#I’ve been seeing this recently around ncuti gatwa

[icannotreadcursive]

There’s something that strikes me as….counterproductive? about getting pissy and accusing people of racism or xenophobia or upholding colonialism etc for not knowing how to pronounce a name, when the name is written using the orthography of a language the people not pronouncing it right don’t speak.

Cuz most of the time when this is happening, at least as far as I’ve seen, it’s in contexts when people have seen the name in writing far more than they’ve heard it spoken aloud, if they’ve heard it at all.

A lot of languages use the Latin alphabet, but they use the letters differently!

For someone to look at a name and either mispronounce it horribly because they’ve attempted to use one language’s pronunciation rules on a different language’s spelling, or to just go “I don’t know how to say that” because maybe they recognize it’s from a different language and needs to be pronounced using a ruleset they don’t know, or maybe because in their language the spelling of the name puts sounds together their language doesn’t allow next to each other—these are not moral failings.

No more so than not being able to read something aloud that’s written in a writing system you don’t know—like Cyrillic or hiragana.

Just….tell people what the correct pronunciation is. Without being accusatory about it.

If they refuse to correct, refuse to try, kick up a stink about “they should spell it a normal way!”—then they’re an asshole.

But they’re not an ass for just not knowing in the first place. And treating them like they are is not gonna help them broaden their language horizons or make them any more comfortable approaching names (or people!) that strike them as foreign.

Just…..don’t assume malice when simple lack of familiarity is sufficient explanation.

[jgroffdaily]

Russell T Davies talking about the Regency episode titled ‘Rogue’:

It features Jonathan Groff in a guest role, and “it’s a mystery what [his character’s] doing there,” teases Davies. “What could he possibly doing at a regency ball? It’s putting two great actors together [with Gatwa and Groff]. We never thought in a million years that Jonathan Groff would agree to be in Doctor Who.

Sometimes people have these suggestions and I just roll my eyes thinking. ‘You’ll be lucky,’ like that. But it turned out he watched It’s a Sin. He knew my name, which was a surprise to me. [That] made him pick up the script and look at the offer, and the next thing I knew, there he was and he sent me a video. He was cycling around Central Park. I wish my life was like that all the time. Normally you get 27 agents blocking you. Jonathan’s one of our great screen actors there, and to put that with Ncuti, it’s just fireworks.”

**

We’ve also gotten glimpses at the Regency episode, and all of it, including the costumes, looks amazing. “It is so stunning,” the showrunner confirms. “A lot of it we had to make ourselves because Bridgerton classically brought up every regency costume in Great Britain and we probably filmed in the only country house that they haven’t been to yet. And let me tell you that they bumped the prices up, but it’s a joy.”

And just like Shonda Rhimes is a fan of Doctor Who, he loves Bridgerton. “She did an interview with the Sunday Times recently where she expressed her love of Doctor Who and she named me. I was really thrilled to see [that]. I mean I’ve only ever met her once, for 30 seconds. But there she was saying how much she liked me. That was one of the greatest compliments in my life,” Davies shares. “There’s an episode of Grey’s Anatomy in which people come into the emergency department because they’ve been fighting over my autograph, and they contacted me, got my autograph. That was years ago. But that episode must get shown somewhere in the world every day because almost every day I get someone texting me, have you seen this?”

He continues, “So almost to repay the compliment—Shonda put me in Grey’s Anatomy—I thought we’d put Bridgerton into Doctor Who. Actually, the writers said initially they wanted do a great big party. They wanted the Doctor to visit a party in time and space. And we had a long time winnowing down what sort of party that would be, but the moment Bridgerton was said, all other ideas went out the window. That really is a gorgeous episode.”

[razglowe]

Fandom Recap! - Raglowe's 2022 Edition

OKAY, THIRD ATTEMPT AT WRITING THIS WITHOUT TUMBLR EATING IT, LET’S GO!!

I’ve been back for about a week or so and I’m settling in nicely. Genuinely enjoying being back so much! I'm using the queue more and having a lot more of a relaxed time here than when I was active last.

Thank you so much for sticking with me!

Since it's been awhile, I wanted to do a rundown on my interests. ! It’s also super fun to reflect on how things have changed in fandom over the past few years.

Let’s get to it!

OLD STUFF I AM/WAS INTO

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

“Riiiiise of the--”

Ninja Turtles is so entwined with my DNA at this point, even if I can’t watch things on the regular any more. I’m still here though! Happily vibing away passively.

While I haven’t watched Rise of the TMNT series yet (tried the first ep, wasn’t my cup of tea, but I want to try again), I’ve managed to sit down and watch the movie.

D u d e.

RotTMNT, genuinely, has some of my favourite takes on the main cast. Changing things up while still keeping everyone true to character is such a hard needle to thread but I think the creative team stuck the landing. Especially with Leo being more chill and arrogant without the pressures of being a leader. I love it!

I’ve also been keeping up with IDW. If you’re a new turtle fan and want to get into more of the franchise, I can’t recommend it enough. It brings in some fresh takes on old characters while giving room to new characters as well.

Being a turtle fan is fantastic right now between Rise and Shredder's Revenge, and I do really feel we are in a new renaissance period. Keeping an eye out for Mutant Mayhem news next year!

Batman/DC Comics

“I am vengeance. I am the night. I am—“

I was originally writing this the day before word broke about Kevin Conroy. It’s… rough. And it really made me reflect on how I have been feeling about Batman recently.

These past few years saw me fall out of love a bit with Batman and DC Comics. I love these characters and this universe so much but I started to feel lost with it. From the movies through to the Nu52 comics, I just really wasn’t vibing with the darker tone I was seeing more of. But I always had that familiar, comforting thought that we had some of the old regular voices still reprising their roles.

That has certainly changed now.

Kevin Conroy was a man that I didn’t – and still don’t – know about in detail save for glimpses into his personality from interviews and his close friends sharing memories of him. He was kind. Empathetic. Talented and insightful. Full of love, passion, and genuine joy and admiration for his fans all over the world. And he was probably one of the few people who fully understood Batman dual nature on a fundamentally deep and personal level.

I want to revisit Batman again after hearing these stories about him. His joy and celebration of DC and Batman is truly infectious, especially after seeing his interviews.

I’m keen to give new things a go too! Batman 2022 in particular looks like a fun take on things, and I’ve been falling back in love after seeing The Suicide Squad (2022) and Peacemaker’s TV series. Genuinely, thank you James Gunn for reminding me how much I love DC, and thank you Kevin Conroy for reminding me how much I love Batman.

Especially Kevin Conroy. Thank you. So much.

Doctor Who

“Allons-y!”

Boy did I pick a time to come back to Doctor Who.

Around the end of 11’s run I was getting weary with Doctor Who. I really wasn’t liking Moffat’s writing style and wasn’t a fan of how I was being a wet blanket about it. Chipnal’s run wasn’t for me either. So, I took a step back. I checked out some of Capaldi and Whitaker’s episodes between then and now – I love their takes on the Doctor so much! I don't think most of the eps are for me, but I love the highlights I've seen!

But here we are now, with Russel T Davis back and David Tennant back (at least temporarily).

As much as I love Tennant’s Doctor, I’m honestly far more excited to see Ncuti Gatwa finally get his chance to show us his Doctor. I’ve heard nothing but praise for his acting and really excited to see what stories he will get to weave with Davis. (Though having Tennant back as the Doctor temporarily is a fun bonus too!)

I've otherwise been having a great time listening to Big Finish stories. Been a great way to experience the older Doctors and gaining a love and appreciation for all of Who these days. Really happy I did that!

Pokemon

“So, what? I'm lower than a Pokemon?! I already got self-esteem issues, man!”

While Scarlet/Violet have been buggy as all hell, I’m having a ton of fun with Pokemon! I haven’t missed a game still and I’m so excited to see what direction future games will head in. (Also please Game Freak, slow your mainline game rollout so people can fix the bugs more… please…)

Round up via generations! From most recent to least!

GEN 9 - Scarlet/Violet: About a third of the way through Scarlet right now. Really starting to like more of the new Pokemon designs. Grafaiai is a current frontline favourite for Gen 9 with me!

Legends of Arcus & Pokemon Snap: LoA was such a highlight for me. It was super fun and I’m still needing to get through end-game, but I’m having a ton of fun when I get the chance. And the new Pokemon Snap was a fun surprise to boot! So many fun ways to see Pokemon in the wild again.

GEN 8 - Sword/Shield: It was a fun time! I think this game does world building the best of all the games so far (yes, even over Scarlet/Violet). The gym leaders in them are probably some of my overall favourites so far! I wasn't as sold on the story, but man, seeing Pokemon as an actual competitive sport like soccer is still one of my favourite things to see

GEN 7 - Sun/Moon: Did you know that I was completely unaware that Guzma was a Tumblr Sexy Man until the Tumblr Sexy Man voting meme went viral? Hell yeah everyone good taste. On a serious note - loved these games a lot, and I think Team Skull became my favourite evil team after playing it. Love these knuckleheads.

Gen 3/4 Remakes: I played a lot of Alpha Sapphire when it came out! Really loved how they did shiny hunting with it. Wasn't so keen on Diamond/Pearl's remake, which is a shame since I really love those games. Still at the first gym with it... hopefully I can get time to play soon!

Hopefully we can see some bug fixes with Scarlet/Violet. I'm so keen to see what else is ahead in this game!

Warcraft/Overwatch

“The world could always use more heroes!”

This is… a rough one. I love Warcraft. I love Overwatch. I love both worlds. However, I’m not keen to be in those worlds much these days.

For Warcraft, I’m not a big fan of how the storytelling is going. And that’s fine! If it’s not my cup of tea, I’m happy to step back. Same with character direction in Overwatch. Again, nothing wrong with this. At times you and franchises you love grow into different things. The time together is none-the-less treasured.

There’s also external issues with Blizzard that have been well documented. I won’t be going into them, but they do not align with my morals (to say the least).

Always happy to reblog any Junkrat art or Warcraft silliness if I see them, but for now I'm done with both. They’ll always be a part of me! But I'm happily moving onto other games in the meantime.

Homestuck

“Dave: oh shit”

Yes, I know about the Epilogues and HS^2. Yes, I read them. No, they aren’t for me and that’s okay.

Other stuff

I’m still into a lot of things still! Still loving Lupin III, still happily reflecting on Mass Effect (haven’t played Andromeda still, just need time to play it!), and just having a grand old time living life.

If you want my thoughts on anything I’ve missed here, give a shout and I’ll reply!

Meanwhile, I’ve gotten into other things too!

NEW STUFF I’M INTO!

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FFXIV

“Remember us. Remember that we once lived.”

I’m not kidding when I say this – I genuinely think that FFXIV is going to be looked at as “video games as epic literature” one day in the far future. But with more big tiddy bun girls.

It’s such a wonderful winding tale where every character feels full of an important weight and value, ranging from minor characters through to major players. It is so wonderful to see and it’s such a contrast to what I’m used to with Warcraft!

I’ve been playing for about a year now, even though I originally picked up the game in about… 2018? 2016? It’s been awhile. But I needed a hook. So, I powered on through with friends and that was the hook I needed at the end of the day. Shadowbringer has been the peak of it all for me, but each expansion just keeps building up and up!

There have been so many character journeys that I’ve become attached to, and a lot of character growth that feels natural and earned. Won’t ramble too much here, but I have been enjoying everything immensely!

Splatoon

“Stay Fresh~”

I’ve always been interested in Splatoon but never quite really jumped on. I was a bit too late for the hype for Splatoon 2 (alas, never really experienced a proper Splatfest in there) but I really fell in love with the world. Hearing Splatoon 3 get announced got me excited and I’m so happy to see how much love it’s getting!

Also, no joke, the deep lore on this game is wild. I love it. Please read it one day if you get the chance. It’s hilarious and heartbreaking. Look, if we all wipe ourselves out, just know we’ve got squid kids to learn from our old memes at least.

(Also, Off the Hook is the best idol group, I’m sorry Deep Cut!)

Borderlands

“I just bought a pony made of diamonds! Because I'm rich.”

Tales From the Borderlands was running rings around me back when I was on Tumblr, but I just couldn't afford to play it back then (my computer was struggling to run smaller games ahahah;; ). I was curious but never enough to play it. So in my time away I eventually went “alright, show me what you’ve got”.

Yeah… yeah I regret not getting into this sooner.

Borderlands in general is such a fun world! I’m so glad I got to eventually experience it! I’ve played through the whole catalogue save for Pre-Sequel, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and New Tales now. Original TFTB also has the honour of being “game that made me cry with laughter” so that’s a big tick in my book.

I’ve defs played through Borderlands 3 as well. Gameplay was great! Story was good but I was missing some of the dramatic meat, but it absolutely brought the heat with DLC.

And yes, can confirm, Handsome Jack is an absolute bastard, 10/10 fantastic horrible dude, deserves all the hate and love.

The lack of a presence on the Tumblr Sexyman list when he had such a chokehold over Tumblr back in the day is a travesty :(

Genshin Impact

“Hey Traveller! Over here!”

So, I’m not so much into Genshin right now but I’m slowly warming to it. More here for the vibes and fanart than anything else.

Not too sure what else to say really. The characters seem fun! And people seem to be having fun with them. I think that's neat!

[devinstonerpg]

RUPERT AMBROSIA (Alex Lawther) is looking for his EX-BOYFRIEND/MUSE. This connection is currently TAKEN and you DO have to contact the player before applying.

Character name

Rupert Ambrosia (Alex Lawther).

Type of connection

Ex-boyfriend/Muse.

Suggested name and age

The name is completely up to the player, but the age range should be 24-28.

Suggested FCs

I’m open to anyone who can fit the age range, but I personally think Timothée Chalamet, Shameik Moore and Ncuti Gatwa would all work perfectly.

Connection description

Despite his tireless campaign to convince the world otherwise, Rupert does, in fact, possess a heart, and there was a period of time where it belonged exclusively to this character. They were his first – and remain his only – long-term boyfriend. He’s never been particularly good at holding down steady relationships, preferring to sleep around and go home with anyone who pays him the faintest glimmer of attention, but this character wormed their way into his heart. They dated for just over a year in total, and have only recently broken up. His backstory and profession are entirely up to the player – I’ve left it deliberately vague so potential applicants could bring their own ideas to the table! – but, like Rupert, he has a passion for art. It’s what initially drew them to one another and, even now, they remain each other’s muses. There’s a piece of him in every one of Roo’s paintings – it’s an unspoken love letter, of sorts. I’ve always imagined that this muse is a lot more cheerful than Rupert, and lives the bohemian, artsy lifestyle he dreams of. I’ve also always imagined that they regularly tried to encourage Roo to break free from the iron grip of his parents, and that most of their arguments stemmed from his ex attempting to make him see sense and walk away from his toxic family. Their relationship could’ve ended for a multitude of reasons, and it would be lovely to discuss potential ideas – and share some of my endless headcanons for these two – with anyone who’s interested!

Do you want to be contacted prior to applying?

Yes.