#Religious school in Los Angeles

[mossballs-stuff]

arcane music headcanons expect I'm objectively correct

Jinx

Ghost and Pals, Will Wood and the Tapeworms, Mother Mother, Melanie Martinez, Corpse, Set It Off, Poppy Nightcore, Gorillaz, etc.

You know those really bad playlist for characters with like, extremely unfitting songs that have an abnormal amount of Mother Mother in them? Yeah. She's the one making those.

If it was a TikTok audio for a Danganronpa cosplayer in 2020 she probably has it on loop

Listens to shitty modern day Hyperpop and it sounds like ASS

She listened to a undertale fansong nightcore cover on her school Chromebook and it genuinely changed her life for the worst. She was on Wattpad with Angel with a Shotgun BLASTING through her skull candy earbuds she stole off of a kid.

She's never been to a concert and that's for everyone's sake. She would have the absolutely worst concert etiquette to ever exist.

Once she matures she becomes an IPC diehard. She is at a Juggalo concert with her shirt off throwing Fuego and probably getting pulled over after.

Vi

Twenty One Pilots, Hozier, Florence and The Machine, Weezer, The Smiths, Ghost, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Queen, System of a Down, Nancy Sinatra, etc

She says she's not a big music fan and that she just listens to whatever's on the radio but that is a lie.

She's not normal about Florence and The Machine. Anytime she's about to have a breakdown she puts Dog Days Are Over on full blast inside her truck. She's been in the top percent of her listeners for 5 years straight now.

She listens to exclusively bands that a guy in a guitar store would brag about listening to saying they were totally indie and no one would know them. She owns a vinyl player. She's not as pretentious, but still.

Hozier is like, the one guy in all of history that she somewhat is attracted to. His music is a borderline religious experience. She went to one of his concerts with Ekko and cried so hard she got sick. As soon as they were in the hotel she chugged a bottle of honey whiskey and passed out. She has not been the same since.

She HATES Jinx's music with like, a genuine passion. She will smack Jinx's hand if she tries to change her music. they are fighting like rabid dogs for who gets the aux cord

Caitlyn

Taylor Swift, Chappel Roan, Mitski, Kate Bush, The Cardigans, The Crane Wives, Sabrina Carpenter. Billie Elish, etc

She's relatively normal about music. Most of the time she just has white noise on whenever she's working. However, if she needs to do a long drive or something and doesn't want to listen to the radio, she WILL be playing all of Taylor Swifts discography

Shes not a Swiftie, but she listens to it enough that she got Jayce into it. She's way more a fan of her older music though.

Most of the music she listens to sounds like breakup music. Like it's always weirdly somber and full of anguish. She will also occasionally listen to a song about family issues and clearly not be okay.

Again, not really a music fan. However, this has not stopped Jayce from seeing her in her car scream-crying to Good Luck Babe. He is so worried for her and she just acted so calm after.

She thinks Vi has such unique tastes and will end up growing to like a lot of Vi's music too. Disgusting. I think they kiss during a Hozier song playing and everyone thinks they're disgusting.

Ekko

Tyler The Creator, Gorillaz, Poor Mans Poison, Los Campesinos, The Oozes, Pavement, AJJ, The Front Bottoms, Jhariah, Jack Stauber, Djo, etc.

The only one with objectively good music tastes in the entirety of this group. He's the kind of person to genuinely mean it when he says he listens to everything. The only music he doesn't really love is modern country, but he fucks heavily with almost everything.

The only artist that's super consistent and someone he actively gets excited for when there's a new release is Tyler the Creator. He enjoys music as an art form rather than something to just listen to, and he loves Tyler's vision and how he makes it an experience.

He listens to a LOT of Legend of Zelda soundtracks. If his favorite video game has a soundtrack he will have that on loop for days. His Spotify Wrapped is consistently fucked because of this.

He took Vi to the Hozier concert because she kept asking and he got into Hozier before she did. He has a video of her drunk-crying in her hotel bed about it. It was genuinely such a magical experience for them both though.

He got Jinx into Gorillaz as a way to try and get her to like. better music. And it backfired so bad. He's the one pushing her to like ICP.

Jayce

Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Chappel Roan, Charli xcx, Doja Cat, Kesha, Lady Gaga, Ayesha Erotica, Shakira, P!NK. etc

Do NOT take away his basic white girl music he will DIE!!!!!! he will die SO BAD!!!!!

He got into Taylor Swift due to Caitlyn and now he's the bigger Swiftie. Genuinely has started collecting all her albums. He is so obsessed with her music it is a little concerning.

He will blast Juno by Sabrina Carpenter on full blast while working and it annoys the genuine fuck out of Viktor. He is not doing this to annoy him, he's trying to get Viktor to like his kind of music.

Vi has been begging him to listen to literally anything else. Viktor is also begging, but he's starting to give up.

He went to a Sabrina Carpenter concert with Mel and he ended up getting the fuzzy pink handcuffs and he will NEVER stop talking about it. He has them hanging on his wall alongside a picture of him on the screen.

Viktor

The Hoosiers, The Oh Hellos, American Murder Song, The Taxpayers, Poor Mans Poison, Orville Peck, Gene Aubrey, Johnny Cash, Hozier, etc

Again, objectively good music tastes. He tends to listen to old country or folk music. He likes a song that tells a story and has a lot of heart in it.

If you put modern day country on the radio he will die. If he has to listen to a "I LOVE BEER AND TRUCKS" song one more time he's going to throw himself onto the highway full speed. He despises that genre of music more than anything else on the entirety of this Earth.

He is also a huge Hozier fan, and has been since Take Me to Church blew up while he was in his religious guilt era. He went to the same concert as Vi but they didn't know they were there. He cried so hard at that concert he got sick. It was more than a religious experience for him.

He has been trying to get Jayce to listen to Orville Peck or Hozier for MONTHS. He's not allowed Jayce to play his music ever. It's working very slowly.

He thinks about Jayce while listening to Hozier and contemplates ending it all while Jayce is playing BRAT in the lab. Genuinely couldn't be a worse situation for him actually.

Mel

See, I know most will say she would have amazing music tastes but I can't agree. I don't think she cares. She listens to whatever is on the radio. Her Spotify Wrapped is consistently fucked because she uses her phone as a speaker at like parties or during long car rides.

She doesn't have a preference when it comes to music. Her liked playlist of songs is close to 500 and it's just whatever songs anyone has sent her. She will put it on shuffle and get Halls of Illusions by Insane Clown Posse back to back with fucking Someone New by Hozier. It's bad.

She is not paying attention to what she's listening to. She blocks it out so well that she can't really pay attention to it. If she's forced to pick music, it'll just be whatever Jayce has made her listen to in the past week and a half.

She went to a Sabrina Carpenter concert with Jayce purely because she saw all the videos and thought it would be fun. Her and Jayce were dorking out. She could not match his energy though, and she loves him so much but she is never going to a concert with him again.

[its10pm]

Jeremy Fitzgerald Headcanons

more writing warm ups :) plus i just think he's a cutie :D

Was born in Los Angeles, but he moved to Las Vegas when he was 11

He's Cherokee/Irish-American. (Like, enrolled. His mom is from Tahlequah. None of that great grandmother Cherokee princess BS).

He's a Virgo. He's very serious about this.

Cousins with Fritz Smith. Y'know, the real Fritz Smith, who is still quite miffed about having his identity stolen.

Fritz is the primary person taking care of him after the Bite.

His favourite genres are pop and hip hop. He's very serious about the west coast vs east coast stuff in the hip hop community.

Strong Only Child Syndrome

He's an amazing artist! He planned on going to animation school before It Happened.

He still is, but less good at really detailed stuff.

He's terrified of doctors and hospitals.

Before the bite, he was a very type A, organised, fussy and uptight person. This has changed.

Mommy issues AND daddy issues. It's pretty bad.

Cries very easily.

Incredibly forgetful. His short term memory is fried.

He's very impulsive and has an incredibly low attention span.

He can write, but he can't read - even stuff that he's just barely written.

He credits Mike with saving his life, so he likes flirting with him. Literally all of the time.

Irish Catholic religious trauma

He watches a lot of anime. His favourite is Sailor Moon.

His main hobby nowadays is watching TV and messing with makeup.

He swears a lot. Around 70% of his vocabulary is swearing.

He prefers girls' clothing.

LOVES Madonna.

His room is full of Pokemon plushes. Absolutely COVERED with them.

Would've loved Regina George, RIP Jeremy

He's 5'6. This is even worse because he has horrible posture.

He's kind of mean. He just has really poor impulse control and is lowkey angry all of the time.

[quickdraw-casanova]

Jewish Tom “Iceman” Kazansky Headcanons

(Yes, I fiddled with Ice’s age because I headcanon him as a bit younger than he is in canon)

Tom’s legal name isn’t “Tom” at all, it’s actually Tomer (תּוֹמַר) or Toma meaning palm tree.

Tom was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on the 5th of August 1963, and moved with his father, Ivan, mother Katherine, and sister, Ana, to San Diego, California at age five. In Los Angeles, California he began attending Yavneh Hebrew Academy.

Tom wears a Magen David tucked into his shirt at all times, and even while religious articles and jewelry are not to be prohibited from being worn in accordance with the criteria of AR 670-1, Tom does not wear it openly out of caution.

Tom’s mother, Katherine’s, father and grandparents perished during WWII, having been rounded up and taken to the camps shortly following the liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto in March of 1943.

Tom’s mother’s father’s name was Yaakov Horowitz, a factory worker from Łódź. Tom’s great-grandparents were Mordechai and Miriam Horowitz. Miriam was a seamstress and Mordechai a musician.

His father’s mother, Feodora, was born in Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky) Russia and married her husband, Georgiy Kazansky in 1926. Georgiy was from Rostov-on-Don, Russia. He passed away March of 1973.

Tom is fluent in English, Russian, and Polish. He can read and hold a conversation in Hebrew.

Every Friday (when he’s not deployed), Tom drives over to his parent’s house for Shabbat.

In 1976, Tom and his family traveled to Jerusalem to visit cousins and friends. There he also had his Bar Mitzvah at the Western Wall.

While in High School Tom participated in a production of ‘Fiddler on The Roof’ that was put on by the Drama Department. He was cast as Perchik. Emotionally Tom has always related to Tzeitel and her inner struggles.

Tom attends Congregation Beth El (located in San Diego) when he can, but always tries to attend High Holiday services.

Every year on the anniversary of Goose’s death, Tom goes to the cemetery and places a small stone on top of his grave and says the Mourner’s Kaddish.

[autrytonic]

*request fulfilled* This post has material not suitable for those under 18! Minors DNI!!!

Javier Escuella Modern AU Headcanons

General Lifestyle:

• Lives in a small but stylish apartment in a city with a heavy Latino influence, like Los Angeles, Austin, or Miami. Keeps a few houseplants alive but forgets to water them sometimes.

• Works as a musician, likely playing guitar in bars or as part of a mariachi band. He occasionally busks on the street because he loves the raw connection of music and people dropping cash into his case.

• Has a side hustle fixing cars or motorcycles. He’s surprisingly good with his hands and enjoys working on old, beat-up machines.

• Owns a classic lowrider or motorcycle—something sleek, well-maintained, and stylish.

• Still has that rebel streak, likely being involved in social activism, especially concerning immigration rights and workers’ unions.

Personality & Habits:

• Still charming and flirtatious, always carrying himself with confidence. He’s the type to flash a grin and make even a mundane conversation feel like a flirtation.

• Hangs out at local coffee shops or dive bars, where he enjoys live music, especially Latin jazz and flamenco.

• Can hold his liquor well but prefers tequila or mezcal over beer.

• Despite being a ladies' man, he’s actually quite romantic when he falls for someone. Writes songs about them, leaves little notes, and takes them on motorcycle rides.

• Very loyal to his friends. If you're in his circle, he'll always have your back, no matter what.

• Absolutely hates corporate jobs and refuses to wear a suit unless it's for a funeral.

Fashion:

• Sticks to leather jackets, button-downs (sometimes left open halfway), and cowboy boots. Loves accessorizing with rings and silver jewelry.

• Often wears bandanas or hats, especially on sunny days.

• Has a tattoo sleeve that likely includes a guitar, a rosary, and something representing his Mexican heritage.

Technology & Social Media:

• Definitely has Instagram, where he posts pictures of his guitar, city views, and the occasional thirst trap.

• Terrible at texting back—you’ll see him online, but he won’t reply for hours.

• Prefers old-school methods like writing in a leather journal over typing on his phone.

• Uses Spotify religiously and has killer playlists full of Spanish rock, outlaw country, and flamenco.

Daily Life:

• Starts his morning with strong black coffee or café de olla.

• Spends his afternoons either practicing music, fixing up an old car, or going on long drives with no destination.

• If he’s not performing at night, he’s chilling with friends, drinking at a rooftop bar, or playing dominos at a local park.

• Loves the night sky—if he’s feeling emotional, he’ll drive to a quiet place and just sit under the stars, playing his guitar.

NSFW Headcanons Below (18+/MdNi!!)

Sexuality & Preferences:

• Lover, not just a fighter—Javier is deeply passionate in bed. He loves taking his time, making sure his partner feels adored, worshiped, and completely satisfied before he even thinks about himself.

• Dirty talk comes naturally—his voice is smooth, deep, and laced with his accent, making every whispered word sound intoxicatingly sinful.

• Loves teasing—he’s patient and will drag out foreplay, whether it’s slow, lingering kisses, feather-light touches, or whispering all the dirty things he’s going to do before finally giving in.

• Absolutely has a thing for control, but in a seductive, slow-burning way—he enjoys pinning wrists down, guiding your hips, and making you beg for him.

• Loves watching—whether it’s seeing the way you react to his touch, catching a glimpse of your reflection in a mirror, or just laying back and watching you pleasure yourself for him.

• Skilled with his hands and mouth—years of playing guitar have given him incredible dexterity, and he knows exactly how to use it between the sheets.

Kinks & Preferences:

• Praise kink—he loves telling you how beautiful, sexy, and perfect you are while wrecking you.

• Oral fixation—he’ll take his time going down, making sure you’re completely overstimulated before he’s satisfied.

• Loves marking you—hickeys, scratches, bites, all of it. He enjoys seeing proof of the night before the next morning.

• Public teasing—whether it’s a hand on your thigh under the table, a whisper in your ear in a crowded bar, or a knowing smirk from across the room, he gets off on the idea of getting you worked up where others could see.

• Rough, but sensual—Javier can be fast and desperate when the mood calls for it, but he never forgets to make you feel good. It’s not just about the physical; he wants to see you completely undone beneath him.

• Aftercare king—whether it’s cuddling you close, stroking your hair, or murmuring in Spanish as he kisses your shoulders, he’s never the type to just roll over and sleep afterward.

Spicy Scenarios:

• Backseat rendezvous—Javier’s got an old car or motorcycle, and sometimes things get too heated to wait until you’re home.

• Hotel rooms after gigs—if you watch him perform, expect him to be extra riled up after. There’s something about having an audience that makes him crave you more.

• Late-night balcony sex—he likes the risk, especially if it’s overlooking a city skyline with the warm air and dim lights surrounding you.

• Tension-filled arguments that turn into something else—he can be hot-headed, and sometimes fighting leads to rough, desperate make-ups against the nearest wall.

[jbaileyfansite]

Interview with the Los Angeles Times (2024)

“This is where all the cruising happened.”

Jonathan Bailey and I are standing in Pershing Square on a bright, blustery spring afternoon, nearing the end of a homemade queer history tour of downtown L.A.: One Magazine, Cooper Do-Nuts/Nancy Valverde Square, the Dover bathhouse, the Biltmore Hotel and this, the city’s former Central Park, a haven, since before World War I, for “fairies” and “sissy boys,” servicemen on leave and beatniks on the road.

“Is it still happening now?” he asks.

“Probably not as much,” I venture.

“Well, you let me know if it’s happening,” he teases, a mischievous smile lighting up his face.

Bailey understands the uses of the charm offensive. As Sam, the handsome Lothario of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s delightful pre-”Fleabag” curio, “Crashing”; Anthony, the romantic hero of “Bridgerton’s” second season; and John, the jerk of a protagonist in Mike Bartlett’s love triangle play “Cock,” the English actor, 36, has swaggered up to the precipice of superstardom. With roles in such studio tentpoles as “Wicked” and “Jurassic World” on the horizon, he may just break through. Yet he delivers career-best work in Showtime’s queer melodrama “Fellow Travelers,” as anti-Communist crusader-turned-gay rights activist Tim Laughlin, by leaving behind the self-assured rakes and tapping a new wellspring: soft power.

Tim may be, as Bailey puts it, “an open nerve,” but as it turns out, the devout Catholic and political naïf — who falls for suave State Department operative Hawkins “Hawk” Fuller (Matt Bomer) just as Sen. Joseph McCarthy tries to purge the federal government of LGBTQ people — is formidable indeed.

Stretching from the Lavender Scare to the depths of the AIDS crisis, in scenes of tenderness, cruelty and toe-curling sex, Bailey’s performance communicates that little-spoken truth of relationships: It takes more strength to submit than it does to control. The former demands discipline, courage, trust; the latter requires only force.

“In ‘Bridgerton,’ [Bailey] is like a Hawkins Fuller character — he is very sexy and has lots of power, has that kind of confident charisma that absolutely is not Tim at all,” says “Fellow Travelers” creator Ron Nyswaner.

But any doubt about Bailey’s ability to mesh with Bomer, who boarded the project early in development, was put to bed with the actors’ virtual rehearsal of a meeting on a park bench in the pilot. “‘Well, that’s a first,’” Nyswaner recalls an executive texting him. “I cried in a chemistry read.”

‘Am I inviting people in?’

Bailey grew up in a musical family in the Oxfordshire countryside outside London, and this, coupled with an appreciation for the morning prayers, choir practice and Mass he attended as a scholarship student at the local Catholic school, fed his precocious talents. (“I loved the performance of it,” he laughs. “Not to diminish the celebration of religious process, but I did love the idea of wearing a gown.”) By age 10, he’d appeared in the West End, playing Gavroche in a production of “Les Misérables,” an experience he now recognizes as an encounter with a queer found family — albeit one shadowed by the toll of the AIDS crisis, which peaked in the U.K. in the mid-1990s.

“When I’m asked about my childhood, there’s so much I don’t remember, and I think that’s true of anyone who’s been in fight or flight for 20 years,” he says. “I would have been in a cast of people whose friends would have died in the last seven years. I think of where I was seven years ago. I had all my gay friends then. It’s only retrospectively that I can retrofit a real gay community around me [in the theater], that I just wasn’t aware of [then].”

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, American and British culture presented queer adolescents with a bewildering array of mixed signals. As beloved celebrities came out in growing numbers, and the battle for marriage equality became a central locus of LGBTQ political organizing, the media continued to propagate harmful stereotypes of gay men as miserable, lonely, perverted or worse — and, Bailey remembers, callously turned George Michael, arrested on suspicion of cruising in a Beverly Hills restroom in 1998, and Irish pop star Stephen Gately, who revealed his sexuality in 1999, fearful he was about to be outed, into tabloid spectacles.

No wonder Bailey, like many LGBTQ people of his generation, should feel the “chemical” thrill of “validation and acceptance” during London Pride at age 18, then embark on a two-year relationship with a woman in his 20s.

“Dangerously, if you’re not exposed to people who can show you other examples of happiness, you think that’s the easiest way to live,” Bailey says. “It’s funny. You look back and you can tell the story in one way, which is that I always knew who I was and my sexuality and my identity within that. But obviously at times, it was really tough. I compromised my own happiness, for sure. And compromised other people’s happiness.”

Disclosures about his personal life have become particularly thorny for the actor since the premiere of “Bridgerton,” the blockbuster bodice-ripper from executive producer Shonda Rhimes.

“The Netflix effect does knock you off center completely,” he says, recalling the experience of finding a paparazzo waiting outside his new flat before he’d even moved in. “Suddenly, you do start having nightmares about people climbing in your windows... Even now, talking about it makes me feel like, ‘Am I inviting people in?’”

He is also critical of the media for churning out headlines about the smallest details of celebrities’ private lives, often detached from their original context. In an interview with the London Evening Standard published in December, Bailey described a harrowing encounter in a Washington, D.C., coffee shop in which a man threatened his life for being queer — and, in recounting the experience, offhandedly mentioned the “lovely man” he’d called, shaken, after it happened. Although Bailey acknowledges that the original story handled the subject with aplomb, he felt dismayed that more attention wasn’t paid to the intended warning about rising anti-LGBTQ sentiment: “The only thing that got syndicated from that story was that I had a boyfriend, and it wasn’t true,” he sighs. “It was kind of depressing, if I’m honest.”

Still, Bailey, who once turned down a role in a queer-themed TV series because it would have required him to speed along revelations about his personal life he wasn’t ready to make, is prepared to embrace the power of vulnerability when it feeds the work. Although a member of his inner circle expressed doubts about “Fellow Travelers’” steamy sex scenes, for instance, the actor intuited that they were what made the project worth doing: “I was like, ‘I’m telling you, they are the reason why this is going to be brilliant.’”

‘He’s changed my trajectory in my own life’

To those who would complain about the state of sex in film and TV, “Fellow Travelers” is the perfect riposte. All of it matters, from Tim’s first flirtation with Hawk to the finale’s closing minutes, because the series, at its core, is about the importance of soft power: the strength required to bend, but not break; to adapt, but not abandon oneself; to survive without shrinking to nothing in the process.And depicting that through sex, specifically gay sex, makes “Fellow Travelers” radical indeed.

Bailey understands that baring so much comes with certain risks. When I tell him that research for the story has filled my algorithmic “For You” feed on X (formerly Twitter) with speculation that his onscreen relationship with Bomer has a real-life element, he notes that “shipping” fictional couples and costars alike has long been part of Hollywood fantasy. But he bristles at the implication that he and Bomer are anything but skilled actors at work.

“I would love for people to know that the success of our chemistry isn’t based on us f—. It’s actually about us leaning into the craft,” he says. “It’s a vulnerable situation to be in, talking about it on record. I don’t want to rob people of their thoughts. But I do have a set of values, and as an artist, you don’t need to be f— to tell that love story.”

Underlying that craft, Bailey adds, is the confidence to speak up, as with one scene in “Fellow Travelers” that was adjusted because he said, “I don’t want to be naked today.” He learned to use his voice the hard way: In his early 20s, he recalls, he was once “bullied” on set when “someone was threatened” by him and vowed to himself, “I’m never going to do that to someone. I’m never going to allow that to happen.”

This impulse to direct his influence in support of others has blossomed further with “Fellow Travelers.” On the day of our interview, Bailey enthuses about an upcoming meeting with legendary gay rights activist Cleve Jones and shares his idea for a docuseries recording the stories of elders in the LGBTQ+ community while they are still here to tell them. He describes lying in a hospital bed on set on World AIDS Day, in character as Tim, surrounded by gay men who had lost friends and lovers during the crisis, and finding himself thinking, “What do I want to leave behind?”

“I think he’s changed my trajectory in my own life,” Bailey says.

This is, perhaps, the most common reaction I know to diving deep into queer history — the understanding that we, like our forerunners, are responsible for shaping the queer future, whether in politics, society or art. No one is going to do it on our behalf.

As we stand on the nondescript corner now named for her, I relate the story of the late queer activist Nancy Valverde, who was arrested repeatedly while a barber school student in the 1950s on suspicion of “masquerading” because of her preference for short hair and men’s clothing, and later successfully challenged her harassment by the police in court.

“What a hero!” Bailey exclaims, wondering at Valverde’s bravery. “The thing that’s so interesting with power battles is, ultimately, identity is the thing that gives you the most strength and power in your life, isn’t it?

“Because that’s one thing people can’t take away from you: who you are and how you express yourself.”

Source

[areacodefan]

The fires out here are so terrible. I'm currently safe from the flames (relative to many others) because I live in an urbanized, flat portion of the San Fernando Valley called North Hollywood. But so many of my friends and family are severely affected.

I know that everyone thinks of places like the LA coast as being the home of only super-rich celebrities, but I can assure you that there are many folks in Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena, and all the affected areas who are not going to be able to recover from this devastation. There are also many businesses, religious institutions, and schools destroyed in those areas and therefore the livelihoods of workers and security of children. This catastrophe is happening all over Los Angeles.

I have at least two friends who lost everything in the Eaton Fire and many more are waiting to find out. I get messages every few hours from friends suddenly getting evacuation orders or trying to figure out if they should just leave before anything gets too close to them. I'm feeling stress and fear for my family, friends, and neighbors. Plus, officials are telling us that EVERYONE should be in some state of preparedness to evacuate, even areas like mine that are usually exempt, because the situation is so unpredictable.

This horrible situation is far from over. It's still very windy, it's smoky, fires are still erupting in places, it's insane. I'm doing everything I can to stay calm and support others, but it's hard. My stomach is in knots and I'm scared for what may still be ahead.

[allegorypaintings]

Philosophy and Christian Art

Artist: Daniel Huntington (American, 1816-1906)

Date: 1868

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Description

Although most of Huntington’s long career was taken up in painting more than one thousand portraits, he also painted landscapes and probably thought of himself as a painter of allegories and ideal subjects. His interest in religious and allegorical painting had been kindled by the Raphaelesque Italian and German ideal subjects he had seen in Rome on his first trip to Europe in 1839. By the 1860s his models were the Venetian artists of the High Renaissance, especially Titian (c. 1488-1576), whose example can be seen in the costumes and figure types depicted in Philosophy and Christian Art. The model or the type of the old man also appears in Huntington’s Sowing the Word, 1868 (New-York Historical Society). The influence of the Venetian school can also be seen in the rounder forms and richer palette of his paintings of this period. Even the half length format seems to echo Venetian examples. The model for the painting to which the young lady gestures, however, appears to be The Adoration of the Shepherds, 1650, by José Ribera (1588-1652) in the Louvre, Paris. The painting is conceived as a conversation between embodiments of opposing, but equally worthy points of view. The wisdom of the aged scholar, reading a book by lamplight, is contrasted with the intuitive perceptions of the young woman who examines a work of art by the daylight signified by the window.

[loneberry]

news

I was offered an incredible position: Assistant Professor of Poetry at Brown University. Now I must make an agonizing decision.

Leave: Los Angeles, USC, and the world of scholarship. A politically solid department with incredible PhD students. The sun. The Pacific Ocean. The kelp forests. My friends. The Museum of Jurassic Technology, which is where my soul longs to reside.

Go to Brown, become a full-time poet, return to my wild and freaky self, get a house with a garden, have total control over my teaching and publications, smaller classes with incredible students, and be at a university that values both aspects of my work (the poetic and the critical). I wouldn't have to worry about tenure. My teaching load would be lower. I would be at an Ivy League school with tons of resources. Plus, some of my closest friends in the world would be only an hour away.

When I consult my soul I must admit: I was put on this planet to write (poetry and lyrical prose), not produce scholarship. That's the truth, though I initially gravitated toward the world of scholarship over the literary arts because I am fundamentally a hardcore nerd who is sometimes frustrated by poets who don't have deep knowledge of political economy, theory, history, religious studies, geopolitics... I like that scholars know shit! I want to discuss ideas, to be a creature of the world, a Marxist!

And yet. And yet.

I will always believe that poetry is the highest form of knowledge production. My nerdiness longs for expression outside the confines of traditional scholarship.

If I leave the scholarly track, there might not be a way back, though I would keep one foot in the scholarly world by seeking a cross-appointment (likely with MCM) and publishing my academic monograph.

This is not a decision I will make lightly.

[aziraphales-library]

do you know of any fics set during the 70s 80s or 90s with a splash of punk!crowley

Here are some for you...

Think We're Alone Now by wonderlandiscrumbling (T)

Crowley has to admit there is an excitement to the punk rock scene in Los Angeles, CA during the 1980s. They love the fights, the loud music, the booze, and the fashion almost as much as they love Aziraphale.

It's the Beginning of a New Age by fluorescentgrey (T)

In August 1970, Aziraphale and Crowley attend one of the Velvet Underground's final shows at Max's Kansas City.

how to pay for my own life too by MostWeakHamlets (T)

"Growing up, Aziraphale knew long skirts and waist-length hair in braids."

Aziraphale is raised in a religious cult that promises its members will all become angels when the rapture comes. He learns all the things a girl should know, but problems quickly begin to form when he attends school on the Outside. He starts doubting that girls his age are actually supposed to know how to deliver babies, mend clothes, and cook dinner for their 10 siblings as he's always been told.

And he highly suspects that he's never been a girl in the first place.

Infernal Harmonies by Aspiring_Eccentric (T)

Rock ‘n’ Roll turned out to be Crowley’s favorite invention of the twentieth century. He may lie and say it’s the internet, but it’s not. He has always been a music fanatic, and it has informed his fashion choices for as long as there has been music. It wasn’t any wonder that the raucous genre of Rock’n’Roll took off after the shock and awe of the Second World War. Make all the arguments for “that’s just the way music was already headed” that you want, Crowley will tell you that wasn’t entirely true. After so much Death, People wanted to Live. Music, after all, has always been one of the greatest ecstasies of sentience. And Crowley is determined to make Rock the most popular music of the century. An unsanctioned bet with his angel certainly has NOTHING to do with it! ...But will he have the guts to collect if he wins?

Finisterre, Sometimes by sheffiesharpe (M)

It begins with a snake, and a garden, obviously. No, not that beginning, and not that snake, and not that garden, either, to be perfectly honest. This beginning, this link, this closed and independent little loop, begins in 1980, as we said, with a snake. [A little bit of punk rock, some interludes across the ages, and what happens immediately after the first day of the rest of their lives, which is something neither of them would ever expect.]

Minor chords in a major key by Sani86 (T)

Azirapahle Felton transfers to St Francis' Academy for his final year of school, stepping into his older brother Gabriel's illustrious shadow with the firm knowledge that he could never measure up. Anthony Crowley is his roommate; he would rather be a musician, but his father has other ideas that he's determined to enforce, and school is as much an escape from his family home as a means to an education. This story tells the tale of the year that they shared a room; a year that would change the trajectory of both their lives forever.

- Mod D

[thepastisalreadywritten]

TODAY IN HISTORY

22 November 1963

John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine, was charged with the murder — shooting from the Texas School Book Depository.

Oswald was then killed two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby.

The Warren Commission concluded in 1964 that Oswald acted alone, but this sparked skepticism and numerous alternative theories about the day arose.

The new administration has promised to release the classified files regarding the assassination, so potentially we’ll know the true story very soon.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy 

(29 May 1917 – 22 November 1963)

22 November 1963

C.S. Lewis passed away at the age of 64 from kidney failure.

He was a scholar at Oxford and Cambridge, known for writing the Chronicles of Narnia and other Christian apologetics.

His death happened on the exact same day as John F. Kennedy's assassination, so he did not receive the attention he deserved.

His works were an incredible blend of imagination and theology, and remain influential in literature and religious thought to this day.

Clive Staples Lewis FBA 

(29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) 

22 November 1963

It turns out that this was an extremely dark day in history in 1963.

Not only did John F. Kennedy's assassination and C.S. Lewis's passing occur, but Aldous Huxley also died at age 69 in Los Angeles from laryngeal cancer.

He’s best known for his 1932 novel Brave New World, which is a dystopian vision of the future.

Aldous Leonard Huxley 

(26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963)

22 November 1718

The notorious pirate Blackbeard, real name Edward Teach, died in a battle off North Carolina's Ocracoke Island.

He fought Lieutenant Robert Maynard in a sea battle and suffered multiple wounds before being killed and beheaded.

Blackbeard's death was a huge victory against piracy in the Atlantic.

He was the embodiment of the Golden Age of Piracy, and remains one of the most iconic and well-known pirates today.

Edward Teach 

(or Thatch; c. 1680 – 22 November 1718)

[beardedmrbean]

When Sara Tasneem started high school, she dreamed of joining the Air Force and attending law school. Living with her mom in Colorado, she participated in JROTC, attended basketball games and had a boyfriend her own age.

But while visiting her dad in Mountain View at age 15, she was forced into an arranged marriage with a man nearly twice her age. Because her father believed she had broken the rules of her strict religious sect by having a boyfriend, she was married without her consent.

Her dad introduced her to the man who had been chosen for her at a coffee shop one morning. By that night, they were married in a spiritual ceremony in a Los Angeles hotel room. Six months later, she was legally married in Nevada.

From the day of her forced wedding, Tasneem said, her life became unrecognizable. She was withdrawn from school. She was forced to become pregnant with her first child at 16. She was taken out of the U.S. to her husband’s home country for six months.

“I was basically handed to this stranger,” Tasneem said. “All of my reproductive rights were taken from me that night, all of my bodily autonomy was taken from me. My entire childhood was taken from me.”

Tasneem, who is now 43 and lives in El Sobrante, was trapped in her marriage until she was 23, when she was finally able to initiate divorce proceedings after eight years and two children. She had to leave her children with their father while she figured out her next steps but was eventually able to get them back.

In California law, there is no age limit to marry. A minor must get the permission of at least one parent or guardian and approval from a judge to obtain a marriage license or domestic partnership.

Now, Tasneem and other survivors of child marriage are drawing attention to a bill in Sacramento that could ban all child marriages in California by setting the minimum marriage age to 18 — a bill that stalled in a committee controlled by a South Bay legislator.

Tasneem is not alone in her experience. California is one of only four U.S. states that does not set a minimum age for marriage, allowing individuals of any age to marry with the permission of a parent and a judge.

AB 2924, which would strike existing legal language that allows provisions for marriage under 18, was introduced by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Orange County, in February.

The bill received opposition from Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Northern California, ACLU California Action and the National Center for Youth Law, which argued that it would drive abusive relationships underground and limit the rights of those under the age of 18 who willingly want to marry.

In April, the bill’s hearing in the judiciary committee was canceled at Petrie-Norris’ request, according to the bill’s legislative history.

However, anti-child-marriage activists blame Assemblymember Ash Kalra, the chair of the judiciary committee, for the bill’s withdrawal, stating that he supported amendments that would gut the bill.

These amendments included banning marriage under the age of 16 but allowing the court petition process for 16- and 17-year-olds and emancipated minors, Petrie-Norris said.

Though she said she believed this would be a “meaningful step” that would have made California’s marriage laws stronger than 37 other states, Petrie-Norris said that she ultimately decided to pause the bill because the survivors she was working with believe there should be no exceptions.

“I have tremendous respect for the lived experience of the survivors and advocates who I was working with on this bill,” Petrie-Norris said. “After considering our options for this legislative session, I decided to pause the bill rather than move forward with a compromise proposal that they do not support.”

Kalra declined an interview request from the Bay Area News Group. ______________________

Was looking for a non paywalled version of this, when I ran across this one

California, a solidly Democratic state, was on track to be the first to pass an absolute ban on marriages for children under 18. But the legislative proposal was met with opposition from liberal organizations like Planned Parenthood, the Children's Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union. The pushback comes out of concerns that imposing an age requirement could set the stage for a slippery slope when it comes to constitutional rights or reproductive choices, specifically that an age requirement could impede a minor's ability to seek an abortion.

Now they worry about slippery slope.

Main article keeps going under the cut, archive link here

No exceptions

A California law passed in 2018 added stricter restrictions for minors to obtain a marriage license or domestic partnership, including separate interviews of the spouses and parents by a judge and family court services to determine if coercion, child abuse or trafficking are a factor, according to its text. The law also implemented a requirement that counties track and report the number of marriages involving minors.

Petrie-Norris’s bill would remove the ability of minors to marry at all, setting the minimum age to 18 with no exceptions. The bill had 20 co-authors across both parties and houses. Petrie-Norris began work on the issue in 2021, she said.

“This was a wildly popular bill,” said Fraidy Reiss, the co-founder of Unchained at Last, which provides direct legal, social and financial services to survivors and those escaping forced marriages and advocates to end child marriage in all 50 states. The organization worked with Petrie-Norris on the bill for more than a year to build a coalition of support, Reiss added.

The U.S. signed onto a United Nations pledge to end child marriage by 2030, but only thirteen states have made marriage under the age of 18 illegal since 2018. According to a 2021 study by Unchained at Last, 300,000 minors were legally married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018.

California’s child marriages

In 2021, more than 8,000 minors in California between 15 and 17 years old reported becoming married during the previous year, according to Unchained at Last’s analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. In 2022, the number increased to more than 9,000, according to Unchained at Last. About 86% of these marriages involved underage girls marrying adult men, according to Unchained at Last’s 2021 study.

California state data collected since 2019 has reported fewer than 15 children marrying each year, according to Unchained at Last. Currently, only marriage certificates that are returned to counties with a court order are required to be counted.

The discrepancy in data is interpreted differently by Unchained at Last and the organizations opposing the bill.

The data collection mandated by the 2018 law regarding child marriage is unfunded, and many counties are not complying, Reiss said, leading to inaccurate data. Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and National Center for Youth Law said in a letter of opposition that they believe that the numbers indicate that minors are marrying in spiritual or extralegal ceremonies instead of through the legal process.

Since Unchained at Last was founded in 2011, “more and more” girls under the age of 18 have been seeking assistance, Reiss said.

“We realized there’s almost nothing we can do for someone who is not yet 18,” Reiss said. “The only thing we can do for them is change the law.”

Girls who get married as children often have worse economic and health outcomes. Child brides are more likely to experience domestic violence and less likely to stay in school, according to UNICEF. Pregnant teenage girls are more likely to have complications during pregnancy and childbirth. There are also negative mental health impacts due to isolation from family and friends.

“Child marriage destroys almost every aspect of a girl’s life,” Reiss said, calling it a “nightmarish legal trap.”

The stalemate at the statehouse

ACLU California Action, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and the National Center for Youth Law wrote a joint letter to Petrie-Norris opposing AB 2924, arguing that a ban on marriage under 18 would drive abusive relationships underground, and limit the rights of minors willingly entering marriages, according to the text.

The three organizations each sent the letter in response to interview requests from the Bay Area News Group.

“We support what we believe are the intentions of the bill, to address the harms of coerced and abusive relationships on young people and protect them from abuse,” the letter reads. “However, we also strongly believe in and support self-determination and bodily autonomy for all people, including young people who are pregnant and/or parenting.”

Petrie-Norris pointed out that the International Planned Parenthood Federation supports legislation setting 18 as the minimum age for marriage.

“Forced child marriage is a practice that strips children of their autonomy, sexual and reproductive freedom, forces them into adulthood prematurely and shields rapists from criminal charges — so I find opponents’ arguments a bit ironic and misplaced — particularly when they have supported the same legislation in other states,” Petrie-Norris said.

The letter cites protections put into place by the 2018 law, including that marriages of minors are screened by a judge and Family Court Services counselor. It also points to California law that considers relationships with a “very young teen” or a “significant” age gap to be child abuse, adding that this should “prevent any such marriage from passing the existing legal test.”

Unchained at Last critiqued the safeguards provided by California law, saying in its “Reality Check” document on child marriage in California that “when an individual is forced to marry, their own parent almost always plays a crucial role in facilitating it.”

Reiss said that allowing abusive parents to marry off their children or allowing children in abusive relationships to marry their abusers provides no benefit to the child.

Tasneem added that a child marrying an adult “in and of itself is abusive because one person is holding power over another.”

The organizations also argue that removing the ability to marry under the age of 18 would have consequences for minors who “willingly enter a marriage,” according to the letter, especially young parents.

“Denying these young people the right to marry — without compelling evidence that it will solve an existing problem — further stigmatizes their circumstances and does not allow them to make health decisions for themselves and their families,” the letter reads.

The opposition letter adds that, because the nationwide right to get an abortion was overturned in Dobbs v. Jackson, it is important to invest “in approaches that expand, not remove, access to care and resources for young people.”

Both Tasneem and Reiss, who spoke about how their own reproductive and bodily rights were taken from them when they were forced into marriage, said that this argument is unfounded and that marriage should be treated as a separate issue from reproductive rights.

Reiss added that 96% of minors who enter into marriage are 16 or 17 years old.

“I’d rather you pass nothing than make it 16 or 17, and then wash your hands and say, ‘Wow, we solved that problem,’ ” Reiss said. “Why would you even bother passing a bill that’s going to help approximately 4% of the people it’s supposed to help?”

The path forward

Tasneem testified about her experience with child marriage in Sacramento in support of AB 2924 and met with Kalra about the bill.

She recalled Kalra being “upset” by her experience with child marriage but said that he told her that she needs to come to the table with Planned Parenthood because they should be on the same side.

“To me, it’s Planned Parenthood that’s standing in the way,” Tasneem said. “I just don’t understand — we really should be on the same side in this situation.”

Tasneem is one of several advocates who has met with Planned Parenthood multiple times about this bill, she said.

“They have kind of seemed to dig their heels in a little bit and made this a little bit more of a political issue versus looking at this as an actual issue that affects children,” Tasneem said.

Petrie-Norris said that the bill will not move forward this year due to the legislative calendar and committee deadlines, but she is “confident that the issue is not going away.”

“I like to believe that there is always an opportunity for compromise,” she said.

Tasneem and other survivors plan to continue to push for change at the statehouse — through legislation and protest. On July 18, Unchained at Last hosted a “chain-in” protest outside Kalra’s San Jose office, dressed in wedding gowns with chains around their wrists, calling attention to the bill and its stall.

“I want to protect the people with the smallest voice in this process, and that’s the minor,” Tasneem said. “Nobody looks out for them — not their parents, not the law, not lawyers, not politicians. Nobody..”

[myfriendtheurbanlegend]

Transcription (digitization?) of this Jim Caviezel interview by Paul Croughton for Arena For Men because I liked it and I would like to be able to read it without my eyeballs falling out.

***

Jim Caviezel is quite unlike any other actor in Hollywood. His voice is quiet, almost whispered, and he has great economy in his movement. His gaze is unblinking, and the pale blue eyes set into his tanned face are cold and watchful. If there is warmth there he doesn’t show it readily. He considers every word, often pausing to find the right inflection to his comments. But that is not remarkable in itself. What makes him unique is his religious fervour. Caviezel is a devout Catholic who peppers his speech with references to Christ, God, and Lucifer. Our discussion encompassed sport, film, sex, school, J-Lo’s breasts, the strange world of Los Angeles and, naturally, religion (naturally because it is hard to see how any conversation with Caviezel would not involve religion, though he insists he never forces his opinions on anyone). During this time, Caviezel smiled twice. He has the gravitas of an elderly statesman visiting a war zone. He’s not a man you could easily imagine leaping onto a sofa and spraying his mates with foaming lager when his team wins the league.

This reservation, and his all-pervasive faith, seem at odds with a life in Hollywood, but it has not got in the way of his steady rise to recognition – while still largely unknown here, Caviezel is on the way to minor stardom in the US. After early parts in My Own Private Idaho and Wyatt Earp, he secured his first major role as the quiet, brooding Private Witt, in Terrence Malic’s war epic The Thin Red Line in 1998. Following that came Frequency with Dennis Quaid and Ang Lee’s Ride With The Devil. Jennifer Lopez was so impressed after watching The Thin Red Line that she insisted on having him play opposite her as the mysterious loner in the romantic drama Angel Eyes in 2001. From that came a part as a heroin addict in Pay It Forward. His first lead role is in Kevin Reynolds’s (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Waterworld) The Count of Monte Cristo, opposite Guy Pearce.

The film received mixed reviews in America but it is an enjoyable if hokey, nineteenth century romp packed with sword fights and intrigue. Caviezel plays Edmond Dantes, a sailor who is deceived and betrayed by his best friend (Pearce) and is left to rot in prison. There he meets and Christ-like fellow inmate (played by Richard Harris) who take him under his wing and, helpfully, hands him a treasure map. When he escapes after 13 years confinement, Dantes recovers the dubloons and, with this fantastic wealth and a nice line in red velvet cloaks, restyles himself as the titular Count. But he’s still consumed with thoughts of revenge and sets about destroying the lives of those who destroyed his. It’s a traditional swashbuckling, romantic adventure. Presumably it’s this Old Testament-style slice of biblical retribution that attracted him in the first place?

“No.” Caviezel says, abruptly. “I look for a good centre, a heart. The swashbuckling, fencing, all that stuff is the means to get something, but the spirit has to be there.” He warms to his theme. “The spirit of truth calls out to Monte Cristo. That’s what I loved about him. He had every right to go after and kill these people who wronged him. But the story is that God will give him justice, but if you don’t accept God’s peace and light, you’ll eventually accept it in the hereafter. Time is passing. Eternity awaits, for all of us.”

It’s a surprisingly emotional response to what is, in all honesty, merely an introductory question to get us acquainted. But more is to come. We talk about why so many films get made that dwell on the dark side of human nature. Are we inherently more interested in wrong-doing? “It’s been that way lately, but it is a lie.” Caviezel says. “Light always pierces darkness. You can do a biology experiment – shut the windows, take a lighter and light the room. Light will always pierce even the darkest areas. Even in hell, even in the Third Reich, light was all around, and eventually it won out.”

It’s not easy speaking with Caviezel. He regularly quotes Scripture and the works of psychospiritual author and Holocaust survivor, Victor Frankl. When he talks his eyes seem to bore into you. His faith comes from his family – he was brought up by staunchly Catholic parents – but his language is that of the born-again believer. It’s hard to tell if he is always like this or whether he is “on” because he’s doing an interview. Either way, he manages to bring most subjects, no matter how seemingly disconnected to religion, back to his beliefs. Unsurprisingly this can make for – at times – rather frustrating conversation.

If Caviezel’s convictions seem over the top here, one can only imagine how they go down in Hollywood. He often makes a stand for his beliefs, admirable refusing to be compromised by his profession. But, ironically, this is an industry where strong religious principles are frowned upon more than something like Robert Downey Jr.’s drink and drug-fuelled path of self destruction. Downey has an illness, Caviezel is making a choice, so their logic goes. Caviezel could find himself becoming “known” among directors and casting agents for his refusal to tow the line. For instance, when filming the more intimate scenes with Jennifer Lopez for Angel Eyes, Caviezel made surprisingly puritanical demands. “The reality is I’m married,” he says, “The only bare breasts that are going to be touching my chest are my wife’s. So it was a simple request to say shoot around it. Jennifer had a top and bottoms on and I said ‘Out of respect for my wife, also respect for you and my faith, this is the line I draw.” He also insisted that a sheet be placed between their bodies. “My job is my job, and my wife is my wife. At the end of my career at least I’ll have this,” he says, tapping his heart with two fingers, “and I’ll have her. That’s what I have to be true to.”

Love interest Dagmara Dominczyk (who played a groupie in Rockstar and engaged in a brief, on-screen sapphic encounter with Jennifer Aniston) was asked to remove her top at the request of the director while filming ….Monte Cristo so it would look like she was naked on screen. Once again Caviezel piped up. “It was more complicated than it had to be,” Dominczyk says diplomatically. “Jim was very nervous. He said ‘I don’t think I’ll be very comfortable with someone’s breasts up against my chest.” Consequently, the finished scene is so tame it’s a little more than two people having a fully clothed cuddle while lying on a beach.

According to Caviezel, his requests weren’t a reflection on the talent in front of him. “Obviously Jennifer and Dagmara are physically beautiful. It wasn’t out of rejection to them.” His speech is punctuated by pauses, and he looks slightly uncomfortable. He spreads his arms wide as he talks and you’re struck by a peculiar thought. With the beard and the long hair he grew for ….Monte Cristo and his quiet, calm demeanour, he is exactly how you imagine Jesus looked .If there are plans for a prequel to the Last Temptation of Christ, Hollywood’s casting agents need to look no further. It’s a rather eerie observation. “I have a hard time, I worry about the message I give to people.” he says. “We live in a culture that treats people like objects. I’ve always been a bit counter-cultural. This business is a gift, but you’re going to be put through tests. It’s not easy.”

Caviezel grew up in Mt. Vernon, Washington, but transferred to a high school in Seattle to further his chances of making the NBA as a basketball player. Even when talking about his school days, Caviezel’s calm rarely cracks. He says he was “awkward” around girls at school, and found it hard to get dates, despite the epitaph in his yearbook that confirms he was voted the ‘boy with the prettiest eyes’. “I never found myself in any clique.” he insists. “I was really involved with playing basketball. School started at 9am, I was in the gym at 6.30am, shooting, dribbling. There was a running joke that if people saw me they’d see me with a basketball.”

At college he was the class mimic, impersonating his coach to the delight of his team-mates. An injury put paid to a sporting future, but he didn’t consider acting until, while watching Demi Moore write around coated in clay in the film Ghost, he felt a physical reaction. Only it wasn’t the same reaction to watching Demi in her prime, and a dirty vest, that most of us experienced. “I went home and I felt this pain.” he says earnestly, tapping his chest. “It was like this portal opening up and I needed to go through it. I went to tell my Dad and he said, “You don’t want to get involved in any of that crap.’ But I eventually went to Los Angeles to try it.”

It’s as wel that he did. At 33, Caviezel has carved out something of a niche, cornering the “dark,intense, brooding loners who are struggling to make sense of their place in society” roles of late (though with dignified self-deprecation he claims he only got the lead in ...Monte Cristo because Jude Law was busy). None of these parts require him to crack gags, though that is just the way his career has gone, rather than a conscious choice to avoid the light stuff. “I did a really good comedy play.” he says wistfully. “A casting director showed up with my manager and, after I got a standing ovation she said “I think he’s really food, there’s no doubt that as a comedic actor he’s got a bright future, but I do not see him as a dramatic actor.’ No joke” He looks up and almost smiles “After that I auditioned for comedies and nearly got them, but when I got The Thin Red Line, it was, “That’s him, that’s what he does.” Another pause, then what sounds like an apology, “I’ve always been very deep.” he says.

As if to prove it, he tells an anecdote which begins, “My manager is a bit of a mystic and she has a really strong relationship with St. Anthony of Padua. He gave her a message saying Jim’s career will change in April, but he needs to pray more.” Theology-minded Arena readers will be ware that St. Anthony of Padua was a learned priest and scholar of the Bible, who, after a short but distinguished career, died at the age of 36, in 1231. The experience of having someone tell you, with no shred of emotion, that their manager talks to a 771-year-old dead cleric is confusing. And when this person is one of the most promising actors in Hollywood, it doesn’t make your response any clearer.

So how does his faith make sense of the events of September 11? “Prayer is the only way to change the world.” he says. “You can’t manufacture love, it does not come from man. Lucifer will tell you it does but it doesn’t. There’s more evil now than ever because there’s less prayer now. Less people have made that a part of their lives.” The death of five thousand people at the hands of a few manic fundamentalists was brought on by a lack of prayer? He considers his words carefully and enunciates every syllable, as if finally aware that he might be on difficult ground. “If you pray, the world prays, people covert, and the Taliban will come to the United States and say, ‘This is a nation of love, of forgiveness and peace, I want that peace that you have.’ That’s where it begins and conversion happens. Prayer can minimize fear. Fear comes from the devil.”

As a parting thought, considering he works in the most vain, image-conscious industry in the world, is he worries about how people might perceive him? “All I can do is live with pride as who I really am.” he says. “It doesn’t matter what people think, it’s what God thinks of me that counts.”

By Paul Croughton for Arena For Men 2002/05

[ninjaturtlecosmo]

Trauma Candy Bowl, IF edition

If you don't know what a Trauma Candy Bowl is, and if you don't have Tiktok and therefore can't look it up, it's basically when a group of friends all come together to share different traumatic events from their lives, and then they dump any candy they have with them in a huge bowl. I think this is how the people in those videos bond over their trauma.

CW: Mention of SA, religious trauma, death, drugging, loss, and mention of 9/11

Cal: My name is Cal, and back in 2016, my kid and I both lost our mom when she died of cancer.... Shortly after, my kid forgot me and I was left alone in an abandoned apartment for a while until Blossom found me and brought me to Memory Lane. I brought mini Butterfingers. *dumps the mini Butterfingers in the candy bowl*

Bubblina: My name is Bubblina, and my kid had a strict religious upbringing, while also going to a Catholic school of their choosing. We both lived under stress all the time that we weren't following God's path and that we'd go to Hell for not believing hard enough, and in a sense our upbringing caused us a lot of anxiety...... I brought Fruit Gushers. *pours Fruit Gushers into the bowl*

Robot: My name is Robot, and most people don't know this, but my kid died during the September 11th attacks. He was in one of the towers when the planes crashed, and he never made it out..... I brought Twix. *pours some Twix bars in the bowl*

Star: My name is Star, and my kid grew up in a abusive household with a mother who was a drug addict and alcoholic. She eventually got away from that hell when her mom was arrested, but years later she died in a bus crash when she and her band were on their way to get signed to a big record label in Los Angeles. I brought Reese's peanut butter cups. *pours the Reese's in the bowl*

Spaceman: My name is Spaceman, and my kid was the drummer in Star's band..... He also died in that crash while their other band mates survived. I brought blow pops. *pours the blow pops into the bowl*

Art Teacher;..... My name is Art Teacher, Art for short, and my kid and I both lived in a very dysfunctional household with parents who just didn't want to understand their own child..... I went to parties with Star back in Illinois to distract myself sometimes from how chaotic things were at home, but at one party, I was drugged and sexually assaulted by someone I trusted.... I ended up blocking out that memory for a long time until that person showed up again and made me feel even more uneasy than I felt on a day to day basis. And..... I brought Swedish Fish. *pours the Swedish Fish into the bowl*

[cruesuffix]

New Mick Interview

As per my last ask on this topic, i’ve now got a bit of proof. decided to just translate the whole thing just because. I’m sorry if anything sounds clunky at parts, I tried my best to get this through a translator and it might sound very strange or just not the best translation of certain parts.

mötley crüe series part 4

Mick Mars - guitarist and rebel!

Mick Mars, guitarist in Mötley Crüe, is the group's big rebel. He looks fierce on stage with his wild eyes and jet-black hair, but deep down he's a nice guy who would never let a friend down. Mick Mars is the lone wolf of Mötley Crüe. Back home in Los Angeles, he is rarely seen out and about these days. He prefers to stay home and play his video games or write music - when he's not getting drunk of course! Mick is the rebel with a capital R, perhaps because he was raised in a strict, religious home where his father's word was law.

"My dad is a priest," Mick tells us when we get the chance to slip away for a moment and talk. “My upbringing was strict with a religious background but I turned my back on it quite early.”

“When I was little, my mother used to play music at home. She liked Elvis Presley and some others that were popular in the fifties. I was influenced and when I was seven I started playing the ukulele - but I tuned it like a guitar!” (*editors note: pretty sure he had one of those toy guitars that was his “first” guitar. he’s never said anything about a ukulele before.)

Mick got his first real guitar when he was nine years old.

“I got it as a gift from my cousin, I remember it cost twelve dollars!”

As long as Mick played for the family, his father didn't mind, but when Mick made it clear to him that he intended to pursue a career as a musician, his attitude changed.

“It was too much for him,” says Mick. “He didn't understand my choice at all and it took a long time before he could accept that his son was playing in a rock band.”

Mick is silent for a moment.

"It has gotten better," he says later.

Especially since his fellow believers started asking him to get autographs for their children. (Editors note: “fellow churchgoers”?? I’m not sure what that word is supposed to be translated to but I’ve gotten believers and co-religionists… so I’m going with believers for now.)

”Now he's even said he likes what I do.”

When he was about four years old the whole family moved to Los Angeles. There he was put in school, but Mick never had any interest in it.

“It was boring going to school... you only got to learn things that you had no practical use for. I already knew then that I wanted to be a musician, so I didn't think it would do me any good to study history, social studies and such subjects. I didn’t care about anything... except my guitar.”

Three Idols

Mick has three guitarists he puts above all others. The first is Jeff Beck, closely followed by Ritchie Blackmore and Michael Schenker.

“I have a dream,” says Mick, “to record an album with Jeff Beck! But he probably thinks I’m a weirdo... although nothing is impossible - except the impossible!”

Before Mick became a medium in Mötley Crüe, he played in top 40 groups. To support himself, he worked during the day. For a while, he worked in a motorcycle shop where he fixed engines. Other times he was a security guard.

"But most of the time I played so much (gigs) that I got food for the day," says Mick. “I only took the other jobs when I was really hungry.” (Editors Note: think he’s saying that he did so many gigs he’d have enough money afterwards for a meal. I do know he’d apparently play like 4-5 hour gigs a night and sometimes needed backup so he’d be able to rest his back for a bit. at least that’s what don dokken had said once!)

Mick now lives in an apartment in Marina del Rey just outside Los Angeles. He has just moved in and he talks vividly about the expansive view of the ocean.

“It’s so beautiful out there,” he says. “Peaceful, ocean as far as the eye can see. I'm sure I'll enjoy it there.”

Loyalty and Honesty

“By the way, I have two friends in Los Angeles, Kenny and Stick. We are deadbeats but we support each other in every situation. When I went to Europe, Kenny took care of my new apartment and I know he will try to get it in order until I get back.” (Editors note: I wanna say crackups instead of deadbeats tbh. I don’t know though so i’ll keep deadbeats.)

“Loyalty and honesty are two things I appreciate in friends, Kenny and Stick are both loyal and honest. I know I can always trust them.” (Editors note: foreshadowing going crazy rn.)

There is no girlfriend in Mick's life right now. He has had a few relationships, but hasn't been able to make them work.

"It's hard when you work in this industry," he says. "We travel so much and you don't get to see each other. My last girlfriend and I didn't see each other for eight months and it's no wonder we drifted apart. It's sad that it happened, I was actually in love with her - but right now the band has to come first, there's no compromise." (Editors note: wonder which gf this was)

Mick falls silent before speaking again.

“I would actually like to get married, he says, to a Swedish girl! They are the most beautiful girls in the world... By the way, I'm moving here. Tommy and I have already talked about it. Although it will take some time…” (Editors Note: haha very funny mick. this portion leads me to believe he wasn’t being very serious about the twenty kids thing.)

"If I get married, it has to be with a girl who has class," Mick continues. “I like pretty girls, but I don't like pretty girls who can't behave.”

“In addition, I demand one hundred percent loyalty, honesty and faithfulness. Cheaters are the worst thing I know!”

Do you want children?

“Twenty! And I hope they will be taller than me…”

Mick likes himself, but there's one thing he doesn't like - his height.

"I want to be taller," he says. "I'm way too short."

“It doesn't even help that I'm wearing heels.”

The average height is a little over 180 centimeters and Mick is "only" 170. (Editors note: 180cm is 5’10”. 170cm is 5’5” to 5’6”. Mick is 5’3” to 5’4”.)

"It's possible to operate on those that are too tall," says Mick. “So then it should be possible to operate on those who are too short! Add an extra piece of bone to each leg…” (editors note: honestly… idk what the fuck he’s talking about here. rip eighties mick, you would have loved leg lengthening surgery!)

Mick describes himself as calm, “if I don’t drink too much,” and the only thing that can really throw him off balance is when someone teases him.

“Then I go crazy and throw things around!”

The future is something Mick doesn't worry about. He wants Mötley Crüe to keep playing for as long as they can.

"The Rolling Stones haven’t stopped," he says. "Why would we?"

The most important things in Mick's life right now are: the band, a good sex life and intelligence. and the three most important words for Mick: “Eat The World!”

With those words we part ways. Mick and the others will soon be back again and then we will see them in their rotten element - in a big, dark concert hall. and that's where they do their best!

/// ok and that’s all! me and my translator have tried our best, but if there are any mistakes or mistranslations pls feel free to correct me!! i know using translator stuff online can be very hit or miss, but tbh most of this makes a lot of sense to me. seems like his dad wasn’t as accepting of his life path like i thought he was. mick always made it seem like his parents were cool with it from the get go. interesting. this whole interview was interesting, but like… mick you’re not gonna have an army of twenty kids who are all taller than you. be happy with the three you got lmaooo!!