#duvall also... i'm sure..

[humanmorph]

my friend is doing a show & tell for his birthday (with powerpoints and presentations and such) and i can't make it bc of timezones. killing meeee it's such a good chance to talk about beloved actual play podcast Friends at the Table, or, even more compelling to me, a niche topic or specific character within beloved actual play podcast Friends at the Table

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Fictional Writer

Jamie Lee Curtis: hello midnight society King: jamie lee curtis! oh wow! King: i loved you in Shelley Duvall's Tall Tales & Legends Curtis: oh yeah i was in that Curtis: sorry that's not usually what people recognize me from King: why? what else have you been in? Curtis:

Curtis: i was in halloween King: oh yeah! i loved that! John Carpenter: you hated it when it came out King: well now i love it! Carpenter: Carpenter: god damn son of a bitch

Curtis: and i was in the fog King: oh yeah! i loved that! Carpenter: you hated it when it came out! King: well now i love it Carpenter: GOD DAMN SON OF A BITCH!!

Poe: what brings you here, jamie lee curtis? Curtis: well, i have a relative who wants to be a fictional horror writer Curtis: so i was hoping you guys could give them some ideas Poe: King: Lovecraft: Barker: Koontz: Poe: a fictional horror writer?

Poe: when you say a fictional horror writer, do you mean a writer of horror fiction or do you mean they don't exist, like they're making up a character who's a horror writer or...? Curtis: yes

Poe: well jamie lee curtis i think it would be best if your relative came up with their own ideas Poe: that is a big part of being a writer Koontz: OH OH OH Koontz: have they considered writing a story about a dog?

Curtis: tell me more Koontz: ok so what if there was a dog that was so good that everyone loved her and petted her and this dog was named trixie Curtis: ok Koontz: trixie is my dog's name Curtis: ok Koontz: i named her after my dog Curtis: ok Koontz: if you use this idea, you have to keep the name

Curtis: ok but where does the horror element come in? Koontz: what if the dog had to fight an evil monkey? Koontz: an evil monkey who was jealous of the dog cuz the dog was so cool??? Koontz: also the dog is super smart Curtis: i love it! King: dean don't give away your best idea for free!

King: dean don't just give away your best idea! King: especially not to a fictional writer who doesn't exist! Poe: steve i'm pretty sure she just meant "fiction writer" not a writer who doesn't exist King: oh i thought she meant like a george stark situation Curtis: tell me more about george stark

King: oh well george stark was the evil alter ego of a fiction writer in the dark half and Poe: steve King: and he becomes real after thad beaumont Poe: steve King: what? Poe: King: oh! King: oh you almost got me, jamie lee curtis! King: well played

[miyakuli]

Visit to Ellipse Studio (Belfort and Lupin)

Hello guys :) as promised I would like to share the experience I had yesterday because that was such a special and lovely day.

So as you know, I've been invited by the animation director of B&L, Philippe Duval, to come visit and just talk about the show. First of all, Philippe has a heart of gold (;v;) he is so friendly and it was just so easy to talk about B&L but also any subjects. I really spent an amazing day and it's really bcs of his kindness <3 and I could even meet other animators working on other shows and they welcomed me with lots of warmth and smiles :)

Philippe showed me so many things related to the creation of the show, like old versions of characters or ideas for future characters, also how they worked with Versailles, I even got details about the musical part of the show... my mind could have exploded haha I was so curious about everything and to learn about it was so fulfilling!!! (*v*)

I can't say much as things aren't supposed to be made public at the moment. But I can confirm some things without going into details.

Is the show queer friendly? yes, never doubt that, be free to interpret it as you wish :) will the show be dubbed in other countries? officially yes, there are discussions already to broadcast it in European countries like Poland, Germany... maybe even Russian bcs some things are still under discussion. Will it have a season 2? hopefully yes, but they still wait for a sign from the prod & broadcaster.

I even got to watch the last episode of the season, The Big Bad Wolf, alongside the adorable Philippe. I know some of you haven't watched it yet bcs it's only available on RTBF . Well, that was intense xD and I really think they made the right choice to pick this one to end the season. It gathers everything we love about the show, and it ends in one of the most emotional moment of all s1 (;v;)

I may share a lil anecdote later about that too ;D (got the permission from Philippe but want the green light from Teddy as well to be sure!). I'll edit that part later if needed ;)

I just want to end by saying that, it's not a surprise when a show makes you feel that good, bcs its positivity and cuteness and important message, that behind it you will find passionate & kind people. And I'm not talking only about Teddy & Philippe, but also the other animators (my cutie Clem is a pearl) or even the actors, the compositor etc, etc... all the team!

It's a show about love, made with love by lovely people.

And in a shitty time like now, that's important and we all need a bit of that in our lives imo :')

I'm so much thankful for the opportunity and so happy that Belfort & Lupin exists, and gets love from around the world <3 And now I have a little bit of Versailles with me hehe~

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 1/7/2025

in which we embark upon a progamme of reading for our edification

listening

this was the first song of the year-- felt a little melancholy and a lot sleepy after watching the first movie of the year and this fit the vibe.

-

reading

as a user, i think the magic link system is very annoying, but i also get that they don't want to fuck around with holding and protecting user data. they have been very firm but polite about various bells and whistles people want added to their site that do not contribute to their main goal of reporting various news beats. i DO really appreciate how they put in the time to create a private RSS feed for subscribers with the full text of all the articles so you don't have to log in with the magic link every time, or rather i will really appreciate this once i have a job and can subscribe.

i need to set myself a project and i keep forgetting i moved all this vintage gay and lesbian erotica from massachusetts down to texas with me, so we're going to read one a week until i get bored or we (heaven forbid) run out of gay or lesbian erotica.

the second purpose, and look, i hate the word normalized, but texas politicians are constantly working themselves into a screaming froth about protecting children from gay sex and gay books. i think we can look at various gay sex books each week in a calm and reasonable manner and ask the normal questions i try to ask of every work discussed in the tuesdayposts. since moving, my instinct is to be more stealth and less visibly gay, which is not the way i would like to live. this is the absolute babiest of baby steps since the tuesdayposts (to date) have never put me in any physical danger.

the main questions i will be trying to answer each week are:

is there anything cool about the physical object?

what's the author's deal?

did i like it/did it deliver on its premise?

the sex?

i don't know. chime in if there's some fifth thing you want regularly answered?

this is a 1997 british-printed perfect-bound paperback by The Gay Men's Press (a short history by one of the founders here). i'm not sure if this copy had ever been read, because i managed to break the spine in a very ugly way while trying to gently break the book in. this is either from a goodwill just over the border in ct or from bookends in florence (which you should go visit if you're ever in western ma, one of the few brick and mortar lesbian bookstores in the country).

not for me but i appreciate what it is and what it's trying to do. i have very rarely read something so clearly written by an author for an audience of themselves.

Growing up at a coaching inn on the Great North Road in the early 1700s, young Davy Gadd is enthralled by tales of the greatest of highwaymen, Claude Duval. Seeking his fortune in London, he is entangled in the machinations of Under City Marshal Charles Hitchin and the infamous Jonathan Wild, in their battle to divide up the spoils of the criminal underworld. At last, equipped with horse, pistols and velvet mask, he sets out as a Gentleman of the Road. But not before he has been loved by a Jacobite lord, dressed up by Lucinda and Aunty Mary, and been married at Mother Clap's Molly House. And at the end of the road, will he Pass into Legend, or does his fate lead to Tyburn tree, where so many glamorous adventurers have been hanged?

i think i would have enjoyed this book more if i were a gay man, really into daniel defoe, stuart restoration/early georgian england or very specific bits of historic london nightlife history. there are three hundred and sixty eight of god's own pages and we certainly do meander. it is a little bit of a slog in the dissatisfied middle portion of our hero Davy's young adulthood, but you are rewarded for sticking with it by all the important threads getting neatly tied off. it wraps up nicely if bittersweetly. the ending deals with community and vulnerability in a way that makes sense for a book written by a gay man in 1997. i wish i could explain my thoughts on this better. i think it is a perfectly fine ending that suits the book but again, overall, the book is not for me.

there is period-typical homophobia and gay bashing, but very little of it actually affects Davy. he is generally in fear for his life bc of some crime he committed unrelated to being gay. i think this is a pretty sensible way to make sure your historically accurate novel remains fairly historically accurate without being a fucking downer to write and read. on a related dealbreaker for many people, there is a good deal of phonetic dialect in this book, although it is mostly relegated to dialogue and slangy or shortened forms of words in dialogue spoken by people more connected to the criminal underclass.

i wrote all that and then i had to employ some stringent search techniques to find out anything about the author, who was not a very public person, and his feelings about homophobia vs historical accuracy. about three quarters of the way through this 1997 article about gay fiction from The Independent (interview conducted by letter!) we discover he also considers this a fine line to walk, and perhaps the only paragraph on the internet about his background

"The greatest influences on my writing to begin with were the swashbuckling films which I saw as a child in the Fifties," he says. "Errol Flynn and Stewart Grainger were particular heroes. Also around that time, John Buchan, whose Richard Hannay says, 'I have always had a boy's weakness for a yarn.' Later I acquired an English degree, and was influenced by medieval and Elizabethan literature, Thomas Hardy, Dickens, various historical novelists, Mary Renault and Daphne du Maurier."

"but kay, what about the sex?" my dear readers are probably crying out right now. i don't think this is a great book to jerk off to, even if you are a gay man and not a bisexual woman with the briefest passing familiarity about various periods of english history. davy fucks, a lot, don't get me wrong-- the fucks are not generally instrumental in driving the plot forward or delivering cool facts about london so they're all quite short, usually less than a page.

i don't know if including an example of a sex scene is interesting or useful information to anyone else but it feels strange Not to include it in a reading project about gay and lesbian erotica? gentle reader, i would love to hear your thoughts

-

watching

at about 11:30 PM on new year's eve i like to start a new-to-me black and white classic film to take me into the new year. this year's was Filibus (1915, dir. Roncoroni, widely available in various niceties of restoration)

summary from wiki:

Filibus is a 1915 Italian silent adventure film directed by Mario Roncoroni and written by the future science fiction author Giovanni Bertinetti (it). It features Valeria Creti (fr) as the title character, a mysterious sky pirate who makes daring heists with her technologically advanced airship. When an esteemed detective sets out on her trail, she begins an elaborate game of cat and mouse with him, slipping between various male and female identities to romance the detective's sister and stage a midnight theft of a pair of valuable diamonds.

i found out about this film through the @hotvintagepoll scrungly poll, and i think Valeria Creti should have gone all the fuckin way. girl hobbyist detective/nobleman by day, gadget-loving gentleman thief by night. i support women's wrongs, and she causes so so many of them on purpose. there are some things that carbon date a film, like russian antagonists or gland problems, and this film is carbon dated by sleepwalking as a serious psychological event. she comes very close to taking a detective completely out of the policing game by drugging him and staging elaborate series of events to plant evidence that he did all her crimes while sleepwalking.

she LOVES being in boy mode and she's very good at it! it's never treated as a joke! she stages a rescue of the detective's sister in order to gain access to his house, but then the actual building of the relationship and courtship is completely on her own merits and charm!

this is a charming (if poorly paced for viewing all in one sitting) early gay serial film. if i saw this in the cinema in 1915 i would have been institutionalized for imitating filibus

-

playing

genshin is not feeling as jazzy or fun lately. i think i have two issues. one is that Fontaine, the last major nation's main questline was a truly delightfully crafted (and fair! we had all the pieces just not all the context) murder mystery with a lot of lore. this nation, Natlan, is functionally a sports anime. not that one genre is better or more complex than the other, it's just. different. and recalibrating my expectations has been a little wonky.

the second kind of weird calibration thing is the rate of additions to the world map. genshin runs on a six-week update cycle, where every six weeks you get something major and new to progress the game story. usually there are nine patches, starting at X.0 and going up to X.8. you iterate up a full number with major patches introducing a new land, so with the introduction of Natlan we started the 5.X patch cycle and left Fontaine's 4.X cycle behind.

this is important bc there's usually there's new and fun and exciting stuff and puzzles to solve and new challenges only when they add to the map. in the 5.X patch cycle, there have only been two map expansions: one in 5.0 introducing the land, and one addition about doubling the map in 5.2. 5.3 dropped last week, where the main storyline of the nation typically wraps itself up in the last map update and then we get to fuck around in bonus areas or seasonal events. for example, in the last three nations, so from updates 2.0-4.2, there are typically three big map updates in a row that unlock the entire base map of whatever country we're in, no new map content for a patch, a new bonus area related to whatever area we're in, another break, and then a seasonal map, and then three more updates with no new maps but new events or new battle modes. for natlan, we're essentially "behind" unlocking a chunk of the map.

let's go to the maps: the last nation Fontaine's first introduction in 4.0 (these are all from IGN, they are not to scale with each other):

the second update in 4.1:

the third and final main map update in 4.2:

introduction of natlan in 5.0 on the right (these two screenshots i took are to scale with each other), no underwater regions or major underground areas in this one:

no map update in 5.1. second major map update in 5.2 on the left here, still no major underwater or underground regions. we are currently in 5.3 with no map update, with maybe the third and final map update in 5.4?

again, the problem with No New Map is that typically in genshin you go to new places to unlock more of the story. we're "behind" a map update, if you will. they've kind of shoehorned new story into existing map, and shoehorned new bosses into the existing map, which is very strange and makes the nation feel so much smaller and more limited than other nations.

it feels a lot like part of the map update we got in 4.2, ochkanatlan, an abandoned island city somewhat removed from the rest of the map, was supposed to be the bonus area map, but they didn't have enough ready? the 4.2 update also felt very medium sized- at this point in Fontaine we'd unlocked the Fortress and Institute, which really blow the dragon city right off the island with regards to complexity of exploration and length of quests. it's not really anywhere near the complexity or length of the first desert map expansion in Sumeru, which was honestly a really crazy thing to drop all at once. i will not be putting more nation map screenshots up here bc of the image limit but the desert in sumeru is ENORMOUS and it has an equally enormous underground labyrinth!

not my favorite nation so far! a little bit of it is recency bias bc Fontaine was SO good and is overall my favorite, but it feels off lately. i don't know if the really punishing every six weeks updates are finally catching up to the parent company, or if they're really deep in preproduction for the next land (it Feels like they're going to split the next land into two different X.0 update cycles. there's a lot of chatter in game from NPCs about how different and weird the next port is compared to the rest of the country. i could easily see them building that out to two major updates like natlan and then saving the bulk of the country for the next X.0 update in another year).

-

making

bathrobe surgery under the armhole.

ive had this red/black/blue tattersall plaid in light cotton since high school, best guesstimate based on the tag style is early to mid sixties?

this thing is Solid. it is perhaps the most nicely constructed garment i own. every seam is a narrow, tidy french seam. the underside of the collar is lightly quilted to give it some body and make it stay down, and it has a facing over the top to make it look not quilted from the front. it has The best waist tie arrangement i've ever seen, with a tiny strap on the underside of the tie to permanently hold it to the belt loops but still give you a little bit of play.

it is so beloved that it's starting to completely wear through on the shoulders, and i have to think about how to patch it without losing any of the light breathable qualities i love it so much for.

[nathaniel-underwood-is-an-intj]

Post Ptolemy's Gate ramble

So I just finished Ptolemy's Gate, thoughts are a bit all over the place and aside from mentioning the obvious I thought I'd dump some thoughts here.

Piper's apathy certainly shocked me. I know she's stressed running the council and she's got loads of organisation to do but oof she sure did come across as cold in her conversation with Kitty. Kitty has that kind of apathetic resignation of grief but it really felt like Piper had already put it behind her despite it only being two days before. Her boss that she worked for died horribly to save them all and she didn't even seem to share a quiet moment of grief with Kitty idk it just felt a little brutal 😅 I had an impression of her being really sweet so I was a bit taken aback.

One thing that really stood out to me was Nathaniel's apathy to the situation, I found it really interesting. I guess something could be said about it being the magician in him.

Nathaniel really has this duality to him, the obvious being Nat vs John Mandrake and of course Nat + Bartimaeus but in chapter 36 part ii something that caught my attention

'it was the feeling of consummate superiority, the delight of power weilded without peril. He danced beneath the night sky, smiting down his enemies.'

It already seems as if he's being elevated to something other- a martyr perhaps, except martyrs have causes and ideals, they do something because they have a strong belief in their justness. And Nathaniel:

'He felt aloof disconnected and alone. If his hatred for demons he had killed was dull and almost matter-of-fact, so was his sympathy for the people whose lives he saved.'

So he seems almost like an avenging angel, I love the religious imagery, especially because it seems to call back to Bartimaeus comparing his body to a holy mosque. But also divine rage is the driving force for an avenging angel and he's no longer even angry at the destruction caused.

'Pride spurred him on.' this almost makes him seem God-like?? His sole motivator is the pride of a deity, and I love that. But it's also just very true to him as a boy, pride spurred him on against Lovelace and against Duval and Whitwell.

When he's alone with Bartimaeus he's taken on this air of not being entirely human. He feels alone and solitary from everything including humaity. But when he rejoins Kitty, Piper and the rest of the magicians waiting for him he's reinvigorated - 'he felt a surge of joyful impatience - 'he would detroy Nouda, rescue the commoners and return to Kitty.' it seems as though he has to be surrounded by people to remind himself he's one of them. It could be seen as an effect of sharing a mind with Bartimaeus, but of course it could be Nathaniel's own human pride and his memories of being othered even as a child. Just gives the impression of this human / higher entity duality.

But also I partly got the impression that this hints to depression- I'm sure it's hardly out of the realm of possibility for Nat to have it. Though it's never stated I think several moments in the books make a good argument for it, including the above- just the numbness to everything. And I guess the sudden change in demeanor at 'surge of joyful impatience' can be read as hopefulness, but it reminded me of the saying that when people have decided to follow through on their s*icidal ideation they come across as happy and like a weight has been lifted from them. Nathaniel is impressively calm for someone who realises he's gravely injured. And while he can be seen as a martyr or hero for his final actions, the hollowness he felt at that moment gives it a more bitter edge.

I think it's made even more sad when compared to Anthony Lockwood, who has that same sense of pride - because he's trying to make his dead parents proud and because he's trying to hide the fact that he doesn't like himself very much. Nathaniel gives this same impression. And Lockwood at the end had reason to be proud, he uncovered a huge conspiracy, his agency became the most famous in London. And Nathaniel had reason to be proud; he's managing to wield the staff of his childhood hero, something he had dreamed of doing, he's had the bravery to unite with a spirit and he's going to take down the biggest threat to London.

But Lockwood gets something Nathaniel doesn't-

There's this subtle idea seen through Lucy's eyes that Lockwood's biggest achievement was fighting through his s*icidal ideation and discovering he has something to live for, even just seeing his friends again.

And Nathaniel just doesn't get that moment.

He sort of acknowledges that he doesn't have to be a powerful leader, that he doesn't need his colleagues approval, that he doesn't need to erase the fear the commoners have of him and other magicians, but without these things he doesn't know what to do with himself. He has no plan for the future, because even before he's injured the idea of a future doesn't seem to have much appeal to him. He already appears to have given up on trying to uncover who Nathaniel is, depite finally having the opportunity to. Like after everything- being beaten, the fear of his colleagues trying to harm him and burying himself in the John Mandrake persona to protect his sensitive side- he doesn't want to uncover the remnants of that boy because he's worried it'll be too difficult to put himself back together.

Or maybe he feels that he already has discovered who Nathaniel is, a deeply unhappy, hollow shell of a person, whose personality has been pulled in so many directions he no longer has a sense of self. He's been stripped back to the barest version of himself and found he doesn't even have the foundations upon which to rebuild himsef. Like discovering dry rot in your walls and you keep pulling and pulling bits of rotting wood away from the home until you've finally got it all, only to realise the house has come down around you- there's nothing left.

He doesn't get this moment where he works through his trauma, where he realises he has a support system, where he realises he's loved. I don't know if Nathaniel ever really knew what it felt like to be loved. I don't think he did. Ptolemy's death was awful and heartbreaking but his short life was filled with affection. And Lockwood realises people do care about him, depite being told that no one does. It hurts so much that Nat felt isolated and alone his whole life, right up to the last minute. Potential love confessions aside, Nathaniel never got a chance to sit and bathe in the warmness of affection. Like Bartimaeus tells him, it's about 'being not doing.' Nathaniel never got to understand the importance of just being, of simply existing as himself or of being happy. He constantly had to be working on the next goal, the next plan, because if he stops working he'll be forced to sit with his thoughts and realise how unhappy he is. And the thought of that is just too much to bear, it's so much easier to give in.

The ending gave the impression of being very romantic, while sad. Nathaniel gets to be remembered as a hero and never has to confront the consequences of his actions with wars in Europe and America that he had a direct role in. Acknowledging his role and dealing with fallout are two very different mountains to climb. And I think that idea of dying like a hero perfectly appeals to Nathaniel's prideful tendencies, and maybe he views it that way to hide the fact it's a convenient way out of his unhappiness and confronting what he's done. It's quite interesting to see that after he's been stripped back to nothing and can't figure out who or what he wants to be if he gets the chance, he still has that vanity and arrogance to him- despite not really being good character traits, they're so authentically Nathaniel, he's been that way right from the start and it's nice little peak of the real him at the end, being so humanly flawed.

[littleoddwriter]

My Personal Recap of the HorrorCon Germany 2025 (+ meeting Costas Mandylor and James Duval)

On the past weekend (April 19-20), my sister and I attended the HorrorCon Germany at the Confertainment Center of the Europa-Park in Rust. We were also at the same convention last year, which I posted about a little bit, too (only that it was at Messe Freiburg last year). Then, it was the first of its kind, marking this to be its second! And they improved a lot! They were definitely listening to the feedback they've gotten last year, which is great!

Overall, the convention was wonderful again. It just kind of feels like coming home to me because that's what the horror genre and its community is to me, personally. <3

And for the first time in like 7 years, I was cosplaying again! On both days, I cosplayed (human) Glen from season 2 of the Chucky TV series! It was a challenge for me on a personal level, but I'm happy I did it!

About the convention: They had a pretty full programme this time, and I had no chance to catch all of it, which fills me with a little regret, but alas! I'll be sure to manage my own time and attention better next year, then! But they sure as hell offered a lot more things that should speak to more people with all different kinds of interest in horror, considering that horror is one of the broadest genres there is. For example, one of their sponsors -- Traumatica -- had a whole scare attraction you could attend for 6 Euros; they also put on a lot of different kinds of horror short films in a separate room, free of extra charge; they had the star guest panels, of course, and a cosplay contest again - just to name a few things of the programme.

Lots of dealers, authors, and especially artists (including tattoo artists - yes, you could spontaneously get a tattoo at the convention!) again, which is always great to see because artists made up the majority of people you could buy things from!

Most excitingly -- for me -- this year was the fact that Costas Mandylor (Det. Mark Hoffman from the Saw franchise - for example) and James Duval (Frank from Donnie Darko - for example) attended the convention! And I got to meet them both! They're some of the loveliest people I've ever met, oh, my goodness! <3 If you ever get the chance to meet either of them (and you want to), please do. They're worth every second and every penny! <3

On Saturday, Costas Mandylor had his panel and photo op shortly after, both of which I attended. It was great to hear him talk and tell us stories about his life, his work, people he admires, etc. He also - very offhandedly - mentioned almost dying about two weeks ago, which was a little terrifying, to be honest! He wouldn't elaborate on that, which is totally fair, of course, but man... I'm grateful he's still here and attended the convention anyway. He had every reason to cancel on short notice, after all! Anyway, one thing I loved most about his panel was that at one point he talked about how he's always protected others and will continue to do so because the innocents need to be protected, as he said. And he specifically counted off the usual, as one does, "I don't care if you're straight, gay, [...]" but what stuck with me and means so much to me is that he also mentioned trans people in this. So many people very often start with straight, gay, and then move on to something else. A lot of open-minded people tend to still be close-minded toward trans people and never mention them in their little speeches or actions. He did. And it means something to me, as a trans person. I told him that on Sunday. But more on that later!

Oh! And he also mentioned that - to his knowledge - Saw XI was still only delayed, not fully cancelled. And there's a very clear interest in Saw XI from the audience, myself included. When it was time for his photo op, he actually walked down the line waiting for him and filmed us shouting for Saw XI. He told us to say, "Saw 11, please!", and we did. He filmed it, and he sent it to the producers (not only did he tell us that he would, but someone at the front of the line actually saw him do it!), and hopefully, if they get more evidence of this interest in the movie, it'll be made eventually! Costas told us to keep being loud about it. The industry has gotten a lot tougher over the years, and if we want to see something we need to be loud about our want for it. So, be loud! Never shut up about Saw XI! <3

Anyway, yes, so. The photo op! I was very excited and nervous, but he's just the biggest sweetheart. I've been rehearsing how to best ask for a hug from him for the photo since his attendance at the con was announced last year. Turns out, I didn't even have to ask! I walked up to him, he greeted me with the sweetest voice and words, and opened his arms wide for me. I took him up on that, and my goodness, he hugged me sooo tightly. And his embrace only got tighter the longer it went on!!! I felt his arms around me for a little while after, it was perfect... <3

Onto Sunday! So, actually, on Saturday, I spontaneously decided to get an autograph and selfie from James Duval (on Sunday, then), after all (I wasn't sure at first because I tried to spare as much money as possible, lol). And I wanted to give something back to both him and Costas when I'd get their autographs, so I decided to draw something for them. Since it was rather spontaneous, and I've also been struggling with drawing/making any kind of art for the past... years, really, I didn't have anything yet. Thus, I quickly drew something for him on that Saturday evening (and for Costas, too; although, I tried again on Sunday morning and actually finished it there!).

Anyway! Here are the drawings I made:

I went to James first thing on Sunday, shortly before his panel. And... oh, my! Never in my dreams did I expect the reaction James had to my drawing for him! He was so surprised by it and so touched. He immediately rounded the table to hug me tight to thank me, kept telling me how great this drawing was, and that he was so incredibly grateful. He also told me that he was going to send it to the director of Donnie Darko, Richard Kelly, because - according to James - he still feels insecure about the movie and doesn't seem to realise the incredible impact it has had on people. Oh, and he insisted on having my drawing in our photo, and he said he'll frame it, which I'm inclined to believe after somebody told me that James kept showing off my drawing to people the entire day! Such a huge compliment, really, and I'm so grateful for this experience! <3

Afterwards, as mentioned above, James had his panel. And it was great! He's such an intelligent guy, very philosophical, and full of wisdom. All of the things he said resonated with me (and most of us who were there, actually), and he was only speaking facts, too! Because what he was saying are things you learn in therapy, as well. It was really interesting to hear him talk about how he learned to live differently by meeting all different kinds of people that he's always looked up to, until he became that very person himself over the years, basically.

I won't go into all the details here, but it all boils down to: being present, not letting fear take over your life and away from possibilities, and not letting the dark and hard times overshadow the light and beautiful ones - because just like nature, our lives are full of natural cycles; and if there's darkness, there'll be light again. And yes, it always seems easy for others to say that, but like I also mentioned, this is exactly what you learn in therapy, really. Those things are the essentials of working on yourself with the help of therapy. I'm still very much in the middle of that myself, and it's beyond difficult because "outside" forces do exist and make it harder to get where I want to be; but that doesn't make any of these things less true and achievable eventually. James himself said that he didn't believe that he'd live past 21, but he's 52 now, and sharing his experiences and wisdom with all of us because he knows that we can make it, too. And I appreciate that more than I can really put into words here.

Generally, James Duval is a really great guy! It's actually kind of unbelievable because we just stood there with him, at his booth, and talked to him for over an hour (long after his panel). We would and could have talked to him for even longer, until the convention ended, because he simply kept talking to us while we were standing there. He showed us photos on his phone, videos from Instagram that he likes, sang a song to us, showed us his cats, and so much more. He's so easy to talk to and enjoy your time with that it was easy to forget that he's not our friend that we've known a long time, but an actor we were excited to meet and paid to have photos with and autographs from (which he also tends to give away for free, by the way, and he got in trouble for doing so, lol!). But yeah, being able to casually have a conversation with him at his booth when he was there and not busy was truly amazing!

Sometime during the day, I also finally got my autograph from Costas, who was unfortunately a little distracted when I went up to him, which is something I regret because there were better timings for it, and I should have just waited until later. But alas, I can't change the past! (Also, I need to reiterate that this isn't his fault, he's only human, and he seemed to be under some kind of pressure at that time, and one of the crew members kept talking to him, so there was definitely something that kept his attention away from us at that moment.) Nonetheless, he did take his time with me, complimented my drawing, put a lot of effort into the autograph (he realised the pen was too thick and kept going over everything to make sure it's still neat and worth the money I paid), and was generally as much of a sweetheart as usual! Just a little distracted, like I said, because he's normally very energetic and attentive, which he wasn't when I was getting my autograph. Anyway, I asked him to sign my photo with him from Saturday!

Later in the day, after we talked to James for about an hour, Costas was back in his booth and seemed in a much better mood again, you know, like his usual self that we got to see at the con on both days. And as I had mentioned somewhere above, I told him about how much his mention of trans people in his little speech meant to me. This was when I did that because I got tongue-tied during my autograph and the way he was obviously distracted put me off and made me feel insecure about wasting even more of his time (because yeah, very irrationally, I somehow convinced myself that it was my fault, lol), and my sister encouraged me to tell him what I wanted to when we saw that there was nobody in line for him when we were about to leave to watch the cosplay contest.

So, I gathered all of my courage and went up to him. He immediately put us at ease, seemed in his usual energetic and attentive state, and beckoned us to talk to him. I told him what I wanted to say, and he talked to us some more about that, James also chimed in about how trans people belong in this world because that is what true freedom is about (and he's right!), and then Costas told us to take care of each other, that he loves us, and made some air kisses to us! And that really saved me from spiralling further after the autograph with him, which sounds silly, but that's how it is. I'm grateful that my sister encouraged me to go up to him again, and that he's the way he is, because... wow! <3

Anyway! Like I mentioned, we then went off to watch the cosplay contest, which was cool, and then we left shortly after all of that was done because the convention was ending very soon, then, anyway, and we both had massive headaches, unfortunately. All in all, it was an amazing experience that I'm incredibly grateful for!<3

[aliusfrater]

if you could've casted anyone as any role (existing or new) in supernatural, who as who, and why

rachel true as amelia richardson because i think the characters i've seen her play before have the same generously headstrong spirit as amelia. also i'd looove to see jared act with her :)

james duval as lucifer!vince vincente because he does camp really really well

lea thompson as literally Anyone because she has that 80s quintessential Look that belongs in the pop culture context supernatural is desperately always trying to replicate

alexandra daddario as a recurring character like claire or alex mainly because i remember expecting her to show up at some point when i was watching spn for the first time. i'm not sure why tbh

eric stoltz as the president that lucifer possessed and impregnated because sister sister (1987)

diane lane could've been a good jodie 🤔 but i love kim rhodes

that's all i can think of. i'm realising i'm not super actor-pilled

[lonerwolff]

𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋 ⌇𝑙𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑤𝑠

you can also read this story on @lonerwolff on wp and ao3 !

warnings: none

author's note⭑.ᐟ short and kinda ugly chapter sorry! i'm working on the next one rn.

chapter 8: Carol

previous chapter | next chapter

CAROL DUVAL sat on the couch, absentmindedly folding a towel; beside her, her husband, Charles, leaned back against the cushions, flipping through a newspaper. The tv played some sitcom they both had little interest in, simply used as background noise.

The screen glitched, the show being cut mid-sentence, the news reporter face popping up on the screen making Charles groan, lowering the newspaper. "Oh come on," he muttered. "Right in the middle of the damn show?"

Carol barely heard him; her hands stilling over the fabric.

"We interrupt this program to bring you shocking news," the woman on the screen continued, her expression tense. "A plane carrying the New Jersey state soccer champions, the Yellowjackets, has mysteriously disappeared. The aircraft was on route to Nationals in Seattle when all contact was lost approximately three hours into the flight. Authorities have begun a search and rescue operation, but at this time, there has been no sign of the plane."

Carol's grip on the towel tightened, the fabric wrinkling beneath her trembling fingers. She didn't blink, breathe, or move. It was like she had turned into stone, her ears ringing so loudly that she almost didn't hear the next words of the reporter.

"families are being notified, and officials are urging the public to remain hopeful as search efforts continue."

Charles sat forward, his newspaper slipping from his grasp, forgotten. His brow furrowed as if he had misheard, as if this were some mistake. "What?" he muttered under his breath, but his voice barely reached above a whisper.

"No." The towel slipped from Carol's hands as she stumbled forward, gripping the armrest to steady herself. "No," she said again, her voice trembling. "No, no, no..." Her chest tightened as the crushing reality settled over her.

The last time she saw Daisy, she didn't even look at her— she didn't even say goodbye; even when she tried to kiss her cheek, she moved.

Charles reached for her, and she clutched at his arms, burying her face against his chest, the tears spilling freely now. "My baby," she sobbed. "My sweet baby."

Charles held her, his grip firm even when his own breath came unsteady. His head was spinning as he tried to make sense of the impossible. There was no way. "We don't know anything yet," he murmured, slightly rocking his wife. He tried to remain calm, to suppress the fear—the reality of the situation. "I'm sure they'll find them."

Tears spilled down her cheeks, hot and fast. Her entire body trembled, and she clutched onto him like he was the only thing keeping her from collapsing completely. "I didn't even say goodbye," she sobbed, pressing her face against his chest. "I told her- I told her I didn't want to see her face." Her voice cracked, guilt evident. "And now...now she's gone, Charles."

Charles swallowed hard, his throat tight. He shut his eyes for a brief moment, pressing a hand against the back of Carol's head, holding her as she cried. He forced himself to take a deep breath, his grip firm as he pulled her closer. "They'll find them," he murmured, his voice quiet but convincing. "They have to."

But what if they didn't? What if Daisy never came home? And what if the last thing she'll ever hear from her parents was how disappointed in her they were?

Carol gripped his shirt so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She continued to think about how she had let her daughter leave without a goodbye, a hug, or a simple 'I love you'. And now, she might never get the chance to say it ever again.

EVERYONE STOOD in circle around the makeshift graves. It had been three days since the crash, and still, no one was there to bring them home. But that didn't stop Daisy from hoping. She hugged her arms around herself, staring down at the cardboards, and pieces of metal with the names of the victims.

Van cleared her throat, her voice unsteady. "Before we took off, I heard Rachel say that she was going to see Oasis at the Meadowlands next month. She was really excited." She paused, blinking rapidly. "And she's never gonna hear 'Wonderwall' again."

The words stung. The blonde swallowed against the lump in her throat, her eyes burning. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair.

Everyone stayed silent, until Laura Lee spoke up, "Come on, let's join hands." She reached for Shauna and Tai beside her. "We'll pray for them."

Daisy hesitated for just a moment before taking Van's hand in one of hers and Javi's in the other. Van's grip was strong, almost hurting her wrist. Javi's was smaller, slightly trembling.

Laura Lee cleared her throat. "Rachel, you just moved up from JV, so we didn't really know you," she began. "But in Trig, you never confused your secants and your cosecants. You seemed really smart."

Daisy bit her lip, trying to think of something to add. But how well had she really known Rachel? They shared a few classes and exchanged a few words at practice. That was it. And now, that would always be it.

"Anyone else?"

"I saw her carry a flute case once," Van blurted, her voice cracking.

Laura Lee nodded solemnly. "Oh Lord, please accept Rachel Goldman into your arms so that she may fill your kingdom with music."

Daisy bowed her head, squeezing Javi's hand as Laura Lee continued. "Please accept Coach Martinez into your glory too." Javi tensed beside her, and Daisy rubbed smoothing circles over the back of his hand, hoping that it brought even a little bit of comfort.

"And flight attendant Janet, pilot Robert, pilot Fred..." Laura Lee's voice went on. Daisy could still hear the screams when the plane went down, the sheer panic before everything went black. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push the memories away.

The murmurs of prayer faded into the background as Daisy stared at the graves, her mind elsewhere.

"I'm going for a walk," Tai suddenly announced.

Daisy blinked, looking up just in time to see her turn away. She considered going after her, but something about Tai's hurried walk told her that she wanted to be alone.

'Maybe she just needs space.'

The blonde let out a quiet breath, glancing at her best friend instead. Van was staring straight ahead, her jaw tight, her fingers still laced with Daisy's. If she had noticed Tai leave, she didn't show it. So Daisy stayed.

"THIS IS ALL WE HAVE?" Jackie asked, eyeing the remaining snacks in the middle of the circle.

"Yeah, gotta ration," Van answered. She reached for the knife and handed it to Shauna. "Okay, cut them." Then she passed the water bottle to Akilah. "Split this water."

Akilah grabs the bottle as Van leaves to go to bring some of the food to the other group of girls. She carefully poured some water into each cup. "Don't spill any," Jackie says.

Daisy took her cup with a quiet "Thanks," offering Akilah a small smile. She held it carefully, and just as she was bringing the cup to her lips, Travis appeared in the circle, grabbing a packet of snacks, brushing past Daisy as he walked away. His leg knocked into her arm, making her gasp as some of the water in her cup spill onto the dirt.

"What the fuck, Travis? Look where you're walking," Lottie snapped, her voice sharper than usual. Daisy glanced at her, surprised by the sudden anger in her tone.

"Dude. Hey!" Van called out, trying to stop Travis but he was already walking away.

Lottie continued, sending him a glare. "Uhh, maybe you didn't notice, but we're kind of in a situation here, Flex."

Natalie turned to Lottie. "Don't."

Daisy looked down at the cup in her hands. There was still some water left. Not much, but enough. She let out a small breath before shaking her head. "It's okay, Lottie."

Lottie turned to her, frowning slightly. "But-"

"It's fine," Daisy said softly again.

She meant it.

How could she be mad? Travis had just lost his father, and now they were stuck out here with no way of knowing if help was coming anytime soon. She couldn't blame him for not caring about bumping into her.

Lottie pressed her lips together but didn't argue. Instead, she turned back around, muttering, "who died and made him king of snacks?"

"His dad, Lottie. Literally, his fucking dad."

Daisy looked down, nodding at Nat's words. "Nat's right," Jackie said. "We should cut him some slack."

"I guess it's fine if we all starve to death as long as Travis's feelings are okay," Mari said dryly, and Daisy pressed her lips together, staring at the ground.

She understood both sides, she knew that the food was limited and that every crumb mattered, but on the other side she understood Travis—the reason why he was acting that way.

"We're not gonna starve to death, okay?" Jackie spoke up, her voice full of conviction. "When the rescue team gets here-"

"If it gets here," Van interrupted and Daisy looked up, her stomach knotting at how certain she sounded.

The blonde's fingers tightened around her cup. "Don't say that," she blurted out before she could stop herself. Van turned to her, raising an eyebrow, giving her a look.

She gulped. "I'm... I'm sure someone will come save us," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, as if saying it out loud would make it true.

No one saaid anything. No one agreed or reassured her. Only Jackie gave her a small nod, offering a hopeful smile.

"I mean... it has been three days," Shauna finally murmured, hesitant.

"They're coming," Jackie insisted, smiling, and Daisy nodded in agreement.

No one else said anything, and after a few minutes, Daisy glanced at Lottie, but Lottie wasn't looking at her. Instead, she suddenly stood up, walking toward her luggage, making Daisy slightly frown when she saw her crouching down to search through her bag.

Then she grabbed that orange bottle, the one the blonde had seen her open everynight and day for the past few days. At first she thought that it was some kind of sleeping pill, but now she wasn't so sure anymore.

Daisy bit the inside of her cheek, watching as Lottie swallowed it down quickly, like she didn't want anyone else to see it.

Before she could think too much about it, the sound of running footsteps made her head turn.

"Guys!" Tai's voice rang out, breathless. Everyone turned as she ran toward them, pointing toward the distance. "Guys, there's a lake. I saw it from that hill. It looks about four or five miles away."

Everyone stood up, even Daisy found herself standing before she fully registered what she was doing.

"Do you think we could hike it?" Shauna asked, hopeful.

Tai nodded. "It's pretty rocky, but yeah."

Jackie stood up too, shaking her head. "Uh, we, uh, we can't... we can't just leave."

"We've got two days of water, tops," Tai reminded her. "And then what? Just sit around and die?"

"What if the rescue team comes?" Jackie argued.

"Do you think they're taking their time on purpose?" The group fell silent. "If they knew where we were, they would... be here already."

"You don't know that," Jackie shot back.

"What do you think, Coach?" Laura Lee turned to Coach Ben.

He hesitated, glancing between them. "I don't-I don't know. Uh, I mean, you'd have to leave me behind, I guess, but whatever." Misty from beide him was already protesting, shaking her head.

"We could make you a stretcher," Tai suggested quickly.

Jackie scoffed. "Oh, okay."

"Seriously," Tai pressed. "If we take turns carrying it-"

"No." Jackie cut her off. "This- this is bullshit. I say no. Okay? No way."

"Let's put it to a vote," Tai said firmly, and then she continued, not giving time for anyone to say anything. "All in favor of waiting here?"

Jackie's hand shot up immediately. Daisy hesitated, before slowly raising hers too, her gaze fixed on the ground. She didn't want to look at anyone, especially at Van and Tai, but still, she could feel Jackie's approving smile in her direction.

Daisy wasn't sure if she even completely agreed with Jackie or if she was just too scared to leave. Was she being stupid? Well, Five miles was a long way, and there was no guarantee they'd find anything useful at the lake, apart from a bath—which she really wanted to do. But also, what if they got lost?

"All in favor of the lake?" Tai asked.

Daisy finally looked up, just see more and more hands rose into the air, surely more than before—less than she expected.

"Then it's settled," Tai said. "Grab your shit."

It surely was going to be really long and boring walk.

[football-in-tuxedos]

You mention that James Somerton is transphobic but aside from misgendering Nate Stevenson and Rebecca Sugar that one time I'm not sure what you mean can you explain

I mean, that is what I'm talking about, but it goes deeper than that. Cause like, the point he was making isn't...ENTIRELY bad? There's a lot of complexity to it, and it ties into issues of tokenism and the male gaze and fetishization vs. representation, but there is an actual discussion to be had about how queer women are portrayed in media, and by who, as opposed to how queer men are portrayed. He is filtering it through his usual biases, so he's not really diving into the complexity, but there is a real point there.

But the thing is...why go to Nate Stevenson and Rebecca Sugar for that point? Like, if you wanna talk about queer women being allowed to depict themselves in their art, you don't need to misgender Nate and Rebecca to do that. Céline Sciamma, Jambie Babbit, Angela Robinson, Cheryl Dunye, Clea DuVall, Chantal Akerman, Dee Rees, Donna Deitch, do you see my point? Both Alice Wu and the Watchowskis had stuff about queer women on Netflix, the same platform She-Ra is on. He could have named other names.

Now, I do admit some of that might be playing to his audience, and also playing into my point about him being a discoursed poisoned online queer person; Both his audience and queer people who I feel are overdosing on discourse tend to lean towards kiddy shit more than other stuff and a lot of the names I named make artier stuff for adults. And finding those names would take an ounce of research (like, I dunno, browsing down the list of The L-Word directors on wikipedia and looking for women) and their gender identities had to take a back seat to his laziness.

And that's transphobia.

[invinciblevariant]

hello !! please read !!

welcome to my little corner of tumblr dot com ! i'm kay , twenty-seven years old , cis female , moderately autistic (clinically dxed) , and a fanfic writer ! i'm currently heavily into invincible right now . more about what i am comfortable with writing + ships i will write about can be found under the read more ! i am also a big fan of doing badthingshappenbingo cards , so you may see some pop up from time to time .

!! this is an mdni blog , please do not interact if you are a minor !!

current work(s) in progress :

i have your loved one (bthb) - markeve feat. powerplex .

requested for anon - mark x superpowered reader who goes toe-to-toe against him

completed fics / requests :

"in your hour of need , i'll be there . . ." - markrex .

"my baby , my baby . . ." - sinhawk (sinister x mohawk) .

"what a pathetic (endearing) little puppy . . ." - nolan x debbie .

"let me help you . . ." - mohawk x maskless .

credits :

divider for 'unmasked' - @strangergraphics !

what i will write / am comfortable writing :

blood & gore ( as a huge fan of horror movies , i love this type of stuff , and invincible does have a shit ton of blood and gore in the show )

torture ( one of my fav alternate invincibles is sinister mark [ fUCK CALLING HIM CAPEVINCIBLE THAT'S FUCKIN WACK ] plus some bthb cards do have forms of torture as prompts *shrug* )

mpreg ( listen , it ain't everyone's cup of tea , but i personally am into it bc it's just ,,,, fun and adorable to imagine ...... ok so i love mpreg suE ME !!! )

selfcest ( again , not everyone's cup of tea , but i personally do not mind this , as i recently got into the idea of all the mark variants developing a ,,,,, thing for one another ,,,, lISTEN THEYRE STUCK IN THE WASTELAND DIMENSION FOR SO LONG BEFORE EATING ONE ANOTHER THERE'S BOUND TO HAVE BEEN SOME FUCKING INVOLVED BEFOREHAND )

what i will not write / am not comfortable writing :

incest ( keep that shit fAR THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME PLS AND FUCK YOU VERY MUCH D I S G U S T I N G !!!!! )

bestiality ( read above )

adult x minor ships ( read first bullet point's parentheses )

smut ( i just ,,,,, have never had sex in my entire life so i'm not sure where i would even start in writing it , so i prefer not to write it at all )

sexual assault

any kind of kinks ( read fourth bullet point's parentheses )

characters i can write for :

bolded are personal favs !

mark grayson / invincible & his variants

eve wilkins

amber bennett

william clockwell

rick sheridan

rex sloan

robot / rudy connors

amanda

rachel / shrinking rae

zandale / bulletproof

black samson

cecil stedman

donald ferguson

angstrom levy

animated jesse pinkman scott duvall / powerplex

becky duvall

debbie grayson

oliver grayson

nolan grayson / omni-man

conquest

anissa

ships i can write for :

mark x william

mark x eve

mark x amber

mark x rex

mark x any of his variants ( names i've given the variants can be found in this post )

nolan x debbie

rex x rae

amber x eve

rick x william

cecil x donald

variant mark x variant mark ( ie. sinister x mohawk )

more tba later !

[thoughtfulfangirling]

I don't know too much about the horrors Shelley Duvall underwent during the making of The Shining, but I've heard just enough to know that it was at the very least unethical. And sure we can marvel at her performance of fear and horror. It was impressive.

But it also manages, to people who are me, to fall flat in its lack of dimension.

People suffering the sort of torment Wendy are under are not only experiencing fear, confusion, and horror. They're also angry and vindictive and vengeful at times.

What if they'd let her fully act the fear so that she could have pulled back and displayed a glimmer of satisfaction when she hit Jack with the bat, a sense of the hilarious/humor as he went head over heels down the stairs? What I wouldn't have given for a sense of rage and fury as she dragged him through the halls of the hotel to lock him in the pantry. A woman dealing with the shit that she's been under would probably have a moment of sadistic satisfaction when he cries out that she may have really hurt him, he's dizzy, and now he wants that doctor she'd mention.

Sure those may be things that at the time might not have gotten written into a script because maybe at that time, women weren't like that(tm). But that's exactly why Duvall should have been left the choice to act with all her wits about her. Actors bring small nuanced moments like that to roles all the time because they are the ones trying to fit their minds into it wholly and completely and without consultation of any of the other characters around them. And they can bring insights into that role that others may not have thought to.

Think Furiosa re her scream in the desert. That was Theron's idea. And when asked where she found that rage—a question that maybe, in a different world, Duvall might have been able to make the space for—she responded that women just have that rage. A good actress will find it and put it where it's needed to go, in places her male coworkers might not think to put that.

Sure I don't think there was any performing better than she did during the bathroom scene, but almost everywhere else, I just got so tired of the constant fear/sadness of the performance, which I believe is exactly what was aimed at by the creators for the film. It was exhausting not in a way that makes me feel Wendy's exhaustion, but made her a caricature that she didn't deserve being.

There's nothing wrong with someone in her situation feeling mostly fear and terror, but it's absurd to think it's just that.

Fuck. Where was the disassociation? We got it maybe for the moment she sliced Jack's hand?

I dunno. I'm sure many people have spoken on this much better than me before and probably having seen it more than one (1) single time and have better, more sophisticated thoughts. It was a good movie. I don't recall anyone putting Jack through shit to get his performance and he did a great job, with lots of various emotions throughout. Let actors do their job.

[thenightling]

Tim Burton and Racism

Tim Burton and racism

Now that "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" is coming out people are looking back on an interview Tim Burton did where he unfortunately implied that diverse casting doesn't match his "aesthetic."

And he turned a Jewish folktale (Corpse Bride) into a story set in something that resembles nineteenth century England (even though he said he was heavily inspired by Mexican Dia de los Muertos celebrations.)

I will NOT justify him saying or doing these things (even though I have a soft spot or Corpse Bride). I will NOT justify his lack of diverse casting in the past. What I want to draw attention to is the fact that this sixty-five-year-old man seems willing to grow and change. And I want to give him the benefit of the doubt about this.

I am NOT an apologist. When Tim Burton's film-making quality went down in quality, along with his questionable views, I started to drift away from him when I had been a life long fan. I switched favorite directors over to the charming, kind, friendly, and sweet, approachable, scary-teddy-bear Goth, Guillermo del Toro. (I want that man's house and its contents!)

I will however look back on a few things about Tim Burton's previous films. One of Tim Burton's first projects was a lesser known TV adaptation (back when Disney Channel was experimental) of Hansel and Gretel, made as a homage in appreciation and love for Japanese film making.

Tim Burton had the great James Earl Jones play multiple Genies in Shelley Duval's Fairy Tale Theatre version of Aladdin. Consider how easy it would have been to have a white man in he role ala Robin Williams a few years later. This is not an excuse for his lack-of-diversity. I'm just listing these things as signs of his potential to grow and change.

Tim Burton was the first person to have a black man, Billy Dee Williams, play Harvey Dent (who comic fans will know is meant to later become Two Face.) Today you know someone would whine that this is woke / race-swap casting. But in 1989 it seemed that everyone just accepted it.

In Edward Scissorhands one of the only sympathetic characters- the ONLY good cop character, is a black man. A kind hearted officer who pities Edward and helps make it look like Edward is dead so he can escape toward the end of the movie.

In an episode of the Beetlejuice animated series, it was a little black boy who was the only one who appreciated Lydia's Spooky Boutique that she and Beetlejuice attempted to open in a mall.

When Tim Burton made Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, he made sure that Deep Roy (An Indian man who played all of the Oompa Loomps) was paid the same as the lead actor, Johnny Depp.

Deep Roy was also Napoleon Bone-apart (Gotta love the pun that dates back to Beetlejuice the animated series) in Corpse Bride.

Tim Burton's favorite composer is Jewish man, Danny Elfman, who has done nearly all of Tim Burton's movies.

I know that thanks to some statements by Caroline Thompson (who had a bitter falling out with some of the crew of Nightmare before Christmas) it is now believed that Oogie Boogie was a racist caricature and that "Oogie Boogie" started as a slur. I have yet to find actual evidence of this fact.

The notion of a Boogie man Boogying is quite old. "I'm your Boogie Man" is a popular Halloween song. I used to have a "Little bopper" dancing green monster in a fake leather jacket that rocked back and forth to the song.

Oogie Boogie was inspired by Cab Calloway. If he hadn't been played by a black man, THAT would have been racist.

Ken Page (The voice of Oogie Boogie) has debunked claims of racism in regard to the character and in fact the role has been very good to him. It's become a recurring job in his career for Nightmare before Christmas video games, the Haunted Mansion seasonal lay over, and even stage work in the Disney parks. His voice is currently featured in the Hocus Pocus Spooktacular stage show where he sings a slightly modified version of the Oogie Boogie song, this time addressing the Sanderson Sisters instead of "Sandy Claws." Ken Page never viewed the role as racist. And has even played Oogie in Nightmare before Christmas in concert multiple times.

Now we come "present day" Tim Burton where in 2022 Tim Burton became showrunner for Wednesday (the Addams Family spin-off on Netflix).

Here it felt like people were looking for reasons to accuse Tim Burton of racism. Even though the lead actress is a Latina woman, Jenna Ortega, and Luis Guzmán was Gomez people still latched on to things like "The only black characters are bullies!" which tells me they didn't really watch the show. Yes, a black boy is part of a group of bullies but he's also the only one who realizes that they are wrong and quickly turns against his former associates.

Moosa Mostafa (Islamic heritage) plays Wednesday's close friend, Eugene, with the delightful power to control bees.

And the charater Bianca is annoyingly mistaken as Wednesday's bully. Bianca was NEVER a bully! She was Wednesday's rival and frankly, Wednesday deserved to be taken down a peg. Bianca bested her in a fencing match, that is all. Later Bianca showed her true colors as a loyal friend and ally. She helped save Nevermore Academy. She was a hero.

Joy Sunday, the actress who plays Bianca, has repeatedly debunked attempts to claim Tim Burton was racist in casting her to play "The bully" Bianca (again, suggesting that the people making the accusation never watched the show). She has often said how well-treated she was and is treated on the set.

And there's heavy hints that she is going to have a very intriguing story unfold in the next season of Wednesday.

I am not justifying Tim Burton's previous lack of diversity. But I feel that he may have come to realize his mistakes. I think he might be trying to make amends with things like Wednesday. Jenna Ortega has become Tim Burton's favorite actress to work with. And I think she has, perhaps, had a positive influence on his views of diversity.

This isn't an attempt to justify his past failings. This is the suggestion that perhaps he is now willing to grow and change. He's sixty-five. How many sixty-five-year-olds are open minded enough to truly grow? I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Actions speak louder than words and I saw a lot of positive change with how he handled / is handling Wednesday.

[when-life-gives-you-lemons-if]

so I finished the reading the amazing update today , literally binged it for few hours. Want to begin by saying that the little things added at the beginning were amazing , the Duval gallery event (the Halloween) and the lemon market 🍋 with the date contest. Just chef's kiss 💋 . Since I'm playing the Willow trope I began my hate for Paris a long time before this update , she's such a cockblocker at the beginning of the story. In regards of the title I knew that it was not going to be a full on fluffy story , but I didn't expect a full on rollercoaster of emotions while reading that, I actually resonated with the characters, and I personally think that it's what makes the story special. I wholeheartedly hate Fiffer's mother and I hope she rots in hell , does she even have a heart ?? I was flabbergasted by that part , because like how can one be so cruel to their own flesh and blood? I also really enjoyed the going on the trip with Green and I did take advantage of the pregnancy option . I additionally did decide on the other parent troupe and I just knew from the start that Melissa (the name I chose for the other parent) wouldn't end up fucking up , im not sure who's the worse parent , her or Sue. Reading the part about leaked Information also made me regret ever interacting and hooking up with Fox , I was heartbroken and hoped that MC will make up with Willow in the future. Thankfully it happend and I can't wait for the full scene to come out, can't wait for the Brenda and Oliver wedding, and the future of the pregnancy on the plate of the already troubled MC. In short can't wait for more lemons ! 🍋🍋

I really love your stories and cant wait for more of your masterpieces , will be definitely reading the full version when it comes out

Thank you so much.

Reading this let me know that you really went through this thing and played all possible routes you liked.

Thank you. 💕🥰

[peyoso]

Horse Blood '24 21-31

21. Hollow - It's then that Dallas notices how quiet the bar is. The music still playing softly but the people sounds of the crowd now silent. He turns around and is met by all of them staring directly at him. All of them.

22. Holy - The library is the one place that his father won't enter without Pony's permission. The one place in the house where Dallas knows he doesn't have to worry about the old man getting on his case for any little thing. He also hopes that Pony would be there waiting, just for him.

23. Shiver - Every smile, every look, every touch, every scrap of approval Dallas can get from Pony is like lightning through his veins, driving him further and further.

24. Heart - Dallas sits back and watches Menodora weave her enchantment through the crowd. He can see the moment it catches them, how they hang on her every word, agreeing to it all, and Dallas is reminded that however nice Pony's aunt might be, she's still a witch.

25. Claw - Bob screamed as a sharp pain flared across his back and he is thrown to the ground. The next thing he sees is a massive wolf coming down on him before everything goes black.

26. Trapped - "I'm sure you were a real good nurse Ms. Duvall. Now let's see what your patients have to say," Pony shuts the nurse in and Dallas tunes out her screams mixing with the ghost horde as the duo make their way out of the hospital.

27. Game - At first Pony didn't know what to make of it, of being followed by a giant wolf every full moon. Now, after few months of this, he finds himself tracking the moon phases and making sure his brothers are asleep before sneaking out into the night.

28. Sisters - He couldn't move, the shock of it keeping him still, as he watched Pony's aunts tear open the deer and drag its insides out for whatever sinister purpose they have in store. Soda knew in that moment that he needed to find his brothers and escape this castle of the damned.

29. Glass - Pony doesn't know what Dallas had gone through in Hell before the Devil, his father, pulled him up and handed him over on silver plate, no tricks or deals involved. But Pony does know that it's now them two together through whatever the future holds.

30. Dance - Dallas doesn't pay attention to the loud music or the sea of bodies moving with the beat. None of it ain't anywhere near as important as Ponyboy in his Red Riding Hood getup.

31. Finale - Ponyboy felt the Cold Dark closing in, suffocating, choking, attempting to burrow deep and snuff out his very soul, and the voice taunting him, mocking and repeating what he's been told for so long, what he's told himself for so long. Keep your head down and your nose clean or else everything comes crashing down. Pony feels his own helplessness, his own powerlessness, and he's sick of it. So tired of it all, like he's still some scared and angry fourteen year old orphan back in Tulsa, but he isn't. Not anymore. Now he's more, so much more. He's a mutant, a X-man, and holds power that nobody in Tulsa could even dream of. Power that is his to wield. Light and fury, magic and mutation, creation and destruction. Calling that power, Ponyboy finally opens his eyes and becomes Flame Incarnate.

[p5x-theories]

You know thinking about it more in regards to the "Claude Duval is Ikenami's Persona" theory, I am personally starting to come round to it myself on the idea of his possible theme.

I like to think that maybe his whole theme is chivalry and being something of a romantic.

Like I assumed that perhaps his thing to do with reading and that his codename is short for Encoder (which is still possible also!), but now I'm starting to reconsider. With the codename itself being of Encore instead.

Think of it in how Haru's deal is that she has noble intentions despite how she and others would deem her actions being "unladylike" So Ikenami similarly might try to fight for something out of integrity but be labelled as "uncivil" by others.

And maybe for his Thief outfit/rebellious spirit in can be of an knight-errant, while obviously not a traditional scoundrel or thief per-say, the romanticized takes do act out of their own accord which does technically fit with other rebel types we've seen.

Heh, yeah, that's definitely one way that I could imagine them taking his character, if they are giving him Claude Duval as a Persona! And it would point towards him being the Haru parallel of the team, which has been theorized in the past, since he seems likely to be joining after Polter.

Though I'm not sure he'll be a knight-errant, just because I think Cherish might be going in that direction already, heh. Of course, I could be wrong about my guess for Cherish, in which case, that aesthetic would totally still be on the table for Enco! If not, though, I really could imagine a highwayman theme (like Claude Duval himself) working with your ideas here still, considering Duval "came from a family of decayed nobility" and "abhorred violence, showing courtesy to his victims and chivalry to their womenfolk, thus spawning the myth of the romantic highwayman".

[onepiece-polls]

OPLA fan cast polls - Owen Wilson as Duval

Propaganda: He looks like him a lot. also owen wilson is a comedian so he’d definitely be able to deliver on the comedy aspects of duval.