Morris, on account of a lack of really great interpretations for either, which means our next major character of note is Renfield: the deranged lunatic who acts as the Count’s mortal servant.

Renfield is interesting in that, much like Van Helsing, his role has become more pronounced over the years. In fact, Renfield caught on as a major character EARLIER than Van Helsing, as even the very earliest Dracula films included a Renfield character of some sort, and many movies that don’t have ANY of the other characters from the novel rather frequently feature either Renfield or some sort of “Renfield surrogate.” In the book, however, the madman is actually a relatively peripheral character: he doesn’t really DO a whole lot, in the grand scheme of things, but rather acts as a sort of “warning siren.” Renfield’s psychic connection to Dracula makes him a sort of living bookmark: someone who can track the vampire’s moves throughout the novel, even when the other characters aren’t physically near the Count. He also acts as an interesting counterpoint to Dracula and his Brides: they are powerful, seductive, grandiose figures of evil who represent a sort of decadent “gold standard” of vampirism. Renfield is a disheveled psychotic who scavenges for bugs and other small animals to feed his growing appetite, worshiping Dracula in a cultist-like fashion. He is the bottom-feeding parasite in comparison to the Satanical power Dracula seems to exude. Over the years, creators have built up Renfield’s character in a variety of ways, expanding his role in the story and giving him more depth and focus. It makes sense, when you think about it: if any character is going to be as memorable as the great and powerful King of the Vampires, it’s going to be his scurvy little henchman who eats insects in-between bursts of mad raving. For actors, it’s a great role to sink one’s teeth into (no pun intended), as Renfield allows a performer to go wild in ways other roles can’t provide, and make some interesting choices through. There are lots of vampire familiars to go through, so let’s waste no more time: these are My Top 10 Favorite Portrayals of Renfield!

10. Roland Topor, from Nosferatu the Vampyre.

In the first remake of “Nosferatu,” French artist Roland Topor was cast - in a rare acting role - in the role of Renfield. I don’t know much about Topor or any other work he may have done as a performer, beyond this movie, but I will say this, he doesn’t do half bad! His Renfield is delightfully creepy and yet rather funny at the same time. I love the way Dracula just sort of shrugs him off, clearly irritated with his sycophantic servant, in the scenes they share together. My only problem is that Topor’s Renfield just sort of vanishes from the movie after a certain point; we never find out what happened to him by the end of the picture. For all we know, he could still be out there…dun-dun-dunnn…

9. Tony Haygarth, from the 1979 Film.

Among other roles, I know Tony Haygarth for voicing a rather depraved version of the Mad Hatter, in the movie “Dreamchild” (which came out six years after the Frank Langella picture). I don’t know who decided to cast this man as two of literature’s most famous maniacs, but I’m glad it happened. In the film, Renfield first appears as a dockyard worker, who has a grudge against the Jonathan Harker and his family for past injustices. This makes him all the more fitting a stooge for Dracula. As the film goes on, Renfield grows increasingly insane, visibly changing from a relatively rational human to a broken mess before his final destruction.

8. Pablo Alvarez Rubio, from “Spanish Dracula.”

Much like its English-language counterpart, the Spanish version of Universal’s acclaimed 1931 “Dracula” conflates the characters of Renfield and Jonathan Harker: Jonathan still appears, but it’s Renfield who visits Castle Dracula, and then returns to England with the Count aboard a doomed ship. This works as a sort of origin story for the character, which several other versions have taken influence from. Rubio may not be as iconic as Dwight Frye’s scene-stealing Renfield, but he’s not a bad interpretation, either. However, I think the Spanish version makes some choices in edits that ultimately hinder his performance, and bring it down in the ranks.

7. Nicholas Hoult, from Renfield.

In this movie, the partnership between Dracula and Renfield is hamfistedly examined as a study in toxic relationships. More of a dark superhero film than a proper Gothic Horror outing, Hoult’s Renfield eats bugs not out of an urge to consume life, but because munching on insects and arachnids gives him superhuman abilities for brief periods of time. While not by any means the definitive version of the character, he is fun to watch and Hoult turns in a spectacular performance.

6. Samuel Barnett, from Penny Dreadful.

In Season 3 of Penny Dreadful, Renfield goes beyond simply being a vampire’s familiar to slowly being transformed into a vampire proper. He starts off as a seemingly mild-mannered, proper Victorian gentleman…but when Dracula learns of some dark secrets in Renfield’s life, he uses that to his advantage and snatches Renfield up to act as a spy against his enemy. Barnett’s Renfield is deliciously creepy, mercurial, and runs the gamut from somewhat sympathetic to utterly detestable. He was easily one of my favorite parts of Season 3.

5. Klaus Kinski, from the 1970 Film.

In this Jess-Franco-directed adaptation, Klaus Kinski - who might be the only actor to play Renfield who was probably insane in real-life (seriously, Kinski was…QUITE the piece of work, as a person, behind the scenes) - plays a mute Renfield. While he never speaks a word, and does relatively little throughout the film, he steals every scene he’s in, and is given a more sympathetic portrayal; this Renfield often seems more like a scared, confused child than anything else, and has a tragic backstory behind his madness. At the same time, he’s still dangerous, even trying to strangle Mina while under Dracula’s command at one point. Apparently, Kinski had no idea he was even in a Dracula movie during the making of the film, which seems a bit far-fetched to me…but if it is true, I guess there were worse ways to handle it than just giving this utterly demented individual free reign to just…do whatever the heck he wanted for a while. :P

4. Alexander Granach, from Nosferatu.

Referred to as “Knock” in this version, Renfield is given a role that is in some ways expanded upon from the novel, and yet also somehow still very peripheral. He’s in a lot of the movie, but much of what he does is totally separate from the main plot of the film. At the start of the movie, the character is already clearly on an uneven keel, and is indicated to already be working for Count Orlok (Dracula): the Harker character is actually his employee, and Knock sends him out fully knowing what horrors await him. As the movie goes on, Knock goes increasingly more insane, desperate to find and reconnect with his Master. While delightfully over-the-top, there are actually a few legitimately creepy moments with the character too: at one point, he gets hit in the head with two stones, thrown by angry villagers, and…just…doesn’t even REACT to them. I don’t know why, but that particular moment always unnerves me when I watch it.

3. Tom Waits, from the 1992 Film.

While Tom Waits is no stranger to acting, it was still surprising to see him pop up in this star-studded adaptation of the Bram Stoker novel, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. This version seems to take some subtle cues from the Universal films of 1931, as its indicated Renfield preceded Jonathan in doing deals with the Count, and returned to England a changed (and deranged) man. While his role is, once again, relatively set to sidelines, Waits is memorable every time he shows up, ranging from a relatively reasonable-sounding gentleman to a raving, bloodthirsty psycho at the drop of a hat.

2. Jack Shepherd, from the 1977 BBC TV Film.

While this television production mostly sticks to the novel, one of the more noteworthy deviations it takes is with Shepherd’s portrayal of Renfield. In this version, slightly more focus is given to Renfield’s relationship with Mina, and the character actually goes through a sort of redemption arc. At the start of the story, he is Dracula’s bloodthirsty slave; more like a sort of two-legged dog than a human being. As the story goes on, instead of going more crazy, Renfield begins to regain his sanity and morality. Instead of helping Dracula and being slain by the Count as a way for the vampire to cover his tracks, Shepherd’s Renfield stands up to his Master in the end, effectively sacrificing himself to try and help the other characters. Eat your heart out, Nicholas Hoult: the BBC got there a lot sooner, and STILL made him crazy. XD

1. Dwight Frye, from the 1931 Film.

For me, just as it’s next to impossible to separate Bela Lugosi (and Christopher Lee) from Dracula, it’s impossible to separate Dwight Frye from Renfield. In some ways, I actually think his performance is the best in the entire movie, trumping even the work of Lugosi and Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing! Frye’s Renfield is legitimately scary, even by today’s standards, but is also a very sympathetic and tragic character (and at times genuinely funny, too). You really feel sorry for Renfield: an initially innocent man driven mad by Dracula’s corruption, who has to struggle between his loyalty to his Master and his desire to keep his soul clean of guilt. Frye maneuvers through all of Renfield’s moods and modes, from sane and gentlemanly to absolutely freaking off his rocker, with great aplomb. Without a shadow of a doubt, he is My Favorite Renfield.

[onebadpunspoilsabunch]

I think out of the G5 counterparts to the G4 characters, I hate Pipp, Sparky, and the Pippsqueaks the most. They're just dumbed down versions of Rarity, Spike, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders :/

This may be a controversial opinion, but I actually hate Pipp more than I hate Sparky. Sparky is… not great, but Pipp is just downright insulting to me.

Rarity vs Pipp Petals

In G4, Rarity is a businesswoman that came from a normal background. She had to work her way up into becoming famous and successful. 

There are episodes that show the struggle of her craft, such as dealing with upset customers, or opening up another store in a different city, or not forgetting her roots and where she came from, and it's pretty interesting. 

Pipp Petals is… a social media influencer. And pop artist I guess. They focus more on the social media thing than the pop artist thing.

They could have used Pipps character to focus on the struggles that pop artists go through (even if that's still unoriginal), but they focus on her being a social media influencer instead… but it's not interesting. 

The majority of it is really just an excuse to pander to younger kids by having these goddamn ponies use goddamn social media. 

Also, instead of Pipp coming from a normal background like Rarity and working for her success, because Pipp is a goddamn princess she basically had her fame, fortune, and fans handed to her. That's not as inspiring as Rarity's character. That's just insulting. And bland.

Spike vs Sparky

Although Sparky is… not great, he doesn't offend me in the way Pipp does. Even though he is a dumbed down version of Spike.

The writers of G4 didn't really start doing anything noteworthy with Spike until season 4, but even prior to that he still has an actual character and a personality. They give him a more important role in season 6, where he becomes friends with Ember and Thorax, helping to make (reluctant) peace between ponies and dragons, and him helping Thorax make friends with ponies causes Thorax to become the new peaceful leader of the Changelings. So, anyway, he became an ambassador because he showed that he knows how to bring peace between different creatures and kingdoms.

And the comedy that comes from him is actually funny. And he's not hard to look at.

The comedy that comes from Sparky...

Sparky doesn't have a recognizable personality. Or a character arc. He's more of a plot device than an actual character. There's nothing about his character that the audience can latch onto. 

The most interesting thing about Sparky's character is his god-like powers, and the father-son relationship he has with Hitch. But the majority of his relationship with Hitch is just a bunch of repetitive jokes about how tough it is for Hitch to be a “dragon dad” and take care of this annoying little bugger.

There are only a few sweet genuine moments between them.

CMC vs Pippsqueaks

There's not much to say on the Pippsqueaks, because they're just such non-characters.

Unlike the CMC who are individual characters that formed a group together, the Pippsqueaks all exist together. The CMC have individual characters, personalities, backgrounds, goals, struggles, etc. The Pippsqueaks pretty much all have the same personality and character. 

Well, if they do have individual personalities then I probably didn't notice, because they're just so uninteresting and unimportant. 

The CMC are adventurers who did many different activities to get their cutie marks. Once they got their cutie marks, they helped other ponies (and a griffon) discover their special talents.

The Pippsqueaks are just fans of Pipp. That's it.

There is one moment where one of them was reading a book on the Tree of Harmony, but it was just another reference to G4. 

If G5 were a show like G4 where it was more in the business of developing their characters in a meaningful way, than I could see these G5 characters actually becoming interesting. But the way that Make Your Mark was structured was making it a Netflix show with "chapters" instead of seasons. The entirety of MYM equates to one season of MLP:FIM.

And since that show wasn't doing well, they canceled it so the only G5 show is the godawful YouTube Kids show Tell Your Tale, where each episode is, like, 5 minutes long. So whatever character/story arcs they're attempting to make now are going incredibly slowly, that it's not worth watching and nobody seems to care anymore.

Alright, I'm done…

[weather-cluddy]

(Replied as a new post to avoid the character limit)

It doesn't bother me at all! This sort of question is something I've been turning over for quite a while, actually. I tried to make a post pointing out comparisons between non-paired prisoners, because I feel like people focus too much on number pairs without considering other thematic parallels, even with Milgram pointing some out (Eg: Shidou-Amane, Fuuta-Kotoko, Haruka-Muu, Yuno-Kazui). It stalled around Muu though, because it turns out that's a whole lot of entries, and also I wasn't sure that people would be interested in a post that's dozen of paragraphs long (though still much less elaborate than this post, of course).

Personally, I think Mikoto and Haruka have a lot in common and share many themes, but I hardly ever see it brought up. Some of it, I think, is the fact that Haruka's trauma gets a lot of focus while Mikoto's mostly implied, so there's a lot of people who don't look beneath the surface. So they just get slotted in the boxes of "sympathetic" and "unsympathetic", meaning fans miss the similarities even when it's them doing literally the same thing (Like trying to kill Es to protect their self-worth).

But at the end of the day, we have two people extremely afraid yet dependent on other people's opinions of them, whose every interaction is shadowed by the after-effects of their early-childhood trauma in a way that seems "cute" or harmless at first but really isn't, who committed premeditated murder because they saw it as the only way to make their lives bearable, who have artistic inclinations but can't find the self-confidence to pursue them, who are dealing with mental illnesses they have no (healthy) frame of reference for, who are okay with being used and abused (even physically!) so long as people approve of them...

Well, I don't want to drop the entire essay on the intro part. Onto the first section!

(I didn't particularly mean to organize it like that, but the two sections basically came out as Bokukoto- and Orekoto-centered, respectively. Funny how it worked out.)

Children and adults.

What are Haruka's goals? To be loved and cared for, even if it means taking on a subordinate role. To have his weakness acknowledged yet not be shamed for it, to be have his strengths bring joy to those he loves yet not have people ask more of him than he can give.

What are Mikoto's goals? To be a good, responsible, capable person and have people acknowledge him as such. To have his efforts rewarded, even if it means overexerting himself. To find conventional success and prove to those he loves (his mom, in particular) that they needn't worry for him.

In other words, Haruka wants to be a kid, Mikoto wants to be an adult. Haruka wants to be protected, Mikoto wants to be admired.

Why this difference? Well, I see two possiblities. One, Haruka has a golden past to retreat to, a time when he felt loved and safe. Mikoto might not have had that, or he might not remember it: after all, DID forms from trauma very early in childhood, as early as 5 years old and generally no later than 10. And of course dissociation itself tends to make remembering difficult, even before actual alters get involved.

So, Mikoto most likely doesn't remember any 'good old days' he could yearn for, either because he was extremely young or because they never existed. His only option, then, is to place his hopes on the future.

The second thing is that, in spite of Mikoto most likely having earlier trauma, Haruka is far more obvious in his dysfunction. Pretty much every person he meets will at least walk away with the feeling he's kind of weird, if not worse. This only manages to reinforce his feelings that he's inferior to everyone else, and that that's an inescapable part of his being.

Meanwhile, Mikoto can trudge through life well enough to believe that achieving what he wants is within his reach, even to be expected. Surely if he works both hard and smart, he can accomplish his goals without problem. He can get a good career if he just focuses on what he's good at, choosing 'efficiency' over his interests. And he can get everyone to like him, if he just remembers to always, always be nice to them, no matter how much he'd rather not. Then he'll reap the reward of succeeding at life!

That's just how things work, right? You put in the effort to treat others well, and your reward for doing so is to have other people do the same for you. That's the basis of society! And that's also how Mikoto makes himself feel safe. If his own actions determine other people's actions, then he can stop bad things from happening to him by just not doing anything that would invite punishment. Everyone knows monsters only eat the misbehaving kids!  Just follow the rules and everything will be fine.

(That's another big difference between Mikoto and Haruka: Haruka knows he can't do what's expected of him, so by the start of Milgram he's pretty much given up on the idea of ever being accepted or sucessful. Mikoto does believe he can cut it, but that brings its own kind of helplessness: he can never stop striving with all his might, because if he ever does fall short his self-esteem will crumble to pieces.)

The trouble is, sometimes even when you do follow the rules, other people just... refuse to reciprocate. Why is that? Did you do something wrong? Well, you can't exactly go up to them and ask. Now that would certainly be a faux pas! Clearly the only choice is to figure it out yourself by ruminating on it. All night long. Hey, remember when Mikoto said that he wouldn't be able to sleep if Kotoko didn't wish him a happy birthday? Sure sounds like somebody who worries a normal amount about gestures that might possibly be snubs.

But another convo I'd like to bring up is one with Fuuta, where Mikoto shows up unprovoked to tell Fuuta that being upset about being kidnapped is dumb and childish and will get him nowhere in life, and anyways he's just doing it for attention.

This seems a bit OOC, doesn't it? Mikoto basically never criticizes anybody. When Yuno basically calls him fake to his face, he just laughs and calls her a straight shooter. When Haruka said that he's been avoiding Mikoto because he's scary, he just shrugs and goes, that's fair, I'd have done the same. Hell, even knowing that Kotoko tried to beat him half to death, he still goes to congratulate her on her birthday. So what did Fuuta say that was so much worse than all of those?

The problem, really, isn't what Fuuta said or did to Mikoto, but how Fuuta behaves with everyone. Mikoto can put up with being openly disliked; see his interactions with Kotoko. But seeing somebody so brazenly ignore the rules he's based his life around, now that affects him a way that goes beyond Mikoto as a person.

If you asked Mikoto, he'd probably say that it's because he's sad to see somebody younger than him waste his potential with such stupid, meaningless stubborness. But really, it comes back to the fact that "nothing bad will happen as long as you behave" is one of pillar's of Mikoto's life. So how is he supposed to handle seeing somebody misbehave constantly, repeteadly, and still do just as well as him? What's that supposed to mean? Do things not actually work that way? Was he just being taken advantage of? That can't be. If being nice doesn't ensure that you'll get treated well, what does? He endured so much pain because it was supposed to pay off someday. Were all his efforts so far just make-believe, a kid hiding under the blankets thinking it'll do anything?

No, no, no. It's the others who are wrong. All his suffering until now was meaningful and helpful. He knows what he must do and he's not going to stray from the right path. Those who do are just bringing punishment down onto themselves. And while he's not capable of consciously acknowledging his anger, he can always try to share some "friendly advice" about what happens to those who fight against forces greater than themselves. You can't win those battles. He never won, so of course you can't win them. Stop struggling, it's for your own good.

(Amane-Mikoto parallels? In my Haruka-Mikoto parallels post? It's more likely than you think!)

Saviors and weaklings

You might be thinking that the title says it all, really. Haruka is a weakling, Orekoto is a savior, those are opposites, the end.

Well, yes, but it's not quite that simple.

Haruka in the second trial has also taken on a protector role towards Muu. This is a fairly uncontroversial reading, so let's go take a closer look at their similarities:

-Both Haruka and Orekoto put emphasis on Es not scaring/stressing their charge any further.

-In both cases, what they're looking for is acknowledgement from the one they're protecting and a sense of being useful ("Rely on me, praise me with your song, I am your savior")

-Haruka says that Muu is the reason why he can be who he is now. The same could be said for Bokukoto and Orekoto: without the latter, the former would not be able to remain his current self.

-At the same time, the 'saviors' need their charges, just as if not more than the other way around. Haruka's life has revolved around the concept of mothers since basically forever, and we literally don't know a single thing about Orekoto outside of his role. Honestly, considering he only seems to come out during stressful situations, it's possible even he doesn't know who he is outside of being Mikoto's savior.

Even the structures of Metamorphosis of the Weak and John Doe are similar. Consider:

-The interrogation starts with the prisoner being fairly unthreatening. Mikoto is rather nervous at the start, but as soon as Es starts pretending to entertain the idea that he really hasn't committed any murders, he calms down significantly. -The prisoners feel safe thanks to Es' temporary affirmation, but this is soon swept away by Es themselves. Even as the prisoners become more and more obviously distressed, Es presses on dispassionately.

-Eventually, they become totally overwhelmed by emotion and attempt to kill Es. Haruka is stopped by Milgram's rules, Orekoto isn't.

-At this point, a different prisoner makes their appearance, whether physically or just in conversation, and the rest of the drama revolves around them. In John Doe it's of course Kotoko fighting off Mikoto, after which he's literally unconscious for the rest of the VD (except for one line), and instead the remaining time is dedicated to Kotoko and her deal.

For Metamorphosis, it's when Haruka proclaims that Muu is his real mom and starts talking about their relationship. In both cases, there's a clear shift in focus from the OG character themselves to how their actions would affect Milgram overall (Kotoko offering to stop Mikoto if he attacks again, Haruka threatening suicide).

Well, we can probably agree that Haruka is a savior of a sort. But can we close the circle and bring the comparison back around? Is Orekoto also a weakling of a sort?

To answer this, we'll need to define weakness. For this, I'll actually refer not to Haruka's voice drama's, but to Muu's. Namely, this part in Queen B:

"Es: (…) One-sided violence and mistreatment… I’m sure it was difficult to handle. It’s not unreasonable to come to the conclusion that murder is the only way for a weak person to get out of that. That’s exactly why I forgave you." Muu: Yeah… If I hadn’t done that, I could have died some day."

We hear Haruka argue something similar after Es tears him down, asking "So what should I have done!? Was I supposed to give up on myself too!?" So we could say that a weak person is somebody who's trapped by their circumstances, somebody with the deck stacked so far against them that they have no choice but to take extreme measures.

I think that's pretty much how Orekoto views his own situation. Looking at his parts of MeMe, most of the what-if sentences basically come down to "I don't want to do this, but I can't not do it either". We also have lyrics like "It’s like what’s wrong isn’t wrong" and "Is this selfish?", showing that Orekoto is also full of self-doubt about this being the right thing, but doesn't see any other choice. After all, "Hurting it, holding it down, it doesn’t change anything, does it? Ahhh, It’s the same anywhere I go".

Like Haruka, nothing he tries seems to work and he's desperately trying to survive in any way he can. Whether this "death" is on a purely emotional level or if, like Muu, it's hinting at suicide ("Maybe it’s ok to try to keep on living"), he needs to get away. It doesn't matter anymore if it's "good", so long as it works.

Of course, I'm sure Orekoto wouldn't take well to the idea that he's weak. His breakdown in John Doe was, of course, because of Es pushing Bokukoto, but his rant was almost entirely focused on how weak and pathetic Es was. It seems that in that he resembles Fuuta (who was, after all, the first prisoner to try violence): when he's scared, he tries to intimidate the threat to feel safer.

(Of course, there's something to be said for Haruka also despising his own weakness, even if his reaction to it is to worship others for being different rather than project this hatred onto them.)

(And while we're in the topic of Fuuta, it's worth noting that he's also part of the overall protector theme spanning several characters. He even relates to Haruka and Mikoto directly, in that those two are the ones he picked as "weak" people he needed to look out for)

Muu and Haruka, even before the second trial, they were both weaklings and saviors of the weak (themselves). But this doesn't apply to Mikoto, because the roles are split between the alters. There's a clear separation between the 'good', pitiable, socially acceptable Bokukoto and the 'bad' and violent Orekoto. And you know where else we see something like this? Haruka's MVs.

This is most obvious in Weakness, where the separation is at its starkest, to the point where many people didn't think Haruka's younger self was him at all. Basically, every bad thing in the video is attributed to older Haruka. Li'l Haruka plays happily with his maybe-sister, older Haruka attacks her. Li'l Haruka pets his dog while his mom smiles by his side, until older Haruka bashes its skull in. And of course, in the end older Haruka is so consumed by hatred that he chokes his terrified younger self to death. Not the first time he attacks him(self) either; back at almost the start, older Haruka shoves him into a crayon puddle, with the camera making sure to show kid Haruka's terrified expression and Haruka's cold glare.

(I want to point out the dog scene in particular. Specifically, how the younger Haruka is horrified to find blood on his hands even though he never actually laid hands on the dog. This is quite reminiscent of the scene in MeMe where Mikoto becomes afraid of his reflection's evil expression and falls backwards, only to have the devil card fall on him and corrupt all the water into blood. But an interesting difference is how, while Mikoto not remembering is just a literal retelling of events, the same shouldn't apply to Haruka. And if the girl is the same age in AKAA and in Weakness, suggested by the fact she's dressed the same in both, then she couldn't have been playing with same-age Haruka either.)

In AKAA this divide into a good, young Haruka and a bad, older Haruka is less stark, presumably because after a forgiven verdict Haruka feels less disconnected from his past as a 'good kid'. It's not gone, however. We do see his younger self kill fish and a butterfly, but the harder-hitting murders of the dog (and possibly the girl, it's hard to tell) are left to his 17-years-old self. Not to mention the sequence when his mother opens the door, which is probably the part where Haruka is framed in the most threatening way across the entire MV. That too shows us only the current Haruka, notable because just seconds before it kept switching between the two of them.

At the same time, there's also a disconnect in Weakness between current Haruka and his murders. When we see him killing somebody he actually killed in real life (that is, the girl and the dog), it's followed shortly by him waking up in his bed, framing it all as just a dream. This is very similar to how in MeMe the second scene shows Orekoto killing somebody, with the third starting with Bokukoto gently waking up, completely unaware. There's of course also the line "I’m probably just having a bad dream, I need to wake up soon", which only drives it further home.

Well, I think that wraps up my points. To TL;DR it, some themes to consider are: fixated on past/fixated on future, giving up/trying too hard, dependence on others, wanting to feel useful, black and white thinking re: oneself and viewpoints warped by childhood trauma.

For a bit of extra fun, I'd like to note some shared visual motifs between MeMe, Weakness and All-Knowing and All Agony. There won't be much meaning analysis from me here, so feel free to supply your own.

Music Videos

(Some of the screenshots repeat, that's intentional)

Surrounded by eyes: Most obvious in Weakness, but the Hanged Man in Mikoto's shirt (and less obviously, the Magician) also show something similar.

Water turning into blood: This one is somewhat dificult to show in still screenshots, but it's present in both MeMe, Weakness (when one of Haruka's teardrops fall onto the water) and arguably AKAA as well.

Red skies with a moon visible: Interestingly, this one seems to be associated with younger Haruka in Weakness (most obvious at the very start, when he and older Haruka switch rapidly, with the scene outside the window also changing). There's one very obvious moon in a red sky near the end of MeMe, but there might be another one shown in the Fool card. Lots of Mikoto's cards show circles in the upper corner of the cards (but interestingly in the Hanged Man it's at the bottom, near their head, like an halo). Whether we can consider them all moons is up to speculation, but few of them match the color scheme anyways. Speaking of which, while Weakness almost always uses grey/blue moons with red skies, there are two exceptions: when Haruka is shown killing the dog (blue sky, red moon) and in a piece of official art that shows a red moon on a red sky.

Confusion between indoors and outdoors: If you notice, literally everything in Weakness happens indoors, except for the bits where Haruka is floating in water. Even the forest has floorboards, except for a single scene. The opposite also happens: we see kid Haruka out for a walk with his mom, but they're still inside the house, with the city just being images on the wall. Meanwhile, the mindscape in MeMe shows a ruin (no walls) on an endlessly extending sea and sky (natural-ish settings), but it also reflects the structure of Mikoto's house. So is it inside or outside? Looking at the shoes, both Mikoto and younger Haruka are dressed as though they're outside, but older Haruka is wearing slippers.

Reflections not matching "reality": Note how neither Mikoto nor the coffee table show up in the water in the second image, or how the paintings go from having no reflection to having each other's reflection, with those facing the wrong way. The fourth and fifth images are also an interesting example of the reflections not even matching each other, even though the timing and framing suggest we're still looking at the same scene.

[jeffbiblesupremacy]

Jeff's interview for Mint Magazine Thailand

Let’s Make Everyday SATURday (x)

Translation below

After KinnPorsche The Series World Tour 2023 and Jeff Satur Live on Saturn: First Solo Concert in Bangkok, the first solo concert of Jeff Worakamon Satur ended beautifully, and Mint and him met again to catch up about his works. Jeff has grown tremendously as an artist who has his music but also his acting and he has shown his skills to the eyes of the Saturdays throughout the year.

It is believed that the definition of the world "artist" is different for each person. For Jeff Worakamon Satur, also known as Jeff Satur, being an artist is being a storyteller, to convey the stories to the audience with sincerity and spirituality, and without any frame or line, because Jeff's artistic prowess is boundless, just like the story he's going to tell you in this interview.

Mint: What role do you identify with the most? Being a singer or being an actor?

Jeff: In fact, my root is being an artist. I feel like the responsibility of an artist is telling stories. For me, I started with telling stories through songs. Then it expanded to tell stories through acting. Therefore, I'm not looking at myself as a singer or an actor. I'm an artist that shows my true self to the audience.

Mint: What made you come back to music?

Jeff: I don't reckon it as a coming back to music. I’ve never left. I have continued working on my music. Just that, at that time, there was an interesting opportunity for acting. The role was interesting, it fitted me, and I could do it great. Kinnporsche is the only story. I can confirm that music is still my priority tho.

Mint: What criteria do you use to choose a show/role?

Jeff: Actually, there is nothing specific, but it has to be a story that interest me. Personally, I've been listening and telling stories since I was a kid. I like listening stories, watching movies, watching cartoons, watching series, and devouring every story. I grew up with these stories, so I live with a lot of them. I look for new and interesting stories with different plots that make me feel like I want to be part of those storie

Mint: What inspired you to choose Kinnporsche when you just had re-debuted with Warner Music?

Jeff: I get this question a lot during interviews. The first question always was "do you see yourself as a musician or as an actor?" and I would answer "I'm a singer, I don't like acting. I can't do it". In the past, I had never accepted an acting job and I always wanted someone else to be in my MVs, because I didn't like acting and I didn't like to see my face on the screen. I was like I just want to sign autographs, let someone else do the acting instead.

My re-debut with Warner Music was 2 years ago, and I chose the "No boundaries" concept, because I wanted my work had no limits or line. I feel like I've grown up in a way that I shouldn't have a limit to work in anything. If I want to tell something or play something, I just do it. The division is a fictional thing. Being a singer. Being a actor. Even about women and men, about love. All of them are human-made frameworks. I decided to cut them off and focus on being an artist in my own way.

Mint: Do you think you'll change more in the future?

Jeff: I can't answer for the future. It may changed. But now... I don't know. Maybe I will be more open or maybe narrow down until I can find something that truly fits me. In this moment, I feel like the more I open, the more I can see clearer what fits me and what not. Where and how much I can add myself into the works. At the end of the day, all the 6 songs I released are totally different but they all are my songs and they are me today.

Mint: Are you happy with your old works?

Jeff: I'm very happy. I'm happy with everything I've done, even with my old works.

Mint: Since the day you joined Be On Cloud, do you feel like you have grown up?

Jeff: I've grown up a lot. Working with Be On Cloud has been one of the most important moments in my life. Their work culture have made me grown a lot. P'Pong has taught me how to grow up, how to change in terms of working methods and how to think as well, not only as an artist but also as a person who wants to follow a direction as a CEO.

Mint: What's do you think is the difference between Be On Cloud and Warner’s work culture?

Jeff: P'Pond is a very creative person, he's an artist whose projects are very sexy. I got a lot of great things from him, both as an artist and as an executive, and it has a balanced level of familiarity and professionalism.

Warner is being very professional since the beginning, and as time goes on, it's becoming a family with the Global Company system. Although it's a professional style, you can feel the human touch and the love is put into work.

Mint: Personally, what kind of working culture are you most comfortable with?

Jeff: I like both. They have different advantages, so I decided I want to try it for myself. And Studio on Saturn was born, wich is a Jeff Satur Management Company (laughs). It's a co-management with Warner Music, which means I'm in charge of the creative direction and they will help me to make them come true.

Mint: Has working with these two companies changed you?

Jeff: I think the change has to do more with myself and being working in different genres. The more I open up, the more I feel myself, and the more I have the desire to be myself. Especially when I look back to my acting roles, I feel like there are still parts that I want to expand and play on the stage. I started to see clearly what I like in the show. For example my last MV has a lot of me personally than the first MV I released. Working with Be On Cloud and Warner Music have encouraged me and let me dare to be myself.

Mint: So before that, you didn't dare to be yourself?

Jeff: I didn't dare. In the past, I was quite afraid of how others would look at me. I was afraid that people would categorize me in a way that I didn't want to. So I didn't dare to do anything. For example, it took me 3 years to upload my first video on YouTube, because it was easier just to sit in front of the mirror and play the guitar comfortably, without lightning or a camera. It turns out you have to be the one who dares to take yourself out, just by yourself.

Mint: Why didn't you dare to be yourself back then?

Jeff: I think it was because I didn't know how to be myself. I used to not believe what I thought was right. Some cultures make you think that being yourself is not always right. For example, when I was a kid, if I painted my nails or wore eyeliner, I would be teased by my friends. The society didn't empower me to be myself. At home, my mum supported me but when I was outside, the society looked at me in a different way.

Nowadays, there is a lot of talk about gender diversity and beauty standards. I think it has opened many doors for everyone to dare to be themselves more without having to care about what people think/say.

Mint: So we can say that Jeff is being himself now.

Jeff: Yes, in the past, when I was on stage, I was myself but at the same time, I was worried if I was singing right or if I was performing right. If I had to walk or stay still. If I had to come back to the middle of the stage... It turned out that the focus was wrong. Even if I still focus on the work, I can say that I'm 100% myself.

For example my last concert ended without me even realizing it (laughs). The audience probably felt the same way. It went so quickly that I didn't even have time to think anything. I just performed.

Mint: What do you get from Kinnporsche?

Jeff: I always get something back to be someone other than myself. Whether from 'Kim' in KinnPorsche or 'Dan' that I played in the drama "Closer", they always teach me something. From Kim's character I got the courage from him without knowing it. I developed some skills and now they're part of me implicitly. I dare to be myself because Kim's courage came to me.

Mint: You're famous now. Is it what you were waiting for?

Jeff: I don't think I'm famous but my work is more widely known. But it's not something I was yearning for (laughs) I just want people to listen to my music. I want these songs to reach them. What I'm most proud of is that my work has inspired others. I used to write a blog and the message of my blog has helped many people who wanted to commit suicide and I got messages back to tell me they feel better because of my work. No matter what kind of work, but I feel like this is the essence of being an artist. I want my work to inspire others. That's what means to be an artist for me.

Mint: How much does Jeff Satur value his fame today?

Jeff: I value the work. Some people may look at how-well known you are as a success, which it's not wrong, but I feel if you pay attention to how famous you are, you will have the wrong focus. If you're chasing after fame, it will never come to you. But if you work for doing a good job, then the fame will eventually be there. The most important thing is don't compete with other, compete with yourself. Also, fame will be gone one day, and Jeff Satur will not be here forever. But as long as I can be someone's inspiration and sell produce good works, then I will do my best.

Mint: Do you think Kinnporshe has helped people to get to know you?

Jeff: Very much, very much. It's being one of the most important turning points in my life. Including the song "Why don't you stay" has make people to get to know me and listen to my other songs as well. It has pushed me both in my acting career and my music career.

Mint: Have you ever felt sorry that people didn't know you before Kinporsche?

Jeff: I think everything has its own time. If I listen to "Afraid to say" now, I would need to cover my ears (laughs). I felt it was not the right time. I have improved my singing a lot as well as my confidence, which back then was not as strong as today. The stage is my safe place now, and I feel so relaxed on it. I can live there. So I would say everything, including my perception, is at the perfect time. Not better, not worse, but just perfect. It's the best moment.

Mint: Have KinnPorsche The Series World Tour 2023 help you to support your next step?

Jeff: It has helped. The World Tour allowed me to meet people that I don't usually meet like fans abroad. There are places like Taipei, Vietnam or Singapore that I'd never been to, But once I went and I could see how there are people who actually listen to my songs and they sing in Thai is wow, so there is an opportunity to do a World Tour.

Mint: We’ve seen you being more playful on stage, what gives you the courage to unlock this part of you?

Jeff: I've said before that fans like to do memes with my face, right? Like when they find something funny or hilarious. They do like everything about me, even the parts I don't like at all, so I don't have to be cool all the time if I can make them happy anyway. In fact, we're crazy people. When I go to stage, it's the same. I'm tired of "oh, the camera is here, give me a good angle" (laughs)

Mint: Your first solo concert is the starting point or a checkpoint?

Jeff: It's the end of the last chapter. It's the beginning of a new chapter and the end of the last chapter. Oh, what a poet! (laughs). I never thought I could tell the story of my life at the beginning of my concert. The VCR is like a video that I wrote about what I experienced when I was a child, what I used to play and what kind of music I used to hear. There I was playing with Joey, then I was playing the harp, and listening to Korean music too. Perhaps people don't know it, but I'm a Korean music fan, so I picked all of these things to tell. There are many things in my life that have been conveyed through this concert.

Mint: Was your first idea for the VCR like this?

Jeff: Have you ever watched Evangelion? It's an anime and the ending is very confusing, but I think the idea was cool, so I though Why don't I try to tell life stories? Think about it like a sound is made with a story, so every sound has a story, and everyone has a different sound, but also I have a sound that I've collected unconsciously. I want to tell people that there are sounds for everyone. Sometimes there are songs that sound bad but there are not bad songs. There isn't a sad song for everyone or a love song for everyone. it's just one of your songs.

As for the sound of tearing the screen... At that time, I thought it was a cool idea (laughs). That part is dark, right, and then it starts tearing. I explained it to my team and everyone was confused so I got acrylics colors and black paper and I painted it to show them what I wanted and they finally got it. I watched that scene a lot of times and everyone was like, "hey, what's going on?" (laughs). It was just like I imagined in my head, but I didn't do it in the middle of the stage as I wanted at first.

Mint: How do you handle your ideas when you're working with others?

Jeff: First of all, I write them down. Write them all over my phone no matter if they're good or bad ideas. But write them down first. Then, the next day I will check them to see if there's something that works. As for the moment when I have to show them to others... sometimes I have problems explaining them so I have to make them first to see what it will be like. But everyone is always respectful and understand it.

Mint: In addition to this idea, you also chose all the songs for the setlist.

Jeff: Yes, I chose all of them and put them together. The videos, the ideas, the outfits, the set... I feel like people will think that the performance is very serious, but it's a place for us. I feel like I live on stage because it's my safe zone so I want it to represent me.

Mint: Why did you decide to put the song "ไม่กล้าบอกชัด" (Afraid to say) on the setlist?

Jeff: It's a reminder of the beginning. I've reached a safest point, the middle, but this song is part of me and it reminds me of my childhood and how he's known as Jeff Satur now, so why not sing the first song that made me known? I sang this first song with him in the back of my mind. We're far away and maybe he can't see us clearly but I sang that song with him. Slowly I've come forward and end up on a stage, so it was like meeting him with the first song.

Mint: You are involved in every step of your work so, do you get obsessed with the result?

Jeff: It's hard, like in the music video, I sat and edited it as well. I sat and use an editing program to tap and see the frames because I wanted the image in my head to come out as straight as possible. P'Pan, who is the director, helped me. If my idea wasn't working, I had P'Pan to guide me. He listened to my idea and my story and helped me to write it, so I have to thank him very much.

Mint: What else will we see in the next step?

Jeff: There are many things that I can't say but I'm very excited to try out. I still want to try to play in a movie which it's something I've never done before. I have some collab projects with a thai artist and with a foreign artist too, which I never thought he would want to collaborate with me. And there are places that I've never been and I'm very excited to go. I can't say anything right now but it's coming very soon. Everybody will slowly see it like reading a novel and wondering what the next chapter will tell (laughs).

Mint: Anything you'd like to say to the future Jeff Satur in 2 years?

Jeff: Live a happy life because you owe me one.