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chelsfic · 4 years

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Leftovers - Nandor the Relentless x Reader - WWDITS fanfic

Summary: Nandor saves you for later.

A/N: I just had a lot of feelings about this burly Ottoman warrior that needed an outlet. This is goofy as hell. The reader’s birthday is given as well as the background detail that she does roller derby. Also...I don’t want to commit to more parts, but as you can see it’s not complete soooo. There will be more.

Warnings: Female reader, Uh---vampiric blood drinking!, keeping humans as pets/snack food

---

“N-A-N-D-O-R...what is the date, today?”

The vampire has long dark hair, equally dark soulful eyes and a rich, full beard. He’s peering down at you expectantly and it takes you a while to realize he’s waiting for an answer.

You clear your throat and swim through the fog in your brain to reply, “It’s...March 11th. ‘S my birthday…”

“Oh, really?” he grimaces uncomfortably and you idly observe that his fangs are still stained red with your blood. “That’s…unfortunate. Happy Birthday!”

He leans in and raises the Sharpie to your forehead. Is he writing his name and the date on you like you’re a take out container?

“Thanks…,” you murmur and then you’re floating beneath the surface again.

---

“Master, leftovers!”

Someone is leading you by the hand into a candlelit room dominated by a large wooden coffin. You shake your head and look around you with bleary, confused eyes. How long have you slept? Or...is this a dream? The lid of the coffin opens suddenly and you squeak as a man sits up from inside.

“Leftovers?” Nandor whines and throws his Familiar a petulant scowl.

Guillermo holds up a hand and says with uncharacteristic confidence, “It’s my day off, remember? You can survive on leftovers and whatever you can scrounge up yourself tonight.”

“Fucking guy...forcing me to eat stale food,” Nandor curses under his breath as Guillermo flounces out of the room.

You’re alone with...a vampire. The one who abducted you from roller derby practice and drank your blood last night. It’s coming back to you now. You watch him with wide, frightened eyes as he finally turns his focus on you. The intensity of his liquid gaze roots you to the spot even as your mind is pleading with you to flee.

“Alright, then. Put your neck in my mouth, little human,” he commands breezily, as if this is just one last formality for you and not the end of your mortal life.

“What?! N-no…,” you stammer.

He clambers out of the coffin, coming to stand before you in all his glory. He’s massive. He towers over your short frame and his already broad shoulders are made more impressive by the long, ostentatious cape that flows down from them. Your eyes rake down his form of their own accord. He’d be handsome and totally your type if he weren’t currently trying to eat you.

He sniffs the air with a look of distaste.

“Ugh, this is why I hate leftovers,” he whines and turns to address the far corner of the room, “They go stale. It’s the fear.”

You turn your attention to the corner and you’re startled to see an actual film crew just standing there. What the…

“Help me!” you implore, stepping in their direction. The vampire moves faster than your eyes can track. He’s just suddenly standing in your way.

“No, my little human. They are a documentary film crew. Just here to observe. I’m afraid they can’t intervene,” he explains, finally wrapping his arms around you and drawing you in closer. “But don’t worry, this will hardly hurt at all.”

And then he’s brushing your hair aside with an almost gentle stroke of his fingers and he’s lowering his mouth to your throat. There’s the briefest brush of soft lips over your skin and the sharp pain of his teeth sinking into your neck.

“Ow!” you complain, squirming in his grip. “You said it wouldn’t hurt!”

Nandor pulls back with a sheepish grin. His mouth is already painted red.

“I said ‘hardly’,” he corrects before plunging back into his feast.

You’re just starting to drift off into that foggy, wobbly, dreamy state when he releases his hold on your neck with one final lick of the wound. He rears back and looks at you with a ponderous expression on his bloodstained face.

“Even with the fear you are quite yummy... I think I’ll save you a bit longer after all…,” his voice is rich and hypnotic and--wait, he might actually be hypnotizing you, come to think of it.

Your brain is once again lagging and all you can utter is a soft, “Please…”

“That’s right, mortal,” he says in a saccharine tone, “I, Nandor the Relentless, have decided to show you mercy...for now.”

Your legs are like jelly. The only thing keeping you upright is Nandor’s arms. He hoists you up, cradling you to his chest and walking out the door.

My hero, you muse hysterically, half awake and half dreaming.

“Now, back to the cell, little mortal--”

NO!

“What!?” you screech wiggling in his arms until he drops you and you land in an ungraceful heap with a distinct pain in your backside. You look up at the ancient, powerful vampire standing over you and decide to beg, “Please don’t put me back in that cell. It’s horrible and cold and dank and--”

“Alright!” Nandor puts a stop to your rambling with a roll of his eyes. “Creepy jeepers! More trouble than you’re worth...”

He bends down and effortlessly lifts you back up into arms. He takes you into his room and settles you--of all places--inside the fur-lined coffin. A shiver runs down your spine but--you have to admit--it’s kind of cozy.

“Now, I am going hunting,” Nandor says. He leans down to catch your gaze, his eyes widening and his voice lowering an octave, coming out in a hypnotic drawl, “You will not attempt to escape from this house or from me. Sleep, mortal.”

You sleep.

---

“What the blazes! Nadja, darling, come here!” Laszlo calls from the doorway to Nandor’s crypt.

“Is it witches again?,” Nadja asks, following Laszlo into the room with a look of trepidation. “Laszlo I told you to get rid of that--Oh! A little mortal has snuck into Nandor’s crypt!”

The vampire couple stand over the open coffin, peering down at your prone form with twin looks of disgust.

“That’s what I thought, but look!” Laszlo reaches down and brushes your hair off your forehead to reveal the letters written in black permanent marker, Nandor - 11/3/20.

“Ew,” Nadja frowns, “he’s keeping food in his coffin?”

Laszlo nods with a look of outraged vindication, “And he calls me unhygienic!”

---

A/N: Good grief...please let me know if this is...anything. LOL.

#nandor x reader #nandor the relentless x reader #nandor imagine #nandor the relentless imagine #wwdits #wwdits fanfic #nandor the relentless fanfic #vampire x human #m x f #kayvan novak #chelsfic

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tea-at-221 · 4 years

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So, let's delve a bit into the Spanish dub of Supernatural.

I'm going to go through a lot of terms here, and a lot of basics, in order to increase people's level of understanding as to how the dub may possibly have come about the way it did.

This post will provide information and, I hope, allow some members of the fandom to move forward with their own theories with more reassurance. Information is power. I will define and clarify industry terms to the best of my novice ability to make it easier for others who wish to do their own research.

This post was inspired by the fact that I've been part of multiple fandoms in which queerbaiting has played an enormous part: I am tired of seeing fandom friends left devastated and without answers, no emotional resolution in sight. So this post is, in spirit if not content, largely dedicated to my fellow Johnlockers and Queliot shippers. And most of all, for Quentin Coldwater, who deserved not just better but the very best.

Disclaimer: This is my own research and there is a bit of speculation involved; I can't guarantee 100% that I will get everything right (I hit some very frustrating walls looking up what should be easy-to-find facts), but I did a *lot* of work for this. Other people will doubtless be able to clarify points/give better specifics/correct what I've gotten wrong. I am not promising a concrete answer to “SPN gate” here, as without more information than we currently have that is impossible to declare with certainty.

More under the cut.

All that having been said, onwards (see end for sources):

First, who airs the Spanish dub of Supernatural?

Answer: the Warner Channel.

Why? It goes back to who owns The CW.

From Wikipedia (2): "The CW Network, LLC, a limited liability joint venture between the CBS Entertainment Group unit of ViacomCBS; and the Studios and Networks division of AT&T's WarnerMedia, the parent company of Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB. The network's name is an abbreviation derived from the first letters of the names of its two parent corporations (CBS and Warner Media)."

Warner Bros apparently is the side that handles the delegation of dubbing to outside studios. So, who does Warner use for their dubbing? Perhaps multiple studios, but the two I found in the course of my research were SPGStudios(5) (who specifically handle localization for Latin American Spanish productions) and Iyuno Media Group (formerly BTI Studios)(3).

What is localization?

Simply put, it refers to the translation of the home language of the show in question to the language of the new market it's entering. So, Supernatural 15x18 is translated from its native English to Spanish for Latin American viewers.

And what exactly *is* dubbing (actually called revoicing within the industry; dubbing is a widely-recognized term, however, and it's pretty well understood what is meant by it)?

Here is the Merriam-Webster definition:

"1 : to add (sound effects or new dialogue) to a film or to a radio or television production —usually used with "in"

They dubbed in the music.

2 : to provide (a motion-picture film) with a new soundtrack and especially dialogue in a different language

The film was dubbed in French and Spanish.

3 : to make a new recording of (sound or videotape already recorded) also : to mix (recorded sound or videotape from different sources) into a single recording"

There is a slang term, "dubby," which refers to any overdub that is comically jarring and obviously a dub. The history of dubbing has been such that this has become a way to think of and recognize it: by how awful and ineffective it used to be when it came to foreign films sloppily overlaid with English dubbing.

However, we are in the midst of an age of networks and companies scrambling to play catch-up, eager to use modern technology to create more effective, convincing dubs. In short, they see the moneymaking potential of presenting finished works that viewers may not even realize *are* dubbed without careful inspection. It's true that a good dub is about 10x more costly than subtitling, but it's hard to satisfy the viewer's desire for escapism if they can't suspend disbelief because they're busy reading.

The truth of that is reflected in internal statistics Netflix (for instance, but not just them) parses to gauge viewer interaction and retention with their various shows: when comparing subtitled vs. dubbed shows, it's easy to see which is the winner.(1)

So to be sure there is no nefarious intent here, we would need to be able to identify the following:

A.) What exactly was the process for this dub?

B.) Who decides what changes to make during a dubbing process?

C.) Who approves those changes?

*Can* there be such a thing as a "rogue translator," as Misha Collins put it? (I am going to clarify here that I think Misha is an upstanding person who believed the best of the show he was involved in and all the people who made it, so his assumption of a rogue translator makes sense in the context of that emotion-based reasoning).

I'm not sure which studio did the dub for the Latin American Spanish version of Supernatural; if I had access to that episode perhaps it's mentioned in the credits. You'd think that would be simple enough to figure out anyway, but I was unable. So maybe someone can take a look and let me know. But, as an example, here is how SPGStudios outlines their localization (dubbing) process:

1.) They make a digital or analog transcription of a show/movie.

2.) The translation, or localization, is done by their staff (in any of 40 available languages their staff can speak). When translating, they translate for meaning and then adapt for time, tempo, and style. They say that "extensive experience is required to capture the essence of the language dialog while accounting for variances in speaking time between the source and destination languages." i.e., wording/word choice will be kept as true as possible to the original intention of the native language, but at the same time the translation will need to use its chosen wording in a way that fits what is being shown on-screen. To produce a convincing/pleasing dub, they won't replace a word like "looked" with a longer phrase like "scanned the horizon" because it's not going to match what's onscreen. That would be venturing into "dubby" territory.

3.) They perform the ADR process: the voice actors (in this case it would normally be Guillermo Rojas performing for Dean Winchester, though it appears things may have been different in 15x18, possibly due to covid) record the new dialogue to replace the original actor's performance.

4.) The newly recorded dialogue goes to the sound editorial department "to ensure that lip-synch is optimized and technical aspects of the vocal performance match the original."

5.) All of the new audio--including dialogue, music, and sound effects--is mixed together to emulate the quality of the original production as closely as possible despite the changes in rhythm that resulted from the dialog having been translated.

6.) Designers, animators, and VFX editors assist with the localization or enhancement of graphics, if needed.

7.) Localized Master: SPG has a 'traffic team' who 'ensures that all client delivery and storage specifications are met, including file formatting, labeling, and uploading." So in other words, the files are heavily encrypted (or that's how I read this).

Presumably, after all steps are performed, SPGStudios transfers the show back to Warner, who then distributes it. The other studio, Iyuno, makes it very clear that *they* can coordinate and handle all distribution themselves to a vast number of networks. That means that if the client desires, Iyuno can send the finished product directly out into the world.

There seem to be two types of scripts that can be given to the dubbing company:

1.) "In-Production Dubbing indicates that dubbing production is active in tandem with post production. In-Production Dubbing fulfillment partners should expect potential changes to source materials."(4)

2.) "Final Asset Dubbing indicates that dubbing production takes place after final delivery of the show. All source assets will be in a final state. The dubbing fulfillment partner should not expect any changes to the source materials."(4)

Without knowing which of these was agreed upon for SPN 15x18, it is very hard to say exactly where or if additional edits may have been performed on the original material that weren't performed on the translated material (in other words, earlier draft).

If the studio was given the episode as an In-Production Dubbing project, this could explain why the title of the Spanish translation reflected the original script title, "The Truth," rather than the final title in English, "Despair".

Assuming this difference was unintentional, rather than a calculated marketing ploy re: audience enticement (which seems admittedly unlikely), then yes, it could indicate a screw-up on someone's part. The question is, was the dub company given the task of generating the title card, or did some other graphics department handle that before the project made it to them? If the latter is the case, the choice to add "Me too" instead of "Don't do this, Cas" could be either a conscious choice on the dub studio's part as sort of a nod to what they thought "the truth" was, or could just be them going with what they were given and making their translation choices based on something else, such as rhythm/timing.

SO, could there have been an original script that had Dean say "me too" in response to Cas, which then went through translation and made it out into the world? Teeechnically yes, but one would assume that the original script and original *footage* would have to have arrived at the dub studio together if the script is being transcribed in-house as SPGSTudios outlines in their process. I'm going to reason that the odds of them using a later edit of the visual--one that contained what in this instance we would be assuming was Warner's preferred dialogue ("Don't do this, Cas") yet choosing to stick with their own audio revoicing of the (supposed) original script/visual's "Me too, Cas" with its now subsequently poor timing, seems unlikely.

So either they would likely have to redo the exact same "Me too" audio again (having made the choice to keep the original dialogue, while also having to work under pandemic restrictions re: travel and talent availability) to make everything match the visual footage time-wise, OR, it was simply a matter that the English scene always was just as we saw it, but that the studio chose to interpret the script the way they did and were able to do their timing the first time around to match accordingly.

This still leaves a question in the air regarding the origin and fate of certain clips of Dean's more visually emotive reaction to Castiel's confession that have been floating around the internet. I've only seen very very brief glimpses of them, myself, and I'm not certain that they're really evidence of anything other than more than one take having been done of that scene, which wouldn't be uncommon and doesn't necessarily point to a conspiracy.

I also want to state that in the wake of 15x18, I opted to protect my mental health rather than follow every development/rumor/speculation that cropped up in the aftermath, so there’s probably a lot that I’m leaving out of this post that may be pertinent. Do me a favor and do assume that I know nothing of it. lol

I will also add this about the other studio, Iyuno: they are very careful to state on their site, repeatedly and with great pride, that they are committed to presenting the world with the smoothest, most true-to-the-original localized version of a film or show possible. Quote: "...our entire team of staff wants nothing more than to make every single one of our partner's content feel as if it were never translated." They are not fucking around. They want to please the client. Would they have done something like the translation in question without any direct go-ahead from Warner? It seems unlikely, though they don't outline their process on their site the way SPG does.

Notice that in the SPGStudios process outlined above, there is no mention made of a review step in which the studio presents the translated dialogue to the client for approval re: the new wording. That doesn't mean there isn't a review step; however, without seeing the contractual agreement that was made between Warner and whatever dub studio they used, or knowing Warner's preferred process by some other means, it's difficult to be certain whether or not there was a review process for the translated script. I did find evidence that Netflix reserves the right to review such translated scripts before air.

Speaking of Netflix, I will include here what their translation requirements are, as I did find those. They, like Warner, also use Iyuno Media Group much of the time for dubbing (voiceover style dubbing in which they apparently like to leave the original language audible underneath, so that's slightly different from revoicing, but I'm working on an assumption that the general expectations are the same for both):(4)

"1. Translation Requirements

1.1 Main Dialogue

All main dialogue in the source (original) language should be translated unless specifically noted.

Due to timing limitations, some of the dialogue may be condensed/truncated as long as it retains all essential elements of the plot.

Please refrain from dubbing redundant words such as character names and repetitions.

Additionally, do not recreate laughs, hesitations, reaction noises, etc."

I'm looking at that bit: "Due to timing limitations, some of the dialogue may be condensed/truncated as long as it retains all essential elements of the plot."

So let's say just for argument's sake that this is pretty standard language provided to the dubbing studios. Netflix is a giant, so I'll proceed with that assumption given the lack of more concrete information:

Does it really change essential elements of the remaining plot to have Dean return Castiel's declaration of love? Forgetting about the outside, emotional ripple effect such a declaration was bound to set off in the viewing audience, no. The two characters have no further scenes together, nor does Dean go on in the next episode to immediately embark on a new relationship, or tell anyone that Cas said he was in love with him but he couldn't return it because he didn't feel the same. So technically, no rule was broken. And that is what it comes down to, if you're thinking like a lawyer reading a contract: specifics, not theoretical implications or consequences.

So, possibly what we have is something that was simple to add and easy to get away with/argue for: translated dialog that fit a dub better due to its length, and didn't actually change anything plot-wise (or at least, the argument for that could easily be made). This points to the painful crux of the matter: why would the Spanish version of Supernatural which aired in Latin America allow Dean Winchester to return Castiel's declaration of love with a "Me too, Cas"? Could it *really* be as insulting as the fact that "Yo a ti, Cas" would be a quicker, smoother dub than "No hagas esto, Cas"? ("Don't do this, Cas" in English.) Or did they see something they could get away with, and a reasonable argument to provide for it, so they went ahead and claimed a small LGBT+ victory?

Is someone, somewhere, getting in trouble for all this? Maybe. But could action be taken against them? That would look pretty bad, public-relations-wise, for the party expressing condemnation if that got out. Could Iyuno, or whatever other studio (again, I don't actually know which one handled the dub) theoretically feel a ripple effect from the fallout of this? Could they quietly suffer a drop in acquisitions/revenue for "reasons unclear"? Sure. That sort of thing happens all the time, so theoretically yeah.

Whatever the reasoning behind the decision to have Dean return Cas' declaration of love, surely they didn't have to do it. Surely they could have chosen some other phrase that fit. But they chose to do exactly what they did. I don't know what went down, in the end, or whether censorship was indeed involved, but I will certainly say that I think it was a brave and admirable choice that was made with the Spanish dub. It doesn't undo the "bury your gays" trope of course, but for some LGBT+ audience members it surely provides a sense of validation and maybe even lends a little hope for better representation--which is long, long overdue.

Thanks if you read this far. I hope that even though it’s not perfect it will be helpful in some way.

Sources

(1) https://www.indiewire.com/2020/02/subtitles-vs-dubbing-what-you-need-to-know-1202212800/amp

(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_CW

(3) https://www.iyunomg.com/

(4) https://partnerhelp.netflixstudios.com/hc/en-us/articles/115016062708-Dubbed-Audio-Style-Guide-VO-Style-Dubbing

(5) https://www.spgstudios.com/localization

#spn gate #destiel #supernatural #queerbaiting #lgbt #lgbt+#lgbt representation #15x18 #dean winchester #castiel #johnlockers #queliot #queliot shippers #quentin coldwater deserved better #spn family #they silenced you

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emma-what-son · 4 years

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Is this one of the few times Emma was truly honest in an interview? (mostly)

This is an old interview from 2012. It's been a while since I read it, but only after reading it now do I realize how honest Emma really was here. I believe that we don't really know the real Emma. We know Emmione, the image she wants us to have of her.

She admits here how it was easier to be Emmione than to convince people otherwise and in the years after she really took the image to new heights. Read the full interview here.

We are seated on a velvet brown banquette at a corner table in a grand hotel in New York. Breakfast sits untouched as she stares at her face on the cover of Emma Watson: the Biography. She is dressed in a baggy jumper with her hair pulled back; her young-looking expressive face currently registers anguish. Previous interviews with Watson have portrayed her as a self-possessed, mature young woman who acknowledges her luck and gratitude in abundance. Perhaps, as she will later say, if I'd met her on a different morning, that side of her would have been present.

But there is another side. Someone who remains, despite her best efforts, emotionally overwhelmed by the vibrations of fame.

We had just begun to talk about the hazards of being a private person in a public world when, as a gesture to underline the absurdity of it all, I pulled out of my bag a copy of the unauthorised biography - a book that chronicles how it feels to be Watson, despite the fact she never met the author.

It hit a nerve. She has it in her to laugh it off, but this morning it has elicited a raw and unfiltered response. Tears fill her brown eyes, which remain unblinking and fixated on the cover image of herself. It stares back. She can't look away as she tries to make sense of it. "I read these pages and it has nothing to do with my real life, with who I am. It is a piece of fiction, but that's my face on the cover."

She is holding the book with both hands and turns suddenly defiant. "The first time I saw this book was when I was on the set in New Orleans," she states. "For The End of the World - a movie I just did. This super-cute 11- or 12-year-old girl came up to me and she had pages folded down and she had her special bookmark in it. It looked like she'd been carrying it around for a while. And she really wanted me to sign it. It's really weird that it's not just Hermione who has become someone important to people who love those books, but the idea of who Emma Watson is too."

That she refers to herself in the third person shows how removed she is from her public persona.

Indeed, she says it feels like she has three selves: Fictional Emma, Real Emma, and then the person she happens to be playing at the time. Since the age of nine, that person has been Hermione Granger.

Watson has been a famous person for 13 of her 22 years. Her tearful manner reveals she is not hardened to the realities of it. "I started off at the beginning of the [Harry Potter] series adamantly protecting my own sense of self and my identity as Emma," she says. The book has now been placed, cover down, in the space between us. "I was this nine-year-old who would be sat in these interviews going, 'No, I'm not anything like her, I'm different because of this and this and this - at nine." She sighs.

"People would say, 'You are really Hermione, aren't you?' and it went on and on till it got to a point where I said, fine. It's easier for me to say we're one person because that keeps everyone happy. I'll go with that."

The parallels were convenient to draw. Hermione and Watson were both hard-working, cerebral, academically driven students who aim high, get straight As, and are eager to please. But what separates Watson is that she's an emotional person. She has unresolved and conflicted feelings that surface occasionally, as they have on this morning. "Today is the first day of the craziness," she says, referring to the two weeks of non-stop publicity she has ahead, promoting her latest film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. "I walk out of my apartment and there are paparazzi there. I'm flying to LA and then Toronto and then New York and back to London - it makes me emotional because it's intense."

Does she have the constitution to be a big movie star? "I've thought about that a lot," she says. "And no, I don't have the constitution to be a big movie star. Or a big celebrity." She pauses. "But I do have the constitution to be a good actress. Some of the stuff is really hard for me. But I really like my job when I'm doing my job. It's just there's this weird blur that's happened between being a celebrity and being an actress."

Okay, she was mostly honest in this interview. About her image at least, and I sympathize with her struggles growing up as a teenager, but I believe she truly enjoyed the fame that came with being an actress.

She looks exasperated. "I was interviewed at 13 or 14, and the journalist said, 'So that means you'd never have to work for money?' and I said yes. The quote was, 'I never have to work for money again,' and that quote has haunted me.

Nah, she was 18 when she said that. X

She shakes her head when I ask if she has any indulgences. "I don't have a need for a lot of money right now. I'm still renting my house. I'm travelling for film work: the studios usually put me up. I still stay at my parents' house. I have my one car - I didn't buy an expensive car because I'm a terrible driver. I'd trash it. So I pay for my phone and my laptop, and I bought a record player - I like records - nice little things like that, but I don't even feel like it [money] is there.

She forgot to mention the ski lodge she bought in 2008. X X

Her schedule is full. At the end of next year she'll begin Beauty and the Beast, and she's talking with the director, Guillermo del Toro, about whom he will cast as the Beast. The project came about when she was sent the script, and she chose del Toro as the director, a mark of her power, stature and taste.

That seems to be Emma's version of what happened. That WB had a script that they sent and that she went to Del Toro with it.

NYtimes 2012: And then I’m doing a film with Guillermo [del Toro] next summer, and I went to him and said Warner Brothers have given me the script for ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ but the only way I’d really want to do it is if you did it. And then miraculously he said, ‘Oh, funnily enough ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is my favorite fairy tale, I can’t let anyone else do this, I’ll start putting a team together.’

But it seems that Del Toro was the one who wrote the script.

From snitchseeker.com June 2012 (From Emma’s Q&A with fans), “Q1 - What’s happening with Beauty and the Beast? Emma: Guillermo del Toro, the director, has just finished editing his last film and is working on the script and pre-production for Beauty and the Beast.”

From Deadline June 2014: EXCLUSIVE: Guillermo del Toro has withdrawn as the director of Beauty, the live-action revisionist take on Beauty And The Beast that has Emma Watson attached to star. Warner Bros has started the process of finding a new director. Del Toro had other commitments, but he’s still firmly part of the movie. He wrote the script, and he’s producing the film with Denise DiNovi. Del Toro is directing the haunted house pic Crimson Peak.

We've discussed all this before of course, but I was bored so...

#interview #emmione

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thedcdunce · 5 years

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Captain Cold

“I don't believe in "evil." Different shades of gray is all.” - Captain Cold

Real Name: Leonard “Len” Snart

Aliases:

Citizen Cold

Gender: Male

Height: 6′ 2″

Weight: 196 lbs (89 kg)

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Brown

Abilities:

Leadership

Marksmanship

Tactical Analysis

Thievery

Equipment:

Captain Cold's Snow Goggles

Captain Cold's Cold Gun

Universe:

Earth-One

New Earth

Base of Operations: Central City

Citizenship: American

Parents: Lawrence Snart; father

Marital Status: Single

Occupation: Professional Criminal

First Appearance: Showcase #8 (June, 1957)

Last Appearance: Brightest Day #18 (March, 2011)

Abilities

Leadership: He is a natural leader and has lead the Rogues through countless years of criminality. He also led a splinter group of villains during a hellish event.

Marksmanship: In addition, Leonard Snart is a very skilled marksman, though not on the same level as people like Deadshot and Deathstroke.

Tactical Analysis: He also has a very tactical mind, and his own personal sense of honor.

Thievery

Equipment

Captain Cold's Snow Goggles: Minimize the flashes of energy given off by his guns within his field of vision.

Captain Cold's Cold Gun: Cold created his own freeze guns off of machine parts from a custom-made ice vehicle. They can create ice slicks, shatter metal or entomb victims in suspended animation in blocks of ice.

Origins

Leonard Snart grew up with an abusive, hard-drinking father. Through his beatings, Leonard's father taught him that emotion was a weakness, and that a cold heart would take him further in life. Leonard's grandfather protected him and whisked him away to his ice cream truck. It was cold, but one of the only places Leonard felt safe. Only when he was older did he eventually run away from home. Through a life of crime, he was eventually caught and placed in jail by the Flash. Seeking to counter the Flash, Snart researched an article that theorized that the emissions of a cyclotron could interfere with the Flash's speed. Using a stolen cyclotron, Snart constructed a gun which shot ice that reduced temperatures to absolute zero, and began calling himself Captain Cold. Most of his crimes were in attempt to win the heart of a lady. Often he would team up with Heat Wave or his sister, Golden Glider.

Cold escaped from prison when he learned that the Picture News was planning to raise $100,000 at a charity event, which he planned to steal. However, Trickster had done the same thing. At first competing for the money, they decided to join forces when they were pursued but not only one, but two Flashes, as Jay Garrick had briefly come out of retirement. The pair successfully made their getaway, but were later captured when the two speedsters lured them into a trap by claiming that a recently discovered meteorite contained a fortune in diamonds.

After Captain Cold was released from prison, his fellow Rogues held a party for him, which turned into a riot.

Cold supposedly reformed from his criminal ways, even making a guest appearance on the Guillermo show announcing his new way of life. With his sister, Golden Glider, Snart, established Golden Snowball Recoveries, 1-800-GET-COLD, a company which recovers lost or stolen items or your money back.

The Rogues were later hired by the city council of Swainsville, New Mexico, to find the Porcupine Man and his victims. They battled with the Porcupine Man, who turned out to be Wally West. However, West evaded them and quickly got away. Three boys had been trapped in a nearby cave, and were have thought to have been the victims of the Porcupine Man. They were not, and it was even Wally who saved them. West later split the reward money with Golden Snowball.

During this time, he flew to Los Angeles and killed former prison mate Brad Brickley, resulting in a murder investigation that remained unsolved, eventually becoming a project to challenge cadets at the LA Police Academy. It was finally solved five years later by Bart Allen.

Underworld Unleashed

The Rogues undertake a strange mission under the urging of Abra Kadabra. Given little explanation, they agree to strike at five specific though seemingly unremarkable locations across the United States. Each attack is committed simultaneously yielding explosive results far beyond their expectations. Each of the Rogues is consumed by raging green fire as their respective target sites go up in flames. These explosions formed a pentagram and unleashed the lord of hell, Neron.

Pretty soon after, the soulless husks of Captain Cold and the other Rogues were sent to terrorize Earth by Neron. Wally West and Linda Park were able to negotiate with the demon and got the Rogues' souls back in exchange for their love.

Afterwards, Snart remained as a low profile citizen in Keystone City and he was occasionally spotted watching hockey games. One time, a new monster appeared and tried to steal the hockey trophy during a game. Flash arrived in time to confront the creature known as Tar Pit and Snart decided to help Flash. In the struggle, Snart was attacked by Tar Pit and Flash had to deal with the monster alone. As he got the situation under control, Snart managed to sneak away unnoticed by the police and Flash.

The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive

Inertia reunited Cold and the rest of the Rogues, claiming that he could build a device that could stop time, allowing them to do whatever they wanted. However, the machine's actual use was to transfer the Speed Force from the new Flash to himself. When the Flash arrived to stop them, the machine rendered him powerless. However, the Rogues soon realized that someone was helping the speedster, and it was possible that his powers could be returned. Not wanting this to happen, Cold, along with Heat Wave and Weather Wizard, shot the powerless Flash in the back, resulting in his death.

Final Crisis

After being hunted remorselessly by heroes, and a year of chaos and trouble, including deportation to the Hell Planet during the events of Salvation Run, the Rogues' decided to quit the business, but not before they strike back against Inertia during the events of Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge.

Secret Society of Super-Villains

Captain Cold, along with the rest of the Rogues, has met with constant trouble from Libra and his new Secret Society of Super-Villains, attempting to press them into their ranks as a safety precaution against Speedsters. Cold, however, angrily rejected Libra's invitation, saying that the villain community had done nothing to help the Rogues following the murder of Bart. As of yet, Cold and the Rogues have completely outright refused membership, despite numerous threats made to their families. The New Rogues were sent to enlist them by holding Captain Cold's father hostage, but after Cold had the rest of the Rogues slaughter the new group, he had Heat Wave murder his father.

Following the murders of the New Rogues, Cold and the other Rogues resumed their plan to kill Inertia. However, they had trouble from Inertia's new mentor, Zoom. They were also still stalked by Libra, who had Weather Wizard's infant son. Inertia killed the boy and took on the mantle of "Kid Zoom", vowing to cause tragedy to the Rogues. Paying him back for all the trouble he had caused them, the Rogues broke their unspoken pact against killing speedsters for a second time. Pleased, Libra revealed why he so desperately wanted the Rogues in the Secret Society: Barry Allen had returned from the dead, and the Rogues were the only ones who knew him well enough to stop him and allow evil to triumph. Though shocked at the news of return of Barry Barry, Cold still rejected Libra's request for membership, saying he did not believe in evil. Inertia's body was left in front of the Keystone City Police Department, next to the written words "Tell the Flash we're even - The Rogues". Following these events, Cold announced that he was not going to retire, both to not appear as a quitter to Barry Allen, and because he knew that Barry would not just let him walk away.

Fun Facts

Snart went straight around the same time as the Trickster who was working as a technical adviser for the Institute for Hyper-Normal Conflict Studies. Snart visited as a guest lecturer, which he claimed was as lucrative as a life of crime. Jesse wanted the gig for himself and secretly manipulated Snart into breaking into a radiation lab. The framed Snart was arrested while Jesse took his lecture circuit.

#captain cold #leonard len snart #leonard snart #len snart #citizen cold #rogues #the society #Suicide Squad #Secret Society of Super Villians #secret society of super-villians #secret society of supervillians #golden snowball recoveries #dc #DC comics #thedcdunce

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emotionsofthesoul · 6 years

Text

Chapter 11 _ La Tormenta

“La tormenta dejara daños irreparables en el corazón…” - La Tormenta by Aventura

It was the first of November. Neither girl could have seen the storm that was about to hit. They had spent the night at the Carvajal loft in midtown. Neither one thinking this would be the day everything would change. They had fallen asleep more in love than ever. They watched scary movies until they both fell asleep holding onto each other. Neither thinking the real nightmare on L St was about to begin.

When the girls awoke both of their phones had over 100 missed calls, voicemails, and texts from their families and people from the media.

Guille’s message to Valentina was brief but protective, “Vale I don’t know what you just got yourself into but please be careful. If you need me to go pick you up call me.”

Guadalupe's on the other hand just said, “Come home NOW. We need to talk.” She had weekends off so she was waiting for her daughter to come home.

“What happened, why is everyone freaking out?” Juliana said running a hand though her hair and looking to Valentina for answers.

“You were right… someone was following us last night… they snapped this picture of us kissing right after we left the restaurant…” Valentina said trying to seem calm for Juliana’s sake but doing a horrible job at it. They had just been outed to the world.

“What are we gonna do?” Juliana said as her eyes filled with tears and what was more than evident, fear.

“Juliana, I need you to breathe. We knew this could happen, I am a public figure. We’re going to be okay.” Valentina tried to reassure Juliana.

“WE did not know this. We… who is we… I had no idea this could even happen!” Juliana said in full panic mode.

“Baby. Juls. Please, calm down. We need to think our next moves through…” Valentina said.

“HOW ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS! WE JUST GOT OUTED TO THE ENTIRE PLANET! BEFORE THIS NO ONE EVEN KNEW WHO THE HELL I WAS!” Juliana yelled in frustration.

“Mira Juliana… calm down… it’s done, there is nothing we can do to reverse that now. I am willing to fight whoever I need to fight just to be with you. I agree, it’s not the right time and this is not how I wanted this to happen but it did and now we have to face this together. I need you need to hear me out, now. I love you Juliana Valdes. You are the woman that I love. I need you to breathe. Let me fix this. Please.” Valentina said softly.

“Val… what are my parents gonna say?” Juliana said allowing herself to cry into Valentina’s shoulder.

“It’s okay baby. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there okay. Right now I need to make a few phone calls to make sure we can leave safely. Okay. I need you to relax chiquita.” Valentina said rubbing Juliana’s back in circles and running her fingers through her girlfriend’s hair.

After a few phone calls Valentina made arrangements for Guillermo to come get them and take them to her father. Juliana had calmed down enough to get herself together. Valentina said she would later send for Juliana’s car.

“Chiquita, I’m sorry. How can I make this easier for you? How can I help?” Valentina said caressing Juliana’s cheek.

“I’ll be okay Val. Together, you and I are stronger together. We’ll get through this.” Juliana said allowing herself relax into Valentina’s arms trying to believe her own words.

“Esa es mi niña.” Valentina said as her phone began to ring indicating her brother was outside. “Ready? We have to go…”

“No… but I don’t really have an option do I?” Juliana said with a faint smile.

As soon as they stepped in the parking garage Guillermo was waiting for the girls right at the door. There were hundreds of reporters and paparazzi outside the garage ready to invade their personal space.

“Girls, duck down the flashes are about to get crazy. Be prepared.” Guille said looking at his little sister and Juliana through the rearview mirror.

“I’m not ashamed Guille, I’m not gonna duck, let them come at me.” Valentina said holding Juliana protectively.

“Okay but protect Juliana, she’s not ready for this lifestyle.” Guille said realizing this meant more to his sister than he imaged.

Once they reached the exit the lights and voices got more aggressive and loud. Valentina held her head high not backing down to the scandal. She held Juliana close to her covering her face. This was not how she wanted this to happen but she had to protect her girlfriend at all cost against whoever may come for them.

“How mad is he?” Valentina asked her brother referring to their father.

“You’d be surprised… he’s not mad at all. He actually came to your defense this morning in a press conference.” Guille said driving towards the offices.

“What? Dad? What did he say?” Valentina said in complete shock.

“Look for yourself.” Guillermo said handing her his phone.

Leon: Please understand this is a private matter.

Reporter 1: But who is that girl? Is she a gold digger trying to get the family money? Where did she come from?

Leon: How dare you. That girl is one of the most genuine human beings to come into this family. Get that reporter out. I will not allow any of you to attack my daughter or her partner.

Reporter 2: So they’re together?

Leon: That’s for them to figure out and decide. Who are we to choose for them? Who are you to tell them what is wrong and what is right? I find it disgraceful that someone dare follow my child and out her and her friend without their permission. You and I do not have the right to use our power to destroy others. I will stand by my daughter no matter what. She is the strongest young lady I know and she will come out of this stronger than ever before. You have no power over her. She is stronger than even she knows. She is wiser and she knows exactly what she is doing and what she is feeling.

Reporter 3: So you support gay marriage?

Leon: Yes, I do. I never thought my child would be in a same sex relationship but that is no reason to turn my back on her. I love her as she is and I trust her. She has taught me from a very young age that love is love and love conquers anything. No more questions.

When the video was over Valentina had tears streaming down her face. She silently handed the phone back to her brother and cuddled into Juliana who simply held her and allowed her to finally feel the extent of the emotions this situation truly caused.

They drove in silence for the next 5 minutes. Guille repeatedly looked back at the two girls in his backseat being there for each other and making one another calm. Once they arrived to the parking structure he opened the door for the girls. He hugged his baby sister as tight as he could whispering how proud he was of the woman she was becoming and telling her everything would be okay. Then he proceeded to hug Juliana and thank her for taking care of his sister and to not allow the world to come between them if this is something they truly want to fight for.

Once they reached the ground floor the girls headed to the main conference room to meet with Leon, Lucia, and Eva. Valentina held Juliana’s hand proudly all the way to her family. She held her head high and exuded complete confidence. Juliana simply allowed the other girl to lead the way.

“Hasta que llegaste hermanita.” Eva said in a sarcastic tone.

“I’m glad you guys are safe.” Lucia said walking over the girls and embracing the two of them. “Are you guys okay?”

“How are they going to be okay, look at them. They know exactly what they did. I want you out of here now! Get as far away from my sister or else I’ll do it myself!” Eva said trying to contain her anger but allowing the venom to leave her lips regardless.

“She’s not going anywhere and if you so as dare are touch her-” Valentina was saying getting tense and defensive.

Leon cut her off by saying, “Evangelina Carvajal, in this family we protect each other and now the girl holding your sister back is a part of it. So if you want to be cut off from the entire family, keep going, if not I recommend you stop spewing all that venom now. That’s enough!” He said slamming his hand on the table.

“Come here baby.” He said gently to Valentina who ran to him and began to sob.

“Shhh it’s okay. Everything is going to be okay. We’re going to get through this together like we always do.” He said as he rubbed her back.

“I saw what you said this morning. Thank you for not hating me.” Valentina said in a low timid voice.

“Hey, no, baby. I could never hate you for being who you are. I already knew about you two and that didn’t change how I feel about you. If anything it made me love you more. Your mother would be so proud. She always taught you to be you and not who anyone else told you to be. I’m proud of you.” Leon said which only made Valentina more emotional.

Juliana didn’t know what to do and felt completely uncomfortable there and out of place. She was relieved and happy that Valentina’s family took it so well but she was very concerned as to how her parents would react.

She was lost in thought when she finally heard Valentina calling her and now standing right in front of her. “Juls… my dad was asking if you’re okay but I mean clearly you’re not. Come here.” Valentina said pulling Juliana in for a hug.

“Juliana, I know this is all too much to take in right now and it’s definitely not going to get easier anytime soon. So I need to know, do you need me get you extra security? Is it safe to go home? How can I help you?” Leon asked the girl calmly.

“What is with you and this family? How is everyone so calm? I’m freaking out. My parents are going to kill me and disown me. I have to kiss my dreams of studying goodbye. I have to go pack up my things as soon I get home. They will never accept this. I don’t know what we were thinking Valentina… this is just too much…” Juliana said voicing her fear as her voice began to crack.

“Nos pueden dejar solas, please.” Valentina said firmly not looking anywhere but Juliana’s eyes.

Once everyone walked out she hugged her girlfriend. “Let it out Juls. Please, just allow yourself to feel. Allow yourself to cry. You need to get this out, don’t bottle it in. Don’t push me out. Please.” Valentina said also letting down her walls.

They simply held each other and cried for what felt like ages.

“I love you. You need to know that. I do love you. This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I’m just not sure we’re ready for this. I don’t know if I’m ready for this.” Juliana said whispering the last sentence and breaking Valentina’s eye contact.

“Juliana, mirame.” Valentina said lifting Juliana’s chin gently. “This is the most genuine and real thing I’ve ever felt and I don’t want to let it go. I don’t want to let you go. I’m not willing to lose you. I will do whatever you ask me to. I love you and I’m not afraid to say it, to shout it from the rooftops. You told me once, ‘if you’re in, I’m in,’ now I’d like to make you the same offer.” Valentina said sticking out her pinking.

Juliana simply nodded and linked her pinky to Valentina’s.

“Pacto?” Valentina said looking Juliana in her big chocolatey eyes.

“Pacto.” Juliana said.

“Okay, then let’s face this together. All the way through. Together. I mean that, even with your parents.” Valentina said holding Juliana’s face.

“Okay.” Juliana whispered softly.

Valentina captured Juliana’s lips in hers as a way to comfort the girl. They called Leon and Lucia back into the conference room once they were able to compose themselves.

“Esto es lo que vamos hacer, I’m going with Juliana to face her parents. I’ll give them their space to talk after they hear us out and I’m bringing her back with me to the loft because she will be safer with us.” Valentina said thinking everything out.

“Wait, Val. I need to talk with my parents. I can’t just talk and then stay with you. They would never agree to that. They won’t even want you near me. I can’t let you just take me in.” Juliana said trying to get through to Valentina.

“It’s not taking advantage. I think it’s the best plan of action. You’ll be safer from the press with us than at home. I will go with the two of you to speak with your parents. It’s the least I could do.” Leon said agreeing with his daughter.

“I just… I don’t know-” Juliana said when Valentina cut her off.

“Juliana! Dejate querer! I honestly just need you to be safe, I don’t even need to stay there if you don’t want me there but I do need to know that you’re safe and the best place for you is with me and my family.” Valentina said frustrated.

“Well you two are going to have to explain that to my parents because you don’t know El Chino, you can’t tell him anything when he’s pissed.” Juliana responded knowing she couldn’t and honestly didn’t want to win this argument.

#juliantina #juliana valdes #valentina carvajal #Forever #juliantinafics #forever ch11

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thenightling · 6 years

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Let the Sandom Bitch!

I tried to ignore it but it has become abundantly clear that someone here on Tumblr is attempting to discourage me (and possibly others) from “bad mouthing” The Dreaming comics... again...

Doing things like tagging Neil Gaiman (as if you are tattling on us for doing something wrong) will not silence the opinion. You’re allowed to disagree with us. You’re allowed to defend what you like, but trying to shame us into silence is immature.

None of us are deliberately hurting anyone by being critical of The Dreaming comics. We are not trying to hurt or offend anyone. We just like what we like and dislike what we dislike.

We’re allowed to complain. We’re allowed to worry about what’s to come with DC and Vertigo. We’re allowed to be cynical. We’re fans. We’re allowed to... fandom. (Yes, I turned it into a verb.) For us, this is a form of petty relaxation and distraction so we don’t have to focus on the more serious problems that life and society throws at us. We focus on the little things to give a relief from the big things. Sometimes you need that.

Yes, I worry about offending Neil Gaiman. He’s a brilliant and kind man. If you upset someone like him you’re going to feel pretty awful. But I also know he did not write The Dreaming. There’s no real reason he should be offended by our bitching. I’m just a little neurotic. And I know it’s been a rough week for all comic book fans (Neil Gaiman included) with the passing of Steve Ditko.

Again, Neil Gaiman did not write The Dreaming.

I have never deliberately insulted him. I probably never will insult him. I like and respect Neil Gaiman. And I have a right to my opinion about the now defunct The Dreaming spin-off. I am allowed to love Sandman but hate The Dreaming. I am fairly certain Neil Gaiman knows where many of us stand in regard to The Dreaming. I am not alone.

And we are not ashamed.

@deathlyendless @endlessemptynight @treebrooke79 @fortmarmorus @sorry-for-the-chocolate

I may read something Neil Gaiman wrote that I don’t care all that much for and I’ll be honest about it when that happens. (cough) Gilbert’s scene in The Wake. (cough). But that’s neither here nor there, since I love most of Sandman very deeply.

Tagging Neil Gaiman during a not-very-positive conversation about The Dreaming comics is not going to suddenly make us like it or make us start talking positively about The Dreaming. It’s not going to humiliate us into silence. We are nerds! We talk about the things we love and we talk about the things we don’t like.

We love Sandman (Special note: Fortmarmorus specifically loves Cain and Abel as opposed to Sandman itself.) We love Sandman (and the horror hosts) and nothing is going to change that.

Being a fan of something does not obligate you to like every aspect of the thing. Think of it like being a fan of a musician. Surely there are a few songs you skip.

And if you happen to like The Dreaming spin-off that’s okay. You’re allowed that opinion. No one will hold it against you. Some of us might not share that opinion and be very vocal about our own opions but that doesn’t mean we’ll mistreat you for it, we won’t bash you as a person or make judgements about you as a human being over it. It’s no different than having a different preference in ice cream. You’re allowed to prefer strawberry over chocolate.

However, though we bear no grudge against those who do like The Dreaming and have never insulted those that do like it, there are certain people who seem resentful of negative commentary about The Dreaming. Please, don’t take it personally. Let us bitch. We are allowed our opinions.

You act as if I single-handedly caused The Dreaming to become non-canon. I’m glad it’s no longer canon but I’m not the one who did that. I’m just a fan. I don’t have that kind of power.

If I had that kind of power Morpheus would be emotionally healing and alive in the comics along with Daniel (because I’m a sucker for a happy ending), Bruce Timm and Paul Dini would be releasing an animated film of Preludes and Nocturnes from DC animation (of the same quality as Justice League: Dark), The Sandman TV series would be in its third season on Netflix, the people who made the animated series Tales from the Crypt Keeper would be making an animated House of Mystery series for the DC Universe streaming service (with Maurice LaMarche doing his best Vincent Price impersonation for Cain’s voice or Trevor Devall) and a live action Preludes and Nocturnes would be in theatres this summer, directed by Guillermo del Toro, starring Doug Jones and scored by Danny Elfman.

Hell, there would be a Broadway musical adaptation of Preludes and Nocturnes scored by Frank Wildhorn! That’s what I’d do with sudden God-like Sandman related powers. I’d release a freakin’ musical. Why? Because I know I’m slightly eccentric and would play the album over and over and over again.

Again, I’m just a fan. I don’t have that kind of power. I, and those of similar opinion to myself, talking negatively about The Dreaming didn’t do anything. We didn’t harm you. We didn’t cause the comics to be decanonized. But we won’t pretend to be disappointed by the decanonization.

What’s the matter? Realized using buzz words like “Transphobic” and “misogynist” wasn’t going to scare or shame us into silence? You can’t bully people into liking (what we see as) a badly written story. We never bullied anyone who liked The Dreaming or made judgements about you as a person. It’s okay to like it. It’s okay to not like it. And you can’t make us stop talking about it by holding the threat that Neil Gaiman might read what we say. We haven’t done anything wrong.

Neil Gaiman did -NOT- write The Dreaming. And hopefully he understands the need for catharsis in our petty venting to each other openly here on Tumblr. God, I hope he understands...

We love Sandman. We are not under some contract to like The Dreaming. No one owns our opinions. And we have never deliberately offended anyone. if you like The Dreaming that is fine. We will not shun you our shut you out. This fandom is for everyone. And everyone has a right to like or dislike whatever aspects they want. That’s what personal taste is all about. Hell, about seventy to seventy five percent of us don’t like the art style of The Kindly Ones, but there’s still that twenty-five percent that does. (Personally, I love J. H. Williams III’s art for Sandman Overture). And that’s okay.

We respect each other. If we bash something that someone else loves, understand it’s not meant to be a personal attack against you. We’re just Nerds and Geeks being Nerds and Geeks.

That is all.

#Anti-The Dreaming

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noahxsweetwine · 7 years

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mistletoe

(no one sent this prompt I just wrote it bc I’m igyts trash. Also, I’m not a writer so this is probably bad asfflkajskl)

Jude Age 14

I hate mistletoe.

Given my trademark infatuation with the superstitious, most assume mistletoe is one of my good omens. In fact, Grandma Sweetwine’s Bible makes no mention of the spiky sprig, so I am left to turn to traditional ancient lore to find meaning in it.

The Druids believed mistletoe was a magical cure for every ailment. On the eve of their new year, they gathered it from oak trees, careful to not let it touch the ground. Then they hung it over their doorways and made it into drinks to take advantage of its fortuitous properties.

Mistletoe is actually poisonous. What’s more, it’s parasitic. It invades the soil around another plant’s roots and seeps the life out of it in order to live. The Druids were trying to cure one poison with another.

The more well-known connotation seems ridiculous to me. It’s as if we ignore the obvious danger of the plant for its seemingly harmless and beautiful appearance. (Better not walk under the mistletoe unless you want to smooch someone! What a joke.) Even if I did, the boycott is under full effect. They say if a woman is not kissed under the mistletoe at all during the season, she is destined to stay single for a year. That’s absolutely fine with me.

Some well-intentioned (or possibly mischievously-intentioned) CSA students thought it was a great idea to line the halls with the offending parasite. I’ve managed to mostly avoid it, but I have to check before I walk through doorways. (This isn’t too much extra effort: doorways are an auspicious liminal space anyway, so I’ve always been careful. Depending on who you ask, walking through an entryway backwards can be good or bad luck. Though, most things are either good luck or bad luck depending on who you ask.)

Once, though, I was in a rush to get to Anatomy (the science requirement for CSA students - it’s meant to be more tailored towards aspiring artists. I like it better than traditional science classes, but they still haven’t taught me what I really want to know. How can your twin brother’s beautiful brain suddenly stop communicating with his body? Why does my heart still feel pain when I’m hurt if emotions are controlled by the mind? What happens to the human body when it’s run through with a car?) In my haste, I didn’t look up before entering, and ended up nearly colliding with Caleb Cartwright (art-is-truth, I-have-no-filter Caleb Cartwright). I only dropped my pencil, but when I bent down to pick it up, there was snickering from within the classroom.

“Mistletoe,” one boy with purple hair pointed out. He looked immensely pleased with himself, despite the fact that he had spinach stuck in his teeth. “Wouldn’t want to defy tradition, would you, CJ?”

I gritted my teeth. In fact, I did not subscribe to every superstition out there, I wanted to say. I borrowed from what I saw fit, but Grandma Sweetwine’s Bible was my only obligation. Instead of saying anything, however, I pushed past Caleb, who looked like he couldn’t care less, honestly.

“No offense,” started Randy Brown. “But you look red as a tomato, CJ.”

I probably did. I willed my body to cease its vasodilation (a word I learned in Anatomy. See, education is not wasted on me.) The CSA kids aren’t nearly as malicious as those at my old school, but they often don’t have the tact (or the desire, maybe) to keep themselves from saying whatever came to mind. I wondered how Noah was surviving at the normal high school.

The bell rang, and I took my usual seat next to Fish. (Most CSA teachers changed the seating arrangements regularly to “promote evolving artistic collaboration,” but Anatomy was different because it involved lab partners.) Fish was staring intently at a Rubik’s cube she was holding in her hand. I wondered when she had gotten it, as I’d never seen her with it before.

I snap out of the memory. The mistletoe has started disappearing over the past few weeks, but I keep up my constant vigilance. I spot a sprig laying on the door frame leading to the art wing.

They say if mistletoe is allowed to touch the ground, disaster is sure to follow.

I flick the mistletoe off the door frame. I’m Calamity Jude, after all. Disaster seems to follow me anyway.

Jude Age 16

Maybe the Druids were right.

I keep finding bits of mistletoe in the hood of my jacket. Maybe it’s the work of my fellow CSA students, but I can’t imagine what reasons they would have for that and I doubt they would keep up the prank for five days in a row. More likely, it’s one (or both) of my matriarchal specters who is responsible. If it was meant to frustrate me, it’s probably Mom. If it’s supposed to...encourage me, or get me in the “holiday spirit,” it’s probably Grandma.

The French called mistletoe the “specter’s wand” and thought that its holder would have the power to see and communicate with ghosts. (I’ve never needed help with that.)

Regardless of the planter’s intention, the mistletoe has brought me good luck for once. Or that’s the way it appears.

Guillermo has agreed to mentor me, and English Guy (whose name is OSCORE!) is...certainly something. I keep having to remind myself of the boycott. Yesterday he tried to return the orange to me, telling me that “satsumas” are traditionally given as gifts around Christmastime in his home country.

My mind keeps drifting back to my last class before break: Thematic and Symbolic Art History. The lesson of the day was about, of all things, mistletoe. Or, at least, it was mistletoe-inspired. We learned the history and controversy surrounding works depicting the act of kissing. As in, The Kiss. All three versions: Klimt, Brancusi, Rodin. I wish Guillermo’s works had been included, now.

Guillermo is introducing me to his methods of teaching. I thought Oscar’s modeling would be a one-time thing, but apparently I need a lot of practice in portraiture if I’m going to ever sculpt my mother. I’ve drawn Oscar a lot now. His face is practically seared into the back of my mind. (Does it violate the boycott if I’m thankful his face is so nice to look at?)

Some ancient peoples believed that mistletoe had the power to open all locks. (Do hearts count as locks?)

Am I stupid to dream?

Jude Age 18

I’ve warmed to the mistletoe idea over the years.

It might have something to do with the fact that Noah is currently enthusiastically hanging mistletoe around the houseboat. Like the boat’s name, his sudden interest in the superstition, statistically my area of expertise, is a mystery. (Or maybe not: he only started decorating after Dad and I extracted a promise from him that the kissing rule would not be under effect. I doubt he’ll tell that to Brian, however, when he comes back from vacation tomorrow.) The anniversary of Mom’s death seems to loom less ominously than in previous years.

My wary appreciation, however, doesn’t entirely stem from my brother’s antics.

Christmas isn’t really a big thing in the Sweetwine family. When we were little, Noah and I made sandmen instead of snowmen, and our gingerbread houses were definitely not indicators of our level of artistic potential (at least, I hope not). But now the only tradition we have is ordering pizza and staying inside to watch movies, which happens year-round (especially the pizza part when Noah has anything to say about it).

I can appreciate the sentiment of the holiday, though. Renewal. Gratitude. Family.

Love.

I’m sick of losing soulmates. I’ve lost too many, especially in winter. Grandma. Mom (and Dad, for a while, around the same time). Zephyr.

At first, I thought the best way to heal was to cut out all possibility of love in my life. It seemed to be working for Noah. Hence, the boycott.

That went out the window as soon as I met Oscar and Guillermo. “I’m not okay,” Guillermo had said. “I’m not okay either,” I wanted to reply.

When I became Guillermo’s student, I felt like I was healing, through art and through Oscar. But over time, I realized Oscar had his own problems and we tended to amplify one another’s issues rather than resolve them. Being reciprocally “not okay” wasn’t an automatic path to a relationship. The inevitable breakup was mutual (if we were ever even in a relationship). It was nowhere close to being as messy as it could have been.

The whole Oscar thing should have made me more bitter about love. But it was more of a learning experience, really. A person can’t fix you. You can’t fix someone else. And too much of anything can kill you, as my toxicologist father often points out.

Mistletoe is the same way. It’s a parasitic species, yeah, and that shouldn’t be overlooked. Too much, and it seeps the life out of the forest. But in the right amounts, it has its place.

There was Zephyr. There was Oscar. There will be other chances. But for now, I’m content to have all ten fingers to draw and paint and sculpt with, a father and a brother to depend on in this rocking boat of a family, and the resolution to stop avoiding mistletoe as I walk through doorways.

When I think of mistletoe (and when I think of many things), Grandma Sweetwine’s words come to me:

Quick, make a wish. Take a (second or third or fourth) chance. Remake the world.

(Not confident I got the timeline right but just go with it. I know NoahandJude’s birthday is a bit before winter break, Jude met Oscar and Guillermo during winter break, and Diana died during a winter break....merry christmas/happy holidays!!)

(source for the lore)

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homeplanetreviews · 7 years

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The Shape of Water (2017) Movie Review by: Will Whalen

The Shape of Water has finally come and is brought to us by the mastermind visionary director, Guillermo del Toro. This has been in my top 3 most anticipated films of the year ever since I heard about it. Guillermo del Toro has made some incredible films and has such a unique style and vision that I adore so, of course I was pumped for this.

The Shape of Water stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer and is about a mute cleaning lady who works at a research facility in the 1960’s that forms a relationship with an aquatic creature. Sounds pretty strange, huh?

As soon as this film opens up to one of the most beautiful scores I have heard and the great opening shot, I was instantly transfixed. Glued to my chair and thinking about what I was seeing. I felt like that from the very start and didn’t stop feeling like that till the very end. We’re shown a character that is, without a doubt, my favorite character to any other movie this year. It shows her and her daily routine before she goes to work and every little movement and action that is done by her, was so beautiful to me. It was like an intricate dance with every movement. The performance of the year is brought to us by Sally Hawkins, who plays a mute woman named Elisa, and she is enthralling here. She is the princess without voice and is the center of this film. Even without saying a single word, she speaks volumes louder than any other performance this year. She is so incredibly phenomenal and without her, this film wouldn’t be near as good. Well, maybe it might be but not near as great as it is. I hope to see her take home all the awards because she deserves it. A favorite actor of mine is in this movie and is probably one of my most hated characters of anything I’ve ever seen. Michael Shannon is a fucking force of the most evil there is. I have never hated a performance and also loved it so incredibly much. He is the true monster of this film and it’s so maddening to see him be so evil here but it also put a smile on my face because this is such a great villain. There’s times where my nails are dug into my fist because of the anger he caused me and will cause to audiences. This character was written so perfectly (as everything and everyone in this is) and is given such menacing and despicable dialogue, which just adds to the evil greatness. What this film also has that was so great and refreshing were the supporting roles here. Both supporting roles from Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer, were absolutely fantastic and superb. Both of these characters play a role in Elisa’s life and I loved every second that we get to spend with both of these characters. Richard Jenkins is her neighbor where she lives and he’s a sort of old and broken man that Elisa takes care of and is a friend of. Seeing these two characters communicate was something really special and like every other moment of this film, were some of my favorite scenes. Octavia Spencer however, is her friend at work and they’re typically always together cleaning while Octavia Spencer’s character talks about her problems at home. She’s also hilarious here and brings this film some comedic relief and a much needed layer. While Sally Hawkins is completely silent, except for the use of Sign Language, Spencer carries the scenes they share together and was delightful.

Now, I’m gonna talk just a little about the main plot of the film and that’s the relationship between Elisa and this Aquatic creature that is brought into this research facility. The relationship that is formed here is so entrancing and beautiful that it blew me away. The aquatic creature is also quite adorable in a way and seeing him on screen at times just warmed my heart. That being said, Sally Hawkins never loses the spotlight. Every scene they share, you’re just so fascinated by the creature and to learn more about it but you’re equally as fascinated with Hawkins. Which, floors me that a film like this is even made and can do something so profound like that.

If you don’t know much about this film, keep it that way as much as possible. I had seen the first trailer once before seeing this and that was it. I wanted to keep it that way because I heard the second trailer that was released gives away the entire film. So, that’s all I’ll say about that because you should witness this phenomenon yourself and going in knowing little to nothing at all.

Guillermo del Toro is infamous for his visionary style and how weird the films he makes are. The Shape of Water is dripping with Toro’s style and vision and I loved every second of it. He wrote and directed this film and has made one of my favorites of the year and one of the best movies I have ever seen. I’m not just saying that because I really loved this film but because it genuinely is one of the most cinematically enthralling and beautiful films I have ever seen. On every level, it exceeds anything else I’ve seen this year. The writing and direction from del Toro is superb. His direction in this film is absolutely perfect and each scene and each frame had me transfixed and in awe. Not to mention the absolutely hypnotic cinematography here. The DP Dan Laustsen makes this film pop with that del Toro style and makes the time period of the 60’s look like the most beautiful place to be even in such a dark film. Toro’s story is an absolutely brilliant one and the screenplay written by him and Vanessa Taylor is wonderful. The dialogue in this film is so well done and written to perfection. Where this story goes, was not one I expected. What this movie does, it feels like the film is nearly over and you realize there’s still an hour left. That being said, it never loses a beat and is still as beautiful, delightful, tense and perfect till the very last shot.

During the final 15 minutes of this film, no spoilers of course, I had my nails digging into my fists and tears just rolling down my face. My heart was beating through my chest and I couldn’t even breathe until that final shot. When I see a film this powerful, that happens to me but this time, it was different and more intense. This was one of those films that kept me in my seat while the credits were rolling while trying to get myself together and not full on cry. That feeling stuck with me for the rest of the day and I could not get over it and I honestly didn’t want to.

Look, The Shape of Water is an absolute masterpiece. If it weren’t for The Last Jedi coming out, I would honestly not even want to see anything else for the rest of the year. This is s beautiful, heart wrenching, gorgeous and jaw dropping film that floored me into the sea. This is without a doubt the best Guillermo del Toro film yet and might always be his best. I had the privilege to see this earlier this week in Atlanta. Where I live, we don’t have it yet but it opens everywhere the 22nd and if you can see this, please do. This is one of those rare films that just gives you that cinematic epic feeling in every way. Don’t let this fly under the radar with Star Wars coming out and everything else. See The Shape of Water. I didn’t think anything would be able to take the spot of my number one of the year after Blade Runner 2049 but, this sure as hell did exactly that.

I’m going to give The Shape of Water…

5 out of 5 stars!

#The Shape of Water #Guillermo del Toro #Sally Hawkins #Michael Shannon #Richard Jenkins #Octavia Spencer #Michael Stuhlbarg #Doug Jones #Movie #review #movie review #movies

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neverreallythoughtaboutthefuture · 7 years

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Hey guys!

So, I’d promised to give you a little review of the movie “Radius” after I went to the world premiere, and OMG! Where do I even start?

First, as you can see, yes, I had the incredible pleasure and great privilege of meeting with Diego Klattenhoff. Actually, I had not been expecting how ridiculously relaxed the whole premiere would be.

We were among the first who arrived (roughly 4th in line), and they were asking people to wait in line outside for the theater doors to open (but you could still freely walk into the lobby, go buy popcorn, go to the bathroom, etc. It was just to make sure we didn’t get confused with those who had worked on the movie, and were waiting in another section of the lobby inside).

At some point, I noticed two people (a man and woman) greeting those who were waiting in line behind us and chatting a bit with them. Then, they said “thanks for coming to see the movie!”, and I realised that they were the directors. Their friends were in line like everyone else, and they were just there, hanging out and chatting with people. No stress. They eventually went inside but would just walk around and mingle. No security in sight (or if there was, they were dressed casually like the rest of us), no nothing.

I almost missed Diego and Charlotte’s arrival, because I was looking inside – expecting them to either already be waiting inside the theater, or come join the group that had worked on the movie from another entrance. But they basically just stepped out of an SUV that dropped them right in front of the building, and entered the lobby by the same door as everyone else.

So, it’s Frédérick (my partner) who tapped me on the shoulder, and made me notice he’d just arrived. If Fred hadn’t said anything, I kid you not, I literally could have been walking right beside him without noticing him, because we entered the building at the same time roughly side by side, and I’ve been known to have tunnel vision when I’m focused on something else. Lol!

Since he lingered a bit in the lobby while most people were continuing to walk towards the theater to go get a good seat without really paying attention to him, I decided to take the opportunity to ask him if he had the time to take a picture with me, and to sign my copy of “Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero”.

The moment I said “Hi,”, he immediately introduced himself by saying “Hi, I’m Diego,” and extending his hand towards me. Of course, I introduced myself back and we shook hands, but I found this moment kind of adorable, because I wasn’t exactly sure if he was introducing himself by giving me his name to put me more at ease, or because he wasn’t exactly expecting me to know him.

I’ve had one other experience thus far where I was lucky enough to meet with some actors (mainly from “Battlestar Galactica” and “Stargate”, in case you guys are curious), and, from what I remember, they tended to say “Hi, what is your name?”, and ask you how you were. They didn’t usually say their own name when greeting fans, because they assumed you already knew.

So, I did have that moment where my brain went “OMG! You’re so cute!”, because of course I knew who he was given that I went to the premiere in great part to support him and his new movie.

But then, I realised that this was a movie premiere, and not exactly a meet and greet event (unlike the “Réunion Stellaire), so there was absolutely no way for him to know I was a fan of his work. Not to mention that a lot of the movie’s publicity over here had been made around the two directors, and the fact that this was Quebec movie (from the direction, to the cinematography, to the sound mixing, most of the people that worked on it are Quebecers, though the filming locations and part of the crew are also from Manitoba). Therefore, introducing himself by name made a lot of sense.

He and Charlotte really behaved like they were just part of that large group of people who’d contributed to the movie, and did not try to bring the focus of the event back to them at any point. I didn’t think to ask Diego if he understood French (some English Canadians aren’t comfortable speaking it, but they can understand some of it), because although the film was made in English, the whole event was held in French (except for the Q&A, where they invited the audience to ask their questions in either language. Some of us decided to ask them in English, especially when they were more directed at the actors).

Still, that very first contact and him saying “Hi, I’m Diego” really made me smile. And @alyblacklist, you were so right about him being just the nicest man! He is so patient, kind, and gracious with his fans. Shortly after he took that picture with me, he got called to take a few more official pictures with Charlotte, the directors, producers, etc. (i.e. those that were originally posted on Facebook and Twitter that some of you have re-posted here), but told me he’d be right back to sign the cover of my book.

Sure enough, the moment he was done, he came back, immediately apologized for the delay, and reassured me that he hadn’t forgotten about me.

He’d been gone for less than five minutes. : D

I know he’s Canadian, and we do have the tendency to apologize a lot, be super polite, and try to make sure others are comfortable, but how are you even real?

So, having already had the chance to meet him before the movie even started, seeing that he was starting to get a little busier, and floating on my own little cloud of happiness, Frédérick and I went inside to find a seat.

There was a small presentation / introduction where we got the chance to get to know a bit more about the directors (and learn about their sense of humor, I really need to translate that part later…) and other people involved in the movie.

Then, everyone started mewling like cats before the movie began (apparently, it’s a tradition at Fantasia), and, after the movie, there was a Q&A with the directors, actors, and the rest of the team.

And yes, there was indeed a scene near the beginning of the movie where Liam (Diego’s character), who has lost his memories, uses the tip of a garden gnome’s hat to break a window so he can slide his hand inside, and unlock the door of what is apparently his home.

@coopers-blacklist-gnome will be pleased to learn that no gnome was harmed in the making of this movie, though. ; ) The gnome helps Diego with the breaking and entering, but totally survives the encounter. : D It’s so good to see these two collaborating together for once! ; ) Perhaps there’s hope for a peace, or at least a truce, after all!

So yes, I just had to ask if the scene had been intended to be a nod to the fans of “The Blacklist”, or if Diego just somehow randomly happens to have gnomes randomly following him a bit everywhere. ; b

Apparently, it was a nod to Peter Jackson and the directors’ other movie “Turbo Kid”.

So the answer is yes, it seems he really has gnomes “haunting him” ever since that unfortunate encounter. ; )

But, from what I understand, Diego was totally aware that fans of “The Blacklist” might notice the gnome while filming the scene (but did not tell the directors about garden gnomes being sort of part of “The Blacklist” lore, so that moment of them realizing it and Diego making that evil mastermind laugh was kind of funny!).

Hmm… What else? Oh yes! There is a shirtless scene! Very important key point of the movie, obviously.

Aaand that’s about the extent of the spoilers I am willing to give. Lol! I will give you my impressions of the movie itself in a moment, though, just after I finish my little retelling of the evening (otherwise I’ll get hopelessly sidetracked and forget tons of things). ; )

So, after the whole Q&A, most people were leaving, while a few got downstairs to talk with the directors, cast and crew.

Since I’d already had the chance to meet him before (albeit briefly), I stayed a little aside, and waited for Diego to be alone before approaching him again. We spoke a bit about “Pacific Rim”, and he told me how he’d suggested to Guillermo del Toro that Yancy should show up again on a lifeboat or something at some point during or after the movie (with amnesia, and a special power where everyone within 50 feet of him… Okay, just kidding! Uh oh. Shit. Too late. Now my mind’s already exploring crossover possibilities… I need help.).

And Guillermo basically told him “Nah man, you’re dead.” But really, if they can bring back Hannibal Chau, they can do anything! : D

He also said that “Pacific Rim” was initially intended to be a trilogy, but now he’s really not sure they are sticking to that initial plan (and/or the initial scenario / story that had been planned originally), especially given that Charlie Hunnam (Raleigh Becket) won’t be part of the sequel.

Though he said that you never knew, and perhaps the next one will be even better than the original! I might have expressed a slight doubt, given how the first movie raised the bar ridiculously high in my humble opinion (and especially, given the many reasons and rather unique circumstances why I became so attached to it). But hey! I’ll try to keep an open mind! ; )

So, I walked into the building with him, and I basically also ended up leaving the theater to get to the lobby after the movie with him, too. Another thing I noticed, is that he either opened and/or kept the doors open for me while we walked together, and always let me step in first. It briefly confused me, because I usually do the same with people. This could easily have ended up in a “after you,” “no, after you” scenario, but I managed to tame those instincts. Lol!

After I wished him a good evening (because it was getting late, and Fred and I needed to get up early the next day), someone else came to introduce himself to him, ask him his full name, and some questions. Later, on my way out of the bathroom, I met that person again, and he asked me if I’d been among the people who had worked on the movie.

His question took me a bit by surprise, so after answering “no”, I asked him why he thought I was involved in the movie. He said that he’d watched me talk with Diego a few times, overheard part of our conversation, and he thought we knew each other.

Nah, Diego’s just super kind, genuine, down-to-earth, and very easy to approach like that. : D And, well, since there was no guarantee I ever would be given an opportunity to physically meet with him again, and I didn’t seem to be keeping other fans from having their chance to interact with him, I decided that I would make the most of the time I was given. ; )

Also, it seems that, no matter how I keep expecting for the world to run out of plaid shirts for him to wear, he’s found a never-ending well! : D And it’s a good thing, because he absolutely looks great in them.

As for the movie itself, I really loved it!

The concept behind the story is very intriguing, and it is very well acted, directed, and edited. I didn’t feel like some moments were moving too slow, nor did I get confused by the numerous flashbacks as the two main characters slowly recover their memories.

The story essentially starts with a blank slate, and slowly, pieces of the puzzle get together.

I’m also quite thrilled and very grateful for the fact that the story and the way the relationship (as in “how they are related to each other, and the nature of the connection they share”) between the two protagonists evolve gave Diego an opportunity to really show a lot of range as an actor. Once again, I’m trying to avoid giving too much information, but his character ended up being extremely interesting, and much more complex than originally expected (by me, at least).

As a huge fan of the whole nature v.s. nurture debate, the movie really struck a chord with me. And having seen it before most people definitely feels both like both a blessing and a curse right now, because there aren’t many people I can discuss it with! Lol!

But it truly is a blessing more than anything else, and I’m fully aware of just how ridiculously lucky I am, do not worry.

That’s pretty much all I can think of for now. If you guys have any other questions, please feel free to ask!

As for spoilers, I might be willing to give you a bit more of them in private, should any of you be currently going mad over not knowing what happens in the movie, but I do have to warn you that this is one of those extremely rare movies where I feel that spoilers might take a little (actually, pretty big) something away from the whole experience. And the thing is, it’s not even a HUGE twist or something that you couldn’t guess at per say. I did see the ending coming a little before getting confirmation of my suspicions, but the way the movie was directed and edited made it so that the timing was just right. It didn’t occur so soon that it took anything away from the moment where you get said confirmation, nor lessen the emotional impact.

But it is hard, and painful, and I’m not saying if this has a happy ending or not, but it really got to me and I’m still not fully over it.

And I really think that having known everything since the very beginning would have completely changed my perspective, and I would have been more or less hurting and mourning for those characters from the get go.

So, my suggestion really is to experience it first in an unspoiled manner to fully appreciate it.

But that having been said, as someone who reads the end of every book before the beginning, and tends to walk into a theater knowing the plot of an entire movie by heart before having seen it, I will respect your choice, and won’t hold those spoilers back from you if you absolutely must know about them.

But I’ve sworn to Diego that if I did personally give anyone any spoilers, it would be in private, and I’d clearly ask those people not to publish them where the information can easily be found publicly.

I know the video of the Q&A already offers tons of spoilers and pretty much gives the ending away (at least partially), but I still intend to make good on my word, so I’d sincerely appreciate it if you guys respected that, and kept any spoilerish information I might give you to yourselves.

Also, the reason why I only have so few photos, and they are taken from so far away, is because I used the better camera I had with me to film the whole Q&A, and the three pictures here were taken with a cellphone. But I might eventually take a look at my copy of that video, and do more screen captures if I find something interesting. : D

I’m glad someone made a more professional video of the Q&A, though, because my version is probably going to be pretty shaky (because I was filming most of the time without looking at the camera. I mean yes, videos are a nice way to keep and preserve memories, but not at the price of forgetting to watch Diego being there live right in front of you. Lol! So yeah, I was trying to film it and keep my hands steady, but there are times when I glanced down and went “Ooops! People are moving out of the frame now!” Lol!), and at some point, I had a major issue with the focus (and was trying to find a way to fix it without stopping the video, so I wouldn’t miss anything of what they were saying in it).

But yeah, since the video had a much better zoom and was HD, some screenshot might make interesting photos, at least, so when I get the chance to watch it I might post more.

#Diego Klattenhoff #Radius Movie #Radius #Yancy Becket #Donald Ressler #Pacific Rim #The Blacklist #Garden Gnomes #related #; )#Yes #I touched a Becket #My life is complete now #: D #My Posts #My Stuff #My Thoughts #OCC

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robinthewinterbird · 8 years

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Is Villainous Jim Possible in Season 2 of Trollhunters? Theory on the Triumbric Stones

With the cliffhanger ending of Trollhunters, a lot of us had been theorizing on what will happen to our brave hero after he (heroically and idiotically) walks into the Darklands alone. Fanfictions and fan ramblings have revealed many ideas. Theories I’ve seen include:

Jim successfully kills Gunmar and saves the children, but he’s damaged by the experience.

Jim acquires allies in the Darklands, and they take down Gunmar together.

Jim gets his butt kicked, his friends find a way to rescue him, and they take down Gunmar together.

My thoughts? Personally I think the last one is the most likely; the show has built up that friendship and love is what sets Jim apart from other Trollhunters and the show is called “Trollhunters” plural, meaning Toby and Claire and probably Blinky and Draal, too, will count as Trollhunters. So I strongly believe the show is building up to Jim realizing he needs his friends by his side for the final battle and that he should let them protect him just like he desires to protect them. Though he may also acquire allies in the Darklands, too. Jim has a way of making those around him feel the need to protect him. (He’s just too much of a cinnamon roll.)

But there is another possibility for Season 2 that I don’t think a lot of people have considered: Jim briefly joining Gunmar or Jim becoming a villain in his own right.

But that’s crazy, you say. No in-character version of Jim would join Gunmar. Even a Jim that’s turned jaded and “dark” would kill Gunmar, not join him. Gunmar wants to devour humanity; Jim is a human. These things don’t add up. And Jim being evil? Please. There’s a line even a traumatized Jim wouldn’t cross. And I think you’re right; I don’t think Jim would ever develop into a character that would join Gunmar or be outright villainous...at least not without some sort of outside magical influence.

But what if there is some outside magical influence that just might mess with his thinking? What if he could be controlled by something dark? Is there evidence for such a thing already existing the show?

Let’s take a look at those Triumbric Stones again.

So previously I made a post breaking down the various Arthurian references in Trollhunters (you can read it here) and in the process, I stumbled upon a thought: why did Merlin want to hide the Triumbric Stones?

First, let’s start with what we know about the Triumbric Stones. These stones are:

The Birthstone: The Heartstone from which Gunmar was born, corrupted by the first war between humans and trolls.

The Killstone: The remnant of Gunmar’s first kill, the Shattered King of the Quagawumps.

The Eye of Gunmar: Gunmar’s own eye that he lost in the battle with Orlagk for control of his Gum-Gums.

3 items: one from Gunmar’s beginning, one from Gunmar’s first murder, and one from Gunmar’s own flesh. Already these sound like sinister items, and none have good origins. One was corrupted by a horrific war and another a result of a murder. Even the third stone, which proves Gunmar can be vulnerable, was first removed from Gunmar by another powerful Gum-Gum, not a hero fighting against him.

Another clue about the nature of these stones is that Merlin hid them. Bodus’ poem claims that “The Myrddin Wylt obscured a Shadow’s bane,” Myrddin Wylt being an old Welsh name for Merlin. Merlin is the creator of the amulet that chooses the Trollhunters, and this amulet has 6 compartments to utilize the power of other stones, which is how Jim comes to use the stones they collect. If these three items were powerful enough to kill Gunmar and could be easily used by the Trollhunter with the amulet, why would Merlin “obscure” them rather than make them available to his chosen champion? Why not allow the Trollhunter, the keeper of peace, to “eclipse all who quarry with thine might”? What is so dangerous about these items that he would want to hide them rather than let the Trollhunter use them?

Then there’s the matter of who thought to find them after Merlin hid them. The Triumbric Stones are introduced to us through the last surviving work of the scholar known as the dishonorable Bodus. Dishonorable Bodus. One has to wonder how Bodus came to be called “dishonorable” and why it is the dishonorable scholar who recorded the location Triumbric stones.

And it could be that Bodus’ riddle even warns against wielding Eclipse. “Where worthy perish, ye will prevail in night and Eclipse all who quarry with thine might.” This could be interpreted to mean that, where worthy heroes perish, the wielder of Eclipse will win with darkness. This could mean that those who wield Eclipse are no longer “worthy.” After all, what can turn daylight dark? ...An eclipse.

It’s all a little suspicious.

The episode itself may even hint at this. When the riddle was first read, Toby pointed out how creepy the riddle was, but Jim quickly silenced his doubts by focusing on the fact that it said “they could win.” It’s played off like Toby just simply didn’t understand the riddle, but was that possibly subrle foreshadowing?

Another potentially important detail is Eclipse’s black color and red glow. Color is seems to be symbolic in Trollhunters. (Personally, I think there’s enough evidence for color symbolism in Trollhunters that I could make an entire post on that alone.) And the color blue seems to be particularly so. Blue is the color for goodness and purity, the color of heroes. The Trollhunters’ souls are blue. The Trollhunter’s amulet and the armor and sword of Daylight glow blue. Heck, Jim, the chosen hero, is dressed nearly all in blue - blue jacket, blue jeans, blue shoes - and has blue eyes. Even the title is in blue.

So when Jim is no longer wearing blue, it could be a significant piece of symbolism. He’s lost his purity. He no longer bears the colors of the hero. He no longer symbolizes good.

Now this may not actually mean much of anything; the symbolism of blue is called into question when we see that Gunmar’s eyes are also blue. It’s possible I’m reading too much into this. But this is also Guillermo del Toro we’re talking about. He does tend to like visual symbolism and has used color before for this purpose. I think it’s perfectly possible he’s using color as symbolism and potential foreshadowing.

But even aside from the lack of blue, the color of the new armor is still significant. Jim’s new armor is black “like night,” whereas his previous armor was a shimmering silver. He’s gone from a light aesthetic to a dark one. A darker aesthetic is a sure foreshadowing of Jim either going through some dark stuff and/or turning a bit darker himself internally. It’s the same sort of symbolism used for Luke Skywalker in Star Wars as he became less pure. With each movie in the original trilogy, Luke had a darker clothing aesthetic as he became more open and vulnerable to the Dark Side. Jim seems to be getting similar treatment.

Everything about these Triumbric Stones and Eclipse just seems to indicate that these items are not meant to be wielded by heroes. They are sinister items of sinister origins, hidden by those who wanted to save the world and recorded only by those deemed dishonorable. Could they potentially have the power to corrupt those who wield them? If so...could they influence Jim to join Gunmar?

But, I hear you say, even if the Triumbric Stones are evil and corrupting, Eclipse is wielded “for the doom of Gunmar.” So even if they turn Jim outright evil, he would still kill Gunmar, not join him. So that still kills the “joining Gunmar” theory, right?

My final piece of evidence is the promo poster for Season 2.

Jim is standing in Gunmar’s hand, holding his sword aloft while souls (lost Trollhunters?) swirl around him. One could say this symbolizes his battle with Gunmar, and that’s how most interpret it. But look at how the picture is staged. Gunmar appears to be presenting Jim to the world...as if Jim was his champion.

And it was this poster that first got me even considering that possibility.

Now if Jim were to join Gunmar, how do I think it would unfold? I think it’d go a little something like this: With the influence of the Triumbric Stones, Jim will end being corrupted and become an agent of Gunmar. Gunmar, fearful someone else would use Eclipse against him if anything happened to Jim, uses this to his advantage Once he has his allegiance, Gunmar will try to force Jim to kill his own friends and open the gateway at Killahead Bridge, just as Vendel warned he would.

As for a villainous rogue Jim...I have trouble picturing what that would look like. While under the influence of the Triumbric Stones, the Jim we know would no longer exist, that’s for sure. And with del Toro manning this thing, we could go in a pretty dark direction, children’s show or not.

Now I could be way off base here. The Triumbric Stones could just be inanimate objects of power, neither good nor evil. But that’s why it’s a theory, right?

Regardless of how the rest of Trollhunters unfolds, I still agree that Jim’s friends will still save him, and they will still take on Gunmar together. I’m fairly certain that’s where this series is going. But rather than saving Jim from the terrors of the Darklands, it’s possible his friends may end up saving him...from himself.

Get ready, indeed.

#trollhunters #theory #triumbric stones #dark Jim #dark!Jim #season 2 #Season 2 can't come soon enough #I need a hobby

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katiezstorey93 · 6 years

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chelsfic · 4 years

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Leftovers Part 9 - Nandor the Relentless x Reader Fanfic

Previous parts: Masterlist

A/N: Quick note-- most roller derby leagues don’t actually take a break from practicing during the off-season *shrug.* Hey, hey, hey, guys? Let me know what you think! I am an ACTUAL ENERGY VAMPIRE, but I feed off your kind words and support--love you!

Summary: Nandor is on the reader’s shit list, but will they reunite when a minor medical emergency pops up? (yes)

Warnings: Female Reader-insert, Angst, Medical shit (migraines, lasting effects of the vamp attack at the rave), Hypnotism

---

“Guillermooo! I’m ready for my slumber now!” Nandor bellows, standing impatiently by his open coffin and waiting for his familiar to arrive so he can complete his bedtime routine.

Guillermo appears, huffing and puffing, a moment later, “I’m sorry, master! I forgot…”

“Well, that’s unacceptable, Guillermo!,” Nandor whines with a scowl. “You’re my familiar. It’s your job to remember these things. You’d think after five years--”

“Eleven,” Guillermo interjects with a pained smile. “Eleven years, master.”

Nandor looks momentarily shocked before regaining his momentum, “Okay...Eleven years… Fine. You’d think that you would remember to come and help me get ready for bed. It’s not that difficult.”

Guillermo lets the scolding roll off his back. He knows his master is hurting. In truth, Nandor hasn’t wanted Guillermo’s help at bedtime in weeks. It’s only now that his coffin is feeling a little lonely that he’s reverting back to his old ways. Guillermo rushes to untie his master’s cravat and helps him slip off the heavy cape. The vampire looks temporarily mollified.

“Very well,” Nandor sniffs, taking Guillermo’s hand as he steps up into the coffin. “I forgive you.”

“Thank you, master,” Guillermo smiles lightly and moves to take hold of the coffin’s lid. Nandor suddenly reaches up to stop him.

“Guillermo…” he fidgets and avoids eye contact as he asks, “Do you think she’ll be angry with me for much longer?”

Guillermo looks down at his master, feeling contrary ties of loyalty tugging on him as he decides what to say.

In the end he takes pity on Nandor, reaching down to pat his soft hair and murmuring, “I’m sure she’ll forgive you soon, master.”

“Thank you, Guillermo,” Nandor sighs, shutting his eyes and crossing his hands over his chest. “You’re a good familiar.”

He gently closes the lid, feeling a happy swell in his chest despite his concern. It’s been a few days since the orgy and his friend still hasn’t shown any signs of forgiving Nandor. He knows she’s hurt, but Guillermo silently hopes things will smooth over soon. An angsty vampire makes for an unhappy familiar.

---

After Nandor let you out of the basement you ran to the shower, dousing yourself in steaming water to chase the chill out of your body. But no matter how many hot showers or layers of clothing you put on, you can’t ever seem to warm up. At least not on the inside. In the span of just a few days you’ve gone from the heights of happiness to the dumps of misery. The worst part is that you’re not even angry anymore. You’re numb to it. All you want is to fall back into Nandor’s arms and let him make you feel good like no one else has.

But…

It’s not that he slept with who knows how many people at the orgy. It’s not even that he locked you in a basement and forgot about you. It’s that he treated you like a thing. Like his possession, whose feelings and thoughts are insignificant in the face of almost eight hundred years of immortal life. For a little while Nandor made you feel special, and then he’d gone and ruined it.

You don’t even have your usual outlet! Bout season is over and practice won’t start up again for another month. And to make matters even better: all this drama seems to be aggravating your stupid brain because, for the first time in weeks, you’re feeling the dragging ache in your head left by the vampire attack at the rave. It’s been a dull, throbbing pain for a couple days now, but tonight it’s grown into a pulsing, stomach-churning migraine. You lock yourself up in your room with the lights off. The housemates probably assume you’re brooding over Nandor. But mostly...you’re just in pain. And scared.

It’s after midnight and the pain shows no signs of diminishing. You finally drag yourself out of your room, squinting blearily against the blinding glare of the candlelight, and seeking out one of the two licensed drivers in the house.

---

“The closest urgent care is on Richmond, but according to the Google reviews, we’ll have shorter wait times if we drive a bit farther to the one on Victory Boulevard. Of course, it’s entirely up to you but--”

“Colin,” you interrupt, your voice barely above a whisper, “can you please take me to the closest one and maybe try to resist the urge to feed? I already feel like shit.”

Colin pauses, tightening his fingers on the steering wheel and saying, quietly, “I wasn’t...I was just trying to be helpful.”

You immediately feel guilty and then you question if, in fact, he’s still feeding. Being friends with an energy vampire is...draining.

He drives you to the urgent care, walking inside the crowded waiting area with you and taking charge of your intake paperwork. Okay, now you could kiss him, because bureaucracy is like Colin’s native language and you’re pretty sure he uses some of his power to manipulate the staff into getting you seen sooner. In under an hour you’re leaving with a prescription and feeling a little less anxious about the possibility that you might drop dead from an aneurysm.

You’re pulling out of the pharmacy parking lot and back out onto the road when a small, squeaking, flying thing suddenly soars through your open window and erupts in the backseat, transforming into your dark, sullen vampire lover.

You shriek in alarm, looking out the window and noting the lightening sky on the horizon. Your heart jumps up into your throat, “Nandor! What are you doing, it’s almost daybreak!”

Nandor sits forward in his seat and leans in close to you as he speaks, “Guillermo told me you have been to the human medical shamans! What is wrong, my human?”

“It’s...nothing, Nandor. I’ll be fine. I had a bad migraine,” you mumble. You’re too exhausted to be having this conversation.

Nandor continues, unphased, “Then you should have come to me, not fucking Colin Robinson!”

“Why?” you blurt out, suddenly done with avoiding the hurt you’ve been dwelling in for days. “Because you care about me? Or because I’m your property?”

Nandor looks bewildered, “You are my human…”

You shake your head violently, turning away in your seat with an angry growl.

“...And I do care, my love…”

Sighing, you fix your eyes on the metal guardrail at the side of the road as it flashes by. Colin Robinson is sitting rigid in the driver’s seat, beaming as he gulps down the emotions flooding the vehicle. Nandor reaches out to curl his fingers through your hair just as the first rays of sunlight break over the horizon.

“Nandor, the sun!” you cry, all thoughts of your hurt and anger flying from your head. You turn around in your seat to lock eyes with your lover for one meaningful instant before he transforms into his bat form.

You scramble for the purse at your feet, upending it onto the floor before holding it up and frantically gesturing to the flapping little bat in the backseat.

“Get in, baby!” you plead, uncertain of how much communication actually gets through in this form.

You breathe a shaky sigh of relief as Nandor flies into the bag, curling up at the bottom with a frightened squeak.

“Fucking hell,” you mumble. Your heart is racing in your chest. Cautiously, you open the purse to peer inside at the furry, winged creature who is...your boyfriend. You reach in and gingerly stroke your fingers over his little head. The bat’s teeth close on one finger in an affectionate, soft bite. “You’re okay now…”

Colin Robinson pulls up outside the house and turns to you with his eyes blazing, “Well, this has been quite the night!”

---

You carry Bat-Nandor into his room, taking him out of your bag and gently placing him in the fur-lined coffin. Even though you’re expecting it, you can’t help but jump back when he transforms before your eyes. You’re still not used to witnessing actual magic.

He looks up at you with a look that’s all soft, liquid eyes and remorseful submission.

“Will you stay with me?” he asks diffidently, toying with a tuft of rich fur on the coffin lining. “Please?”

You weigh your options. On the one hand you really miss falling asleep in Nandor’s strong arms, with the comforting scent of him wrapped around your body like a blanket. And when you pause for a moment you realize that the ache in your head hasn’t bothered you since he flew into Colin Robinson’s car.

On the other hand…

“Is there anything you want to say to me, first?” you prompt, arching your brow expectantly.

Nandor swallows his pride, thinking back to those horrible days when Guillermo left him for fucking Celeste. He sits up and takes your hand in his as he says, “I’m sorry I treated you like a belonging and not a person. I appreciate you very much. And I--I love you. And also, I’m sorry for forgetting about you and Guillermo in the basement…it probably won’t happen again.”

You let out a laugh, tears stinging your eyes as you reply, “I love you too, Nandor. And...I’m sorry, too. I don’t even care anymore about the stupid orgy anymore. But I should have...tried to understand it more. I think.”

Nandor sits up, grasping your face between his hands and pulling you in closer.

“I wanted you with me at my side, my mortal,” he hisses, dropping little kisses onto your lips. “One day you will be. I’ll make you a vampire and together we will be the life of every vampire orgy. We’ll feast on virgin blood and make love until the end of time.”

Before you can form anything approaching a reaction, he claims your mouth with his, sucking your lower lip and pushing his tongue forward to tangle with yours. You cling to the fur collar of his coat, hanging on for dear life as your knees go weak. Every time you kiss it feels like you’re diving into a hot spring, losing yourself so deliciously to the sensation of his touch.

“You want that don’t you, my mortal?” he pants against your lips, reaching down to casually lift you off your feet and settle you on his lap. “Immortal life? Immortal love?”

He pauses kissing you and you rest your cheek against the top of his head, enjoying the soft brush of his hair against your skin. Do you want that? To be a vampire? To never see the sun again? To drink blood to live? To never say goodbye to this beautiful, idiot man you seem to love?

“Yes, Nandor,” you murmur, pressing your lips into his hair and breathing his scent. “I do.”

He leans his head back and kisses you once more, running his lips over your cheeks, your jaw, the long column of your exposed throat.

“Uhm!” you interrupt, a little panicked. “But not this minute, right? You have to give me some warning…”

Nandor chuckles, smoothing his hands up and down your back in reassurance.

“No, mortal. Dawn isn’t exactly an ideal time to make a new vampire…”

“Oh...okay, good,” you sigh, settling down into his arms once more. “Because I have one condition…”

---

A little while later, you’re sealed up, snug as a bug in Nandor’s coffin, with his arms wrapped around you and your face tucked into the crook of his neck. You press a kiss to his cool skin and his chest rumbles with a satisfied purr. For the first time in hours and hours your skull doesn’t feel like it’s about to crack in two and you ponder the reason for that. Of course, like all vampires, Nandor has the power of hypnosis. Maybe his very presence has a soothing effect? Like he transmits a frequency that cancels out whatever that asshole did to you?

“Nandor?” you whisper, unsure if he’s fallen asleep yet or not.

“Yes, my mortal?” he answers at once, tightening his arms around you.

“When I’m with you my head doesn’t hurt so bad… But, do you think--do you think that vampire did some kind of...lasting damage?” the question has been on the back of your mind ever since the attack but you’ve been too afraid to give a voice to your worry.

A low growl escapes his throat as he replies, “That shit chicken vampire hurt you because he can’t even hypnotize correctly.”

“But...” you pause, steeling yourself. Are you really about to put this level of trust in him? “You can fix it, can’t you?”

Nandor pauses, swallowing down a lump of nerves as he considers. He wants nothing more than to make you feel better. But there was the time he and Laszlo gave Sean the brain scramblies…

But this time would be different. He would be so, so gentle. So careful…

He raises the lid of the coffin, sitting up and pulling you with him. A few candles still flicker from the tables around the room, forgotten in his eagerness to have you in his arms. Nandor’s pale skin glows faintly in the low light, the lines of his body lost in shadows.

“Look into my eyes, little human,” he commands, his voice is deep and drawling.

You obey, looking up at him as your body visibly trembles. You’re frightened.

“Shh,” Nandor hushes, running his hands up your arms and settling them onto your shoulders. “I’m going to take care of you.”

You nod, remembering how fragile and weak he’d felt when you’d carried his bat-form in your hands. You can give him the same trust. You can put yourself in his hands now and know that he won’t hurt you.

His dark eyes burn with intensity as he continues, “You are now under my command…”

---

A/N: I require CAKES AND CREAMS!! Candies and streamers and sticky, sticky toffee! Actually I just need some soft comments because I AGONIZED over this??!?!?!?!

Tags:

@festering-queen @kandomeresbitch @strangestdiary @glitterportrait @scuzmunkie @redwoodshadows @sarasxe @rileyomalley

#nandor the relentless #nandor #nandor x reader #nandor the relentless x reader #nandor the relentless fanfic #nandor the relentless imagine #wwdits fanfic #what we do in the shadows

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nsorchidsociety · 6 years

Text

A Collection of People WordPress Themes and 20 Best Society

Don’t forget that with the distinctive promocode wpfreeware15 you are able to purchase any TemplateMonster’s template or theme with 15% reduction!

TheBallot — Deadly Candidate WordPress Theme

Maisha — Charity & Donation WordPress Theme

AppyTimes — Summer Camp WordPress Theme

Maryville — City Portal WordPress Theme

Final Trail — Funeral Services WordPress Theme

Cared4 — Medical and Senior Care WordPress Theme

The Legal Way — Lawyer & Attorney Services WordPress Theme

Akhamada — Deadly Center WordPress Theme

Guillermo — Personal & Business Coach WordPress Theme

Nutrie — Health Life Coach WordPress Theme

Fastlek — Jogging and Coaching Club WordPress Theme

Duncan — Specialist Lawyer Services WordPress Theme

LifeHealth — Personal Life Coach WordPress Theme

LegalAlien — Immigration Lawyer Services WordPress Theme

Callista — Charity and Contribution Non-Profit Organization WordPress Theme

ArmyAcademy — Military School WordPress Theme

Mike Bridge — Private Homework WordPress Theme

BitNews- City Magazine & News Portal WordPress Theme

SiliconBlogger — Clean Private Blog WordPress Theme

Ashton — Funeral Services WordPress Theme

from Society http://www.nsorchidsociety.com/a-collection-of-people-wordpress-themes-and-20-best-society/

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