#amplify black voice actors

[bodiedbyteecosplays]

Me and my cousin were rewatching the episode where the hantengu clones were debuted andddd yall know how the English version isn’t out yet and I started thinking of who would voice who the first thing that came to mind was Gabe Kunda as Sekido , AJ Beckles as Aizetsu , Van Barr Jr as Karaku (he also voiced Ryusei Shidou in the English dub of Blue Lock), and Zeno Robinson as Urogi (Yes, I already know he voices Genya in the dub but I can’t unhear Zeno voicing Urogi in my head)

@tsuunytsuun

[sosa2imagines]

lucky-bucky-boy has a really good smutty one shot about being undercover with Bucky

"Undercovers"

Warnings- SMUT! Friends to lovers? -------------------------------------------

The air in the fancy casino, was thick with cologne and desperation. Bucky, ever the picture of charm and sophistication, in a well-tailored black suit, leaned closer to you, his voice a low rumble. “Enjoying the high life, doll face?”

You batted your eyelashes, channelling your inner actor. “Only because you're here, handsome.”

It was all part of the act. You and Bucky, have been working together for about two years. It had been a normal mission so far. Until you two were told, that you had to pose as lovers for the upcoming mission. You both were calm about it.

Flirting with Bucky was the easy part, as you two were close friends. A playful banter was a natural extension of your friendship.

Mr and Mrs. Stan, socialite couple with a penchant for gambling and questionable art collections. In reality, you and Bucky were after a stolen prototype weapon, rumored to be changing hands tonight.

Tonight, it was amplified, a performance for any potential buyers lurking around. You exchanged playful swats, whispered secrets, and Bucky even ‘accidentally’ brushed his hand against yours, sending a delicious shiver down your spine. All for the mission, of course you thought…so did Bucky. Right?

Hours bled into each other, a blur of clinking glasses, fabricated interest in dubious paintings, and a well-timed ‘win’ at the roulette table.

As Bucky went, to get drinks for you and him, some guy came over and started to talk with you. “Hey beautiful, what's your name?” The man asked, trying to flirt with you, Bucky was quick by your side, gripping your arm firmly, glaring at the man. “Leave her alone.” Bucky said through clenched teeth, his tone dripping with warning, the man seemed puzzled by his response.

“What's it to ya? Can't a man flirt with a beautiful woman?” The man retorted. Bucky let out a small murmur of annoyance, as he gripped your arm tighter and glared at the man again. “No, you can't.” Bucky said, he still couldn't believe that he was being this possessive over you, he had no right. Right? He couldn't stop the burning jealousy that was building in him.

“And I don't like someone touching or flirting with my fiancée! Get away, you understand?” Bucky said, and the man seemed to see the warning in his eyes this time, and finally nodded and started to walk away. The air crackled with nervous electricity and something else entirely.

Maybe it was the wine, or the sequined cocktail dress that felt like a second skin (and three sizes too small), but your stomach was doing loop-the-loops.

The possessive nature of Bucky was a major turn on for you. Your panties, were in a twist.

The night was a blur of champagne flutes, caviar canapés, and Bucky's expertly delivered charm. You danced close, your bodies brushing, sending shivers down each other’s spine. The playful flirting, you both usually reserved for sparring sessions, took on a whole new meaning under the chandeliers.

“You know...” Bucky murmured, his breath warm against your ear as you both waltzed, “this whole fiancé thing feels surprisingly believable.”

You scoffed, but blush heated your cheeks. “Maybe a little too believable, ‘Stan’.”

Soon, Valentina Fontaine the target began to approach you and Bucky.

“You ready, doll?” Bucky drawled, the black fabric straining across his broad shoulders. A playful glint danced in his steel-blue eyes. “As ready as I'll ever be, handsome…” you retorted, trying to project confidence.

Valentina was flirting heavily with Bucky, which made you see red. You wonder, if this is, how he felt before? She was ignoring you completely, and you had enough of her touching Bucky, who was highly uncomfortable.

You excused yourself and weaved through the throng, brushing against a waiter carrying a tray of champagne flutes. One ‘accidentally’ spilling on Valentina, as her guards rushed to clean her up, Bucky like a gentleman held her purse, making you roll your eyes, as he swiftly took the key from it.

Finally, your chance arrived. Valentina, took a bathroom break. Bucky, ever the smooth operator, distracted her bodyguards, while you slipped into her private dressing room. Jackpot. A hidden compartment in her vanity revealed a flash drive with incriminating data.

Back in your hotel room, adrenaline buzzed through your veins. Relief warred with a newfound tension. You'd gotten the intel, but the night wasn't over. Here, alone in this opulent cage, the charade started to unravel.

Bucky poured drinks for you and him, his gaze lingering on you. “Good job tonight...” he said, his voice rough.

A teasing smile played on your lips. “Always the charmer, Barnes.” But the compliment hung heavy in the air. You both circled each other, the playful dance taking on a new edge.

“So…any reason, you made the waiter spill champagne on Valentina?” Bucky asks with a mischievous smirk. “Any reason, you were possessive, when the guy was flirting with me?” you teased him back.

“I was looking after my future wife…” “I was looking after my future husband…”

“Well, partner,” you say, with a playful smile, tossing the stolen flash drive to Bucky, who catches it with a wink. “Mission accomplished.”

Bucky's eyes narrowed. “Indeed. Now, about that fiancé thing…”

He pulled you close, the suit jacket falling away to reveal the familiar worn t-shirt he wore beneath. Laughter escaped your lips as he dipped you a playful bow.

“Care to take it one step further, doll?”

One step closer, and his hand was on your cheek, his thumb tracing a soft path over your lips. “This,” he murmured, his voice husky, “this feels a little too real, doesn't it?”

And it did. The line between mission and something more had blurred. Your breath hitched. “Maybe it should...” you whispered before kissing him.

It started as a release; a surge of emotions bottled up for too long. But the kiss ignited something deeper, a fire fuelled by unspoken feelings and the thrill of the night. Clothes fell away, replaced by a desperate urgency.

As soon as your back was pressed against the bed, Bucky lost all self-control.

A growl emitted from his throat, low and rumbling against your mouth. The kiss was hard, a battle of tongues for dominance. An aggressive kiss, making you moan and Bucky’s cock to twitch mindlessly against your tummy.

Bucky pulls back, looking at you. He gently traces his finger over your face. “Mine…” He leans down and brushes his lips against yours, kissing you deeply.

You deepen the kiss, your hands gently sliding down his butt. He slides his hands down your back, his fingers lightly brushing against your butt, kneading them. His kiss becomes hungry, almost desperate, as if he wants as much of you, as he can get.

“You drive me crazy, doll face...” he murmurs against your skin. He leans back down and deepens his kiss, his touch more insistent, his hands sliding over your body. Bucky kisses along your collarbone, down towards your chest, his lips finding the sensitive skin between your breasts. His breath is warm against you, as he lets one of his hands wander lower, his fingertips lightly brushing between your legs.

His lips find the spot on your neck and you moan softly. His fingers find the spot in your cunt. You gasp and moan, your hands slide along Bucky's sides up to his hair, tangling in them.

“I'm gonna take good care of you, doll.” Bucky murmurs against your neck, as he kisses along your collarbone again, nipping and sucking until he's sure he's left a mark.

His hands took your breasts between his palms, kneading them, worshipping them. He took one of the hardened nipples between his lips, sucking it with a deep moan. “Bu…Bucky” you gasped. He nuzzled his face against your breasts before pulling his mouth away, with an obscene pop.

You moan and gently roll your hips against him, the anticipation almost driving you over the edge. He pauses as his eyes move over you, drinking in the sight of you, his breathing is heavy. “You're so beautiful...” he says, sliding a hand up your thigh to your hip and leaning down to kiss along your stomach, his warm lips moving slowly.

“Bucky…” you moan, your hands tangling in the sheets again. His tongue starts to move slowly, teasingly over you. You pull your bottom lip between your teeth, trying to stifle your sounds as he slowly circles his tongue around your clit, teasing your button.

Bucky lets out a low moan against you, as he leans back, hooking his arms around your thighs, pulling you closer, as he lowers his head and his tongue finds your center again, moving slowly.

You let go of the sheets, as your hands grip his hair, your back arching in pleasure, as he drives you closer with his tongue. “Bucky…” you gasp, your eyes closing as he brings you closer to the edge.

He can feel you're close, by the way your body tenses, the way your breathing changes. He moves his tongue faster, wanting to take you over the edge, pushing you closer and closer, until you let out a gasp and a shiver runs through you, as waves of pleasure wash over you.

Your body starts to slowly come down, your eyes opening. Bucky lifts his head, stroking your thighs, pressing little kisses to your abdomen, a smile curving the corners of his mouth.

He slides up, leaning down and kissing you slowly. You can taste yourself on his lips, as he kisses you deeply, gently rolling his hips against yours again.

You hook your legs around his waist, rolling your hips against his. You can feel his arousal and it makes you crave his touch. You pull him closer, deepening the kiss, your hands trailing down his back, your nails scratching him, as he keeps rolling his hips against yours.

He groans softly, the feel of you against him causing his breathing to get heavier. He pulls back from the kiss slightly. “I want you,” he almost whispers, kissing along your jaw.

You slide your hand between your bodies, caressing his hardened cock. “You have me,” you say, leaning up and kissing his jaw before nuzzling along his neck. His breathing becomes heavier, as you find that sensitive spot on his neck and he gently moans your name.

You tilt your head back, as Bucky kisses along your neck again, the anticipation building. He gently presses you down on the bed, his hands pressing against your thighs, his lips trailing kisses up your stomach.

He lifts his head, looking down at you. His eyes are dark with need. He reaches down and gently teases you with his fingers, watching the way your lips part to let out a soft moan, your body shifting slightly at his touch.

Bucky gently withdraws his fingers. He leans down and kisses you, before shifting to settle between your legs. You wrap your legs around him, trying to pull him closer. Bucky kisses you deeply as he pushes into you, your pussy takes all of him in. His thick length stretched your walls.

His breath catching in his throat, at the feel of you wrapped around him. He bottoms out with a groan, before pulling back out again. His hips soon found a suitable pace. You break the kiss, breathing heavily, as he starts to move against you slowly, his forehead pressing against yours again, his arms around you, holding you close.  

Bucky speeds up slightly, making your breathing hitch. He presses a little deeper and your nails slightly dig into his shoulders. “Bucky” you whisper, as he hits deep in your cunt, making all your thoughts scatter.

He leans back, looking into your eyes, his name on your lips, fuelling his need, his pace increasing as he buries his face in your neck. You can feel him getting closer, his breathing heavier, your name escaping his lips in a groan. You're close, too.

“Just let go, doll…” he whispers in your ear, his hips moving faster, his lips against yours. The words push you over the edge and you cry out his name, against his lips, as waves of pleasure wash over you. Bucky shudders, as he follows you over, holding you close to him.

You moaned into the kiss, as you came hard, “I'm... I'm gonna come...” he pants as he nears his climax. He spent himself inside you. Filling you up to the brim. He collapsed on top of you, catching his breath, burying his face in your neck.

You lay there for a while, panting, still wrapped in each other's arms. Bucky nuzzles into your neck, placing small kisses along your skin, making you shiver slightly.

He slowly rolls off of you and lays down beside you, his hand lightly caressing your side. You scoot closer into his side, your head resting on his chest as he wraps an arm around you, pulling you closer.

You close your eyes, as you feel his hand run idly up and down your back. You both lay there in a comfortable silence for a while. The line between playful banter and genuine affection blurred, leaving you and Bucky tangled in the sheets, the mission a distant afterthought. As dawn painted the sky a fiery orange, Bucky held you close, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

“Maybe we should practice this fiancé thing more often,” he murmured, his voice husky with sleep. You chuckled, tracing a finger across his metal arm. “Just between us, Barnes? I wouldn't mind.”

My pervert brain had to write about this.

TAGLIST- @imyourbratzdoll @blackhawkfanatic @ordelixx @sapphirebarnes @ilovetaquitosmmmm @winterslove1917

@differenttyphoonwerewolf @vicmc624 @thezombieprostitute @nekoannie-chan @emerald-writes @3xclusivemariii

[draculasfavoritewife]

I'd Give Up My Spot In Heaven (For A Moment In Hell With You)

Summary: Being the Devil's partner is more difficult some nights than others, and no one makes it harder on the both of you than Lucifer himself.

Pairing: Lucifer Morningstar x fem!Reader

Warnings: Brief depictions of smoking and alcohol use, themes of depression and self-hatred, guilt; discussions of death (but a good ending, never fear). And of course implied smut because this beautiful man has me constantly thinking some very unholy things.

If I had to choose one single TV show that changed my life and has so powerfully influenced my recent adulthood, it would definitely be the Lucifer Netflix series. I could write semesters' worth of essays on just how beautifully crafted the character is and what a stunning actor Tom Ellis is. Someday I really need to write more fic for him because truly, in my opinion Lucifer is one of THE Characters of All Time and I'm so utterly in love with him it makes me look stupid.

*I wrote this with the thought that it takes place sometime during the events of Season 2, definitely before the return of his wings

The flutter of uncharacteristically cold silk sheets brushing across your flesh wakes you with a silent gasp. Frowning, you grope blindly in the darkness, reaching out in vain for your usual heat source but grasping only more folds of empty, luxurious fabric.

You’re alone.

And the bed feels suddenly far too vast and lonesome for one body to occupy. 

After a few heartbeats of mildly distressed thrashing about, you finally open your eyes and sit up, pulling the unmoored sheets up around your bare chest and searching for him in the dark. The penthouse is quiet, full of shadows draping languorously across the furniture and expensive art, hiding the familiar contours of his elegant bedroom from view. 

He’s not there. 

He’s left you alone in his bed, something he really only does when his mind is torturing him too much, so he resorts back to his oldest tried-and-true method of dealing with pain — avoidance. 

Which means he’s in pain out there somewhere. Your beloved fallen angel is afflicted with some hurt that strikes too deep for him to rest tonight.

And you don’t want him to remain like that until morning. 

With a sigh, you rise from the empty bed and shrug into the button-up shirt he tossed onto the night table only several hours before. Though he often offers the whites to you, you always prefer the black ones instead, these garments that seductively wrap your form like soft night shadows, the scent of his cologne heavily amplified without a light to distract your other senses. Your bare feet make hardly any sound on the cool floor as you stumble your way into the main living area, eyes slowly adjusting to the dim. 

There he is. 

He hasn’t gone far, sitting slouched forward at the piano, a nearly empty whiskey tumbler within easy reach and soft smoke curling upward from the lit cigarette held between his long fingers. By the array of still-glowing stumps littering the nearby ashtray, it’s not his first one of the night, either. He only chain-smokes when he’s really worked up, so you approach him cautiously, halting a couple of feet from his left side.

His endless dark eyes are focused impossibly far away, haunted and cold, and they don’t so much as even flicker in your direction as you hover there, uncertain of how to catch his attention. 

“Go back to bed, Darling. I’ll be along eventually.” 

His voice is as smooth and lovely as ever, but the detached undertone running like bitter poison beneath sends a tiny shiver up the back of your neck. 

“What’s wrong, Love?” 

He doesn’t reply, and you would almost wonder if he didn’t hear you at all, save for the agitated clenching and unclenching of his chiseled jaw. Restless fingers tap a dusting of ash from the end of the cigarette, shoving it back between full lips for another irritated drag of smoke into his immortal lungs. 

He did hear.

So you choose to wait, settling on the end of the piano bench beside him, though not quite close enough to touch. 

Smoke jets from his nostrils, its acrid scent burning the back of your throat. 

“Nothing’s wrong. Just up for an impromptu nightcap, Sweetheart.” He immediately contradicts his casual claim by abruptly tossing back the rest of his whiskey and rising for a refill. You watch his silhouette as he looms over his private bar to replenish his drink.

Even when all of the details are hidden, he’s still utterly captivating, the sleek planes of his toned body sharply outlined by the faint light bleeding from the windows. 

“You don’t drink like that for a nightcap.” You absently brush your fingertips across a simple chord on the piano keys. “You can talk to me, about whatever’s on your mind. You know that.” 

“Did I ASK you to play the part of my therapist?” his dark shape snarls, another billow of nicotine smoke accentuating his sudden anger. 

You turn so you’re facing him, though you still can’t make out his face.

He feels safer that way, hidden in the dark. 

The Devil may be an excellent actor, but those damned beautiful eyes have always given him away to you, and he has the nasty suspicion they’re a bit too glossy at the moment for his comfort. 

You sigh softly. “Don’t think of it that way, then. I’m not here to analyze and dissect you. But you haven’t been sleeping well lately.” You hold up your hands to stall the protest you know is coming. “And I know you probably don’t need it the same way I do. But you hold everything in, and you bury it so deep, Lucifer. There will only ever be more and more piling on top if you don’t let it out sometime.” 

He huffs, a harsh burst of scornful laughter. Drawing closer again, he towers over you, tall and forbidding, eyes briefly flashing crimson through the shadows cast across his face.

“And just how do you suggest I go about that, hmm? I don’t exactly have my trust in others positively reinforced that often.” 

You’re very well aware of his profound trust issues, but that one hurts. “That's not fair, Lucifer. When have I ever given you reason to doubt me? When have I ever done anything except stand by you?” 

“You haven’t! But that’s the lovely part about you humans, isn’t it? I can watch and listen and taste and think I’ve figured out exactly how you work, and then every single time, something extraordinary happens and I realize I’ve predicted wrong again! There’s no rhyme or reason to you!” He tears away from you, pacing and agitated. “And bloody Hell, I’m TIRED of finally letting down my walls for you people only to be trampled upon again and again.” 

No knife blade could cut quite so deep and sharp, and for a moment, you’re left completely speechless at the implication that you would ever betray him. But you heard the way his voice broke at the peak of his rant, the shuddering sound of his ragged breaths, so for the moment you swallow your own hurt and focus on his.

He needs you right now, whether he recognizes it or not. 

“Okay. You're right. We have been — we still are — so very unfair to you, Love. I know that. I’m sorry you’re still seen as the villain; I’m so sorry for all of it. And I know your own family only continues to betray your trust as well. I am —” you clear your throat, your own voice wavering slightly now. “— I am sorry you never had anyone truly on your side, Lucifer. I can’t imagine what that’s like.” 

His frenzied pacing stops; he approaches you again, footsteps suddenly tentative. “Why do they all do it?”

You’re not sure you’ve ever heard his voice so soft, so uncertain.

“Why, after all of the chances I give them, does everyone still think it’s such a grand time to undermine and manipulate me whenever they get the chance?” 

You stand, and ever so slowly bring your hands up to cradle his handsome, angular face. “They all have their own reasons, my Darling. Please….” 

You’re not quite sure what you’re pleading him for, but the utter despair overflowing from those fathomless eyes twists your heart even harder than his outburst from before. 

“It isn’t you,” you whisper fiercely, recognizing the all-too-familiar desolation of his intense self-hatred surfacing. “Luce, Angel, it’s never been you. I promise.” 

“Why can’t I make anyone happy?” he asks in a broken whisper. He’s letting you closer; you can feel his smoky breath ruffling your sleep-tossed hair, and the heat rising from his bare torso in front of you.

Your hands hesitantly drift from his face, caressing the smooth expanse of his chest before trailing around to his back. He flinches, a minuscule twitch as your fingertips gently find their way to catch in the wide, roughened furrows there — the enormous crescent scars that are all that remain of his beautiful wings. 

You order your thoughts, taking a breath to let your own inner tumult dissipate, and inhale the scent of him, that blend of too-expensive cologne edged with just enough of the whiskey and smoke to be enthralling and not overpowering. It reminds you once more, in this moment, of just how deeply you love this tortured angel, your King without a crown, and how you chose to do so even knowing there would be nights like this, times when he tried to push you away. 

He deserves to have someone on his side no matter what, even when he’s difficult. 

“You make me happy.” 

His mouth opens, no doubt to argue that, but you press on before he can speak. “Do you remember the night you finally took the chance and showed me your devil face?” 

He nods, reluctant and suspicious. 

“Do you remember what I did?” 

His eyes narrow and he tilts his head to one side, thinking. “I remember…what you didn’t do. You didn’t scream. Or try to run away, or just sit there staring at me like you were going to explode. You were…startled, of course, but you…accepted it?” 

“I did. I do. Do you know why?” 

He shakes his head mutely, those eyes wide and glimmering with interest now as he stares back into yours, searching for the answer. 

“Because it’s you. Devil, angel, man, monster, whatever you want to call yourself — none of that matters to me, because all of it is just names, decorations over the Lucifer I fell in love with. And that…being…cares — so deeply — about people, even though he claims he doesn’t. He sacrifices so much for others, even as he calls himself selfish. And —” you gently shush him so you can finish before he tries to deflect, “— the way others treat him does hurt him, though he puts up a good act. I know that’s why he tries to push away the people who love him. I understand.” 

A barely perceptible shudder runs through his skin, and he looks away from you for a moment. He’s still not always used to anyone but Dr. Martin being able to read him that well, but he’s relieved that you can. Anyone else in this close of a relationship with him would have probably thrown in the towel long before now. 

After a moment, powerful arms pull you in tight to his body, solidly encircling your form. His breathing slows; the comforting sensation of his agile hands stroking your back brings a smile to your lips. 

“Now, what else is wrong?” you whisper. 

A long sigh rocks you against his chest. “I saw their faces in my dreams again. Relived their pain…. I’m left wondering again if there wasn’t anything I could have done to — well. I suppose I’m saying I still feel responsible.” 

You let your eyes flutter shut against him, soothingly massaging his scars and feeling the tense muscles in his back let go one by one.

“Who, Luce?” 

He swallows hard above your head, allowing himself a moment to compose his voice before speaking their names aloud. “Delilah. Jana. Father Frank.” 

People who once meant something to him, people who died violent deaths that he wishes he could have protected somehow.

Or had maybe never met in the first place.

His fingertips dig into your skin through his shirt, and you know exactly where his tormented mind is going, the fear that everyone he cares about will end up hurt or dead eventually. 

He can’t have that happen to you. 

“They all made their own choices, Love. Delilah and Jana were attached to their lifestyles and knew it might catch up with them or go wrong someday. Father Frank loved so fiercely he would have chosen the same fate for himself a hundred times over. I know it’s…difficult, for you — for any of your family — to comprehend, but we 'insignificant humans' do have things in this life we are willing to take risks for. Even die for.” You huff a quiet laugh, burying yourself even further in the warmth of his skin. 

“What would you die for?” 

The honest, blunt question takes you by surprise. There’s none of his usual banter or teasing preceding it. When you pull back to meet his eyes, you see the look of earnest interest on his face, his dark brows drawn together with the force of his desire to understand. 

It’s not a difficult answer. 

“You, Lucifer. What we have. That’s what I would die for.” 

His gaze feels like it’s piercing all the way into the most vulnerable parts of your soul, searching for any sign of why you would do so. 

Then his focus suddenly flits away again; for a heartbeat, pain settles into the lines of his face before it clears as quickly as it appeared. 

“I was thinking about Uriel, too.” 

It feels like there’s suddenly no air in your lungs. He hasn’t really brought up what happened with his younger brother to you except in passing. You know how much that whole situation wrecked him, but though you ached to let him know he could talk to you about it, you also knew it hurt far too much, so you merely supported him silently through his despair-fueled run of alcohol, drugs, and raging parties, hoping that one day he would realize he could trust you with the full weight of it. 

Perhaps he finally has. 

“I was thinking about him, and how I — I killed my brother, Darling. I took the Blade of Azrael and plunged it right into him without a second thought. What kind of —” he takes a choppy breath, swallows again; when he continues, his voice is barely more than a whisper.

“What kind of monster does that make me, Love?” 

You ponder your reply as your fingers travel up to his face once more, feeling the well-loved scratch of his perpetually perfect five-o-clock shadow as you caress his jaw.

He leans ever so slightly into your touch as he waits for your next words, somewhat reassured by the intimate contact that they won’t be damning. 

“Uriel would have killed the detective. And he would have killed your mother.” Your own voice is firm, certain in your assessment. “You looked out for your own. You gave him so many chances to back off, and he didn’t. In a way, even Uriel made his own choice in the end.” You gaze back up into his eyes, noting how vulnerable he looks here in this moment through the shining veil of tears that even now refuse to fall.

“Don’t blame yourself for your brother’s death anymore, Lucifer.” 

“But I’d never taken a life before.” His lips press together into a hard line, their sweeping curves disappearing momentarily into grief. “And to have my first be him?” 

“I know.” You push yourself into him again, trailing soft kisses across his collarbone. “And I’ll never know what you’re going through. But I’m here. I’m always here. And we can talk all about it whenever you need. I’m not going anywhere. I love you.” 

You can’t quite tell if he’s crying or not as he fiercely folds you into his grasp, as close as the two of you can possibly hold each other. But you stay like that for a very long time, swaying gently back and forth, no sound audible save for the breaths and beating hearts of the Devil and his human lover. 

Eventually, he is the one to pull away, retreating back to the bar and picking up his drink from where he set it down before. His cigarette has long since gone out, but he makes no move to light another. You can tell by the loose set of his shoulders that his self-inflicted torture is easing for now, and as it passes, your own body wearily reminds you of how late — or early? — it is, and that it would much rather be in bed. 

“Go back to bed, Darling.” There’s real warmth in Lucifer’s voice now as he repeats his words from before.

“I’ll be along eventually.” 

So you do, still wearing his shirt, and drift in and out of lonely dreams until the mattress finally dips beside you, heralding his along-waited arrival. 

“Still awake?” He clicks his tongue in mock disapproval. “My scintillating company has ruined you for ever sleeping alone again, hasn’t it?” 

“Maybe.” You roll onto your back to smile up into his face. “The bed’s so cold without you.” 

He smirks, runs a teasing finger down from your lips right up to where you left the top couple buttons of the shirt strategically undone. “Well. I was a bit of an ass to you earlier, Love, and I do want to make it up to you. So.” He leans in close, that familiar look of utterly seductive, wicked mischief crossing his face.

“Tell me, what is it you want from me right now? What is that sinful, naughty little desire of yours that’s just waiting so patiently on the tip of your tongue? Go on, Sweetheart, don’t be shy.” 

“Lucifer!” You glare up into his expectant, dancing eyes as you struggle to resist his persuasion. “I’m not going to say it out loud.” 

“Oh, so it’s REALLY awful then!” He sounds shamelessly delighted as he traps you in place so you can’t possibly elude the inevitable revelation of what’s on your mind. “And how should I punish my favorite little sinner, for thinking such deliciously dirty things?” 

Unable to hold on to your resolve any longer, you pull him down over you so that you can feverishly unload your demented fantasies into his waiting ear. 

“Well, well, well.” A low chuckle vibrates deep in his chest as he kisses you, scorchingly slow. “How DO you manage to go about your day-to-day life as a seemingly normal human when your innermost thoughts are so sordid, Darling? Tell me, is it terribly difficult keeping your wicked side under wraps during daylight hours?” 

You sigh in pleasure as his mouth moves to your throat and his talented fingers start to smoothly undo the buttons of the shirt. “Only when you’re around.” 

“Is that so?” He rests his forehead against yours, a hand sweeping under the curve of your back and lifting your body up to meet his. “They do call me the tempter, I suppose. Ah, Darling, you can bet I’m going to do my very damndest to break that flawless self-restraint of yours in public one of these days. Whatever do you think people would say if that were to happen?” 

“Just shut up and punish me already,” you murmur, shivering as your skin is exposed to the chill air once more. “You’ve tortured me for long enough.” 

“Really.” He grins devilishly, sharp eyes glowing like hot embers in the dim.

“I do believe I haven’t even started.” 

[mariacallous]

“Make cats safe again” read the MAGA-style baseball caps perched on the heads of five AI-generated felines printed on a black T-shirt alongside a Trump 2024 banner. It’s yours for just $29.99 (10 percent off if you order three) from United Patriot, an online store that proclaims it is “not afraid to speak the truth!”

The T-shirt may seem innocuous enough. But its slogan references a racist lie, spread by US presidential candidate Donald Trump, that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, had been eating local pets. The false claims have led to a wave of xenophobic abuse including bomb threats and vandalism against the local Haitian community.

The item is also one of thousands being sold by a group of online operators who are targeting the US election using hate, lies, and conspiracy theories, all to make a quick buck.

United Patriot is one of four ecommerce companies identified by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) that have been advertising merchandise, often aimed at Trump supporters, using different levels of misinformation and hate speech.

They have collectively paid to publish over 15,000 “political” ads that have racked up millions of impressions on Facebook. And though the operations present themselves as patriotic outlets selling US products, TBIJ has found evidence suggesting many are being at least partly run from overseas.

Both operations are just examples of a bigger global problem that goes far beyond one election in one country.

“Evidence has shown that we engage more with content that is provocative and emotionally charged,” says Hannah Perry, digital policy head of research at think tank Demos. “Because algorithms on platforms such as Facebook are designed to optimize for engagement—keeping us on platforms for longer and prolonging our exposure to advertising—such algorithms disproportionately surface inflammatory and divisive content.

“Actors will no doubt target the US election to attract an outsized audience relative to other domestic stories.”

The operations we identified are all enabled by the economics of the internet, which encourage workers from Nigeria to the Philippines to the US to amplify hate and falsehoods to millions in the pursuit of profit. And they show how people simply out to make money currently have their sights set on one of the most finely balanced elections in history.

From Biden to Betting Scams

“A White House video in which Joe Biden goes 45 seconds without blinking is raising serious questions about who is currently serving as president of the United States,” says a presenter over a picture of the current president, claiming he has been dead since June 2022.

The video, produced by The People’s Voice channel on the video platform Rumble, is clearly aimed at capturing conspiracy-minded Americans. It is just one of hundreds of US-focused posts hosted on a network of Facebook pages run largely from Nigeria aimed at extracting money for sports betting scams. Twenty-five of the most active pages identified by TBIJ have amassed more than 669,000 followers, more than doubling from 290,000 followers last year.

An investigation by Nigerian media outlet HumAngle reported in September that the wider network, which may be as large as 240 Facebook pages, appears to scam people out of money by offering them the opportunity to profit from high-odd bets placed on what the pages say are “fixed” sports matches. Despite HumAngle’s reporting, 199 of the accounts remained active with a combined following of more than 2.7 million accounts.

To attract users to these scams, the pages have been boosting engagement by publishing political content—in particular, conspiracy theories and false claims about the US presidential race. Some posts falsely claimed Kamala Harris, the sitting US vice president and 2024 Democratic nominee, is a man. Others focused on the idea that natural disasters such as Hurricanes Helene and Milton were engineered by Democratic leaders to prevent people from voting in swing states. Both are conspiracy theories that have gained traction in the last few months.

The pages have co-opted the branding of hacktivist movement Anonymous, an ostensibly anti-establishment group of online activists and hackers that rose to prominence in the early 2000s. Wearing masks similar to those adopted by the movement (originally taken from the film and comic book series V for Vendetta), those behind the scams will often overlay footage of themselves over clips pushing disinformation.

But while they align themselves with a political movement and push political falsehoods, they are using them to make money.

Daniel Roberts, a spokesperson for Facebook parent company Meta, tells TBIJ: “Scammers persistently target people online and in the real world—and that’s why we work with governments, NGOs, and law enforcement agencies to deter bad actors. This is a highly adversarial space, and we continue to update our enforcement systems to respond to evolving scammer behavior. We are reviewing the accounts shared with us and will enforce against any that violate our policies.”

Promoting Popularity

Online marketing, whether it is promoting legitimate goods, hateful T-shirts, or attempts to scam people out of their money, relies on getting people to see posts. Social media algorithms tend to boost content that they predict will attract a lot of attention.

In recent years, it has become clear that conspiracy theories, misinformation, and hate are very good at tapping into the emotions that drive this kind of engagement. And that, in turn, means that anyone with something to sell is incentivized to push that kind of content to boost their profits. Post something that receives a high level of engagement (say, a conspiracy theory) and it’s more likely that your other content will be promoted by the algorithm.

Other posts on the Nigerian network’s pages claim to be able to foresee the future. Predictions about politics or natural disasters are published alongside their claims to deliver returns on high-risk bets. They also often post “testimonials”—short videos depicting people thanking the pages’ operators for “changing their lives” through fixed sports betting. All are gimmicks to lure in new targets for sports bettings scams.

According to a conversation with the admins of one of the pages, a ticket to participate in the fixed betting would cost someone $4,250. A “mini-ticket” costs $2,100. TBIJ obtained a bitcoin address used by one such page with about 70,000 followers and found that the wallet had facilitated nearly $1 million worth of transactions. These schemes have been used to scam many Nigerians and others over the years, according to HumAngle.

The target market, however, is far more global.

As the US election has gained pace, the volume of content on the network of sites aimed at US citizens has ramped up, with the pages trying to remain relevant by referencing new events.

Many posts piggyback on false claims about US government relief available to hurricane victims, such as the Trump campaign’s claims that relief funding was restricted because the money was instead going to immigrants or to the defense of Ukraine against Russian aggression. “I hate that our government never runs out of money for illegals and foreign wars. But runs out of money to help struggling Americans,” one post reads.

Another shows an AI-generated picture of Trump standing in a flooded area and handing toilet paper to the victims, captioned, “a picture they don’t want you to see.”

Profiting off Patriotism

Like the Nigerian network, other similar ecommerce merch stores rely heavily on Facebook for their marketing and promote similar conspiracy theories in order to gain traction.

Many of the ads run by United Patriot include graphics that reference and promote destroying the pride flag, misogynistic slurs against Harris, transphobia, anti-vaccine logos, anti-Ukrainian sentiment, gun ownership, and mentions of the “stolen election.”

Misogyny aimed at Harris regularly featured in ads run by another of the sites, which also sells merchandise containing anti-trans slurs. Another of the sites posted a video falsely claiming Dominion voting machines helped steal the election from Trump.

The messages, potentially misleading US citizens or stoking hate towards various groups, will have been seen by many times more people than actually made a purchase.

Those running the network of Facebook pages in Nigeria may simply believe that US-focused clickbait is the best way to boost the number of people who see their scams. In contrast, the ecommerce operations identified by TBIJ give every impression that they are proudly American.

Yet analysis of their listed physical addresses and online presence suggests that the businesses are at least partly run from Vietnam, the Philippines, Pakistan, India, and Croatia (with Facebook page admins based in those countries). None of the ecommerce sites identified by TBIJ provided a US address that could be tied to their business.

United Patriot, which says its “patriotic collection of amazing apparel items … are all printed locally here in America,” claims on its Facebook page and website to be located at an address in Gardena, California. However, TBIJ could not find proof of that business registered at the address. The only other commercial activity found at the address was a warehouse providing services for wholesale shipments for people based overseas, as well as two online stores that have been accused in Google reviews of being scams.

The Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit focused on “marketplace trust,” told United Patriots in November 2022 that it should change or substantiate claims made on its website about items “printed in the US.”

Another such site, Red First LLC, says it is based in Carrollton, Texas, at the same address as a fraudulent merchant claiming to resell Ralph Lauren clothing. This does not necessarily mean the companies are owned by the same person, but suggests the address may have been used by scammers.

Nor are all these operations strictly pushing right-wing messages. Red First LLC (which trafficks notably less in hate and misinformation than the other three companies) has created at least 5,000 ads over the last two years. While it promotes mostly right-wing merchandise and content, such as T-shirts bearing misogynistic insults toward Harris and signs suggesting the 2020 election was stolen, it has also in a small number of cases posted pro-Harris content. The commercial imperative behind the operation means it isn’t averse to backing the other side.

Meta Under Scrutiny

As attempts to influence public opinion and elections have ramped up across social media, companies such as Facebook owner Meta have come under scrutiny for the role they play in hosting bad actors trying to polarize public opinion on their platforms.

In 2021, Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, blew the whistle on the company’s role in spreading disinformation and the increase in racial hatred. Numerous studies have also shown that social media platforms’ algorithms, including Facebook’s, create bigger engagement opportunities for far-right, conspiratorial, and hateful content.

“The US election is an already fraught and divisive political event. If the aim of these scammers is to bring people in, then appealing directly to emotion to circumvent media criticality is key,” says Joe Ondrak, senior research and technology lead at anti-disinformation startup Logically.

“There is likely a large pool of potential victims and easily exploitable narratives for them to choose from. The way algorithms reward engagement means that misinformation, conspiracy theory, and hate speech are easy ways to find a wide audience.”

[watfordgrimoire]

Summer of Shakespeare

To be or not to be -- acts as a coin flip; caster's object with either glow bright white or become shrouded in shadows

Two may keep counsel, putting one away -- prevents whom it is cast on from being able to speak of a secret (forbidden spell)

Let slip the dogs of war -- draws in nearby canines

What light through yonder window breaks -- creates sunlight through the window it is cast on

If you prick us, do we not bleed -- creates a pinprick wound

To sleep, perchance to Dream -- sleeping spell (has a chance to cause the sleeper to have vivid, lucid dreams)

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown -- creates a heavy, golden crown

Get thee to a nunnery -- creates a route to the nearest convent

Take arms against a sea of troubles -- pulls in nearby weapons (only works if near a body of salt water)

In nature there's no blemish but the mind -- removes acne

If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well / It were done quickly -- speeds up electronic appliances (causes the appliances to shut down if cast incorrectly)

A man can die but once -- used by superstitious mages to ward off vampire attacks

The good is oft interred with their bones -- buries objects it is cast on (can also be used as a finding spell when cast with the correct intentions)

It's Greek to me -- translates text to Greek

My kingdom for a horse -- summons nearby equine

Neither a borrow nor a lender be -- if someone owes you money, takes any cash/coins they have on them when cast

Nothing will come of nothing -- cleaning spell

Brevity is the soul of wit -- silencing spell (only allows for a few words while the spell is active)

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day -- heats someone up to the average summer temperature of the area

You have witchcraft in your lips -- enhances the next spell cast

Friends, Romans, Countrymen -- amplifies the caster's voice

Lord, what fools these mortals be -- stunning spell

The course of true love never did run smooth -- rumoured at Watford to cause a couple to break up if cast on them

Now is the winter of our discontent -- snow creation spell (only works when the caster is unhappy)

All the world's a stage -- creates a temporary, basic stage to use for performances

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and other have greatness thrust upon them -- superstitious mages cast this on newborn children in order to increase their depth of magick

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind -- temporary blinding spell (only works if the person it is cast on is in love)

Conscience does make cowards of us all -- scares away nearby creatures

To suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune -- an arrow creation spell

Frailty, thy name is woman -- weakening spell

It is not enough to speak, but to speak true -- forces whomever it is cast on to tell a truth

I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me -- causes nearby dogs to bark

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy -- finding spell

The lady doth protest too much -- reveals if someone is lying

The whips and scorns of time -- attacking spell

I am a man more sinned against than sinning -- shielding spell

Good wine is a good familiar creature -- wine creation spell (difficult spell)

We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep -- when cast on someone who is sleeping, has the chance to allow them to bring small objects out of their dreams (difficult spell)

O wretched state! o bosom black as death! -- dyes objects black

Muddy death -- creates a mud puddle

Lay aside life-harming heaviness / And entertain a cheerful disposition -- cheering up spell

And, most dear actors, eat no onions or garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath -- cures bad breath

If after every tempest come such calms, / May the winds blow till they have wakened death -- creates a wind storm

None can be called deformed but the unkind -- reveals if someone has betrayed you, causing them to be covered in boils

Deny thy father and refuse thy name -- name changing spell (can apply to first, middle, and/or last name depending on the emphasis of the words)

The evil that men do lives after them -- creates weapons out of human bones (forbidden spell)

To thine own self be true -- temporary self-confidence increasing spell

Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once -- used in battle to try and scare the opposition into retreat (difficult spell)

Blest be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones -- cast on graves to prevent graverobbing

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and gets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more -- silencing spell (forbidden spell)

And through this distemperature we see / The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts / Fall in the fresh lap of the crimson rose -- creates a layer of frost

It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing -- causes whomever it is cast on to babble uncontrollably

For there was never yet philosopher / That could endure the toothache patiently -- eases toothache pain

God has given you one face, and you make yourselves another -- temporary disguise spell

Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind -- reveals if a suspect is guilty (not always reliable as it can be tampered with)

Our peace shall stand as firm as rocky mountains -- stabilizes piles of soil or rock

Fortune brings in some boats that are not steer'd -- helps boats steer safely into harbor

The empty vessel makes the loudest sound -- drains glasses of liquids (also creates a loud sound)

Though she be but little, she is fierce -- shrinking spell

My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, or else my heart concealing it will break -- undoes silencing spells

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

“While disinformation, fake news, and propaganda have been around since the beginning of time, today, new technologies are helping it proliferate online, often drowning out responsible voices. Nowhere is this truer than in Ukraine.

Bot technology, which was developed in the earliest years of the internet, has more recently been put to nefarious uses. Unscrupulous actors are using social media algorithms to raise the popularity of particular kinds of inflammatory content and to spread propaganda.

For more than a decade, former Soviet bloc countries have played an important and disturbing role in developing bot and troll farms. Russian and pro-Russian Ukrainians, many working for the Russian Federal Security Service, have launched well-functioning bot factories, creating chaos, distractions, anger, and fear via numerous disinformation streams that now pose an integral challenge everywhere, in countries as different as Venezuela, Colombia, the United States, and the U.K. - not just in Ukraine.

This is how it works. We are spending more and more time online, reading posts, watching videos, and consuming more information than ever. We share them with our friends and tweet about them. Many people rely on social media for all their news. In this way we have created entirely new information ecosystems outside the traditional systems that include fact-checking procedures.

Bots pretend to be a person online. They take advantage of our already established social media networks and spread like wildfire on them, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and instant messaging apps. The messages they push out are simple, precise, unambiguous, and convey a single thought. They are calibrated to produce the strongest emotions possible and elicit fear and confusion, creating havoc and causing considerable psychic damage to each of us, our loved ones, and people all over our country.

After Zelenskyy became president, it didn’t take long for him to understand how dangerous these bot farms are and the peril they posed to Ukraine: “These are the challenges of today, and we must be prepared for them,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine in February 2020. “In Ukraine, this is now a real business, a very serious business. Bot farms are a problem, whatever they are: for white or black, there is no difference. Because those who stand up for good, such as Ukraine’s independence, in social media today may be against it tomorrow. Therefore, we must fight against such things. For the independence of the country, the independence of the individual, human rights must be fought in any way.”

At that moment, Zelenskyy was speaking more broadly, meaning that not only Ukrainians but the whole world must learn to distinguish the line where freedom of speech ends and disinformation begins. To me, it seemed a very crucial point, because if we cannot decide on what is allowed on social media now, we will be unable to deal with even greater challenges in the future.

Bot farms were used to supplement and reinforce the methods used on the oligarch-owned television networks. They helped amplify the message of pro-Russian puppets brought to power by Moscow in different countries, influencing their politics and media. For Russia, the internet has been an important source of contemporary propaganda, and its use of the internet is analogous to the methods the Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebels developed in the 1930s on the radio and in newspapers. As he once said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” Nonsense remains nonsense in the singular. But when someone sends hundreds and thousands of nonsensical posts and commentaries to people’s phones and computer screens, people begin to believe what they see.

Here is but one outrageous example in Ukrainian media: to undermine government land reform policies, an endless number of absurd stories appeared about Chinese people digging up and shipping out the famously fertile Ukrainian soil. The usual chauvinistic and racist Russian-style propaganda outlets promulgated and published these stories. Their purpose was to create doubt about these needed land reform measures – such as lifting the moratorium on the sale of Ukraine’s agricultural land and investing in irrigation systems – which would help rid the agricultural sector of fraud and abuse and boost Ukraine’s economy. In the same vein, other stories trumpeted that Zelenskyy was a pro-Russian president or controlled by oligarchs – anything that could undermine people’s trust in him. By repeating such garbage over and over again, some were seeking political dividends. This fake news contributed to an oppressive political atmosphere and increased Ukrainians’ disenchantment with their institutions.”

Iuliia Mendel, The Fight of Our Lives: My Time with Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s Battle for Democracy, and What It Means for the World

[fireball-me]

Hey! What’s your banner thing from? The skeleton guy?

Glad you asked!

This is from the game The Under Presents, a VR online game about exploring with and learning from other people all without voice chat or any direct communication. Its whole thing is a sort of surreal form of modern theater/performance art. For a brief period, sometimes some "Actors" would come online and interact with the players (The skeleton here is an actor, and the black silhouette is a player.)

One time, before it was known that actors were appearing, I and some others were approached by a silent actor skeleton (who may or may not have been Amelia Earhart) who walked with us through different worlds. At the end of the "performance," when they had to leave, they hugged the player beside me.

I had been recording the whole encounter, but my headset died soon after mid-recording. Wanting to preserve the feelings of dreamlike wonder and warmth from that encounter, I did what I could to try to recover the footage. The result was a colorful, corrupted sequence of events, with the beauty of the moment of the hug preserved and amplified in strange and surreal color.

[jechristine]

Agree with mari0rt on considering the actions of Z in context. She was criticized by prominent black voices saying that the role of Marie should have gone to a middle-aged dark skinned black woman even though Z herself requested the project made for her and JDW came on board later. She's frequently criticized for being given priority in the industry over dark skinned black women and that would be more amplified if she worked as a lead in a project of a black director. So her only recourse would be to be just a supporting actor in that kind of project (which she was in Space Jam 2 when Ryan Coogler asked her to voice Lola Bunny at a late stage because they needed more star power to sell the movie). Also let's remember that she was supposed to work with Nia DaCosta in A White Lie and despite securing distribution rights, the movie fell apart at the last minute and that's when she decided to do Euphoria. Then the movie Passing was made dealing with a very similar subject matter during a similar time period, making AWL even more unlikely

We sometimes forget that Z has worked on just a few projects and based on her recent statements we should expect her output to slow down. It's hard to get $50M in financing for a movie starring a Black woman like Amy Pascal was able to get for Challengers. I just listened to a podcast interview with Halle Berry in which she talks extensively about the dearth of offers even after she won the Best Actress Oscar and she was still considered one of the most beautiful women in the world. Even when Z works with white creatives, she has fought to hire black creatives in the projects, be it dark skinned actors as her family in KC Undercover, the hair and makeup team in Euphoria and Challengers, Darnell getting an assistant producer credit in Challengers, Law getting a costume design credit in Malcolm & Marie, bringing her own black glam team for the very white companies Lancôme, Bulgari, Hilfiger, Valentino and LV, etc

Thank you for this context, Anon.

@marie08rt

[aziraphales-library]

hi hello! I adore the blog, thanks for all the work that you all do !! May you recommend any good multi chapter fics that have a really great plot/storyline? Something not explicit or nsfw. thank you dearly!

Hey! You can check our #plotty and #long fic tags for more recommendations like this. Here are more to add...

something wretched about this by IvyOnTheHolodeck (T)

You might wonder why Aziraphale can't seem to enjoy his retirement in peace. You could ascribe his distress to the series of terrifying thoughts that haunt his days, or the only book he wishes he'd never read, or even the wound that still hurts after six thousand years.

Really, though, you should blame the fact he's never learned to talk about his feelings.

in the study with the lead pipe by paradoxicalpockets (T)

The year is 1845, and Aziraphale, a rare books dealer, would like to retire early. His plans are scuttled when a mysterious letter is dropped on his stoop - a threat of blackmail from one Lord Gabriel, a wealthy American living out in the English countryside. An already tense dinner with 5 other blackmail victims (one of which is the famous actor Anthony J. Crowley) takes a turn for the worse when their host reveals that they are locked in the mansion, the blackmail materials are in the mailbox outside, and the police are set to arrive in 24 hours.

The only way to truly protect your secrets is to send them to the grave. Aziraphale and Crowley must find the front door key and escape...or die trying.

World Enough And Time by Stephquiem (T)

For Aziraphale, there were always two Crowleys: the First Crowley, the one he met in the Garden, the one he's spent 6000 years meeting across human history. And there is the Second Crowley, the one who comes to him across time, again and again, propelled, it would seem, by some unknown tragedy. Both, his hereditary enemy. His dearest friend.

For Crowley, there is a Before, and there is an After. Before, he spent 6000 years as Hell's agent on Earth, seeing Aziraphale occasionally, working together where they could get away with it. After... After, he's drawn back over and over, like he's attached by a tether that just won't let him go.

Not that he wants it to let him go. The alternative...

Binary Star by TriffidsandCuckoos (T)

After abandoning the Earth in the wake of a more environmental apocalypse, humanity has taken to the stars. Crowley stayed behind to restore the Earth; Aziraphale followed the humans into space. After almost two centuries, the latest prophet arrives in Aziraphale’s archive, determined to rectify this.

So Much Discounted by WanderingAlice (T)

After asking Aziraphale a strange question, Crowley disappears. Can Aziraphale work out what happened to him? And more importantly, can he save him before it's too late?

---

“No.” Aziraphale sat up, throwing his senses wide, searching, seeking, all the way to the edges of the world. “Crowley!” His frantic cry, amplified by his angelic power, rippled through the minds of every being with even the slightest occult sensitivity. Miles away, Anathema sat up in bed, and reached in panic for her lover when she felt the new absence in the world. Down the street from Jasmine Cottage, Adam Young tumbled from his covers, reaching out himself with what remained of his power. What he found was so terrible he fled from it, running to climb into bed with his parents like he hadn’t since he’d been very small.

“No,” the angel said again, his voice small and lost amid the stacks of lonely books. “No.” He pushed himself up with trembling hands, climbed to his feet, and didn’t stop running until he stood outside the door to Crowley’s Mayfair flat.

stalwart sun, wily moon by dustnhalos (M)

Anthony J. Crowley is a world-class art thief with a complicated past who, until now, had been pretty content with going through life as part of a prolific black market art trafficking ring. He enjoyed the thrill and danger of the hunt, especially if it meant he got to travel the world, play with state-of-the-art technology, and make enough money to afford anything he could ever want.

That is, until a simple logistical hiccup leads him straight into the path of one Aziraphale Fell, former Head Conservator of the British Museum turned antique repair shop owner.

Suddenly, there's a space in Crowley's life that only Aziraphale seems to fill, but his clandestine life of crime paired with Aziraphale's industry connections and indomitable penchant for good seems like a relationship doomed to fail.

Little do they both know, the strands of friendship, morality, and deception in their shared circles of the London art world are interwoven in even more complex ways than either of them could have expected...

- Mod D

[alittlefrenchtree]

As a black girl it's indescribable to explain the constant pain of seeing all this racism online, it's like a stab in the heart every time and it hurts just as much to always have to read things like "ignore, if you see hate it's because you choose to interact with hate, It's up to you"

no, unfortunately it doesn't depend on me and it doesn't depend on any of us poc, because it is everywhere and constant and racism is not just the insult with the slur but it is in the way they talk about us, in the way they choose to mock us for everything, in the way that we are never considered on the same level as other people and we cannot ignore it. It's painful and exhausting.

I hug you and wish you a good day.

That's why i tagged the post you're talking about with my reblog.

As shown in the tags, I wasn’t denying what you said. Racism and fandom hate are two very different things even if it sometimes overlaps.

A large part of the hate and/or drama that happens in the RWRB are just patterns that happen in every fandom, even the very white ones. Putting the two leads up against each other, comparing them, comparing acting skills, careers, saying one is sold to hollywood and/or the other is talentless, saying fans aren’t supportive enough of this or that, that fans should move on from this or that, hate and bullying happens in every. fandom. ever.

And many times, the hate and/or drama is amplified by people trying to fight it. How many times did you scroll your timeline seeing people complaining about hateful messages but seeing none of the actual hate message unless you really look deep for it?

The idea is not to compare that to racism but to say that that unlike racism, this could be ignored. You don’t go on in life stopping people in the street asking for their opinions about your favorite actor or movie or book and insult them if they disagree and no one is doing that to you either. So I think that what the original post was about. The Internet expose us to too many opinions we shouldn’t have to deal with on a daily basis. The best answer to that specifically is to ignore.

As for hate messages rooted in either racism, queerphobia or misogyny or something equally revolting, I still think there are specific situations when the best way to fight is to ignore.

Let’s say I receive a queerphobic message in my inbox. 

What could feel right is to answer "fuck you, stop being queerphobic". But even if I’m calling out a queerphobic behavior I’m still amplifying that message by sharing it. I would expose 1,700+ (or more (or less if you count the bots)) people to a queerphobic message while trying to fight against it. I probably wouldn’t have changed the mind of the person writing this in the first place but I made several (maybe hundreds) people feel insulted.

If I ignore the message and put it in the trash where it belongs, I made a total of 0 person feeling insulted. The queerphobia hasn’t been amplified, the message doesn’t exist anymore. That what the original post was about in my opinion. Sometimes, the choice is up to us however we deal with it.

Instead, I’m sharing other messages. Yours. The stories of many actors and actresses of color starting their own producing companies because Hollywood doesn’t give them the same opportunities. Matthew’s voice talking about the rating of queer movies. Taylor’s accomplishments. Casey’s successes. Whoever.

On Twitter, it’s different. More difficult. We know algorithms. If 100 people answer to (or QRT) a racist post saying it’s racist and stupid, the algorithm doesn’t think it’s stupid, it thinks it’s relevant because 100 people interacted with it. If moderation and report and ban were efficient, it would be easier but Elon thinks it’s fun and social medias want more interactions not less so they’re built that way. So saying we should leave this hell hole isn’t actually a bad advice.

Long story short, it’s complicated. Ignoring things is not saying it doesn’t matter or that it’s unimportant. My personal belief is that we achieve more with pushing voices we want to make powerful and heard than by trying to convince people online we actually don’t know and we might never interact again with.

But ultimately it isn’t an easy topic and it’s unfair for too many people. 

[rosetintedgunman]

LIAM JACKSON

One thing I've always been transparent about is this: the Wilford that's on this blog wasn't supposed to exist in his timeline. William was supposed to die.

For the sake of good manners, I'm putting everything under a read-more.

-

Everything would play out as intended, until William and Abe first confront one another. It's tense, but Abe shoots first. He was aiming for the shoulder to try and disarm William. Knowing the soldier would be able to kill him instantly, he pulled the trigger too fast... and hit William in the neck instead.

William died almost instantly.

Celine wasn't supposed to be there. She was never meant to interrupt the confrontation and distract from the intended scenario. Her arrival meant that others were killed or gravely injured, while the one who was supposed to die survived.

But in this timeline...? William dies. There's another argument, but the Manor's influence has subsided.... And everyone else walks out the front door and into the safety of the external grounds. Alive. Safe. Traumatised, but they survived.

There's no Attorney stuck in the mirror. No Dark. No one driven mad from ten hours of mourning and watching death undo itself. Nothing. Just the missing corpse of the actor, and a dead soldier.

William's body is left alone while the others wait outside for the authorities. A brief investigation is undertaken to confirm what was said was true. But before the body can be taken away, it too vanishes.

The Actor sneaks out stage right in the stolen corpse.

As for William? Well... He was stuck alone in the Void. There's no looping hellscape here. No need for it. Instead, he's stuck in the same space as Mark's corpse. He can leave whenever he wants! Gosh, if only he had the magical skills to do that. But he doesn't! And he has to wait. For months. Until he absorbs enough of the Manor's energy to amplify his own abilities, ultimately claim and reshape the corpse, and push himself back into the world of the living.

His trust is gone. He paid that price to get out (I'll explain that properly for Dante another time). He's a soldier, completing his tasks on his own, getting revenge on those that wronged him - starting with setting the Manor on fire.

This... Is Liam.

He looks a little worse for wear. The bullet went into the side of his neck and out the other side. Though the entry and exit wounds are covered over now, the damage is done. The nerves related to the brachial plexus were damaged, essentially leaving his left arm paralysed and permanently drooped. However, he CAN move it, however wonky the movements might be, and this is solely through using his powers to manipulate his limb to bypass the use of the nerves. He won't tell anyone this unless he learns how to trust another again and let hkmself be vulnerable. Because of this, the only presence of a red glow is in the area from the left side of his neck to his left hand.

He also has no pupils visible. There's no reason for this. They're unharmed, but lacking them makes it harder to read his expression. If they do appear, they're simply black dots. His skin is pale grey, the eyes are essentially dark grey, and the pupils would be black, so there wouldn't be too much overlap there.

His scarf was taken off during the initial examination of the body and was removed from the site. His glasses, however, were dropped by mistake when he was burning the Manor.

The jacket is ripped. Some parts, like the left collar, were torn to try and lessen his pain when he first woke back up. The ends were pulled off when it got snagged. All medals have been ripped off, but he still wears the dog tags.

Liam spent a long time in the Void alone, and then longer after that on his own. Because of this, he doesn't talk a whole lot. If he does, it's to the point. His voice sounds a little hoarse from lack of use.

That's all I can think of for now, and I'm very tired. I'll leave you with this second sketch I quickly finished when I got home a little earlier.

Finally: why "Liam"?

Simply put, it's an alternate way to shorten the name "William", and it's one that no one used in life. People who knew him would be less likely to join the dots if they heard the name "Liam" in passing.

[swldx]

BBC 0517 1 Jan 2025

9410Khz 0458 1 JAN 2025 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from ASCENSION ISLAND. SINPO = 45233. English, s/on @0458z with Bowbells int. fb ID, pips and Newsday preview. @0501z World News anchored by Neil Nunes. § Russian gas supplies to EU states via Ukraine have ended after a five-year deal between Ukraine's gas transit operator Naftogaz and Russia's Gazprom expired. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier that his country would not allow Russia to "earn additional billions on our blood" and had given the EU a year to prepare. The stopping of the flow through Ukraine marks the end of an era of cheap Russian gas in the EU. § Ivory Coast has announced that French troops will withdraw from the West African nation, further reducing the military influence of the former colonial power in the region. In an end-of-year address, Ivory Coast's President, Alassane Ouattara, said the move was a reflection of the modernisation of the country's armed forces. Separately, Senegal, which last month announced France would have to close its military bases on its territory, confirmed the withdrawal would be completed by the end of 2025. § Puerto Rico was plunged into darkness on New Year's Eve by a nearly island-wide blackout. About 90% of almost 1.5 million customers had no electricity, said Luma Energy, the island's main power distributor. § Poland has officially started its presidency of the European Union Council from January 1 to June 30, 2025. Among the main tasks for Warsaw during this period was strengthening European security in light of geopolitical conflicts, according to the official website of Poland's presidency in the EU Council. "Issues of how to act so that Ukraine not only survives the terrible Russian attack that it is currently struggling with but also how to act so that Ukraine can be admitted to the European Union as soon as possible were repeatedly raised," said President Duda. § Investigators have finished extracting data from one of the black boxes from the fated Jeju Air plane that crashed on Sunday, South Korea's transport ministry has said. Investigators hope that data on the flight and voice recorders will provide insights about the crucial moments leading up to the tragedy. § Sudan's largest refugee camp, which hosts at least half a million people, thousands of whom are suffering from famine, has been attacked by artillery shelling almost daily for two weeks. More than 80 people have been killed and close to 400 injured in the Zamzam camp in Sudan's besieged western region of Darfur, according to local media. Displaced people residing in the camp and aid groups including Doctors Without Borders have blamed the constant shelling on the Rapid Support Forces or RSF, the Sudanese paramilitary group locked in a brutal civil war with Sudan's army since April 2023. § U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a stark warning on Tuesday about escalating threats to the judiciary's independence. In an annual report, Roberts highlighted a worrying rise in violent threats and online intimidation against judges, amplified by disinformation campaigns from foreign state actors. § The FBI says it has discovered more than 150 bombs during a raid on a farm in Virginia, thought to be the largest such cache seized by the law-enforcement agency in its history. Brad Spafford was arrested on 17 December in Isle of Wight County, 180 miles (290km) south of Washington DC, after a tip-off that he was stockpiling weapons and homemade ammunition on the property he shares with his wife and two young children. Investigators say some of the devices were found in a bedroom in an unsecured backpack labelled "#nolivesmatter", an apparent reference to a far-right, anti-government movement. @0506z “Newsday” begins. 100' (30m) of Kev-Flex wire feeding "Magic Wand" antenna hanging in backyard tree w/MFJ-1020C active antenna (used as a preamplifier/preselector), JRC NRD-535D, 125kW, beamAz 27°, bearing 103°. Received at Plymouth, MN, United States, 9763KM from transmitter at Ascension Island. Local time: 2258.

[cyarsk52-20]

happy birthday to legendary (pun intended) actor Denzel Washington and musician John Legend. They’re turning 70 and 46 years old respectively today.

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hegrio

🎉 Two legends, one incredible day! Today we’re celebrating the birthdays of two cultural giants who have shaped the world in their own iconic ways: Denzel Washington and John Legend. 🌟 Denzel, a master of the craft, has graced us with unforgettable performances that define Black excellence on screen and off. From Glory to Fences to Training Day, his legacy is a blueprint of inspiration. 🎶 And John Legend, our multi-talented EGOT king, continues to gift us timeless music and a voice that amplifies love, justice, and creativity. Join us in wishing these two legends a happy birthday and let us know in the comments: What’s your favorite Denzel movie or John Legend song? 👇🏾

[jamietrojanowski77]

Zendaya on Instagram- Blog 3

For my final multimedia project I have chosen to follow how Zendaya, famous actor and musician, uses her platform on Instagram to spread awareness on the deep systemic racism and inequality that has been rooted in our society. Zendaya uses her Instagram account to promote Black Lives Matter along with other social justice issues. For example, in July 2020, Zenday gave permission for Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, to post on her Instagram account to raise awareness about the fight against racism. She also made several posts concerning the Black Lives Matter movement and speaking out on the unfair deaths of George Floyd among other African Americans subjected to police brutality. Zendaya also expressed that she felt a heavy responsibility to represent Black women and use her platform to raise awareness and send the correct message. Zendaya also continuously speaks out about her privilege. She said that she’s a light-skinned Black woman and that it’s important to recognize her privilege. She also highlights the facts that she uses her privilege in order to show the beauty of the African-American community. Zendaya also encourages others to use their voice and to speak out against prevailing issues in society. Zendaya celebrates Black culture through her work and her fashion and is highly represented in her images on instagram. Zendaya depicts multiple examples of unfair racism and social injustices that relate to our course topics, reading, and screenings. Zendaya provides instances of historical racism and depicts situations where minorities are being unfairly treated. Overall, Zendaya uses her platform in order to bring awareness and educate others on issues in society. 

This platform generates a conversation regarding race, ethnicity, and cultural diversity. Zendaya allows her Instagram profile to be public and a safe place where she can educate others on systemic racism and white privilege. Zendaya uses her platform to share important news and injustices that are occurring. Zendaya also uses her platform to promote diversity and provides an area for users to share personal stories, experiences, and perspectives through photos, videos, and captions. A lot of Zendaya’s content is relatable and allows individuals to connect who share cultural background and engage in discussions about cultural issues. Zendaya’s profile effectively amplifies diverse voices and fosters intercultural dialogue. 

This selection relates to the course reading, screenings, and discussions. For example, in class, we learned about the article "On the Matter of Whiteness” by Richard Dyer. According to Richard Dyer, it is essential to study visual media representations of this racial category to understand the power that “whites” contain and put an end to its rule. Dyer speaks about the importance of making our way to a hybridity, and genuine diversity without white hegemony overpowering society. Society must acknowledge that white privilege exists and is prevalent in media representation. We must take this knowledge to work towards a more unified and diverse culture. . In our first project, we were able to interview a personal friend of ours that had a different race. My friend Zach experiences multiple encounters where he felt violated and discriminated against solely because of his race. This interview broadened my perspective and made me aware of the historical systemic racism that still occurs in our society. Zendaya uses her platform to share experiences of this racism similar to Zach’s experiences. Zendaya shed light on these injustices and educate others in order to be more aware of social cultural diversities and situations. Social media is a powerful tool that can be used to educate others, engage in discussions, share knowledge with peers, and learn from each other. Visual storytelling is also a form of art that was widely discovered throughout this course. Zendaya uses visual storytelling to convey complex information in an engaging way. 

Works Cited

Login • Instagram, www.instagram.com/zendaya/. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024. 

Media Studies. “Zendaya, Social Media and Celebrity Culture.” Media Studies, 2 Nov. 2024, media-studies.com/zendaya/. 

“On Zendaya’s 24th Birthday, We’re Revisiting an Essay She Wrote for Us as a Teen - and Wow.” Grazia, 3 Sept. 2020, graziamagazine.com/articles/zendaya-essay-on-dealing-with-racism/. 

Person, et al. “The Matter of Whiteness: 9 : V2: White: Richard Dyer: Taylor & Fra.” Taylor & Francis, Taylor & Francis, 19 Sept. 2017, www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9781315544786-9/matter-whiteness-richard-dyer. 

YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZneNbgZ22rA. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024. 

[thevanitychariot]

The Chariot: Issue XVIII

A Decade of Recognition: The Impact of the Ross Awards

By: Fabiola Quinteiro Original Publication Date: 31 October 2024

The Ross Awards, established in 2014, originally aimed to honor excellence in film, yet its first ceremonies revealed a significant lack of diversity. In the beginning, every nominee and winner was White, sparking criticism about its limited representation.

Over time, this lack of inclusivity drew increasing scrutiny from both the public and the entertainment industry. In response, the Ross Committee was formed in 2020 to address these issues directly. Under the leadership of Hans Neumann, the committee was tasked with promoting a more diverse selection of nominees, encompassing a wider range of backgrounds, race, and perspectives in the awards process.

This year is the tenth anniversary of the Ross Awards and is celebrated as the most diverse yet, reflecting years of incremental change. Less than half of this year's nominees are White, with over a quarter representing minority groups, including Black, Native American, and Latino actors. Avatar: The Last Airbender made history as the most nominated film, while the ceremony also marks the first time Native American actors have been recognized in multiple acting categories.

Still, Latino representation remains a challenge, as Society of the Snow, a film with a majority Latino cast, received no nominations, and Menendez, another Latino-centered story, saw two-thirds of its acting nominations go to White actors. Despite these issues, this year's nominees represents a shift toward more inclusive storytelling, building momentum for future progress.

This year also marks the first nomination for Vanessa Harding (Best Actress, Becoming Madam Secretary) since her historic win with Mademoiselle in 2019, bringing her total to seven nominations, tied with Caleb Adams for the most in Ross Awards history. Over the last five years, she faced a challenging landscape despite her dedication to creating films that explored women's empowerment with much of her previous works being criticized for presenting narratives that prioritized a White perspective over the voices of marginalized communities, particularly in her films Frontline (2021) and A Woman in Arabia (2023). Acknowledging this feedback, Vanessa has shifted her storytelling approach, actively working to amplify the contributions of women of color while ensuring that the stories of marginalized groups are told by their own communities.

The Ross Committee has been instrumental in fostering this change. Led by Hans Neumann, the committee has focused on eliminating bias and reducing nepotism within the awards, emphasizing the importance of recognizing diverse stories and creators. Under Hans's leadership, the Ross Awards reached milestones like last year's wins for Richelle Paisley, the first Black Best Actress winner, and Faisal Mansouri, the first Middle Eastern Best Actor winner. Now as Hans prepares to step down, his departure has opened conversations within the industry about who will take on this important role. Many believe that appointing a person of color could further the Ross Committee's mission of championing equity, ensuring that the awards continue evolving toward true inclusivity and representation in film.

This year's Ross Awards ceremony also marks a pivotal moment for Hollywood as it will announce the next president. Emerson Wright, who has significantly influenced the industry the last five years, will officially step down on January 2025. During the ceremony, the next president will be revealed in a highly-anticipated moment, with contenders including Kimona Lange, Dubois Carmichael, and Julian Lunacharski.

Wakefield Maddow Elected as President of the Ross Committee

By: Fabiola Quinteiro Original Publication Date: 6 November 2024

The recent Ross Committee election has sparked significant discussion in the entertainment industry, as five ambitious candidates vied for the prestigious role of committee president. With Hans Neumann stepping down after four years of service, this election marks a significant shift in the committee’s leadership. Ultimately, Wakefield Maddow emerged victorious, becoming the first elected Black president in the entertainment industry. His election signifies a promising step toward diversity and modernization within the Ross Committee.

The Ross Committee, responsible for overseeing the annual Ross Awards has faced mounting pressure to bring fresh perspectives and diversity to its leadership. This shift is largely fueled by recent calls within Hollywood to promote inclusivity, transparency, and representation across all levels. Maddow’s election, therefore, aligns closely with these goals and has been widely celebrated as a progressive move for the entertainment industry.

The field of candidates included several notable figures, each with unique qualifications and ties to the industry. Godfrey Howard, the current Chief of Staff under outgoing President Hans Neumann, faced significant challenges despite his extensive experience. Though highly knowledgeable about committee operations, Howard’s close association with the established leadership and his lack of popularity in the movement for diversity worked against him, with many voters seeking a fresh face to lead the committee forward.

Adessa Polanski also drew considerable attention. As the daughter of Neal Polanski, the former Vice President of Hollywood Studios, she carries a complicated legacy. Her father’s career ended amid accusations of corruption, racism, and nepotism, casting a shadow over her candidacy. While Adessa has established herself as an independent figure, many questioned her ability to bring meaningful change to an industry still grappling with her father’s controversial impact.

Julia Lombardi entered the race with strong connections, running as Vice President alongside Julian Lunacharski in his campaign for President of Hollywood Studios. Her simultaneous involvement in both the Ross Committee election and Lunacharski’s campaign raised concerns among voters. Many wondered if her focus was on enacting meaningful change or simply securing a position of power. This divided commitment led some to doubt if Lombardi genuinely aimed to drive change within either organization or if she was more interested in climbing the ranks of Hollywood’s leadership.

Two other candidates, Cairene Langdon and Wakefield Maddow, represented a new generation of leaders. Both are recent graduates from Lawrence Harland University’s Leadership in the Entertainment Industry program. Langdon’s experience included internships within Hollywood Studios, while Maddow worked as a production assistant with Cygna Entertainment while pursuing his studies. Despite their relatively recent entry into the industry, both Langdon and Maddow demonstrated a strong understanding of industry operations and modern leadership principles, which appealed to voters eager for change.

In a decisive outcome, Wakefield Maddow was announced as the next president of the Ross Committee, an election celebrated as a significant achievement for diversity and modernity in the entertainment industry. His election marks the first time a Black president has led the Ross Committee, an achievement that many view as a milestone in addressing the longstanding issues of representation within Hollywood’s leadership circles.

Maddow’s first actions as president-elect reflect his commitment to building an inclusive and skilled team. He has named Laszlo Knight as his Vice President and Cairene Langdon as Chief of Staff. Knight, a fellow graduate of Harland University, has extensive experience as a casting assistant with Cygna Entertainment, and his appointment complements Maddow’s vision for the committee. By bringing on Langdon, who possesses deep insights into Hollywood Studios' operations from her internship experience, Maddow strengthens his leadership team with fresh perspectives.

Outgoing president Hans Neumann has expressed his full support for Maddow and announced plans to mentor him over the next several months. Neumann’s guidance will be invaluable as Maddow navigates his early months in office, especially as the Ross Awards quickly approach.

Historic Wins and Leadership Changes at the 2024 Ross Awards

By: Anika Sunisa Original Publication Date: 3 December 2024

The 2024 Annual Ross Awards made history this year with groundbreaking achievements in acting and leadership, celebrating the diverse talent shaping the entertainment industry. Since its founding in 2014, the prestigious ceremony had not seen a Native American Best Actress winner—until this year, when Hialeah Moonshadow was awarded for her role as Katara in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Hialeah spoke to the importance of representation and the need for Native voices to have a stronger presence in Hollywood.

“Representation matters,” she said. “We need to actively create more spaces for Native people in this industry—spaces where we can thrive, where our voices are heard, and where our cultures are portrayed with dignity and respect. Recreating art to reflect accurate portrayals of our histories and identities is always a bet worth making. Our stories matter, and they deserve to be told with care.”

Eliseo Padura also broke barriers as the first Latino recipient of the Best Actor award. His riveting performance as Jose Menendez in Menendez captivated audiences, bringing complexity and humanity to the infamous figure.

In the Best Supporting Actress category, Anya Parrish made history of her own, winning for her role as Leslie Abramson in Menendez. Anya joins the ranks of Tala Evangelista and Evan Tanaka as one of only three actors to win the same Ross Award category twice. She delivered a speech addressing the need to support survivors of sexual abuse and harassment, including men.

“For far too long, male survivors have been dismissed or ignored,” she remarked. “The Menendez brothers weren’t believed when they spoke about the abuse they endured, but today, society is beginning to recognize that men can be victims too. This shift is significant enough to reconsider their sentences and give justice to all survivors, regardless of gender.”

Griffin Alexander became the first openly LGBTQ+ actor to win Best Supporting Actor for his role as Hephaestion in Alexander. In his acceptance speech, Alexander reflected on his journey and expressed his hope for the future of queer storytelling in Hollywood.

“This award isn’t just for me—it’s for everyone who has fought to share their truth,” Griffin said. “I wouldn’t be here without the people who believed in me, even when I struggled to believe in myself. I hope this moment is just the beginning of more queer characters, more LGBTQ+ stories, and more opportunities for our voices to be heard. Representation matters, and it’s time to keep building a more inclusive industry.”

The Ross Awards also featured significant announcements regarding Hollywood Studios' leadership. Outgoing president Emerson Wright announced Dubois Carmichael as President-Elect and will officially assume the role on February 1, 2025. His election marks a historic moment as he becomes the first Black president of Hollywood Studios. His vice president, Elegance Sherwood, also makes history as the first Black woman elected to the role, alongside Irving Stone as chairman.

As the newly elected president of Hollywood Studios, Dubois steps into his role with a clear mission: to build an entertainment industry that values collaboration, diversity, and meaningful representation. His acceptance speech at the Ross Awards resonated with a sense of hope and inclusivity, outlining a vision for a brighter, more equitable future.

“To everyone who has ever felt their voice wasn’t loud enough, their story not big enough, or their place uncertain in this industry, let me say this clearly: there is room for everyone at the table,” he said passionately. “There are enough seats for all of us. Your story matters. Your perspective is needed.”

Dubois expressed confidence that his plans for Hollywood Studios would not only elevate the company but also set a new standard for the entertainment industry as a whole.

“Together, we can usher the entertainment industry into a new era—one where representation isn’t a goal but a reality,” Dubois declared. “I have no doubt that the plans we build together will take Hollywood Studios and our industry to new heights. And when we succeed, it won’t just be because of me—it will be because of us.”

The incoming leadership team plans to focus on inclusivity and innovation, signaling a new era for Hollywood Studios. Dubois's prior role as Chief of Staff at Cygna Entertainment will now be filled by Emmanuel Rajabu, effective immediately.

Emerson Wright will remain in his role until January 31, 2025, offering a smooth transition for Dubois and his team. Emerson's tenure, spanning five years and one month, makes him the longest-serving president in the entertainment industry’s history. He leaves behind a legacy of stability and growth, paving the way for new leaders to continue advancing the industry.

Dubois Carmichael Presidential Acceptance Speech

Delivered at the 2024 Ross Awards, December 3, 2024

“Thank you. Thank you so much for this incredible honor and the trust you have placed in me to lead Hollywood Studios into its next chapter.

Tonight, we celebrate not just individual achievements but the collective power of storytelling—stories that reflect our struggles, our triumphs, and our shared humanity. It is an honor to stand here as the first Black president of Hollywood Studios, and I am deeply humbled by the weight and significance of this moment. But I know this is not just my victory; this is our victory.

As I step into this role, my first priority will be to listen. I want to sit down with people from all walks of life, both inside and outside this industry, and hear their concerns. What do you envision Hollywood Studios becoming? Where do we want to go together? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to you when you see accurate, dignified representations of yourselves and your communities on screen? These are questions I want to explore with all of you, because the answers will shape our future.

To everyone who has ever felt their voice wasn’t loud enough, their story not big enough, or their place uncertain in this industry, let me say this clearly: there is room for everyone at the table. There are enough seats for all of us. Your story matters. Your perspective is needed. And I am committed to ensuring that Hollywood Studios becomes a home for stories from every corner of the world, told with care, authenticity, and pride.

I firmly believe that our diversity is our greatest strength. When we embrace it, when we highlight and celebrate our differences, we unlock the potential to achieve things beyond what we thought possible. My vision for Hollywood Studios is bold, yes, but it is grounded in collaboration and mutual respect. Together, we can usher the entertainment industry into a new era—one where representation isn’t a goal but a reality, where all voices are uplifted, and where every audience member feels seen and valued.

I look forward to collaborating with Beijing Lee at PanAsian Cinema and Delaurentis McQueen at Cygna Entertainment. Together, we will forge partnerships that champion diversity and elevate voices that haven’t had a stable platform.

This is more than a job for me; it is a responsibility, a calling, and a privilege. I have no doubt that the plans we build together will take Hollywood Studios and our industry to new heights. And when we succeed, it won’t just be because of me—it will be because of us.

Thank you for your trust, your belief, and your hope. Let’s get to work. Let’s create something extraordinary, together.”

[warningsine]

On Aug. 28, Amandla Stenberg, the lead of the “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte,” posted an eight-and-a-half-minute video to her Instagram Stories about Lucasfilm’s abrupt decision not to pick up the show for a second season just a month after the Season 1 finale streamed on Disney+. 

“It’s not a huge shock for me,” Stenberg said. Since the series was announced in 2020, she continued, “we started experiencing a rampage of, I would say, hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred and hateful language towards us.” (Stenberg was unavailable to comment for this story.)

In other words, “The Acolyte” was the latest high-profile target of “toxic fandom,” the catchall term for when fan criticism curdles from good-faith dissatisfaction into a relentlessly negative, often bigoted online campaign against either the project or its stars or creative leaders. In a franchise economy increasingly dependent upon established audience devotion to drive the bottom line, the threat of toxic fandoms poisoning that enthusiasm has become a seemingly intractable headache for almost every studio. And it’s only getting worse.

“It comes with the territory, but it’s gotten incredibly loud in the last couple years,” says a veteran marketing executive at a major studio. “People are just out for blood, regardless. They think the purity of the first version will never be replaced, or you’ve done something to upset the canon of a beloved franchise, and they’re going to take you down for doing so.”

Sometimes, toxic fandoms behave reactively. A “House of the Dragon” episode featuring two female characters kissing and an episode of “The Last of Us” focusing on a gay couple were both review bombed — the practice of mobbing sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb with negative user reviews, which gained mainstream attention following the premiere of 2017’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” And an entire YouTube ecosystem is devoted to declaring projects like “The Marvels” and “The Boys” “woke garbage” (among other pungent sobriquets).

Just as frequently, the backlash begins before the project has seen the light of day: a Reddit mega-thread dedicated to outrage over “Bridgerton” casting a Black woman (Masali Baduza) as the love interest for Francesca (Hannah Dodd); social media epithets directed at the actors of color cast as elves and dwarves in “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”; death threats aimed at Leslie Jones during the press tour for 2016’s “Ghostbusters.”

Perhaps the greatest irony of this phenomenon is the disproportionate impact these toxic fandoms have relative to their actual number. 

“The vast majority of any fandom are casual fans,” says John Van Citters, VP of Star Trek brand development, who has been with the storied franchise since the 1990s. “The number of people who live and die on their franchises are very, very few, and then those who come after things that they espouse to love with venom are a really, really tiny subset of that already smaller subset of fandom. It’s just much easier to see it now. I don’t know that it’s really that much broader than where things were in 1995 — it’s just that the bullhorn wasn’t there.”

For some, combating that bullhorn amounts to acting as if they can’t hear it. “Particularly when it’s a negative, toxic conversation, we don’t even engage,” says a TV marketing executive. “Like with toxic people, you try to not give it too much oxygen.” One principal concern is that reacting to these kinds of attacks risks alienating fans who are unhappy with creative choices about a franchise but haven’t tipped over into abusive behavior. So a studio may attempt to amplify friendlier voices instead. “We’ll reply to comments that are positive and elevate those things,” says the TV exec.

Still, toxic fandoms have grown so pernicious that they’ve become a fact of life for many — and so powerful that while talent, executives and publicists will privately bemoan the issue, fear of inadvertently triggering another backlash kept several studios from speaking for this story even on background. (As one rep put it, “It’s just a lose-lose.”)

Those who did talk with Variety all agreed that the best defense is to avoid provoking fandoms in the first place. In addition to standard focus group testing, studios will assemble a specialized cluster of superfans to assess possible marketing materials for a major franchise project.

“They’re very vocal,” says the studio exec. “They will just tell us, ‘If you do that, fans are going to retaliate.’” These groups have even led studios to alter the projects: “If it’s early enough and the movie isn’t finished yet, we can make those kinds of changes.”

Several studio insiders say they often put their talent through a social media boot camp; in some cases, when a character is intentionally challenging a franchise’s status quo, studios will, with the actor’s permission, take over their social media accounts entirely. When things get really bad — especially involving threats of violence — security firms will scrub talent information from the internet to protect them from doxxing.

In some particularly egregious cases, a direct response has been necessary. In 2022, after “Obi-Wan Kenobi” actor Moses Ingram denounced the “hundreds” of racist messages sent to her about her role — “There’s nothing anybody can do about this. There’s nothing anybody can do to stop this hate,” she said — Lucasfilm posted a statement to its Star Wars social media accounts that read, in part, “There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist.” The Star Wars accounts also shared a video of “Obi-Wan” star Ewan McGregor saying the abuse made him “sick to my stomach” and that “if you’re sending her bullying messages, you’re no ‘Star Wars’ fan in my mind.” 

Later that year, the cast of “The Rings of Power” condemned “the relentless racism, threats, harassment, and abuse some of our castmates of color are being subjected to on a daily basis,” and actors from the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy posted photos of themselves wearing clothing featuring the ears of Middle-earth creatures in multiple skin tones underneath the message “you are all welcome here” written in Elvish. Those efforts may have had an effect. In an August interview with Amazon MGM Studios TV chief Vernon Sanders about “The Rings of Power,” the executive said the show hadn’t experienced the same racist hostility in advance of Season 2 that had greeted its 2022 debut. “People have had a chance to actually engage with the show,” he said. “Overwhelmingly, what we’ve seen is that folks who came with an open mind can discuss and debate their favorite things — which takes you out of the place of that ugly conversation that happened with some folks who may have been infused with an agenda that’s separate from the show itself.”

There is one other way to handle toxic fans on the internet: Stay off it. “I’m not online, so I’m protected,” says frequent Marvel star Elizabeth Olsen (“WandaVision”). “Generally, it’s a lot of positive experiences of making kids happy. I ignore the other stuff.”