#All Kinds Of Delivery Script

[emmabing22]

Making delivery services reliable and profitable only if all scripts are delivered is the best. Could you let me know if you are searching for the best deliveryall script and the necessary feature set? Then this infographic is the answer for you

[nothingenoughao3]

So y'all know how Jeff Combs was doing a theater production which someone involved with Re-Animator saw him in, and how he's suggested that the character he played there influenced how he played Herbert West.

I relayed this to @andalusiapunk and they were like "Oh! That explains it! He's theater-acting!"

I am not an expert by any means, but I did misspend my teenage years in a magnet school as a theater student. I understood immediately what they meant by theater-acting and I'm mad I didn't come up with it.

A lot of this has to do with Herbert's overall physicality. We all love talking about how he's hyper-dramatic, right? How he moves in a particular way that is extremely precise and sharp and, to be on point, theatrical. How he spins the tape recorder in his hand; how he offers Meg's heart in BRIDE; how he fumbles or manipulates syringes in various scenes.

None of that's in the script and it's not necessarily justified by what's happening... unless you're trying to make sure the audience in the backass end of the theater can see you're holding something small, like a tape recorder or a syringe or a human heart. As I observed elsewhere, you can trick the audience into 'seeing' or 'hearing' things that aren't present onstage or screen if your body language insists on its reality.

And, not to get into super-nerdy film history, but: originally theater-acting and movie-acting were one and the same. Early films are blocked like plays, they have extended sequences without constant cutting between shots (like an audience watching a play), and the extremely clear, over-enunciation of a play-actor trying to make sure those poor bastards in the back can hear what they're saying. And like a play, all acting was heavily rehearsed and expected to hit the same points and produce the same results every time.

What changed this was Marlon Brando introducing the idea of improvisation into movie-acting, a choice which also led to a greater flexibility in movie-acting... including delivery of lines. A more "natural", verisimilitudinous delivery became acceptable for films. This doesn't make either style bad, to be clear: each serves its purpose.

Bruce Abbott (to name the most obvious example) is doing movie-acting. He's got some Protagonist Accent going for him, but he has a clear variety of tone and a great deal of subtlety with his facial expressions and delivery. The same goes for the rest of the cast, although David Gale kind of straddles the line between these two styles.

Herbert's delivery is pure theater-acting. When he and Dan invade the morgue, Dan is whispering--but Herbert is stage whispering, which is why he hisses so much. I've made jokes on here before about how Herbert was born on Skid Row in Little Shop of Horrors-verse, and he thinks he's supposed to be in a musical... and, you know, LSOH is a film based on a play, only in that movie, EVERYBODY is theater-acting.

Anyhow, lotta words to find a different way to compliment Combs and the rest of the REANI cast on their acting, because I live for sorcery enjoying these damn movies.

[historical-kitten]

Ancient Roman Politicians on a Modern Date

Gaius Julius Caesar: He invites you to a dinner party at his house and is a fairly witty and engaging host, but all of his stories seem to be about himself. However, friends assure you he's "every woman's man and every man's woman," so stick around for the nightcap he offers you if that makes you curious.

Marcus Licinius Crassus: For a man who is absolutely the wealthiest you've ever met, it seems a little convenient that he 'forgot his wallet' on your date to that expensive gastropub, so you couldn't go halfsies and had to pay for both your meals. The gold flake dessert shines bright, but you sort of wish he'd choke on it.

Gnaeus Pompeius Maximus: It's kind of weird how he takes you around to show you his art collection since it mainly consists of statues of himself, but hey, at least he's interested in art? He also tells a lot of stories about himself. However, he has a reputation for being a devoted husband and he's in between spouses, so if you're ready for that, give him a chance.

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus aka Augustus: He literally wrote out a plan for your entire date, how it would go, and what he would say to the most commonly asked smalltalk questions. Do not deviate from his script. He takes you somewhere like a museum or a fancy restaurant where they barely feed you, but although he is polished, his romantic delivery seems a little flat until you run into his best friend Agrippa... They are just besties, right?

Marcus Antonius aka Mark Antony: Ok, there are a couple ways this could go. He is either an absolutely fantastic date who takes you to see a hilarious play and finishes off with a fun night on the town, or he takes you to a bar in a seedy part of town where you dance and drink and party all night. Either way he gives you nice gifts and is charming and funny. On a later date he may take you on the most expensive, romantic, fancy date ever. Most likely a good time date, just don't expect things to get serious unless you're the Queen of Egypt.

Marcus Aemilius Lepidus: He never showed up for your date. Completely ghosted you. You track down his coworkers Mark Antony and Octavian and they say they have no idea where he is either. Weird.

Marcus Agrippa: He takes you on a tour of the city, pointing out all the architecture and finishes this off with dinner. He seems nice, intelligent, and is very attentive to your needs. So why isn't he off the market yet? His attachment to his slightly creepy best friend and roommate Octavian, maybe? They were roommates.

Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius: A much better date than his father, he takes you to his private boat and gives you a seaside tour. He valiantly fights off pirates during your date, but did you catch one of them winking at him? Regardless, it's an unforgettable adventure.

Who would you rather date? And again, I'm sorry, Lepidus.

As always, thanks to @just-late-roman-republic-things for inspiring these posts.

[evangelineshifts]

FUCK IT !

You know I started thinking about the analogy that people use for manifestation and shifting comparing it to when you order something online.

And for me that analogy made sense but I could never truly relate to it cause when they said “you don’t wonder when your package is coming, you just know it is and you don’t question that etc etc”

And while yes that is true to a certain extent, I actually DO wonder when my packages are coming sometimes. I DO check how far they are from my location. I do anxiously wait for them to come.

I realize that that’s okay. Cause no matter how many times I check the order status. No matter how many times I check how long it’s been since I ordered it, my package STILL CAME.

I think the way we’re told to restrict ourselves from thinking about how much time our manifestations are taking or when we’re gonna shift actually makes it worse.

When you tell someone not to worry about something, to let it go and not thinking about it, to feign indifference the harder they’re going to try to. Which in turn just makes them think about it more.

It’s counterproductive at best.

When I order something I do think about how long it’ll take. I do check the status but once I do I just kind of go on once I’m done. I don’t really feel any particular way about how long it’s taking cause I know it’s mine and it’ll get here.

I trust that the delivery service will get it here in due time cause that’s THEIR job not mine and leave it at that 🤷🏽‍♀️

Another thing I noticed is that in ordering things- at least for me - I don’t worry about HOW it’s gonna get here. It could be delivered on my doorstep, in the mailbox, dropped from a fucking helicopter, ANYTHING, and I have never once cared.

And it might just be me being slow and realizing this is what they meant in those posts later than everyone else but it’s just like- clicked !

I’m always SO worried about the process of shifting.

What method should I do? Should I even do a method?

What if I get bored? I dont want to do it if I’m bored.

What will I think about? Should I look over my script? Maybe Pinterest boards for visuals?

What if I forgot something? I should check my script.

What if I fall asleep?

What if? What if? What if?

WHO FUCKING CARES?!? That is not why you’re doing this. Who cares about that process when the end goal is the destination.

I’ve been avoiding shifting for the longest because I just kept stressing out over the shifting aspect of it. I would maladaptive daydream about my dr and be happy in that but the thought of attempt a shift made me groan.

The thought of affirming and persisting in my manifestations seemed strenuous.

But thats not the point. With practices as fluid as this focusing on what to do is literally the last thing you need to be worried about and I just now realized that.

You’ve probably heard this all before but like fr, do whatever the hell you want. If you want to shift wide awake, eyes open and dancing with music blasting in your ears- do it. Who’s gonna tell you that you can’t? Who has the credibility to say it’s impossible.

No one.

If you want to manifest by literally saying one affirmation and deciding it’s done and then going on doing whatever the fuck you want until the 3D catches up, then do it.

Tell yourself it works for you and then do it.

✧ dividers by @benkeibear !

[moonstruckme]

Ooo! Happy 6k btw, could i get the mae's rambles for poly!maraudes and this concept; actor!reader x poly!maraduers. Just fascinated by the film, they were the main character in, always complimenting how good they are, lots of kisses and praising, and ofc lots of fluff

Hi, thank you !

so depending on how famous you are, you might not tell them initially that you're actually in stuff and one day you come over and they're all watching your film like "you seriously weren't gonna say anything"

sirius wants to come on set and see how everything is done, esp makeup and costumes

similarly to with stage actor reader, remus is really the only one you can practice your lines with because the other two boys are just terrible and they make you laugh with their over-the-top delivery

sirius becomes convinced remus also needs to be an actor after you compliment his delivery, and remus has to stay away from your sets for a few weeks lest sirius try to "network" for him with your producers

sirius is kind of like one of those child actor moms, he's always demanding you have the scripts first, you have x foods in your dressing room, despite you telling him to back off

james eats all your dressing room food

if you ever go to a premiere you have to secure tickets for both james and sirius to go with you (remus wants to support you, but those sorts of events are his personal hell) and they're both very extra with their outfits

james is starstruck around any of your costars while sirius plays it cool to the point where everyone thinks he hates them

[allmyloveandyours]

Webb (3041) Persona Chart and your Online Persona/Content

I wanted to make a post about a online persona to help others if they wanna make one/analyze their current one idk

DISCLAIMER: not a professional I'm just a goofy gal also this is just like a thing I wanted to do idk you cant tell me what I can and cant post

Houses

So a lot of these things may be general, but bear with me, I did mainly gear it towards YouTube shit like I say channel and video a lot just because it's general to me, translate it how you want. I'm also gonna talk about how mine manifests at the bottom you can skip it if you wanna idc it's just interesting to me.

Ascendant - The first vibe your give off, which is pretty straight forward - it can also signal what aesthetic or color you could use the most. Whatever the signs themes are is what you may get the most compliments on.

1st House - The energy you immediately give off, like if you make a video what energy may be exuded in the first 30 seconds sort of deal. What viewers may describe you as to others, and what advertisers may look at when it comes to you.

1st House/Aries Content: A channel that's about you rather than your surroundings. Think of story time channels, GRWM but more aimmed at yourself than the products, just chatting streamer vibes. You'll probably be able to do whateve you want as long as it's you based.

2nd House - Values you may push into your content like if it's self love then that may be prevalent in your content. How you may use your skills to your advantage/how you show them off. How you may feel about the money you get from your content and things you may spend it on. This house could also tell you about aesthetics as well.

2nd House/Taurus Content: Fashion, makeup, shopping hauls, you could also post about affirmations and generally talk about the things you value. This house could also mean that you could focus on luxury (like 1$ [FOOD] vs 500$ [FOOD] like cheap vs expensive things doesn't need to be food). Like idk I think of Mina Le on YouTube when I think of 2nd house content.

3rd House- How you communicate, speak, and write the things you post online. This could also signal the humor you may have and how your comedic delivery may be. This is an important house as it naturally rules over social media, so I look at this has a secondary Ascendant.

3rd House/Gemini Content: This could also be a storytime house, just more comedic. Things like sharing poetry, writings, music are all things you can do. Because of the house, having multiple content streams is recommended or at least doing 2 topics/things by yourself. Teaching people how to communication could also be something. Creating scripts for other is good. This and Libra can indicate a pairing when it comes to content.

4th House - The environment you present/your background of videos, as this could function as another aesthetic house but more in a background sense. What kind of "homey" you may present yourself as. What kind of comfort you provide for other people, and how others may view you as "familiar". If you're someone who primary wants to create content from your home rather than traveling, this is a good house to take a look at.

4th House/Cancer Content: Things that have to do with the home. Like home organization, you could do family channel content (that's ETHICAL like teaching about parenting rather than bullying tf out of ur kid for views), at home cooking, house renovations, anything that involves homes and the feeling of it. This reminds me of like ppl who end up getting cooking books.

5th House - The creativity you put into your persona, this is the Leo house so your talents are on display in your house. Any showmanship you have may be revealed in this house/give you ideas to work with, the more dramatic humor that you may have, and if your audience may be on the younger side (like if you do youtube it could be those like "dont call amongus at 3am" or that guy who interviews kindergartners)

5th House/Leo Content: Art channel, (ik I've used it before but there's like 4ish signs that would be good at them) Story time channel, things that have to do with theatre (like there's a channel that talks about all the shitty plays he can find it's great), movie reviews, dance and music content. Anything that shows off talent. It could also be generally family friendly content so keep that in mind (ngl 5th house can do a lot of shit my bad dawg). Skits is also a good one.

6th House - Your routine when it come to creating content and incorporating it into your day. How often you prioritize posting and looking at things like analytics, comments etc. Health affects it may have on you (good or bad), maybe creating content that's health based? Or maybe even how your pets are involved (like creating a instagram page for your pet or something).

6th House/Virgo Content: Health and fitness (like the people who do either tutorials on how do do like yoga or sm or who do those 30 min work outs so the viewer can follow along), mental health advocate (like an Instagram page dedicated to ending stigmas), a pet channel (like either just "it's me chillin w my dog lmao" or that like TheUrbanRescueRanch on Instagram if you don't know them pls look they have kangaroos and it's so chaotic), you could also do wellness recipes like that vegan lady w they scrappy cooking on Instagram. This is a day to day house so making a video just about your day could do well.

7th House - The partnerships you create with your online presence and the energy you put into those partnerships. Contracts you may receive due to your presence. How you may interact one on one with fans (like if you meet them in a coffee shop, signing things before a meet or something, talking in DMs). This is also how people could become a bit parasocial when it comes to you/how they could view.

7th House/Libra Content: Could be a partnership/couples channel, like it could either be marriage or just a bff kinda thing. You could make therapeutic content, whether it's discussing coping mechanisms or just making people feel as calm as possible. You may also make things that are more one on one than in big groups. This could also be legal topic (like LegalEagle on YouTube or something)

8th House - The privacy you may be "granted" by your audience, and things you simply would like to keep private. This can also rule the money you get from others because 2nd is getting money like from skills and 8th is dealing with others money (idk I see some ppl saying having something in this house isn't beneficial for online things like it is if you work with it get that mf coin). The darker topics you may like to discuss. How people my encroach on your space/what they may really like to know. Also this can tell you what kind of transformations you may go through because of this venture.

8th House/Scorpio Content: Obviously could be occult related things such as tarot readings, and discussing planets. Content could involve death (like a mortician), or just things people don't really like talking about. Another one could be a tea channel since this house is privacy. You could also never show you face or attach a face to your content. The best channel that I can think of that represents 8th house is Wendigoon (even tho his face is attached he does like darker content in a way that doesn't make you feel icky), you could also do conspiracy theories oo spooky.

9th House - The philosophy you engage in online, (how you live, laugh, and love online). How you learn/study and evolve online (Like are you good at researching topics etc). How you feel about involving religion into your content. This also can tell you about your overseas experiences/fans.

9th House/Sagittarius Content: Travel content is a big one for this house, or simply just documenting places you never been (like that one dude who just like has a gopro and just talks to the locals of areas and goes into their homes and just talks and shit it's awesome). Embrace a carefree nature with your content as well. You could show people how to loosen up and create encouraging content as well. Religious teaching and education is always something to work with.

MC - The vibe you naturally give off when it comes to your career. How others may see your goals. The themes of your success you should lean more towards (like if its Sagittarius or something they should be freedom based things). How masses may react to you/treat you. This is also how well you can read your audience.

10th House - How you approach your success/public recognition you get. How people may give you recognition for your work/how hard you work for said things. This may be how you choose to present yourself. This is also how you may celebrate milestones.

10th House/Capricorn Content: Anything that involves hard work could be involved (like "I made a boat and heres how" type of shit), things that involve Celebrities could be involved, like "high society" shit (criticism or favoritism is fine idc). Those like "I made a billion dollars and heres what you need to do" kind of videos. Content in this house is more practical and is geared towards becoming to successful rather than like having fun? So long term series/projects is recommended. I feel like people with this placement may have a foot already in something they could use for content more than others.

11th House - What your community may be like/how they consume the media you put out. What goals you may have and how you go about achieving them. What humanitarian activities you take part in/the charities you donate to.

11th House/Aquarius Content: Literally just become Mr. Beast. Things that involve groups of people while putting your own spin on it. Tech related things (like headphones reviews and such). Expressing your goals and documenting them. Making a sort of content group. This house is generally one to stick with others while keeping individuality.

Planets :D

12th House - How you affect people subconsciously (or how you live in ppls heads rent free). The things you may hide from the public/think about a lot when it comes to your content (good or bad). How your dreams may connect to your content. How spirituality affects your persona.

12th House/Pisces Content: Dream analysis related content, like 8th you may not attach a face. This content may not even involve you specifically, as you may prefer to work in shadows like with research or editing. This can also be drug related content, (like those pages that talk about how different drugs work with the human body), you could also talk about spirituality as a whole, like those channels that talk about shifting realities and such, and this can also be a conspiracy theory channel as well.

Sun - Your online persona that's seen immediately. Similarly to 1st house, advertisers and first time viewers look at this to determine if they want to be involved in your content. This can also be where you excel the most (look at da house).

Moon - The emotions you may have when it comes to creating content. Your emotional investment into the work, what things you may take to heart. How you are emotionally for yourself and audience. That topics may speak to your emotions.

Mercury - What voice you may put on/how you communicate. What kind of organization may work for you and what your mental activity looks like when it comes to creating. This is also how you may type, and topics you may love to create things for. This could also rule how others talk about you, the comments and compliments you get etc.

Venus - The style you have, aesthetics you may lean towards, and the things you may buy for content creation. This is also you could receive and give love to others. This could tell you why people may love what you put out.

Mars - Your passions. Along with mercury, this may help you pick topics to focus on. Where the most of your energy may go. Where you could face aggression from your audience, and where others may attempt to pick fights. Things you may advocate for. This could also indicate where your audience is the most active.

Jupiter - Where all of your expansions may be. A lot of your success may be anchored to this planet/how you feel about your successes. This is also an indicator what your audience may be like. This is also where others may want to see your succeed the most.

Saturn - Where you may have some delays, things may take the most time to develop in. The things you can't use shortcuts for without consequence. This is also the house you may look forward to the most (as if you work with Saturn correctly, you get abundance). This is where you are the most dedicated, and receive the most dedication from others.

Uranus - The new things you bring to the table. This is where you could be viewed as zany, a bit chaotic, and generally a bit weird. This is also where you have the most progressive views. The placement could also show where you may be ahead of the curb when it comes to other creators. This could also hint at your editing and design style.

Neptune - This is the place that people may project onto you. (This may sound bad, but when it comes to creating content, lean into where Neptune is). This is where you may have the most dreams/dream about ideas you may have. This is the part that others want you to fit in the most. This may act as a secondary Sun due to the planets nature in relation to personas.

Pluto - What things will go from one extreme to the other when it comes to the things you get from creating. What things people may obsess about it when comes to you (again, useful even if it doesn't sound like it). This is where you transform the most. Some topic you may obsess over the most. (There's already a post about it if I can find it I'll link it), but it can also tell you where you may get cancelled.

North Node - What path you may take while online, what themes/skills you may wish to bring into your profile, and generally the recommended path to take if you'd like to grow.

South Node - The things you naturally bring into into your work/what you naturally exude, your creative comfort zone. Things that may come to you with ease.

Vertex - Situations you may be put into while online, things that feel unavoidable while online.

Chiron - The placement of Chiron can tell you what you may be the most insecure about. This can also be where you get picked on/bullied the most. This can also be where you provide healing for yourself and others.

Lilith - Where you could be suspicious of/or become toxic to others. The place that others could think you have a fair amount of power/where people are drawn to you. This could also be where you break some form of conventional rule. Another thing I noticed is where people assume you're the most like Lilith when they may not be since this a persona.

Part of Fortune - Where you are the most fortunate/have a lot of luck. Like SN this is where things could come naturally for you.

Juno - Where you would like to have partnerships - in Synastry you can use to see who would be good content creator partner for you.

You could look at where Webb is in the chart itself but a part of me feels like it would be a cycle of looking at webb persona charts, maybe it could recommend what medium to start with?

#1 I'd like to mention: Make charts for your channels/blogs/accounts. Looking at the Webb in there is always cool/how it interacts with your own chart. If you'd like to check the persona chart in that as well that could work. Personally I look at the things I use the most.

ok that section is over it's selfish time

Let me know what your placements are and what your experiences have been like!!! I'd really love to hear how they manifest for you.

(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤

(⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡

I wanna talk about my placements for a little bit, just because when I looked at the chart I was like omg slay that's so cool omg omg

Feel free to skip idc so the placements are:

Libra Ascendant and Cancer MC:

So through a lot of my online experience I get a lot of people either complimenting my art (for other profiles I have I use art I make as literally everything) I also get told I'm pretty a lot I was an ugly kid imma BRAG. Cancer MC seems to come in full throttle as it's really easy for me to detect if my audience cares if I do something/doesn't like the people I interact with. A good example is I was playing a game with an overly aggressive friend of mine and my viewer count PLUMMETED they hated his ass, and someone had actually gotten upset at the guy I was playing with at voiced it in chat and called him egotistical and such. Like that Mercury opposite MC makes people loud when I do something they didn't like.

Aquarius Sun conjunct Neptune in 4th House:

I get a LOT of projection from people naturally which is fine. I think they think I'm a lot weirder than I actually am, and I find that people tend to be disappointed by the fact I'm not who I act like. And in 4th house I get told a lot that I do "cozy" things (like baking, no matter how weird I get it's in a comforting manner apparently, and just playing wholesomeish games) I also get called ma'am a lot??? Like ok damn. I also get told that people fall asleep while watching me often and it's really wholesome.

Sagittarius Moon Conjunct Mars in 2nd, and Conjunct Venus and Pluto, POF, and South Node in the 3rd house (theyre all holdin hands omg):

This was was pretty cool to see especially since a LOT of people make strange comments whenever I wear makeup (like just things like how much I don't need it or that I should wear darker more gothic colors). My audience also likes seeing whatever skills I can do, espcailly art based, and a lot of my style has changed since I started creating stuff which is super nice. Idk I feel like Pluto has a chokehold on these planets when it comes to my stuff. I've also had a lot of people become aggressive over the fact I try to attach skills to my content, like one day a dude who as attempting to leach followers of me and my friend (he was not a good person lmao I cannot state that enough) got extremely upset over the fact that I had a webcomic that I advertise on my shit and the insults were reallllyy emotionally charged.

Capricorn Mercury and Chiron Conjunct in 3rd:

A thing that I get a LOT of ppl find the way I speak funny even thought I don't necessary feel confident about it, like I always have a fear of constantly sounding stupid but others seem to find it really funny and find the way I speak very comforting. Another thing I noticed is that my audience tends to parrot how I talk about myself (which is normal for everything), so if there was self deprecation, they'd go in on it, and the more I gas myself up they do the same. Something I also noticed is that whatever Mercury aspects is how I get complimented (so it's opposite MC and I often get told how I'm underrated or sm)

Aquarius Uranus in 5th house:

They just think I'm quirky with it tbh this probably meshes with the placement above really well. I am a funny little fella to others. I also have a habit of making everything goofy?? Like even on here.

Leo Jupiter in 10th:

I don't really experience a lot of negativity when I achieve something I wanted like it's really nice.

Saturn in 9th:

I get a LOT of overseas people, like out of most of my audience they're always overseas. I also hate trying to learn different tech things like editing and such, and I feel like until I learn how to do the things I need to do I wont be able to TRAVEL

North Node in 8th Gemini:

I tend to lean towards talking about and learning about more taboo topics when it comes to the stuff I create, also people seem to be okay with it as long as it's not focusing on one thing, there needs to be duality with the stuff I do.

Vertex in Taurus and Lilith in Aries 7th House:

I alllwwaaayyysss love finding people to work with, and I find people pretty easily. Like 75% of the people I want to make content with end up being longterm. The biggest issue is Lilith there, as with the Neptune conjunct Sun that predetermined view kinda makes people obsessed? Or that they know me more than I do people I'm more of an open person. I get a lot of people overstepping boundaries because they think I'd like that?? I also get people who think I'm courting them very often but I'm blaming my Libra Venus in 8th + Pluto in 11th natal.

Anw yeah this portion I just wanted to talk about my experiences a bit, I would LOVE others to tell me about theirs.

[thats-not-okie-dokie]

WELCOME HOME MARCH 9TH UPDATE SPOILERS!!

The WH update was INCREDIBLE! Half of the merchandise page was brand new, a 20 minute audio starring Wally and Barnaby, and a few other songs around for the characters? DAMN, ALL OF THEM CAN SING! And don't even get me started on the designs of the advertisements and records and cookbooks! They feel so authentic, and you can tell so much love and attention to detail was put into each and every one of them. ALSO HOWDY'S FAMILY? THEY HAVE DESIGNS AND VOICES NOW?? YO- I can only imagine how long THAT script took to write! And Julie is officially confirmed to have paws! I wasn't expecting that, or for her to hibernate, but I find those details really cool. Makes me wonder if rainbow monsters are any related to bears? ALSO, Wally can sing too! I was under the impression that he struggles to stay on-key with his delivery, but I was wrong. And I am happy to be wrong, too! I've already listened to his rendition of Toyland like, 4 times. Poppy's voice is so sweet and soft-spoken when she's not terrified or nervous, and I'm so glad to be able to hear how she speaks normally. SHE HAS THE VOICE OF AN ANGEL I CAN LISTEN TO IT ALL DAY, WHERE'S THE COOKING CHANNEL? And Sally trying to be the star of the show by replacing the one on the Christmas tree, oh my word I admire her pettiness. And that silly rendition of Up On The Housetop is going to be on my mind all day hehehe

ALSO, there's a new mystery afoot! On the very last page of the merchandise book, there's a code cracker on the back of the Christmas edition cereal box (thanks, Eddie!). I've managed to decrypt every single doodle across the website, but it definitely still need some further decryption. I'm thinking it might be either a Ceasar encryption or needs to be descrambled. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a message, or a website link. The "WWW" is really throwing me off. I thought I'd leave this to the professionals, since I'd be scratching my head for hours if I tried to solve this any further. I already tried reversing it 2 kinds of ways and playing around with the letters, as well as putting it into a Ceasar decoder and trying every way to brute force the combination, if it's a message. Still nothing. I'm not good with these types of things, but I'm hoping somebody else is. Good luck!

And here's every letter I've found, in the order the pages are on the home page:

MIOA FSNE W AR YG Y T E PYER N WWW

[sometimesraven]

re: the ableism in Dot and Bubble

I understand it almost certainly wasn't Rusty's intention for the "can't walk without the arrows" thing to be ableist, but the implications are there and it was so, so hard to watch.

As I said while liveblogging, I've noted that reliance on tech like Google Maps has caused a regression in skills like navigation and a frustrating refusal to even try. I'm frequently faced with that fact as I live somewhere you have to use your eyes to see and most fast food delivery drivers just Cannot Find Us bc the GPS goes wild and they can't follow the directions I always give them so I inevitably have to go out to find them myself. Believe me, I know what he was going for with that part of the script.

However.

When you exaggerate that point to the tune of "she literally cannot walk" without the aid, and then instead of it being deeply disturbing to the two 'kind, helpful' characters (Doc n Ruby), they actively roll their eyes at her and it's played as an "omg how stupid is she" moment, you have to see how that looks.

Let's reframe it: someone you've met was raised in a cult. A very insular, very strict cult that they literally have never seen outside of. At this point in time you know nothing about them but you do know they're in a very insular, very closed-off society. One day they tell you they have no idea how to,,,,,, idk, wash themselves without assistance. If your first instinct is to laugh at them and roll your eyes like they're overexaggerating, you're an ableist.

I struggle to believe anyone like the Doctor wouldn't perhaps initially react with confusion/incredulity but then, after realising this person is 100% serious, go "oh my god that's horrible okay uh let me try to walk you through this and teach you how".

It's a horrible, cynical response that would maybe track if at this point the characters already knew she was an entitled pissbaby. But they don't and that's why it comes across so terribly.

Especially when there's no indication that this is a side-effect of her entitlement and she's literally insulting herself "I'm so stupid!" and genuinely upset and frustrated that she can't even walk in the face of actual death. And yes, she miraculously can walk again once she meets Ricky but it wasn't because she was ignoring the Doctor's advice because racism because he had not given her any. She had literally zero clue how to walk without assistance until Ricky guided her.

This isn't a refusal to learn a skill based on entitlement, this isn't a heavy-handed metaphor, you have given this girl a disability (even if it is psychosomatic, it is still a disability). And in a time where social media + youth entitlement is being blamed for an increase of ADHD, Autism, chronic illness and DID diagnosis-seekers (among other things, but those are the ones people are most aggressive against) that just does not look good At All.

Russel could easily have made it so that they just had no idea how to navigate without the bubble and refused to learn.

Maybe at first show it as genuine frustration on Lindy's part that she can't find anything without guidance but slowly show that no, she's perfectly capable, she just doesn't care to learn.

Hell, you could have everything play out the same way but have her genuinely get offered help to begin with by the Doctor and ignore it, only for Ricky to say the same thing to her later and she gets it immediately.

Idk, anything beyond literally disabling her. The show does a great job at humanising her before showing us that she was a monster all along, but I feel like Rusty himself forgot that he was still representing a Whole Entire Person (something that people on all ends of the political spectrum do All The Time: "person is bad therefore [___ism] is okay in this instance". Ableism especially)

[novelconcepts]

Do you ever just lay awake at night, turning over in your head the stark difference in delivery between Hewson's Van saying--steadily, unshakably--"it's just something that's happening to you...happening to us" and Cypress' Taissa saying--imploringly, whiningly--"this was not just my dream, this was our dream"?

Do you ever just turn it over and over, how often Tai tried to scare Van away, and how it only made Van set her feet more firmly? How Taissa's first love was this person who saw a problem fall into Taissa's lap, a problem that was quite literally trapped inside Taissa's body, and decided unflinchingly: No, that's an us problem now? How she refused point-blank to walk away even with blood in her mouth, how she flatly informed Tai "I'm never gonna be scared of you", and promptly turned a moment of pain into a declaration of love? And how this would etch itself into Taissa for the rest of her life? How she'd take these things that worked with Van--with the person Van was, with the bond they shared--and try so hard to run through an identical script with Simone?

Except Simone is her own person. A completely different kind of person. A person who hasn't been offered any of the context, any of the realities going on inside Taissa. So: naturally she doesn't respond the way Van did at eighteen--and will go on to do all over again in her forties. Naturally, she hears our dream as the excuse it is, not as a plea for connection. Naturally, she is scared away when Taissa pushes, and shouts, and begs. Because there isn't blood in her mouth, not yet, but there will be. And they have a son to worry about. And she isn't eighteen and a special kind of immortal, a special kind of romanticized. She's a grown woman with responsibilities, with priorities, with an understanding that you can't fix someone just because you love them. And Tai can't just perform a revival of the play she and Van had memorized twenty-five years later with a whole new performer in the works, and expect it to shake out the same.

Of course it doesn't work. But look at Taissa trying it. Look at Taissa trying to reframe her first love through a new lens. Trying to recast it. Trying to play it through again. Van taught her love was sticking out the blood, shaking off the pain, making a you problem into an us problem. Does it ever just eat at you, how tragic it is, watching Taissa try to shape her marriage around a woman who isn't even wearing a ring?

[iambicpentameterhamster]

Every umbrella academy character ranked

Prior to Season 4 coming this year, thought I'd share my character rank with you for the first 3 seasons all together. (Spoilers ahead)

#33- Marcus, Jayme, Alphonso and Fei

Painfully insignificant and underdeveloped. Their only character traits being "spoiled and a bit evil" made them EXTREMELY captivating villians...

#32- Christopher

Only higher because I find the idea of someone carrying around a cube on a stick onset really funny.

#31- Sparrow Ben

Hard to watch honestly, especially in comparison to his lovely counterpart Umbrella Ben.

In general, the Sparrows were terrible and pointless characters, and clearly the writers knew this because most were killed off pretty quickly. All except for Sparrow Ben, which just meant we had to suffer watching him for even longer.

#30- Viktor

This is a controversial choice. He is tolerable in season 1, but then just becomes a moochy emo sod who is boring to watch. I don't know if it's the acting, script or both, but he’s just such a meek and flavourless character who is PARTICULARLY bad in season 3 when he jeopardises his whole family and is repeatedly selfish and has a victim complex.

#29- Luther

He caused the apocalypse in season one and you can't convince me otherwise. Got some alamaba shit going on with Allison...

There are so many reasons I hate Luther. He's a self-centred man child who couldn't care less about his siblings and their feelings, showing zero empathy to Klaus or Vanya, for example. He only shows respect and kindness when he is attracted to the person (As shown when seasons 1 and 2 he is only nice to Allison, then completely ignores her when he moves on to Sloane) or when they pose as an authority figure to him. All he does is whine and feel sorry for himself.

What's that? You lived in the apocalypse all alone for 40 years? You are addicted to drugs and lost the love of your life in a war? You have a power you can't control and a lifetime of rejection? WELL LUTHER WENT TO THE MOON

#28- Carl Cooper

Hated him as a character but he was a menacing villian which I can respect

#27- Harlan

Couldn't care less about him, only there for plot convenience and Victor's arc pretty much

#26- Sloane

An improvement from Luther's literal sibling. Further evidence that Luther will simply fall for any woman who gives a flying fuck about the moon.

Personality: attracted to Luther

#25- Pogo

Basil exposition of the first series

#24- Detective Patch

Barely remember her

#23- The Swedes

They were kind of goofy as villians but there was some good acting and they posed a real threat. Cute moments with the cats. In general, alright, but they could have easily been replaced plot wise with something more interesting.

#22- Cha Cha

Lack of character development for me. I think she deserved to be fleshed out more, I don't think it's fair that only her partner got to be a three-dimensional being. What are her motivations? Who is she underneath it all?

But overall i liked the acting and she was a good villian.

#21- That hotel worker from season 3

He's barely a character but I liked his sass so he's on the list.

#20- Reggie (Reginald Hargreeves)

He is supposed to be the main antagonist/villian of the show, yet The Handler stole his spotlight. He's a bit too stereotypically evil and asshole-ish for me, basically twiddling his moustache and stroking a cat in a dark corner the entire show. The delivery is too blunt and that doesn't help to build the tension and mystery surrounding him as much, but if he were more complicated and cryptic in his personality it would be more effective.

This is very nit picky and overall Reggie is fine. He has some hilarious moments with Klaus in season 3 and I am genuinely intrigued about the unanswered questions surrounding him.

#19- Elliott

He wasn't a particularly important or central character but I enjoyed it when he was on screen and he played his role convincingly. He was a good comic relief in some scenes, and when he died (spoiler alert) the reactions from other characters were realistic and quite impactful. I felt for him throughout, which is impressive for less significant characters and he had a lot of depth relative to the size of his role.

#18- Destiny's children

Not a singular character, but I LOVED Destiny's children. It fit Klaus's character perfectly to have a cult and led to some of the funnies moments in the series.

#17- Dave

From the very limited moments we see with this character, a lot of personality and emotion was communicated, and I feel like we got a big sense of the character. That is down to the brilliant acting from both of Dave's actors and from Robert Sheehan that really sold this character with so little screen time.

Anyway please come back to life Dave! Death doesn't look good on you!

#16- Agnes (Donut woman)

Very sweet and I wish her all the best in life.

#15- Sissy

BRILLIANTLY acted and impactful. Stole every scene between her and Vanya.

Also, she looks EXACTLY like Sheldon's mum in young sheldon...

#14- Herb and Dot

I want to put them both in my pocket and protect them from harm.

#13- Kenny's mum

Again, barely present but I love her. She's a queen. I would go to a rave with Kenny's Mum.

#12- Stan

I love Stan, and he's a big part of Diego and Lila's character development and motivations. I hope they adopt Stan and live happily ever after.

But yeah, great one-liners from Stan.

#11- Grace

Very well acted and haunting.

Top 10 *drumroll please*

#10- Harold Jenkins (Lenoard Peabody)

Again, quite a controversial placement, but I stand by my decision. The acting and delivery of Harold Jenkins as a villain is possibly the best in the whole show. I was totally convinced Lenoard was a nice guy and I was rooting for him and Vanya, until he started dropping hints and slowly revealing his true self and losing the facade and its... it's chefs kiss. So realistic. The actor deserves an award and a standing ovation.

The writers also deserve a pat on the back for this one because he has a convincing motivation and backstory, and the dialogue is DELICIOUS when it comes to Lenoard. He is a truly menacing villain without being overtly scary and powerful and dangerous.

#9- Ray

Charismatic, gentlemanly, empathetic, loving, trusting, supportive... Ray is THE IDEAL MAN. I'm a little bit in love with Ray so I don't blame Allison.

HUGE step up from Luther, for sure.

#8- Umbrella Ben

I would have liked to see more of his character, but I liked what I did see. He loves his siblings and shows it. He is selfless and sacrifices his own existence for Vanya, he is blunt with Klaus because he cares and wants him to improve. Of course, he and Klaus are also a hilarious duo.

#7- Hazel

One of the most touching arcs that offers an insightful message about what life is for, and about Love. Beautifully acted, a very real and lovable character who probably resonates with many in some ways. Hazel is adorable and i miss him in later seasons.

#6- The Handler

I LOVE THE HANDLER MORE THAN WORDS CAN EXPLAIN!!! Funny, playful, entertaining, uexpected and whimsical and yet simultaneously dark and menacing, AMAZING villian that stole EVERY SINGLE SCENE she was in. Kate Walsh was the perfect choice for the role and she played it to perfection.

A bit of trivia about the role, The Handler was originally written for a man, and when Kate Walsh got the role she insisted they didn't change the script (which, let's be honest, they would have.) She put a wonderful spin on it and it's just perfect, I wouldn't change a thing. I would 100% watch a spinoff all about the handler. Season 3 was worse than the previous two thanks to them killing her off (amongst other questionable plot choices)

#5- Allison

Allison was the only character who knew what they were doing, and honestly, if everyone just listened to Allison, there would be no apocalypse. Her storyline losing both Claire and Ray and her powers driving her crazy with power breaks my heart but is well portrayed and impactful.

She's charismatic, clever, strong, and kind. I love Allison and I think most of us do.

#4- Diego

He's stupid but in an endearing way, I find him to be so entertaining and funny, and the actor's face is like an open book. He's not show-stopping but his consistent presence just sets the mood and allows others to act off of him, while he really sells it with his expressions. He's like the rock of the show.

#3- Lila

Lila. Mi amor. Mon amour. Amore mio. Meine Leibe.

#2- Five

For several reasons:

A) He is the daddy here, Luther!!

B) That should be the only reason you need

Seriously, though, I was SUPER impressed with Aidan Gallagher and his incredible screen presence, especially at such a young age. He really embodies the character. Five is the face of the Umbrella Acadamy, and is undoubtedly the most iconic character. 10/10, two thumbs up, absolutely BRILLIANT.

#1- Klaus

No justification necessary.

[thebomb-thebird-andtheburntbitch]

the first valentines day you spend as a katsuki's partner, you decide to buy him flowers. he wasn't the biggest fan of sweets and if he did eat chocolate it was in small portions and dark chocolate bc of the bitter taste. he always called people who buy special presents of people just because of a dumb love holiday pansies bc you should be able to buy your partner gifts any day of the year regardless of the occasion. at least, if you got him flowers and he ended up hating them, throwing them out wouldn't be that big of a waste.

he comes into his agency early in the morning getting ready for patrol, and all is normal when he leaves. when he comes back from his rounds, his secretary informs him that there's a gift that's been delivered sitting on his desk. absolutely confused, he goes into his office, unlatching his gauntlets on the way so that when he steps into his workplace privacy, he can just drop them off his arms.

he stops in his office threshold bc there sitting on his desk was a small bouquet of apple blossoms, daisies, and one large healthy lily. katsuki wasn't that well-versed in flowers, but he knew that these definitely weren't in season.

making his way over to his desk, he noticed a small card with his name on it slotted into a small plastic holder among the blooms that he plucked out. he flopped himself down into his desk chair and began to read. there wasn't much aside from the floors he received, their meanings, and a short message in a neat script he didn't recognize.

Apple Blossoms- i prefer you before all Daisies- i love you truly Lily- my love is pure -Happy Valentines Katsuki! I hope these don't smell too sweet for you xoxo

the prohero glanced at the small desk calendar he sat on the corner of his workspace and then looked back at the bouquet. he called you not long after reading the small card and you sounded absolutely giddy when you picked up.

"did they get there alright?" you ask as he looks over the assortment for the umpteenth time. he hums in approval. "good, i was worried they'd wilt or something on the delivery route."

"you didn't have to you know."

"i wanted to. for all the hard work you do, you deserve a treat. plus, who doesn't like getting flowers from time to time, right?" you purposely left out the fact it was valentines day, even though you mentioned it in your note. still, he chuckled at your innate nature to be so damn cute.

he's quiet for a while and you're afraid they aren't exactly to his taste. then you heard his desk chair move before he's shuffling around for something in his desk drawer.

"katsuki?"

"clear your schedule tomorrow."

"i mean i can no problem, but what for?"

"because i said so, dummy."

you laugh at him and talk with him a bit more before you had to let him get back to his job. for the rest of his shift before his next patrol round, he spent a lot of time thumbing the soft petals of his flowers and rereading their meanings.

the next day when you make it over to his place like he said, you can't help but notice the familiar bouquet sitting in a beautiful vase you hadn't seen before on his kitchen island.

"glad you like them"

"you gave them to me. 'course i do"

hugging his back as he makes you dinner, you giggle to yourself at the backs of his ears and how red they are.

-x-x-x-

a/n: i just really wanted an excuse to write katsuki getting flowers and being kinda bashful abt it hehe - p.s. i didn't proofread this and flower meanings may not be accurate bc i didn't do any kind of extensive research soz

[dragonomatopoeia]

Air's Bizarre Christmas Rom-Com Reclist

I am a fan of Romance Media, but even more importantly, a fan of mediocre art. As such, I have watched a lot of christmas romcoms. I have in fact watched Too Many christmas romcoms. While freelancing between jobs, I would put them on in the background as mindless noise to keep me company while writing copy.

This means that I am uniquely positioned to create a rec list of christmas rom-coms that meet a very specific set of criteria:

Is the movie interesting enough to make me actually Watch it instead of half-listening to it in the background?

Are elements of the plot bizarre enough to make me yell "WHAT" at the screen?

Would I rewatch the movie in the company of friends?

Any movie that fulfills all three of these criteria is eligible to join those privileged few, the elite ranks of My Christmas Rom-Com Rec List

A Chance for Christmas (2021)

Synopsis: "Influencer Christina Chance gets the opportunity of a lifetime: a lucrative sponsorship from the brand of her dreams. However, she soon discovers she's stuck in a time warp where the same Christmas Eve repeats itself over and over again." Commentary: This is a Tubi original, and it lives up to all the mess that status bestows. That established, my favorite parts of this movie are that the main character and love interest have the same kind of obsessive, perfection-driven marketing brain poison that lead them to try to min-max a time loop and learn zero lessons for the vast majority of the movie. There's a kind of frenetic, self-absorbed energy to each of the characters that's fascinating to watch. At one point the main character attacks a man dressed like Santa in an act of misdirected rage, and the love interest holds her concerned family back while yelling "SHE NEEDS THIS LET HER GO SHE NEEDS THIS". Also, the kids are actual characters with inner lives instead of props! There are structural issues with the movie, and in my perfect world, the protagonist would quit her influencer job, but overall, I enjoyed it.

A Christmas Movie Christmas (2019)

Synopsis: "A Christmas movie fanatic and her cynical sister wake up to find they are now the stars of a Christmas movie." Commentary: I have a soft place in my heart for scripts written by actors who have been trapped in this Christmas purgatory for years. There's a certain sensitivity to The Way Words Work that is nonexistent in most of these films. Especially since this industry relies on Never Retaking Any Line Read Ever because these movies are basically made on an assembly line. That is to say, this movie is a love letter and a list of grievances wrapped together in a metatextual bow. All of its jabs at the genre feel like they come from a place of familiarity rather than scorn, and the actors are obviously having fun. Line deliveries and elements of blocking feel like they have actual character work put into them, and one of the love interests feels like a Christmas Homunculi with no understanding that a world other than snowglobes and sugar cookies exists. But on purpose this time! If he encountered a turtle flipped on its back, he'd start feeding it christmas cookies, and the movie is Very Aware of This. It's fun.

Baby It's Cold Inside (2021)

Synopsis: "When a travel agent up for a promotion is directed to forget her tropical vacation and instead visit the world-famous Ice Hotel, she discovers that her sacrifices are more than compensated." Commentary: I'll be honest. This one is mostly here because the editing choices made me feel like I was losing my mind. I ended up dragging my roommate down to the living room at multiple points so that they could witness the same thing I was seeing. The jarring cuts, dropped story beats, and lines that lead nowhere make for an unforgettable viewing experience... except for the part where I have forgotten literally every other element of the movie. Except for the inexplicably evil love rival who becomes niceys at the end. I like her. Girlboss. This isn't even the only Hallmark movie that was set at and filmed at Hôtel de Glace in 2021. Truly the most Hallmark movie on this list.

Christmas Perfection (2018)

Synopsis: "Darcy's been striving for the perfect Christmas since childhood; thanks to a magical figurine her dream finally comes true." Commentary: I have already written up my thoughts on Christmas Perfection in EXTENSIVE detail here. Needless to say, I watch it every year. What a fascinating text. What an odd timeloop. It should have been gay.

Snowmance (2017)

Synopsis: "Each year Sarah builds her "Snow Beau" snowman with her best friend Nick. After another breakup, she begins to wonder if she'll ever find her own true love. A little Christmas magic brings her Snow Beau to life." Commentary: I cannot believe the snowman actually came to life. The snowman came to life and he's not even the primary love interest. Nick sucks in a normal possessive childhood friend love interest way, fuck Nick, everyone hates Nick, sure, but THE SNOWMAN CAME TO LIFE? THE SNOWMAN CAME TO LIFE AND HE TRIES TO SELL THE PROTAGONIST'S HOUSE!!!!! SHE LIVES THERE!!!!! This movie made me scream out loud multiple times. It is not good. Please watch it.

Timeless Love (2019)

Synopsis: "Megan wakes up from a coma in a hospital. The husband and 2 kids she just dreamed about aren't real. At her first job interview, she meets Thomas from her dream - or was it a vision years into the future?" Commentary: Listen to me. Listen. The establishing scenes of this movie are played completely straight. For the first chunk of the movie, it feels like this is going to be a dramatic, serious movie in a way that Hallmark Christmas Romcoms fundamentally are not, which makes it EVEN WEIRDER when it suddenly pivots into your classic nonsense. It entrances me. Who let this happen? Why is the medical professional who is assigned to help Megan with the trauma of losing her coma-construct family and recover from being in a literal coma cartoonishly evil? Why was the information Megan obtained from the coma dream accurate to real life? Why is she suddenly okay with losing her coma children as soon as she found the real-world version of her coma-husband? What a fascinating text. I have no clue what to do with it. But maybe you do. I'm folding it into your hands. Whatever happens next is your decision

[stormywitcher]

percy jackson and the olympians has done it. disney, has done it. rick riordan has DONE IT!

the show is so good. i honestly so far can’t fault it, there is nothing i didn’t enjoy. it’s almost perfectly book accurate, the vibe is just right and i absolutely love all the casting. i know there will be people who disagree with me, but i do not give a monkeys. i actually love it.

percy jackson is extremely special to me. it was the first proper full blown autistic special interest i have ever had. i picked up the books when i was 11 (i am now 22) and they have got me through some rough times (including rn with chronic illness) i have a literal trident tattoo on my arm ffs i’m a die hard fan forever.

so to have something i am so incredibly fond of, redeemed from the awful movies, and made into a visually stunning , well thought out, book accurate adaptation, is literally one of the highlights of my life.

so here are some of my more specific thoughts on the first two episodes:

•PERCY! let’s start here. my gods, walker is PERFECT! he has absolutely made this show for me. you can tell how much work he put into understanding percy and making him EVEN BETTER in my opinion than book percy (no shade to book percy, still love him) it’s the moments of vulnerability that he’s worked into it, the genuine anguish, the grief. but also he’s got the humour DOWN! the little comments and one liners were so well delivered, along with his expressions and the way we can see how percy is going to develop. i will never get over his little dancing, and stroking the gecko. that was top tier for me. absolute perfection.

•ANNABETH MY BABE MY LOVE MY WISE GIRL. oh my, leah absolutely EMBODIES her. it’s the little eyebrow quirks, the slightly harsh but kind intonation, it’s so so annabeth. there was so much unnecessary backlash over this casting (cough cough, you can guess why) and it’s total bull, because it doesn’t matter and leah knows that character inside out and it shows. we didn’t get lots of annabeth yet, but i am BEYOND excited to see more and see how percy and annabeths relationship develops!

•GROVER GROVER GROVER what an absolute cutie! absolutely loved his delivery, especially the “i’m 24” line like that ENDED ME. aryan has this in the bag, and i love how he’s kinda sheepish, but still brave, and brings a softness to the character. his comedic timing is everything.

•casting in general i love. Mr D was great, especially with the whole “son” thing. that was illegally funny. love chiron, love luke, and love clarisse. the vibes are all there.

•the writing felt good too! nothing felt too scripted to me, it felt like it flowed and they included a lot of book lines which i loved!

•the visuals were awesome! i loved the CGi, especially for the minotaur and chiron! it wasn’t jarring and you can tell they put the work in to not make it look tacky! i loved how the camp was designed, ESPECIALLY THE CABINS! i always struggled to picture the cabins, so i was actually so impressed with them!

you can tell rick and becky had such a big part in this, it’s really really beautiful and my heart is so full rn. i cannot wait for the rest of this season, i am overjoyed and i hope so much that we get more seasons because this deserves it.

[oonajaeadira]

In honor of Catfish Day, may I ask a question? What is Frankie's best line of dialogue in TF? (also every time i consider deep and evocative world-building, i think about your stories and wanted you to know)

My Megan, my Cheese. You are a lovely soul, did you know???

I will admit that I've only watched Triple Frontier the once, but of course "We gotta fly over the fuckin' Andes, man!" is iconic.

This movie was what I VERY LOVINGLY call "Bro Fare" and is full of boys-being-boys, full of drugs and violence and military and bad decisions. And while I applaud the fact that it kept me gripping the back of the couch in a half escape, afraid for all of them and what could go wrong next, it wasn't really my kind of movie.

And now I'm gonna say something that may raise some hackles around here....other than Pedro and Oscar, I don't really remember the other characters. I know a lot of folks like Garrett or don't like Ben or whatever, but at the end of the day, I felt like the other three dudes were just playing your run of the mill military dudes.

But Oscar's Santi had a LOT of subtext. He was fighting against blaming himself for anything that happened because he called them all there and he didn't want to drown in it before they were out. There was a morally grey center to all of them, but I really feel like Oscar did an amazing job holding down the one that was the furthest from the light even if he was also trying desperately to protect them all. (Come after me if you want to say Tom was the worst, but that guy was just a damaged idiot. He's almost not even on the same scale.)

And on the flip side, I was amazed at the choices Pedro made to play the opposite end of the scale. You give a man a role like this, most of them are gonna play the military bro. These boys have seen service and it's easy to just play that stereotype (which, sorry, is what I felt the other three kinda did.) But Frankie is almost too soft of a heart to be there. His personality doesn't scream military in the Hollywood sense...because Pedro made a conscious choice not to play it. Any chance he could have swung into macho, he went the opposite direction, and listening to his lines and imagining how they are, flat on the page in a script, that role could have easily become that. He actually read his lines and found a different Frankie under them, chose to play someone who made bad choices and regretted them because he'd hurt people he loved with those choices. He isn't the loudest of the bunch, he's more a wallflower in the group because he's there to support, not be supported by them. And when Pedro asked himself, why does this man say yes to this with so much on the line? His answer was obviously love. He loves his brothers. He's at the fight not because he loves the fight but because he loves his friend. He hates saying no to Santi when he's asked to go because he doesn't want to disappoint his friend and you can see it in how he pussyfoots around his (very valid and nothing to be ashamed about) excuse. He ultimately says yes out of love and loyalty even if it hurts himself, even if it turns him back into the monster he wish he never was and Pedro made that choice to make it make sense to himself. And then he played THAT guy.

I love Pedro just as much as the rest of you, but I make a living in the theater and beyond his looks and his killer personality, I respect Pedro's acting chops and his choices and his deliveries so very very very much. I'm wowed by him on a nerrrrrrdily technical level. It's what drew me to him in the first place--when Din took off his helmet and told Grogu it would be alright and barely held it together, when this big tough warrior showed his face and that actor was not afraid to show that emotions in no way weakened his strength and could exist in a warrior in harmony, I was like WHAT IS THIS FRESH CHOICE WHO IS THIS FUCKING AMAZING ACTOR AND WHAT ELSE OF HIS SHIT DO I NEED TO WATCH NOW.

And now I can't unsee it. I love falling in love with his characters because they are so multi-dimensional, so nuanced, so real because he does the work and makes good choices. Every time a new role shows up, I'm a true Gemini: one half of my brain is squealing like a little girl because dur dur pretty Pedro boy and the other half is squealing like a little girl because OH MY GOD THAT'S A FKN AMAZING READ WHERE DID THAT CHOICE COME FROM.

He's amazing. And what makes Frankie amazing to me is all the easy choices he turned away from and yet made the harder ones look like childsplay.

[spotsandsocks]

Seven Sentence Sunday📚

Even though chapt one of evan with a b is done I’m sharing from author!buck for some variety. We rolled oast seven but that’s the kind of spot I am tagged by @honestlydarkprincess @monsterrae1 @hoodie-buck @exhuastedpigeon @spaceprincessem @rogerzsteven @disasterbuckdiaz @wikiangela @diazsdimples @tizniz @steadfastsaturnsrings @daffi-990

It’s been four days since the meet and greet and Buck has been on his mind.

There had been a delivery- a parcel which held a box which in turn held a fancy invitation to the costume party. It had been in the form of a medieval scroll, tied with a ribbon that moved from pink to purple on its way blue. Eddie had run his fingers along the interesting choice of colours and smiled to himself.

The scroll itself had included the post script that anyone in attendance not in costume would spend the evening in the dungeon.

Eddie had been impressed by all the detail. Buck’s team obviously worked fast because he’d had the definite impression that nothing had been arranged for this “new idea” and the invite had arrived by courier only two days after the first event. Time, date , venue rsvp reply card and another handwritten letter. This time with just his name on it.

He’d taken it and read it away from Chris. Maybe he’d been a little disappointed when all it was was a phone number and an invitation to call or text to discuss costume ideas. It did have an exclamation mark and a smily face on it which made him smile and if he ran a finger over the fancy E that signed it off no one saw him do it so did it actually happen?

Tagging @shortsighted-owl @the-likesofus @yelenasbuddie @loserdiaz @buddierights @bekkachaos @thekristen999 @ronordmann @hippolotamus @underwater-ninja-13 @wildlife4life @thewolvesof1998 @weewootruck @giddyupbuck @pirrusstuff @elvensorceress @jesuisici33 @eddiebabygirldiaz @theplaceyoustillrememberdreaming @lover-of-mine @actualalligator @fortheloveofbuddie

[starleska]

a non-exhaustive guide to writing the Toymaker's fake German accent (or, how RTD broke the German language so effectively) 🔥

hello everyone!!! 🥰 after a tremendous response to my Toymaker x Reader fic 'Dollface', lots of you reached out for some advice on writing the Toymaker's dialogue: specifically his faux-German accent 👀 now i am by no means an authority, but i do love figuring out unusual character voices and the 'rules' they follow while speaking! so i've put together this non-exhaustive guide on my logic for writing the Toymaker's fake German, based on the snippet of script we have, Neil Patrick Harris' delivery in The Giggle, a never-used linguistics degree and a few years of German lessons 😂 do take these 'rules' with a grain of salt; there is no right or wrong way to write the Toymaker, or any character for that matter! however, my autistic self had a lot of fun writing this, and i hope it gives you some useful pointers if you're struggling with how to write that horrible entity's butchering of the German language 🙈 as the Toymaker would say: 'Zey are very, very, importanten, zese rules, don't you sink?' 😉

consonant sounds (part one) 🧡

as you can see above, Russell T Davies wrote the script of 'The Giggle' so Neil Patrick Harris would sound 'German' in a very specific way. one way he did this is by replacing consonants. consonants are the opposite of vowels (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y), and are made by obstructing breath while speaking. by comparison, vowels are made by speaking without this vocal obstruction!

the way we pronounce words varies between accents. the Toymaker's faux-German accent is a stereotype of how speakers with German as their mother tongue may pronounce English. as such, having a general knowledge of German pronunciation makes writing the Toymaker's accent easier!

for the Toymaker, this means that consonant sounds like [w] (the 'w' in 'win') becomes [v] (the 'v' in 'violet'). this is common for German pronunciation ✨

in certain instances, the Toymaker will also flip pronunciation and change [d] (the 'd' in 'day') to [t] (the 't' in 'time'), which is why he calls Donna 'Tonna'.

likewise, sometimes the consonant digraph (two consonants forming a single sound) [ð] (the 'th' sound in 'the') becomes [ɗ] (the 'd' sound in 'dog'). this is how you end up with 'dee' instead of 'the'! however, sometimes [ð] becomes [z] (the 'z' sound in 'zebra'). this is how you end up with 'zey' instead of 'they', and 'zis' instead of 'this'! 🔥 (note: the Toymaker jumps around between these pronunciations, so you can use both!)

consonant sounds (part two) 💛

on occasion, the Toymaker will also substitute [ð] for an entirely different sound: [s] (the 's' sound is 'sun'). this transforms 'think' into 'sink'! likewise, the Toymaker will sometimes change [ŋ] (the 'ng' sound in 'sing') to [k] (the 'k' sound in 'kind'). combining the two, this makes the word 'everything' into 'everysink'!

putting all of this together, we can Toymakerify pronunciations! the sentence 'They were everything to me' becomes 'Zey vere everysink to me.'

now, the Toymaker's accent is inconsistent: in the above picture you can see a rule being broken by writing out 'everything' as 'everysing' rather than 'everysink'. don't be afraid to be loose with it - remember, this isn't the Toymaker's real accent, and he slips up too (especially when he forgets himself) 🤭

vowel sounds 💚

as i don't have access to the full script, i am unsure how often the vowel sounds are written out compared to the consonant sounds. however, we can see a few sounds being exaggerated in a stereotypically German fashion: the [ʌ] (the 'uh' in 'cup') becomes [uː] (the 'oo' in 'tool'), transforming 'beautiful' into 'beautifool'. likewise, the [ə] sound in 'the' becomes elongated into [i], transforming 'the' into 'thee' (or, with the consonant rules, 'dee').

verbs 💙

one of the silliest aspects of the Toymaker's accent is his tendency to add the '-ge' prefix to verbs (action/doing words). this means a word like 'learning' becomes 'ge-learning', and 'want' becomes 'ge-want' (or 'ge-vont' if we add in the consonant rules) 🙈

depending on your preference, sometimes the Toymaker adds an additional 's' to the end of these verbs! so 'learning' not only becomes 'ge-learning': it can become 'ge-learnings'!

sometimes the Toymaker also supplements his verbs with auxiliary verbs, specifically 'be'. you can see this in his construction: 'What is he being inventing now?' the 'being' doesn't need to be there!

however, the Toymaker isn't consistent with either of these rules. in particular with the '-ge' prefix, he will usually only use this once per sentence. try not to overload your sentences with too many of these rules: remember that he still needs to be understandable! ⚡

plurals 💜

some German plurals (multiples of a thing) are created using the '-en' suffix: for instance, 'die Frau' ('the woman') becomes 'die Frauen' ('the women'). this is why the Toymaker frequently changes the English plural suffix '-s' or -'es' (as in 'cats' and 'boxes') to '-en'!

this makes 'snakes' into 'snaken', 'hobbyhorses' into 'hobbyhorsen', and 'dolls' into 'dollen'. silly, yet effective 😂

adjectives 🤎

surprise!!! the Toymaker doesn't just add the -en suffix to plurals...he also adds '-en' indiscriminately to adjectives (describing words) 🙈 words like 'important' become 'importanten', and 'favourite' becomes 'favouriten'!

the key to this rule is that the original word must be intact after adding '-en'. for instance: 'balden' would work for 'bald', but 'clouden' wouldn't work for 'cloudy', because it replaces a vital sound! because we only have a couple of examples of him using this rule, this is the best way i've figured out how to use it without making his speech sound overburdened or clunky 💖

experiment with this rule however you like!!! here's some fun Toymakerisms i've just come up with: 'plumpen' for 'plump', 'squaren' for 'square', and 'coolen' for 'cool'. 😉

random usage of real German words (part one) 🖤

something which makes the Toymaker's fake German so effective is how liberally he sprinkles in real German words into his speech. the majority of these words are common ones which are recognisable to most English speakers, and include conjunctions and pronouns. here are a few German words that the Toymaker canonically uses:

mit - with | und - and | ja - yes | wunderbar - wonderful | nein - no | das - that | guten Tag - good day | ein - a (remember that in German it would be ein or eine for masculine vs feminine, but the Toymaker doesn't make this distinction!) | mein - my (same as ein - it would be mein or meine, but he seems to only use meine as an accented thing rather than referring to gendered nouns!).

random usage of real German words (part two) 💖

every now and again, the Toymaker will use a random German noun: for instance, 'Straße' for 'street', or 'Achtung!' for 'danger!'.

however, the Toymaker also uses real German words/phrases in the incorrect context. for instance, when the Toymaker screams, 'BACKEN SIE!', a non-German speaker might take this to mean 'GET BACK!', when it actually means 'BAKE THEM!' 😂 the golden rule is for the Toymaker's speech to sound German at all costs, not for it to be linguistically accurate!

RTD also writes out words like 'come' as 'komm', referencing the German word 'kommen'. adding in a little German spelling goes a long way to replicating his accent when written down!

when writing the Toymaker, i chose to expand on this pseudo-German by including additional words to 'Germanify' his speech: for instance, using 'ist' for 'is' and 'hast' for 'have'. i also add in other general phrases, such as 'Herzlichen Glückwunsch' for 'congratulations!'. if you have a general knowledge of German, you can play around with the Toymaker's speech this way 😉

onomatopoeia and reduplication ✨

part of the charm of the Toymaker's terrible German accent is how musical and inviting it seems. a really cute tendency of his is to use onomatopoeia (words which sound like what they are) and reduplication (the repetition of sounds in a set) together. examples of this are 'splishy-splashy' and 'clippety-clop'! 🥺

onomatopoeia adds a sensory dimension to the Toymaker's speech, and reduplication is most often associated with baby-talk and children. in this way, the Toymaker's speech is playful and childish, and lures you into his performance.

this is why in 'Dollface', i chose to have the Toymaker vocalise 'Choo-choo!' for the train, and to describe his dolls as 'ge-having ein chitter-chatter.' add a touch of this here and there, and it helps to demonstrate the Toymaker's playful nature 🥰

grammar 💀

thankfully for us, the Toymaker's grammatical constructions are largely unchanged from English! this is because the Toymaker's faux-German is supposed to evoke German while still being understandable. his language isn't a real representation of a German speaker speaking English: it's a pantomime version! 🔥

general ideas/tips 🧸

if you're struggling with writing the Toymaker's German accent, try writing it out in non-accented English first! it's a lot easier to think of how to 'Germanify' English which already exists then coming up with it on the fly (although that will get easier the more you do it 😉).

try not to overburden your sentences with too many of these rules!! it is easy to think that pouring as many Germanisms as possible into the Toymaker's speech will just make him sound like himself, but this might break the reader's immersion. trust that sometimes less is more - especially if you are going to be writing the Toymaker accent-switching.

have fun!! don't worry about these ideas too much - you're writing fic, not a dissertation 💖 the Toymaker's whole deal is being playful and engaging in games - he isn't even following his own bloody rules!! just enjoy the process - you can always add more to his speech later 🔥

that's all for now!!! use this silly little guide however you like 🥰💖 godspeed in writing your Toymaker fics - i do hope this helps a bit. and shout-out to all the lovely fluent German speakers who have reacted with both humour and horror to the Toymaker's faux-German (including in my own writing) 😂