#and clearly there is an audience for elliot

[silent-partner-412]

i feel like i’d get lynched by the stardew fanbase for saying this but i do not like elliot at all. i don’t like his design, i don’t like the way he speaks, i don’t like his heart events, i just do not like him. he comes off as so pretentious and annoying, easily the weakest of the main game marriage candidates for me. i’m always so surprised by how many people are like omg he’s so sweet and romantic and the screenshot they post to accompany it is the most flowery faux-poetic bullshit i’ve ever seen

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

In response to the Mile High Job post, I hate that Parker implies that poor flight attendant slept her way to a promotion/better shift. Her day is super weird but her cat is fine and her life is saved. That rumor, however, might stick and that didn't really feel like Leverage to me.

Agreed!

The thing with Leverage is that it's a show from the late 2000s; it feels contemporary, but actually it is a bit dated. And, like all shows, it had some problematic elements, which get a bit more Obviously Problematic as time goes by (I am just waiting for someone to write a lengthy call-out post in 5 years' time and for the Discourse to start.) For example, Tumblr loves to declare that Leverage has a "canon" throuple, but if anyone read that and then watched the show they would be profoundly disappointed - while it's a fantastic ship with a great many shippy instances, Elliot has a lot of onscreen No Homo moments, and frequently is shown sleeping with random women (I personally read him as aromantic). Similarly, there are two big relationships in that show: Nate/Sophie, and Parker/Hardison. And we all wax lyrical about the brilliance of Parker/Hardison and how healthy it is, and for good reason; but we gloss over how unbearably "I hate my wife/father I cannot click the book" Boomer humour Nate/Sophie is.

(He literally calls her a shrew in one episode. She throws a tantrum and sulks if he doesn't remember the exact details of how/where they met. She's stereotypically 'romantic' and he's stereotypically 'cynical' and she has to Save Him From Himself, and he self-deprecatingly says he should just know when to stop arguing because she's always right. Like... it is a grubby and uncomfortable dynamic; but, it's also aimed at a different segment of the audience that is older than me, and that's okay, actually. It just means I don't much care for the ship myself.)

Anyway, this is one other such instance. Clearly someone in the writers' room thought that was a funny joke, and not enough people disagreed, and so in it went. What's nice is that Sandi McCree, who plays the other flight attendant that stays on the plane, actually kind of saves that joke for me with her performance. When Parker first boards and declares that her co-worker is not coming in, McCree looks disgruntled at the sudden change to her staff list when she wasn't informed; she's annoyed at management. Then Parker makes the sleeping-with-pilots comment, and McCree looks disgusted and furious -

An expression she then pulls at Parker every time she sees her for the rest of the episode, even when Parker is technically not doing anything particularly weird. It's not necessarily intentional on McCree's part (Parker IS very weird in this episode, so it very much can be a response to that), but to me it means you can read it as "This woman is absolutely furious at the lateral sexism of this white girl because We Love And Support Each Other On This Plane." So, for me, between that and the aforementioned revelations of the day (the plane was brought down by the domestic terrorists of a Fortune 500 company, but saved by... a few unexplained Official People who snuck aboard??? And the other flight attendant was made to miss the plane after all under mysterious circumstances and was not promoted??? What???), I don't think Sandi McCree's character wouldn't put those pieces together.

[bookishbrewer]

Cyn - The Disabled Neurodivergent Sibling:

⚠️ WARNING: this post will include discussion of bullying, ableism of numerous kinds, abuse, trauma.

First, let's establish 2 important terms for this post:

Zombie Drone - a state in which a worker drone is improperly disposed of. The WD enters a state of self-reboot as a result of: their core not being properly disconnected, the hardware not physically destroyed or a 606 error is interrupted. In a 0.7% chance, there's the risk of said WD rebooting with a "potential hazardous mutation".

The Absolute Solver - an incredibly advanced monstrous code and supernatural artificial intelligence that mutates in damaged forms of lesser AI.

Neurodivergent:

Cyn is first introduced in a flashback in episode 2, when she is scavenged & brought back to the Elliot mansion by Tessa. Right at the beginning, we the shy drone do something that may be interpreted as neurodivergent - imprinting:

Yes, I may be reading too deeply into this, but the fact that Cyn immediately focuses on the drone with the least threatening position & expression makes me think she may interpret him as the safest person to be around.

Just before this scene, we as the audience got to see the relationship between the main 3 drones Cyn will interact with in the mension:

1. N & V - they are the more meek & submissive types. They're both portrayed as sensitive, and have something of a crush on each other.

2. J - she's more of a mean 'older-bully-sibling' type. Not hasitating to command her peers, even using verbal & physical violence to do so.

So, in a sense, Cyn was right.

In ASD, for example, neurodivergent people might rely on siblings for interpreting social cues, deepening their connection. In addition, siblings may become key figures in routines and shared interests, leading to strong bonds (see for example how N reacts to Cyn showing him "those eyes" referring to her putting a picture of a golden retriever on her visor to convince him to go ask Tessa if they can attend the gala together. Or N suggesting the both of them will watch a movie together).

For another example, ADHD, siblings might help manage impulsivity & help with conflict resolution. We see an example of this in this clip:

After Tessa's abusive mother tells her off, Cyn steps in & exclaims that "they are not broken. We can no longer be thrown out", in direct reaction to the mother threatening to throw out all of Tessa's "dumpster pets".

This, clearly, triggers Cyn's trauma we see a glimpse of in episode 5:

She wakes up in what is essentially a pile of dead bodies, deeply woulded, hurt & terrified. This is what she is referring to, this is what 'no longer' means. It means 'not again'. She doesn't wish what she went through on anyone.

Even though N, Tessa's favorite, protects Cyn, it does not shelter her from Tessa's abuse. Now, let me reiterate, I know that Tessa is an abused child. She suffers from emotional, physical & verbal abuse from both her parents (& maybe other caretakers) and is also just a kid. My point in mentioning said abuse is to merely point put that this is an example to the cycle of it continuing, creating more victims.

Tessa inflicts on Cyn the exact same abuse she suffers at the hands of her parents & more:

She displays blatent favoritism towards certain drones (N & J) over others (neglects V & treats Cyn badly).

She threatens Cyn that something might happen to her if N is hurt for defending her from her mother.

She chains & locks Cyn in the basement with the use of one of her favorite drones (J):

Another example of Cyn's implied neurodiversity is her misunderstanding of Tessa's words. When Tessa threatens Cyn that something might happen to her if N is hurt "because of her" she simply replies:

Cyn does not exactly understand that Tessa is worried that N might die. To her, it is meaningless, because she (or rather, the Absolute Solver) has backups of Ns personality (which is displayed in future episodes, when it is revealed that she is the one to send the murder drones to Copper 9). This is very similar to how people with ASD (& others) may take a statement too literally or misunderstand it at first.

Another tidbit that I like about Cyn, is that she doesn't like being condescended to. She talks back to those who belittle her because of her being 'different'. Not only to Tessa & her mother, but also to her fellow drones:

Cyn: it seems that J forgot to let me out of my basement time-out again.

J: yet here you are.

Cyn (turning to N): annoyed expression.

She also does it to N in her eldritch form:

Another thing I'd like to add is Cyn being quite quirky & unique in her peaceful days, before the Solver took over her entirely:

Physically Disabled

We know that Cyn was sent to be destroyed for some reason before the show began. Her almost being destroyed caused numerous disabilities, some of them were cured (for example: her cracked visor was fixed) but some remained as lasting effects:

Linguistic differences/disabilities -

Cyn cannot talk in a more "smooth" way like her fellow drones. Her voice can be interpreted as robotic & distant (a characteristic some neurodivergent & disabled people may have or may be precieved as having).

Instead of just doing, Cyn says her actions out loud, for example: "sheepish nod", "shuffle, shuffle, shuffle", "tantrum", "jumpscare", "light sip". Some neurodivergent individuals, such as people diagnosed with ADHD may express their thoughts or describe their actions out loud as they are doing them to help with focus, brain fog & organization.

Bodily impairments -

Cyn stands a bit crookedly & doesn't get much support from her limbs to hold her body.

Her head cannot be held straight & has to be supported by something (she usually uses her hand to do that. Even in her eldritch form, before committing the massacre in Elliot mansion):

Though there are many voices of people, both disabled & otherwise that speak against disabled characters being portrayed as villains, I believe Cyn is in no way a disrespectful character. Before she is entirely lost to the Solver her trauma is explored, validated & expended on. She is portrayed as sweet, charming, complex & loving. She is also shown as being bullied, discarded, hurt & abused.

Her disabilities are not the cause of her fall to evil & are not her "trademark" when it comes to her definition (similarly to how, let's say, Darth Vader is mocked for his suit & is known & feared partially because of it). They are a part of her, but they are not the only aspect in her life that define her.

I think Cyn is a pretty good example of what a disabled person may go through in different stages of their lives. As a new sibling, as an unfavored child, as a server/worker, as a friend, as a hero & yes, as a victim of circumstances beyond their control.

I love Cyn, she's very special to me & I can't wait to see where her story will go.

Thank you for reading 🙏💜

[boringkate]

I watched Lena Dunham's Sharp Stick (2022) with a babe last month. Which I absolutely loved!!!

It's never explicitly acknowledged, but the main character is clearly supposed to be (despite the producers claiming otherwise) in some way neurodivergent. Or something. She's meek and impossibly sexually naive (to the point where me and the girl I watched it with had initially assumed the character was intended to be a child). Apparently they had approached an autism sexuality advocate to work as a consultant for the film before backpeddling.

Trans girls tend to be autistic.

The main character also had a hysterectomy (as did Lena Dunham).

Trans girls tend to be infertile.

She's shown taking estrogen.

Trans girls tend to take estrogen.

She becomes obsessed with porn and begins having one night stands with random men from the internet in hopes of finding validation by proving her sexual desirability.

Trans girls tend to do that shit.

It ends with her realizing and leaning into her impregnation fetish (while getting fucked by the one black guy she knows who had just brought over some 40s and called them homies and also while her black step sister's hands unexpectedly drift in from off screen to hold her because even when she managed to push it off to the last second Lena Dunham is incapable of being chill and normal about race).

Trans girls can't go ten seconds without making the same joke about how if you don't think you can get a trans girl pregnant then you just aren't trying hard enough (and the frequent fetishization of black men in trans and especially neighboring sissy communities can't really be denied).

Also the bartender is played by Tommy Dorfman (a trans woman) with it being her first time playing a character with a girl name.

But I'm not trying to suggest it's intentionally a movie about the tgirl excperience. That would be silly. Really the takeaway should be that (no matter how varied women's lives may be) we (trans women and cis women etc) can still always find common ground and shared excperiences. We're all in this together.

But anyways I was looking at Lena Dunham's Instagram yesterday (I've been off and on again rewatching Girls, so she's stayed on my mind).

One post features the music video she directed starring famed trans girl Hari Nef.

Another post shows that she recently read trans boy Elliot Paige's memoir Paige Boy.

Another post shows a conversation she had with Jon Bernthal (on his podcast) where she explains the word cis to him and talks about having also explained it to her husband (this is the only clip from her appearance on the podcast that she chose to post).

BTW did you know that she was an executive producer for the 2021 show Genera+ion (which I recall featuring a trans boy actor playing a cis boy character who gets a girl pregnant).

Fascinating!

Meanwhile. Ten years earlier. In 2013 (a year into my transition and a year before Time declared that we've reached the trans tipping point) an episode of Girls features a doorman telling one of the titular Girls that "a tranny walked in last time and he was just walking around the floors, but it was nothing." (lmao)

UPDATE: s05e02 features a "did you just assume my pronouns" bit. (in a way that felt reactionary and gross because the theyfab saying it was an absurd hipster barista that the audience isn't intended to sympathize with)

UPDATE UPDATE: s06e02 features the leader of a group for women entrepreneurs saying "For those of you asking on our Facebook if the group is open to trans women: The answer is: We don't know. Okay?" (which I thought was fun)

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE: s06e03 (the literal next episode) "I even went to a couple of hookers and one of them had a dick."

[s-wave-entertainment]

Looked back into episode 7 today. If you haven't watched it for whatever reason, ehhhh maybe hold off on this for now, but I noticed something and I don't know what to make of it. So I bring it to you, oh Tumblr audience!

Okay so while "Tessa" was down in the... holding chamber hallway? Idk the place with all the lockers with the different drones' numbers on them that she blew up, I was feeling appreciative for the clarity of this episode and how vivid it was in comparison to the earlier episodes. But before I could get too sentimental over it, I got a look at he computer area at the end of the hall. I knew there was a picture there before, but I hadn't paid it much mind until today, when I mistook it for a picture of the Elliots. It isn't, but I think it's something much more interesting:

The whole screenshot, and the picture as clear as I could make it. What we're looking at here is very clearly two drones with the word "HELP" scrawled across the center in blood. Blood on its own already raises a few questions about this for me, but I'm more curious about the two drones pictured. As far as we the audience know, there was only one successful duo in the CFL project - Nori and Yeva. But I acknowledge that

A) There's a lot of info about Project Cabin Fever (PCF) we don't know, and

B) This picture is incredibly unclear and it could be neither of those drones.

Those things aside... why the PICTURE in the first place? This is framed at the end of the hallway where all of the subjects were held. Why? As an example? Symbol of pride? Warning?

I don't mean to start any crazy theory here, I just noticed this today and my curiosity was piqued. I'm of the opinion that MD will likely have a second season, and I hope I'm right - not just for more content of our favorite robot blorbos, but also because I am insanely curious about the origins of PCF. That's all, good day and safe travels!

[penny-anna]

to answer your Billy elliot tag question, I'm USAmerican and when I went to see it in my city a few years ago a good half of the audience was little girls clearly dressed up to see a fun musical about ballet 😭😭 I also assumed it was just "little boy experiences ballet and gender barriers" despite being a Musical Theater Kid (tm) so I wonder if there's simply less Billy elliot awareness in the US

yeah i wouldn't be surprised!! i wouldn't really expect people outside the UK to know much about the context of the miner's strike

[shion-yu]

Day 22: "You didn't use my cup, did you?"

988 words for @sicktember, an Elliot and Alex tour story. No TWs.

Elliot didn’t usually drink, but after their show tonight he very quickly downed two beers and now was on a glass of wine to relax. He’d been sick all day, coughing even between singing verses and feverish with chills that made him feel strangely cold even under the hot stage lights. He was not going to cancel a show, he never would, but that didn’t stop him from looking like absolute crap. The audience had filled in multiple lines for him, which he’d gratefully thanked them for from stage all the while feeling more and more useless as the show went on. Now, finally, it was over. They had one day off tomorrow before their next show, and Elliot planned on sleeping for the entire day and a half before he had to be on stage again. He just needed to wind down, first.

The glass of wine he was sipping was finally hitting him, and Elliot was just starting to relax when Alex swooped in, stole his drink and BAM, there went his relaxation.

“Alex!”

Alex turned in surprise at Elliot’s shrill voice. “What?”

“You didn’t use my cup, did you?” Elliot said, his tone entirely defeated because he knew for a fact that Alex had. Alex looked down at the glass of wine in his hand and swore.

“Fuck. Oops.”

Elliot dropped his head in his hands with a groan. “Great, now we’re both going down.”

“Hey, I have a pretty good immune system,” Alex said, but he didn’t really believe it was going to help him when Elliot was clearly at the peak of contagiousness right now. He grimaced. “We have Emergen-C on this bus somewhere. I’m gonna go chug it.”

“Please do,” Elliot said miserably. 

Unfortunately, and predictably, the Emergen-C did nothing. Elliot slept all day as promised and Alex told himself he was just feeling run down until he woke up the morning of their next show with a scratchy throat and a low grade fever. 

“I told you,” Elli out said accusingly when he saw Alex at sound check fumbling with a bottle of aspirin. “You look like crap.”

“No thanks to you,” Alex muttered. “I can still play.”

Elliot, who was also still working through the tail end of this cold, snorted loudly. “Yeah, I know. Me too. Doesn’t mean it’s gonna be fun. Gimme some of those.”

They popped aspirin together like it was some strange ceremonial pre-show ritual. The show was… rough. Decent enough. But they both stumbled off stage with fevers, skipped the encore, and spent the rest of the evening passed out on the bus thanks to hefty swigs of NyQuil. They shared that cup too, but it certainly didn’t matter at this point.

“This is your fault,” Alex whined, coughing pathetically and openly. He didn’t bother to cover his mouth at this point, since it was just the two of them on the bus and it wasn’t like Elliot could catch more of his own cold.

“My fault?!” Elliot exclaimed incredulously. “You’re entirely, 100% at fault here.” He plucked a tissue from the box they’d been sharing, which was already running dangerously low despite replacing it only hours before. The sinus pressure when he blew his nose made his eyes water.

“It’s your fault for being so weak to catch a cold first,” Alex elaborated grumpily. Elliot ignored his accusation and scrolled through local takeout menus on his phone until he found a place that, at least by their pictures, appeared to make a proper thom yum soup. It was the only thing he was craving right now. “Do you want food or not?”

“Crab rangoon.”

“That is absolutely not sick food,” Elliot said. But he ordered it anyways, knowing Alex didn’t give a shit what was sick food or not. What he really wanted right now, was for his mom to make him her grilled cheese and tomato soup that no matter what, he could never recreate despite it being wonder bread and American cheese slices. He wanted Cliff to hold him, give him more sympathy than he really needed, and to fall asleep watching reality TV in bed together. But instead he was stuck on a tour bus in Nevada with Alex far away from any at-home comforts.

Elliot sighed and made the order. By the time the food came, he was too sleepy to really care about eating anymore but forced down a few mouthfuls before passing out in his bunk, Alex having done the same above him. They were halfway through their tour, and this was just a bump, Elliot told himself as he drifted into unconsciousness. It’d be worth it - it already was worth it - he just had to weather this damn cold.

He wasn’t sure where they were - probably somewhere past the Arizona border - when he woke up to something cold on his face. Elliot whined and pushed the coldness away, shivering. “Cliff, leave me alone,” he mumbled.

“Keep it on,” a voice that wasn’t Cliff growled. Elliot slowly opened his eyes and realized it was Alex crouched beside his bunk with a wet washcloth. He stared at the younger man in confusion. “Your fever is bad,” Alex explained gruffly. “If you’re awake, take some more Tylenol.”

Elliot didn’t have time to answer before Alex climbed back up into his bunk and shut the curtain. He picked the washcloth off his face, in shock even half asleep as he was that Alex had decided to help him. He knew Alex was uncomfortable with that sort of thing - probably why he’d escaped back up to his bed so quickly - but the gesture, small as it was, made Elliot feel surprisingly loved. He took the Tylenol obediently and then bundled himself back under his blankets, shivering but feeling just a bit better knowing that even if he didn’t have quite what he wanted right now in terms of care, he had someone.

[idreamtofmanderleyagain]

I've recently gotten into, or rather back into the Hellraiser fandom and I love your posts about Kirsty and Pinhead/Elliot Spencer. Now onto my question: How do you think H3 had played out if Kirsty had been the main character again and not Joey? Or do you think they'd done as much as they could with the character and she was supposed to have a happy ending raising Tiffany?

Hi! Thank you for liking my posts and joining in on the conversation!

In terms of what Hollywood would have actually done with her: I think had it been Kirsty in Joey's place, we would have been able to see a real emotional momentum build for her and Pinhead/Elliot. I doubt that hollywood would have given us a romance...at least not with Pinhead. However, I suspect that they wanted to build off of the character dynamic in some kind of direction that teased at emotional/sexual tension, and here is my reasoning:

Joey to me has a lot of character aspects that feel grafted from Kirsty, like her mourning for her father, the gothic fever dreams, sassing back against Pinhead, and the dream interaction between her and Elliot. Clearly they were trying to replicate important aspects of their missing heroine in their new heroine. In Hellbound, the visual implication to me when we first see Elliot is that Kirsty is actually dreaming of his death/rebirth. Hence why she recognises his photo later. It makes sense, if you were intending to continue such a theme, to have them meet and speak in her dreams in the aftermath of saving her, as if his spirit had stuck with her (hence why I suggest that in my fic). The "a dream of one war is a dream of all wars" justification actually feels like a poor way to tack up an explaination once the heroine who was already established having such dreams was gone. In other words, it feels like the "Elliot's ghost" thing was possibly originally meant for a story with Kirsty in it, or at least manifested from that idea.

It even feels like in the absence of Kirsty, they had to flashback to the sacrifice scene in H2 to get Joey - and the audience - to grasp the emotional momentum that Joey was inheriting from Kirsty. Something that would have established the context in an even more thematically sensible way if the same girl was in the conversation instead of Joey.

It's worth noting that there are earlier scripts of H3 in which Elliot and Joey actually have a romantic arc during these dream sequences, and Joey actually becomes Pinhead's "bride" in exchange for career momentum, like some kind of creepy/sexy faustian deal. I don't think they would have ever presented Pinhead alone as a truly viable romantic option outside of some dark cenario like that.

However, I believe had they been able to keep Ashley/Kirsty on board for the third film, they absolutely would have given her a romantic arc with Elliot and may have even considered it in early stages, and I think what we have left, both in the early Joey scripts and the final film, strongly reflects that intent, or at least an awareness that something *like that* would be the right emotional momentum for a third storyline that included Pinhead and where he was at psychologically post H2.

For how I personally would do it, I am actually exploring the idea of Kirsty in H3 in my fic Roses for the Abyss, which has kind of been on an unofficial hiatus at the moment because my current job is too draining. But there are two fantastic authors who have done awesome stuff with the same core concept, and actually finished their stories! Please check out @inkworthywords 's The Pin and The Casket and @hamatebone 's From The Ashes series!

[booktomoviebrawl]

We are not judging how bad the movie is, we are judging which adapted the book the worst. There are good movies that are bad adaptions.

Propaganda below the cut (spoilers may apply)

The Giver:

Completely changed the book making a story with great characters and subtle themes into a generic ya dystopia with stupid teen characters and no themes

They turned it into like this teen angst dystopia that missed all the nuance and love that poured into the original book. They were clearly trying to capitalize off of Hunger Games/Divergent and failed miserably. The original book was a message on totalitarian governments and how history repeats itself. It's so frustrating to see movies strip away messages like that and just make it a cash grab.

Shallow interpretation, tried to please everyone, also Taylor Swift was there?

Persuasion:

They massacred my girl!! That is not Anne Elliot!! The whole point is that she's beaten down and thinks she's missed her chance at happiness and is bullied by her family, not making mean and snarky nods to the camera :( They completely missed the whole point of the dynamic and it's SICKENING! They also cut Mrs Smith who is arguably one of the most important characters as she highlights Anne's lack of focus on title and rank and her family's comparative obsession with it + it's only through her that Anne learns about Mr Elliot's true nasty nature. Also they cut the 'I am half agony, half hope' line from Wentworth's letter at the end so what's even the POINT of adapting it if you don't have that!! Oh my god!! My poor favourite Austen novel :( (I do want to make it very very clear that my issues with the movie come from the writing and adaptation and not in any way from the race blind casting. The casting is superb and I'm genuinely so disappointed that they got such a bad adaptation bc so many of the cast are literally perfect)

Where do I even start? They tried to 'modernize' both the protagonist and the love story and managed to take out everything that made it good in the first place. Anne Elliot in the novel is quiet and good and helpful, full of regret. In the movie, she constantly turns to the audience to mock everyone around her, feeling so much better than everyone, to the point where nobody understands why Captain Wentworth would still be in love with her, or have fallen in love with her in the first place. Eight years before the plot starts, she broker her engagement to him because she was persuaded by a family friend that it was a bad idea. No way would movie!Anne have let herself be persuaded. They just tried to do a Fleabag/Emma type of thing without understanding what made either the novel or those two things work and thereby ruined it completely

Whoever made this didn't understand the point of the novel at all. They completely screwed up the character of Anne Elliot (the protagonist), which in turn screws the rest of the movie, as the original story only works because Anne is the way she is. Also, it's a period piece but the characters are talking in modern slang the entire time. And not in a clever way but in a very cringey one. If Jane Austen knew, she'd probably turn in her grave, and rightfully so.

Maximum Ride:

The storyline makes absolutely no sense, and the movie is nothing like the book. You could've given the movie an entirely different name and and keep the plot I wouldn't bat an eye

the movie's just bad mate

Horrendous low budget netflix movie with effects so bad they make me feel physically ill and acting so wooden the cast is in danger of being attacked by lumberjacks. The story already wasn't the best and the film somehow made it worst. I came in with nostalgia for my dear kids with bird wings and left never to be the same again.

[gleefulpoppet]

I've been tagged in some recent WIP-type updates by @rockitmans, and @bitbybitwrites. Thank you! It's been a while, but here we are! This is from Just One Look (gasp! Yes, I am working on the second part slowly but surely, and we'll get to see how Elliot and Blaine met).

The audience nodded, clearly engaged as the hour went on. The moderator turned to Elliot. "Starchild, as someone who has been at the forefront of the modern Broadway movement, how do you see the future of musical theatre evolving?" Elliot took a moment to collect his thoughts, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm as he leaned toward the mic. "The future of musical theatre is incredibly exciting and complex. We're seeing a blend of traditional storytelling with cutting-edge technology. Shows are becoming more immersive, with digital sets and interactive elements. Additionally, the rise of streaming platforms is making theatre more accessible to global audiences. But beyond the technical innovations, I believe the heart of musical theatre will always be its ability to tell human, heartfelt stories. We need to continue to nurture new voices and perspectives, ensuring that theatre remains relevant and reflective of our diverse world."

Tagging any author out there who wants to play! I'd love to read what you've been working on! ♥

[watchmenanon]

Do you believe that the Duffers intentionally wrote Mleven with the born sexy yesterday trope so they could subvert it? Or do you think they meant for the audience to root for Mleven and think they were cute in the first few seasons? (They clearly aren't meant to be considered cute or be an example of a happy relationship after season 4.)

Hi Anon!!💚

The Duffers definitely know about the "Born Sexy Yesterday" trope because it's a very common trope in sci-fi (also it's a very common trope in general because it could be argued that the Pygmalion and Galatea myth is the first antecedent of this) and I truly believe that the Duffers chose this trope to subvert it. The amazing @emblazons wrote an incredible essay about this topic and I consider it as a must-read.

I don't think the Duffers expected mlvn to get the traction they got as romantic couple because they never intended them to be one with their description of El and Mike as the "E.T. and Elliot of Stranger Things". In a way, Mlvn feels like their fanservice but this fanservice is done in a way that tells the audience that they're not good for each other and that they are not gonna last (example, they've referenced them as "star-crossed lovers" in the show multiple times).

Thank you so much for your ask!!! Have a great day!!!💛💙

[setagaya-division]

"hello Yorii Kun"-sang Eden Yamamura in all his seductive and joy presence infront of the another siren

Yorii stared at the blonde. he don't trust exactly in the underground musician not only due to his apparently feelings for Elliot. but the different beetwen them. Eden was more flirty and openly seductive (Even sexual) than yorii if the rumors about him in the school were true. besides. Eden said clearly that his true music was for the underground instead the great stages

But the other reason was that like Yorii himself and Mina. Eden didn't feel completely human. Yorii knew about it but ¿What's him?

Eden smiled

"we should try to get along beetwen musician yorii kun"-said him with fun then he gives Yorii a little jewel box with something

Two necklace with a siren theme

Ede looked at Yorii smiling-"i have a "meet" with certain someone one of my lovers so bye "-said Eden with a flirt and amusement voice

But when he thought yorii not could noticed his purple eyes glowed in pink and a light blush appeared on his pale skin

Staring at him a bit suspicious yorii look at the necklaces again. Both looked made of genuine silver or even white gold and the gemstones not looked fakes

When he noticed something in the jewelry box of expensive aspect

"happy birthday siren. like your music even is not my style and...takes this as my own invitation if we face in DRB. I know about your suspicious and i will to say you this

¿How could be a rap battle beetwen a siren and a succubus/Incubus?

P.D:yeah, i bought them with a bit of the money that my last "lover" gave me...don't blame me. After all i'm a succubus. I need it i want or not"

As Yorii sat in his room, he reopened the message box and carefully re-read the message that Eden had left him, so as not to misinterpret anything. He wasn't actually challenging Yorii and his siblings to a rap battle, was he? Even he, for all his charm and wits, couldn't be that dumb, could he?

Aside from the fact that they were on two totally different wavelengths when it came to music, the two of them had different reputations. Eden was known to be a shameless flirt with multiple lovers on the side. While this didn't do much for his reputation, he didn't seem to care, as he seemed to revel in the notoriety his relationships brought him. Yorii was the same, but his flirting was done out of fun and enjoyment. He could appreciate a woman in good clothing, but he had eyes on only one woman.

Besides that, the two of them didn't even move in the same circle. Yorii, he loved being in the spotlight. He loved being on stage, having thousands and thousands of people cheer for him. Eden, on the other hand, despite his reputation, seemed content to stay underground. Why that was, Yorii didn't know. Yorii even volunteered to help Eden get on a real stage with a real audience, but the so-called "succubus" refused. So after that, Yorii didn't bother asking him again.

So despite knowing all that, why exactly did Eden challenge Yorii? The blonde-haired idol didn't know, nor did he care. Perhaps the yellow-haired musician was starting to get a big head, or perhaps this was payback for Yorii interfering when it came to his brother, Elliot. As he stated, he didn't know, nor did he care right now. All that matters was that he threw out the challenge, meaning the ball was now in Yorii's court. As he thought on this, a smirk appeared on his face.

"Alright, Mr. Succubus." Yorii said, as he twirled one of the siren necklaces bequeathed to him around in his hand. "You wish to see the difference between you and I that badly? Have it your way."

As he said, Yorii's hair and eyes slowly started changing, going from his usual blonde-hair and blue eyes, to pink-hair and red eyes, resembling a well-known fashion designer.

"And when I embarrass you on stage, you'll quickly wake up from that pleasant dream you succubi are known to give mortals. ...Only this time, that dream, it will slowly turn into a nightmare. One orchestrated by the Siren."

With that, he threw the necklace he was twirling back into the jewelry box and closed it, before walking out of his room, a smirk still on his dark face.

[i-am-adlocked]

Just some mental illness ramblings

TW: Schizophrenia, mental illness

I have this big fear that I've been lying about having Schizophrenia for the past ten years.

I have this habit of absorbing my favorite characters—their mannerisms, their vocabulary, goals and aspirations. To the point that I actually do believe I possess their abilities.

Characters like Sherlock Holmes from BBC Sherlock, Josh Washington from Until Dawn, and Elliot Alderson from Mr. Robot.

For a few years, I acted like I had Dissociative Identity Disorder because of the latter show. A part of me believed I really had it. And a part of me is saying I'm just making myself look like a fool for acting I have a certain disorder.

After that fiasco, I believed I have Schizophrenia. Or maybe I do? I'm still uncertain.

I had an "imaginary friend" called Charlotte. I don't see her or hear her. But I can feel her. Usually she's behind me, and I can feel her warmth. I may not hear her but it feels as if she's telepathically sending her thoughts to me so I know what she really needs to say.

Whenever i have breakdowns, I do get auditory hallucinations. Like my bullies yelling at me. Often, I hear my name being called when I'm alone. I often feel bugs crawling in my body at random times.

And for a long time, I had delusions of grandeur. I still do to be honest. Several coincidences, but the sun always used to hit me at certain areas in my old campus so I thought the world is giving me the spotlight. I believed I could control the wind when I say a certain mantra.

After being medicated, all of those are gone.

Logically, I may be seeing clearly now because of the meds.

And honestly, writing it all down like this. Maybe I really do have Schizophrenia. Still, I've faked an illness before even though I also believed I had it (DID). What's to say I'm faking this one too?

What if I'm just acting again? To gain sympathy.

I have this lingering fear for a group out there—elite of the elite. No one knows where or who they are. But they can see and watch my life as if it's a movie. I call them the Audience. The Audience don't interfere with my life. They don't have actors who will interact with me for some drama.

They just watch and criticize and make metas and post in their secret blogs about my life.

Like movie watchers posting their thoughts on Tumblr.

And like us Tumblr users, they love the angst, the hurt, the whump.

I'm aware of this so I make up real life scenarios so I can satisfy them.

I would intentionally make myself go through a meltdown. I would make bad decisions even if I don't want to just so they have enough content to talk about.

It's one of the reasons I made myself believe I have certain disorders. I just got the idea from me loving when my favorite characters go through shit. Like me, the audience feel hurt when I feel hurt, but they love it. They're emotionally masochistic like me.

Unfortunately I don't know how to deal with all of this.

Psychiatry in my country sucks.

In my case, I only talk to my psychiatrist for 30 minutes, then she gives me a prescription for my meds then I leave.

What I really need is therapy. But it's expensive.

So fuck it all.

[hellomynameisbisexual]

In the coming-of-age series with a refreshing, queer-forward plot, Connor plays a British high school rugby Nick Nelson, alongside classmate Charlie Spring, played by Joe Locke, who falls in love with him. Over the course of the eight-episode series, adapted from the graphic novel of the same name by Alice Oseman, Nick starts to question his own sexuality amid his growing feelings for Charlie.

The show was so well received when it launched this year that it’s already been renewed for two more seasons. It is one of the first to center LGBTQ characters — both Nick and Charlie, as well as others in the main cast — geared towards a teen and young adult audience. Unlike shows like “Sex Education” and “Euphoria,” which, while also wonderfully sexually and gender diverse, are more explicit.

Calls for Connor to address his own orientation started this spring with taunting on Twitter, which he addressed in a tweet, saying, “twitter is so funny man. apparently some people on here know my sexuality better than I do…” Still though, that pressure did not abate, and Connor became a target of what social media mobs dubbed “queerbaiting,” with claims the show was attempting to reel people in with broader LGBTQ-inclusive themes without being deliberate in revealing his character’s identity — and perhaps that Connor was doing the same.

The truth about Nelson’s character, as well as Connor’s real-life identity, may be much more nuanced. Nonetheless, Connor, who clearly felt backed into a corner, tweeted on Halloween to his 1 million followers that he was bisexual: “back for a minute. i’m bi,” he wrote. “congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. i think some of you missed the point of the show. bye.”

There is a lot to unpack in this story, not least of which is that a young adult has been forced to share very publicly parts of his own identity that are very private — and may still be in flux.

Connor felt the pressure of a moralistic social media mob, a force quick to attack and slow to forgive, that demands you answer its questions immediately and with no room for nuance or context. It is not the way we ought to be operating as a culture.

Sometimes the Twitter mob forces real issues into the light and brings them to favorable outcomes more quickly. Other times, it just blows everything up and walks away, not caring what casualties it leaves in its wake.

Connor’s outing is the latest in a string of celebrities recently forced to out themselves, lest tabloid media exposes or “leaks” do so for them, and stands in contrast to the long history of Hollywood celebrities forced to remain in the closet or else risk their careers.

From closeted actor Rock Hudson in the 20th century to the openly trans actor Elliot Page today, performers have long had to live double lives and hide their true identities to remain on the A list – even to remain safe and alive. It took Ellen DeGeneres decades to rebuild her career after she came out on the cover of TIME magazine in 1997, at the same time as her character in the eponymous ABC sitcom.

It’s true that many LGBTQ characters in contemporary media have evolved — from murderers, murder victims, sex workers and one-dimensional characters who provide a punchline — into actual human beings, including those who aren’t just the sidekick but the leading roles.

They include Michaela Jay Rodriguez, Billy Porter, Dominique Jackson and Indya Moore on FX’s “Pose”; Sara Ramirez as Callie Torres on “Grey’s Anatomy” (and, yes, as Che Diaz on “Sex and the City” spinoff “And Just Like That”); the casts of this year’s movies “Fire Island” and “BROS”’ and Zendaya as Rue Bennett from HBO’s “Euphoria,” to name just a few. We’ve come a long way in a short time in terms of representation in media.

(HBO and HBO Max are both owned by CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)

Now LGBTQ audiences are rightfully asking the hard questions about who gets to play LGBTQ characters. Does a cisgender person playing a transgender character amount to a White actor in blackface, or playing a role of a BIPOC person, or is there a different litmus test? Does acting mean playing a character distinct from the actor’s personal identity, or are there rules we have yet to adequately draw and maintain?

Cisgender actors like Eddie Redmayne, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role playing a transgender woman in “The Danish Girl,” later said he regrets stepping into the role and that it should have been reserved for a transgender woman. But other casting choices, like Cate Blanchett or Mara Rooney playing lesbians in the stunning 2015 movie, “Carol,” feel more forgivable. Perhaps casting someone to play a character they do not identify as in their personal life is more palatable if they were cast by a director, producer or writer who does inhabit that identity authentically.

Who gets to create queer art and media — and what qualifies as accurate representation? Would a television series or movie get attention if a star-studded cishet cast was replaced for the sake of aligning representation? What if the show’s writers or directors are queer, but the actors aren’t?

While it’s progress that openly queer actors are being cast in leading roles, weaponizing criticisms of queerbaiting and appropriation as an excuse to force a teen or any actor out of the closet is not the answer. Those conversations have reached a fever pitch, and the result is hurting people who should be allowed to make their own decisions when and how to come out, if at all.

For thousands of years, humans have felt the need to categorize things in the world in order to make sense of them. Younger people are disrupting that rigid framework with more fluid gender identities and romantic expressions. That makes some people uncomfortable (read: the current culture wars targeting trans kids, LGBTQ rights, literature and school policies, among other things). But many of those disrupters are also demanding people like Connor now put themselves a box with a label slapped on the front — and share it with the world in short order.

Coming out is not a one-time act, or something that remains fixed, and why should it be? Identities are malleable, and many young people are still on the journey to find themselves. What we shouldn’t do is publicly shame someone into disclosing a part of themselves they may not be ready to or want to share.

With LGBTQ rights under heightened threat across the US and around the world, coming out involves a whole different assessment of risk and repercussions. There is only person who should drive that decision, and no, it’s not a Twitter troll.

Note: There are plenty of resources available for those who want to learn more about how to best support those who are coming out as LGBTQ, and for people who are exploring the queer corners of their own sense of self.

[bcomic-blog]

Tonight in El Goonish Shive

Evidently, the flashback from the last page was NOT Space Gerbils as I had thought Elliot and Susan watching old footage of themselves, but rather just a flashback for the audience's sake to greater highlight the contrast between Susan then:

And Susan now:

So, Susan is far more open now, especially in front of the camera. Funny how Elliot clearly remembers that moment quite vividly!

@danshive : it's not that you did anything wrong or weren't sufficiently clear... It's just the inherent limitations of the pacing of webcomics... Sometimes it takes more than one page for the thrust of a new scene to become completely apparent. If you're archive-reading that's no issue, you just turn the page and any question is answered. Waiting two days for a page, crack theories inherently will form, there's just no helping it!

[f0point5]

okay first: this smau is AMAZING the level of detail and effort you put in is honestly beyond me but thank you so much🧎

now for the thoughts:

i feel like elliot is just super into this woman he doesn’t know super well (probably partially because he doesn’t know her super well and is just assuming the best, maybe partially bc he likes the idea of her??) and she’s not super into him back and he just wants to force it. like i feel that sometimes you have two people who from the get go are just completely vibing and super into each other and elliot seems like that’s what he wants but usually dating is just getting to know people!! and it seems like maybe he’s wanting something a bit less casual/more rushed than yn, which is fine on both ends (slightly sad for him but also like you’re an adult pls act like it) just makes the process of getting to know each other a little unbalanced. whether they will overcome the imbalance only time (and you) will tell

also, i lowkey feel like max actually does not have a master plan? like his strat is just race the best i can w the car i have and the car he has currently is yn as a friend/roommate so he just wants to have the best relationship w her in that way. i think in contrast to elliot, he knows yn inside and out and most likely is aware of her deep seated fear of commitment/(unhappy) marriage and doesn’t feel the need to push her into something she is not ready for. that’s also why i think he’s dating around/on raya bc realistically he prob “knows” (knows in quotes bc it’s his interpretation even though it might not be objectively true) that yn might never be ready for a relationship or to get married and he doesn’t want to put their friendship at risk or do anything to push yn away, even if he does have feelings (which also he might not be super aware of? idk what your thoughts are but i think perhaps max just really really cares for her and is focused on what he does have and not what he could have so he’s not thinking ab whether or not he has romantic feelings for her?)

some ppl also commenting on yn’s social media presence and how elliot has to be seeing that stuff and yeah sure but i mean if she thinks it’s like a casual dating thing then it’s nbd if she posts what she posts, it’s not like they’re married/bf gf or even hooking up they’re literally just getting to know each other. i also think prob max meeting elliot is a big deal but also kinda normal?? like obviously as the audience we know it will most likely be a shit show but it also from her perspective it seems like not a massive deal judging from what we’ve seen of her. like if she were to change her entire race weekend to babysit elliot and make the weekend about him then yeah maybe that’s a huge deal but she has already shown she’s unwilling to change hotels so she prob views it as her having a normal weekend w an added person and doesn’t plan on making any huge moves to cater to elliot. i also think it’s less of a big deal bc of how much money he has and just a completely different lifestyle so it’s not as huge of an undertaking. idk though!! you are of course the mastermind so i might be wayyy off (also sorry i just realized how long this was oml)

I think you described it so well about Y/N and Elliot. I know it looks one sided because we see so much of her life and how Elliot is on the fringes but we do only see half the story. And really, this is so normal when you’re seeing someone, being in different places or catching feelings at different rates. Sometimes you get on the same path and sometimes you don’t. No harm no foul. Y/N doesn’t really have the experience of instant click. She doesn’t really date long term, she hasn’t dated at all in nearly 2 years. And even then, she clearly hasn’t had that instant connection, nor is she necessarily looking for it. She’s not writing Elliot off but she definitely hasn’t been swept off her feet. And some people never are. Doesn’t mean the relationship isn’t valid.

I mean…Max isn’t really a master plan sort of guy. He can have a plan but I feel like he’s not a mastermind lol. I also feel like I’m this case Max knows what he wants, or he has this vague idea of what his blue sky scenario looks like, but for a variety of reasons he’s not necessarily moving towards it.

I can’t say too much about what Austin will bring…

Re the social media, I agree. They’re not a whole married couple, and even if they were, I feel like Y/N is just continuing to live her life the way she always has, Elliot or no Elliot, which is what she would do at any stage of their relationship. I don’t think whether Elliot sees the things she posts is of concern to her. Other people’s posts…different story