#and people I expect to see lots of love for Stephen

[sobeautifullyobsessed]

(Yes, finally got polls!)

(No offense towards Wanda - but we should show Feige scientific proof not to let Waldron write another Marvel screenplay.)

[austin-friars]

Yes! Like back then, they clearly didn't really know what Autism was, or any form of like, disorder or disability. I think that Cramner himself was a ball of anxiety, and he seems nervous, regardless of what media you look at for him. For instance, both Tudors and Wolf Hall tend to portray a Cramner that is clearly nervous, Tudors moreso. From both the books and the show, Wolf Hall Cramner is a nervous wreck but he also is a bit more firm when it comes to certain things - except when it comes to sticking his neck out for his reformer allies. There are a lot of historical figures that I believe may have had certain mental/intellectual disorders or disabilities. I know everyone during the Tudor era probably had some form of PTSD, but it's interesting seeing how people acted through documents, and accounts from others, and then, being in the 21st century and being able to 'diagnose' what people were going through. Like, some time ago, a mutual and I were talking about how we believed Edgar Allen Poe to be autistic because of some of his mannerisms (and if you haven't seen Pale Blue Eye, you should...because he is basically on brand autistic there). I also tend to speculate that Thomas Cromwell is on the spectrum, but also that, heavy depression, PTSD or trauma is hereditary for the Cromwells because his great - great nephew (?) suffers from depression. ANYWAY, yes I love these figures.

And ooh! Thanks for letting me know! If I have time I'll check it out!

Stephen, along with Mary I is one of my favorite historical figures so I'm always speculating things about him from his illegitimate status to just, rise to power. One of my favorite things about the Tudor era is seeing people with nothing, or seeing people who are low status, rise to something. We're always rightfully talking about Thomas Cromwell, but we literally have people like Gardiner as well who started off as an illegimate child who was brushed away into Holy Orders persumably against his will - because that's what happened to bastards back then, but then at the end of his life, became Lord Chancellor of one of the most powerful nations. I love that about him. I've actually written/am in the process of writing a few short stories for him myself, or at the very least, i've based a few of my original characters off of his counterpart (and others, like Cromwell, because they are lovers to me) and am currently working on a historical fiction focusing on him and Mary. My plan is to one day publish them, I'm very *close* to getting one at least, ready for publishing but I'm having so much fun with these short stories. He is probably one of my biggest, if not my biggest writing muse at this point. He's a character I just genuinely enjoy; I love underdogs, people who come from nothing and rise to something. And people who have a bit of bite to them because you know, he worked his ass off. But he's a character who tends to be overly vilified and I like looking at him and writing him in a more kinder, nuanced light.

I like the historical possibility that Archbishop Cranmer could've been autistic.

[salty-ironstrange-shipper]

Hi. I saw this post asking for a fic that changed one's brain chemistry. Now there are a lot of fics I like; over 2000 bookmarked on ao3. And a lot of fics I love; I have 400+ of those fics tagged 'fave'. Of those 400, there are only around two dozen I would say legitimately changed me as a person. 1% changed the way I saw relationships and the world, changed the way I read and write. And I couldn't narrow it down to one - or ten - and didn't want to dump in OP's tags. So have this list of fics that permanently changed who I am as a person.

Warning: I love long fics, and some of these are the same specific tropes that I love or that really affect me personally (ex. arranged marriage). Expect angst, and especially angst with a happy ending. That said these fics are all objectively amazing.

(sorry to people who don't like long fics, but we are simply not the same. and that's OK.)

listed in order of fandom, then length.

Banshee In A Well - 43k, complete, DC, Tim Drake. Childhood trauma, childhood trauma, came back wrong/can't stop coming back! Tim is a little FREAK and I luv him.

straight on 'til morning - 102k, complete, DC, timkon/Kon-El. This is within the niche genre that for some reason appeals to me specifically, of characters having a LOT of feelings about sex and dealing with it poorly.

variations on a theme - 5k, complete, MCU, ironstrange. This is one of the fics that made me truly love ironstrange. Stephen sees through millions of possibilities and in doing so, falls in love with Tony. Evocative, beautiful, succinct.

The Art of Losing - 33k, complete, Red White and Royal Blue, firstprince. This fic made me cry. This fic BROKE MY HEART. And I WENT BACK TO IT. Multiple times! This is a breakup fic that breaks you down then puts you back together. You will come out different, and only you can say if it's for the worse or the better.

With so much of my heart (that none is left to protest) - 65k, complete, Red White and Royal Blue, firstprince. There are so many firstprince fics that essentially translate the events of the book into a different setting. And I love all of them. (My own fic, then fucking have me, also does this, self plug self plug self plug). I had to narrow this selection down to just one, and this is probably my absolute favorite.

You Don't Have To (Say Yes) - 192k, complete, Star Trek, spirk/Jim Kirk. This is within the niche genre that for some reason appeals to me specifically, of characters having a LOT of feelings about sex and dealing with it poorly (yeah, again).

THE MARRIAGE OF TRUE MINDS - 262k, complete, Star Trek, spirk. Star Trek arranged marriage epistolary fic. I read this 4 years ago, and I STILL think of a line from this fic constantly (we're aligned, we're aligned, we're aligned). If you don't read anything else for the rest of your life, read this.

DON'T THE WAVES PULL THE SAND? DON'T THE MOON PULL THE TIDES? - 58k, complete, Star Wars, finnpoe. I don't even go here. And yet. And yet. This is within the niche genre that for some reason appeals to me specifically, of characters having a LOT of feelings about sex and dealing with it poorly (yeah, AGAIN).

Not Part of the Plan - SERIES, 8 works, 337k, complete. Supernatural, destiel. This is an arranged marriage fic au series, that started with a oneshot pwp, and somehow grew into a sprawling, world and character building EPIC. And that to me is always a marker of quality. You KNOW it's good if the author couldn't stop themselves.

wander your own land - 379k, incomplete, Yellowjackets, shaunajackie and others. I told you I like long fics. Girl survival situationships, cannibalism, jealousy, cabin fever, hallucinations, trying to keep a fucking baby alive in some of the worst possible circumstances.

Infinite Variations of a Summer Day - 76k, complete, X-Men, Pietro Maximoff. I love Pietro, he is one of my favorite characters of all time, and this is such a great character fic. See Pietro slowly driven insane in a time loop that examines his relationships with himself, his team, his family, and his powers.

drop your own recs in the notes. and if you have any suggestions for griddlehark/the locked tomb, pLEA- *gunshots*

[ultraericthered]

One Villainous Scene: Cage Of Expectations

A brief one, but it gives so much insight and explains so much about the inner world of a character who, up to this point, was kept shrouded in mystery even though we all knew he was the villain, and also perfectly sets him up to make the decisions he ends up making.

While the later retcon tells us that Ken became a prodigious, genius boy due to a "Dark Spore" inplanted in him by accident that only "went off" when he visited the Dark Ocean, the whys and hows aren't really crucial to understanding Ken's story at this point: he's a star student, star athlete, and even something of a young celebrity within the world of science and computers. Because he is so well known and renowned, he's given plenty of filmed interviews like we see him doing here. After the interview is done, the headmaster of Ken's school comes over to him to offer congragulatory words...and then in a very shady move, whispers to Ken the offer to tutor his daughter in her studies over at his place so that she can excell in her grades at his school, saying he'd reward Ken handsomely for it. Ken plays the "I'm just a kid, I ain't THAT good" card, which makes the principal start to back off...but then he turns back around and asks the disgruntled Ken for an autograph. Turns out that beyond mere corruption and nepotism practices, the headmaster was pestering Ken about these things because his daughter's a fangirl of Ken. This does not please Ken. Who do some plain, unexceptional, low IQ girl and her plain, unexceptional, low IQ father think they are asking him for favors like this? Such matters are far below his time and efforts.

(In the English dub, this interaction is changed to some nonsense about the headmaster wanting Ken over to help him win at a video game called "Donkey Madness" prior to getting the autograph. The effect on Ken is the same, but I think it takes a lot out of the scene.)

Ken is then seen at dinner with his parents, who are acting all congragulatory and gushing over their son's interview and how smart he is and how maturely he presents himself. Yeah, they're really shitty parents. Much as they do love their son and loved his late brother, their love for the idea of being the parents of a special genius child enraptures them so much that they lose sight of what's really best for their child and his needs as a human being, and they coast off the achievements and reputation of their child without really giving back to him in any substantial way. Ken isn't really pleased with the way they interact with him either, so he gets up and leaves the table.

Then comes the big moment. An image that says so much even when so little is said (again, in the original. The dub butchered it by having Ken internally ramble the whole way, which not even Derek Stephen Prince can really save.) Ken's on the roof of his apartment building, standing in front of a barred fence. He can see the entire city from here, a city filled with mediocre people who he considers to be completely beneath him, but who will always look to exploit his gifts and use whatever he accomplishes for their own benefit, and will feel alright about themselves for doing nothing, being nothing. Ken would love nothing more than to abuse, bully, enslave, torture, or even kill the whole lot of them...but he's far too intelligent to not know better. He knows that the rules of civil society prohibit him from acting freely upon those cruel urges, making him have to conform and comply with the regulations set by lesser people. He, a Chosen One, a "perfect human", has to just sit there and take it like a good little boy, to not werewolf and go wild on these people. He's trapped. Caged like a rare breed of animal rather than the god he believes himself to be. The bars he grabs onto represents this cage, and all he can do here is snarl and shout out to city below him "INSECTS!"

But of course we know that there's a place Ken goes to where he can actually live his wildest fantasies, and act as he would naturally prefer to act towards lesser beings completely free of repercussions. The world he believes is one large MMORPG that exists for his pleasure. The Digital World, where he asserts himself as the Digimon Kaiser. And it's at this point where he starts to call that place home.

[bokumonoexchange]

Go Forth and Exchange: Tips for participating in Exchanges from a fandom veteran.

So, having both participated in and moderated exchanges over the past many years, there's a few common questions and issues I see arise in regards to taking part in them. I thought I'd make a nice little list to address some of these, to help and encourage not only possible participants in the Bokumono Exchange, but any kind of fandom exchange.

(Disclaimer that is is all based on my own personal experience and what I've witnessed. Obviously there will be exceptions at times and only you know if this advice will help you, but I only come at this from a good faith standpoint).

"I don't know what to ask for"/"I'm afraid to ask for too much/too little."

This can range from only having one or two requests, to having too many. More often than not, a fandom exchange will prompt you to submit some sort of variety in terms of characters/pairings (unless it's a character/pairing specific exchange).

Maybe you have your heart set one specific trope - you really really need that Pete/Kai first kiss! - or maybe you have no preferences at all; heck, you wanna see everyone from Westown, Lulukoko and Tsuyukusa in big group photo if the artist is feeling up to it. So how do you find that happy medium where you're giving the artist/writer enough to work with, but not trapping them?

My advice boils down to two things:

Take your time, and be honest.

It's SO TEMPTING to immediately submit the second sign-ups open - because what if you forget? But if you aren't sure what you want, take your time and consider! Obviously this isn't something you have to devote an entire day to, but spend a minute or two thinking about what you've enjoyed recently (or even not-too-recently) in terms of movies, books, games, fanfics/fanarts you've loved. What ticks your boxes, and what about Bokumono games in particular really appeals to you? Even if it's considered cliche (seasons, festivals, animals, etc), we love this series for a reason - because it has many aspects and activities that are tried and true.

And on the flip side, if the ships/characters/tropes you want are rare or niche, don't be afraid to ask for them, either! What I've noticed in moderating the Bokumono Exchange is that a lot of participants ask for rare pairs, and a lot of their gifters are more than happy to deliver.

Also, most moderators will allow you to edit or entirely re-do your application within the sign-up period if you at some point change your mind, so don't feel you're locked into what you decided.

An exchange is about both the giving and the getting; you should, in the end feel happy/satisfied with both ends of it.

Which leads to the second issue that I see crop up:

"I don't have an idea for my giftee"/"I don't feel I can deliver what they're asking for."

Ah, yes, the fear of not being able to make something your giftee will like. Again, from my experience, most if not all people participating in exchanges are not going to expect to be gifted The Sistine Chapel or Stephen King's next great novel. I've always noticed that, above all, my gifters have been enthusiastic and excited for the exchange; "quality" (which is subjective anyway) is not something I pay attention to, since there is no skill requirements for this exchange.

That being said, I do think that it can (not always) be obvious when a piece is slapped together last-minute. I've stated this in the FAQ of the collection on ao3, but it's important, in my opinion, to make something that you would feel good about receiving.

As for not knowing what to create? My first suggestion is, if their tumblr/twitter and/or ao3 is provided, peruse through them to see if anything piques your interest in terms of what their interests/bookmarks are. I have sent questions to recipients in the past via tumblr to (stealthily) get a better gauge on their fave characters/games.

If that fails, talk to the moderator. In my case, I'm more than willing to talk to the giftee to try and obtain further information; I've taken on the role of moderator knowing this might be asked of me, so it's definitely not "bugging" me in any sense if you need me to reach out.

And speaking of communication, that leads me to the final topic.

"I might need an extension/need to drop out but don't know what to say."

It's always better to err on the side of caution. Even if you might need an extra day or two, it's better to ask ahead of time and get it done early then try and force yourself to get it done by the due date, and burn yourself out. Most moderators, myself included, are perfectly fine with a simple one or two sentence explanation such as: "I've been getting over a cold this week. Could I have until the 30th to finish my piece?" or "I have way more homework this semester than I expected. I'm going to have to drop out of the exchange." As someone who has been through more than enough this past year+ myself, I'm not going to judge or admonish anyone for signing up and then needing to drop out or needing an extension. Ultimately, it's considerably more frustrating to have no communication at all than to have anyone ask for an extension or drop out.

Hopefully you find these helpful! If you have any additional questions or want further elaboration, my ask box here and on my personal (@/jake-marshall) are open. :)

~Mod Flik

[professional-benaddict]

Stephen and Tony laying in bed. They have been together for 7 years now. Maybe they are having late night talks, serious, bare it all talks. And maybe on this night, they talk about "the one that got away" they are happy together, and things are great and wouldn't trade each other for the world.

But both their pasts are complicated. Most people are not still best friends with their ex's who got together. Who knew that Pepper and Christine would end up as the love story of the century.

But surprisingly, they don't say those names- the one the other was expecting.

" See... there was this intern. His name was Peter; I never clicked so well with someone. But he was young.... Pepper said it was bad PR so we kept it quite. We didn't go public... we were together about a year, but I still wasn't off the wagon.. just better at hiding it at that point... there was a party. I can't really remember the night, but the next day he was gone. ..."

" Funnily mine was named Peter too.... his aunt was a nurse at the hospital, and he volunteered there a lot for the scholarship for his college. We fit well together, I knew he had recently gotten out of a relationship, but we were moving fast. I had a long day with intense surgery... one of the few patients I lost. I was angry. I know he was trying to encourage me. But I wasn't having it. I said.... so many hurtful things... Came home a few days later to a package of my things from his place at the door."

Would they realize they were talking about the same Peter??

And just who is Peter with now....

- WinterSpiderPurrs

A year later, Stephen and Tony are at a charity event. They already made their donations, but they have to show some face as well. The couple is very much looking forward to leaving soon and going on a date, just the two of them. Tony found a new exciting looking restaurant they want to try.

Seeing familiar faces in the crowd is to be expected, but this one feels different. It stirs up something in Tony, even after just one glance. His curls are shorter, but the colour is the same.

The young man turns, and their eyes meet. Tony doesn’t make the first move, too embarrassed to do so. He knows he was in the wrong way back then. But, the man approaches. God, Peter is even more beautiful now.

“Mr Stark! It’s been a long time.”

“Yeah, it really has. Mr Parker.” Tony manages to breathe out shakily. Peter’s smile seems so genuine, but there is something in his eyes. It is hard to pinpoint with all the memories swirling in Tony’s mind.

“Hey, honey. Ready to get going?” Stephen swoops in from behind, putting a hand on the back of Tony’s neck.

“Oh, Doctor Strange, too. Wow!” Peter gasps.

Only now does Stephen notice Peter and his eyes go wide in surprise.

“Peter! I didn’t expect to see you here.” Stephen says, reaching a hand out in a greeting. Peter takes it, but lets go quickly.

“Wait, you know him?” Tony asks, making Stephen turn to him with a puzzled look.

“Yes, uhm- he volunteered at the hospital. Is- is that- intern Peter?”

The husbands start talking over each other, not really listening to one another, but neither wants to back down either. By the time they look around, Peter has disappeared.

Date night probably isn’t going to go as they hoped it would.

——

i would love love looove if you continued it a little bit if you can hehe☺️☺️ maybe stephen and tony meet peter on their way out and see him with someone?? @winterspiderpurrs 💗💗

[review-anon]

Thoughts on Kokichi Ouma?

Oh boy. Kokichi.

He's a complicated mess as if you recall my tier list he's quite low down.

Yet characters of a similar archetype to him are way higher so what gives? Does he rub me the wrong way?

I'll explain Kokichi's...unusual tier placement soon but for now let's talk the easy stuff which is his character in the game.

When Kokichi was first revealed and everyone was fawning over him I wanted this guy to be a bastard. An complete and utter bastard that does something truly henious that nobody expect the kinnies will forgive him for.

So did I get what I want? Design wise he definitely looks insane as no normal person would wear a straightjacket. This has let to the fun theories he was an escaped mental asylum patient. And when the V3 fake spoilers were running around, fun times, they said he was part of a despair cult. Its certainly a unique look.

He's an absolute blast personality wise as he says the most outragious stuff and often riles the other characters. Saying Kiibo has a dick? Speedrunning Maki trying to kill him? And him messing with Shuichi?

The lying is something that you do need to read the lines between. Its not pathological lying as Kokichi would lie even when in situations its better for him to tell the truth, so its more like compulsive lying.

All of these are so much fun to watch and Derek Stephen Prince was a fanasatic VA as I could really hear the Digimon Emperor from his voice when doing Kokichi, and he delivers the lines and his vocal changes as Kokichi has one of the most dynamic vocal ranges. I was amazed he didn't have a second VA because some characters like Junko needed multiple VAs due to how wild the character was.

His actions are interesting to unpack because while he is a shit-stirrier like most rival characters, unlike say Byakuya and Nagito who are out for themselves, Kokichi has everyone's interests in mind but due to the nature of the Killing Game, he decided to play the villain someone for everyone to band against.

Problem is; this worked a little too well as everyone hated him and then after Chapter 4 which despite his bombastic display, he was definitely affected by, he decided to create a unsolvable murder case. Which got solved because gameplay.

Many more qualified people have done more in-depth analysis on why Kokichi is such a interesting character. In fact if it wasn't for the real reason he's so low, he would be around B/A tier.

So why is he so low? Well its not nothing to do with what Kokichi does in the games...but more of what he did to me. Putting this under the cut because its a very bonkers reason and I understand if you think this is a stupid reason and that is the reason why he isn't bottom tier.

For starters its got nothing to do with his lying. I've like liar characters like Nikei and David in the past so again the archetype isn't the reason. Its also got nothing to do with the fact he kills Miu and Gonta. I never liked Miu and yes Gonta dying is sad but its a Killing Game.

Its also got nothing to do with the fact he killed Kaito as yes the two bash heads a lot but its more to do with the secondary theme of emotions vs. logic rather then Kaito hates lying little shits.

And yes I did see thoses terrible YouTube videos which claims Kokichi is poorly written. That Youtuber is a terrible elitist analyst who clearly hates Kokichi as a character and is using smokescreens and the delusion they are more educated to persuade you otherwise. Its up there with the more terrible Game Theories.

Finally the Love Hotel scene is more on the tame side and its the sole reason why everyone and their mother makes Kokichi Joker whenever one does a Persona/Danganronpa crossover.

So if its got nothing to do with that then what gives? Why do I not like Kokichi? Is it to do with something personal?

Yes. Yes it is because during the entire year of 2017, I had to deal with a non-stop stream of lucid nightmares where Kokichi Ouma was a psychopathic yandere towards me. The entire thing was like a living A Nightmare on Elm Street and I still wonder to this day how tf it even happened in the first place. The dreams are like what I described them as; Kokichi was in love with me and wasn't gonna take no for a answer.

I'm normally lucid in my dreams so at first I just tried waking up early, but to my horror I would later learn that Kokichi himself was fully aware he was in my mind and every time I end a session prematurely while he couldn't obviously stop me, he could punish me next time I go to sleep since you know humans need sleep, and would use every dream mechanic you could think of to trap me.

These dreams completely fucked up my sleep schedule as I would often get 4-5 hour sleeps because of them, and while normally when I wake up in the night I would go back to sleep, to do that would mean more Kokichi and more horrors so I would often stay up at like 4am.

I studied as much dream theory as I could and tried all the tactics I could find to make these stop, but nothing worked and Kokichi would often mock me when I did so.

Clearly I don't suffer them now so how did I get rid of him in the end? Well I won't disclose how I did it but let's just say look at how Bill Cipher in Gravity Falls was killed and that should give you a good idea how I managed to get rid of that Kokichi in the end. Expect of course I didn't lose my memories.

Don't ask me how this happened, because I don't know either. As while I do have wild dreams I had nothing on that magnitude before or since then. The dreams had two lasting effects on me. Firstly, its made me scared of Doki Doki Literature Club as while Monika is a million times tamer then my psychotic Kokichi was, its still too close to home for me.

And the second is that its given me a bit of a sour opinion on Kokichi. Not because the character sucks but because its very hard to look at a character when something wearing their face and behaving almost exactly like them, was your personal Freddy Krueger for a little over a year.

TL;DR Kokichi is a good character and under normal circumstances I would have loved him but my brain decided that it was illegal and gave me lucid nightmares about him for over a year and that's made me hard to like him.

[ratatattouille]

what i really adore about everything now is how it actual respects teenage girls (and teenagers) as people. they aren't sexualized. anorexia, which affects primarily girls, isn't sexualized or trivialized. we see how horrible, ugly, terrifying, nuanced, and psychologically damaging it is--without being too graphic or torture porn. it's a real, serious illness that isn't a fad or phase, and i also like how mia's body dysmorphia and issues with gender don't make her nonbinary, because the show is explicit that this is a common experience for teenage girls in a world that sexualizes and demonizes their bodies, alienating them from their bodies, which is something that usually gets left out in conversations on gender. i related a lot to mia, even though i've never been anorexic, but i struggled a LOT with body dysmorphia as a teenager, and it's so . . . bro i get so emotional just thinking about how RESPECTFULLY how GRACIOUSLY and TENDERLY they talked about it and displayed it. it's so rare and it's so GODDAMN REFRESHING.

I also love how they explored how gay boys and boys in general are expected to be hypersexual with will and theo, and how scary a culture of pornography and enforced hypersexuality is on minors. how traumatic it can be. so many teen shows are exploitative of teenage sexuality, more interested in parading them than actually depicting teenage struggles. a lot of internet culture and porn culture in Hollywood is actually grooming, and it's so sad to me how many people don't realize how prevalent it is in a lot of shows aimed at teens (you know, MINORS).

i also love how they handled the abortion topic. too many shows keep trying to fear-monger girls when it comes to abortion, but many girls and women do not have regrets or nightmares or complications, and I'm glad they showed that perspective.

I ALSO LOVE how lesbian romance doesn't take a back seat and it is allowed to be developed and nuanced and takes precedence. bisexuality isn't seen as this deviant, confused state. and being gay isn't depicted as this glamourous, effortless thing, but neither is it miserable. it's all just normal.

this show is one of the few non-condescending, non-childish, non-adultified, non-exploitative, sincere, genuine shows on teenage humanity, especially the humanity of teenage girls.

AND POC CHARACTERS WEREN'T TOKENS. THEY WERE THE MC'S. IT WAS SO SO SO REFRESHING OMIGOD.

and stephen fry was just . . . i loved him. his character, his dialogue, his delivery, so so so good.

what a gem.

[ykiddieforu]

Alien 3

A lot of people hate Alien 3 and like for good reasons. (spoilers) First of all the beginning of the movie completely destroys everything that happened in the one before (I will get into Alien 3 vs Aliens in the next post) secondly all of the characters are the worst people in the world. People also say there aren't enough cool deaths of like interesting stuff happening. the one thing I do agree with the haters on is that the love plot was so lame and not needed. Basically Ripley and the Dr. guy were like "wave been alone for a long time why not" (Umbrella Academy fans know the frustration for that kind of thing)

But despite all that I REALLY like this movie. I think that the sets look cool and hello the xenomorph is a dog!! I have more serious defending points too. I think that if you look at the movie without so much expectations, like as a just a horror movie and not an Alien movie, it can help you understand where I'm coming from. I've been reading a lot of Stephen King recently and I realized that part of his style is just adding in the most terrible people and going into detail about like not horror stuff but like gross, evil, morally wrong stuff like all of the prisoners on Fiorina 161 have done. I think that he does this to add to the horror feeling in his stories, to mix real word horror with the fiction. You aren't supposed to relate to or like the prisoners, its supposed to make you feel bad in order to lead you into the end of the movie. And the ending is so important because...

the whole point of Alien 3 is to be different form the first two. So far there has been a formula: nobody listens to Ripley and they all die except for the cute innocent one that Ripley saves. In the first one there was Jonesy, and then newt and then you are introduced to a dog, but has not going to get out, and newt is dead straight off the bat too. it takes you to the point you don't even care if Ripley lives anymore. If they did it any other way then replays death at the end would be sad, but its not sad, its just fucking cool and that's the whole point! You watch horror movies because you want to see how everybody dies and you complain when everyone actually dies at the end?

I don't really know what else to say. i encourage you to rewatch or watch Alien 3 if you haven't. I would love to discuss.

[armandyke]

I was clickbaited by a book, and other reviews

56) Bored Gay Werewolf by Tony Santorella (DNF)

I was lied to and deceived by this book. I know they say don’t judge a book by its cover, but I don’t think I can be blamed for seeing THIS and expecting there to be some kind of gay romance in here. And after reading the synopsis I was even more hyped because I thought it would be a toxic gay romance. Uh. Spoiler alert. There is no gay romance in this gay werewolf book. And what was there wasn’t good enough for me to see it through. 

The book is actually more about toxic masculinity, and honestly I probably would have enjoyed and finished reading had I not been CLICKBAITED BY THE TITLE AND COVER. 

57) Out There Screaming curated by Jordan Peele (3.5⭐)

You know the drill by this point. This was another short story collection, some I really enjoyed, some were just okay. As far as short story collections go this was definitely a good one, there were no absolute stinkers in there and the good ones were really good. 

I particularly enjoyed The Other One by Violet Allen, and A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers. 

58) The Watchers by A.M Shine (4.5⭐)

I see a creepy forest setting in Ireland and I simply say yippee!

This one is about a woman who gets lost in a forest and finds herself holed up with a group of strangers in a strange bunker, surrounded by invisible creatures that torment them as soon as the sun goes down. I absolutely loved this. It was creative, it was tense and creepy, and I didn’t predict the twists. 

The only reason this book fell short of 5 stars for me was because I found out at the end of the book that there was a sequel, and I wish there wasn’t. The ending and the entire book would have been a lot more impactful for me if it had been kept as one stand alone. Maybe I’ll read the follow up at some point but despite how good this was I won’t be rushing out to buy it because I fear that we could just be beating what would have been a perfectly wonderful dead horse. 

59) Whalefall by Daniel Kraus (4.5⭐)

This was a bit of serendipity for me, because this is absolutely not something I would have found in my usual sections of the bookshop. It just happened that I was stuck at an airport with two hours to kill and had finished the book I brought with me, so I hit the tiny bookshop with no horror section, and picked up the book with the creepiest looking cover. 

And what do you know? It turned out to be pretty great. 

Pretty simple premise: guy gets swallowed by an entire fucking whale and has to escape, all the while trying to untangle his incredibly complicated feelings towards his recently deceased father. I had a fun time. The whale insides were gross and claustrophobic, and it was a genuinely tense read. Bit out of left field for me but yeah, loved it. 

60) My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones (3.5⭐)

This book was a weird one. I think I liked it in the end but it took a while to get there. 

The writing style was a bit strange, it felt a lot like stream of consciousness… but in third person? I don’t know. It made it a bit hard to read for me, and kind of slowed the whole story down a bit. I stuck with it because I wanted to know what happened, and I was really invested at certain points, but it felt like a long read. I don’t know. Anyway, let me tell you what the story is about. 

It follows Jade, a Native American girl obsessed with slasher movies who suddenly finds herself at the center of one when people start turning up dead. If I’m being so real, so much happens and I can’t really remember any of it. 

All that being said, I bought another book by this author so we’ll see how that one goes. 

[bigassbowlingballhead]

First limited series podcast I listened to was Edith, with Rosamund Pike, Clark Gregg and Stephen Root among others, all well established names just like Jon Hamm & John Slattery, and it was really entertaining. I'm also old enough to remember when movie stars only made movies, yet now they're all over streaming platforms making tv shows.

I don't understand why people are so bent out of shape over this perceived disrespect to Taylor, especially when iirc, Audible is owned by Amazon

OH MY GOD. I loved Edith. it was so fun to listen to! Clark Gregg and Rosamund Pike were both SO good at it (i'm also realizing now that's where i knew her from when i watched gone girl)

i think a couple things are happening here. a lot of people don't really fuck with audio formats. They don't know what to expect from it. also let down they won't be able to See Him. i think, like a couple other people have pointed out, people look down on audio formats and don't see it as A Real Role.

but as someone who enjoys the audio format. I think this is absolutely wonderful and i can not wait.

[servants-hall]

Call the Midwife stars tease "tears and laughter" in 2024 Christmas special

Stephen McGann and Rebecca Gethings speak with RadioTimes.com on the red carpet at this year's NTAs.

[...]

Asked about what fans can expect from this year's special, McGann said: "It is all the fun of the fair and also the normal kind of darkness you would expect with Call the Midwife."

Meanwhile, Gethings teased: "There will be tears and laughter, it's heartwarming as always. It's about community but yeah, they're always tested at Christmas, it's not just about cuddles and Horlicks."

McGann then added: "And it's a very special episode, Christmas for us in our show, and that's the one people particularly respond to. I think it comes in as part of the festival and the year, which we're incredible flattered by, but it makes it that bit more special. Christmas is a special one."

McGann also spoke about what it means to see the show included on this year's shortlist at the NTAs, explaining: "It's lovely! I'm amazed, because it's always done by the public, and we were just saying, [the fact] that we get through like this after so many years, that we're even shortlisted, it's something we never, ever take for granted.

"And a message for everyone who did vote for us: thank you very much. It does mean a lot to us. We love our show, but we love it when people respond in that wonderful way."

[noxale]

Why people like "Ascension" from a psychological point of view.

\N: A message from me, the post itself starts with the word "START". Hi, It's not my post and it's not my words. But I think it would be helpful to understand it. I can see how the situation already seems better (?) maybe I just don't go on reddit. But I feel like this post just still needs to be. From myself I want to say thank you to all neutral, calm players and just those who have fun. Thank you Ascension scares\dont like a lot of people, but people aren't picking it because they want dom-sex (not the only reason for sure) and haven't understood anything "character theme" with their head. Things are different, complicated and there can't be just one theme. Everyone has their own emotions and life experiences. Stephen Rooney didn't dictate the character's theme like in class. Also, the BG3 game is positioned "...or make chaos in the world, you decide", "Great paths of evil". Hi's neutral Author to both endings. Evil and Good - you play hero or villain. Here's how I understand it.

layered and complex. For example: Poetic justice for neutral evil, in an evil way it is evil, and still complex (not black and white). Power (just any power) corrupts, ambition as Jupiter - dangerously. Freedom is nice, permissiveness - not so much (but this game is all nice).

But that's not what we're talking about. Here's a little essay, (a little emotional, but emotions are like that) why people do "Ascension" from a psychological point of view. START\\\

You know what, i wrote this "little" essay and decided to leave in some treads on Asc Astarion, because I got triggered and annoyed by this drama enough to feel like i need to share some thoughts about toxic vampire love thing in name of education for everyone. If you like it, feel free to repost it anywhere you want. (\\\N: which I do)

So, what this dark romance fantasy is about for me personally, (even though i prefer spawn romance, i absolutely understand the appeal of asc Astarion because honestly, i was all about this kind of romance during my childhood and teenage years, hardocore the Phantom of the Opera girl is here, inside your head) and why it's also healing route for some players, and no, it's not about kinky vampiric banging.

1) A lot of people feel extremely worthless and insecure, lonely, like no one really cares for them at all. It's a very deep wound that hurts and it's difficult to overcome even in perfectly loving, healthy and supportive relationship with a good partner, and even with therapy. So fantasy about a vampire, being obsessed with you so much that he is ready to do absolutely anything just to be with you for forever is really comforting. Also, you don't have to think too much about your imperfections, because for him you like a center of his vampire heart. Besides, you sympathise with him - it's like a selfcomfort mirror, i love this monster despite everything, so in a way, i accept myself despite any flaws i see in me. 2) Safety. When the world around you feel like a wilderness, full of monsters, it feels like only the most terrifying loving monster can protect you from it. He is powerful and protective, and i am so precious to him, that he will set the world on fire just so i would be safe. 3) Responsibility. As you may see, this kind of relationship have daddy issues vibes and codependency, and in real life, you can't just fully submit safely to anyone, I don't think i have to explain why it's a dangerous idea to seek this kind of relationships in real life. You have to stay a grown up independent person and seek safety for yourself without expecting someone to come and heal all your wounds. But this is fantasy, so finally you can use this as a comfort fantasy with no fear about being taking advantage of, without shame to be called childish and etc. 4) Independence. Spawn ending is very terrifying for anyone who has issues with feeling safe and independent, because some of us prefer violent power fantasies over "we have each other and that's all that matters", second of all, this ending also has some shady co-dependency undertone to it that can be triggering for some people. I love Spawn Astarion a little bit more more than Asc and yet my heart stayed absolutely broken after running away from the sun scene, and i hate that he is so dependent on Tav. Larian owes me some emotional refund after this.

5) SA trauma: it wasn't even seen as possibility for healing way by writer, but it is for some. Asc Astarion feels like he is the most powerful creature in the world, and he is fully controlling everything that happens between him and Tav, so finally, it's a kind of situation where there is no chance of him being abused again. It's one of the reasons why some people become Doms in BDSM-dynamic relationships: finally, full control of the process and a partner, who trusts then enough to fully submit, trust issues is also big deal in Astarion story of healing. I find idea that that only Subs can enjoy Asc Astarion a little bit naive. Because, well, some news for you: Doms like it too because they understand why he is so eager to be a top :D Unrealistic, not the healthiest way? Probably! But this man and this love is not real anyway. Yes, i think many of us, especially folks who went through therapy and a lot of self-reflecting are already aware that it's basically romanticized version of narcissistic obsession and in real life this is creepy, but it's not real, it's a fantasy. People use BDSM to heal, romance books and all other forms of art to deal with their inner demons and it's absolutely normal. Even if someone is blind to see what is wrong with Asc Astarion, I highly doubt that toxic bucket of shame and aggression are able to help see anyone problematic side of things. Do you know who is usually up to romanticize toxic dynamic in romance? Victims of abuse. In real life, if you just scream and yell at any poor girl/boy/whatever about how stupid they are for believing that their abusive partner really loves them, people will either break down and cry or tell you to f!ck off and they will have every right to do so, but they won't see what's wrong with their partner,in whom quite often victims of abuse see their only source of love and safety in life. Hells, I am so sick and tired from this "white cloak knight saviour from cycle of abuse" toxic flood in this fandom. If you really want to educate people - do it with extreme care and compassion. Real life healing is not working like it's with Astarion in the game,few right dialogs and boom, dude is on the right path. It takes enormous amount of patience and love, be kind to one another, and stay safe, darlings. Being toxic on Asc fans you are not helping anyone, you just hitting your superiority complex button in your ---. To heal others with their lethal dose of poison, it's hilarious /Sorry for the wall of text, sorry for grammar, English is not my first language/

\N: That's it. I hope this essay makes someone realize that those who choose Asc also have deep feelings, thoughts, and personal experiences in life. They have the right to think differently deep than most about video game, history, and any art. And discussing the canon to in different ways. It's Dark Fantasy, complex topics. So especially The Canon. I am enjoy learning new, different opinions. Also I hope this helps anyone who has felt uncomfortable with the toxic wave. I'm going to try very hard not to look at the responses to this post for my personal calmness. All the Best\

[traintrainingmontage]

Felt like following up with previous thoughts about the relationships between the Hatts and the engines of the NWR, and the relationships between the Sams, Hughs, and Handel Browns and the SR engines.

The relationship between the many Sir Topham Hatts and the NWR engines is quite good, but it's a strictly employee/employer relationship. There is a carefully maintained professional distance between the Hatts and their engines, and this is by design--there are many engines on the NWR, at least 80 according to official RWS canon, and the Hatts can't show any favoritism toward any one group, or else it breeds resentment and everything falls apart. Trains, for better or worse, have excellent memories and will remember slights. If it's interpersonal between peers, that's one thing, but if it's from the controller himself, that's another. Engines will either be tripping over themselves trying to please him and causing more problems, or they'll be catty with each other, more than they already are. Plus, the NWR has a lot of businesses relying on it, to the point that the island's economic stability depends on his line. There's a lot of pressure for things to go right, and Sir Topham can't be seen as incapable of keeping his employees in line and on task given just how many people's livelihoods depend on him, including said employees (engine or human). No, it's better for everyone on the railway, human or otherwise, if Sir Topham Hatt is always neutral and gives the impression of being the caring yet firm employer so nobody gets Ideas.

(Are there favorites, though? Of course there are; it's Thomas, Edward, Percy, and Toby. But of those four, only Toby has gotten the privilege of seeing the side of the Fat Controller that's just Bertram or just Stephen.)

Meanwhile, for the Skarloey engines, their line is a) much smaller, and b) not nearly as concerned with being a huge, booming business spanning multiple industries and interests. They're a tourist line that does mineral shipment on the side, and their goal is mainly to stay afloat and serve their community, as echoed by the philosophy of Sir Handel Brown I. As such, the Owner, Thin Controller, and Foreman can all afford to be somewhat closer with the engines. I imagine that they also draw a distinct line between professionalism and family--there is a distinct difference between the Thin Controller and Mr. Peter Sam--but all of the Skarloey engines have seen when the professional mask comes off and their friend and family member wishes them good night with a genuine and caring smile. And the engines respect that line very much, because not every engine is as lucky as they are to be treated and loved so well. There is no fear of being scrapped or sent away; the only expectation is that they will do their best. Duncan especially feels this, being the only SR engine to have worked anywhere else before coming to Sodor.

(Sometimes I think that Sir Topham Hatt envies the SR management because they CAN have those close relationships with their engines and he really can't.)

But the distinction is important; the NWR and SR feel very different for a multitude of reasons, and the engines are only part of that.

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 33 Week 2: Sending Off an Ingrate and a Shocker

Work is still awful, but I need to come on here to talk to you all about the show this week. A lot happened and we need to discuss. I'm gonna rank the stars based on my enjoyment of each performance (mostly) combined with how I feel they may fare with votes. But before that, let's address the elephant in the room. That elimination. So first of all, I was SHOCKED to see Tori Spelling out in the first week. Was she amazing? No. But I think she did enough to cement a third week. I guess I underestimated the fact that she seems to be really disliked. Because between being a part of Beverly Hills 90210, being the daughter of Aaron Spelling and being constantly talked about for decades at this point, I thought she was gonna be around til week 5 at least. Y'all know it takes a lot to shock me with regard to this show. The double did her in and that's why I always hate double eliminations in week 1. It always takes out one person that maybe needs a little more time to get going. As for Anna? Well it was expected. What I wasn't expecting was her parting words. I feel for Ezra mostly, because that man was riding for her since the day he met her. He took amazing care of her and I know it was hard for him to see the heat she was taking. And you're telling me she couldn't even thank him for showing her that she was more than her crime. Or CAI who tried uplifting the past two weeks? What a waste. Even I didn't go in like I could've and really wanted to because I think people deserve a second chance after committing certain crimes (not drugging, murder, sexual assault, trafficking and your third time physically assaulting someone).She played in all of our faces. You know who I don't feel bad for? Conrad and the rest of the producers for DWTS. I said on twitter, "play stupid games, win stupid fucking prizes". She got on that show, on that platform that y'all gave her and bent over backwards to make it work for her, just for her to spit in your faces and tell y'all that y'all ain't shit, ain't been shit and will never be shit. And honestly, that's the one positive thing I can take from her response. Showing them that they are fools for casting her was great. Hate that this show has fallen so far that someone can say that and the show deserves it. Alright, let's get into these couples:

Top Four

Chandler and Brandon might be my favorite partnership in quite some time. They work well together. Chandler is an incredible dancer with the most gorgeous movement quality. And Brandon is creating some great dances. That was a beautiful rumba. I want them to go far. I think they can go far. I don't want another Tinashe situation to happen. But so far, they are doing exactly what they need to do.

Stephen and Rylee are super fun to watch together. They mesh well and Rylee is definitely choreographing some good numbers that showcase Stephen extremely well. I have a concern though. Stephen is a very awkward mover. That was super obvious in this paso. His hips and shaping looked strange. His footwork made me scratch my head. It was a little strange. His timing is still a bit off. He's got a lot of potential, but they really need to work on finetuning these dances. I can see this being a bigger problem in the more fluid Latin dances and the Argentine tango.

Ilona and Alan are just so much fun. I'm glad Ilona let her guard down a bit more this week. She wasn't moving as small in this salsa and really settled into and owned her sexy more. I love that Alan added a couple of lifts for her as it may have helped her feel more comfortable. She has a ton of potential too and I'm super excited to see their dances once she really lets loose. I actually feel like she might shine in a ballroom dance. I know they have that coming up next.

Dwight and Daniella actually did a great job with the foxtrot. Dwight really really wants to do well and you can tell. He is paying so much attention to the details. He connects his moves. He finishes his lines. And he really handles Daniella with so much care. Two things though. I know that the height difference definitely affects this, but he's gotta work on tucking his butt under him. Second is the footwork needs to be cleaned up.

Middle of the Pack

Joey and Jenna made a believer out of me this week. He is definitely one to watch for sure. He is charming. He seems to be a fast learner. He has great movement quality, especially for a man this early on in the competition. He's still gotta work on his hip action. It isn't natural. Once he get that figured out, I'm a little scared about how good those Latin dances will be. Because this rumba was really really nice.

Danny and Witney are my dark horses of the season. Danny is light on his feet and he stays on time (mostly). Witney is doing great choreography and his technique in this jive was great. I still want him to loosen up more, but I can tell that he made a big shift from week 1 to week 2 in comfortability and confidence. These two, as well as the 5 above them, have me super excited for this season. I can't remember the last time I was this genuinely excited for 6 different couples in one season.

Phaedra and Val are interesting to me. I don't think Phaedra is very good. And I don't think Val is choreographing to her dance strengths that well. That section of their foxtrot that was super fast exposed A LOT of Phaedra's technical setbacks. She was super hoppy. That said, I like their partnership. Phaedra is a larger than life personality, so she makes up for the lack of ability with her performance. I want Val to slow things down though. I think that would better suit her at this point.

Jenn and Sasha are an interesting couple. While Jenn handled some of the production issues like a pro, some of the choreographic choices were a choice. I do not understand why there was a cartwheel thrown into this dance. Or jumps and side by side choreography? I'm cool with that stuff being thrown into quicksteps, but a tango? Why? And why are we using these types of songs for tangos while we're at it? There are so many movies that have been nominated for Oscars that have actual tango music in them. Moulin Rouge comes to mind immediately. I feel like that could've forced Sasha to not make stupid choreography decisions. So this is what I'm going to say. Jenn is a good dancer. A lot of her undoing and early departure (because I'm feeling a "shocking" elimination from her) will be due to his choreography. Because again, why?

Bottom Three

So I'm just going to make this easy for these three. Eric and Reginald are both terrible. There's really not much that either Britt or Emma can do for either one of them at this point. They really won't get all that much better, if at all. In fact, I can see both of them getting worse as the season goes on. The one thing I can say is that they both improved this week.

Brooks and Gleb are interesting. Brooks is good. But that quickstep was not it and Gleb is relying way too much on this STUPID SHOWMANCE that they keep trying to shove down our throats. We're TIRED! It sickens me to my core. The fact that Derek clocked that they did a tango hold instead of the correct hold lets me know exactly where his priorities are. So I say that it's time for us to take a stand. We have to stand against showmances on this show. We gotta let these folks know that we are TIRED. We are not stupid. You cannot play us for fools. I'm ready for them to GO!

So that's it. No show this week. Two shows next Monday and Tuesday. Let me know your thoughts and I will talk to you all soon.

[popentertainment-interviews]

Stephen Sanchez

Traveling Troubadour

By Emma Fox

Since his hit single “Until I Found You” went Triple Platinum, generated over 2 billion streams, and made the Top 25 of Billboard Hot 100, Stephen Sanchez has proven himself to be quite the powerhouse in music. Additionally, after the release of his debut album, Angel Face, Sanchez sold out his first ever headline tour, earning acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone, Vogue, Billboard, and more.

We got the chance to chat with Sanchez following the release of the highly anticipated Angel Face (Club Deluxe), as he anticipates his worldwide fall tour. He discussed influences in songwriting, the depth behind his lyrics, and what we can expect from him down the road.

When asked about his influences and inspirations, Sanchez gave us some insight into a more intimate side of his creative process. Sanchez spoke of the films that he takes inspiration from, specifically Lost in Translation.

He stated that love is a “wonderful escape from reality a lot of the time, and then love becomes real once you shake off all the clouds.”

Films similar to this one that truly align with his songwriting and storyline as an artist he said are very inspiring, reminding him of “that magic, but also that reality of heartache and of circumstance pulling two people away from each other”.

A lot of Sanchez’s music is known to tug at the heartstrings, and his songs carry a lot of emotional weight within their lyrics. Storytelling is something that Stephen Sanchez does like no other, and for him, it’s exciting to be able to write from real stories and real feelings that have happened in his life, but then to “hide behind a character so it feels like it lessens the blow of vulnerability”.

Sanchez’s album Angel Face follows the story of the fictional musician/character The Troubadour Sanchez, who blew up in 1958 with “Until I Found You” and fell in love with Evangeline in 1964. Angel Face serves as his “long lost debut” that has been unearthed 59 years later.

During our chat, Sanchez was asked about what advice he would have for one of

his listeners if they found their way into a forbidden romance just like Troubadour Sanchez, in order for them to achieve a storybook ending.

Sanchez laughed and responded, “Oh my god, don’t. Don’t do that. Don’t do any of what that character did.”

He continued, “Storybook endings, what even are those? Who even knows? To each their own.”

Finishing his answer with some solid advice, he told listeners to “pursue a thing that’s healthy. They want to know you. You want to know them, that’s it. You’re on the same page”.

As we look ahead and see what the future looks like for Stephen Sanchez, there’s a lot to look forward to with the upcoming fall tour. Sanchez’s first headline tour told the story of Troubadour Sanchez, where on stage Sanchez and his band played the ghosts of the characters existing in the album, haunting each venue and walking fans through the storyline.

This time around however, fans can expect to be taken further back and have the opportunity to experience “the real thing, as if you were back in the 50’s, actually seeing The Troubadour Sanchez and the Moon Crests live.”

The journey and growth of Stephen Sanchez has been an incredible one to watch, and his influence is only continuing to rise. His ability to transform a room, command a stage, and take you back in time with his nostalgic aesthetic, smooth vocal tones, and powerful and emotionally intense songwriting is something that is a true testament to Sanchez’s pure talent and potential. We are so excited to see what he has up his sleeve next!

Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: September 2, 2024.

Photos by Emily DiMarcangelo © 2023. All rights reserved.