#and it seems they used most of them to anne's benefit

[boleynqueenes]

👻

What is your wildest headcanon?

Oh, idk, I've made some adjustments...as someone that toes that balance beam of remaining faithful to both historical sources while maintaining creative flexibility, I don't know how many are 'wild'...I suppose one, I 'fanoned' the idea that maybe AB had always, since she was a little girl, dreamed of naming her first daughter after her mother...and then from there, wondered if it's especially significant that Mary didn't name her children after her parents (although, plausible Catherine Carey was named after her aunt, Katherine Howard)? Like, we know Elizabeth Boleyn was Anne's 'most loved' woman in the world, but maybe this went both ways, maybe Anne was both her parents' 'favorite'....? And if so, what was that like for her siblings? Etc

[the-paper-apricot]

John, Paul & the Shangri-Las

Whatever happened to The life that we once knew?

It's fairly well known that these lines from the bridge of 'Free as a Bird' are adapted from the lyric of 'Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)', written & produced by Shadow Morton and performed by the Shangri-Las. Where the Beatles, in lyrics begun but not completed by John, call up shared memories, Mary Weiss sang of "the boy that I once knew". That John reused these lines to voice his own preoccupation with an unresolved past adds much tenderness to 'Free as a Bird'. Being a Shangs fan, there are a couple of other connections that I just wanted to write about.

The Shangs looking dangerous.

Today I love you more than yesterday

'I Know (I Know)' from Mind Games (1973).

Although the melodies are completely different, the Shangri-Las song 'Love You More Than Yesterday' seems to find an echo in the most emotive lines in the bridge of John Lennon's 'I Know (I Know)'. The song was a B-side to their 1966 spoken-word ballad 'Past, Present & Future' (which, incidentally, took Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' as its theme, like the Beatles' song 'Because' after it). Quite rightly the nod to 'Yesterday' is what strikes us most, but I'm not at all sure that the similarity to the Shangri-Las title is pure coincidence. We saw in Get Back how easily song titles and lyrics were used by John and Paul in the current of their talk.

It proved difficult to find John speaking about the Shangri-Las, despite the Beatles' enjoyment of records by other girl groups like the Shirelles, and they're not among the artists on John's famous 40-disc mobile juke box that he brought when the Beatles went out on tour. (Only one woman, Fontella Bass, appears among the discs. The juke box doesn't even include 'Angel Baby' by Rosie and the Originals, whose fresh, unrefined first-love sentimentality appealed to him so much he covered it.) It's a little easier to find something from Paul on the subject however.

Mary and Betty Weiss from the Shangri-Las, photographed by Jini Dellaccio in 1966 (left: screenshot by @ohhellno on tumblr*; right, my screenshot, both from the documentary Her Aim is True, about the photographer).

Of course he calls out "Shangri-Las versus The Village People!" at the beginning of 'Mr. H. Atom'. But glorious as that is, perhaps more informative are the occasions where Paul has spoken of his enjoyment of the Shangri-Las' style, and the way he appreciated Linda's voice in this mode.

If she’s a singer, she’s very much a Shangri-Las type singer; I don’t think any of them could get into opera, but I prefer them to opera. Linda wouldn’t put herself up as a great vocalist, but she’s got a great style. I think anyway.

'McCartney Gets Hungry Again', Musician, Feb. 1988

I've always maintained that she has a kind of Shangri-Las type of appeal.

'Can Paul McCartney Get Back?' Rolling Stone, June 1989

When you know how warmly Paul regarded their style, you can't miss the similarity of Linda's spoken intro and closing of 'Wide Prairie' ("I was in Paris, waiting for a flight..."), answered by Paul, to the chat in Shangri-Las songs like 'Give Him a Great Big Kiss', where the other girls ask Mary Weiss whether her guy is tall ("Well, I gotta look up!") or if he's a good dancer.

Did they meet?

On the 20th September 1964, the Shangri-Las performed on the same bill as the Beatles, at a benefit concert in New York for a cerebral palsy charity. Mary Weiss explained that Mary Ann Ganser was jostled backstage as one of the Beatles sought them out:

“She turned around and it was Ringo. So that was some contact, anyway. I almost wanted her to take his drumsticks.”

'Weiss Leads Again', the New York Sun, September 2007.

This seems to be the only documented contact between the groups, although if you know of others, or further instances where John or Paul spoke about the Shangs, I'd love to hear about them. The music that the Beatles listened to has been written about extensively, and there's almost a canon of influences that's become pretty standard. Given their admiration of their performance, and seemingly in John's case, of Shadow Morton's words**, I hope for some recognition of both Lennon and McCartney's creative responses to the Shangri-Las.

(* Many thanks to @ohhellno for letting me use this great screenshot.)

(** The interest was of course mutual, as Morton produced the Beattle-ettes single 'Only Seventeen', supposedly a response to the Beatles from the girl's perspective, with hand claps and cries of "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" The single, by an untraced group, was released in 1964. In summer the same year his first songwriting hit, 'Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)' was the breakout success for the Shangri-Las. It was racing up the Billboard Hot 100 as the Beatles toured the States in the second half of August. By the time they had a day off in Key West, on the tenth of September, it had reached the top ten, one place below 'A Hard Day's Night'. If John or Paul tuned to a pop radio station, they'd have heard it. The song peaked at number five.)

from the Billboard Hot 100, week ending 12th September, 1964.

[facelessoldgargoyle]

You know nobody’s going to want to make stuff anymore if some jackass can just lift it , make money off it and claim it’s theirs . It’s not gonna make a free idea paradise it’s just going to lead to huge company’s robbing the shit out of smaller creators even worse than they do already and driving them out of every single creative industry .

For context, this is regarding an AITA post about a someone resenting someone else for using many element of their fan AU in their own fan creations. My response was fuck that, down with intellectual property.

First, I think it’s hypocritical to write a fanfic derived from someone else’s work and then turn around and resent someone else for deriving something from your work. This is a situation in which no one is making money, it’s just people playing in a sandbox of ideas together. Resenting a smaller artist in this context seems pretty despicable to me. Your feelings about this may vary.

Second, in in my 30 second reply, I did not elaborate on my politics. I think it was fair to assume from the reply that I was a libertarian shithead. I am, in fact, a c-c-c-communist.

The primary concern you raise here seems to be that artists won’t get paid. Art already isn’t profitable though. You can work for shit wages at an animation studio, you can become an influencer to hock your book, or you can be a good enough poster that people support you on patreon. Stricter copyright laws wouldn’t fix that, it would just make it easier for Disney to go after fan artists. The problem is that the market is oversaturated with art. There are more people out there making art than can get paid a decent living for it.

That sucks! I think artists should get paid more, and I think more people should be artists! It’s depressing that such a large percentage of working artists are the children of rich people, but the flip side of the coin is that when people have financial security and leisure time, they gravitate to the arts. The obvious answer here is to create a society in which everyone has financial security and leisure time.

Finally, copyright laws most benefit people who already have accrued capital. If you’re a working artist, you’re not making enough money to take people to court over them selling merch based on your design. If you’re Anne Rice, you can afford employ lawyers to threaten people who write stories where your vampires bone and burn thousands of dollars on ads decrying a restaurant built in an empty lot featured in one of your books. This is silly, but it’s a logical extension of feeling possessive over your story and being empowered by the law to do something about it.

Copyright law promises that one day you, yes you, will profit off of your creations. Unfortunately, except for a few people who win the lottery, it’s just not gonna happen.

Instead of supporting intellectual property, it would be more meaningful to actually give artists you know money. Support someone’s patreon. Buy someone’s shit on itch.io.

[erodasfishtacos]

Always Have Your Back

prompt: YN is struggling with her self-image and Harry reassures her she’s perfect ❣️

If you would like to get two week early release, exclusive content/tropes, among other benefits - consider signing up for my Patreon for $3 a month :)

-

YN hadn’t been feeling good lately, well really for quite a few months now about herself, her body image, and that’s something she struggles with on and off but not like this.

After giving birth to four very healthy big babies, her body has changed and has been slow to bounce back each time - luckily she’s young and it may be easy than women older than her but still.

It was really her stomach and breasts that had her self-conscious, a bit of plush around her lower tummy where she carried during her pregnancy, and her breasts weren’t as perky from feeding four children.

Ezra was almost a year and while YN was close to her pre-pregnancy weight, she wasn’t quite there, and the pudge around her midsection wasn’t budging either from where the babies sat for so long.

It was difficult because there were always eyes on her, even though she herself wasn’t necessarily famous, she was famous through association because her husband was the best player in the major leagues.

She was photographed when she went to the grocery store, the nail salon, out for lunch with Anne and Gemma and she hated seeing herself in paparazzi pictures on Instagram lately.

Harry, who is undyingly attracted to her, makes it clear nearly daily that he’s in love with her plush, her stretch marks, her breasts, and every other inch of her.

YN has no doubt that Harry loves her no matter what her body looks like but she also can’t help but have negative thoughts about not being perfect like other women she sees on social media.

Especially when her husband was a professional athlete, his body was always in prime shape, with barely any fat on his body - he was always lean and muscular, never had an issue with working out sometimes twice every day.

It gets really out of hand one day.

YN is out to lunch with about eight other baseball wives at a fancy little restaurant in the heart of Manhattan for lunch.

As she’d gotten in her dress this morning, after Anne came over to watch the kids, and she felt devastated when it didn’t look as good as she thought it would on her.

She hated the way the material hugs at her hips and accentuated her midsection, and she hates to admit that she looked in the mirror and cried because she felt so unhappy with herself.

At lunch, all the wives were dressed meticulously in designer outfits that fit every inch of their body like a custom glove, hair, and makeup professionally done.

These women were different from YN, most of them had kids but just one or two, and a lot of them used surggates because they didn’t want to ‘ruin’ their body.

They also had full time nannies and au paires to watch their children while they spent time with self-care, working out.

It’s not that she’s jealous, hell, her husband is the highest paid player in the league - she could easily afford nannies, chefs, maids, but that’s not what she wanted for her children or herself as a mother.

It didn’t mean it wasn’t hard when she sits down with all of them, trying not to focus on the way her stomach looks when she sits down, and constantly adjusts her nursing bra - she was full from not nursing Briar since before she left.

The lunch was fine at first but then one of the wives, who was notoriously bitchy to YN and has tried multiple times to hit on Harry, and become enraged when he didn’t give her the time of day - started focusing her energy on YN.

“I know a really good personal trainer to help you get rid of the baby weight,” Kelsey tells her in front of everyone, a wide fake smile on her face as she blinks her lashes, “After four kids, it doesn’t seem to be coming off as easy, huh?”

YN blinks harshly for a second, trying to reign back the tears, and hoping another woman will come to her defense.

Tiffany speaks up but it’s only to add, “Yeah or if you want a recommendation to a plastic surgeon. There’s a great one that does mommy makeovers.”

YN can’t help it, she feels her vision becoming blurry with tears as they keep chatting about working out and mommy fucking makeovers like they didn’t just viciously insult her.

When her salad arrived in front of her, she didn’t feel hungry anymore, and just wanted to leave - this is the part she hates about her husband’s career and it’s not even his fault.

The jealous vapid bitches.

YN makes up an excuse that one of her kids isn’t feeling well and so she has to leave, paying quickly and getting into her car as fast as possible.

She hates that she cries the whole way home because she loves her babies so much, she would give her body up again and again for them but sometimes it just hurt.

She was still human who cared what other people thought, worried about being judged, it was part of the human experience.

YN tries to pull herself together before she goes inside, wiping her mascara off her cheeks, and brushing through her hair with her fingers.

She doesn’t feel like being a parent today, she wants to lay in bed and just be sad but she has four little humans who need her every second of the day and they’re more important than her moping.

Anne’s face gives away her concern when YN comes in, kissing each one of her children before disappearing upstairs to take off her makeup, change into a baggy shirt and cotton shorts before throwing her hair into a bun.

She holds her dress, in anger, she throws the expensive dress straight into the trash bin in their bathroom - it didn’t matter that it cost thousands, she never wanted to see it again.

Anne insists that she can stay to help but YN kindly declines, stating that she was okay, and didn’t need anything but appreciated it.

YN doesn’t know that Anne calls Harry, just to let him know that his wife seemed upset and wasn’t her usually bubbly self.

He automatically calls his wife, relieved when she answers but her tone is dull and hiding something, “Hi mama, you feeling okay? How was the lunch?”

“It was…uh, it was good,” YN hesitates and Harry can tell she’s not being truthful but doesn’t know why, “I’m just a bit tired, I guess.”

He didn’t have enough time to confront her because one of the coaches was calling him back into the field to continue.

“I’ll be home as soon as practice ends. I love you,” He reassures her, “The best mama and wife. You know that?”

YN’s voice sounds shaky when she responds, “I know.”

💗

When Harry gets home from practice, all the kids are settled in the living room watching a movie while YN cooked dinner - Briar was in his little swing in the kitchen with her, sleeping soundly.

“Hi mama, smells delicious,” Harry hums as he enters, after greeting all of his babies, and stepping over to stroke Briar’s cheek, “I was craving spaghetti, s’like you read my mind. I hate having weightlifting and practice in the same day. M’craving carbs.”

“Yeah, haven’t had it in a while,” YN replies a bit blandly, stirring the homemade sauce and not making an effort to look back at him.

“You cross with me? Have I done something?” Harry asks as he walks up behind her, kissing her shoulder and nuzzling at her neck - she wasn’t usually this distant unless he’d made a mistake.

“No,” She sighs, trying not to be frustrated but when she turns around he’s just in his shorts, his muscles rippled over his front, his abs twitching when she touches them and she was just so, “I was just thinking, will you help me work out?”

Harry’s brow furrows in confusion, his hands coming to cup hers and being them up to kiss them, “What like train you?”

YN shrugs, struggling to make eye contact, “Yeah, I can wake up in the morning with you and work out before the kids get up.”

He doesn’t seem sold by the idea, the playfulness in his tone dropping, “I get up so days at four am to work out. You need all the sleep you can with these four wild ones. Sleep is more important. Where’s this coming from?”

YN knows she’s being irrationally mad at him when she snaps, “If you won’t help me then I’ll just hire a personal trainer.”

Harry’s shoulders straighten up, understanding that something’s is definitely going on with his wife today and he needs to get to the bottom of it.

Very rarely did they fight. Very rarely did she snap like that so it was sending off alarm signals that something was very off.

“Why do you need to work out all the sudden?” Harry responds calmly, he didn’t get why she was so dead set on it.

“Harry, why are you acting like you don’t know?” YN raises her voice which was a rare occurrence usually saved for when Harry really fucked up - her jaw actually clenched.

“Because I don’t know what the bloody hell you’re talking about,” He chuckles in disbelief as he leans against the island countertop, “If you want to do that then we can but you’ll feel burnt out if you try to work out on top of having the babies all day and having to breastfeed Briar.”

YN ignores how her eyes prickle with frustration because she’s embarrassed to tell him what really happened today and how she’s been feeling.

He keeps talking, moving closer to her and trying to comfort her, “Plus, you just gave birth. The doctor said it takes nearly eighteen months for your body to fully heal.”

“Drain the pasta, please,” She says instead, looking away from him as she shuts off the knobs on the stove and takes the sauce off the heat with her back turned.

“Will you please tell me what’s going on?” Harry insists as he obliges, pouring the steaming pasta into the strainer in the sink, “I feel like I’m in the dark right now. And I can’t help if you don’t talk to me, mama.”

Just as YN begins to speak, Briar whimpers from her swing before it turns into a full blown wail - YN knows the infant is hungry.

“I have to feed her, will you get them settled with dinner?” She says instead of what she originally was going to but is already walking to unstrap the infant, scoop her up, and disappear out of the room.

Harry stares after her for a moment, he really really doesn’t understand what’s going on because it seems like more than just a bad day which his wife usually doesn’t even have.

And when she does, she typically doesn’t have a problem venting to him about what’s bothering her and letting him help her.

He doesn’t know whether it’s something he did or what was the cause of it and it breaks his fucking heart to see her struggling on her own.

That was his wife and it was his duty to take care of her above anything else.

Harry sits the other three down for dinner, serving and cutting up all their little plates of spaghetti and garlic bread.

“Where’s mama?” Ezra squeaks as he looks towards the kitchen expecting her to come out, she was never not at the dinner table.

“She’s busy with Briar, bubba,” Harry simpers as he cuts his pasta into more bite-sized mouthfuls before doing the same for the other two.

“I want mama to sit next t’me,” Cash announces as he anxiously waits to, barely focused on his food but more so wondering when his mom will come in.

When YN reappears a few minutes into dinner, Briar is calm and just looking around from where she’s nestled in a sling on her chest - suckling a binkie as she blinks heavily.

Harry notices that she doesn’t eat her dinner, just pushing the pasta around her plate without every really consuming any.

“Not hungry?” Harry asks softly as the kids giggle with spaghetti sauce smattered all over their cheeks and lips.

YN just shrugs and doesn’t answer him directly, distracts herself by taking a napkin and wiping of Ezra’s face as he tries to whine and wriggle away.

The rest of the night goes by quickly, only an hour and a half after dinner the kids are all getting their baths and getting tucked into bed - even Briar is in her nursery, fast asleep.

After making sure all the lights are turned off downstairs, Harry enters the bedroom to see YN closing the bathroom door - a clear sign that says don’t bother me.

Usually, the door is open so Harry knows that he can join in and share the shower with her before they wind down for bed.

That’s the typical routine every night.

He throat feels tight, a bit of anxiety settling in his chest because everything just feels off tonight, and he wants his wife to be happy and she just isn’t right now.

While he’s waiting on the bed, he decides to snag the laptop off the side table, and answer some business emails because he is letting anxiety build up enough in his chest it feels tight.

When he pulls up the browser, his brow furrows at the websites that are already pulled up and he does not like what he sees.

*‘Dr. Regallee - Mommy Makeovers Manhattan*’

‘What is a Mommy Makeover? Boobs, Butt, and Belly. All You Need To Know’

‘How To Lose Weight Post-Partum - 15 Calories Burning Tricks for New Moms!’

‘Recovery Time for The New Trend - Mommy Makeovers’

Now it makes sense.

The request to start working out, the personal trainer, the “Harry, why are you acting like you don’t know?”

He doesn’t know because every time he looks at his wife, he’s so fucking enamored and so fucking attracted to her that he goes stupid.

Her body is a fucking masterpiece that he would worship every second of the day, he loves it for a milllion different reason.

The body that housed all of his chunky babies that she’s grown to eight and nine pounds each time, coming out healthy and ready to thrive because her womb helped them develop so perfectly.

He doesn’t know what triggered this.

Occasionally, she’ll need a bit of reassurance that she looks good in an outfit or that she’s beautiful which he does everyday anyways.

She doesn’t get a minute to doubt Harry is attracted to her because he’s constantly trying to get in her pants.

It takes him half a second flat to get hard for her which she even will tease him about how easy he is for her.

Harry knew she must see herself differently because her body really didn’t look that different from before she had any babies back in college.

Sure, her chest was bigger right now because she was breastfeeding and her belly had a bit of skin from the amount it stretch during pregnancy but Harry would still be head over heels with her even if her body looked completely different after babies.

Harry can’t stand to think of her left alone in that shower without support, he tries the knob, and thankfully it’s not locked.

His brow furrows when he notices a pretty dress bunched up and shoved into a small waste basket - something YN typically wouldn’t ever do.

He’s shucking off his clothes and stepping into the shower, YN knows he’s there but she doesn’t move or react - her head is down and letting the hot water pour over her.

“Mama,” Harry murmurs carefully, turning her around and tugging her straight into his chest with firmness.

It makes his own eyes prick with tears when she begins sobbing into his chest, shoulders shaking, and she lets herself lean on him.

“I’m s-sorry,” She stutters out against his damp skin, “I shouldn’t have treated you like that earlier and it wasn’t fair.”

“Ssh,” Harry titters because that’s the last thing he cares about, “Mama, why on earth would you be looking up plastic surgery? You’ve never mentioned that before.”

YN shakes her head, keeping her face nuzzled into him, and telling him, “I still have a pouch of skin on my stomach, my tits aren’t as perky from the kids.”

“Has this been bothering you for a while?” He asks, wondering if he missed earlier signs she was struggling.

YN blinks up at him, sniffling and saying, “No, I-it really hasn’t. You always make me feel attractive. It’s, well, today just wasn’t good.”

Harry’s hand wanders down to palm at said pouch of skin and YN watches his facial expression carefully as he pets her.

“I don’t want you to regret the babies,” Harry whispers sadly, “I know you’ve sacrificed your body to give us kids and I have so much respect-“

“Hey, look at me,” YN moves her hand to his chin until he’s gazing a her, “Never ever do I regret having our children. I would destroy my entire body to make sure we had all of them. I-I normally love my body, what it has done, and how strong it is.”

“Then what brought this on the ?” He continues to caress her skin, her belly, the curve of her breasts, her sides, everywhere.

“It’s-I know it shouldn’t bother me,” YN’s sighs but it’s shakily with tears, getting upset again as she explains, “I went to lunch, you know? With the other wives and Kelsey made a comment about knowing a good personal trainer to get the baby weight off and then others added in about me looking into getting a mommy makeover.”

“Mama,” Harry huffs, trying too reign in his absolute fucking rage, “I’m so fuckin’ sorry that happened to you today. Those women are jealous miserable twats.”

“They said you’ll turn me in for a younger one,” YN tries to joke but Harry can see right past it as her cups her jaw and kisses her lips once, twice.

“Sweetheart,” Harry murmurs sweetly, “Sometimes I feel like you forget that you’re my person and that I’m only solely attracted to you. Literally not another person on this earth.”

YN giggles because it’s not that she forgets but she still feels normally insecurity.

“Even though my love for you isn’t reliant on your physical appearance, I’m fucking weak at the knees because of it. That little extra belly? I dream of biting it and sucking hickies into it. Your tits? I’ve never seen anything prettier in m’life except for your face.”

“I wasn’t going to really think about getting the surgery,” YN manages to finally crack a genuine smile as Harry’s cock brushes against her hip, hard and wet at the tip.

“If that’s something you really wanted, I would always support you with what you do to your body but I really hope you don’t think I’d ever want you to do that for me,” Harry‘s words end with a hiss when her hand comes to wrap around his length and give him a few tight strokes.

”I’m not sure what I did to deserve such a good husband, hm? The most amazing husband and dad to our bubs,” YN praises against his lips as he leans forward to kiss her but ends up moaning in her mouth when she thumbs over his slit.

”S’you, my love,” Harry slurs, horny and distracted as he kneels down to bite at her belly, sucking in deep bruises where she’s most self-conscious as his fingers dancing around her folds.

”Touch me, H,” YN whines as she slumps against the back wall, his index finger teasing her clit but no friction or pleasure, “Want you in me.”

”Mm, want to taste your pretty cunt first,” He responds, gripping her left leg and tugging it over his shoulder so she’s exposed, his fingers coming to part his folds to show where she’s puffy and wet for him, “Look at her, so fucking sexy.”

YN weaves her hand into his hair, pushing him towards her center and he goes willingly, lapping wide stripes from her back entrance to her clit, nipping at the hood before repeating it over and over again.

”Oh, I-fuck, m’coming,” YN tries to warn as he legs begin to shake but her words make him pull back and stand up, “Wha-“

”You’re gonna come on my cock,” Harry leaves no room for agreement as he lifts that leg again but now around his waist, his tip bumping at her entrance, ”You want me in? Want my cock? Tell me, sweetheart.“

”Harry,” She groans in frustration as the smooth tip teases her bud, “You know I want it. Want you to fuck me, c’mon.”

”Impatient,” He scolds but he’s guiding himself on, moaning loudly when he slides all the way into her warm heat, ”love the way you squeeze me. Give me it to me.“

YN doesn’t have to do much work, Harry’s thrusting into her at a harsh pace off the start, honestly they’re fucking like they’re still newly dating when they’re married with kids.

They know they’re on a limited time because one kid will need them and Harry is wasting no time in getting them both to topple off the edge.

-

As they’re drying off, the baby monitor begins to go off - signaling the Briar’s beginning to cry, she’s most likely hungry.

”I’ll go get her,” Harry says with a kiss to her cheek, ”Go get in bed and get comfortable. I’ll be back after I feed her.”

YN does change into her pajamas and crawls into bed but after a while, she doesn’t know where Harry is and starts to worry.

She slips out of bed and pads down to the nursery where the rooms empty, then down the stairs to the kitchen - empty, then she hears his voice echoing quietly through the hallway.

YN follows it until she’s at their office, the door crack, and she peeks in - Harry’s just in a pair of shorts, Briar cradled in the his arms - she’s suckling hungrily at the bottle he’s holding to her lips.

He has his cellphone tucked between his shoulder and ear, his face stoney and annoyed, “No. I am not calling to discuss the game tomorrow. I’m calling to discuss that your wife was completely out of line at lunch this afternoon.”

YN listen as Harry chews out his teammate for how his wife acted at dinner and how it was absolutely unacceptable and he better make sure nothing like that ever happens again.

YN can hear the man profusely apologizing for the embarrassing behavior of his wife but Harry doesn’t entertain it, only reminds him to talk to his wife and hangs up.

Harry is then looking down at his daughter, blinking up at him as she pats his face, and he coos, “Briar Anne, always going to stand up for your mama. Always going to show you how someone should treat their partner. “

YN turns around to go back upstairs, smile on her face, and tears in her eyes - it made her silly for feeling self conscious.

He always had her back.

[warningsine]

Exquisitely twisted and perversely romantic, Interview with the Vampire returns with another feast of juicy melodrama.

Once again the story unfolds over multiple timeframes, structured around the titular interview with 145-year-old vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson). Speaking to journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian), he narrates a gothic memoir of love, betrayal, self-loathing, and inhuman morality. Part interrogation, part therapy, these interview scenes see Daniel attempt to dissect Louis' curated recollections of the past.

It's not surprising to learn that several of IWTV's writers are playwrights. Anchored by Jacob Anderson's multifaceted performance, the show switches back and forth between maximalist emotion and tense psychodrama, backed by a sumptuous orchestral score by Daniel Hart. The characters often seem to be performing for an audience, whether it's literally on stage, or in a persona crafted for someone else's benefit. These self-absorbed monsters simply love to create drama.

Season 1 ended with a one-two punch of plot twists, as Louis recounted the bloody end of his relationship with Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) and revealed that his human assistant "Rashid" is actually his 514-year-old vampire lover, Armand (Assad Zaman). No wonder Daniel snidely compares Louis' life to a telenovela.

Keeping Armand on the backburner for an entire season was a thrillingly bold move, upending the power dynamics of the interview and giving Daniel a second source as we delve into Louis and Armand's first meeting in 1940s Paris.

After disposing of Lestat, Louis and Claudia (Delainey Hayles) travel through war-torn Europe in search of other vampires. Previously acting as father and daughter, they're now more like siblings, with Claudia dragging Louis along in her search for a vampiric family. Her quest leads them to the Théâtre des Vampires, a theater troupe who use gory cabaret to attract their human prey. Armand is their director, a subdued figure compared to showboating performers like the Théâtre's lead actor Santiago, a sexy egomaniac played to the hilt by the marvelous Ben Daniels. 

Replacing Claudia's original actor, Bailey Bass, Delainey Hayles reintroduces Claudia in a more mature role. Fearless but still yearning for recognition, she forges a new life while grappling with old, unsolvable problems. Immortality has trapped her in perpetual adolescence, a taboo in vampire culture. Intriguingly, her most interesting new relationship this season is with a human woman (Roxane Duran).

Louis, meanwhile, still struggles with his identity as a vampire. Wandering on the outskirts of human society, he becomes a compulsive photographer, trying to figure out his place in a world without Lestat. 

This season's biggest challenge is retaining the show's momentum without Sam Reid at center stage. His Lestat is the role of a lifetime: a magnetic tyrant whose powerhouse emotions balance out Jacob Anderson's more naturalistic performance. Their chemistry cemented IWTV as must-watch television, and you can't just throw that away. With Lestat unavoidably absent for this chunk of Louis' memories, the solution is to bring him back as a hallucinatory ghost, haunting Louis' blossoming romance with Armand. 

In yet another miraculous piece of casting, Assad Zaman is equally convincing as a steely vampiric leader and as a doe-eyed Renaissance muse. Surveying the world with a mournful, heavy-lidded gaze, his resting expression is haughty and serene. It's a serenity born of meticulous control, which Daniel Molloy threatens to disrupt.

Scorning Louis and Armand's cutesy displays as a happy couple, Daniel is now doubly motivated to find discrepancies in their story. His vampire hosts may hold all the physical power, but perhaps they made a mistake by inviting an investigative journalist over the threshold. 

Interview with the Vampire revels in the idea of subjective, unreliable narrators: redacted journals, emotional bias, supernatural hypnosis. Louis wants to take charge of his own story, narrating the historical flashbacks in a poetic, practiced monologue. He's probably been rehearsing this conversation for decades, keen to revise his first interview with Daniel in 1973 — a meeting that Daniel recalls with a suspicious lack of clarity. Behind this floats the specter of Armand-as-Rashid, sitting quietly in the corner of Louis' "solo" interview scenes last season. Armand wants to shape the narrative too.

In Season 1, Armand's ever-present iPad felt like an affectation of his secretarial persona. Now we recognize it as a facet of his controlling personality, constantly taking notes and managing his business at a distance. Back in the 1940s, this trait made itself known in his role as a theater director, watching from the rafters and scribbling in the margins of the company's scripts. Armand even takes his iPad to bed, a location that noticeably lacks the carnality of Louis' relationship with Lestat. 

Contrasting with Lestat's volatile passions, Armand presents himself as a civilized and caring partner. He's diligent and soft-spoken. He and Louis finish each other's sentences, mirroring their body language in coordinated outfits. Yet the absent Lestat still has immense gravitational pull in Louis' psyche. Driven by feverish desires and snarling fits of rage, his love was possessive, all-encompassing, and addictive. 

In a gothic romance, there's no escape and no happily-ever-after. Louis can't let go of Lestat, and Armand can't ignore Lestat's lingering presence in his lover's memories. Every permutation of this love triangle is toxic in its own way. Louis claims that Armand is the love of his life, but really he just exchanged one unhealthy relationship for another. You get the impression that Armand has spent decades troubleshooting the best way to keep Louis by his side, resulting in a soft, solicitous attitude with an undertone of Munchausen's by proxy. 

Armand's controlling influence extends to the architecture of their minimalist Dubai penthouse, a sort of luxury terrarium built to keep Louis contained. Once upon a time he visited jazz bars and rubbed shoulders with humanity. Now he's completely isolated from the outside world, cloistered away in a tax haven for business tycoons.

A set of decorative bars frame their bedroom like a cage, and the apartment's floor-to-ceiling windows represent a potential death trap for Louis. Unlike Armand, he's still young enough to be vulnerable to sunlight. Their household library is similarly tailored to Armand's superhuman powers, shelved in midair where Armand can fly up and peruse their collection but Louis — still stuck on the ground with the humans — faces a physical barrier to entry. 

Amid all this, you may find yourself hoping that this purse-mouthed little control freak gets what's coming to him. And that's the magic of Interview with the Vampire, because really, who are we kidding? Is Armand really the bad guy here? No! Everyone's the bad guy!

By any reasonable metric, all of the vampire characters are serial killers. At one point Armand and Louis have a flirty little chat while their pals massacre an entire mansion of partygoers in the background. It's absurd to analyze their story from a moralizing perspective. Claudia is probably the most sympathetic character of all, and she'd happily tear out throats from dusk till dawn. As for Lestat, we want him to return because he makes for good television, not because he's good for Louis.

This embrace of emotion over logic and ethics is what makes IWTV so compelling. Current pop culture isn't comfortable with melodrama, keeping it at arm's length with uncomfortable laughter and derogatory comparisons to soap opera. But Interview with the Vampire has no interest in irony or restraint. Its humor lies in the overlap between comedy and horror, and its central performances hinge on total commitment. Rarely do we see such a clever, creative work of adaptation, mining classic vampire tropes for a deliciously energizing take on the genre.

[ca-suffit]

Not surprising that sam-reid flat out ignored you. Idk what I expected but they let you down along with the whole fandom. I unfollowed her. They could have responded like an adult but judging from her blog there's a lot of childish attitude and hissyfits going on. Same as that maven post you made, maven seems like the type only doing YouTube videos for likes, which is why they like the comments praising them and sidesteps (ignore) the comments speaking about anything serious. I'm glad you made that post about maven and I hope the post circulates through enough of the fandom. Frilly white folks who only watch the show to make a name for themselves need to be called out. (Not speaking about sam-reid im not sure if she's white or not but it doesn't matter)

(maven post icymi) (twt version)

I'm not surprised either, but sam-reid has also here and there interacted with this blog more than most ppl, so I hope that maybe something is getting thru. having real awareness of urself is *hard* and tbh fandoms promote unhealthy behaviors that can be difficult to distance urself from, bcuz when u do, ur on *this* side then. like I've said in other posts, fandoms gather up lonely ppl and offer huge friend groups and benefits if u toe the line. I know why it's easy to ignore fandom racism and think ppl like me are just jealous assholes who like to bully ppl for "no reason."

I don't hate any of these ppl tho. they might think I do, but I don't. I'm disappointed and angry. all of us are here out of a love for something and there's no reason we need to be at odds like this. I came out being a huge bitch when I first got here bcuz of what was happening in the fandom when I made the account. I *did* just want to publicly hurt everyone for having sat here for years seeing them hurt so many ppl otherwise and not getting much pushback over it. I've tried to stop doing that now, bcuz this account has grown in ways I never thought could happen. I've never seen anon mssgs be used to discuss everything we discuss here. I've never seen anyone get support for doing this kind of thing, just hate. but nobody's ever dedicated an account to it before, so there was no blueprint. experiencing this now, I'm like....ok, we can shift the tone now.

a lot of ppl *are* only in this for themselves too and it's bcuz that's all anne rice told anyone to do. u can see it in the language used when ppl speak, how long they've been a fan, they're "experts." a lot of ppl need this to be their identity bcuz it always has been. it's prbly intensified now that she's dead too and ppl feel like they have to take her place.

I don't think the maven post is gonna do much tbh, but it's there anyway. I keep tabs on a lot of ppl and research a lot of shit all the time. ppl asked for maven receipts before S2. well, there's gonna be receipts for shit *now.*

[mdhwrites]

When it comes to Amphibia's finale, the Guardian tends to be rather divisive, with takes ranging from 'they're cool' to 'this is the true villain of the story.'

I chalk the division down to the fact that a lot of questions are raised when the Guardian is introduced, and most of them aren't answered. The most glaring is the question as to why the Guardian would call itself a 'Guardian,' yet not interfere when Andrias' ancestors used the stones for evil.

Now, the Guardian does say it's only a watcher and observer, but that...is blatantly not true, given the Guardian created the stones, revived Anne (sort of), and gave her shards home. That's three times the Guardian intervened, so it's arguably not a watcher, but a passive influencer who will only step in if it benefits their search for a successor.

And if they really could put a stop to the Core...it takes a special kind of egomania and lack of self-awareness to create items of ultimate power, refuse to stop them from being used for evil, then say 'Those mortals, huh? Not very responsible with their power.' Like, and you're much better? But again, that's only fair if the Guardian could intervene, and the show doesn't make it clear whether the Guardian has limits to their power (the fact that they created a copy of Anne rather than simply revive her from death implies the latter is something they can't do).

So why do you think the Guardian couldn't/wouldn't stop the stones from being misused during their centuries-spanning search for an heir? Because I'm not getting an answer from Matt Braly anytime soon.

*bops you on the head for that last sentence* You shouldn't be hoping for the creator to tell you how to feel. Form your own opinions.

Anyways, besides that, something these recent Amphibia asks make me hum is whether or not Amphibia is almost too good in our current media landscape. I know that sounds like an asshole response but you have to understand that very few works feel like they're made with this much intent, let alone this much intent while appearing to be a normal, approachable piece of genre fiction. As such, a lot of elements get used almost so well as to either throw people or make them want more. Sasha is so well written after all that people want quite literally any excuse for more of her. Marcy is made so relatable in her crime that no one wants to seem to admit that it was still the wrong thing to do.

And the Guardian is a perfectly bored god when we're so used to bad ones.

That really is it. I praise The Book of Life for having good God depictions as well because of the length of their machinations. How little mortals will matter to them. How quaint we are. Those ones still see us as entertaining though and making their job fulfilling, even if we at times become chess pieces on the grand board we play.

The Guardian is what you get when a god no longer sees us as entertaining. It was bored. So in its boredom, something that should be INCREDIBLY difficult with how many universes it theoretically protects, you know, INFINITE, it got an idea. A shake up only it could introduce while also finally giving it an out by being a test as well.

It says as much. "I was curious what mortals would do with infinite power and only you got it right." He sounds frustrated. Annoyed. Tired. He has the voice of a child not because of his age but because age has worn him down into nothing more than a child looking for an excuse to do something other than his chores.

And with understanding that mindset... Why would it have intervened? To interrupt the game means admitting it doesn't work and so having to come up with something new. It also means going back to being bored. Going back to having no successor and having no way to find one. And on the theoretically infinite cosmic scale... What does a few worlds being damaged mean to him? Because he looks over entire UNIVERSES. There is Space in Amphibia. They have a moon. That also means they theoretically have an entire galaxy, star system, etc. and that is ONE. UNIVERSE.

It is a scale we cannot comprehend... And that bored the Guardian. That made it NEED to retire. Because don't get me wrong: The Guardian fucked up. It made a half baked experiment and even his reward for it failed to manifest. Someone who would use the stones correctly would inherently not desire ultimate power. It's questionable if Anne will want it even when she dies.

However, calling The Guardian the real villain of the story is like calling the weapon that killed someone the real murderer, even if the person who did the crime was willing to kill with their bare hands. The Guardian wanted to see what people did with ultimate power. Some will say "Absolute power corrupts absolutely" but I like to believe more that "Absolutely power REVEALS absolutely." After all, the Guardian made a mistake but for a test of morality and responsibility for a scale as large as his job... He actually devised a really good test.

If you cannot handle a shred of his power correctly... What do you do with ALL OF IT? How quickly will YOU get bored? How much bigger will your fuck up for personal satisfaction be than a couple dozen worlds? But all he did, all he ever did, was present the option.

Like ALWAYS with Amphibia... It is the character's choice. The Core decided to hurt others. Andrias decided to follow the Core's dream to chase a time lost to him the second Lief took the box. Aldritch only got that utopian world that Andrias misses by abuse of others, using the box as the tool for that abuse and then easily stratifying his subjects because he hadn't seen people as people for a long while now.

And of course, Anne CHOSE to give her life to be the guardian of Amphibia before ever even considering the sorts of acts that any of the villains do. Hence why she earns being given a chance to be the guardian. But also, everything else in this blog is why someone who could finally shake things up like Anne and do what the Guardian was starting to consider impossible is given another blink in its lifetime to hone themselves just a little more.

Because none of these events actually mattered on the scale that a GOD like this views things. They don't function like regular characters but we're a lot better trained to treat characters as, well, based on people. Based on motivations and scale that we can understand. On morality that sees even a single life as wrong, not requiring BILLIONS for you to even register.

It's actually what makes the Guardian feel more like a critique of a Christian God than the Titan literally ever could. He is an absentee figure who set everything in motion. Who claims moral superiority while letting the world burn. People question their faith in the face of tragedy for a reason because if God is good, how can he allow such abhorrently wrong things to happen? And hence why the response of "God works in mysterious ways," is used to justify it. To make it feel like rather than a fuck up on his part, a miscalculation he doesn't bother to fix, that it is all part of his machinations.

The Guardian instead goes "WHOOPS! Not doing that again! Woo boy, if I had a boss, I'd definitely be getting a stern talking to during this MILLENIA'S performance review." He is almost disturbingly honest in his talk with Anne like that. To admit that despite being all powerful, that doesn't mean he's going to always make the right choice. Which, you know, if kind of on brand for Amphibia. Anne didn't always make the right choice. Andrias almost never made the right choice. Marcy made all the right choices except for her first one. Sasha thought she was making the right choices. Hop Pop when he ends up accidentally mind controlling people thinks he's making a harmless choice that won't have consequences.

Because like everyone in Amphibia, the Guardian is also terrifyingly human. But do you know what proves why HE'S the Guardian and almost no one else in the story?

He never took those choices away from everyone. They were allowed to make their mistakes. He did not admonish, he did not punish. He did judge but in that judgement, allowed to be themselves and reveal who they were. He only took the power away when someone finally proved the base hypothesis possible. That someone might EVER choose the morally right thing with the stones and put everyone else, good, bad, neutral, etc. before them and use them to stop annihilation, not for greed and self interest.

To call him the true villain of Amphibia feels like missing the point because of that. Because the Guardian is someone who screwed up but is still morally better than almost any of the villains. If the villains didn't like their job after all, they'd FORCE someone else to do it. They wouldn't have listened to Anne when she said no. They wouldn't decide to try in another couple decades for a second interview and hope that goes well. They would have simply made the choice for her because they no longer wanted this and wouldn't care about her free will. Anne isn't under contract to take it when she dies after all. She'll just wake up with the Guardian then... That's probably it. The Guardian is left bored and having to figure out a new way to find a successor, but with a few more lessons on how to do it right this time.

There is a reason I call the ending of Amphibia the PERFECT ending for this story. Not that it is perfect, the last episode's pacing is a bit wonky, but that an altered version of it would still include every element and plot beat that this finale did. And that includes the Guardian. I will leave the choice up to you for if you agree or not.

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I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[sweetchcolate]

I was not exactly surprised about stockholm syndrome accusations towards Shall/Anne (power imbalance exists at first) but still, even without considering troubling origins of the term, Shall... doesn't seem to operate in a way that lends itself towards developing it. Arguably even his 'I hate everyone' brother Lalafe- Lafa- Rafael is more liable to end up with something like that under right circumstances.

Shall meanwhile doesn't just protect himself via cutting everyone off emotionally - he literally seems to filter everything through the strict roles defined by relative positions of power - he is reduced to property and dehumanized so there is no point for anything like relationships with people who dehumanize and entrap him. He only categorizes them into 'possibly useful for escaping', 'has power over him', 'everyone else' (maybe why he ends up designating Anne as luggage in his mind- that's a whole other point and it is not a post but an ask in the askbox and it is already long)

So it was weird but also not really. Like, it feels like he would have developed his feelings faster if he wasn't bought by Anne but rather if they met under some other set of circumstances.

What do you think? About the early power dynamics talks and about Shall's mindset I mean.

Hey, my bad it took a while to answer! Putting this under read more because it gets a bit long.

Shall [...] literally seems to filter everything through the strict roles defined by relative positions of power - he is reduced to property and dehumanized so there is no point for anything like relationships with people who dehumanize and entrap him. He only categorizes them into 'possibly useful for escaping', 'has power over him', 'everyone else' (maybe why he ends up designating Anne as luggage in his mind- that's a whole other point and it is not a post but an ask in the askbox and it is already long)

This is perfect, I have nothing to add.

This is exactly how early Shall acts with Anne and later Bridget when she becomes in possession of his wing! His view of relationships with humans (other than Liz) has been shaped exclusively through the master/slave lense and in that sense, I don't see him ever growing to genuinely care for his master.

That's not to say Shall's insensitive to occasional shows of kindness, such as Anne giving him food or bedding, feeding him first, insisting they all eat together, etc., or his masters's circumstances (like that one noble boy who longed for companionship or Bridget, who's also lonely and not listened to), but he doesn't let that affect him as it doesn't change how their roles in this relationship are skewed. They have power over him; he's their possession. End of the story.

Anything that tries to go beyond that dynamic is certain to be fake and affected by that power imbalance.

it feels like he would have developed his feelings faster if he wasn't bought by Anne but rather if they met under some other set of circumstances.

Oof, that's a tough one. Ironically enough, I don't think he'd have warmed up to her as quickly, if only because he'd have no reason to interact with Anne in any other circumstances.

In canon, the LN mentions that he stayed with Anne after the fair not only because he was touched by her kindness, but also because he felt needed. She gave him purpose, something to strive for. Being with her also had the benefit of people assuming he was her pet fairy, making him unavailable.

All of which all gets stripped away in the Philax arc when Anne sends him away. What does a hundred y.o warrior fairy, who spent most of that time enslaved and who just lost the only two people he ever cared for and who cared for him (Liz and Anne), do now that he's on his own?

Join human society or pursue a craft of some kind? Out of his reach, because no one sees a fairy as an equal individual and no one would stay quiet about a free fairy for long;

Live in secrecy on his lonesome for the decades he has left to live, with no one to care for him or talk with? A depressing and lonely outcome;

Roam the kingdom to explore the world? Sounds like the best option, but...

in all these scenarios, he runs the risk of getting attacked by fairy hunters, either dying in the process of fighting them off or being made a slave again. In the end, Shall's freedom would always be in danger.

If Shall met Anne as a free fairy in their current society, I think he would withdraw ASAP instead of engaging with her. The only way I could see them interacting in an organic manner is if Shall was incapable of fleeing. For example, if he was severely wounded or starved (and Anne would offer to help by sheltering him or giving him silver sugar). Even then, it'd be very painful on him; it'd be hard to let his guard down since both his life and freedom are at stake (whereas as an enslaved fairy he has... little to lose but his life). I can see him being even more abrasive and evasive, wanting to leave the second he's in good enough shape.

If Shall met Anne while under someone else's thumb, I think it'd go much like their first canon meeting: goad her into buying him to trade his current owner for someone more innocent, easier to escape from.

The other big factor that could influence how he interacts with Anne and how he develops feelings for her is Rafael. Should Shall meet him before Anne, I have no doubt he'd join his brother, whatwith all his distrust, cynicism, and bleak view of humanity at large (not that he'd be super enthusiastic about traveling with Rafael, but better a fellow strong fairy than the chance of falling back in human hands while also getting his revenge on said humans).

Though I don't think he'd take well to Rafael making other fairies give up their wing in allegiance to him (considering how Shall tried to give Mythril a chance to run away from Anne when they first met, thinking she was the one who owned Mythril's wing). This could be a point of contention, something which would make Shall reconsider helping Rafael.

An interesting first meeting between Shall and Anne could then be set after Rafael kidnaps her to make him silver sugar. Shall could be in charge of checking up on her and her work, and through their interactions (her views about fairies deserving freedom, finding how they gave their wings to Rafael abhorrent, etc.) grow to understand her and even care for her. It could be the tipping point Shall needs to dump Rafael, and he'd remain with Anne out of both curiosity and a feeling of responsability.

All that to say... there are sooo many angles to Shall and Anne's first meeting and their early relationship, especially if you move outside of canon. It's why I love early SAFT as well as SAFT AUs so much!

Thank you for your ask and for waiting! This was really fun!

[girl4music]

I am very excited to watch ‘Wynonna Earp: Vengeance’ but I won’t lie. I am concerned.

I know lots of free-to-stream services are around and are doing what Tubi’s doing but I feel like Tubi has hit the ground running on really making a statement of what it means to provide free streaming LGBTQ+ content that they’re taking a chance on because people love watching it and engaging with it as opposed to how they can use those people to only benefit themselves like Netflix. Emily Andras wouldn’t have signed on for ‘Vengeance’ and possibly rebooting the IP if she didn’t feel like they’re doing it the right way - the necessary way. So good on Tubi for that.

I genuinely hope they succeed and show the likes of Netflix and Hulu a thing or two about mutual respect. That you only get us as an engaging community or fandom if you respect us and involve us and engage with us. We’ll give you what you need. But in return we ask that we’re not just used and abused for that and then tossed aside because we’re not “big market” enough for your very unrealistic expectations and goals. Regard us as business partners and not just consumers because that is essentially what we are and what we do when you actually provide the content that we want to see and interact with and support.

But it goes both ways. It has to go both ways when it comes to the very niche market of LGBTQ+ content.

Tubi seem to understand that’s what we have to offer and they’re providing the content that shows they do.

‘Wynonna Earp’ as an IP has found the streaming service home it belongs in because Tubi have realized that taking a chance on LGBTQ+ content is worth it.

They’re doing it right and we’ll prove to them that they are because as an individual queer person that is an enthusiast of LGBTQ+ TV art/entertainment, I do and will not show up for what never shows up for me. And I’m sure many just like me will agree with me on this.

We are very powerful as a passionate fandom. As a community of people that take the bull by its horns and do everything we must to keep our beloved TV art/entertainment going. But we cannot do it on our own. They must meet us in the middle on this too.

If Tubi can consistently do this, then they have a real shot at beating out the juggernauts in the industry.

And we can put Netflix in its grave where it belongs.

They may have all the money and power now. But what they won’t have is an engaging fandom and that will be entirely their own fault for disrespecting us.

And that will thoroughly destroy them in the end because what the fuck is power without people?

Tubi are saying they need the views and we’ll do it. We’ll give them exactly what it is they need. But they better continue to show up for us too if we do because I am really not interested in a one-sided relationship.

It’s mutual respect and support and engagement for me or nothing. My relationship with Tubi must go both ways. That’s what I’m most concerned about with this. I don’t like streaming services for obvious reasons but I’ll show up and do what I can IF the effort is returned.

And as far as ‘Vengeance’ goes, I don’t think Andras will let it be any other way either. They know what she’s signed up for. They know what they must do and if they don’t keep up their end of the deal, then they lose us. Immediately. No excuses. No notice. Gone!

I think we really need to hold them to somewhat of a contract too because we’ve been screwed over so many times and I personally am not having that happen again. I’m not letting them treat us the way Netflix and Hulu have and continue to do so even though they know how much damage it causes us.

Free-to-stream is the way to go. They’ve caught on to that. But if the treatment remains the same, I’m out. It’s not about money with us and they know that. But just because something is free doesn’t guarantee that a fandom will stick around. They better tread carefully.

On the day ‘Vengeance’ releases, we all sign up for accounts but we monitor as a collective the service and we make sure they’re providing just as much. We check their social media feeds, their algorithms, we do a thorough research into what it is they’re doing and we make sure it’s a relationship of mutual respect.

As I keep saying. It goes both ways.

And we need to make sure that it does.

Friday 13th we all sign up for Tubi accounts and watch the special all at the same time. UKers, we will do the very same on the 25th. We need to show them that we mean business and they need to show they respect us.

[dani-luminae]

*Poke* Pirate101 Ask Meme returned: 1, 2, 6, 9, 22 and 24

1. Favorite crew member/companion?

Ooh this is a hard one. I'd say story-wise, as in their promo quests, it's probably either Bonnie Anne or Sarah Steele. Personality-wise, I love Ratbeard as the pirate's grumpy old chaotic neutral uncle-figure. Battle/skills-wise, it's the Haywire Armada units - the Musketeer and the Battle Angel, most specifically.

2. Favorite world?

Honestly, I actually found Cool Ranch kind of fun. Of course the portrayal of the bison/ Natives could have been done far better, but aside from them, I really liked the parodies of all the Wild West like the Magnificent Seven, the Lone Ranger, etc. Also really nice music.

I just wish my Musketeer didn't have to dress like a Confederate soldier lmao.

6. Who is your LEAST favorite crew member/companion and why?

Personality-wise, Wing Chun; he's so harsh and insulting. I've just gotten to a point in his promo quests and stuff where he comes across as less harsh, like he's grown more respect for the pirate, but still. Don't like him.

Powers/battle-wise, I'm gonna say Old Scratch. He fizzles so much, he's just plain unreliable. (Honestly... most of the Witchdoctor companions fizzle a lot.) Love his promo quest stories though.

9. Any headcanons for your crew?

Most of the first few - Wing Chun, Bonnie Anne, and Louis Le Crab, or equivalents among other crews - started out joining as in "holy Spiral someone's gotta be responsible for this small child!" only to then see the Young Pirate in battle and go "oh nvm, they're competent... and terrifying!" About by the time Ratbeard joins there's a lot less underestimating the Pirate, because clearly they're doing something right if they got these companions.

My personal headcanon for Noble James Hawkins' crew in particular is that he has a habit of collecting broken pieces of Armada enemies after fights. This is how he built/repaired the Musketeer, Marine, and Battle Angel on his crew.

And yes, at some point we do remove the Crown of Command from Monkey King, but he finds the crew and our wacky adventures too entertaining to leave immediately.

22. Do you trust Captain Avery?

I wouldn't say that I trust him, but I do respect him. He clearly appreciates the young Pirate to some extent (like the quest where he's captured by Thresher sharks and he's like "I knew you were coming! What took you so long? Now let's show these sharks how big a mistake they made!") He'd probably stab us in the back if it benefitted him, but I mean. The man's a pirate. That's kinda a given.

24. Would you make any improvements to the story? (Fill any plot holes?)

Honestly I'd try and straighten out the timeline a little, especially as does it match up to Wiz or take place after??? Because in Xol Akmul, the Aztecasaur city above Blood Shoals, we're led to believe that Morganthe already destroyed Azteca... and then in Cool Ranch we meet Desmond Argleston, Wizard City Librarian, looking a little older than he does in W101... but then we get to MooShu and it seems like we are actually concurrent with the Wizard because the Emperor is weakened from Malistaire's attack, leaving chaos to run wild.

Has the Wizard not actually fixed everything in MooShu? Has it just taken forever for news of the Emperor's recovery to reach all across the world? Or is this another case of the whole "time passes so weirdly in different worlds across the Spiral" so Azteca is already destroyed long before the Azure Shining One ever steps foot there, and is still sprinting around MooShu chasing Malistaire? Not to mention we get Valencian horses in Novus in Wiz, sort of implying the disastrous Armada days are behind them...

[lopjh]

P5X Cattle Gameplay Details

Please note that not all information is available and translations are done entirely by machine, so some information may not be completely accurate, or misinterpreted.

Role: Healer

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Stats (Level 1):

Health: 295

Attack: 110

Defense: 59

Speed: 100

Persona Trait (Awareness Level 0):

Day and Night Reverse:

Using healing skills grants the target ally [Star Fire]. Each companion can only have at most 1 Star Fire-related effect.

[Star Fire] increases attack power by (15% of Cattle's Attack Power) for one round. At the end of the round, [Star Fire] becomes [Star Fire II], which increases an ally's attack power by (25% of Cattle's Attack Power) for 1 round.

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Awareness Levels:

When an ally with [Star Fire] is inflicting an enemy with an elemental status effect ([Shock], [Burn], [Freeze], etc), increase their effect hit rate by 33%.

Skill Levels of "Jumping Fire Owl" and "Hope Beam" are increased by 2 Levels.

[Star Fire II] increases healing by 20%.

Skill Levels of "Angels Mercy" and "Combat Skills" are increased by 2 Levels.

After using HIGHLIGHT, Fire damage of all allies is increased by 32%.

At the end of the round, [Star Fire II] becomes [Star Fire III]. Which increases an ally's attack power by (25% of Cattle's Attack Power), Fire damage by 20%, and healing received by 20%.

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Active Skills:

Jumping Fire Owl(Level 1): Deals (74.2% Attack Power) Fire damage to one foe, with a 75% chance of inflicting [Burn] on the enemy for 2 rounds. [22 SP]

Hope Beam(Level 1): Heals (76.8% Attack Power + 144) HP to one ally. If the target ally's HP is less than 50%, healing is increased by 12%. [26 SP]

Angel's Mercy(Level 1): Helas (40.6% Attack Power + 76) HP to all allies. Increases the healing received by the main target ally by 16%. [26 SP]

HIGHLIGHT(Level 1): Heals (66% Attack Power + 206) HP to all allies, and increases the attack power of all allies by 40% for 1 round.

Passive Skills:

Bright(Level 1): After using an attack skill against an enemy, grant 1 random ally [Star Fire].

Hope(Level 1): Increases healing based on Max Health, max of 3000 Health will increase healing by 14%.

----------

Weapons:

God's Glory (5 Star):

HP: 168

Attack: 56

Defense: 33

Healing increased by 22%. [Star Fire] increases healing by 4.5% and attack power by a further (5.2% of Cattle's Attack Power).

----------

Analysis

Cattle seem to be a great healer, with a focus on buffing allies' attacks to pile on damage, especially Fire damage. Unlike other Phantom Idols like Kii, whose support only works with other Fire users, Cattle can serve as a general attack buffer that can slot well into any team.

While his attack buffing power is not as great as Leo, and his healing isn't as proficient as Morgana's, being able to do both at the same time is what allows him to serve as a good medium that can still remain relevant whether you are winning the battle and need to pile on damage, or are low on health.

Potential Teams he would have good synergy with would be:

Cattle - Ann - Kii: Provides major Fire damage with Kii's [Sacrifice] stacks and Cattle's [Star Fire] + Fire Damage boosts from Awareness and his HIGHLIGHT, will allow Ann to reach insane amounts of damage, while still allowing for some safety with a healer. All of the characters benefit from enemies being burned (Cattle for providing [Star Fire] to allies, Kii for setting him up for DOT damage, and Ann for more damage in general), making this team very efficient as long as the enemies don't resist Fire.

Cattle - Leo - Ann: Same benefits from above, but even more damage thanks to Leo's insane attack buffs, at the cost of fewer chances to get Burn off on enemies, as well as less damage overall from the much weaker Leo. Leo's shields provide a useful layer of defense for Ann and Cattle, allowing them to survive longer. However, with this team, the goal is to finish the battle as soon as possible, as without the comparatively tankier Kii, all of these characters are not suited to take any big hits.

Due to Cattle's versatility, he can slot well into any team, but these seemed to be the most standout in teams of team synergy and utilizing Cattle's supportive strengths.

[khazadspoon]

Black Sails

An Interaction between Jack and Silver perhaps?

I don’t think I’ve ever really written these two together in the same scene? Interesting.

————

One thing Jack truly enjoyed, besides being with Anne or having respect, being told he was good at his job and actually doing his job, was knowing things. He liked secrets, knowing something other people did not. He enjoyed talking with someone and thinking ‘I know more than you.’

Perhaps it was a power thing, holding something over an adversary and waiting for the right time to use it. But mostly, he thought, it was just that he enjoyed knowledge.

And, most likely, he was vain and a little bit selfish. He liked having things other people did not. Anne’s trust, for example, was something few people had. Jack had it in spades. Yes, Charles trusted him at times, but that came and went. When he did have Charles’ trust it was a little like Anne’s - a sweet, heady knowing.

Now, sat with a man-turned-myth, he felt a little of that feeling. He had met John Silver before he had become ‘Long’. He’d seen the man with shorter, more carefully curled hair, beardless and youthful, all his limbs intact. He knew that Long John Silver was not quite as intimidating as the story of the man made out. Most of the time at least.

“And what do we get out of this?” The man asked, crutch leaning against the table. His voice was calm, the dismissive tone carefully curated. Here was a man who valued story and myth almost as much as Jack.

“You get an equal partnership-” the word provoked a raised eyebrow and Jack raised his hands, “an almost equal partnership, if we are to be honest, and a connection in Nassau you didn’t have previously. Surely that would be amenable to your captain.”

Invoking Flint’s name was always a dangerous game. The man was rarely present, he was unhinged and as changeable as the sea some claimed he controlled, but his echo was always there. Background noise that ruffled collars and whispered in the ears of men who were too afraid to speak his name.

“I’m sure it would. But I’m not bringing this to him without details.”

Jack sighed, a little dramatically, and reclined in his seat. The tavern wasn’t full but there were plenty of people milling about, waiting for anything that would bring a bit of excitement to their day. “I haven’t got all the details. I will, once Max gives me more than her dismissive French attitude, but once I do…” He smiled, crooked and disarming, the smile that had made plenty of others give him the benefit of the doubt. Silver, it seemed, wasn’t immune to it either.

John appeared to ponder the idea. A partnership, not entirely equal but still beneficial, and stroked one hand over his rather unimpressive and patchy beard. He nodded slightly and picked up the metal flagon. He took a drink. Jack watched as his eyes scanned the room, taking in the details only men like them, seconds to their more impressive masters but still giants in their own ways, could see.

“Alright. I’ll relay the information. The… offer. If Flint accepts I’ll contact you. If not,” he shrugged, the gesture somewhat dismissive but full of unspoken words, “we’ll have to see what can be done.”

“You and I both know any foothold on this island is precarious.”

“Indeed we do.”

“And if Captain Flint wishes to remain important here, he’d do well to listen.” Jack took a mouthful of his own drink and let his words leave their mark.

Long John Silver, with all his hidden depths of secrets, was not as unknowable as his legend would make out. Jack could see his mind working, could see his intrigue and his interest as clear as day. This was a man Jack could work with. Flint was another matter, but between the two of them he knew they could bring the man round.

“I can’t promise anything.”

A laugh, one Jack hadn’t known he would make. “When can we ever make promises we know we can keep?”

He watched a genuine smile take over John’s face. There was still a boyish handsomeness there, despite the lines and tired bruises on his face. Jack could appreciate that. “Never. Not really.”

“Then we have an understanding.”

“We do.”

They didn’t shake hands. It wasn’t that kind of deal, not a firm thing, not one that needed physical affirmation yet. But in time he thought it would. Written or shaken on, it would.

[isatisnn]

Two years, five months and so many days after the release of Origins's episode 30 and within the last four episodes of ANE... I can finally say,

I headcanon TO Leiftan as demisexual. Also I hc him to care not for his S.O. gender, but the 'soulmate' link between them or, in repleacement, the strong emotional connection demisexual people need in order to feel attracted towards someone.

On screen we never saw Leiftan take any romantic or sexual interest towards anyone else. We don't have an input regarding any former partners and less he mentioned someone to catch up his eyes aside from Erika. All the other guys but Lance would do show any past or 'present' interest into someone during TO. Valkyon proudly shows us his scars during the beach date, for example, telling us some of them were made in bed. Ezarel had his friend with benefits thing with Ewelein, and Nevra... Was not, once a time, Ezarel mad about Nev doing his thing with the girls of absynthe?

It's hinted in TO, both Leiftan and Erika were complementary to each other (Erika and him fighting Marie-Anne for example, dialogues straight tells you this, or the 'Ying-yang' ilu in episode 30), so as long as 'Erika' remains to be his complementary and keeps the precepts he valued the most from her (Modesty, or whatever he said in the SV event of some year, common-good oriented, etc), anything else seems irrelevant. Leiftan would love 'Erika' no matter what.

Ofc, this is a personal take, and i'm sure people in charge didn't think of it at that moment. But hey, if Beemoov tomorrow decided to publish a new episode where Leiftan claims directly at us: 'I'm a straight man and only atracted to WOMEN!', with all my heart I will totally ignore it.

I already like the idea too much. It's late, six years late.

[r1999-transcript]

A Nightmare At Green Lake 12 - Rush of Passion

The young staff of the Foundation are making deductions from the current situation. The city girl and the town girl lie in the sofa, snuggled up against each other, and fiddle with the clutter piled up on the table.

Blonney: Look, they are trying to solve the problem, yet we can do nothing but fiddle around. Maybe I should have worked harder in college, so that I can at least understand a thing or two from the conversation.

Anne: Don’t worry, Jennifer! I don’t understand any of what they said either! You are not alone. I’m here with you.

Blonney: I’m not like you. You literally don’t know anything. I remember when we first met, you asked of everything I had on me. You grew up here, in a small town in the middle of nowhere. It is only normal that you don’t know anything about the outside world. But I’m different. I’ve been to big cities, I’ve gone to college, I’ve read books, I pretended to be well-adapted to this lifestyle. But in fact, I’m still ignorant, knowing nothing but empty pleasures. My hair colour gives away who I am. I’m a silly blondie.

Anne: Don’t speak of yourself like this, Jennifer.

Anne sits up, frowning with anxiety. She raises her voice.

Anne: You’re not silky. You are smart! You make your own movie with a script you wrote by yourself! You’re pretty and kind, and you’re the best person I’ve ever known. Please don’t hate yourself.

Blonney: Fine, I get it, but can you let go of my hand first? You’re hurting me a bit.

Anne: Oh! Sorry! Are you going to be okay? Shall I get you some ointment for these red areas on your hand?

Blonney: Haha! You’re funny. I’m not some glass doll that breaks from being held too tightly. Heh heh. Oh, I can barely breathe. You are great fun!

Anne: You’re smiling. Did I make you happy? This is good.

Blonney: Heh heh. Don’t you find me weird? My attitude changes so rapidly. I’ve been mean to you for a long time. And all of a sudden, I started to follow you around and try to use you to survive from this.

Anne: Weird? What’s so bad about that? Even if you’re weird, it’s a good kind of weird. I like you … staying by my side.

Blonney: Even if I’m a benefit-driven fence-sitter who immediately embrace arcanists after being ditched by my human friends?

Anne: Jason and Michael shouldn’t hate you, if they knew you better.

Blonney: Hah …

The laughter makes her tired. She lets her body fall on the sofa, her head leaning on the shoulder of that small-town girl.

Blonney: You seem to really like me.

Anne: …!

Blonney: You would jump off the car to rescue me, you protect me, praise me. You would even be happy because I was happy.

Anne: Because I’ve never seen anyone as pretty as you are. You’re special. You’re different to the rest of us.

Blonney: Oh, stop. I will not be embarrassed for these nice things you said about me. I’ve heard enough of them throughout my entire life. Listen, I’m very sorry for mistreating you, and I’m grateful that you came to save me. I will reward you with a secret, my secret. Do you wanna hear it?

Anne: Absolutely!

Anne’s green eyes are filled with sincerity, shining like a puppy’s.

Anne: I’d love to!

Blonney: In fact, I don’t hate horror movies.

Tooth Fairy: This is the diary I found in the attic. There were many other things, like a full warehouse.

Blonney: I actually liked them a lot when I was a kid. I spent most of my time here, in Green Lake Campsite, writing my own horror movie scripts on paper.

Tooth Fairy: The handwriting is pretty childish, so the writer might be around 8 to 13 years old. Some of the narratives are straightforward, but the story itself is very creative.

Blonney: But later, we moved to another town. Huh, hah! My parents earned great success in business, and we moved into a high-profile community where only humans are allowed. We were also given privileges that arcanists cannot enjoy. It was then I realised—nobody wants me to be an arcanist.

Tooth Fairy: It was since that day, the diary stopped updating. It might be forgotten or taken away. The story ended there.

Blonney: That’s why I decided to break off my connections with arcanists and stop showing interests in emotive things like horror movies in order to hide the arcanist side of me. Huh! I took out my energy on other things which may ease my mind, like soap operas, new clothes, fashions … People like me this way. They said this is what I’m supposed to do. They believe that I’m a dumb bimbo, believe that I hate books. I led a life they want me to have, till I graduated from high school.

Anne: I don’t like these people. You shouldn’t have been out through this. You are the smartest person I’ve ever known.

Anne reaches out a hand and clenches a fist.

Anne: If one day I run into them, I will pull their noses and mouths off, like this!

Blonney: A wonderful idea. I wish I was as creative as you are.

…

Blonney: So, in the end, I attacked one of the jerks who didn’t watch his mouth at the prom. I slapped him in the face and smashed four sandwiches and a salad on his head. Then, feeling resentful for what had happened, I applied for a degree in filmmaking, a course which was considered to be “ill-fitted” to me. And next, I started shooting horror movies for an assignment “I have to finish.” Huh! Deep down inside, I think I have never really given them up. I’ve probably never stopped loving them.

Horropedia: Keep on shooting. I will buy you a new camera.

Blonney: Hello! Have you been eavesdropping? Where is your manners?

Vertin: Actually, I heard them all as well.

Tooth Fairy: So did I.

Horropedia: We are in the same room. You can talk, we can hear, and the air helps. That’s it.

Tooth Fairy: Well, we are all here, paying attention to your voices. We heard everything you just said.

Tooth Fairy walks up, gently putting a pink diary on Blonney’s knees.

Tooth Fairy: I think this is yours. Now I should hand it back to you.

Blonney: Where did you find it? I haven’t seen this for a really long time.

A reunion after a long separation. Blonney opens the diary carefully.

Blonney: I used to do some arcanist tricks with it, but I have lost control over my power since I threw it into the la- … lak- … Aaah-choo!

Blonney suddenly gives a shiver, perhaps because she is touched by the diary, or perhaps because of something else. She raises her head and looks around.

Blonney: Aren’t you guys cold? How come it’s so chilly?

A gust of cold wind, along with a bit of rain, swirls into the cabin. Outside the opened door, a wedding ring lies in a puddle, reflecting light ominously.

Blonney: That ring? Wasn’t it on my finger a minute ago?

Vertin: Watch out. Something is approaching.

…

Blonney: How many more dead men were buried here? I’ve had enough! Can’t we just get rid of that dead woman?

Ghost Bride: Boohoo …

Blonney: She’s approaching! This is a good chance …

Ghost Bride: Aaahhh!

Blonney: Ugh! She smells like a skunk in the sewer!

Sonetto: Blonney! The ghost bride took her down. We need to help her!

Critter Crowd: Chirp …

Sonetto: Not good. The critters are coming around again!

The ghost bride murmurs something and crawls over Blonney, who has fallen to the ground.

Ghost Bride: I do … do … I do … ah …

Horropedia: Hey! Blondie! If you wanna survive, leave that ring alone!

Blonney: Hell, you think I wanted this?! This crazy woman ghost put it on me! Get off! Get lost!

The ghost bride’s oozy body is kicked back several feet.

Ghost Bride: Uuuhh …!

Blonney quickly struggles to her feet and runs toward the back of the cabin.

Ghost Bride: Hmm, boohoo … uuuhh …

Horropedia: Damn! Her whimper can summon more critters. They are going out from the ground!

Tooth Fairy: Shh.

Shaking her head, Tooth Fairy walks to the centre of the monsters. She is surrounded by sparkling powder.

Tooth Fairy: What they need is a song.

…

Sonetto: This is Ms. Tooth Fairy’s singing! Ms. Tooth Fairy, behind you!

Horropedia: Jeez! What on earth is that!

Blonney: Ahahaha! What is it, do you think? Of course, a good surpriiiiiiiiise! Ha! I didn’t know I was a talented driver! Once we get out of here, I’m gonna get myself a driver’s license!

Horropedia: Within 30 seconds, you crashed over every critter in our sight. I don’t think you are qualified to be a driver. No, no. That’s not the point. Where did you get the car?

Tooth Fairy: Pink lines. This is drawn with an oil paint pen. This is her arcane skill. Your arcane skill restored pretty fast. Seems like you’ve accepted your identity.

Blonney: May be that, or may be because I retrieved this diary. I feel something has changed inside me, making me a bit hyped.

Tooth Fairy: A good try. Please keep up with the feeling.

Blonney: That song you just sang—can I take it as a gift?

Tooth Fairy: You mean …?

Blonney: Well, you still owe me a song. Please, I wanna song from you.

Tooth Fairy: Sure, take it as a gift. For making progress in life and for your courage to embrace who you truly are.

Blonney: Thanks. This is my handkerchief. Take it. Wipe your face. Ah!

The Hummer woven with pink graffiti horns melts in the rain. Blonney stumbles backward. It’s a misjudgement of her own arcane ability—a mistake commonly made by rookie arcanists.

Horropedia: Did you just get a bit woozy from putting up a big scene to the rescue?

Blonney: I didn’t.

Horropedia: Okay … uh-huh … yeah … uh-hum …

Blonney: What are you doing?

Horropedia: I know the rules of social courtesy. You just saved my life, so I won’t embarrass you by telling others you just overestimated your ability.

Horropedia shakes his head, a grin spreading across his face.

Horropedia: If you are willing to take advice from me, I would say don’t overburden yourself.

[beastofhearts]

So...Shazam 2 was a fun lil disaster

Like I really like the core ideas the movie had (Billy abandonment issues manifesting and affection the relationship with its siblings and the whole deities trying to come back) and laughed quite a bit during the movie, but I dont think the execution was as good as it could been. Definitely not as good as the first one but still I would suggest you to see it when it comes to streaming services

Spoilers below

1) I think it would had helped the audience understand some decisions and allowed the emotional scenes be more impactful, if we had seen the character’s as themselves instead of seeing them as adults. We need to remember these are teenagers...and in some scenes the adult versions doesn't make much sense.

2) Regarding the last one. I also think it would be nice if the writer also remembered they are kids. Look I love unicorns but if a black horse with a horn comes rushing at me... I wouldn't stay put with a big smile. I love Darla, I really do. But let her have more emotions than “ :D”

(That being said. I love the design of the unicorns. I think they are based on Karkadann? -persian unicorns- which is a nice surprise! Others monsters designs are a bit more rough but I still enjoy my mythological beast ♥)

3) Athena... Athena baby what im going to do with you. 3.1) What are you doing on a high school if you are 6.000 years old? What are you gonna learn if that something you decided at the END of the movie? is a school really the place to learn about humanity? 3.2) She mentions Freddy “saving her” from the bullies as the reason as to why she saves him from the dragon, but the bullies really never targeted her...  they were annoying, yes, but not hostile. At least to her, they were dicks to Freddy. 3.3) Why are you crushing...on a ... baby, compared to your age? Actually, why are you acting like a teenager at all? Like I just need one line, a “I been asleep for most of my life” excuse here

Again, I really like the character conceptually and I love the idea for her power, but she seems lost all the time and very out of place compared to her sisters and I was given no reason why. However and though I admit im not the biggest fan of romance subplots, I tough the dynamic between her and Freddy was very sweet. 

Actually, I think all 3 sisters are interesting! I would had loved to expand on their loss, their imprisonment and their discussion a bit more before everything went down like it did.  I would also loved to know if Ladon was sentient or not. He seemed to kill Hespera in his own accord but we don't know why he did it (and why with the tail when he has two good claws) ... I would also had liked for Athena to try to reach out to him while he was trying to scare her.

... I hate that he used his “paralyzing fear” for like 10 minutes and decided not to strike once. Moving at the pace of a snail. (But again, Freedy coming to save Anne was *chef kiss*)

4) The dream sequence with Wonder Woman really wasn’t well executed. It didn't had any service (it does not foreshadow, doesn't show or explain anything new) except conveying the wizard message. It took time away from other things that would had benefit from a longer time. In general, I do not know how I feel about Wonder Woman here. It only very conveniently solves one problem but back pedals all the consequences we had during this movie.

And hey, I know its unrealistic to think Shazam would be dead for longer than 2 minutes but giving Athena back her powers? why?

And that's it! Other than that I think I don't had any troubles with the movie. It was fun, packed of action and had good emotional moments and I specially like how this is direct consequence from the last movie!

[hjellacott]

Happy birthday Jo! (And Harry!)

Today my role-model turns 58, and The Boy Who Lived, 43.

You don't always get lucky that the people you love for subjective reasons become even better for objective reasons, but we did. I admire other authors, characters, actors, but sometimes they do things I frown upon, things I can't defend, and yet, it isn't the case with Jo. With her, I can breathe in peace knowing what she does will always be for the benefit of those who need a hero the most.

Harry was a hero for any of us who have known terrible loss, and taught us to make the best out of shit situations, to look at the bright side of things — consider your friends, choose your own family, fight for things you believe in — and to be brave and persistent, to stay true to yourself, to be selfless and kind, to be heroes of our own stories. To me, he's one of the most humane and extraordinary characters I've known, with tremendous depth, someone that is heroic not because he wants to be, not out of a deep desire of protagonism or power, or because he likes the limelight, but because he makes the best our of every difficult choice, and he tries to do the right thing. He's so deeply flawed, but always within logic (i.e. when he isolates himself from his friends because for 11 years he never had any and it's still hard to know what to do with them), and then he raises above his challenges, even the self-imposed ones.

In the Harry Potter books I found solace through a sometimes miserable childhood, again through more and more loss, and again in times of Covid. I found advice, I found the friendly words I needed, I found courage and inspiration, I found good old friends — and realised Hogwarts would, indeed, always be there when I needed it, even twenty plus years on.

Harry's story almost seems to mirror Joanne Rowling's. She knew incredible adversity and overcame it, and like Harry, she found true love, she made a family of her own, she found a place she could call home and true friends to stand beside her. And after all the success she's known, she's always giving back to us. This is a summary of some of her charitable work:

About 16% of her wealth in 2011 went to organisations fighting worldwide poverty, something that she's continued doing year after year.

Various work with Amnesty International.

The Ickabog royalties went to supporting charities that supported vulnerable groups affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

J.K. Rowling is Founder and President of Lumos, an international children’s charity fighting for every child’s right to a family by transforming care systems around the world. Lumos sheds light on the root causes of family separation and demonstrates that children can safely be united with loving families that help them thrive.

The Anne Rowling Clinic was founded by a donation from J.K. Rowling in 2010 in memory of her mother Anne.  The Clinic delivers clinical care and research to improve the lives of people with degenerative conditions affecting the brain, as well as hosting specialist NHS clinics for these conditions.  Jo continues to fund MS research exclusively through the Anne Rowling Clinic.

J.K. Rowling's charitable trust, Volant, which she set up in 2000 to administer grants to charities, to alleviate social deprivation particularly affecting women and children.

She's also created Beira's Place, a service for victims of sexual violence, focused on women (including trans men with female sexual organs).

Additionally, substantial donations to charity in the form of book royalties.  Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages are sold in aid of Comic Relief and Lumos, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard is sold in aid of Lumos. Royalties from The Ickabog go to Volant, to help support vulnerable groups who’ve been particularly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, in the UK and internationally.

And then J.K. Rowling is a decorated social warrior, standing up for children, for homeless, for people who've suffered major disaster in life, and for women, doing anything and everything for us even when she meets opposition. She never gives up.

Thank you, Jo. You're my hero. Thank you for your hard work, and for the stories that will keep your memory and your activism alive, long after you're gone. Thank you for making my days so much brighter. Wishing you and Harry a wholesome day of much-deserved joy and laughter. HAPPY BIRTHDAE!!!