#One instance of Henry using the other name

[incorrect-finding-frankie]

Hi! I have risen for another story request with the 4 year old I'm calling Annie. ((I'm sorry but they're so fun to read))

Anyways. For these one, I'm thinking it could be one where she has a nightmare and goes to Frankie/Papa for comfort. To explain what the nightmare was about, she has to draw it out. The nightmare is about her losing Papa to the higher ups and her getting killed by Monster Frankie.

🐰|As of recently, the next season is approaching—and a lot is being done.|🎩

🐰|So, Other Frankie has found himself a bit busy with that—and leaves you with Henry a bit more.|🎩

🐰|And it’s during one of these preparations that you suddenly burst into the room, rather distressed.|🎩

—

As you clung to his leg tightly, and the rabbit knelt down, he glanced up, to where the phone stood.

“Annie had a nightmare, I think...” He revealed.

Other Frankie sighed at that, and his eyes drifted back down at you. He’d been about to place a hand atop your head...

Only for you to tear yourself away, and hurry towards one of the corners of the room—where items were scattered about.

Some of which included paper and crayons. You came in here often enough, and the rabbit was aware of what you liked.

He watched as you sat yourself down right in the middle of the floor, sniffling, and scribbling away.

Other Frankie approached, and from behind him, he could tell that Henry was getting closer, too.

“Me?” The rabbit watched as you completed a rabbit, dropping the current crayon onto the floor.

You always tried your best to put some differences with your rabbit dad, and the other two.

There was a tiny nod from you. The Frankie on the piece of paper was simply sprawled out, two x’s in place of his eyes, the rabbit realized.

He shared a glance with Henry for just a moment, before the two of them looked back at you.

And in that time... to their surprise, you’d finished the rest of the drawing.

It made the rabbit frown.

There was him—and a few figures seemingly above him. Compared to the drawn Frankie, it was hard to tell what those exactly were.

In the corner of the page, there was Monster Frankie, who looked menacing—as menacing as a little one could possibly draw the rabbit.

And then there was you, seemingly cornered by him.

—

🐰|Other Frankie tries his best to comfort you, holding you.|🎩

🐰|He tells you that Monster Frankie won’t ever hurt you—no one here will.|🎩

🐰|Monster Frankie may be dangerous, but you’re not a contestant or anything, and they’re all basically raising you.|🎩

🐰|The other part... Other Frankie doesn’t know what to say, or what to do, but he still tries.|🎩

🐰|It’s also something that he’s worried about—the higher ups dealing with him.|🎩

🐰|Which is why Other Frankie just hopes that the future seasons will go well.|🎩

[ssahotchnerr]

girl!dad aaron reading to his daughter over the phone while on a case! 🥹 just like that one episode of jj and henry 😭🥰

nightmares

i will sob. 🥺 i'm also setting this in ellie's bad dreams era :( cw; fem!reader, girl dad!aaron, slight angst, fluff <3

"It looks like this is his comfort zone." Using a red marker, Spencer circled an area on the map. "If we pinpoint-"

As he was continuing his thought, Aaron's phone rang. He fully expected to see Penelope's name, anticipating her call as she was working her magic to narrow down a pool of potential unsubs. However, his eyebrows furrowed in worry as he saw it was from you instead.

"Excuse me." He spoke lowly yet urgently, keeping his eyes on his screen and hurrying away with no hesitation, missing the team's concerned glances.

"Hey," he answered, closing the door to the empty conference room behind him. There was knowing feeling deep in his chest - and a grim one at that. "Everything alright?"

"Kinda... no." You switched up quickly with a sigh, slight distress in your voice. "I'm sorry, I know you're busy. But can you spare a minute or two?"

"Another nightmare?" Aaron's eyes shot to the clock perched on the wall. While it was somewhat early for him, it was getting late back home, timezones to thank. And doing the math quickly, bedtime for the kids had been about two hours ago. So sadly this - right on schedule.

You hummed in confirmation, beginning with the positive first. "She fell asleep in her bed tonight, actually. Went down easy, not much protest. But then woke up crying, and was nearly inconsolable for a while. She's with me now." Your eyes shifted down to your frightened daughter besides you, who was inching closer and closer to seemingly making herself smaller. "And keeps asking for you."

Aaron glanced out; the team was still preoccupied, discussing the geographical profile amongst themselves, and could definitely manage without him for a while longer. "Yeah, I have some time."

There was a quick rustle as you set your phone down, placing it on speaker. Your voice was farther now, not by much, but it felt treacherously distant, as if more miles had been added. "It's Daddy, honey."

"Hey Ellie Bellie." Aaron's tone quieted, his face softening as he spoke. "What's the matter?"

A light sniffle came from the other end. "I had a scary dream."

"A scary dream, huh?" He repeated, an achy pang producing in his chest. Ellie's nightmares have been occurring for a while now, and indubitably becoming a problem. You both expected the dreams to run their course, eventually pass, and things would return to normal. But as time moved forward, it was becoming clear it was well beyond that as they worsened. "It's okay, you're safe with Mom now, right?"

Ellie nodded, unknowingly to him. Her small voice cracked, laced with tears. "I want you."

"I know, and I'll be home when work lets me, I promise. You can even use my pillow tonight too, if you want." He bit down onto his lip as Ellie mumbled a small 'okay' in response. Hard. "Or how about a story? Would that help you feel better?"

Her head rose up and down again, prompting you to speak up as Aaron was met with only her silence.

"We have a few right here." You reached across her, grabbing the few storybooks that frequented Aaron's nightstand and settling back against your own pillow.

"Your pick sweetheart." Aaron pulled a chair from the table, sitting down and making himself comfortable momentarily.

"Goodnight Moon?"

Goodnight Moon, also one of Jack's favorites when he was younger. Between him and Ellie, Aaron's read it so many times, he had the entirety of the book memorized. In addition, Ellie's other, more lengthy favorites - he had gone through and cleverly taken a picture of each page, all stored safely in his camera roll for instances such as tonight. No matter where he happened to be, he could read the text, while also drawing attention to and discussing the images with her.

"Sure. Get all comfy and cozy up to Mom, yeah?"

Ellie nestled herself more into your side, her head resting on your arm as she death-gripped onto her plush bunny. You adjusted the duvet to adequately cover the two of you, scooting down and propping the book up for the two of you to see.

"We're ready when you are." You told Aaron, brushing a few stray strands of hair away from Ellie's face.

As your brief sentence concluded, a harsh pinch formed behind Aaron's eyes, the guilt creeping in as he pictured the two of you laid together, where he also should've been. His little girl was beside herself in fear, wanted him, and yet here he was. Far away on the other side of the country. He felt as if he were failing her; letting her down.

Aaron swallowed to even out his voice, to sound as cheery as he possibly could, and to refrain any agony from being heard. He took a deep, yet small guttural breath.

"In the great green room..."

[reality-detective]

The Secret Vatican Gold Vault?

"The Vatican's treasure of solid gold has been estimated by the United Nations World Magazine to amount to several billion dollars. A large bulk of this is stored in gold ingots with the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, while banks in England and Switzerland hold the rest. "But this is just a small portion of the wealth of the Vatican, which in the U.S. alone, is greater than that of the five wealthiest giant." End quote.

This was reported by Henry Mackow. There were reportedly that an international military force that repatriated 650 plane loads of gold and cash from the Vatican to the US Treasury.

A tunnel between Vatican City and Jerusalem was discovered containing gold. The amount of gold found is “more gold than you can imagine” stacked 13 levels high for the first 150 miles (241 kilometers) of the tunnel and “650 planes used to transport the gold”.

The result of this operation was the closure of over 6,000 Vatican bank accounts used for illegal activities. I do not have any conclusive info on that but there was an interesting report that came out from the Vatican itself.

In a report from 👇

They published a Congressional inquiry into the auditing of the Fort Knox gold, and they were informed by the officials responsible for that gold, that the gold in Fort Knox and other depositries in the USA (261 million ounces) is now part of the gold reserve of the International Monetary Fund (the IMF).

We have been informed by one of the top lawyers employed by the IMF (eventually sacked because she intended to whistleblow on them), that the IMF was controlled by the Vatican and the Jesuits. Who is this person you may ask? Karen Hudes. Who has exposed over the years how the IMF worked.

Of course alot has changed since she came out publicly. K. Hudes has some stand out points she has made regarding info that you all have seen on this channel.

For instance: 👇

Hudes asserts that a clandestine version of the U.S. Constitution, enacted in 1871, handed over significant control to private bankers, significantly altering the original governance framework. Which is true.

Also according to her, individuals in court are seen as debtors rather than citizens, which of course is another term of enslavement which effectively dehumanizes us and classifies us as property of the Federal Government, so on and so forth. Something none of us should be surprised to hear.

There's a lot to look into regarding this subject. So take your time and understand that many things have changed that will come to fruition in full force over the coming months. We are no longer under the 1871 Corp Act. Which is why the Chevron Doctrine had to be overturned. 🤔

[beardedmrbean]

Biden supporters are raising Trump's associations with Jeffrey Epstein — again.

Recently-released docs in the Epstein investigation make no mention of Trump.

Democrats have tried deflecting concerns about Biden's age by bringing up Trump's past.

Some Joe Biden supporters are employing a tried-and-true strategy to fend off rampant debate over the President's age and mental acuity: deflection.

On social media — and even in the halls of Congress — certain Biden supporters are using Donald Trump's associations with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein as an argument to disqualify him.

Discourse about Trump and Epstein was reignited after documents from Epstein's first Florida investigation in 2006 were released last week.

But the 158-page document — a grand jury transcript showing prosecutors heard testimony that Epstein raped girls as young as 14, then still cut him a sweetheart plea deal — makes no mention of Trump himself.

Still, some seized the news cycle as a way to counteract doubts about Biden's own fitness to run for office in 2024.

Why no one's writing about Trump and Epstein

During a press conference on Tuesday, Rep. Ted Lieu of California urged more media coverage of the "Epstein files," adding that a "highly disturbing" hashtag about Trump and Epstein was trending on X.

Trump had previously been photographed with Epstein, Lieu said, had flown with him on planes with young girls on board, and the two were listed on call logs together.

"It shows that Donald Trump is unfit for office," the congressman said, adding Trump was also convicted of sexual abuse in civil court.

Ben Meiselas, the cofounder of liberal news network Meidas Touch, also posted on X about "the release of new Epstein files with Trump's name on it." Other Biden boosters have suggested a coordinated media cover-up to boost Trump's chances or doom Biden's.

But Trump isn't named in the latest records, a fact reiterated on X by Julie Brown, the Miami Herald investigative journalist who helped break the Epstein story.

Media outlets haven't reported on Trump's connection to the new Epstein files because there isn't one.

What we know about Trump's relationship with Epstein

Trump has appeared in previous unsealed and uncovered documents connected to the Epstein case.

Trump was also connected to 14 different numbers in Epstein's little black book of contacts that surfaced before the financier's arrest on sex trafficking charges in 2019. Among the contacts were Trump's wife, Melania; ex-wife, Ivana; and daughter, Ivanka.

The contact book also included the names of high-profile celebrities like Courtney Love, Alec Baldwin, and Naomi Campbell, as well as politicians and dignitaries like John Kerry, Michael Bloomberg, Henry Kissinger, and Prince Andrew.

Unsealed flight logs in 2019 revealed Trump took a flight on Epstein's private jet in 2017; billionaire couple Glenn and Eva Dubin joined him on the flight from Palm Beach to Newark.

And in January, a Business Insider analysis of then-unsealed court records determined Trump appeared in the documents multiple times under the moniker "Doe 174."

However, the mentions in those documents weren't all damning for the former President, BI's Jacob Shamsian reported at the time.

In one instance, a woman denied in a deposition that she'd massaged Trump. In another, a woman claimed — then recanted — that her friend had had sex with him. And Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the key accusers of sexual abuse by Epstein and his associates, said in one document that she didn't think Trump was involved.

Trump had previously faced allegations by an anonymous woman that claimed he had violently raped her at an orgy when she was 13 years old. The woman — who went by the pseudonym "Katie Johnson" — even filed a lawsuit against Trump, twice.

The first was a civil rights suit in April 2016 that was thrown out on a technicality. Vox noted that the original suit listed the woman's apparent address as an abandoned home.

She filed a second lawsuit that removed some of the lurid details. Still, the case was connected to strange characters, including a Jerry Springer producer who tried to sell a video of the purported accuser to news outlets for $1 million and an anti-Trump activist who promoted the lawsuit — and had a history of spreading untrue gossip.

The woman abruptly dropped the lawsuit in November 2016, just days before the election that Donald Trump would win. Her lawyer didn't share a reason for why the lawsuit was dropped at the time.

Trump had publicly praised Epstein before his sexual abuse allegations came to light. He called Epstein a "terrific guy" in 2002, adding, "It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."

But the Washington Post reported the two men had a falling out in 2004 after they both wanted to buy a prime Palm Beach property.

After Epstein's arrest, Trump told reporters, "I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you." Trump has also said he barred Epstein from Mar-A-Lago.

Four Pinocchios from WaPo for congressman Lieu's claims about Trump in the epstein files, that's gotta hurt both wapo and lieu

Guy must think everyone else is a idiot and will take him at his word instead of actually looking,

[nitrateglow]

Spooky Season 2024: 12-22

Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge (dir. Richard Friedman, 1989)

The opening of the new mall is hampered by one thing: a Phantom hiding in the air vents, and committing robbery and murder. It turns out this Phantom is really a teenager named Eric (Derek Rydall) disfigured in a fire set by the mall's developers to clear out any remaining houses impeding their dreams of commercial development. Now, Eric plans on having his revenge and watching over his girlfriend Melody (Kari Whitman), now an employee of the mall. But what will he make of her burgeoning romance with a journalist?

Talk about pure '80s cheese. This film feels like it was made to capitalize on the slasher cycle and the popularity of the Andrew Lloyd Weber Phantom of the Opera megamusical. It's not a particularly good movie, but it is dumb fun. I love how this Phantom makes free use of the goods available in the stores and how he spams his spin kick attack like he's in a video game.

Also, Pauly Shore is in this. He has a great scene talking about subliminal messaging in department stores, but is otherwise the usual Pauly Shore.

Hangover Square (dir. John Brahm, 1945)

Musician George Harvey Bone (Laird Cregar) is disturbed by long sessions in which he blacks out. He fears he may be committing murder, but is reassured by the police when he goes to them that isn't likely. Detective Dr. Allen Middleton (George Saunders) advises the overworked George take a break from composing. George does so by going to a pub where he meets the lovely Netta Longdon (Linda Darnell), a music hall entertainer who dreams of fame. George and Netta enter into a toxic relationship in which she uses him to advance her career while seeing other men on the side. When George discovers her treachery, his blackouts return-- this time in a far more violent form.

I'm starting to become fascinated by John Brahm, a director best remembered for his moody, macabre dramas in the 1940s. Hangover Square was his second and final collaboration with the talented but doomed Laird Cregar, who died two months before the film was released. It's as much a noir as a horror picture, drenched in that chiaroscuro lighting and urban dread so common to the classic cycle.

Cregar is astonishing in the lead role. Though handsome, he was a bigger man, so Hollywood refused to allow him to transition into leading man parts. He is marvelous here, passionate and sensitive, yet also sinister once his jealous rage takes over. I've seen Cregar in multiple films and he was truly fantastic, able to be comic as well as dramatic. Hollywood didn't deserve him.

Lastly, Linda Darnell's character sings this really catchy song when Cregar first sees her. I saw this film weeks ago but it is STILL STUCK IN MY HEAD.

The Sealed Room (dir. DW Griffith, 1909)

In some nondescript time period (everyone's dressed like it's either the early 18th century or the middle ages), a king (Arthur V. Johnson) learns his mistress (Marion Leonard) is smooching with a musician (Henry B. Walthall). Jealous to the point of rage, he has the couple sealed in a small room where they suffocate to death.

The Sealed Room is a gem from the nickelodeon era, though I admit my liking for it comes from how extra all the performances are, even by the standards of the early silent period.

It also has one of my favorite instances of what I like to call "silent film logic"-- that is, scenes featuring action that would be very loud in real life, but in a silent film, you may not think about it as much. Here, the king has the lovers walled up alive in a small room, where they lounge unaware. And yet, there's workers slapping up a brick wall not ten feet away from them! It's very amusing.

Frankenhooker (dir. Frank Henenlotter, 1990)

When his girlfriend Elizabeth (Patty Mullen) gets hacked to death by an automatic lawnmower he built, medical student Jeffrey (James Lorinz) decides to resurrect her by killing sex workers for their shapely body parts then sewing Elizabeth's severed head on top. He does this by having his victims smoke explosive crack.

No, I'm not making this up.

I first heard about Frankenhooker from James Rolfe of Angry Video Game Nerd fame. It sounded so insane that I knew I had to watch it. It's-- well, it's definitely a bizarre movie with lots of crude humor and pitch black jokes.

Would you believe me if I said it was kind of an unsung feminist work? I definitely did not expect THAT angle coming in, but that messaging is definitely there. Jeffrey is a villain-protagonist through and through, even before he starts committing murder. We learn he was already demanding Elizabeth modify her appearance to suit his tastes before she got killed. He views women as more a collection of body parts than proper people. However, his misogyny does catch up with him in the end and his fate at the resurrected Elizabeth's hands is the very definition of irony. I don't want to spoil it.

It's definitely not for everyone, but if you have a sick sense of humor and some friends that share that humor, you'll have a good time.

Friday the 13th: Part 2 (dir. Steve Miner, 1981)

A summer camp close to the infamous Camp Crystal Lake is about to open. Little do the young, horny counselors know, Jason (Warrington Gillette and Steve Daskewicz)-- the boy that allegedly drowned long ago-- is still alive and he's mad his mama got decapitated in the previous film. Lots of people die.

I confess I have a hard time getting into these Friday the 13th films. I've read it took a few entries for the series to find its footing as gloriously dumb schlock, but the first one and this sequel were mostly boring for me. About all I liked was the last twenty minutes, when the heroine's background in child psychology comes into play. Otherwise, this gets a big meh from me. Not horrible, but nothing I can imagine I'll ever rewatch.

Corridor of Mirrors (dir. Terence Young, 1948)

A party girl (Edana Romney) becomes involved with a Renaissance era-obessed artist (Eric Portman). Their fetishistic relationship leads to heartbreak and murder.

Already discussed this one is great detail at my Wordpress blog. It's a great romantic thriller in the vein of Vertigo and Rebecca.

The Old Dark House (dir. James Whale, 1932)

During a thunderstorm, a group of unwary British travelers are marooned at the crumbling mansion of the Femm family, a collection of eccentrics who may be insane. Everything goes wrong: the hulking butler gets drunk and preys on the women visitors, the area may flood, the lights go out, and there may be a homicidal maniac imprisoned in one of the rooms upstairs. Will anyone survive the night?

I have raved about this film for a long time now. It's truly a favorite of mine in general, not just for the Halloween season. Both witty and chilling, it's an atmospheric masterpiece. The damp and mold are palpable.

What fascinates me most is the Femm family itself and the gaps in their backstory. This is one movie where I feel like there's a Tolstoyan novel's worth of drama with the Femms. It's hinted that the 102-year-old patriarch of the house (played in drag by actress Elspeth Dudgeon) used to host orgies there. The death of the seductive sister Rebecca at the age of 21 may or may not have been due to inter-family foul play. Morgan the butler has a close, even weirdly tender relationship with the homicidally insane brother Saul, suggesting a myriad of possible connections between them. It's very interesting-- I like that the movie doesn't fill in all the blanks.

A Game of Death (dir. Robert Wise, 1945)

Don Rainsford (John Loder), big game hunter extraordinaire, finds himself shipwrecked on a mysterious island. The owner is Erich Kriegler (Edgar Barrier), an urbane German who also enjoys hunting, though with a slight difference-- he likes hunting humans. Teaming up with other shipwreck survivors Ellen (Audrey Long) and Robert (Russell Wade), Don tries finding a way to escape before they become Kriegler's next wall trophies.

This movie is a pallid, watered down, shot-for-shot remake of The Most Dangerous Game, one of the crown jewels of 1930s horror, so of course, I am not fond of it. And yet, I rewatch it every few years, so it must have something going for it. So instead of tearing into it as I normally do, I'll list a few things I think are actually good about it:

I like that the main character initially tries tricking Kriegler into thinking he will hunt people with him. Very pro-active.

I think Kriegler is a good villain. Not as memorably deranged and campy as Leslie Banks' Zaroff in the original film, but chilling in a more low-key way. His "the strong deserve to prey upon the weak" philosophy fits in nicely with Nazi ideologies-- no doubt what this wartime horror flick intended.

Um... I think Audrey Long is really pretty. I like her flow-y outfits.

... Yeah, that's it.

The Most Dangerous Game (dir. Ernest B. Schoedsack and Irving Pichel, 1932)

All-American big game hunter Bob Rainsford (Joel McCrea) is shipwrecked on the unlisted island of Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks), a Russian aristocrat and master sportsman who claims he now hunts "the most dangerous game" of all. Being a himbo, it takes Bob a while before he realizes that game is human beings. Unwilling to hunt alongside Zaroff when given the offer, Rainsford and fellow prisoner Eve Trowbridge (Fay Wray) wage a game with Zaroff: let loose into the island's thick jungle, if they survive the night without Zaroff or the terrain killing them, they'll go free. If not, Rainsford dies and Eve will become a rather different kind of quarry for the evil count.

Now, here's my favorite "hunter hunts people" movie! While "The Most Dangerous Game" has been adapted and ripped off multiple times for a century, the original is still hard to beat. The castle set drips with gothic grandeur. The jungle soundstage is thick and suffocating, and once the chase intensifies, it becomes like something out of a nightmare.

I actually think the climactic hunt is among the greatest sequences in all cinema. The editing is so dynamic and the images are brilliant. And when you consider this is still an early talkie, when films were still trying to rediscover their footing after silent cinema came to an end, it becomes even more remarkable.

Going on Letterboxd, I was shocked to find a lot of people on there have mixed to negative opinions about this movie, largely because they think it's too over the top and that it's messaging is too on the nose.

I mean-- yes, these things are true, but I don't see them as flaws. It probably helps that I love camp and melodrama, and am not ashamed to admit it. And regardless of the fervent camp on display, I still think the trophy room scene is creepy and the chase is super intense. I have probably seen this movie close to a hundred times and yet, the chase still has me shouting at the TV, willing the characters to run faster. That's damn fine filmmaking.

The Haunting (dir. Robert Wise, 1963)

A researcher of the paranormal brings a motley crew of ordinary people into the allegedly haunted Hill House. Both potential ghosts and the neuroses of the visitors bring on sinister events and ultimately tragedy.

I love this movie more and more. I already wrote a bit about my reaction this time around, though since then, I started rereading the source novel, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Obviously, the book delves more deeply into Eleanor's psyche, but the film does a fantastic job of this as well. Given film is a visual medium, it can be a challenge to depict a character's interior state without delving into expressionism and this film does that well.

The Phantom of the Opera (dir. Terence Fisher, 1962)

Aspiring songstress Christine Charles (Heather Sears) and producer Harry Hunter (Edward de Souza) are drawn into a mystery at the London Opera House. A phantom is sabotaging any attempt to produce Joan of Arc: A Tragedy, a show allegedly written by the cold, snobby, rapey Lord Ambrose (Michael Gough). After some investigating, it turns out the Phantom (Herbert Lom) was once the meek-mannered Professor Petrie, whose music was stolen by Ambrose. Now, he wants only to see his opera done justice and only Christine's voice can make that happen.

I am very fond of this version of The Phantom of the Opera even though I think it has a myriad of dramatic flaws. Let's get the flaws out the way first. I think the film is a bit repetitive in retelling us Petrie's story over and over, at first through onscreen description and then through filmed depiction. I also think the ending is anti-climactic, like the writers didn't want to go the usual route of making the Phantom a homicidal maniac but they weren't sure how to make a properly dramatic finish without that characterization.

That out the way, this is a unique, even refreshing retelling in many ways. The Phantom/Christine relationship is no longer one of unrequited love-- in fact, Petrie seems wholly uninterested in romance or sex at all. He views Christine and himself as victims of the truly despicable Lord Ambrose: Petrie had his music stolen and Christine was sexually harrassed. Therefore, it is up to the two of them to wrest the opera back from Amrbose's influence and make it the production Petrie wanted. Petrie is one hard taskmaster. He is relentless in training Christine and at one point throws filthy sewer-water in her face when she faints.

But the Phantom is hardly an out and out villain here. He doesn't even kill people-- he has a convenient hunchbacked assistant to do that. No, the real baddie is Ambrose, among the nastiest villains in the Hammer canon. Ambrose never even kills anyone, yet he makes the blood boil with his wanton cruelty. Michael Gough (who I always remember best as Alfred in the Tim Burton Batman movies, as well as Batman Forever and Batman and Robin) is so good at being bad.

This version of POTO also has my favorite version of the Phantom's compositions. Usually, he writes a "burning" piece called Don Juan Triumphant, fitting his romantic obsession with Christine. Here, Petrie writes an opera about Joan of Arc, a virginal saint persecuted by powerful men-- a fitting subject for Petrie given his own persecution by an aristocrat. Joan's aria "I Hear Your Voice" is gorgeous and always brings me to tears, it's that beautiful.

Not a perfect film, but still a very good one.

[matrix-pawz]

ACTUAL PROOF MICHAEL AFTON SURVIVED PIZZERIA SIMULATOR!!!!! 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

NOT CLICKBAIT!!!!

jk it actually wasn't clickbait, but here's some of the reasons I believe Michael survived FNAF 6!

#1- the footprints in security breach, to put it simply, Michael is literally the ONLY character that doesn't wear shoes (somebody at least give him socks tho, jeeze 😭)

#2- Mafton in FNAF AR clearly referred back to Michael, who else would be using his email except for him?

#3- "meeting with smith note" as in Fritz smith, one of the multiple fake names Michael was theorized to go under, mainly because of odor problems and him being a literal corpse lmao

#4- the exotic butter references, need I say more?

#5- the secret room LITERALLY being Michaels living room, or at least the one from SL that he was still in every night

#6- in the first four nights that Michael would pass out if it got too hot in there, yet he didn't during the fire. Maybe he took that way out Henry had mentioned, leaving the player pov still at the desk? It happened with FNAF 3, how else did he survive that? He had to have escaped.

#7- there are many more parallels between Glamrock Freddy and Henry than Glamrock Freddy and Michael. For instance, it was Henry setting the fires because he knew how to destroy remnant matching Freddy burning down the pizzaplex with a lighter finger in one ending, he actually had kids of his own matching Freddy's father like attitude, him and William were close friends at a time matching him and Glamrock Bonnie's close relationship, he is also more represented by bears than any other human character (despite Gabriel) so it would make sense for him to be Freddy instead of Michael.

But that's just a theory lol

Extra little edit: sooo I dont remember where I heard this, someone in the notes said that it was in one of the retro CDs, but apparently there was a janitor in the pizzaplex who kept putting nice smelling flowers around, and bc of Mike's previous odor issue and getting fired because of it, maybe he was the janitor trying to cover up the smell with the flowers? Then again, may also not be him bc the FNAF AR email shows and the secret room and stuff shows that he was probably much higher up than just a janitor...

[thegayhimbo]

This is something that's been circulating in my mind ever since they released these photos of Jamie and Nell together at the Creel House:

I speculated a while ago that Vecna would target Mike based on how it would hurt both Will and El (who both have personal connections to Vecna and Mike) and based on the title of the second episode for Season 5: "The Vanishing of ***** Wheeler."

While I still believe it's a possibility Vecna could come after Mike, it's looking more like Holly will be the Wheeler who vanishes in season 5. The pictures released imply Vecna either lures her to the Creel House, or he's targeting Holly using mental manipulation like he's done with his past victims:

I find it interesting Jamie (Vecna) is wearing a suit that looks like it's from the 1950s. I'm still up in the air about whether the show will introduce time-travel as a plot point (which could potentially explain the nature of the Upside Down), so it's currently unclear if this a hallucination, or if Vecna somehow transported Holly back to the 50s with him. For the time being, I'm ruling out time-travel and leaning towards the former idea until proven otherwise.

I also thinks it's noteworthy in this scene that Vecna appears as his normal human self pre-1979 as opposed to how he was post-Upside Down when he was attacking his victims in S4 (lending credence to the idea that this is likely a vision/hallucination from Vecna). The insinuation is he isn't trying to attack or kill Holly at this point in time the same way he did with Chrissy, Fred, Patrick, and Max. Instead, he's putting on a friendly facade for Holly and persuading her to trust him the same way he did with El at Hawkins Lab back in 1979.

Considering the tweet mentions "extras" in this scene, there's the possibility Vecna might also be luring other kids like Holly to the Creel House, or mentally targeting them.

I doubt he's going after Holly or these kids to open more gates since he already done that. Instead, I think his interest in Holly (aside from her being Mike and Nancy's sister) may have to do with Holly's interest in drawing and childlike creativity. By this, I note that one thing both Holly, Will (who was also taken by the Demogorgon under Vecna's control in 1983), and Henry/One/Vecna as a child all have in common is their interest in drawing, creativity, and imagination, and how they channel all 3 of those traits in dealing with their personal lives. In Vecna's case, it lead to him designing the Mind Flayer as a kid, which eventually transitioned to him forming it from the Upside Down environment 20 years later.

I've mentioned several theories in the past about the Upside Down and why time froze the night Will was taken in 1983, as well as why Will was targeted by Vecna, and one of those theories is the idea that the Upside Down is impressionable: It can be terraformed, manipulated, transformed, and have its reality altered. Vecna, for instance, could have been terraforming the Upside Down in the years he was trapped there, but that process stopped in 1983 when El opened the gate and Will was kidnapped. Now, Vecna's looking for a way to restart it again, whether through Will, Holly, or any other kid he can get his hands on, and plans to mentally manipulate them through their imaginations into altering the reality of the Upside Down to his liking.

Best comparison I can make is with what the demon Tak does to a boy named Seth in Stephen King's The Regulators: In the story, Tak possesses Seth as a vessel and begins to alter reality in Seth's hometown by bringing things from his imagination to life, such as transforming Seth's hometown into an Old Western landscape based on a movie called The Regulators that Seth really loves. This ends up creating a dangerous situation for everyone in Seth's neighborhood, especially as Tak's power manifests through Seth's imagination and people start dying because of it.

Likewise, this could be why Vecna is interested in Holly, Will, and other kids like them: He plans to use them by channeling his power through them, and mentally manipulating them through their imaginations, to alter the landscape of the Upside Down to his liking, as well as possibly create something horrific enough to wipe Hawkins and its residents off the face of the earth. Using them as a source or a battery to expand his reach to other parts of the Earth.

This is a theory in development though, so we'll have to wait and see how things turn out.

[the-irken-pony]

THSC Meta Voice Potential Backstory + Additional headcanons

Because my first post about them was long enough and also because there's a lot more headcanon than actual lore meat this time around.

Edit:

[ID: The "So that was a fucking lie" meme. End ID.]

I do go a bit in-depth with explaining some of them at the end, but I'm starting with the headcanons themselves. I want to focus on the headcanons rather than having the long explanations dominate the entire post. It's a bit of a different format than I usually do, but it's one I want to try out. (That and not all of them have explanations beyond "vibes" so I'm giving myself some leeway there.)

Starting with the "shock twist" headcanon: I do genuinely believe them to have once been a stick figure who lived in the THSCverse like Henry, Charles, Dave, etc., rather than having always been a disembodied string of text.

They were most likely a superpowered stick figure like Henry, but they probably had weaker, downgraded versions of their current timeline-stopping abilities (the FAILs).

Their other abilities (eg conjuration) arose as a result of their integration into the fabric of their reality, rather than being part of their default abilities.

They used to be a gadgeteer, and still engage with gadgetry off to the side.

Said gadgetry profession may be directly related to their disappearance, or their merging with their reality. No solid headcanon on what caused whatever happened to them but I do have a potential idea.

They had a criminal history before Henry, and have a kleptomania problem of their own.

They don't age, at least not anymore. They stopped after they integrated into the game.

Their attachment to Henry is in part because Henry is the only one who can actually see them anymore.

Road rage

As for explanations behind them, I’m breaking it into sections since it’s. long.

Gadgetry

First off, I wanna discuss their affinity for gadgetry (smth that @/stickthinks brought up in their THSC live blog that I've been fixated on ever since).

While the meta voice knows more about the various people and locales seen throughout the game than any one person in the universe feasibly could, their knowledge isn't limitless. Many of their comments seem to be guesswork rather than actual knowledge. Furthermore, for how much they seem to know, their attitude toward people in general is rather... blasé, and doesn't seem to be too partial to who Henry aligns himself with.

What they DO show a vested interest in is the various gadgets that Henry uses. The first example is actually the first two instances of the Teleporter in the remastered Breaking the Bank and in Escaping the Prison. In Breaking the Bank, they state that the teleporter uses new technology and is optimistic about its potential, and assume the fail in EtP is Henry not knowing how to use it.

[ID: Fail screen for Breaking the Bank’s teleporter option which reads “it’s emergent technology. I’m sure it will get better!”]

Their first hint of actually knowing how stuff works comes from the Opacitator, in which they mention a Beta Testing phase; both words are specifically capitalized, implying that this is a formally named stage of development (I mean I would hope so).

[ID: fail screen for the opacitator fail which reads: “you’d think something like that would come up in the beta testing.” The words beta testing are capitalized. End id.]

Where it's really revealed to have in depth knowledge is in the Wormhole Rifle fail, where we get its iconic info dump moment, where it gives a detailed run-down of the mechanics and makeup of the gun.

ID: the fail screen for the wormhole rifle, which is a wall of text in a small font. It reads:

“I'm surprised you weren't able to get down there with that amazing portal technology. It's pretty strange how those portal guns work. I mean it combines the top scientific processes of our time. the portal gun contains a flux quantum generator which propels energy blasts with energy volumes of 4.23 GW with an average speed of 25 m/s. this speed is most effective because it allows the energy to be conserved while still maintaining a speed that is appropriate. The external plastic coating on the portal gun is constructed of a high polymer fireproof carbon fiber. this prevents the intense energy of the portal gun from burning the hands of the user. The intense energy causes intense heat. Oh by the way if you want a medal/achievement click here. I've heard that scientists still do not know what happens if two portals are placed on top of one another. The last time that was attempted... Well I'm sure you heard about it on the news.” End ID.]

What's interesting is that it mentions that there actually WAS an attempt to place two portals on top of each other, but doesn't go into detail about what. This could either imply that they simply consider it common knowledge not worth repeating, or it could imply that the subject is uncomfortable enough that they'd rather avoid it. The latter option could be an indication that they were actually present for the attempt.

Going further, they may have even directly worked on the Jetboots. The fail message is specifically a production note.

ID: fail screen for the jetboots option, which reads “jetboots production notes: find lighter material to construct boots out of.” End ID.]

Their Original Form, And Why They Changed

The reason I wanted to go over that one first is because it ties into some other stuff. For instance, it proves that they’re more tied to the THSCverse than to our world. Especially given that, in the wormhole rifle info dump, they specifically say “it combines the top scientific processes of our time,” when the concept of a portal gun is still completely fictional in our world.

Additionally, they question our apparent inability to distinguish visually near-identical stick figures (indirectly acknowledging the player as not a stick figure by proxy).

[ID: fail screen for the Toppy option which reads “they could tell you don’t look like Henry. What, you think all stick figures look the same??” End id.]

Thus, it’s reasonable to conclude that the meta is not only originally part of the THSCverse, but also that it is, itself, a stick figure (unless it became something else after their “ascension”.

As for other arguments proving their mortality, or pseudo mortality, they allude to three very notably organic behaviors:

1) they take a bathroom break during the calculator fail in std, suggesting a need, or at least the capacity, to eat food and drink fluids.

[id: fail screen for the calculator option, which reads “sorry, I was in the bathroom. What’d I mi— Where’d… Where is everyone?” End id.]

2) they mention having a nightmare similar to the g-inverter effects, proving that they used to sleep, if they don’t continue to do so.

[id: fail screen for the g-inverter option which reads “pretty sure I had a nightmare like this.” End id.]

3) they complain about their ears hurting from the Sonic pulse fail—direct proof that they can feel pain, even if they can’t die from injury.

[id: fail screen for the sonic pulse option, which reads “That hurt my ears! >:C” The “>:C” is a drawn, angry frown that is right side up. End id.]

As for what happened to turn them into what they are now, I don’t have any solid ideas, just a possible suggestion. It ends off its info dump by mentioning an experimental attempt at putting two portals on top of each other, but trails off and dismisses itself with an assumption that Henry “heard about it on the news.” This could be its usual nonchalance, or it could be the exact opposite: discomfort. It's possible that they were there for the attempt, and the incident was traumatic in some way (either through the process of changing into what we know them as now, or the change itself).

Adjusting to New Powers

Even with the notion that they weren't always in this form, it's worth noting that they seem fairly competent with actually triggering a fail. We don't get any fails triggered on accident (the fake fail in EtP is deliberate as they directly reference the fact that you won't be able to read it all at once), nor do we get particularly awkward cutoffs (the closest being the Shovel fail, which is only there to give you enough time to stop the car). However, the specific style of the fail screens changes with each game, implying some amount of experimentation. This is amplified in the Breaking the Bank remake, in which the fail screen sound effect changes for each fail, which could suggest unfamiliarity on their part.

Furthermore, their ability to interact with the world and the game itself is slim to nothing until Fleeing the Complex, in which they access a command line. They also learn to interact directly with the player via pop ups. They do get a little carried away, though.

[id: the fail screen for the slingshot option. The text has been replaced with a blue pop-up window reading “whoa! How did this happen?” The button is labeled “shrug”. The pop up window is split in half, with its left half on the right edge of the screen and its right half on the left edge of the screen, as though wrapping around to the other side. End ID.]

Their abilities get more advanced in Completing the Mission, in which they access a transform menu, have a voice clip, speak in text outside of a fail screen, and even summon objects into the world.

[ID: Henry Stickmin trapped within a holding cell on the Toppat clan orbital station, holding a Bobby pin. Henry stares at an out-of-place lock on the metal cell door. Narration text reads “> Fine!? You want a lock? >THERE! There’s your lock!” End ID.]

Criminal History + Kleptomania

The fail screen in Midnight Surprise alludes to some past that we don’t actually see. The closest we get are the Explosives fail in BtB and C4 fail in ItA.

[id: fail screen for the midnight surprise fail. First line reads “ah, just like old times.” Second line, in smaller text, reads “that was a poorly thought out plan…” end id.]

In general, they’re nonchalant about Henry’s crimes and sometimes try to give pointers to help out. Its comment on Henry’s failed bribery attempt even suggests they’ve committed briberies before, and multiple times.

[ID: the fail screen for the bribe option. Text reads “Strange… That usually works.” End ID.]

As for their kleptomania, the multiple collectible-based achievements in the series aren’t just collectibles found in isolation of one another, they’re usually things that belong to someone else (Assemble the Crew may be an exception depending on interpretation, but a crewmate is seen in the Toppats’ vault so it could count as stealing). Additionally, they don’t serve any benefit beyond ticking up the achievement progression.

It’s worth noting that this is all done through the player’s hand and is entirely optional, but given that various fails give achievements, including via interactions with the fail screen text itself, we can most likely assume that the meta voice is at least partially responsible for divvying out achievements. Weak evidence? Perhaps, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

There’s also the pickpocket fail in which they cheer on Henry’s decision to take all of Isaac Binderson’s “loot”—immediately after questioning whether he really needed to.

[ID: fail screen for the pickpocket option. First line reads “did you really need all that?” Second line, which is written with much smaller text, reads “No loot left behind!” End id.]

Road rage

Half joke

[ID: The fail screen for the Hijack option, which reads: “AND you forgot to signal. Sheesh!” End ID.]

But also not

[id: fail screen for the shoot option, which reads “eyes on the road man!” End ID.]

[fumblingmusings]

Hello, I saw your post about FrUK. It is a year old post, but I wanted to say that I feel like Spain and France's rivalry pales in comparison to France and England's, you should give England more credit I feel 😭😭 the latter rivalry's impact was still huge on respective nations, even if it wasn't always as equal as Brits make it out to be

Oh gosh, I would never argue that France and UK aren't tangled together for sure, nor would I argue against anyone who thinks the UK and France are permanently sitting in each other's top three most influential partners.

I just think... So to explain why I'm always a bit 'well yes but no' for them I mean, is The Plantagenet conflicts were very much a dynastic bickering between two families and England inserting themselves into French business, rather than 'the Kingdom of England' trying to overthrow 'the Kingdom of France'.

I think it was very much a French Duke based around West France (who was coincidentally King of England) quarralling with a French king based in Central and Eastern France. Does that make sense? You can argue it was much more of an internal civil war with troops from England being shipped over to support one side, rather than the clear-cut 1v1 conflict.

Like, it's based around different French Kings trying desperately to boot the other family off any claim to the French throne and gain control of land that 'should' be theirs. No French king ever really wanted England. Plenty of English Kings have wanted France, but only insofar in that they were French themselves. Normandy, Aquitane, Gascony, and England were all lumped together. England was useful because he gave them the title of King compared to the French lands, which were merely Dukes. That's the only reason England mattered in many respects in the 13th century. The Hundred Years War was based around a slight where England was not enough in of himself, his Kings were greedy and wanted more. The Plantagenet wanted those French lands back, and did horrific things to France in the process.

BUT!!! This for sure changes with time. By the time of Agincourt, it was not a French Duke with a supplementary English title of King versus the actual French King: it was now framed as England v France. One of the first instances of the great time that is English nationalism.

Like here, the French offer of peace in 1396 - it's all about how England needs to back the fuck off because there are bigger problems for the French -

It reads very much like Francis grumbling for Arthur to get a grip. We should be mates dumbo! It's why the Tudors I see as being such a huge shift for Arthur. He is enough, on his own, but he could be more. He, throughout that century, grows increasingly disillusioned with the mainland. He loses Burgundy and Portugal to Spain, and he loses Flanders to France. Those were his friends, you know??? He didn't have that many to begin with! They were taken as part of a broader dick measuring contest between Captiens and Habsburgs. England really didn’t feature in that decision making. Instead, Spain and France used England like a ping pong ball in their game to undermine the other. Ergo, Arthur cannot trust Europe. So he looks elsewhere for power and control. Cue the Americas. All an extension of this European conflict.

It's something I think Hetalia actually gets sort of right in the dynamic writing- England being seen as small and lesser and just plain envious and France only ever really engaging with him to crow about how much better the French are than England.

I suppose I just think of FrUK as being a shifting dynamic, which is always centred around Arthur's need to be on equal footing to Francis, and it takes him a long time to get there. It's just for the first 500 years, Arthur himself wasn't even of consequence to the people he looked to in order to complete this task (i.e. his Kings who weren't named Edward I or Henry IV). He was useful for his name - that bloody title of KING - and not much more. By the time we get to the Tudors, particularly Liz I, Arthur gets to hear he is the centre of the world, a beacon for freedom for Protestant Europe. I imagine then, the conflict between him and Francis becomes much more personal, ironically with Arthur dropping any claims to the mainland.

Arthur's priority is to make sure there's no single power on top in Europe from about 1500 on. Once the French had well and truly kicked out any Plantagenet pretence to their land, France's goal is to be the dominant power in (Western) Europe. Arthur will always butt heads with Francis. Francis will not necessarily always butt heads with Arthur, since Arthur has no want of being number one in Europe.

This has been such a ramble. This is long and confusing, sorry. I don't mean to sell FrUK short at all!! It truly is a rivalry and love for the ages, like God I have written too much here. I just felt like the Spain France element is critically undervalued in the English speaking fandom when I first spoke of them. At least, from 1000-1500, it's Francis against differing parts of himself (one of which is using Arthur as a brutal destructive hurricane in a misdirected payback for Normandy) . 1500-1700 its Antonio always. But 1700-1850, oh yeah, it's Arthur and Francis all the way, baby.

Or at least, that's one way to frame them! I hope this all makes sense. That's how I read the early years. At least. It's one way to read it rather! Not the only way. Not the right way, either!

Tell you what, I was reading Brendan Simms 'Britain's Europe' the other month (it was a pre Brexit narrative written trying to argue that we have never not been deeply tied into the mainland) and it's so interesting to me, how frightened we were of the mainland. I would love a book in reverse however, what actions did European states make to preempt or respond to English actions.

To contradict myself from all that above that is: There's this one bit about how, just after Charles II came back after Cromwell died, that France was invading the lowlands and how there was a bunch of European thinkers bemoaning England's withdrawal from mainland politics. England was seen (accurately or not) as a land of liberty. France was not. I just think it's a great little bit of storytelling:

Europe frequently banked on England interfering in French ambitions. These two didn’t have the courtesy to make their bizarre rivalry between them. Half the HRE, Italy, and the Lowlands counted on England's ability to shove themselves in as a bulwark against France. It crops up again of course during the 18th Century, then again during Pax Britannia and finally again (this time against Germany) in WWII. England has a history of being prescribed 'last man standing' when it comes to Europe. That is not to say that Europe is necessarily happy with them having such a title though hahaha.

It's a good wee book! Quick read for sure.

Sorry, gone off topic as always...

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

1969-71 Continental Mark III

Iacocca’s Lincoln: The Inside Story of the 1969-71 Continental Mark III

Lee Iacocca is remembered as the father of the Ford Mustang and the Chrysler Minivan, but there was another Iacocca vehicle that changed the Motor City: the Lincoln Continental Mark III. 

In auto industry lore, the design studio guys hate it when the people from upper management start fooling around with their work. Nothing good can come from that, or so the story goes. But there’s at least one instance that cuts against the grain of that familiar Motor City tale. It was Ford senior executive Lee Iacocca who originated the two signature styling features of the Lincoln Continental Mark III: the classic stand-up grille and the faux tire bustle in the deck lid.

It’s no exaggeration to note that these visual features created a design theme and defined the Lincoln Mark Series brand for decades. Years later, lead designer L. David Ash would recall that neither he nor Styling VP Gene Bordinat had conceived these two now-famous design gadgets; no, in fact it was all Iacocca. “Neither one of us would have done it on our own, I’m sure,” Ash remembered. “I have to give Lee credit for that.”

As vice president of the Ford Motor Company’s car and truck group—top product boss, among other duties—Lido Anthony “Lee” Iacocca had at least two problems on his plate in the autumn of 1965. First, sales of the Ford Thunderbird had flattened out after a promising start years earlier. Meanwhile, Ford’s flagship Lincoln division wasn’t setting the world on fire, either. While the Elwood Engel-designed 1961 Lincoln was a style maker of the decade, it was nearing the end of its product cycle. Actually, Lincoln was a perennial problem for Ford senior management. According to Bordinat, it had never turned an actual profit since Henry and Edsel Ford acquired the company from the Lelands in 1922.

So a plan was hatched to build a new, small Lincoln on the same platform as the Thunderbird, which was switching to body-on-frame construction for 1967 (in part due to limited production volume). This would help the Thunderbird fill out production capacity at the Wixom, Michigan plant, and it would give Lincoln an entry in the rapidly expanding personal-luxury category, joining the Buick Riviera, Cadillac Eldorado, Olds Toronado, et alia.

The original body design by Ash and his staff, at one point named the Lancelot, was clean and elegant but lacked visual punch, one could argue. Iacocca’s fake-Rolls grille shell and spare-tire bump fixed that, creating a distinctive and memorable look. It was said that the chrome grille shell was the most expensive such piece in the industry, with a unit cost nearing $200. Ash and crew completed the theme by hiking up the rear quarters and deck lid two inches, scrunching the roof down into the body for a classic ’30s profile.

From its exterior appearance, you might never know that the finished design shared its greenhouse with the Thunderbird coupe, or its floorpan, black metal, and 117.2-inch wheelbase with the T-Bird four-door. When Henry Ford II saw the clay model in the studio, he reportedly said, “I’d like to drive that home.” With the Ford family’s seal of approval secured, the new car was christened the Continental Mark III, establishing its lineage with Edsel Ford’s original 1939 Continental and the Continental Mark II of 1956-57. At that point the previous Mark III, IV and V models of 1958-60 were conveniently forgotten—today it would be called a reboot.

Introduced in April 1968 as a 1969 model, technically (Lincoln division downplayed model year designations, trying to present the car as “timeless”) the Mark III was panned by the critics but embraced by the car-buying public. “The buffs may not like it but the people with money will,” Bordinat wisely predicted. The Mark wasn’t big for an American luxury car at just over 216 inches long and 4,800 lbs, but it was big enough, with solid road manners and a comfortable ride. Interior specialist Herman Brunn covered the seats with rich, pre-creased leather, like the easy chairs in a men’s club. Noteworthy technical features included an all-new 460 CID V8 and Sure-Track, an early form of antilock braking developed by Kelsey-Hayes.

With a base price of $6,758 compared to $4,807 for its Thunderbird cousin, the Mark III was quite a moneymaker for the Motor Company, spawning an even more popular and profitable successor, the Mark IV (shown with Iacocca below). The Mark series, which comfortably outsold the Eldorado and effectively doubled the Lincoln division’s volume at times, continued on all the way to 1998 and the Mark VIII, and Iacocca would to on to further glories, including the Chrysler Minivan.

[mash4077confessions]

School of thought where everything in mash that is said but gets changed later is still canon. Margaret said henry looked like her father before [her father] died, maybe her dad "died" in that he was wounded and she saw him in a hospital as a child (being an army brat she might have been at a base?), but with cpr and/or surgery he pulled through? When she said it she was drunk at the time so her thoughts wouldn't have been organized to mention he didn't actually die, perhaps.

Or the Vermont thing, maybe hawk had a long con for how being from another state would be useful? Like maybe he had it on his army documents and was planning to desert, and since he knew MP's would interview people at camp he made sure to mention it from time to time until either he realized he could never escape or the army found out through letters to his dad?

Im sure im not the first person to have this idea but i think it's an interesting challenge :) Do you have any inconsistencies you could apply this to?

You are definitely not the only one who has tried to rationalize some of the inconsistencies in canon.

Some things are easier to explain away than others.

For instance, Margaret stating her dad is dead...you could chalk that up to her being really angry with him about something. So he's temporarily "dead" to her.

Others are a bit more tricky, like Hawkeye talking about having a sister and his mother still being alive.

Or how Radar talks about having an older brother (who gave him Tiger the teddy bear) and an older sister...and then he's an only child.

Or why they introduce Sidney as Milton

Or how Henry's wife was Mildred before she was named Lorraine.

This is another reason for the timeloop theory. Everything gets scrambled.

Lots of fun ways you can try to rationalize this stuff. Just gotta get really creative.

[shipposttt]

The Ship of the Day: Swan Queen

Name: Emma x Regina

Ship name: Swan Queen

Original content: Once Upon a Time (OUAT)

Ship info: Once Upon a Time is a TV show where all of the fairy-tale characters that we know and have been told about all our lives have been cursed by the Evil Queen into our land – the land without magic – and have been frozen in time for 28 years in a small town called Storybrooke. The legend goes that the daughter on Snow White and Prince Charming (the saviour) will come to town and wake everyone up from the curse. Thus, the show starts with Henry, the adopted son of Regina (the evil queen) going to find his birth mother Emma (the saviour/Snow White and Charming’s daughter) and bringing her back to Storybrooke.

Henry (their son) who has found out about the curse through a gifted storybook, spends a long time trying to convince Emma that the curse is real not just a story and that she’s the one that needs to break it. However, Emma has a hard time believing that everyone living in town is a cursed storybook character and only participates in these discussions with Henry to keep him happy.

Emma and Regina’s relationship gets off to a rocky start as Regina immediately begins to feel threatened by Emma, her sons birth mother, and due to the fact that her relationship with Henry is a little fractured during that point in time. It looks like she has nothing to worry about however as Emma vows to leave town that night although on her way out of town she gets run off the road by a wolf ultimately leading to a chain of events that have Emma staying in town. 

During her stay in town Emma spends a lot of time at odds with Regina, they are constantly arguing over Henry (at first), and there is a lot of tension between them when they are making threats to each other and arguing. This arguing however comes to a stop after the fight they have over their son eating a poisoned apple turnover that Regina made for Emma. Emma wakes Henry up with true loves kiss and both mothers are happy their son is not dead. This is arguably the point where their relationship is worst, after this their relationship only gets better. 

After Emma breaks the curse by waking Henry up and true loves kiss magic comes back to Storybrooke. This leads to a lot of instances in which Emma and Regina have to fight together to save the town and their son a lot and even in some instances save each other. There are also many points in the show where people don’t believe that Regina is redeemed and still see her as a villain however Emma has always believed in Regina’s redemption, even going as far as protecting and defending her when Regina is accused of murder. We see moments later on in this show of Emma bringing Regina lunch and the both of them teasing each other which shows how much their relationship has evolved from what it used to be.

There is a lot of tension that can be felt in this teasing and in their ever-present need to save each other and even in simple moment such as Emma declaring that she always knows when Regina is lying and that she wants to help Regina find her happy ending. The move of their relationship from enemies to people who trust one another with their lives – as they have on many occasions – is very important in understanding why these characters are so beloved together. This is because they are both passionate fighters about/for the things that they love and once they get over their differences and realise who similar they actually are, they spend a lot of time fighting to save each other. Even going as far as Emma absorbing the darkness/curse of the dark one in order to save Regina and her goodness.

Additionally, there are also multiple parallels throughout the show both visually and audibly wherein Swan Queen are compared to Snowing (Snow White and Prince Charming) who are a canon heterosexual couple who share two children. Why are moments between Emma and Regina being parallel to a couple in a canon romantic relationship, a couple who are professed to be (canon) romantic True Loves in this show, if Emma and Regina themselves aren’t meant to be in a romantic relationship and/or true loves.

Type of Ship: Queer Bait

Putting aside all of the fairy tale elements and all of the magic in this show, seeing the trope of two people sharing a child implies that by the end of the series these two people will be in a romantic relationship. Instances in which this trope occurs, and the parents have been a man and woman result in a romantic relationship, some examples include: About a Boy (2002), The Switch (2010), Life as We Know It (2010), Love Comes Softly (2003).

In all of these examples the male and female characters who are seen parenting a child together end up in romantic relationships. Why then did the creators of OUAT choose to apply this trope to their show only to have these two parental characters not end up together just because they are both women. They have spent the majority of the show making parenting decisions for their son together, fighting together to save their son and even becoming something resembling a family only for them to not end up together even though if they were a man and a woman instead of both women, they would have ended in a romantic relationship together.

Additionally, there are also instances in the show of prolonged eye contact and wide screen shots of these characters looking at each other. In this same show there are heterosexual characters with examples of the same moment happening that are in or do end up in a romantic relationship. If this is so then why isn’t it the same for Swan Queen, the only difference being that they are both women. The shots of these two characters together are conscious choices made by writers, producers and directors and have been put into the show making people think that what is going to happen is that these characters are going to end up in a romantic relationship, yet they never do! There is no need for creators to tease something that is not going to happen, the only thing that this does is creates outrage from audiences who were invested in this relationship and led to believe that it was a possibility. There have also been instances in which creators have spoken on social media about this ship speculation and actively participating in keeping this audience tuned into the show. They have reeled this audience in only for them to be disappointed by the results. 

Thank you for coming to my ted talk!

Admin 🦈

[waythroughtheice]

Sneak Peek

So uhh some of you might remember-- @shreedle for instance--that I'm working on a sequel to A Light Filled With Light. So the beginning's pretty much squared away and I figured I'd give y'all a sneak peek. Here's the beginning (so far) of Experience is the Cain of the Blind!

~~~

Henry James Amos Cain was five years old, and he hated his name. 

“Mama!” He cried, stomping into the house. “Why did you give me a big name!” 

“Henry, no shoes inside the house,” Mama scolded. 

Henry scowled but did as told, stomping back outside and taking them off before coming back in. “Mama, why did you and Papa give me a big name?! None of the other kids have three names!”

Mama just smiled. “It’s a tradition from where we came from,” she said, then she looked sad, just a little. “At least, it used to be.” 

Then Papa came around from behind the corner and swooped Henry into a hug, making him squeal in laughter. “Besides, Henry James is the name of a famous explorer, adventurer, and archeologist!” he said, holding up Henry high. “It’s our way of hoping the best for you! I’m sure that one day, you’ll make--” 

~~~

Dr. Cain’s jaw dropped. “The greatest discovery in the world,” he breathed. 

Who could’ve believed it? Out in the desert, out in an old government facility that no one used or even really thought existed, Dr. Cain had stumbled upon this. 

Dr. Light’s hologram smiled. “Hello, my children,” he said. “You’ve likely wondered what the gift in my final will referred to. You’ve found it--he’s right here. This capsule contains my final creation: Mega Man X--or, as you will likely call him X. X has special powers that no other robot master possesses. Utilizing his conscience, he is able to think, worry and act entirely of his own accord. This means he is also imbued with the same materials necessary to facilitate the evolution of robots in the same manner as life. Because of this, I sealed him away for a time period of thirty years for testing. He wasn’t quite keen on that, but accepted it. I made him to be as human as possible, and I daresay I succeeded.” He laughed, his belly shaking. “But more importantly,” he said. “He is your brother. He is yours--my final gift to you, my children. A reminder of humanity, and a reminder of my love to you. Cherish him, and I know he will give it back to you a hundredfold. I love you, my children.” The hologram smiled one final time, and winked out. 

Dr. Cain stared at the place it had been, and slowly looked up towards the dusty pod, which was very clearly still sealed. 

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"The RCMP tried to place plants among the internees, false prisoners whose mission was to spy on the other internees. Patrick Lenihan reports that it happened twice, although this author has uncovered only one occasion. This involved a man who arrived from Montreal in March, 1942 named Paul-Henri Robert. Some of the French-Canadian internees knew Robert. Jean Bourget and Joseph Duchesne had known him in a Montreal group that defended the unemployed called Ouvriers Unis. His behaviour with this organization, always calling for violent demonstrations and confrontations with the police, led some of the internees to believe that he was an agent provocateur, working for the authorities. If Robert was sent to spy, he was not very effective for he even admitted that he had once been an RCMP officer, who had been mistakenly sent to Hull rather than Petawawa. Robert shared a cell with Jacques Villeneuve and described to his cell-mate the circumstances of his most recent arrest which led him to Hull. Robert claimed he had been arrested for making anti-British remarks while in a tavern. The story sounded strange, at least in the opinion of Bourget, Duchesne, Villeneuve, Rodolphe Majeau, and Roméo Duval, who wrote to Major Green on March 25, 1942, demanding that Green get rid of Robert since they believed he was a stool-pigeon, a spy, a plant. Green refused to acquiesce to the demands, maintaining that he had no idea who Robert was. The internees made life miserable for Robert, isolating him, and threatening to beat him. Was this an instance of the Hull internees being paranoid about someone they did not like from the outside world? Possibly, but when Major Green [camp commandant who liaised with the RCMP to report on internee conduct] was transferred to the POW camp for German soldiers at Bowmanville, near Oshawa, Ontario, on April 15, 1942, the very same day, Robert was transferred to Petawawa. The whole incident is unclear but shows, nevertheless, that the internees, at the very least, were concerned about spies among their ranks.

...

A phenomenon readily detectable was the censorship to which the internees were subjected. Letters from family were intercepted and delivered. Mention of news from the outside world, including actions being taken by lawyers on behalf of internees, was removed from letters. The internees were not allowed to use terms such as ‘anti-fascist’ to describe themselves, nor were they allowed to refer to Hull as a ‘concentration camp’. 

Censorship was a regular part of military life during the war. Soldiers were required to be circumspect in describing their whereabouts or activities, and their communications both to and from were subject to censorship. Applied to the internees, however, censorship was just one more limitation of their civil rights, which provided dubious military benefits, at best. Sometimes, correspondents of internees were objects of investigation; this was especially the case for soldiers who were sons of the internees.

According to a Cabinet order of May, 1940, the federal government was responsible for social assistance provided by municipalities to the families of internees, but this did not mean much if municipalities refused to provide this assistance, or if the amounts were too little. The trust companies working for the Trustee of Enemy Properties froze assets of the internees and their families. The internees were not permitted visits by their families, always an object of contestation by the internees. Nonetheless, Jenny Freed did lead a delegation of wives, who hitchhiked from Montreal to the Hull prison, and caused quite a commotion when the men were able to talk to the women, who were standing outside the prison walls. 

In October, 1941, the authorities began permitting conjugal visits to Hull. John McNeil’s  wife from Winnipeg was the first to visit her husband. In November, 1941, other visits followed, and they soon become typical, even if not too intimate since the visits were limited to thirty minutes in the presence of guards. Visits from others were also controlled, including even one official visit from the Premier of Quebec, Adélard Godbout.

Godbout was allowed to meet Colonel Sherwood, commandant of the Ottawa  region, and Major Green, during a visit in Hull in October, 1941. While Godbout was permitted to inspect the quarters of the guards, the Army did not allow Godbout, accompanied by local politicians from Hull, inside the prison to visit the internees’ quarters. His only contact with the internees that was permitted was listening to a few songs sung by a choral group of the internees."

- Michael Martin, The Red Patch: Political Imprisonment in Hull, Quebec during World War 2. Self-published, 2007. p 159-160

[onthewaytosomewhere]

Ficlet Friday ( too late?)

I just got home and its technically Saturday when I saw this, but if you're still interested . . then take firstprince and try a ficlet with:

8. 'I don't want to admit how turned on I am by that...'

never too late :) - tho i am also late getting it posted but technically it got finished at some point yesterday but i was a slacker - lolz - really it's the whole i have these things to do now part of what you think will be a bit of vacay doing nothing lolz

so without further rambling - here ya go luv - hope ya like 💚

---------

Henry is used to Alex’s quirks by now; after all, he will be marrying him soon and figures they truly know each other better than anyone else. Nothing he’s discovered about Alex has ever got him as much as that first time he ever saw him in his glasses in Kensington, his closeted self marveled at the many facets that he discovered about Alex during that time when it was just the two of them, well, with Shaan, and his PPOs and Alex’s secret service agents dogging their paths. But this moment right now is really getting him for some reason, he can’t quite place.

Alex is sitting at his desk, deep in thought, open books and papers strewn across it, and his glasses are hanging from his lips by the side armpiece he’s never needed a name for before, but Henry is sure there is one for. That last part is what he is currently stuck on; he knows he has a thing for Alex’s glasses, usually when they’re on his face, though. It’s the juxtaposition of those glasses sitting between what he’s heard others say are cock-sucking lips; of course, he’s the only one who knows how well they do that. He leans against the doorjamb. He knows he’s staring, and some people would think most people are past that stage when the other person is your fiancé, but Henry will never get enough of looking at Alex. If he’s also thinking about the other things those lips can do while admiring the love of his life, well, right now, that’s just for him to know.

Alex looks up at him, and his eyes widen. Those glasses are still sitting between his plump lips, which have obviously been bitten, and worked with his teeth as he’s been working today. “Hey, Hen, stop being a creeper and either come into the room or don’t.”

Henry walks into the room and plops down into the chair that sits between their desks. “I was not being a creeper but simply admiring my fiancé. Is there something wrong with that?”

“You do know you can come admire me closer, right, not just from afar – like a creeper.” Alex laughs around the glasses, still balancing there, and Henry can’t help but chuckle along. “But, that look you had didn’t just look like your admiration face, so what’s the real reason you were holding up the wall?”

If you must know, I don't want to admit how turned on I am by that ...” Henry nods towards Alex.

Alex pulls the glasses from between his lips and sets them down on the desk, “By what, part of me sitting here like I always do working are you turned on by, may I ask? Is it the ratty sweatpants, the holey t-shirt, or the mess my curls are after not doing anything other than running my fingers through them quickly?”

“Well, I would, and do, find any of those things hot on you. In this instance, it was actually the arm of your glasses between your lips. I don’t think I’ve seen you do that before, and well, let’s just say it was giving me thoughts.” Henry chuckles and continues, “I know Nora and Pez always joke about your oral fixation, but I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Huh, I’ve always done that and never really thought about it. I guess maybe I’ve always been orally fixated.” Alex stands up and walks around the desk, standing in front of Henry, “How about I show you what else I can put between my lips?” Alex’s exaggerated eyebrow wiggle should not be at all appealing, but Henry’s sure it’s actually the way he bites his lip along with it that has him standing from the chair and pulling him out of the office and to their room. He needs to get this man to bed, and hopefully, they won’t leave for a while.

[sixminutestoriesblog]

ides of march

well, its tumblr's favorite holiday and who can blame us? The assassination of Julius Caesar is probably one of the only group projects that ever went down the way it was supposed to with, well, not complete group participation (there were said to be upward of 60 people involved but only 23 stab wounds - obviously someone was not carrying their weight) but at least a good effort was made at it. But lets take a moment, between our jokes about salad and Animal Crossing butterfly nets to look at what else has happened in history on the Ides of March. For instance, did you know, on March 15th:

1493 - Columbus returned to Spain after 'discovering' the new world.

1580 - Phillip II of Spain put a bounty on the head of Prince William I of Orange for 25,000 gold coins for leading the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Hamburgs

1744 - King Louis XV of France declares war on Britain

1767 - Andrew Jackson, who would go on to be the seventh president of the US, was born.

1820 - Maine became the 23rd state in the US

1864 - the Red River Campaign, called 'One damn blunder from beginning to end' started for the Union Forces in the American Civil War

1889 - a typhoon in Apia Harbor, Samoa sinks 6 US and German warships, killing 200

1917 - Czar Nicholas II abdicated the Russian throne, bringing an end to the Romanov dynasty

1955 - the first self-guided missile is introduced by the US Air Force

1965 - TGI Friday's opens its first restaurant in New York City

1991 - in LA, four police officers are brought up on charges for the beating of Rodney King

2018 - Toys R Us announces it will be closing all its stores

2019 - a terrorist attacks two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 51, and wounding 50 others

Oof! Pretty bleak, isn't it? It would almost make you think that the day is just bad luck, start to finish and its probably just as well, we're all focusing on assassination instead of other horrors. But wait - its not all bad news! The Ides of March has some tricks up its sleeve yet (joke intended). I'd be telling you only half the story if I didn't add:

1854 - Emil von Behring is born and will eventually become the first to receive the Nobel Prize in medicine for his discovery of a diphtheria antitoxin, being called 'the children's savoir' for the lives it saves

1867 - Michigan is the first state to use property tax to support a university

1868 - the Cincinnati Red Stockings have ten salaried players, making them the first professional baseball team in the US

1887 - Michigan has the first salaried fish and game warden

1892 - the first automatic ballot voting machine is unveiled in New York City

1907 - Finland gives women the right to vote, becoming the first to do so in Europe

1933 - Ruth Bader Ginsberg is born and will go on to become a US Supreme Court justice

1934 - the 5$ a day wage was introduced by Henry Ford, forcing other companies to raise their wages as well or lose their workers

1937 - the first state sponsored contraceptive clinic in the US opens in Raleigh, North Carolina

1946 - the British Prime minister recognizes India's independence

1947 - the US Navy has its first black commissioned officer, John Lee

1949 - clothes rationing ends in Britain, four years after the end of WWII

1960 - ten nations meet in Geneva for disarmament talks

1968 - the Dioceses of Rome says it will not ban 'rock and roll' from being played during mass but that it deplores the practice - also in 1968, LIFE magazine titles Jimi Hendrix 'the most spectacular guitarist in the world'

1971 - ARPANET, the precursor of the modern day internet, sees its first forum

1984 - Tanzanian adopts a constitution

1985 - symbolics.com, the first internet domain name, is registered

The Ides of March turns out to just be a day, like any other day in history.

Unless you're us. In which case -