#Promo for Magic Marie?

[akuma-tenshi]

guys hear me out idv magical girl au but with the sanrio skins

[sosaysdean]

How was the episode?

very much the same. themes and motifs

[italianexotiicbeauty]

tag drop part two.

[drewharrisonwriter]

Donor | Drabble | Superman

Masterlist | Part 1 | Part 1.5 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Pairings: Bestie Henry Cavill x OFC

A/N, Warnings: 18+, this is a drabble for my Henry Cavill fic Donor. English is not my first language.

Summary: Henry's kids find out he played Superman.

"Paaaaaaapaaa!" Mari's excited call echoed through the house as she dashed down the stairs, with Henry rushing to meet her at the landing.

"Mari!” Henry exclaimed. “What's happening? Is everything alright?" he asked with a touch of nervousness, preparing himself to catch his thirteen-year-old daughter in case she stumbled while descending the stairs.

"Papa, were you actually Superman?" Mari's eyes shimmered with a blend of astonishment and curiosity.

"Good grief, Mari!" Henry exclaimed in relief, closing his eyes briefly and running a hand down his face, while the other rested on his waist. "You scared me half to death. Is that all you wanted to ask?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Mari asked with bubbling enthusiasm, bouncing on her heels.

"Well, it's not like it's some top-secret information," Henry replied, guiding his daughter down the hall toward the kitchen.

"What's all the fuss about?" You called out from the kitchen before Henry and Mari entered.

"Your daughter just unearthed the fact that her papa is the son of Jor-El," Henry responded with faux exasperation, causing you to snort. Henry and Mari settled onto bar stools across the kitchen island, where you were meticulously frosting the first of three batches of cupcakes that Sisi needed for school the next morning.

"Really? Nobody thought to mention that papa was Superman?" Mari inquired, still puzzled and amazed by the revelation.

"Why is this such a surprise?" You asked, not taking your eyes off the cupcake you were skillfully frosting. "Your father is an actor, after all."

"Yeah, but Superman? Ma, we've been living with Clark Kent all this time," Mari quipped, lowering her voice conspiratorially for the latter part, as though sharing a closely guarded secret. You laughed hard at your daughter’s reaction. 

"Thirteen years, darling. Took her thirteen years to find out.” Henry chuckled and you giggled.  “Who spilled the beans, anyway?" he asked. 

"Uncle Charlie did! And I knew you were a bit of a nerd, pa, but I had no idea you were enough of a nerd to be cast as Superman," Mari teased, prompting exaggerated gasps of shock from both Henry and you.

"Oh goodness, actors!" Mari groaned, rolling her eyes at her playful parents.

"Young lady!" Henry exclaimed, still maintaining his mock shock, with a hand dramatically placed over his chest.

"For the record, I’m a singer/songwriter. And you might call him a nerd now," you began, shaking your head with a mischievous smirk, "but he's the hottest and sexiest Superman. Ever." You cast a teasing glance at your daughter and playfully wiggled your eyebrows.

"Ew, ma. Stop it," Mari responded.

"Thank you, darling," Henry smiled at you, his expression still a bit theatrical.

"So, wait…" Mari began, a mischievous glint in her eye, "You mean to tell me that you had to fit in that Spandex?" She magically had promo photos pulled up on Google on her smartphone, then showing her parents a GIF from over 20 years ago.

"We're home!" Sisi's voice echoed from the front door as it swung open. Vivi, Savi, and your youngest and only son, Teddy, trailed after her. 

"In here!" Henry called out. 

"What a dish!" You exclaimed with a playful groan as you stared at the photo on Mari's phone, as if it were a mouthwatering treat. Henry burst out laughing while Mari grimaced in sheer disgust, and Henry joined in with an exaggerated groan.

"I no longer look like that," Henry said, his tone carrying a hint of disappointment and nostalgia.

"No, you don't," Mari chortled, and Henry playfully smacked her on the arm.

"Of course you don't, Hank. You're hotter now. Total DILF," you said, walking over to Henry, playfully wiggling your eyebrows before leaning down to kiss him.

"Ew, please. I beg of you both. Stop it!"

"What's a DILF?" Sisi asked with a scowl as the kids flooded into the kitchen, giving their parents each a hug and a kiss.

"Please don't ask them, you don't want to know," Mari answered.

"Yes, I won't say either because the last word is a curse word," Henry snorted.

"How was school?" You asked your kids as they all settled down, and you began bringing out their afternoon snacks of cookies and milk.

"Oh, I thought we were having cupcakes!" Vivi said disappointedly.

"That's for my bake sale tomorrow," Sisi quipped.

"Can we at least have one each, ma?" Teddy asked, and who were you to say no to your husband's mini version? 

You handed out a cupcake to each of your children while Henry began pouring milk into their glasses. 

When everyone was happily eating and chatting, Mari filled her younger siblings in about their dad's (not-so) secret, and all your children gave their Papa surprised and then disgusted looks, resulting in a few more laughs.

Henry leaned in to whisper in your ear. "Do you mean it, darling?"

"What?" you asked, playing coy.

"That I'm a total DILF?" He raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk on his lips.

"Of course I do, Superman," you giggled, and he groaned before he kissed you, twirling you around as if you were dancing. The kids started groaning in fake disgust at their parents' display of affection.

Tag list:

@jyessaminereads @summersong69 @itsrubberbisquit @sweetandgentlecreature @kingliam2019 @leaveitbythewave @mrsevans90 @evansabove1981 @bascmve01 @shellyshellshell @iamsana @foxyjwls007 @one-sweet-gubler @henryownsme @angelcavill66

[beardedmrbean]

https://x.com/NewsM101/status/1735735475065769992?s=20

I think white people should make a cover of Mariah Carey song “Obsessed” towards modern non white creators.

First black Panther, then Velma, and now this?

Creators, why are you so obsessed with white people?

Do I want to know.

When I saw the title the first time I thought that they would be riffing on the "Magical Negro" trope.

Which if they'd have cast white people in those roles we'd be getting yelling and screaming about lack of roles for black people and in certain circumstances them being black is part of the plot development because of racist treatment and whatnot. Other cases where the person just happens to be black because they liked the persons audition the best, very well could have been a gnome.

Mary Poppins would fit the description if she had been black, not really a racist thing to put into entertainment, sometimes it just works with the plot.

Promo here just looks like a cringefest though.

you just know we're going to have people saying some incredibly racist crap about anyone that that voices any criticism of this one, valid or not.

People quoting crime statistics in the retweets can feel free to shut the fuck up to, mock the movie mercilessly you don't need to pull that shit out to point out how awful this looks.

20 years ago this could have been funny as hell, and as a matter of fact it was funny as hell 20 years ago.

No line in Shakespeare will ever touch "you mess with the fro, you got to go" If you haven't seen it, you need to.

This is how you do this kind of thing without pissing a bunch of people off.

[phoebehalliwell]

have you ever wondered which actresses could portray the charmed ones if the story was set nowadays? (it may seem weird but i like to make fancasts about the books/shows i like and i was curious if you also thought about it...) i love your blog btw!

hiiiii i actually have never thought of this but i did some thinking over a lunch break or two and i came up with five different options ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Option One

The Tried And True Brunettes!!

basically a one-to-one of the original except set in 2024 so adding a couple more modern slants i imagine prue would maybe work in tech or an app or a start up instead of the auction house, phoebe would def have some plotline with dating apps something or other tying into her column, chappell roan is def performing at p3

Claudia Jessie as Prue Halliwell // i’ve only seen her on bridgerton but the sharpness and the softness she displays with eloise i think would really help encapsulate prue

Victoria Pedritti as Piper Halliwell // ive seen her in a couple things but specifically the characters in the haunting of hill house and the haunting of bly manor i think could really lend itself to her earlier seasons versus her agro kind of insane variant as love in you could def show itself in the later seasons

Danielle Rose Russell as Phoebe Halliwell // if anyone’s seen legacies whenever drr is playing lizzie… i know she’s got the sauce

Mikey Madison as Paige Matthews // i only know her from the scream reboot but i totally see the vision

Option Two

It’s San Francisco!!

for a show that so frequently reminds us it is set in san francisco and the surrounding bay area, it features so few asian characters it is honestly confusing, given that the city itself is roughly one third asian. the show initially seemed like in wanted to lean into that in the very first season given episodes like dead man dating, but it really petered out. this recasting offers a new perspective of the city as well as different facets of life for the charmed ones to explore (i would love to see a lunar new year episode / zodiac episode to overwrite the existing one in canon which is just so :///). for this specific casting, i would have them be a vietnamese family, with paige being half asian and half white raised by adopted white parents, so when she comes into the fold, it's not just her learning about her magical heritage but also her getting to learn and connect with her asian heritage as well

Kelly Marie Tran as Prue Halliwell // i've only seen her in star wars admittedly i don't even know which one i'm not a star wars girlie But i think she carries with her both the bravery of prue and that kind of strong dignity/forceful aura that would really help shape the role

Lana Condor as Piper Halliwell // i know her as lara jean from to all the boys i've loved before and honestly from that alone i think she'd kill as piper

Leah Lewis as Phoebe Halliwell // okay. so while i haven't actually watched nancy drew, my mutuals love it, and from the gifsets i've seen + the promos they would show before riverdale, i do think we've found our phoebe

Piper Curda as Paige Matthews // not the first and not the last pick from Legacies, piper was introduced in the 4th season i'm p sure and i really like her laid back / obviously gay aura and i think she would make a really interesting obviously gay paige

Option Three

Asian Doesn’t Inherently Mean East Asian!!

i wanna see desi witches i feel like i never see desi witches!! plus the bay area / northern california as a whole has a very vibrant indian community so i would love to see that tapped into

Simone Ashley as Prue Halliwell // while she is in sex education we all know the example i'm going to give you here is kate sharma from bridgerton who is basically just regency prue halliwell

Amita Suman as Piper Halliwell // i know her as inej from shadow and bone which admittedly as a series, i did not like. however, i think amita is a talented actress and could pull off an excellent piper

Avantika Vandanapu as Phoebe Halliwell // best known for playing karen in the new mean girls movie. definitely would kill it as phoebe

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Paige Matthews // best known as devi in never have i ever, a show that i actually did not watch but my mom did so i've seen roughly 1/3 of all episodes. i think she's a very skilled actress and could play the willful, stubborn, and creative paige excellently

option four

Black Girl Magic!!

i'm going to be perfectly honest with you -- this was absolutely motivated by having an ayo piper. think on it. like. gas.

Omono Okojie as Prue Halliwell // yet another legacies pick but what can i say i love the cast. i think she would bring an appropriate gravitas and like cool stubborness to prue

Ayo Edibiri as Piper Halliwell // hold up sydney adamu from the bear. hold up piper halliwell. they're the same picture.

Jadah Marie as Phoebe Halliwell // i know her from descendants 3 where she was playing dr facilier's daughter celia and that was really all the evidence i needed. she's totally phoebe

Madison Reyes as Paige Matthews // she's julie from julie and the phantoms which if you haven't seen you should esp if you love dcoms bc it's another kenny ortega classic. i think madison brings the right spirit to paige. additionally, being the half sister, she is actually not just black but afro latina, and could introduce new perspectives from her specific puerto rican descent esp in regards to brujeria (a la josefina in season 2 or maybe 3 of the charmed reboot)

Option Five

Everyone Knows The Charmed Ones Are Blonde!!

We're standing in the home of the Charmed Ones, we've got their powers, we got their book, and we got blonde multi-tonal hair!!! on a very real level, could not resist making the blonde variants. largely motivated by sabrina carpenter as phoebe

Meghann Fahy as Prue Halliwell // known for the bold type and the white lotus i think meghann could really the convey the whole i'm lonely but i'm good/i'm bitter but i swear i'm fine vibe prue has going for her

Elle Fanning as Piper Halliwell // we see piper's soft side when elle plays aurora in maleficent and her agro side when she plays catherine in the great

Sabrina Carpenter as Phoebe Halliwell // do i really need to explain this? i'm right. you know i'm right.

Renee Rapp as Paige Matthews // come back to television the kids miss you. i know she usually plays the more prue coded characters like with leighton in the sex lives of college girls and arguably even regina george in mean girls but i've seen her in those interviews. "There is this man who owns a bus touring company. His name is buddy, and he is such an asshole, and he was so disrespectful to my friends, Priscilla and Bella, who I work with, and to my mother. If you're watching this, I can't stand you, and I hope your business burns. You are so disrespectful and so misogynistic. I. Hate. You." that's my paige matthews

castings for other characters under the cut ❤️

Leo Wyatt

Dev Patel // like. logically. could we book dev patel? no. but does that make me want him any less? also no.

Kedar Williams Stirling // best known as jackson in sex education where he just exudes such good vibes you know what i'm saying? that just like nice aura. that's what i want for leo. when leo's around i want the feeling like things are going to be okay bc he's just so good

Alex Roe // if any of you watched siren on freeform i highly recommend the first two seasons i did give up on the third season but the first two were really good. he plays the male lead ben who i feel like honestly would translate over really well to leo. knowledgeable and constantly dealing with the women he loves as shit keeps getting weirder

Vanessa Morgan // she does that "gazes lovingly at a person you are basically cosmically tied to" so well in riverdale i know she could kill as leah wyatt

Cole Turner

Manny Jacinto // i'm not watching the acolyte but i am watching those fancams and i'm gonna need more sexy villian manny jacinto asap

Nathan Parsons // one of those cw actors that gets passed around like the blunt so it only makes sense to have him here. i know him best as max from roswell new mexico but it's specifically when he plays jones, for all intents and purposes max's evil twin that he really starts cole cooking imo. i think he would offer a really fun take on cole.

Havana Rose Liu // who wouldn't go against both heaven and hell to be with her? i mainly know her from bottoms where she might not feel super cole coded but i see the vision

Chris O'Shea // i only know him as percival pickens in season six of riverdale but he served down and i know he'd make a great cole. watch s6 of riverdale. you don't have to watch any of the earlier seasons or any of the seasons after it to understand what's going on i promise. it's the season where they all get magic powers.

Darryl Morris

Quentin Plair // another pick from roswell new mexico he plays dallas the sexy preacher among other things and i think he has a really good um. it's like. that running out of patience type vibe you know what i'm saying? i really like the way he can get the terse like i am being nice right now but i need you to know that is a choice i am making type vibe that i really like when darryl gets (like when darryl first meets cole and there's that tension its such a good darryl moment)

John David Washington // could we book him? idk i don't know if he's really been in any tv shows i know his mainly blackKklansman and tenet and i feel like he def has the chops to give us an excellent darryl

Charles Michael Davis // another cw actor best known to me personally as marcel on the originals and as we can see in the photo looks great in a suit i think he would make a really good darryl esp in the softer moments connecting with the sisters/leo

William Jackson Harper // okay thru googling him right now he's 44?? that's insane to me he does not look 44. most know him as chidi from the good place which i think offers the perfect "this might as well be happening" type energy darryl so often has

[freddiemercurylegendabovelegends]

March 12th, 1986 - Queen Story!

'Princes Of The Universe' bw 'A Dozen Red Roses For My Darling' released in USA and Japan

- 'Princes Of The Universe'

Written by Freddie Mercury

Taken from 'A Kind Of Magic' album, 1986

- B-Side: 'A Dozen Red Roses For My Darling'

Written by Roger Taylor

🔸The whole thing, I mean, of group policy is, first of all, that the group couldn't agree on the one single. Because it was to do with the film and also to do with the new Queen product. Because what's happened – I think for the first time in Queen's life – is that we actually made a film soundtrack, but we've also made a Queen album – so, we had to try to let people know that it's not just a soundtrack, because we've got other songs as well. So it's hard to depict, that it's not all one soundtrack, and it's not just Queen. We had to try to bring two projects together. And so, I mean, within the members of the band as well, we were fighting as to who liked which song. So we couldn't agree at all, and basically what happened in the end, we decided there should be two singles, released synchronously in different territories, and because the film is out in America first, we wanted to go with 'Princes Of The Univers' which goes with the film. But over here, Great Britain, we released 'A Kind Of Magic', because we thought that if we release 'Princes Of The Universe' to go with the film, then nobody is gonna see the film here until about July, and they have to know what it means. So, sometimes you have to sort of get that diplomacy, and work out things. So, in America they've got 'Princes of the Universe', over here is 'A Kind Of Magic'.....To start off, it was a Queen project as such anyway, but we did only, like, five tracks to go in the film, and there's about nine tracks now... Is it nine? Yes, about nine tracks. So these additional tracks, which are not in the film – so it is a Queen, a new Queen album anyway"

- Freddie Mercury

Interview 1986

👉 February 1986 - Queen Story!

Queen shoots promo video 'Princes Of The Universe', Elstree Studios, Hertfordshire, London directed by Highlander director Russell Mulcahy and Christopher Lambert

Written by Freddie Mercury

- First soundtrack to "Highlander"

📸 Photographer: Mary Evans/Studiocanal Films LTD

[rottendeadpan]

Nobody has asked about her but I wanna talk about her anyway

This is Antonia; she’s the middle-triplet to the Emile-Antonia-Faure trio

she’s twisted off of Marie, and in battle class, she’d be the DPS, despite being the shortest, smallest, and most ‘innocent’ looking.

She’s a little clumsy, and finds herself in several Situations that honestly, most people really should not have found themselves in. She’s a white cat, but there’s a running joke that she’s secretly a black cat of bad luck but specifically her own bad luck.

She doesn’t go to any canon school to hone her magic; it’s a fanmade school.

She takes after her mother AGGRESSIVELY in appearances, to the degree you can barely tell there was another donor to her genepool-- beyond the personality, that is. Whereas Eva (Mom) is fairly calm and very flowing with her movements, words, and how easily she can take a hit (metaphorical or literal) and keep going, Antonia is a little jarring. She never Starts fights, but boy will she finish them. She’s the sweetheart next door one second, the idol you wish you could catch, and then the next second she’s knee deep in mud shoving one of her brother’s under a log cause they pulled her ear too hard. She’s a hair trigger AND a damsel; able to defend herself without question and wanting protection from someone who will dote on her hand and foot. She is a perfect princess; the rising star of amateur opera. She dreams of getting her throat insured one day--

and she’ll bite you so hard and fast you won’t know what’s happening.

(Or so, that’s how her brothers tell it)

if you ask Faure, she’s a little demon who always has to get her way, but he’d kill and hide a body for her, no questions asked. The two bicker and ‘fight’ constantly, if they had to guess it’s a 1:10 for how many times Emile fights with anyone compared to how many times Antonia and Faure end up pulling tails.  (he loves her deeply, though, and will drop his boy-next-door persona the moment she falls to real harm in order to save or protect her.)

Antonia is a fashionista and a makeup fan, trying to keep up with all the trends and actively posting and browsing around on Magicam. She doesn’t have the kind of pull that people like, say, Vil does-- but she tries her hardest. In year2, after Faure and Deuce start dating, she learns that Deuce used to go to school with Vil (keyword on Used To, as Vil was a 4th year-pushing-graduation and knee deep in workstudy), and nearly lost her mind that she lost her ONE CHANCE of ever connecting with the man.  she is a Princess and she’s going to make sure you treat her as one.

one of Antonia’s side projects is run promo material on her personal hype page, but this means she has to actually Test hte products first-- which is where her brothers come in. If she can’t risk a breakout, she’s slapping the weird facemask on one of the boys and judging the results accordingly before she posts it anywhere. She’ll also practice makeup on either boy which has lead to Faure sprawled across her floor with his face beat in full glitter and lashes, waiting for the sign that he can bail and wash all the nonsense off (cause she can kick his butt, and he knows it.)

Antonia’s magic is decently high in the Attack potential, but she lacks in defense or support. Luckily her triplets fill in those gaps very well.  her UM is still being hashed out, but it’s ‘banshee scream’ themed-- right now I’m sort of swatting around an idea it’s a Disarm. Maybe she can get her voice to such a level that Almost All attackers will drop their weapon, and she can swoop in to deliver a full disarming blow. 

** forgot to say so i’m throwing it into the end her hair is naturally mostly straight, she spends minimum An Hour daily to make her hair do the full ringlet curl. Her ‘show performance’ hairstyle takes nearly 2h cause she refuses to let a single curl droop while she’s on stage under all those lights.

[13thdoctorposts]

Jodie and chibnall went out of their way to be inclusive with jodie's doctor outfit. She wanted everyone to be able to wear it. If it was good enough for Sacha Dhawan to wear her costume then it was good enough for David Tennant. If I recall David Tennant has worn clothing that could be considered feminine in other projects (he had a mary poppins look in good omens) I do not see how a trench coat, a rainbow top, suspenders and 3/4 trousers with boots is considered to be drag.

I wore Jodie's costume to a pop culture dress up day at my work and nobody thought it to be drag and a co worker of mine (who looks like sacha dhawan funnily enough) thought it looked really cool. Also, why was it okay for John Simm to wear at least two dresses in the end of time specials when he created the master race. Why were there no concerns about "weaponising drag" back then.

Why was it okay for Jodie to wear Peter capaldi's costume but David Tennant couldn't wear hers? I just hope that there's at LEAST an explanation in the specials (say like if it was an effect of the forced regeneration/degeneration or it has something to do with the villian's plan in the 60th) rather than when the 14th doctor regenerates the costume doesn't change and no explanation is given as to how that's happened again. If Chibnall did this he would be hauled over the coals yet when RTD does anything it's magically okay. It's a double standard and I hate it.

All this. I totally agree, the answer of drag, must be a lie he thought would sound legit and progressive enough that he would get away with it because the British media are so horrible.

Well I would love to know how he’s protecting all his LGBTQAI+ cast now against the British media or does he just protect the one straight white man who, let’s be honest, would probably not care if the British media decided to say anything about him regening into 13s costume, and also it was expected I think it made it more of a story because he didn’t regen into Jodie’s costume then if he had, and considering Sacha did it in the exact same episode and the horrible media didn’t bother to do anything with it makes the situation even more bizarre. And if they didn’t want him wearing it in the comics they could have just released the promo photos and he could have gotten it in the comic like he lost the sonic in the comic.

And you’re absolutely right I’ve seen so many Men and non binary people absolutely slay 13s cos play and it’s amazing because it is so gender neutral that I bet people out side the fandom wouldn’t even know it’s a ‘females’ costume, unlike all the suits the doctors have worn which people would likely assumed are men’s. Those actors never considered how their costumes would work for women.

It also stings more because of the lengths Jodie went with designing it to make sure everyone could wear it but it seems the only one who couldn’t was her next incarnation!

And what’s worse is that Power is a 13 doctor episode that’s meant to celebrate her and her time as the Doctor and in the final scene he chose to just completely disrespect her and now makes fun of us complaining we feel she’s being erased… your literal first action was erasing her, obviously the body gets changed out but you BURNT her clothes, like a metaphor for a witch, then her sonic in a comic, they didn’t add her sonic at all to 14s which is a celebration of all of who, and then come out with no books and only 1 audio from BBC sounds nothing from Big Finish, not even the fugitive doctor or master audios the have had on pre order for over a year, and then go ‘but I have her TARDIS exterior’ the one thing no one cares they keep as it gets an update every few years anyway it’s the least Jodie item they could possibly keep.

It’s all so disappointing because he Cleary wouldn’t do it to his cast just thought Jodie didn’t matter.

*just to note women also slay in the costume but in the context here it’s obviously about a man wearing it.

[bergeronprocess]

9/24/24

Today I just want to write my impressions after finishing the anime Narenare -Cheer for You-.

I started watching the summer 2024 new anime season with 4 shows. Then the Olympics happened and it took up literally all of my Watchin’ TV Time. The state of my Youtube watch later playlist at the end of the Games was a mess lol. That Olympics watching also caused me to decide to drop 2 of the shows I was following - Shy season 2 (it just didn’t really seem to grab me; I bounced off it right as they were starting to assemble their team for rescuing Tokyo) and Twilight Out of Focus (apparently I bounced right as they concluded their focus on the first couple and it was actually an anthology show focusing on different people throughout; it was fine but I just wasn’t loving it).

I kept on with the long-ass-named magical girl and evil lieutenant show (I haven’t watched its finale yet) as well as Narenare. I’ve just finished watching the finale of Narenare and overall I enjoyed it! The guy assigned to review it at Anime News Network hated it, to the point that he literally named it the worst anime of the summer season, which I think is a bit harsh. To be clear, he’s welcome to his opinion, and I’m welcome to disagree. Also, the reviewer of this series was not Nicholas Dupree, who died suddenly and tragically at the way-too-damn-young age of 31. The reviewer was Jairus Taylor.

I do think Narenare had a LOT of ideas and not a lot of real estate to put them into, but that’s basically an endemic issue in new seasonal anime these days, unfortunately. Only having 12 or MAYBE 13 twenty-three-minute episodes to work with is just not ideal for any story. I think Narenare would have been better served by having 24 or 25 episodes. This standard yet shortened episode run leads to compression. For example, the plot of Mari-senpai developing her own bout of the twisties, driving a wedge into Pompoms out of spite and then overcoming the twisties it felt a little rushed, but was still nice to see. She took responsibility for her mean comment (I truly thought it was Megumi who posted the comment at first, upset with being physically unable to do cheerleading stunts. I was wrong!) and worked to make amends for it.

It was good to see characters not only mention the yips but to see Kanata going to a therapist about it. Destigmatization of mental health issues and seeking help for them is huge and Japan is lagging behind the US when it comes to that, so any efforts made towards it are welcomed by me. The story emphasizes the importance of trust and care among cheerleading team members, which is crucial when you have someone else’s life in your hands as you do when you’re about to toss them in the air! 

I also liked noticing the small touches that were made to facilitate accessibility for Megumi, like how a wheelchair ramp and a handrail was built on an exterior staircase of the beautiful old temple house she lives in. The fact that she came to every single Pompoms event, in full cheer attire and in her chair, was something I liked to see too. I at first thought that she was going to be permanently using a chair based on the promo images, but she was just temporarily needing it while recovering from the effects of a surgery, and she’s using crutches in the very last scene. At some point, she’ll probably be able to fully participate in cheer with Kanata again!

Jairus took issue with an earlier episode showing Kanata suddenly being able to fly again at the end of a montage, as if somehow her yips magically got cured by the power of friendship or whatnot, but then later episodes showed her continuing to struggle and he didn’t seem to take note of that. (To be fair…I never read his reviews of episodes 11 or 12 lol. I just know they’re probably overly negative.) I think that’s more realistic, especially with mental health struggles. Sometimes you get better, sometimes you backslide. I’ve found that to be the case in my own life with my anxiety. I backslid a little bit a few months ago and it was not fun. 

He also took issue with the Anna and Stout Records plot line, saying oh wow how convenient is it that this record store guy happens to know a Grammy winner who can just come help. Well! Maybe he was so stuck in his “this shop is going to close and I am giving away my records” way of thinking that he couldn’t see any other way out, but Anna and the gang provided a fresh perspective. Sometimes in our lives, we need that. We just need someone else to help us think differently, try something new, and achieve our dreams. That’s another running theme of Narenare.

I do think Nodoka and Suzuha’s development suffered a little bit, which can be an issue with ensemble casts. I like Nodoka, I see some of myself in her with her desire to just be chill lol, and I LOVE that Suzuha decided to go be an idol in Tokyo. (I just hope she doesn’t end up like Ai in Kageki Shoujo, excommunicated from the idol world for having a flat affect and telling a weird fan that he was being weird. Although she’s found a second life in the world of Kouka. Anyway please go watch Kageki Shoujo, I hope they make a season 2 of the anime eventually, and read the manga too…which I am still waiting for volume 10 of - it’s been delayed since, like, April and now has an October ETA.)

Narenare also kind of wanted to be an idol anime too, I think. The music is good, and I especially enjoyed the song from when they performed at the neighborhood festival to help save Stout Records. It also made sense in-universe because of Shion and Anna both being into the art of making music. I feel like the music/idol aspect was executed better here than in Pride of Orange, where they just really wanted to make a straight-up idol anime but decided to also put in ice hockey elements too. I never got past episode 1 of that show - being asked to believe the Japan national team could beat Canada in any international competition (and then immediately change out from sweaty hockey jerseys and pads into sparkly idol outfits and sing a song at center ice) is just stretching the suspension of disbelief a liiiiittle too far for me as a hockey fan.

I also like Love Live, so I’m primed to enjoy idol elements when they come lol.

The Day-Glo funky color palette of Narenare was an interesting visual choice, but I actually enjoyed it. There were some great examples of photorealistic animation as well, like a closeup of Suzuha’s pompoms as she finishes her idol application form or the countryside when Mari runs back home. It was fun to watch such candy-colored joy during a hot hot summer.

In short, I enjoyed watching Narenare and I found it to be harshly criticized by its Anime News Network reviewer. Is it my anime of the year? Probably not, though at this point I don’t know if I necessarily have a single standout anime of the year. We’ve still got another 2024 season yet to go, after all. But I had fun!

[artzychic27]

Hey Artzy, do you have any tips on how to write an OC without making them a Mary Sue?

I guess, just don’t make them overly perfect and “can do no wrong.” There’s nothing wrong with seemingly perfect characters like how I wrote Aurore, becuase she feels pressured by her parents to be perfect. Now, if you take away the bit about her parents, make her incredibly self righteous, give her all of these natural talents without any sort of practice, have everyone fawning over her, and let her always be in the right about everything and everyone who says she’s wrong is a piece of shit, then she becomes a Mary Sue

Like a certain someone…

Here are the Science Kids for example, OCs, and the canon ones I fleshed out

Aurore: Straight A’s and definitely getting into her top school, but how will she tell her parents she’s a lesbian and can’t keep being their “golden child” right before she cuts all ties with them and goes to live with her brother?

Denise: An enby with a physique body builders would kill for, yet they feel overworked by their parents simply because they’re the strongest in the family and the elder twin

Simon: Tech Wiz often commissioned to create promo videos for upcoming events, still not completely over their parents abuse and still has mental and physical scars

Reshma: Beautiful, modest rich girl with a love for magical girl anime and anime in general, BUT! She has difficulties knowing if potential love interests truly love her and not her status or looks. Also, has some difficulties trusting older men due to incidents at galas

Jean: Plucky theater kid with a flare for dramatics and has an amazing boyfriend. Who would have guessed that this guy still blames himself for his mom leaving?

Ismael: Cool skateboarder, loves magic tricks, and always seem so cool under pressure. His personality is just a mask to cover up the fact that he’s emotionally drained due to the torment his mother puts him through when he gets home and that his dad wasn’t able to get custody of him after the divorce

Mireille: Pleasant shy girl with a meek demeanor everyone seems to love? Throw in a bastard dad who keeps trying to push her into the spotlight despite the fact that she is painfully shy!

Cosette: On their way to become Paris’ next top makeup artist! How fun! Oh, what’s this? Their “perfect” older siblings are total assholes and this stems from the fact that their mother is emotionally distant and hasn’t once complimented or shown physical affection to any of her own children? And now they put on this cool “I’m here for it” persona and crack jokes to mask their tears?… Wow

Lacey: Let’s see… Incredibly athletic, cute yet badass… Dead parents. Has to take care of both her grandparents and younger brothers. Fears the day her grandparents will die as she does not feel mentally and emotionally ready to take care of her brothers all on her own and refuses to let people in and hell her so she does parkour and all sorts of other activities to null the pain

Marc: Talented writer with legs for days and a cute boyfriend. My, what could possibly be his flaw? Oh! I know! A bad case of anxiety, and depending on the universe, he’s still terrified of Lucien and believe he’s the one at fault for their relationship taking a toxic turn! Boom!

Zoé: Rich mom, rich dad. But, what’s this? The mom is a complete bitch (Which we already know) and is always pressuring her into looking and acting “like her daughter,” even going so far as to bleach her hair at a young age, forcing her to compete in beauty pageants, and the constant verbal abuse regarding her looks. The dad’s cool, though. He misses her dearly

See, no one’s perfect. Not all of them get straight A’s, and not all of them have parents who are super well off due to a thriving business or some shit, and not all of them have parents who are totally accepting of their genders and sexualities. They have to be human, and humans have flaws

[clairelsonao3]

5 Songs You Actually Listen to Tag Game (Holiday Version) plus a whumpy song bonus!

RULES: When you get this you have to put 5 songs you actually listen to, then tag 10 people!! (Not necessarily holiday songs, I'm just choosing to take it in that direction for this post!)

@thebejeweledwatercat (post here) tagged me in this one, and given the season and my general year-round obsession with music, I decided it made sense to do a holiday version to help narrow it down. And also so I can be totally nerdy and annoying by choosing 5 holiday songs off my dozens of obscure seasonal playlists! (If you HAVE heard of and/or listened to any of these songs, step right up and get your gingerbread cookie!)

I generally use Spotify to link to music, but many of these are so obscure they aren't on Spotify. Many of them originate from growing up with my dad, who in turn was obsessed with obscure Christmas music before I was, and who not only played his mixtapes on car trips to see our relatives in Duluth, Minnesota every year around the holidays, but actually had a seasonal side gig appearing on local radio stations as their seasonal Dr. Demento. And thus the cycle continues.

To all of you there

From all of us here

Capitol sends a bundle of cheer

Capitol is goin' to town!

This is exactly what it sounds like: a very hastily produced 1945 Christmas promo of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" with the lyrics changed courtesy of Johnny Mercer and a group of the label's artists and other random staffers from the Capitol Records office, many of whom get name-checked in the song.

Perhaps part of the reason my dad turned out how he did is because he grew up in the one and only Christmas City of the North (TM): Duluth, Minnesota. The song (another promo, I can't help it!) was originally recorded by Merv Griffin in 1962 for the KBJR Christmas City Parade. I don't know if it actually increased holiday tourism to the city at the time, but it certainly paid off 50 or so years later.

Up on the hilltops pick on an icicle

Chew it while you slide to fun below

Down in midtown people are nicicle

Come this Christmas to the Christmas City I'll go

As some may not know, there's a whole cavalcade of lovable Christmas characters who failed in their attempts to become the next Rudolph or Frosty, from Suzy Snowflake to Santa Mouse to Lil Elfy (the elf who, of all things, was just TOO small) to Lil Klinker ("the pup who woke Santa up").

But none beats Jingle-O the Brownie, the OG Elf on the Shelf, 50 years or so before that was a thing. You can't convince me any different.

Now Jingle-O, he makes a trip each day in his red rocket ship

Around the world to see if you've been being good or bad

He's got a great big magic eye that watches you from in the sky

And when he sees you acting mean poor Jingle-O is sad

I probably could do a whole separate post on whumpy Christmas songs alone. But for now, I'll let you choose: Do you want the one about Baby Jesus killing innocent children for refusing to play with him and then being beaten by Mary with a withy switch as punishment?

So he made a bridge of beams of the sun

And over the river ran he

And after him ran these rich young lords

And drowned they all three

Or do you want the one about the guy who drives drunk, crashes into a cop car, nearly kills himself, gets thrown in jail after apparently receiving no medical treatment whatsoever, then is further tortured by being forced to listen to people happily celebrating the holiday outside of his cell?

Got rocks in my head

Wish I was dead

Ain't gonna drink and drive no more

And BONUS!

OR do you want the one about two Irish ne'er-do-wells who encounter a couple of army recruiters on a Christmas morning walk by the seaside, and instead of entertaining their pro-military-industrial-complex bullshit, choose to beat them half to death with a shillelagh?

I know it says to tag 10 people, but I'm just gonna OPEN TAG it and let people chime in if they want.

Merry Christmas if you do Christmas, and Season's Greetings and Happy New Year to all!

[thekatebridgerton]

The Rokesby books, the Smythe-Smith Quartet and the two short story books from the Bridgerton-verse were right there to be adapted but they wanted to do Queen Charlotte. Why? Don't know.

I was happy to just have a Kanthony honeymoon special. It didn't have to be six episodes. Just a two hour one would have been fine.

I would pay for a Kanthony honeymoon special!! And so would the rest of the fandom.

I get it, Queen Charlotte is Shonda's pet project and it's not like Bridgerton viewers did not want to see the backstory of what happened between her and King George, because we do, Queen Charlotte is an intriguing character in and on her own.

But at the same time it feels disrespectful to fans, who were waiting for the announcement of who is playing Sophie, or even a glimpse of the Polin season, only to get a lot of Queen Charlotte 'a Bridgerton story' promo material instead. Did we even get this amount of promo for Saphne or for Kantony??. last time I checked fans were given the Kanthony moving portraint AFTER s2 was released. Again, I assure you, I'm going to watch the QC spinoff, because in general I like period dramas and I think any colaboration with Julia Quinn probably has good writing (trust me, if it's as bad as Reign, you will hear my one sentence review of 'its as bad as Reign' but we all know it wont be).

Still, I'm allowed to point out this marketing strategy feels like a lot like gaslighting and taking advantage of the Bridgerton audience to push a spinoff that a lot of viewers wouldn't have felt interest in, if it didn't have 'A Bridgerton story' tacked on to it as a slogan. (Since a lot of people who don't like period dramas do watch Bridgerton, including my 40yo uncle and my grandma)

And maybe it's just me, because I've been listening to too much "slow burn" by Jmaya. But what is up with Hollywood romanticizing tragedy in love stories. It's a bit harder to watch a love story in any period drama where you know that one of them is going to either die or end up with Alzheimers. (yes I'm talking about Reign again, we all knew Mary was going to outlive Francis and we still fell for it anyway)

Which is, why I think Julia never wrote a full book for Violet and Edmund as part of the Rokesby series. Edmund dies, no amount of romance and epic storytelling will erase the enormous letdown that is knowing he dies and she has to move on with their 8 kids. But in the Bridgerton universe, Edmund and Violet's tragic love story has a purpose! It serves to give the 8 siblings something to hope for, an example of love to emulate, it's also the root of their insecurities and fears. With Queen Charlotte even that kind of payoff would not really be much of a consolation. (Yes she does get the guy and the crown, but if my history lessons don't fail me, her eldest son was..well, George IV.)

Which is why I do hope we get to see young Edmund and his older sisters Billie, Poppy and Georgiana. the whole 'going back where it all began' is the slogan for the Rokesby series anyway. It's kinda weird that Queen Charlotte is getting the tagline.

As a show it does look good, there is a certain snazzy romantic vibe to the trailer that I love, also Michelle Fairley is on it!. And we all know that any show where Michelle plays a disproving matriarch obsessed with upholding tradition, is going to be attention worthy. I am sure that once I watch it I will have lots of positive things to say about it.

But I would be able to enjoy Queen Charlotte as a stand alone so much more, if I didn't know Shonda and Netflix was purposefully starving the fans for Bridgerton content in order to create more interest in the spinoff. Like a cheap trick in a magic show, it makes the whole thing a lot less dreamy.

And that's the tea

[theladyofbloodshed]

Can you recommend some books that you enjoyed? I'm having a hard time finding ones that don't suck or make me cringe

I have struggled massively this year to find books that I've rated higher than (a generous) 3*, so these are mostly reads from last year

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black - a spin off from the Cruel Prince series about Oak and a girl called Suren

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera - two guys get a call to say they will die in 24 hours in a futuristic society so spend their last day together

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore - a family of women are never allowed to leave their garden and it steals the men they love until a young man appears in their garden from the past

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - prep boys meet a psychic girl. I loved this but have only read the first in the series

Scythe by Neal Shusterman - the whole series was great. Rowan and Citra get selected as apprentices for a Scythe, someone who must reap lives in the future

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson - a sister is promised to the cruel godking but the younger one is sent instead and it focuses on the elder's plot to save her, and the younger discovers the godking is not as she's lead to believe

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo - Grishaverse spinoff focusing on Nikolai, Zoya and Nina

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard - high fantasy with a found family, i really enjoyed both books in the series but it is still ongoing with the third expected this year I think

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix - fun fantasy set in London in the 80s, woman trying to find her estranged father gets entangled with old magic and book sellers

Year of the Reaper by Lucier Makiia - I am still thinking of this book; after a plague, Cass can see ghosts and he's trying to reunite with his family after being taken prisoner

My book! :) Shameless self promo lmao. The Story of Old by Chelsea Starling - reluctant chosen one taken from secret home to try and defeat the masters of time who have set a purge into motion to destroy Etherlia

[derelictheretic]

It my borthday so I'm gonna rec some of my fave fics I've written, (and mayhaps,, promo my writing blog @musings-of-a-lovesick-fool bc I post a ton of my writing there,,) no obligation to read any of them but if you do thankies very muchly I appreciate you <3

A Misunderstanding: Faith/Piper — Pip punches Dean in the face and reunites with Faith in Dutch's crusty bunker. Cas is there too, for moral support.

Only I Can Help You: Jacob/Dean — Dean deserves a nap and Jacob deserves a kick in the nuts. (Plus Jacob's greatest fear revealed; Dean getting with his ex aka Eli)

Tuck You In: Mary May/Anya — Anya walks Mary May home from the bar and tucks her drunk ass into bed. (Anya/Mary May Wedding when?)

One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure: Heisenberg/Colvyr — Heisenberg experiences Colvyr withdrawals and is getting close to fighting Alcina for full custody, Colvyr is just happy to be there.

No Choice: John/Dean/James — John's impatient, Dean's pissed off and James is the mediator in the relationship who wants his boyfriends to stop fighting.

Hope: Ethan/Darius — Darius is 'intruiged' by Ethan and wants to know what's up with his magic healing water and dadcore one-liners.

A Mistake and A Saving Grace: Joseph/Dean — Dean done fucked up and he's gonna pretend it didn't happen like he should have pretended he was sick when he was called in to arrest Joseph.

The Angels Right Hand: Anya Cherkov — A day in the life of Anya, Faiths begrudging right hand and her personal errand girl apparently. (Features Sharky and my bby boy Simon <3)

[toffeethief]

Top 5 Albums In The Year Of Our Lord 2023

1. Ryuichi Sakamoto - 12

2. Buggin’ - Concrete Cowboys

3. Aesop Rock - Integrated Tech Solutions

4. Bell Witch - Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Shadow

5. Zulu - A New Tomorrow

Honorable Mentions:

The Album Leaf - Future Falling // Amen Seat – Amen Seat // Andre 3000– New Blue Sun // Angel Dust – Brand New Soul // Aphex Twin – Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / In A Room7 F760 // Baroness – Stone // BB Bomb – Practice Songs-Lesson Three // Billy Woods & Kenny Segal – Maps // Black Matter Device – Buckshot Mouthwash/Mr. Uncomfortable // Blonde Redhead – Sit Down For Dinner // Boris/Uniform – Bright New Disease // The Bouncing Souls – Ten Stories High // Boygenius – The Record //  The Callous Daoboys – God Smiles On The Callous Daoboys // Chat Pile/Nerver – Brothers In Christ // Clementine Valentine – The Coin That Broke The Fountain Floor // C.LS.M. – Infinity Shit // George Cosby – Talk // Covet – Catharsis // Deserve To Die – Deserve To Die // Dorthia Cottrell – Death Folk Country // Arnold Dreyblatt – Resolve // Ex Pilots – Ex Pilots // Explosions In The Sky – End // Felony For Existing – Felony For Existing // Fews – Glass City // Fishbone – Fishbone // Flooding – Silhouette Machine // Fotocrime – Accelerated // Peter Gabriel – i/o // GLAM – The Color, The Dark // Gridlink – Coronet Juniper // Headcheese – Expired // The HIRS Collective – We’re Still Here // The Hope Conspiracy – Confusion/Chaos/Misery // Khanate – To Be Cruel // Kilamanzego – Black Weirdo // Killer Mike – Michael // Kitba – Kitba // Lamp Of Murmuur – Saturnian Bloodstorm // Lankum – False Lankum // Kali Malone – Does Spring Hides Its Joy // Mary Lattimore – Goodbye, Hotel Arkada // Lucy Camp – Smores Vol. 1 // Lunar Creature – Lunar Creature // Mile End – Promo 2023 // Mil-Spec – Marathon // Milledenials – The Peak Of Youth Life // Model/Actriz – Dogsbody // Mystic 100s – On A Micro Diet // Narrow Head – Moments Of Clarity // The Necks – Travel // New Found Glory – Make The Most Of It // New World Man ­– The Beast Is Back // Noname – Sundial // One Step Closer – Song For The Willow // Ostraca – Disaster // Oxbow – Love’s Holiday // Bill Orcutt – Jump On It // Misha Panilov – In Focus // Paramore – This Is Why // Parannoul – After The Magic // Pere Ubu – Trouble On A Big Beat Street // Perfect Angel At Heaven – Imploder // Pile – All Fiction // Planet On A Chain – Boxed In // Powers/Pulice/Rolin – Prism // Protomartyr – Formal Growth In The Desert // Pulsatile Tinnitus – The Finer Art Of Heartwork // Radiator Hospital – Can’t Make Any Promises / Watching A Fire // Rat Cage – Savage Visions // Restraining Order – Locked In Time // Ringworm – Seeing Through Fire // Olivia Rodrigo – Guts // Sadness – April Sunset // Sadness/Abriction – Sadness/Abriction // Sam Goldberg – Some Songs Are Sung // Screaming Females – Desire Pathways // Samuel Sharp – Consequential // Patrick Shiroishi – I Was Too Young To Hear Silence // Shonen Knife – Our Best Place // Shunkan – She Nods // Sigur Ros – Atta // Sincere Engineer – Cheap Grills // Slant – Demo 2023 // Sophia Chablau e Uma Enore Pedre de Tempo – Musicia do Esquencimento // Spellling – Spellling & The Mystery School // Spirit Of Hamlet – Northwest Of Hamuretto // Spirit Of The Beehive – I’m So Lucky // Spy – Satisfaction // Marnie Stern – The Comeback Kid // Sunbear – Enjoy! // Suzie True – Sentimental Scum // Swiss Army Wife – Medium Gnarly // The Tallest Man On Earth – Henry St. // Teke::Teke – Hagata // Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 – These Things Remain Unassigned // TLOOTH – Wet // Unwed Sailor – Mute The Charm // Usurp Synapse – A Vile Contamina // Vivat Virtute – Hold Music // Widowdusk – I Know Where We’re At, Not Where We’re Going // Will Haven – VII // Witch Prophet – Gateway Experience