#america's characters name is gloria

[deepestsharkshark]

There's a story that's coalescing in my head right now,

I was sitting there wondering how Barbie was going to figure out bowel movements. She's never actually pooped before. She's never actually taken care of herself, her body is new.

How terrifying, Barbie.

Barbie chose to continue her existence, and I hope that Ruth imparted the basic knowledge Barbie needed to at least use her bowels.

But Ruth's been in the basement for 70 years, her knowledge of navigating this world is a little out of date.

Barbie might have a lot of culture and body shock - and did she notice the cellulite first, or did another Barbie? Cellulite is such an interesting thing - it's beautiful, y'know.

And Ken - how does his journey turn out? A lot of children suddenly had Ken dolls.

Speaking of, did America Ferrera's character have the OG Stereotypical Barbie? How does that work? Why did my brain automatically go to Barbie collecting her friends dolls so she could talk to them? (And let's be honest act out some slightly NSFW probably iffy consensual stuff that I'm trying to resist the urge to write)

Or even in that vein, the angsty teenager going back to the real world and telling her friends, also terrifying teenagers, who realize that they might be able to open a portal between worlds

Because they (her friends) worship the ground this kid walks on and even if they don't really believe her are pretty much game to do anything because why not,

But then they accidentally open the door to one of the dinosaur toy worlds. Because groups of angsty teens attract chaos, and now Barbieland has to fend off the Dinosaurs.

Ken might not get a horse (though the Breyer collection might as well let Ken have a horse), but he can have a T-Rex.

And Barbie and America Ferrera and America Ferrera's husband can fall in love. ❤️

[zukoinmypocket]

rwrb is taylor swift’s london boy and YET it isn’t. there are so many great musical choices idk why that’s the song the fan base loves. yes, i know the lyrics are adjunct to the novel. yes, i am also a huge taylor swift fan. no, i still don’t understand. not when the music mentioned in the text is so fantastic in establishing both character and setting. these are the songs that need to be in movie!!

the music used to represent alex (and by extension america) is completely different to the music that represents henry (and england.) these specific choices are incredibly revealing. alex is hall and oates, johnny cash, fleetwood mac, dolly parton, selena, chente, gloria estefan—as well as— kid cudi, the fresh prince, and lil jon. henry is queen(!!), david bowie, elton john, and obviously romantic era music. i don’t think it’s unintentional that alex’s artists are all american and henry’s are historically queer, english artists. not when identity is such an important theme in the book.

knowing who you are and where you come from is intimately linked with music. geography has such a huge influence on music that you can usually tell the nationality of an artist from the opening chords and strumming pattern alone. a lot of this recognition is subconscious which is why it’s such a fantastic tool for establishing setting.

rwrb mentions a lot of songs and it name-drops even more artists. not all of them will be included in the film, i know. but it should be noted that they play an important function of establishing setting and character. ((it’s actually super typical of casey mcquiston novels. their books have very distinct, effective soundscapes because of this. you can really tell that cmq has considered the musical zeitgeist of the setting within their books. it’s sort of ironic that music plays such a prominent role in the text, considering that the nature of books is typically one without audio. but i digress))

tldr: i won’t care if london boy doesn’t feature in the rwrb movie. however, i will care if rich girl by hall and oates doesn’t open the film.

[kaiyablog]

bawling my eyes out in the sunshine state: The Floria Project movie review

“This movie made no sense … It had no plot whatsoever .. the ending didn’t make any sense” (Zia’s Google Review, 2024).  

While Zia may have only rated Sean Baker’s film, “The Florida Project,” one star, her reasons are precisely what makes the film such a masterpiece. The film follows a mother (Halley, early 20’s) and daughter (Moonee, 6) through a Florida summer living at Magic Castle Inn and Suites, a  budget motel less than 20 miles from Disney world. Halley and Moonee are at the bottom of a capitalist society, with no viable means of upward mobility. Much like life, there isn’t a distinct beginning, climax, and resolution to the story and Baker doesn’t invent a happy ending for a story representing people without one. 

The movie captures the slice of life spirit, especially because it is shown from the perspective of Moonee. Baker wonderfully captures the mind of a 6-year old with quotes like: “Ooh a spider lets see if it farts,” and “I love oranges but not the lid.” But it’s not just the portrayal of kids’ play, it’s the insight into how they see objectively dysfunctional surroundings. The only way viewers know Halley turned to prostitution is because Moonee has to take a lot of baths with loud music playing and try to understand the subsequent ostracization her mother faces from neighbors. 

While the film isn’t shown from Halley’s perspective, it paints a representative picture of her situation. She relies on TANF and free food from her friends with jobs to provide for her daughter, because no matter how hard she tries, she can’t get a job anywhere. After trying everything else, Halley resorts to stripping and then prostitution. In a highly capitalist society in the shadow of Disney, the only way Halley can make money is to sell her body.  

Baker is not afraid to talk about sex in controversial ways. Sex is one of the recurring motifs of the film, with portrayals of sex work, pedophiles, boob jobs, and nudists with varying degrees of ambivalent representations.  It’s also interesting how the kids intersect with the idea of sex. The kids' most exciting summer moments are when Gloria is shirtless at the motel pool, and they can look at her “boobies.” The kids might not know what sex is, but the film reveals just how much they are influenced by a society that capitalizes on sex.

My only critique of the film is that there is almost too much unnecessary symbolism and unexplained motifs. For example, why the pedophile? There was one three minute scene about him and then never touched on again. Why were there constantly scenes of helicopters flying overhead? That said there were symbols and themes I appreciated. For example, it’s clear whether a character was important by their name. The main characters are: Moonee, Halley, Scooty, Dickie, Bobby, Jancey, and Ashley. Rainbows are a symbol of better things to come, often reliant on money (the pot of gold at the other end). The movie is characterized by bright colors in the surroundings (green nature and the motel is purple), the way characters dress and Halley’s hair and tattoos. The color is symbolic of childhood wonder and the perceived brightness of Disney World. 

The final motif that I think had the biggest impact was the appearance of the American flag at the scenes that would make any nationalist question their faith in America. The irony felt the strongest when DCF comes to take Moonee away. Even though Moonee is in a dysfunctional situation, the film makes viewers frustrated in the system. Taking Moonee away to bounce between families for 12 years is not a solution. Halley is not perfect, but she loves Moonee and would do so much more for her if she had a reliable source of money. 

The ending of the film turns the American Dream on its head. DCF tries to take Moonee but she runs and escapes. She sobs outside her best friend Jancey’s motel door. Jancey grabs her hand and together they run to Disney World and hold hands in joy together outside the real Magic Castle. (Filmed on an iPhone 6 so that Disney would not make money on the film)

One of Moonee’s quotes from the film is, “Do you know why this is my favorite tree - cuz its tipped over and it's still growing.” Despite living in one of the poorest communities in America, Moonie still finds joy in life. That said, there is no possible happy ending for Moonee as her mother is arrested and she goes away. That’s precisely why the non-sense ending that many Google Reviews complain about is so beautiful. If you want a movie that will have you sobbing and questioning everything, as well then this is the perfect film. 

Sources: 

Sean Baker explains why the ending is imaginary: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-florida-project-review-20171005-story.html

A look at the experiences of people actually living in the motels outside Disney:https://newrepublic.com/article/164335/homeless-gates-disney-world-florida-sunbelt-blues-review

[rrcenic]

dead poets society as things my friends/family have said

huge trigger warning for discussion of suicide

-

neil: fuck fuck fuck

todd: what’s wrong?

neil: my workload was too much so i switched from honors algebra 2 to regular algebra 2 and i don’t know how to tell my dad

todd: you’re still two years ahead in math though

neil: yeah but my dad gets so mad when i don’t take every academic opportunity i can

todd: dude you just got out of the psych ward. i think he’ll understand!

neil: hhhhngg

-

neil: bro i didn’t even realize i had daddy issues til i became unnaturally infatuated with my english teacher

-

cameron: greetings fellow fraternity males. i am not working for your landlord and i simply want to hang out with fellow “dudes.” on an unrelated note are any of you in possession of illegal drugs and/or alcohol?

knox: yeah check under the chair

cameron: alright “broski” i will be simply taking photos of this not for reporting reasons and for personal reasons

pitts: do you have like a fetish or something

cameron: yes um a fetish i am not working for your landlord

-

todd: oh he’s so pretty! it’s so sad that he killed himself

todd: i mean obviously because like. killing yourself is never the answer

todd: but mainly because he was so pretty!!

-

charlie: i call this poem “every day i wake up and dream of olive garden”

-

meeks: this is literally the most autistic group i’ve ever been in and i love it

neil: oh i’m neurodivergent in many ways but the ‘tisim is surprisingly not one of them

-

charlie: shakespeare sucks ass

neil: i will stab you

-

neil: i can’t hang out today, i have therapy

pitts: you? therapy? but you’re so happy!

neil: …

neil: i’ve tried to kill myself like 5 times

pitts: WHAT

neil: did. did you not know that?!?!

-

knox: hey dyou wanna watch a tv show with me

neil: what’s it about?

knox: there’s lots of pretty women

neil: …

knox: …

neil: …

knox: and pretty men

neil: i’m in

-

charlie: america is fucked. our society is literally being ripped apart by capitalism. trans people are being criminalized more every day

knox: it’s not that bad

charlie: name one good thing that has happened to the trans community in the past year. i’ll wait

knox: …

knox: well um some politicians support trans people

charlie: THATS NOT ENOUGH

-

keating: *texting to the group chat* so technically since most of you are my former students i’m not allowed to be friends with you

keating: but you all rock so my excuse is we work on creative projects as a group outside of school

keating: however i can’t just chat with you when you’re bored

*that night*

todd: hey i’m really sorry for contacting you about non creative stuff but i just had a panic attack and don’t know what to do

keating: oh that bullshit? nah man you’re fine text whenever

-

cameron: charlie just gave me this plastic spoon and ran away does anyone know what it means

gloria: lucky i wish nuwanda had given ME the spoon

cameron: WHAT DOES IT MEAN

-

neil: i know what we’re gonna do after group therapy. we’re gonna have a poetry contest. we’ll call it psych ward poetry. i’m going to beat all of you with my mad poetry skills

-

meeks: oh and pooh represents… hm, i actually can’t remember

charlie: google it

meeks: yeah but we can’t have our phones

knox: hey mr mcallister? could you use your phone to google what mental illness the winnie the pooh characters represent?

mcallister: what the actual hell are you talking about

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

Barbie

Greta Gerwig’s BARBIE (2023, Max) is an anomaly. It’s a film created to help market a toy, but it also has a solid basis in feminism and performance theory. Gerwig’s approach flirts with subversion, and if it never quite goes all the way, it’s an enjoyable ride with some lovely buoyant moments. It opens with a funny send-up of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) featuring little girls in a desert landscape destroying their baby dolls after the appearance of a giant Barbie in their midst. We then move to Barbieland, where the Barbies and Kens live along with some discontinued models like Midge, Allen and Magic Earring Ken. Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) starts worrying about death and develops cellulite, which suggests a negative influence from someone playing with her in the real world. So she travels there with her boyfriend, Beach Ken (Ryan Gosling, who’s very funny). There each starts a journey of discovery.

Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach throw in a lot of good, silly stuff and envision the collision of toy and real world very thoroughly. As a director, Gerwig works well with a large ensemble cast including Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Michael Cera, Will Ferrell and a surprisingly beatific Rhea Pearlman. But there are also places where it feels like we have to pay for the silliness. When Barbie and Ken return to Barbieland, the action drags a bit, and there’s a scene in which the two discuss identity that borders on the preachy. There’s also a chase scene with some evil executives that could be better staged. It feels almost perfunctory and lacks the balletic wonder of Chaplin, Keaton or Preston Sturges. And after setting the film up as a musical, Gerwig and Baumbach make us wait an awfully long time between numbers. But things perk up a lot when America Ferrera, who’s quite wonderful, delivers “the monologue,” which, for all its political points she wisely plays spontaneously. It’s less a lecture than her own moment of discovery. And the staging and performance of “I’m Just Ken” and the montage under “What Was I Made For” are spot on.

I don’t know whether it was somebody’s comment on the invisibility of women or a rebellion against the film’s feminist message, but whoever did the closed captions for Max refers to Ferrara throughout not by her character’s name, Gloria, but as “Sasha’s mother.”

[girltomripley]

AMERICA FERRERA HAS A BARBIE AND HER CHARACTER NAME IS GLORIA!!! THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE

[tired-fandom-ndn]

Watching the Barbie movie finally. Will update this with my thoughts as I go.

The implication that Barbie invented non-baby dolls for girls. . . The absolute AUDACITY from Mattel for that. Jesus.

The sets and props are amazing quality.

Is there anyone in this movie who isn't skinny at like. Any point.

Oh there is, they're just. Background characters huh.

This seems mostly just. Very self congratulatory on Mattel's part so far, with some pointed jabs at the company's decisions that would be meaningful. . . if they weren't made by the company.

I like the slanted wheelchair wheels. Wheelchair design is pretty much always fucked up in media so it's nice to see effort put into including a wheelchair that would actually be functional.

Some legitimately weird bioessentialist vibes here with Ken apparently being naturally drawn to "masculine" things like. . . big cars and business and telling women to shut up.

Real bold of Mattel to try to make commentary about the company's lack of female CEOs with a man as the CEO now.

The Barbie Mount Rushmore was NOT necessary. I get that it's a "cultural icon" or whatever but it's fucking exhausting to see stolen and desecrated sacred lands be depicted like this.

So in Barbie Land, the Kens were bored and felt unnecessary and unappreciated. . . And in Kendom, the Barbies are literally slaves and eye candy. . . . . . . Okay.

The "indigenous people and smallpox" comment was also super not necessary!! Kendom is not at all comparable to the deliberate biological warfare and genocide that wiped out the majority of the indigenous populations in the Americas!! Fuck!!!

DOES THE MOM LEGITIMATELY NOT HAVE A NAME

Apparently she does, Gloria, it's just said so little that the subtitles call her "Sasha's mom"

Depression Barbie. . . . . . .

The car is very badly designed. Like their heads are well above the windshield, the thing that is literally there to protect their faces and eyes.

Idk who any of these actors or actresses are, but I'm in love with Dr. Barbie.

"Ordinary Barbie" you can just buy a plain Barbie y'know

Did expect it to end with Stereotypical Barbie and Ken getting together, so the ending not having that was a pleasant surprise.

Barbie becoming mortal at the end was also very very unexpected.

How did they get Barbie a social security card

That was. A really weird ending that had a weird implication of "real womanhood" = vagina???

[gasstationmutation]

Hello and Welcome to Gas Station Mutation. Come on in and grab some snacks, fuel up your tanks and take a look around at our new products in stock. Don't mind the strange shadow making rattling noises around the corner or the ooze coming from the gas pumps. It's totally normal!

Please join us in introducing the creative minds behind G.S.M. Our Night Crew!

TAYLOR

Preferred Name & Pronouns: Taylor (she/her)

Social Media Handle: @_taylorantone

3 Fun Facts About You: 

I love starting a drawing and never finishing it. 

My heart beats for SHINee and my pup.

I could eat red chili stew for days.

Favorite Piece of Media You Can’t Live Without: just books..all the books

3 Artworks:

SJ

Preferred Name & Pronouns: SJ or Bemused2Dust (she/her)

Social Media Handle: www.tumblr.com/bemused2dust

3 Fun Facts About You:

I absolutely adore Star Trek (Simply a Logical First Choice)🪬

Cryptids, my beloved 🛸

Budding Archeaologist who likes MURDER MYSTERIES. 📜

Favorite Piece of Media You Can’t Live Without:

Animation (in most forms): Specifically ♥️Scooby Doo♥️

3 Artworks:

LIZ

Preferred Name & Pronouns: Liz/Any Pronouns

Social Media Handle: @lizardfootman on all platforms except Instagram (@lizard.footman)

3 Fun Facts About You: 

I hate pants.

My favorite drink in the world is Torrential Tropical Punch Hi-C.

I love breakfast foods so so so much. 

Favorite Piece of Media You Can’t Live Without: Cinderella (2015)

3 Artworks:

PEANUT

Preferred Name: Gloria, Peanut

Social Media Handle: Armless_bucky (insta)

3 fun facts:

I’m doing everything, but studying for my MCAT

I love to collect really tiny toys and knick knacks

I can’t stand looking at really tall man-made objects. I get the chills.

Favorite piece of Media: any thing Spiderman related

GECKO

Preferred Name & Pronouns: Gecko, Franco (she/her)

Social Media Handle: @arctic_panda_20

3 Fun Facts About You:

 1. My favorite holiday is Halloween 🎃

 2. I named my daughter after a animal crossing character 🦉

 3. I have a pet turtle I has since I was two 🐢

Favorite Piece of Media You Can’t Live Without: The Exorcist 👹

3 Artworks:

DOC

Preferred Name & Pronouns: Doc/Colors, She/her

Social Media Handle: I don't like being perceived, so none

3 Fun Facts About You: I will throw up if i eat broccoli it's the trees, knows 3 languages, wasn’t born in America

Favorite Piece of Media You Can’t Live Without: half-life

3 Artworks:

[luv-loo]

I haven’t seen any post on it, but in the new Barbie trailer, there’s actually two different scenes shown leaving Barbie Land.

First, is with Barbie (Margot Robbie) & Ken (Ryan Gosling). As they are leaving to the “Real World” the sign behind them is bright and colourful, displaying “Barbieland”.

But in this scene, it’s Allen (Michael Cera), and two other people. It’s easy to tell that it is Allen, but I had to look through the character posters and cast list to narrow down who the other two might be, my best bets at this moment are: Gloria, the HUMAN (America Ferrera), Supreme Court Justice Barbie (Ana Cruz Kayne) & Nobel Prize Winner Barbie (Emma Mackey). I narrowed them down by their hair style/colour & skin tones. We can’t get a look of the one on the right, besides hair & a bit of their nose/chin. We see some of the characters change their clothes & even hairstyles, mainly through Main Barbie & Ken, but besides some shots, so take this some major grains of salt.

BUT ! That’s not the only thing in this scene I wanna discuss. Firstly, like many has pointed out, it no long says “Barbieland”, instead it says “Kendom”. SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED ! Not only has the named changed, but the style isn’t the usual pink, stylish, slick, Barbie-i-fied logo, it looks written with someone’s hand writing. It’s dark, thin & drab compared to the rest of Barbieland and it’s surroundings. Has Ken taken over? Maybe so, maybe not, I’m not the biggest theory person, BUT I DO HAVE SOMETHING ELSE !

We see the trio in the car here, start out travelling out of Barbieland, they are leaving, but something stops them ! They stop and turn and start heading back towards “Kendom”. What were they doing ? Why did they turn around ? Why were they leaving ? We see in the trailer that it’s only Main Barbie who wants to leave, Ken just tags along, while the others stayed behind. So what happens to them ?

Can’t wait to see what happens !!

[dateinthelife]

13 January 1967

The US record album for the Yellow Submarine film is released, without the words "Nothing is Real" on the cover but with the following nearly unreadable bio of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the back:

Somewhere during the hours between the years 700 and 750 (anno Domini), a brother from the Northumbrian monastery wrote a youthful thane of King Hygelac (King of the Geats) named Beowulf… a hero. A super-hero who arrived from far by sea to rescue Heorot… a feasting hall built by a benevolent old king called Hrothgar… a feasting hall that exuded the pleasures of food and music and perpetual celebration and all that was raison d’être… a feasting hall which for years had been ravaged by the villainy of an evil spirit named Grendel. Having already proven his metal as a good-guy combatant par excellence (by the conquering of a picturesque sea monster and a victory over Breca in a swimming match), Beowulf goes forth to rid the once beautiful Northumbrian landscape of destructive Grendel… a demon who indeed perishes when his arm is delicately dislodged from its socket by Mr. Wulf. The kingdom is saved (albeit after disposing of Grendel’s mother who took unkindly to the action) and Heorot restored with the pleasures of food and music and perpetual celebration and colorful beauty… a restoration which permits bigger and better glorias to be raised to the local gods addressed as Wryds.

Some 465 years later (1215), an English king named King John signed a Magna Carta at a roost called Runnymede… an act of prodded royalty which liberated barons and bumpkins to roust with a greater degree of carefreedom.

Some 561 years later than that (1776), a Virginia gent named Jefferson quilled a Declaration of Independence in, of all places, Philadelphia and shipped it to a king called King George which hypothetically rid a small group of new-world colonies from crimson-flocked enforcers from a faraway land… taxations without representations vanished and the colonies flourished freely under a hero named after the colonies’ capital, Washington. (Ruffled feathers on both sides of the sea have since been plucked.)

And in 1968 – some 1,218 years anno Beo (A.B); 753 years anno Magna (A.M.); 192 years anno Declaration (A.D.) – bad people (Blue Meanies) still force their wills on good people (Pepperlanders) and demolish the human and physical landscape of beautiful pleasure domes (Pepperland). And Agnes – the inquisitive baby sitter next door in California, United States of America – will be pleased to know that there are still heros around of the calibres of Messrs. Wulf, John and Jefferson… there’s John, Paul, George and Ringo and their attending Lonely Hearts Club Band who sail from one place (Liverpool) at the invitation of a benevolent but old leader of another place (the Lord Mayor of Pepperland) to rescue the pleasures of food and music and perpetual celebration and colorful beauty from the villainous hands of less-than-beautiful people (Blue Meanies) who act under the supreme guidance of the most evil spirit (Chief Blue Meanie). The Beatles come by sea (through the Seas of Monsters, Time, Music, Science, Consumer Products, Nowhere, Green Phrenology and Holes – each puddle supporting a lively cast of characters) in a YELLOW SUBMARINE captained by Old Fred (also leader of Sgt. PLHCB) where they prove their heroic metal by outwitting a sea monster (Vacuum Man) and out-swimming competition (School of Whales) even before they reach the shores of the besieged undersea kingdom of Pepperland. Once arrived at target P., they triumph over the Chief Blue Meanie’s primary evil-tempered henchmen (par exemple: the lanky Apple Bonker who assaults his prey with Baldwin apples; the corpulent Hidden Persuader with a penchant for underhanded inscrupulence; the abdominal Snapping Turtle Turk who chomps at the slightest bit; the belligerent Butterfly Stompers who perform tasks that any evil butterfly stompers worth their soul would perform with supreme acuity). The good guys win… the hero-Beatles triumph once again and restore the pleasures of color and music and all that’s beautiful… a restoration which permits bigger and better glorias to be sung to the reigning god of Pepperland addressed as Love.

[nicollekidman]

maybe i misunderstood your post (and absolutely not to diminish your point) but America Ferrera’s character in the Barbie movie is named Gloria 

yes. but we learned that after the fact by looking it up because no one in the movie says her name.

[juantheashura]

Update Info

Soooo, as I said in the previous post, the Chapter 5 update will be coming out in around two weeks. It's a shorter chapter than 4, only around 35k words or so, but when you combine it with the reworked prologue and some of the rewrites in Chapter 4 (nothing too serious), it should still be a fun time.

It's going to be full of fighting scenes and discussions and accusations and yelling and “holy shit you let Gloria's health get HOW low? The press isn’t gonna like that!” that I hope you will all enjoy (Just between us, but I'm starting to think Gloria might be a little sketchy...). In the meantime, I've already posted these on the forums, but I've got a bunch of out of game content that I hope you'll enjoy. In order, there is:

A bunch of snippets of content from Chapter 5, mainly dialogue and such.

One of my posts about the 'Seer's Musings', which are short snippets I write from the perspective of a character that you'll meet in Chapter 9 who knows everything that's going on.

Three articles. The first one is written from the perspective of the Cretan President during WW2, who met Seeker, the Broken King, and learned the truth (on his own!) about the history of the world. The second is from the perspective of Crete's first Treasurer, the man closest to the Blitz Queen and the Broken King. And the last one is from the Broken King himself, from the records he writes down to show the Queen, once she awakens.

Anyway, check below the cut if you'd like to read that! Oh, and before I forget, I'm planning to have Forlorn's portrait/commission alongside the Chapter 5 update. I'm not sure yet, since it's finals season and all, and Twitter is going through a... situation, to say the least, but even if not, the loneliest being in the whole world will not be too far behind.

'Hello, demons. It's me, ya boy!'

Seer's Bit:

“It would be impolite, I think, to lay the blame upon the dead. And yet I believe that it must be done regardless. It’d only hurt you, in the future, if I were to downplay the truth.”

“What do you mean?”

“The world, as it exists today, is arguably due to a single existence. America, the whole of Europe, Africa itself, perhaps even Oceania, as distant as it is, would not even remotely resemble what they are now. It… I suppose it is ridiculous. For the world to seemingly only exist due to the whims of a poor, adopted child that lived in the Mediterranean more than a thousand years ago.”

“… You talk of the Queen?”

“Yes, I do. Of the woman that saved a whole island from extinction, that carved a kingdom of her own while tumbing her nose at an empire, and who has had that same kingdom outlive any and all that surrounded it, while becoming a bastion that even the might of half a dozen empires has yet to crack.”

“An exemplary leader, if everything we’ve learned is to be believed.”

“Ha, perhaps. But exemplary does not equal perfect. The Queen had her flaws, and nowhere else is it as keenly seen as with her chosen companion.”

“The King? But I thought they loved each other. It’s the whole reason he’s seeking her revival, isn’t it? How is he a flaw?”

“Hmm… I suppose calling it a flaw is too much. But it’s a lack of foresight, or a mark of overconfidence, at least.”

“I don’t follow.”

“The King is a beast. When the Queen first found him, he was an even wilder one. He didn’t know of morals, of laws, not even of how to eat anything except what he hunted and burned. He didn’t even have a name, so unaware of society that he only knew of the merchants he stole from, and the troops sent to put him down, all broken at the feet of a beast raised by the laws of the uncaring African deserts. It was the Queen that changed him from that to a monarch revered even a thousand years after his disappearance.”

“How?”

“By beating him bloody. Not that he took it quietly, of course. They both bear the marks of that fight. A sign, maybe, that they were each other’s from the day they met. Regardless, the Queen won in the end. For some reason, one not even I know, she didn’t put him to the sword. Instead, she had him join her, and together they saw the world. She taught him history, geography, arithmetics, what was right and wrong, and even the languages she so adored. It was by her side, and through her efforts, that the King became who he is.”

“Those all sounds like good things, though? I don’t see the problem.”

“The problem is that the Queen was a child. A more educated one than the King, perhaps, but she was as much of a child as him. A child, educating a child. Do you see the problem now? The Queen did not reform her King. She taught him her biases, her desires, and that the only wrongs that existed were the ones she disapproved, not the ones the rest of the world considered. The King’s morality is not one of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. It is one of ‘what the Queen likes’ and ‘what the Queen dislikes.’ The sole reason Constantinople was not turned into a crater, and Crete the capital of an Empire spanning from Lisbon to Vladivostok is that she never asked for it. The Queen did not vanquish the beast. She only tamed it, buried it beneath chains she forged. And now…”

“And now?”

“And now the Queen is dead. She has been dead for a thousand years. And though the King’s devotion is no less strong, the chains that bind the beast within have not survived intact. And unless you see the whole East Coast turned into a wasteland as a good thing, that is a problem.”

“You’re saying the King will revert to what he was like before?”

“I am saying the King is a beast. For a thousand years, that beast has been content to starve, content to see the world beat on it even though it only tries to regain its mate. The chains on its neck have made sure of that. But now? Now, centuries have passed since those chains were put down. Now, the ones who think themselves masters of the world prepare to march on the Queen’s dream. Now, an enemy he cannot see or understand makes the world think of him as an enemy. Now, that beast sees itself cornered, with its ward threatened, and only foes around it.”

“And threaten a beast enough…”

“And it won’t care where its teeth sink, only that it can rip off the limb.”

— The Musings of a Seer, a Warning on What’s to Come.

The three articles:

Hope this at least tides you over! Or at least, that it manages to entertain you a little bit. Don't worry, we'll get back to the badass heroics real soon!

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Lucia (My Life is a Telenovela!)

Full name- Lucia Angelina Serratos

Birth date- March 25th

Place of birth- Miami, Florida

Age (in novel)- 17

Favorite color- Peach

Favorite season- Spring (says it’s not boiling hot in Florida)

Favorite food- tostones with salsa verde sauce (loves making them with her abuela)

Favorite ice cream flavor- raspberry lemon

Favorite dessert- almond torte (also likes her abuela’s flan)

Favorite sandwich- chicken cheesesteak

Favorite actor- Ryan Gosling

Favorite actress- Emma Stone

Favorite movie- Mean Girls

Favorite TV shows- Jane the Virgin, Sex Education, Sex and the City, Euphoria, As Told by Ginger, The Wild Thornberrys, Hey Arnold, Moesha

Favorite singers- Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, Dua Lipa, Ella Mai, Selena, Bruno Mars, Shakira, Gloria Estafan

Favorite bands- Imagine Dragons, BTS, The Rose, Blackpink, Journey, Paramore, Fall Out Boy

Favorite book- When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago

She's currently a junior at True Performance School of the Arts. Lucia hopes to be an acclaimed screenwriter someday, maybe also directing as well.

Her mom is Puerto Rican while her dad is Mexican.

Lucia can speak some Spanish, but is also able to follow through an entire conversation.

She has been both to Puerto Rico & Mexico during the summer as a kid. One favorite memory was when she went to a fireworks show in San Juan when she was eight.

Lucia has unofficial acting credits! Her on-screen debut was as the baby being born to her parents' characters on the telenovela Las Pasiones de Mirabel. She was also a covergirl- not exactly, but she & her parents were the cover story in People en Espanol as a birth annoucement!

Through her padrino's connections, Lucia was able to meet a few Latin celebrities including Vibora, an up-and-coming Cuban-American rapper.

Birds of Paradise are her favorite flowers!

Lucia isn't really that close with her mother's side of the family. She's confused as to why her mom & abuela won't talk too much about their family history or certain family members.

She keeps a framed photo of her abuelo (her mother's father) when he was young in her bedroom. He died when her mother was just a few days shy of her quinceañera.

Lucia has been on the set of too many telenovelas to count! She has also been her parents' date to the Paloma Awards, an annual event that awards the best telenovela actors & actresses.

She has been best friends with Leonie and America since they were all eight years old, where they all went to the same Sunday school. Lucia became friends with Remy during her freshman year of high school.

At her quinceañera, Marc Anthony performed while Leonie & America were part of her court.

Lucia is really close to her abuela. They go out shopping and they also knit, gossip, & watch telenovelas together. Her favorite activity that she likes doing with her abuela is when they make tostones and arepas!

One favorite pastime of Lucia's is reading. Sure she loves the sweet & fluffy YA contemporaries and romances that litter the back of her closet, but she also doesn't mind delving into the magical realism of latin writing greats like Isabel Allende, Gabriel García Márquez, and Julia Alvarez.

She had her first kiss when she was nine at her Communion party with a boy named Joel.

Lucia's first real relationship was with a guy named Chris Del Toro during her sophmore year. They dated for about six months before he & his family moved to Washington State.

She has a secret tattoo- a small pair of dove wings expertly hidden by her right ear. Lucia got it done a couple months ago along with Remy and America, who also got secret tattoos.

At the beginning of junior year, Lucia began crushing on Michael Bernardi, an aspiring photographer! Aside from a few smiles & brief interactions, they've never had an actual conversation.

As a baby, Lucia recieved a gold & diamond necklace with a dove charm by her father. She now almost always wears it!

She has a part time job at Sunshine Swirl, a frozen yogurt shop. The shop is in America's neighborhood, so her place is the first stop for Lucia before she goes home.

Her and her friends love the movie Mean Girls so much that they're all dedicated to wear pink on wednesdays every week till graduation!

[thequeeninyellowlace]

Is Gloria from Barbie named after Gloria Steinem?? I think so.

[robinplayspokemon]

pokemon blue, day 14: cinnabar island

(just kidding, neg the fuck outta me, i love that shit.)

what up gay nerds!

so, yeah, cinnabar island is pretty straightforward, and also usually when it super hits that you're in the endgame because you've looped all the way around the world and the only place that's left to go is back through pallet town & viridian city, which i've always thought was a super cool bit of structure in gen 1!

cinnabar island is pretty small. it has a gym, but it's locked when you arrive! it also has a pokemon lab, where you can finally turn in the fossil you got at mt. moon and the old amber you got at the pokemon museum in pewter city to get resurrected into fossil pokemon! i always go with omanyte (i named him nemo), because i think he's cuter:

and your old amber gets you aerodactyl (who i named rodan after the kaiju):

before you can proceed to the gym, you gotta hit up the pokemon mansion, a big burned-up building full of pokemon. you fight a bunch of scientists & burglars in here, and i kept waiting for the burglars to say something sexy & threatening, but nah, they're boring af.

there's a bunch of pokemon to catch here, though!

(yes i caught muk before grimer, i named her amity after the owl house character since she uses abomination magic which looks an awful lot like grimer/muk. also, holy shit, i was already horny for grimer/muk and you had to go & compound that by informing me she has toxic footprints??? rude!)

(i named him phoenix after a pony i rode recently on a trail ride! also, um, uh >.> trample >.>)

(i totally forgot blaine doesn't have a magmar in blue, btw! kinda wild since that charizard/magmar fight in the anime is so iconic.)

(it took me FOREVER to find weezing, but when i'm not gonna keep a pokemon i do prefer catching the evolved form instead of leveling up the pre-evolved form. plus you can level up your other pokemon while you're looking. idk, seems more efficient to me even if it might not be.)

and, yeah! once you make your way through the mansion, you get your grubby little paws on the key to the gym which was hidden in here for some reason, they don't even attempt to give it any kind of story justification it just is lmao. oh and also scattered throughout the mansion are some journal entries about mewtwo & mew, so that's pretty cool. though it's pretty funny that (in the english version, at least) it specifically mentions "south america" in one of them, so i guess "south america" canonically exists in the pokemon world??? you know, you've got kanto, and galar, and alola, and... south america. this is minnesota in the pokemon movie all over again. (... which also featured mewtwo & mew, come to think of it. maybe those two just break the fourth wall by proximity???)

anyway, i ran through blaine's gym pretty easily just using gloria (she knows surf) & ariel, and got myself a volcano badge!

seven down, 1 to go!!!!

catch ya next time, gay nerds!!

[aheckinmess]

List of Characters I Can Write

My Hero Academia (Current Hyperfocus, Fan for 3 Years)

Pro Heroes

Shouta Aizawa (Eraserhead) - Enji Todoroki (Endeavor) - Hizashi Yamada (Present Mic) - Keigo Takami (Hawks) - Oboro Shirakumo (Loud Cloud) - Toshinori Yagi (All Might) - Rumi Usagiyama (Mirko) - Snipe (Choku Dan)^ - Sekijiro Kan (Vlad King) - Nemuri Kayama (Midnight) - Kugo Sakamata (Gang Orca) - Mirai Sasaki (Sir Nighteye) - Ryuko Tatsuma (Ryukyu) - Taishiro Toyomitsu (Fat Gum) - Ectoplasm

^ "Choku Dan" is a placeholder name that I've given Snipe since it hasn't been revealed in the manga/show to my knowledge.

Adults

Natsuo Todoroki - Fuyumi Todoroki - Toya Todoroki - Inko Midoriya - Tensei Iida

Villains/Anti-Heroes

Dabi - Tomura Shigaraki - Himiko Toga - Jin Bubaigawara (Twice) - Atsuhiro Sako (Mr. Compress) - Danjuro Tobita (Gentle Criminal) - Manami Aiba (La Brava)

Class 1-A

Izuku Midoriya (Deku) - Katsuki Bakugo (Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight) - Shoto Todoroki (Shoto) - Eijiro Kirishima (Red Riot) - Denki Kaminari (Chargebolt) - Mezo Shoji (Tentacole) - Kyoka Jiro (Earphone Jack) - Tenya Iida (Ingenium) - Mina Ashido (Pinky) - Momo Yaoyorozu (Creati) - Yuga Aoyama (Can't Stop Twinkling) - Tsuyu Asui (Froppy) - Ochaco Uraraka (Uravity) - Mashirao Ojiro (Tailman) - Koji Koda (Anima) - Rikido Sato (Sugarman) - Hanta Sero (Cellophane) - Fumikage Tokyami (Tsukuyomi) - Toru Hagakure (Invisible Girl) - Minoru Mineta (Grape Rush) - Hitoshi Shinsou

The Big Three

Mirio Togata (Lemillion) - Tamaki Amajiki (Suneater) - Nejire Hato (Nejire)

Jujutsu Kaisen (Active, Recently Discovered)

Jujutsu Sorcerers (Adults)

Satoru Gojo - Suguru Geto - Kento Nanami - Choso - Ryomen Sukuna - Toji Fushiguro

Jujutsu Sorcerers (Teens)

Yuta Okkotsu - Toge Inumaki - Panda - Maki Zenin - Yuji Itadori - Megumi Fushiguro - Nobara Kugisaki

Pokémon (Semi-active, Fan for 21 Years)

Pokémon Emerald (Ruby/Sapphire)

May/Brendan - Wally - Steven - Scott - Professor Birch - Roxanne - Brawly - Wattson - Flannery - Norman - Winona - Tate & Liza - Wallace - Juan

Pokémon Platinum (Diamond/Pearl)

Dawn/Lucas - Barry - Cynthia - Professor Rowan - Roark - Gardenia - Fantina - Maylene - Crasher Wake - Byron - Candice - Volkner

Pokémon Black (Black/White)

Hilda/Hilbert - Bianca - Cheren - Alder - Professor Jupiter - N - Ghetsis - Colress - Chili - Cilan - Cress - Lenora - Burgh - Elesa - Clay - Skyla - Brycen - Drayden - Iris

Pokémon Black 2 (Black/White 2)

Rosa/Nate - Bianca - Hugh - Iris - Professor Jupiter - N - Ghetsis - Colress - Cheren - Roxie - Burgh - Elesa - Clay - Skyla - Drayden - Marlon

Pokémon X (X/Y)

I didn't have the money for a 3DS when this first came out, got behind on Pokémon games until I got one since Pokémon Moon was my first Pokémon game on the 3DS. My hubby just recently bought X for me so I can finish my timeline of Pokémon games available (aside from Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby). When I'm finished playing it, I'll add it.

Pokémon Moon (Sun/Moon)

Selene/Elio - Hau - Professor Kukui - Ilima - Lana - Kiawe - Mallow - Sophocles - Acerola - Mina

Pokémon Shield (Sword/Shield)

Gloria/Victor - Marnie - Hop - Bede - Leon - Professor Magnolia - Milo - Nessa - Kabu - Allister - Opal - Piers - Raihan

Pokémon Scarlet (Scarlet/Violet)

I haven't finished playing this one yet - maybe I'll finish it soon!

Batman (Inactive, Fan for 11 Years - Have Only Recently Found WFA)

Batman: The Dark Knight

Bruce Wayne (The Batman) - Joker - Harvey Dent (Two-Face) - Rachel Dawes - Jim Gordon - Alfred Pennyworth - Lucius Fox - Salvatore Maroni

Wayne Family Adventures

Bruce Wayne (The Batman) - Richard Grayson (Nightwing) - Jason Todd (Red Hood) - Tim Drake (Red Robin) - Damian Wayne (Robin) - Duke Thomas (The Signal) - Cassandra Cain (Orphan) - Barbara Gordon (Oracle) - Stephanie Brown (Spoiler)

Marvel Cinematic Universe (Inactive, Fan for 13 Years)

Captain America

Steve Rogers (Captain America) - Peggy Carter - James "Bucky" Barnes

Iron Man

Tony Stark (Iron Man) - James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Iron Patriot) - Happy Hogan

The Avengers

Tony Stark (Iron Man) - Captain America (Steve Rogers) - Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) - Clint Barton (Hawkeye) - Thor Odinson (Thor) - Bruce Banner (The Hulk) - Nick Fury - Agent Phil Coulson - Agent Maria Hill

Thor (Asgardians)

Thor - Loki - Odin - Frigga - Heimdall - Fandral - Lady Sif - Volstagg - Hogun

Guardians of the Galaxy

Peter Quill (Star Lord) - Rocket Racoon - Groot - Gamora - Drax the Destroyer - Nebula - Yondu

Age of Ultron

Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver) - Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) - Vision (J.A.R.V.I.S.)

Ant-Man

Scott Lang (Ant-Man)

Spider-Man (Homecoming)

Peter Parker (Spider-Man) - Mary Jane - Ned Leeds

Doctor Strange

Stephen Strange (Dr. Strange) - Wong - Christine Palmer

(There are many more, but it's been a while since I've watched anything MCU since End Game because OW)

The Phantom of the Opera (Inactive, Fan for 13 Years)

Phantom (Erik Destler) - Christine Daae - Raoul de Chagny - Meg Giry - Madame Giry

[I have seen the musical, yes, but I got started on the 2004 movie musical and it stole my heart the moment I saw it.]

If you do not see a character listed, feel free to send me a request and I'll let you know if I can write them!