#Stone French Terry

[womenofwrestlingfashion]

Contour Corset in Onyx (n/a) & The Sweat Short in Stone French Terry ($128) from Joah Brown with the Re-Edition 2005 Leather Shoulder Bag from Prada ($2,600) and Square SQ40 Camera from Instax ($149.95)

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

The Season 2 Poster Details

From top to bottom :)

This is a Buddy Holly song Everyday which was originally supposed to be the Good Omens theme :)

Neil talks about it in the Introduction to the Script Book: “In the scripts, Buddy Holly’s song ‘Every Day’ runs through the whole like a thread. It was something that Terry had suggested in 1991, and it was there in the edit. Our composer, David Arnold, created several different versions of ‘Every Day’ to run over the end credits. And then he sent us his Good Omens theme, and it was the Good Omens theme. Then Peter Anderson made the most remarkable animated opening credits to the Good Omens theme, and we realised that ‘Every Day’ didn’t really make any sense any longer, and, reluctantly, let it go. It’s here, though. You can hum it.”

And there is also the Buddy Holly Everyday record! :)

Book The Crow Road by Iain Banks. The novel describes Prentice McHoan's preoccupation with death, sex, his relationship with his father, unrequited love, sibling rivalry, a missing uncle, cars, alcohol and other intoxicants, and God, against the background of the Scottish landscape

Book Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. An early and primary event in the story is the abandonment of a passenger ship in distress by its crew, including a young British seaman named Jim. He is publicly censured for this action and the novel follows his later attempts at coming to terms with himself and his past and seeking redemption and acceptance.

Important themes in Lord Jim include the consequences of a single, poor decision, the indifference of the universe, and the inability to know oneself or others.

There is book The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson. Its characters were based on criminals in the employ of real-life surgeon Robert Knox (1791–1862) around the time of the notorious Burke and Hare murders (1828). Neil said: Oddly enough, episode 3 will take us to a little stint of body snatching in the era.

There is Catch-22 book by Joseph Heller that coined the term Catch-22: situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations.

Is there only one hand or are there two? :) EIther 6 ;), or 6:30 :).

Through the window we can see the coffeeshop Give Me Coffe or Give Me Death where Nina works! :)

Azi is wearing his nifty glasses :).

Crowley is wearing his new glasses, they are RIGARDS X UMA WANG - THE STONE ECLIPSE (VINTAGE BLACK/BLACK STONES) - $435

There is the Holy Bible Aziraphale used in Season 1 :)

There seems to be a broken phone :).

The cakes behind Aziraphale are Eccles cakes :).

Azi is reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens published in 1859, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. 

Another book there is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Neil said said that we will learn a lot about Jane Austin we didn’t know before.

And finally the Treasure Island book by - again :) - Robert Louis Stevenson, an adventure novel with pirates.

There are three geckos cuties. Who are they? Pets? Is Ligur haunting the bookshop? Who knows :).

A mysterious pamphlet, 'The Resurrectionists’ leaflet. (unofficial spoiler :)).

Also there is an old camera... mmm 🤔 Did Azi made some photos (of what? Him and Crowley, ducks? :)) Will we see them? :)

Their positions is an homage to the book covers! :)(x)

Will update this as fandom discovers new things! :)❤

[thebirdsandthebats]

Tim’s family thinks he can cook really well.

He didn’t mean for this to go so far. It had been a misunderstanding by a well-meaning Dick the last time he was in Gotham and stopped by the boat to visit. Tim had reheated some leftovers in his fridge from the night before, and Dick’s eyes lit up the moment Tim set the plates down.

“Wow, that looks amazing,” he’d commented. Tim, exhausted from a long patrol and preoccupied with dread of having to wake up early, had merely agreed. Of course Bernard’s cooking looked amazing. He was almost as big on presentation as he was on flavor.

“Yeah. Tastes even better.”

What he didn’t realize was that Dick had assumed he made the food. Which wouldn’t have been a problem if not for the fact that Dick loved to brag on his siblings. The next week, Stephanie stopped by unannounced to visit.

“I can’t believe how much you like it here. In a good way, obviously,” she’d grinned while Tim heated up some of the french onion soup that his boyfriend had made him. Tim laughed as he used a terry cloth to handle the hot bowl, placing it down in front of Steph.

He sat next to her with his own bowl. The random visits were odd. But on the bright side, the need to be a good host was kind of forcing him to eat on a more normal schedule. Two birds, one stone he guessed.

“Yeah. I like the marina a lot,” he blew lightly on his spoonful, the soup still steaming hot. “The atmosphere is so different from anywhere I’ve lived. I think being around the marina folk has been good for me—”

“Ohmygod.”

Tim looked over, startled by the outburst. Steph was staring at her soup with wide eyes. Her hand covered her mouth. Tim’s brows drew close together in confusion. “Are you okay? Did you burn your tongue?”

Steph grabbed his shoulder in a firm grip. “You’ve been holding out on us!” She accused.

“Wh—”

“You’ve been sticking to easy foods when you cook at the manor, but here you have the good stuff!” Tim frowned at her words. The realization was beginning to sink in. Did she think he made the soup? He knew how to cook, but he was nowhere near his boyfriend’s level. Bernard was literally in school to be a chef. He liked to practice his assignments at Tim’s boat, suffering through using his poor excuse for a kitchen all so he could leave Tim with the food when it was finished.

Tim opened his mouth to break the news to Steph, but their phones rang out with the high pitched drone that meant someone needed backup. Stephanie sighed. She lifted the bowl and downed all she could in a few swallows before leaping to her feet. “Job never ends, huh?” She offered Tim a hand up, and he took it without hesitation.

“Nope. Let’s suit up.”

After that night, Tim forgot to correct her. He was busy, and his family getting the wrong idea about his cooking abilities just didn’t make the top of his priority list. Bernard kept cooking when he spent nights over, and family kept dropping by on other nights, somehow never crossing paths. Tim’s neighbors seemed perplexed on how he’d gone from only ever letting his boyfriend in to having company every other night. And Tim just…couldn’t find the right moment to set the record straight.

Everything came to a head in the summer, not too long after Tim’s birthday. He was sprawled out on his couch, head resting in Bernard’s lap as the blonde’s fingers scratched lightly at his scalp. It was the lazy kind of day they didn’t often get to spend together, and Tim was feeling warm and drowsy. That was, until his phone dinged with several text notifications, and he dug it out with a grumble to see who needed him.

stop spamming the gc

Dick: it’s august .. here we go

Steph: birthday month babey!!

Duke: my wallet…

Cass: Dami, Jason, Steph, and Duke all get the bday cake in their contact names :)

Steph: Tim I know you’re lurking. for the birthday month we all want you to bring GOOD FOOD TO THE FUNCTION PLS AND TY

Damian: do not forget my dietary restrictions if you do so.

Steph: you text like you’re 84

Tim groaned and let his phone clatter to the floor. Bernard’s fingers paused in his hair. “Bad news?” He asked, concern painting his voice.

Tim shook his head and scrubbed at his face with his hands. “Not really. It’s just—um. You know how you always leave food here for me?” He tilted his head back to look Bernard in the face, and his breath caught for a moment when he saw that his boyfriend was already looking down at him.

He snickered at Tim’s expression. “Yeah? Do you need more?” He asked. Tim was baffled by the question. His fridge hadn’t been empty in ages, and even with his frequent guests, Bernard made such large portions that it took him days to finish a dish. He had more than enough.

“No, it isn’t that. My family…” he hesitated, wondering how dumb this was going to sound. But Bernard was waiting, watching him expectantly, and these days he’d started filling in the gaps himself whenever Tim’s words trailed off thoughtfully. If he didn’t finish speaking quickly, Bernard would have an entirely new problem invented.

“…um, they think I can cook.”

Bernard burst out laughing.

Tim’s face burned pink. “Wh—hey,” he complained at the reaction. “I know how to cook, why are you laughing?”

Bernard wiped the corner of his eye, giggling like a maniac. “Sorry, sorry! You said that like you were coming out to me, and also I’ve seen you sauté,” he managed, and Tim rolled his eyes at the memory. He had sautéed just fine…mostly.

When Bernard was finished laughing at him and had caught his breath again, Tim explained his situation and showed him the texts. He raised an eyebrow. “Jeez. Four August birthdays? And they expect you to cook for all of them?”

Tim sighed. “Yeah. I could just tell them they’ve got the wrong guy, but now it’s birthday month and we’ve gotta plan quick.” It was actually a very rare occurrence that they got together for every birthday in August. Their schedules were so unpredictable. But all 4 was the goal.

Bernard chewed his lip in consideration. “Okay. What if…you give me a list of each of their favorite foods and any restrictions, and I’ll make the food.” He proposed. Tim sat up, turning to face the blonde fully now.

That was way too much work for somebody already cooking for assignments. Plus, Tim didn’t want to pretend he was the one cooking anymore. He said as much to Bernard, who refused to look fazed.

“First off, I can cook 4 meals in my free time. Easy. And second off, I guess you’ll just have to bring me with you to clear up any misunderstandings,” he grinned.

Tim perked up instantly. That was…a perfect solution, actually. Everything would be cleared up, he wouldn’t have to show up without what was expected of him, and the best part, he’d get to bring Bernard with him. He’d been itching to start working his boyfriend into more of his family’s meetups because it was looking like their relationship was pretty serious. He wanted to be able to bring him to their holidays, parties, and dinners. This was a perfect opportunity to start.

He leaned in and kissed Bernard’s cheek. It would never cease to amuse him how a real kiss on the lips was nothing to his boyfriend, but Tim kissing his face always had him turning red.

“Oh.” Bernard touched his face. “You have a crush on me or something?” He teased weakly, and Tim laughed as he settled back down on the couch, his head resting in Bernard’s lap as his fingers found his hair again.

A week later, Tim showed up to the manor with Bernard following close behind, a pan of vegan chili noodles in his arms. Dick opened the door. He beamed once he saw Tim.

“Hey! C’mon, everyone is already inside, so if you brought the food you can…” he trailed off as he finally spotted Bernard behind Tim, who was fighting to keep a straight face. He blinked. “Oh, is this…?”

Bernard carefully balanced the dish in one hand and stretched out the other in greeting. “I’m the chef.” He said with barely contained glee.

The realization seemed to hit Dick all once. His mouth parted in surprise. He glanced back and forth between Tim and Bernard. Finally, he shook his head in disbelief. “You know, this actually makes…so much more sense. Sorry, Tim.”

“Wh—excuse me, what’s that supposed to mean?”

[rhapsodynew]

#everything you need to know about rock

David Gilmour. (part 1)

Wild Jokers: A Career before Pink Floyd

David Jon Gilmour was born on March 6, 1946 in Cambridge, England. His parents encouraged his interest in music and in '54 he acquired the single 'Rock Around the Clock' by Bill Haley [Bill Haley and The Comets].

David: "I'm not sure if 'Rock Around the Clock' was the first record I bought, but it was definitely one of the first."

'Heartbreak Hotel' and 'Jailhouse Rock' Elvis [Elvis Presley] and 'Bye Bye Love' The Everly Brothers drew his attention to the guitar.

David: "I liked the Everleys. When I was 13, I borrowed a Tatay Spanish guitar with nylon strings from a guy next door. They gave it to him, but he had no hearing, and he didn't need it. I never got it back." I started playing, and my parents were delighted. We had a musical family — my parents sang, my brother played the flute and my sister played the violin. They bought me a Pete Seeger Teaches Guitar tutorial with a set of records for it."

Rado Bob Klose, future member of The Tea Set, an early incarnation of Pink Floyd]:

"We listened to Radio Luxembourg. Let's hear a song and think, 'How do I play it?'. I remember David playing 'Walk Don't Run' The Ventures, as soon as I heard it."

David also liked Leadbelly], Sony Terry], Brownie McGhee], Howlin' Wolf], Hank Marvin, lead guitarist of The Shadows], and later, he discovered Bob Dylan], whose record his parents brought from America.

David: "I was interested in a wide range — from blues to folk and pop music. Hank Marvin with elements of Dylan Leonard Cohen] and Leonard Bernstein]. Also Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie]."

At the age of 11, David met Roger 'Syd' Barrett, the future guitarist/vocalist of Pink Floyd and Roger Waters, the future bassist/vocalist of Pink Floyd, who went to school next door.

Rosemary Breen, Sid's sister]: "In '61, Clive Welham, the future drummer of Jokers Wild] brought Gilmore to a jam session at Sid's house. They played 'Twenty Flight Rock' Eddie Cochran] and immediately became friends. David came to us often, he and his brother had a lot in common. He was quiet, shy, laconic, but very charming."

In '63, he began studying modern languages at the College of Arts and Technology. He did not complete the course, but learned to speak French fluently. He and Barrett, who studied there, played guitars and harmonicas between lectures.

David: "We played Bo Diddley and 'Come On' The Rolling Stones, The Beatles songs, various blues. We could also play The Shadows instrumentals like 'Apache' for hours."

Stephen Pyle, Gilmore's classmate]: "I've never seen him without a guitar."

At the end of '62, Gilmore became a member of the local band The Ramblers, which included John Gordon, rhythm guitarist] and Clive Welham.

Clive: "We were a semi-professional band, but David was just amazing. A year before that, he didn't play so well, but he worked a lot on technique."

Rick Wills, bassist, future member of Jokers Wild; later worked with Peter Frampton], Roxy Music, Small Faces, David Gilmour, Foreigner and Bad Company, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Jones Gang, etc.:

"I often met Dave at the music store. Sometimes we wouldn't leave without playing all the guitars that were there. But Dave sometimes seemed arrogant to me. He had this expression on his face: 'I know everything.'"

At the same time, Gilmore was performing with another local band, The Newcomers (July -October '63).

Ken Waterson, vocalist of The Newcomers:

"David had a beat—up Burns guitar and a lousy amp, but even then one thing was clear - he was good."

Gilmore's next band was Jokers Wild * in '64 with Dave Altham vocalist, keyboardist, guitarist and saxophonist], John 'Willie' Wilson, drummer, later worked with Syd Barrett, Al Stewart], Cochise, Quiver, the Sutherland Brothers, David Gilmore, Pink Floyd, etc], Tony Sainty, bassist], who was sometimes replaced by either Rick Wills or David's brother, Peter Gilmour].

Dave Oltham: "We were told about this guy, and we went to see him in a pub on Newmarket Road. The band was about nothing at all, but he played well. I would say emphatically. We asked him to play with us and he agreed."

Their strong point was the vocal harmonies of all five members.

David: "We were quite popular because we played modern dance music, which is what people wanted to hear back then."

Clive: "Wilson Pickett's hit] 'The Midnight Hour' ('65) was his best vocal number and David played a brilliant solo in it on his fiery Hofner Club 60 flame timber] The girls were delighted."

Dave Oltham: "David could listen to a song four or five times and then play it, note by note."

In August '65, Gilmore and Barrett played 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away' and 'Help' The Beatles on acoustic guitars on the streets of Saint Tropez.

David: "I hitchhiked to the south of France, and Sid came with a friend ** in his Land Rover. I joined them at the campsite where they lived. I remember we went to play in Saint Tropez one day, for fun, and we were arrested for playing without permission. They were released on the promise to get out of the city immediately. We had a great time."

Around the same time, both Gilmore and Barrett, in Cambridge, first tried LSD, hashish and 'magic' mushrooms. David hadn't even smoked marijuana before.

David: "It was a very deep experience."

There was not enough money and Gilmore then took on any job; he delivered wine, sold hot dogs, shipped sheet iron and even worked a couple of times as a model for Varsity magazine.

John Gordon: "Dave always looked more sophisticated than Sid [Barrett]. He looked like a college student from America; white Levi's and all that. The girls liked him."

Christine Smith, at that time a 17-year-old fan of Jokers Wild]: "All the girls were crazy about him. We called him Adonis." ***

In '65, Jokers Wild self-financed the recording of their only album and single 'Don't Ask Me (What I Say)'/'Why Do Fools Fall in Love'. 50 copies of the single and 50 copies of the album were printed. ****

David: "We recorded covers from our live set."

1. Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Frankie Lymon/Herman Santiago/ Jimmy Merchant) 1:51 (hit by American band Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers '56; cover based on the Beach Boys'64 version)

2. Walk Like a Man (Bob Crewe/Bob Gaudio) 2:14 (hit by the American band The Four Seasons '63)

3. Don't Ask Me (What I Say) (Paul Jones) 2:55 (song from the album by the British band Manfred Mann 'The Five Faces of Manfred Mann' '64)

4. Big Girls Don't Cry (Bob Crewe/Bob Gaudio) 2:19 (hit The Four Seasons '62)

5. Beautiful Delilah (Chuck Berry) 2:03 (Chuck Berry song '58; cover based on The Kinks'64 version)

"It was an act of vanity. We went to London and recorded 5 songs at the Regent Sound Studio on Denmark Street, without having the slightest idea what we were doing. We had fans in Cambridge and then we sold them to them. I still have a master tape lying around somewhere."

The band's popularity on the local scene grew, they opened concerts by Animals and Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, The Paramounts (an early incarnation of Procol Harum, performed and jammed with Paul Simon and The Tea Set, later known as Pink Floyd. Some sources claim that at some stage Dick Parry also played in the band [Dick Parry, saxophonist who later worked with Pink Floyd, The Who, Quiver, Paice Ashton Lord, David Gilmore, etc.)

To be continued...

From books: Comfortably Numb the Inside Story of Pink Floyd by Mark Blake, Da Capo Press, 2008; Pink Floyd: The Early Years by Barry Miles, Omnibus Press, 2011 interviews with Gilmore, Oltham, Brin and Wills]

[thisisyourdriverspeaking]

Another day calls for another edition of US motorsport number twos posts. Featuring some absolute classic tunes 👌. Enjoy 😊😊

Sebastien Loeb (26th February 1974) - Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun

Tony Kanaan (31st December 1974) - Elton John - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

Juan Pablo Montoya (20th September 1975) - Glen Campbell - Rhinestone Cowboy

Mark Webber (27th August 1976) - Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing

Kimi Raikkonen (17th October 1979) - Herb Alpert - Rise

Jenson Button (19th January 1980) - Captain & Tennille - Do That To Me One More Time

Felipe Massa (25th April 1981) - Sheena Easton - Morning Train (Nine To Five)

Heikki Kovalainen (19th October 1981) - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie - Endless Love

Andre Lotterer (19th November 1981) - The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up

Pippa Mann (11th August 1983) - Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)

Simon Pagenaud (18th May 1984) - Phil Collins - Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)

Robert Kubica (7th December 1984) - Daryl Hall & John Oates - Out Of Touch

Nico Rosberg (27th June 1985) - Phil Collins - Sussudio

Jerome D'Ambrosio (27th December 1985) - Mr Mister - Broken Wings

Rahel Frey (23rd February 1986) - Mr Mister - Kyrie

Kamui Kobayashi (13th September 1986) - Lionel Richie - Dancing On The Ceiling

Rene Rast (26th October 1986) - Tina Turner - Typical Male

James Hinchcliffe (5th December 1986) - The Human League - Human

Oliver Turvey (1st April 1987) - Starship - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

Sebastian Vettel (3rd July 1987) - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam - Head To Toe

Alexander Sims (15th March 1988) - George Michael - Father Figure

Molly Taylor (6th May 1988) - Terrence Trent D'Arby - Wishing Well

Simona De Silvestro (1st September 1988) - Elton John - I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That

Sarah Bovy (15th May 1989) - Madonna - Like A Prayer

James Calado (13th June 1989) - New Kids On The Block - I'll Be Loving You (Forever)

Brendon Hartley (10th November 1989) - New Kids On The Block - Cover Girl

Earl Bamber (9th July 1990) - Roxette - It Must Have Been Love

Cristina Gutierrez (24th July 1991) - Paula Abdul - Rush Rush

Abbie Eaton (2nd January 1992) - Boyz II Men - It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday

Timmy Hansen (21st May 1992) - En Vogue - My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)

Daniel Abt (3rd December 1992) - The Heights - How Do You Talk To An Angel

Alice Powell (26th January 1993) - Shai - If I Ever Fall In Love

Tatiana Calderon (10th March 1993) - Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You

Christine GZ (22nd July 1993) & Alex Lynn (17th September 1993) - UB40 - Can't Help Falling In Love

Bubba Wallace (8th October 1993) - SWV - Right Here (Human Nature)

Michelle Gatting (31st December 1993) - Janet Jackson - Again

Naomi Schiff (18th May 1994) - Prince - The Most Beautiful Girl In The World

Jessica Hawkins (16th February 1995) - Boyz II Men - On Bended Knee

Luca Ghiotto (24th February 1995) - Madonna - Take A Bow

Beitske Visser (10th March 1995) - TLC - Creep

Nicholas Latifi (29th June 1995) - Nicki French - Total Eclipse Of The Heart

Jack Aitken (23rd September 1995) - Michael Jackson - You Are Not Alone

Oliver Askew (12th December 1996) - BlackStreet ft Dr Dre - No Diggity

Louis Deletraz (22nd April 1997) - Jewel - Foolish Games

Catie Munnings (15th November 1997) - Usher - You Make Me Wanna...

Cem Bolukbasi (9th February 1998) - Usher - Nice & Slow

Jamie Chadwick (20th May 1998) - Mariah Carey - My All

Kevin Hansen (28th May 1998) - Next - Too Close

Mick Schumacher (22nd March 1999) - Whitney Houston ft Faith Evans & Kelly Price - Heartbreak Hotel

Toni Breidinger (14th July 1999) & Max Fewtrell (29th July 1999) - Destiny's Child - Bills Bills Bills

Robert Shwartzman (16th September 1999) - TLC - Unpretty

Bent Viscaal (18th September 1999) - Enrique Iglesias - Bailamos

Felipe Drugovich (23rd May 2000) - Faith Hill - Breathe

Marta Garcia (9th August 2000) - Sisqo - Incomplete

Arthur Leclerc (14th October 2000) - Madonna - Music

Sophia Florsch (1st December 2000) - Creed - With Arms Wide Open

Clement Novalak (23rd December 2000) - Shaggy ft Rikrok - It Wasn't Me

Frederik Vesti (13th January 2002) - Usher - U Got It Bad

Luke Browning (31st January 2002) - Ja Rule ft Ashanti - Always On Time

Liam Lawson (11th February 2002) - Nickelback - How You Remind Me

Olli Caldwell (11th June 2002) - Fat Joe ft Ashanti - What's Luv?

Jack Doohan (20th January 2003) - Missy Elliott - Work It

All added to this playlist 😊

[desdemonafictional]

hello! im in love with the way you write - dark and twisty but oh so lovely. i love how you put so many intertextual allusions too - do you have any reccs (literature, poetry, song, fanfic anything really)?

This is such a compliment and also a cool assignment. Let me see. What are some things I can share…

This art ^

Cyrano de Bergerac (1990 French film). If you’ve never seen it, it’s a beautifully costumed rendition of my favorite tragedy. I’m not usually much for tragedy but this one really satisfies me. The English subtitle translation renders the poetry parts well.

“Windmills of your Mind” A song

freshly turned soil by the hydrangea bush, by s.s.

A video essay about a play through of a video game about a book about a house

“Su Prabhat”, a violin piece

With some caveats about violence and mental illness in media, I usually recommend both the Fight Club movie and book. The book especially has a kind of disjointed but evocative prose I think really holds up to analysis.

If you’ve never read it before, I also recommend “Small Gods” by Terry Pratchett. Wonderful mix of comedy and philosophy. Influenced me a lot, in kind of the opposite way that Voltaire’s “Candide” influenced me a lot

Also “The Goblin Emperor” (abused & exiled prince learning how to be king) and its sequels which aren’t really sequels but ARE fantasy world consulting detective genre. These are really not anything like my style, I just like them. 

I hesitate to recommend fanfic because it relies so much on prior context; and if it doesn’t, then when you get into the fandom you’ll realize belatedly that it really isn’t reflective of the source material at all. That said, here are a couple that moved me:

“Excerpts of a 123-year love letter from Gotham to London, (ongoing).” Yes, they mean the cities themselves

Total au, time period setting and even gender. Professional wrestling, lesbians, and misunderstandings.

The existential horror of being caught in a franchise where you are the antagonist (and you will do it forever). The existential horror of being in love (it will take all of you).

An AU where the doctor character who is always on the good guys side takes the other path and joins the franchise bad guys, The Decepticons. Only, in the very beginning of a revolution, all that good and bad stuff isn’t yet set in stone.

[jonesbrianshining]

Brian Jones in 1964

© Terry O´Neill

"... Three weeks before his death he came to Paris and we had dinner together. I felt sick. He wasn´t invited to rehearsals and at that time he was only interested in Arabic music and didn´t agree waith the rest of the band. I remember how he could sing "I can´t get no satisfaction" all night, parodying Mick - and you could feel that there was a real hatred there. He felt out of place on stage, he wasn´t happy in the band, he was never asked if he liked of the songs, and it annoyed him because after all he was the one who created the band. I think he thought the Stones´ music was vulgar. He wasn´t like them, a provocateur, a violent man, a bully. The whole image of the Stones didn´t suit him at all. He was too "different" to stand up. And when they told me: "Brian´s dead" - I laughed. "That´s right" I said. - Zouzou about Brian -

Second part of an interview for the French edition of the magazine "Rock&Folk" - via beatles.ru

[cozza-frenzy]

The Alters Of The Magbox

Last updated September 13th 2024 - Total Headcount is 21 This post is mainly just for reference, but feel free to take a look if you've not met all of us yet, or are just curious.

Terry [Last Name Redacted] Pronouns: They/Them (Neos: Toon, Fin, Star) Species: Beyonder Theme Song: Paradise Fears - Battle Scars Likes: Seafood, raw fruits and vegetables, hot sauce, shirts that look like bowling alley carpet, electronic music, their partners (Lito, Chaos in-system, and Sigyn of The Panopticon) Dislikes: Liver, cold and damp weather, getting "front stuck", people who take jokes too far System Roles: Host, Conflict Resolution, System Management, Skill Holder (Music Theory) Tag: #Shit Terry Says

Chaos Loony Whackadoo Danger Crimefighter Gadget Stortion Pronouns: It/Its (Neos: Twist, Spin) Species: Cartoon / Avatar Of The Spiral Theme Song: Pink Floyd - Brain Damage Likes: Strawberries, rave music, dad jokes, causing problems on purpose, its adopted kid (Andy), its partners (Lito, Terry in-system, and Len of The Panopticon) Dislikes: Silence, green vegetables, causing problems by accident, other alters bum-rushing the front System Roles: Gatekeeper, Caregiver, Protector Tag: #Spiral Posting

Taffy Brewer Pronouns: They/Them, (Neos: Xe/Xer/Xem, Star) Species: Monster (Object Head) Theme Song: Peter Gabriel - Down To Earth Likes: Vegetarian curry, walking outside, plants and animals, stargazing, their partner (Roy in-system), stars adopted kid (Salvador) Dislikes: Meat, heavy rain, crowds, sudden loud noises System Roles: Self-Care, Exercise, Trauma Holder Tag: #To The Stars

(Art by our Partner System, @rinjak3 !) Martin Blackwood Pronouns: He/They Species: Beastkin (Cat-Dragon) Theme Song: Sleeping At Last - North Likes: Comfort food, tea and biscuits, pop music, drag shows, their partners (Jon Sims and Jonny D'ville of The Panopticon) Dislikes: Body shaming, the smell of cigarettes, foggy days, insects System Roles: Caregiver, Grief Holder, Emotional Regulator Tag: #Tea And Sympathy

Vivien Blackwood Pronouns: They/It (Neos: Paint/Paints) Species: Cartoon (Ragdoll) Theme Song: The Rolling Stones - She's A Rainbow Likes: Mint hot chocolate, authentic ramen, video games, animated movies & shows, making and appreciating art Dislikes: Physical contact without consent, cold and foggy weather, AI-generated images, "cringe culture", overly spicy food System Roles: Skill Holder (Visual Arts), Inner World Architect, Symptom Holder (Major Depression, Eating Disorder) Tag: #Beyond The Shadows

Andy Stortion Pronouns: He/She/They (Genderfluid) Species: Beastkin (Cat) Theme Song: Madness - Baggy Trousers Likes: Ice cream, french fries with ketchup, stickers, colored pencils, board games, asking questions, their in-system family Dislikes: Raised voices, being ignored, people in mascot suits System Roles: Trauma Holder Tag: (None yet - Andy is underage in-system, and doesn't browse tumblr without supervision)

Dr. Roy Boss Pronouns: He/It (Neos: Dark) Species: Cartoon (Supervillain) Theme Song: Guns N' Roses - Welcome To The Jungle Likes: Dark chocolate, BBQ Ribs, thunderstorms, heavy music, mad science, his partner (Taffy in-system), his best friend (Dagwood) Dislikes: Being told what to do, bright lights, unfairness and injustice, feeling helpless System Roles: Anger Holder, RSD Holder, Medical Advocate, In-System Medical Care Tag: #Boom Baby Boom

Dagwood Hero Sandwich Pronouns: He/It Species: Cartoon (Object Head) Theme Song: Morcambe And Wise - Bring Me Sunshine Likes: Ice-cream sundaes, egg salad sandwiches, veggie dogs, making people laugh, story books, his adopted kid (Salvador), its best friend (Roy) Dislikes: Jokes that "punch down", violent media, overly spicy food, swearing (for himself - he doesn't mind if others do) System Role(s): Mood Booster, Memory Keeper, System Management, Caregiver Tag: #Bring Me Sunshine

Salvador Sandwich Pronouns: He/They Species: Cartoon (Jackson's Chameleon) Theme Song: Supertramp - The Logical Song Likes: Songs by Supertramp, prog house music, spaghetti and meatballs, fish and chips, books, Grundo's Cafe (an old-school Neopets clone) Dislikes: Being touched without consent, being talked down to, being reminded of mistakes System Role(s): Trauma & Stress Holder, Knowledge Holder Tag: (None yet - Salvador is underage in system, and doesn't browse tumblr without supervision)

Jenova Destati Pronouns: It/She Species: Divine Beast Theme Song: Porter Robinson - Something Comforting Likes: Salads, berries, hiyashi chuka (Japanese cold noodle dish), music by Porter Robinson, peace and quiet Dislikes: Crowds, loud music System Role(s): Pain Management, Stress Management Tag: (None Yet)

Jeremy Hillary Nowhere (Currently Dormant) Pronouns: Any/All Species: Anthro (Honey Badger) Theme Song: The Beatles - Nowhere Man Likes: Nu Disco, turkey sandwiches, food in general, museums, debating, libraries Dislikes: Being touched without asking first, cruelty and discrimination towards persecutors System Role(s): Knowledge Holder, Former Persecutor Tag: #Framedrag

Mayhem Rossi Pronouns: Any/All (Neos: That Bastard [Yes, really! - Terry] ) Species: Anthro (Holland Lop Rabbit) Theme Song: The Prodigy - Fuel My Fire Likes: Apples, roasted pumpkin, baked potatoes, cold days, walking at night, cars & motorcycles Dislikes: People who threaten the system System Role(s): Physical Protector, Caregiver (Big Sibling to Terry and the younger alters in system) Tag: #Turn Out The Lights

Velocity Raptor Pronouns: She/They Species: Anthro (Wolf-Dragon) Theme Song: Pendulum - Hold Your Colour Likes: Video games, speedrunning competitions, pizza, rock music, drum & bass, mascot horror games Dislikes: Being talked down to, being ignored, going to bed early System Role(s): Trauma Holder Tag: #Gotta Post Fast

Raine Evenstar Pronouns: They/She Species: Demon (Nightmare) Theme Song: Radiohead - Idioteque Likes: Cooking, baking, gardening, heavy metal music Dislikes: Being hungry, feeling financially insecure System Role(s): Trauma Holder, Financial/Resource Anxiety Holder, Reaper (ends relationships and connections that are harmful to the system) Tag: #Where Hope Grows

(Art by our friend @cosmicpixel01 !) Bitter Aster Pronouns: He/They Species: Monster (Object Head Hybrid) Theme Song: Les Friction - Who Will Save You Now? Likes: Coffee, cinnamon buns, dark chocolate, snowy days, home-cooked meals, rhythm games Dislikes: Judgemental people, violence, starbucks coffee in particular System Roles: Motivator, Chores & Self-Care, Life Protector (removes urge to self-harm), Mental Health Regulator (removes intrusive thoughts and prevents spiraling) Tag: #Dust Before Decaf

(Art by our friend @cosmicpixel01, edit by @that-one-bone-anon ) Papyrus Aster Pronouns: He/They Species: Monster (Skeleton/Alligator Beastman Hybrid) Theme Song: They Might Be Giants - Cyclops Rock Likes: Chicken Wings, BBQ Ribs, sleeping in on weekends, coffee with sugar & cream, chewy stim toys, playing guitar Dislikes: Being called "lazy", being compared to his "original" source System Roles: Symptom Holder (executive dysfunction), Trauma Holder Tag: (None Yet)

Trillian Bongarten Pronouns: She/They/It/Glitch Species: Anthro (Fennec Fox Cyborg) Theme Song: Coldplay - Fix You Likes: Video games, special effects, sci-fi, the paranormal, mysteries and thrillers, Gravity Falls, their dad (Roy) Dislikes: Being yelled at, being pushed to reveal details of trauma, feeling like she's being watched System Roles: Trauma Holder, In-System Communications Tag: #Smack My Glitch Up

Legion Pronouns: They/It Species: Gestalt Entity Theme Song: The Queenstons - Quiet Man Likes: Unknown Dislikes: Being "used" by others, making decisions, drugs System Roles: Trauma Holder, Fusion Coordinator, Symptom Holder(?) (Identity Issues) Tag: (None Yet)

Morpheus Pronouns: He/They/It Species: Demon (Nightmare Prince) Theme Song: Eiffel 65 - King Of Lullaby Likes: Sleeping, creating dreams, fresh fruit, desserts of all kinds Dislikes: Feeling tired, having too much caffeine, bright lights System Roles: Self-Care, Dream Management Tag: (None Yet)

Exxel "Exi" Pallett Pronouns: They/Them Species: Cartoon (Human) Theme Song: Coldplay - Talk Likes: Pizza, writing fanfic, books, bright colors, movies, taking naps Dislikes: Being left alone, being used or manipulated by others System Roles: Trauma Holder, Skill Holder (Creative Writing) Tag: (None Yet)

Earl "Chip" Chandelier Pronouns: He/Him Species: Monster (Object Head Hybrid) Theme Song: Tamer - Beautiful Crime Likes: Chinese food, plain donuts, keeping up with current events Dislikes: Logging his presence at front, drawing attention to himself System Roles: Paranoia Holder Tag: (None Yet)

Dr. Caddy "Cupcake" Brewer Pronouns: He/Him Species: Monster (Object Head Hybrid) Theme Song: Tamer - Beautiful Crime Likes: Cinnamon rolls, museum visits Dislikes: Fights and arguments System Roles: Knowledge Holder (World History, Art History, Science) Tag: (None Yet)

Gadget Quantum Stortion Pronouns: They/Them Species: Metahuman Theme Song: Tamer - Beautiful Crime Likes: Science, technology, sci-fi Dislikes: Being left alone System Roles: Trauma Holder, Skill Holder (Maths) Tag: (None Yet)

Susan Sto Helit Pronouns: She/Her Species: Supernatural Human Theme Song: Life On Venus - For The Kill Likes: Unknown Dislikes: Unknown System Roles: Life Protector (removes suicidal ideation) Tag: (None Yet)

Tim Stoker Pronouns: He/Him Species: Beastkin (Phoenix) Theme Song: Foo Fighters - Learn To Fly Likes: Alternative Rock, home-made meals Dislikes: People talking about him behind his back System Roles: Trauma Holder, Motivator Tag: (None Yet)

"Thirteen" (Real name & face withheld) Pronouns: He/She Species: Beastkin (Nine-Tailed Fox) Theme Song: Hozier - Too Sweet Likes: Social events, fine dining, "Dad Rock", her partners (Roses in-system, Archivist Grian of The Panopticon), dishes with lots of garlic Dislikes: Alcohol, rainy days, gambling System Role(s): Inner World Architect, Trauma Holder, Life Protector Tag: #Unlucky For Some

"Roses" (Real name & face withheld) Pronouns: Any/All including It/Its (Genderfluid - best to ask!) Species: Beastkin (Honey Bee) Theme Song: Essenger - Get Your Wish Likes: Karaoke, social events, cooking, sweet potatoes, bees, their partner (Thirteen in-system) Dislikes: Alcohol, loud and grating noises, being outside after sunset System Role(s): Social Advocate, Trauma Holder, Misophonia Holder, Gatekeeper Tag: #Restless Nights

Zilly (In-System Pet) Pronouns: She/Her Species: Critter Theme Song: Sigur Ros - Olsen Olsen Likes: Sitting on people's laps, playing fetch, rolling around on the floor, her blanket, hoarding her toys Dislikes: Bees, being backed into a corner, being grabbed or handled roughly System Role(s): Emotional Support Animal, Trauma Holder, Fear Holder Tag: (None - Zilly isn't fully sapient and acts like an animal, not a person. If this ever changes, we'll update her profile accordingly)

[disappointingcabbage]

TDP season 7 episode 3 live reaction under the cut, beware of the possibility of spoilers for anything and everything in this episode and the episodes before it and proceed with caution

Oh shit it’s time for the Lux Aurea traitors to face judgement

Thank you Janai for properly demonstrating how to deal with this type of shit, unlike Ezran.

lmao French accent chanting

Janai not forgiving Karim is understandable but also I fear it may piss off all the people she literally just pardoned for treason

Ezran please stop becoming a secondary villain for like five seconds aaravos is already back we don’t need more adversity

You’re creating way too many season 1 parallels (making Callum say the “the right thing, I hope” line from last episode, sending corvus after Callum and Rayla or at least trying to)

Oh fuck no he did not just snap at zym

Weird gravity tree!!

Thank you, Aanya. No more revenge quest.

Miyana being pregnant with Karim’s kid was not on my season 7 bingo card be here we are I guess

Oh shit that baby is technically in line for the throne? Maybe? Idk if that still counts bc Karim did betray Lux Aurea but still

Oh wow the sky is very gay

Aaravos why did you just full government name Terry?

New lore drop!!

oh :( the magic on the human half of the continent was wiped out by greedy mage warlords

That explains the unicorns’ extinction

“Magic all but disappeared from the West” is this a critique of western imperialism because it sure sounds like it and I am so here for it

Duren has one of the last magical spaces in the western half of the continent? Neat.

I’m not entirely sure that telling Ez about it is the greatest idea while he’s still being all pissy though

I’m sorry the garden of innocents is a unicorn graveyard? Oof that’s brutal

Whoa reanimated skeleton unicorn

Is aaravos trying to be manipulative or does Claudia actually remind him of Leola?

I am just now processing the fact that every primal stone we’ve seen has been at least partially made of unicorn bones

It’s fitting that Karim needs to relinquish his name for amnesty

Of course he fucking refused. Why wouldn’t he.

Ah. Eternal night. That’s why bringing back the dead is bad.

Terry’s smart for not telling the others he overheard that

Oh shit Aanya’s got Zelda style bomb arrows!!

Oh the duren magical secret is a fire ruby mine!!

Oh god fucking damn it she wants to use the rubies to make dragon deterring nukes

Yeah karim has chosen death I guess

Nice, the moon primal stone has to complete an orbit of the planet. Seems fitting. Also begs the question of what other continents exist in this world.

I’m eepy, no more episodes tonight.

[mask131]

Seasonal theme: Magical summer (ending)

This summer will be a season of wonders and enchantments, of spells and wizards - a magical summer! 

Here is a list of beings, entities, objects and concepts you can check out if you want to add some magic to your summer:

In fiction (but isn’t fiction a myth-to-be?)

Shakespeare’s work greatly influenced the world’s vision of witches and wizards, be it through the Weird Sisters/Three Witches in Macbeth, or Prospero in The Tempest.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is one of the most famous pieces of “wizard fiction”. Starting out as a German poem by Goethe, adapted from a world-wide folktale, it then became a French “symphonic poem” in the hands of Paul Dukas. Disney then adapted this symphonic poem into a world-famous animated short in their movie Fantasia 2000, before re-adapting the poem into a completely unrelate teenage-urban fantasy movie in 2010. A urban fantasy movie not to be confused with another kid-friendly fantasy movie inspired by the poem of Goethe and sharing the same name (as well as plot elements, such as Arthurian sorcerers finding themselves in the present-day world). This time it is a British “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, released in 2001.

The depiction of Merlin in The Sword in the Stone, both the Disney movie of the 60s and the novel by T. H. White that inspired it, also had a great impact on the vision of the character in popular culture. Both works also contain a famous fictional witch in the person of Madame Mim. A warning, however: Madame Mim only appears in the first editions/first version of the novel, on which the Disney movie was based. In the 50s White rewrote his novel, and excluded the chapter of Madame Mim. Madame Mim in the novel is also very different from the character Disney made her out to be. 

A last creation of Disney for this list: Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, the three good fairies (and actual heroes) of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.

The Wicked Witch of the West is one of the most famous depictions of a “wicked witch” in the mediatic landscape - and in fact, many witch depictions today are still inspired by her (most notably the green skin or the fact of being melted by water). I am of course here referring to the Wicked Witch as she appears in the MGM movie The Wizard of Oz - this Witch being a very different character from the Wicked Witch of the West appearing in the original novel by L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Not that Baum did not create quite a lot of very famous witches: I can mention Mombi, the antagonist of the second Oz book, The Marvelous Land of Oz, or the Good Witch of the North and her counterpart Glinda the Good, the Sorceress of the South. These two are quite notorious as being the first “good witches” to ever appear in American literature. 

In Tolkien’s Legendarium (The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion): Gandalf the Grey, Saruman the White and the Rings of Power - especially the One Ring. All became archetypes of the fantasy literature and unchallenged character-types (or artefact-types) in all future high fantasy/epic fantasy sagas. Plus - I almost forgot - the palantiri, the “seeing-stones”, Tolkien’s own spin on the classical “crystal ball”.

Other wizards of fantasy classics would include Belgarath the sorcerer and his daughter Polgara, from David Eddings’ (and his wife) The Belgariad, a duo purposefully designed to play fully while subverting in many ways the “Gandalf-type of character” ; as well as Ningauble of the Seven Eyes and Sheelba of the Eyeless Face, the alien and otherwordly patron-warlocks of Fritz Leiber’s iconic heroic duo, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. 

The magic-users of sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld deserve an entire section of their own. Each one of them is a careful parody or caricature of the wizard or the witch as envisioned and imagined by fantasy literature, witch-hunters or New Age hippies, as well as a reconstruction of these same stereotypes and cliches, based on philosophical, humanist and scientific principles, making them as much realistic takes as bloody hilarious incarnation of the “witch” and “wizard” character types. For the wizards you have Rincewind (with the Luggage, of course), Mustrum Ridcully, Ponder Stibbons or the Unseen University (a wizard school long before Harry Potter existed). For the witches you have Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick or Tiffany Aching. And let’s not forget the gender-challenging Eskarina... 

Speaking of Harry Potter - despite the controversies surrounding its creator, the Harry Potter book series, and the movie series that followed, is a franchise that cannot be ignored when considering the image and perception of witches, wizards and magic in fantasy. The titular character of Harry Potter deeply marked the minds - as much as his two friends/co-protagonists, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his nemesis Draco Malfoy, his mentor/school headmaster Albus Dumbledore, the magic school of Hogswart itself, or the magical sport known as Quidditch. 

However, while Harry Potter cannot be ignored, it also must not be forgotten that this franchise was the last of a long set of series depicting children trying to learn magic in a school for witches or wizards, such as Wizard’s Hall by Jane Yolen, The Circle of Magic by MacDonald and Doyle*, Anthony Horowitz’s Groosham Grange (plus its sequel “The Unholy Grail”), and of course Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch. Special mention for Neil Gaiman’s The Books of Magic, which do not feature a magic school, but are about a young British boy looking a lot like Harry Potter and training to become the greatest wizard of his era - and that despite being a story released seven years before Harry Potter. [* Again, to avoid confusion, this series is not the same as Tamora Pierce’s Circle of Magic, which ALSO deals with young wizards learning to control their powers - but this time was released in parallel to the Harry Potter series].

In a similar way, Harry Potter himself is the last of a long “bloodline” (inkline? Since they’re literary character) of fantasy series-protagonist that start out as young teenagers or kids, become sorcerer apprentice or wizards in training, and grow to be famous and heroic figures of the world of magic. Before Harry there was Pug, of the Riftwar Saga (later expanded into the Riftwar Cycle), and before Pug there was Ged from the Earthsea series. 

While I do not usually include in those list too-recent works, because I brought up Harry Potter I am in the obligation to mention two big recent successes. On one side, the Japanese anime Mashle: Magic and Muscles, which is a very funny parody of the Harry Potter world, if it met the tropes and characters typical of recent seinen superhero mangas, such as One-Punch Man or My Hero Academia. On the other side, the American cartoon The Owl House, which gently mocks the problems inherent to the Harry Potter franchise, while offering its own alternate plotline about a teenager trying to learn magic in a world divided between “regular” humans and magical witches, only to be confronted with great evil powers beyond what she could imagine... 

Two very different dreaded witches: on one side, The Lady from The Black Company, wife and former co-ruler of the dreaded sorcerous overlord The Dominator, and absolute mistress of the Ten Who Were Taken, vile wizards including some terrifying folks such as Soulcatcher, Shapeshifter, The Limper, The Howler or the Hanged Man... On the other, the witch-queen of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, one of the three Lilim sisters of a fairy-land beyond a certain Wall... She was reinvented as the witch Lamia in the movie adaptation of the novel. I will also throw in another dreaded female magical entity invented by Neil Gaiman: The Other Mother, from Coraline - who is, after all, at one point called a “beldam”... 

Not a book, not a movie, but a card game! The card game Magic: The Gathering deserves a mention, being one of the first and most famous collectable strategy card games, long before Japan overtook with the world with Yu-Gi-Oh, Duel Master and co. The original concept for the game was that each player embodied a wizard fighting another wizard, eac card being a different spell/magical artefact/summoned entity, and each deck was a grimoire/spellbook. The most notorious part of the game is its color system: the Five Colors, representing the various elements and energies of the multiverse, gathered in five different forms of magic forces/divine powers/philosophico-social ideologies. The White of light, peace, law and order. The Black of death, rot, sacrifice, greed and selfishness. The Red of chaos, fury, impulses, emotions, freedom and war. The Blue of intellect, knowledge, logic, deceit, trickery and illusions. The Green of life, nature, evolution and tradition. 

To continue on the topic of games. For tabletop roleplaying games - Warhammer, the most famous dark fantasy RPG, whose wizards are divided by the Winds of Magic, the different types of magic powers: Aqshy the Red Wind of Fire, Chamon the Yellow Wind of Metal, Hysh the White Wind of Light, Ulgu the Grey Wind of Shadow, Azyr the Blue Wind of Heavens, Ghur the Brown Wind of Beasts, Ghyran the Green Wind of Life, and Shyish the Purple Wind of Death. For online, virtual roleplaying game, World of Warcraft, the most famous fantasy MMORPG to this day, with its character class of the Mage (sometimes called Wizard), a spellcaster and conjurer who can specialize in three “types” of magic: Frost magic, Fire magic and Arcane magic. They are not to be confused with the other magic-using classes of the game, such as the Shamans (totemic mystics invoking the spirits of their ancestors and manipulating the four elements), the Warlocks (curse-wielding summoners and enslavers of demons), or the Druids (healers, spellcasters and shapeshifters taking their power from nature itself, and celestial bodies such as the sun and the moon). 

A few fantasy series centered around magic I heard about positively but haven’t had time to check out myself. Diana Wynne Jones’ Magids duology, with on one side Deep Secret, and on the other The Merlin Conspiracy. Angie Sage’s Septimus Heap series (especially the first book, Magyk, which I heard the most about). And Trudi Canavan’s Black Magician Trilogy. 

Being a huge Deltora Quest fan, I will mention as a magical artefact the Belt of Deltora and its seven magical gems. 

We have spent so much time talking about witches... But what about witch hunters? I will name two famous examples here. On one side, Solomon Kane, hunter and slaughterer of all things evils, eldritch and unholy, one of the two famous creations of Robert E. Howard alongside Conan the Barbarian, and whose adventures (just like those of Conan) are technically part of the Cthulhu mythos. On the other side, the Wardstone Chronicles, a brilliant little dark fantasy series for young adults, about the seventh son of a seventh son in a fictional version of Renaissance England learning to become a “Spook”, aka a hunter of ghosts, witches, goblins, demons and other evil gods. 

Of course, being French I have to sprinkle a few French references in this list. For the foolish, cartoonish-evil sorcerer of children fiction: the evil alchemist/sorcerer Gargamel, the recurring and iconic antagonist of the comic-book, then turned cartoon, then turned hybrid movies, The Smurfs. For an evil but glorious wicked lady of dark magic, Karaba the witch from Michel Ocelot’s most famous animated movie Kirikou and the Sorceress, inspired by a traditional folktale of West Africa. For your classic Gandalf-like fantasy wizard: Zétide, the elderly but powerful wizard who serves as one of the protagonist of the fantasy series La Malerune, initially created by Pierre Grimbert but completed by Michel Robert. For your young adult fantasy hero: Ewilan, from the teenage fantasy series The Quest of Ewilan, an ordinary young girl discovering herself to be the true daughter of powerful sorcerers of another world, another world she will need to save with her own hidden magical powers. And to add a final “French touch”, the witch of Malcombe and Eusaebius the mage, the two magic-users whose actions start the plot of one of France’s most famous comedies, Les Visiteurs. 

The French television series Kaamelott deserves an entire section, with its hilarious cast caricaturing the Arthurian mythos from beginning to end - from an inept and incompetent Merlin, to an annoying Lady of the Lake whose ghostly apparitions make everyone believe Arthur is mad, passing by a Morgan le Fay who is tired of constantly having to drag heroes’ corpses back to Avalon. And let’s not forget Le Répurgateur, a cruel, fanatical and overzealous inquisitor and witch-hunter of the early Christian Rome, who however carries numerous modern-day values and norms against the Celtic traditions still honored at Camelot (such as polygamy or a very loose definition of “justice”).  

ADDENDUM:

I forgot to put in two items on the first part of this list, so I will add them here as a final conclusion. 

When talking about the fairytales of the brothers Grimm that popularized some witch archetypes (Little Snow-White, or Hansel and Gretel), I forgot to evoke The Frog King (wrongly remembered today as “The Frog Prince”), which was the fairytale from which derives the cliche/stereotype/trope of a witch or a fairy turning anyone that displeases them into a toad or a frog. 

And of course, I forgot to mention the most “real” of all the magics... The stage magic. The magic tricks of the magician with the top hat and black-and-white wand. The parlor tricks, and stage illusions, and children’s entertainment, and the great magicians that practiced this art: Isaac Fawkes, Robert-Houdin, John Henry Anderson, Herrmann the Great, Houdini, Harry Blackstone, Fred Kaps, and many many more... Pulling rabbits out of hats, changing the numbers and figures of card games, cutting ladies into two, pulling flowers or handkerchiefs out of thin air, and all these sorts of things... 

[dear-indies]

who are some of your favorite trans and/or nonbinary fcs of color in the 21-28 age range? i'm trying to find ideas for a discord rp character, so gif or icon resources are not a requirement. thank you so much!

Jesse James Keitel (1993) - is a trans woman.

Eve Lindley (1993) - is a trans woman.

Ryan Cassata (1993) - is a trans man.

Summer Luk (1994) Chinese - is a trans woman.

Sky Teotico (1994) Tagalog Filipino and some Spanish, according to Sky himself he identifies as mestizo - is a trans man.

Zión Moreno (1995) Mexican of Unspecified Indigenous and Spanish - is a trans woman.

Sydney Mae Diaz (1995) Unspecified - is a trans man.

Miles McKenna (1995) - is a trans man.

Eva Reign (1995) African-American - is a trans woman.

AJ Clementine (1996) Filipino and White - is a trans woman.

Liniker (1995) Afro Brazilian - is a genderfluid trans woman.

Elliot Fletcher (1996) - is a trans man - has stated that if you roleplay using him as a faceclaim to not comment on his body.

Leo Sheng (1996) Chinese - is a trans man.

Nicole Maines (1997) - is a trans woman.

Asuka (1998) Japanese - is a trans woman.

Nakayama Satsuki (1998) Japanese - is a trans man and is asexual.

Georgie Stone (2000) - is a trans woman.

Quei Tann (2000) African-American - is a trans woman and a lesbian.

Tylan Grant (2001) Zambian / English - is a trans man - is autistic.

Josie Totah (2001) Palestinian Arab / Lebanese Arab, Italian, Irish, German - is a trans woman.

Casil Mcarthur (?) - is a trans man.

Third gender:

T'áncháy Redvers (1994) Denesuline, Metis, Unspecified White - two-spirit and genderfluid and pansexual (they/them).

Peshawn Bread (1996) Comanche, Blackfoot, Kiowa - two-spirit and queer (she/they).

Non-binary:

Dua Saleh (1994) Tunjur Sudanese - non-binary (they/them).

T'áncháy Redvers (1994) Denesuline, Metis, Unspecified White - two-spirit and genderfluid and pansexual (they/them).

Mason Alexander Park (1995) Spanish and Mexican - non-binary (they/them).

Liniker (1995) Afro Brazilian - is a genderfluid trans woman.

Kehlani (1995) Filipino, African-American, Blackfoot, Cherokee, Choctaw, Mexican, French, Spanish, Scottish, English, German, Irish, Welsh, Cornish - non-binary womxn and a lesbian (she/they).

Elena Heuzé (1995) Filipino - non-binary (they/them).

Terry Hu (1995) Unspecified - queer and non-binary (they/them).

Travis Alabanza (1995) Black and Filipino - non-binary (they/them).

Bilal Baig (1995) Pakistani - non-binary (they/them).

Quintessa Swindell (1997) African-American / White - non-binary (he/they).

Misha Osherovich (1997) Ashkenazi Jewish - non-binary (they/them).

Kaiit (1997) Papuan, Gunditjmara, Torres Strait Islander - non-binary - (she/he/they).

Aida Osman (1997) Eritrean - non-binary (she/they).

Blu del Barrio (1997) Argentinian - non-binary (they/them).

Fin Argus (1998) - genderqueer (they/them).

Celeste O'Connor (1998) Kenyan - non-binary (they/them).

Gabe Adams-Wheatley (1998) Brazilian - non-binary (he/she) - has Hanhart syndrome.

Dove Clarke (1999) Siksika Blackfoot, Black American - non-binary, bisexual, is Autistic, and has ADHD (any pronouns).

Miss Benny (1999) - non-binary (they/she/he).

Sivan Alyra Rose (1999) Chiricahua Apache / Afro-Puerto Rican, Creole - is genderfluid and pansexual (she/they).

Lizeth Selene (1999) Mexican - genderfluid and is queer (she/they).

Zoe Terakes (2000) - non-binary trans masc (they/he).

Ceci Balagot (2001) Filipino / White - non-binary (he/they).

Ian Alexander (2001) Vietnamese / White - non-binary (they/he).

Jesse Leigh (?) Chinese - non-binary (they/them).

Here you go, bolded the ones with no resources if anybody wants to make some!

[manonamora-if]

October Check-In

September passed wayyyy too fast again, and almost all my efforts went into completing the DOL-OS remaster. And finishing strong by catching the FLU :D /s

You know the drill... long post ahead:

Recap of last month's progress

Recap of last week's stuff

Other IF stuff done or in the works

Other IF events

Plan for October

- _ -

September progress

The plan for last month was to:

continue to play and review games ✅ (just a few tho...)

finish the DOL-OS remaster ✅✅✅ just in time! also needed one more week from the planned date to finish it properly

continue a WIP or fix another semi-completed game: 😐 (see this week's progress)

add another block to the SugarCube Guide: ❌ (was planning to, but the illness)

- _ -

Last Week's progress

I pulled myself to the finish line by the hair at the end buuuut...

DOL-OS - THE REMASTERED VERSION IS NOW OUT!

It's now beautiful, bug free (i hope), with new content, and translated into English! First completed in a month, remastered almost within a month too!

If you liked it, consider leaving a little rating? or a comment?

Even if you don't care to play it, at least open the game once to check out the loading page :P

Also I have:

redone the intro post (if you could share it around, that'd be lovely)

wrote the extensive dev log

updated the Projects Status page

added the OG Comp Version of the source code on my GitHub

uploaded the OG Comp Version on the IFArchive (processing)

Unless there are raised bugs, this game is also going into the SHELF!

As mentioned in last Sunday's check in, I've gotten the new draft from MelS. It's over 20k words...

So I'm back to editing the file, going through the text and leaving comments. I was about 1/4 through before the illness arrived.

And MelS is continuing making progress on the final chapter in the meantime.

We've also been discussing the future release(s) and potential need for rewrite of the first chapters. MelS style had changed a bit, and he is worried the first chapters are too drastically different from the later ones. We might even get a few beta readers before the final release...

In my plan for September, I mentioned La Petite Mort to be probably the next remaster project I tackle on, with a potential translation release for the EctoComp.

I checked with the rules: translations are considered new works. 🥳 So we are looking at an EctoComp deadline, which is in a month.

So this week, I've gone through the code and:

mapped out the new map of the game (which will include more rooms)

listed the characters/NPC (a few new ones)

listed the different mechanics to (re-)code (esp the inventory)

listed the endings available (currently about 7, 2 are early endings)

listed the beats and actions for each room (more animal petting!)

The plan is to, in order:

Correct the current French writing

Add the new content (in French - about double what there is rn)

Re-code the game (+ accessibility settings)

Upload the French Remaster

Translate the Game into English

Add the translation inside the code

Submit to the EctoComp (depending on how long this takes, maybe I can achieve the La Petite Mort category again :P)

I'll also need to:

update the itch page of the game (right now it's too bland)

update the intro post of the game

Unsure yet:

add sound effect and background music...

Most importantly, the game is rated PG and will stay PG. It has some horror-y element, but more of the Hocus Pocus/Terry Pratchett kind than say... Saw or any Halloween slasher.

I will be taking down the itch page of the game closer to the reupload to check everything is in order.

With the IFComp starting soon, expect review over at @manonamora-if-reviews. Last year I managed about 30 before I tapped out (and I had submitted something). Let's see how I do this year!

I would like to try to knock a InkJam + Bare-Boned Jam + EctoComp (mini) entry at the end of October, since the theme of the Ink Jam is revealed at the start of the jam (23rd). One stone, two three birds and all that. And maybe revisit a short story I wrote when I was younger as a base... 🤔

- _ -

IF Events!!

October is filled with IF events, so this will be quite a list:

the voting period of the IFComp starts on October 1st until mid November. I think there are expecting over 50 games? I recommend waiting one-two days before voting, as there are often 1st day bug fixes (speaking from experience).

the Bare-Bones Jam organised by @neointeractives starts on October 1st and runs until the end of the month! It is unranked.

the EctoComp, the spooky IF ranked jam, starts on October 1st and ends on the 28th. There are two categories, and you can also submit in French or Spanish!

the InkJam is a 3-day ranked jam at the end of October, with a theme!

You'll be able to vote for the Spooktober entries in a few hours.

SeedComp! has started again, see @seedcomp-if (we've updated/cleared up some rules)

- _ -

The PLAN tm for October

Play and review more IF games: this one is kinda done before it started because of the IFComp. Also, someone submitted a few games. And there are a bunch on my To Play list both on the IFDB, itch, and the MOIKI Social Club.

finish the La Petite Mort remaster: I think I should be ok? The original LPM was done in 4h (in chunks over a week or so). I plan to essentially double the content, and fix coding issue. I don't really have to worry about the UI at all with this one.

either continue a WIP or fix another semi-completed game: that will be a check mark if MelS and I can make some good progress on the editing.

maybe try to add another block to the SugarCube Guide? I still have a list I could check down... Same with a template. It will heavily depend on the time I have.

(and maybe do an extra French entry for the EctoComp)

Taking the list of August...

To-Do not require much of new stuff:

translate Escape Goncharov! into French. ✅

fix the bugs in EDOC + overall the French version to match

fix the bugs of TRNT + find a way to add the missing pieces (mayyyybe translate into French?)

fix the formatting of DOL-OS + translate into English ✅

update LPM with the missing content + translate into English ✅ (ongoing)

The rest of the To-Do pile:

Finish The Rye in the Dark City (and maybe translate?)

Finish P-Rix - Space Trucker (and try to translate)

Finish Exquisite Cadaver (translation unlikely, current gameplay too complex to port for French)

Add a chapter to CRWL + fix/reopen the blog

Re-working TTTT to its originally planned state (lol, not likety)

Re-working SPS Iron Hammer (samesies)

Coding TTATEH (MelS dependent - shooting for end of year)

Emptying my inboxes

(I am pretty sure the focus for the rest of the year will be to finish the first list. With the addition of a few more small jam entries.)

And that about covers it!

[queer-ragnelle]

3 and 5 for the movie rec ask game!

Hi!

3. Foreign Language Film

Kaamelott First Installment (2021) by a long shot. There are several French-language Arthurian films on my list but they're just not that good unfortunately. Although, Morgane et Ses Nymphes (1971) is very sapphic horny if that's your thing.

5. Animated

Arthuriana is plagued by bad animation adaptations. Don't really love any of them, and if I can't count Monty Python and The Holy Grail (1975) on account of Terry Gilliam's contributions, then I guess it has to be The Sword in The Stone (1963). It's pretty!

Thanks!

[teachingmycattoread]

Things We’ve Yelled About This Episode #3.1

The Inimitable Jeeves, P. G. Wodehouse

The great vowel shift (wiki)

“ “Bertie, we were at school together.”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“We’ve been pals for fifteen years.”

“I know. It’s going to take me the rest of my life to live it down.” “- The Inimitable Jeeves, Chapter 17: Bingo and the Little Woman; P.G. Wodehouse

This post

“ “Jeeves,” I said, “those spats.”

“Yes, sir?”

“You really dislike them?”

“Intensely, sir.”

“You don’t think time might induce you to change your view?”

“No, sir.”

“All right, then. Very well. Say no more. You may burn them.”

“Thank you very much, sir. I have already done so. Before breakfast this morning. A quiet grey is far more suitable, sir. Thank you, sir.” “ - The Inimitable Jeeves, Chapter 16: The Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace; P. G. Wodehouse

Downton Abbey (2010-2015)

Jane Austen

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, The Untamed (2019) 

Jeeves and Wooster (1990-1993)

Stephen Fry (imdb)

Hugh Laurie (imdb)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984-1985)

Jeremy Brett (imdb)

Fairies Aren’t Gentlemen, amarguerite (ao3)

K. J. Charles

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke

The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald

“ “You will find Mr Wooster,” he was saying to the new chappie, “an exceedingly pleasant and amiable young gentleman, but not intelligent. By no means intelligent. Mentally he is negligible - quite negligible.” - The Inimitable Jeeves, Chapter 5: The Pride of the Woosters is Wounded; PG. Wodehouse

“Just what occurred then I couldn’t exactly say, but the next few minutes were a bit exciting. I take it that Cyril must have made a dive for the infant. Anyway, the air seemed pretty well congested with arms and legs and things. Something bumped into the Wooster waistcoat just around the third button, and I collapsed on to the settee and rather lost interest in things for the moment. When I had unscrambled myself…” The Inimitable Jeeves, Chapter 10: Startling Dressiness of a Lift Attendant; P.G. Wodehouse

Lord Peter Wimsey, Bunter; characters from the Lord Peter Wimsey mystery series, Dorothy L. Sayers

As My Wimsey Takes Me (podcast)

Dublin Murder Squad series, Tana French

The Once and Future King, T. H. White

The Sword in the Stone, T. H. White

Spats (wiki)

The trial of Oscar Wilde (wiki)

Street smarts! From John Mulaney’s Kid Gorgeous at Radio City (2018)

Leverage (2008-2012)

The meat pumpkin (article)

Coco Chanel (wiki) and her collaboration with the Nazis (wiki)

“Take one accessory off” - fashion advice attributed to Coco Chanel (quote)

Temeraire series, Naomi Novik

A Wook:

A Goth:

The Cat Rating

9/10

What Else Are We Reading

Discworld, Terry Pratchett

Nigel Planer (imdb)

Nigel Planer Discworld audiobooks (audible)

Dublin Murder Squad, Tana French

In the Woods, Tana French

Britain After Rome, Robin Fleming

The Silmarillion, J. R. R. Tolkien

Beowulf

Next Time On Teaching My Cat To Read

Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones

The audiobook

[still-single]

Heathen Disco updates

The most recent shows are as below. Maybe you'd like to listen.

Show #326 (Feb 12, 2023)

HOUR 1

James Brown – Stone to the Bone

The Supremes – Stoned Love

The Chi-Lites – Stoned Out of My Mind

Clark-Hutchinson – Free to Be Stoned

Nathan Salsburg – XIV

Black Sabbath – A National Acrobat

Cheater Slicks – Fear

The Drin – Mozart on the Wing

Come – Recidivist

FACS – When You Say

Equipment Pointed Ankh – Paper Sink

Del the Funky Homosapien – Eye Examination

HOUR 2

De La Soul – Held Down

Lyn Collins – Think About It (Live at the Apollo)

Quix*o*tic – Tell It Like It Is

Crushed – Coil

The Passions – Runaway

Mamitri Yulith Empress Yonagunisan – Gala Saver

Heavy Blanket – Danny

Miaow – Fate

Central Line – Walking Into Sunshine

Gina X Performance – No G.D.M.

Goblin – Roller

Doom Flower – The Space

Yo La Tengo – Brain Capers

HOUR 3

Oneida – Paralyzed

3rd Bass – 3rd Bass Theme A.K.A. Portrait of the Artist as a Hood

Casa Nostra – Insomnia (extended mix)

Detroit Emeralds – Feel the Need

Ramsey Lewis Trio – Opus #5 / Uhuru

Exploratorium – Number 09

Show #325 (Feb 5, 2023)

Art Ensemble of Chicago – Funky AECO

Mutamassik – Wishik

Lifted – Total Care Zero

Shizuka – Plan for Solitude

Beau Wanzer – A Burrowing Booboo

Nuovo Testamento – Heat

The Invincible Limit – Push (New Mix)

Experimental Products – Glowing in the Dark

Miss Nude – Taste My Acid Fruit

Syamese – Drum

Portion Control – Go Talk

Equipment Pointed Ankh – Port of Indiana

Echo & the Bunnymen – The Subject

Q Lazzarus – Goodbye Horses (Demo 2)

Nun – In Blood

Six Finger Satellite – Where Humans Go

Iggy Pop – Funtime

Terry – Gold Duck

SUSS – Ash Fork, AZ

Glyders – Maria’s Hunt

The House of Love – Road

The Loft – Your Door Shines Like Gold

Celibates – Coming Alone

Marcie’s Still Waiting – For You (Not For You)

Shinichi Atobe – First Plate 3

Th’ Blisks – A Salve

Dippers – Looking for a Sphere Pt. 1

Ulaan Passerine – Light of Lights

Adonis – No Way Back

Kraze – The Party (Original Mix)

Paul Johnson – After Dark

Tirzah – Sink In (Actress remix)

Om Unit – Pursuit

Show #324 (Jan 29, 2013)

Tom Verlaine – Souvenir from a Dream

Love Child – Stumbling Block

Love – Softly to Me

Owen Maercks – Intense Young Man

Television – Marquee Moon (1974 demo)

Peace Regime – untitled

Skull Practitioners – Intruder

Temple – Heathen

Rancid X – Old Sex Queen

X – I Don’t Wanna Go Out

Beau Wanzer – A Dead Person’s Monologue

The Real Kids – Nowadaze Kids

Holy Tongue – Spirit Mask

Sleaford Mods – UK Grim

Miss Lie – Depression

Exhaustion – Old Mickey

Midnight Mines – Hollow Sky

Primal Scream – All Fall Down

Virgin Prunes – Baby Turns Blue

The C.I.A. – Better

Exploded View – You Got a Problem, Son

Violet French and the Horrible – I Want the Sky to Be Crying

Dippers – Looking for a Sphere Pt. 2

Blatant Dissent – Eleven Days

Circus Lupus – New Cop Car

Lush – Nothing Natural

The Fall – Y.F.O.C. / Slippy Floor

Obe – untitled

Sightless Pit – Calcified Glass

The Ex – Evolution

Oozing Wound – Hypnic Jerk

Nitzer Ebb – Captivate

George Brigman & Split – Blowin’ Smoke

Meg Baird – Star Hill Song

Equipment Pointed Ankh – From Inside the House

Dalibor Cruz – Depose the Influencer

Manuel Göttsching – E2-E4 side A

[msephy]

What would you steal from my room?

Tagged by @shakeskp!

Tagging @flo-nelja, @patoune-prod, @metawohoo, @tajio, @brisedete