#blacks wig era <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[dotthings]

The denialism and revisionist history going on pushing the fairy tale that Nexstar CW is the only CW era with problems that required calling out, and the invalidation towards any criticism of the pre-Nexstar eras, have gone completely off the rails.

Perpetuating these fairy tales and the erasure of CW Network's long-running history of issues helps enable the broken system people claim they care about denouncing.

The reality of CW Network history: Racism, homophobia, poor set practices, toxic abusive showrunners, systemic failure to support actors especially in marginalized groups, and fan base after fan base used for engagement and then treated badly.

These are systemic industry issues, not confined to any one network. CW became a lightning rod for it because it was unusually concentrated from one platform, so it stuck out and CW earned a terrible reputation, long before the sale.

To combat the revisionist history and denialism, behind the cut is a timeline with a few of the egregoius systemic problems that have plagued the CW historically and reflect severe enabling and lack of oversight on the part of the network.

Nexstar Media era acquired the CW on October 3, 2022.

The harm starts at the very beginning, though. On January 24, 2006, The CW was born. In its founding, The CW destroyed an entire slate of Black-led series on UPN and the resulting network was extremely white.

Candice Patton, in EW, reflecting on the early seasons of The Flash and how she had to speak up and advocate for herself and for Iris West (date of article May 23, 2023, but refers to pre-Nexstar CW) “The scariest thing is speaking up, and I had a hard time talking about it for such a long time because you're so afraid of being seen as problematic," she says. "That's a word that no actor wants to have follow them around. But I think we're learning that speaking up and speaking out is the only way for change. And it's not about blaming people or canceling people, it's about just really being able to have a conversation so that the industry changes for the better. And I hope that whatever struggles I may have had, doing that has made it even the smallest amount easier for the next crop of actors coming up who feel like they need to be heard and seen and accommodated for."

July 8, 2022, EW. Candice Patton reveals how she considered quitting The Flash in S2 due to racist fans and The CW and WB didn’t give her the support she needed, and reflects on how she was treated differently than her co-stars:

"Even with the companies I was working with, The CW and WB, that was their way of handling it. We know better now that it's not okay to treat your talent that way, and to let them go through this abuse and harassment. But for me in 2014, there were no support systems. No one was looking out for that. It was just free range to get abused every single day. There were no social media protocols in place to protect me, so they just let all that stuff sit there….It's just not enough to make me your lead female and say, 'Look at us, we're so progressive, we checked the box.' It's great, but you've put me in the ocean alone around sharks. It's great to be in the ocean, but I can get eaten alive out here…It was more about the protocols in place and the things I see happening for my white counterparts that's not happening to me. Seeing how I was treated differently than other people, seeing how I'm not protected by the network and the studio, those were the things that not necessarily hurt me but frustrated me."

January 28, 2022, Sunstroke Magazine - Looking Back On Kat Graham's Racist and Anti-Semitic Experience on 'The Vampire Diaries’ A summary: * Kat Graham endured racist and antisemitic comments from a co-worker. * The show forced her to wear a wig when she recommended using her natural hair for Bonnie * Ian Somerhalder had to step up to protect Kat, threatening to quit the show if Bonnie was killed off or written out * Showrunners shot down the idea of Bonnie being queer and was patronizing to Bonnie fans * Here’s a compilation of Kat Graham and her character Bonnie being mistreated during the run of TVD:

October 2021, EW and THR - Ruby Rose accuses CW and WBTV of bad set practices and that they were forced to keep filming 10 days after major surgery she had to undergo after being injured doing a stunt and called out bad practices that harmed crew and endangered everyone on set. CW and WBTV denied everything

June 7, 2021, Hypebae, Candice Patton speaking on issues concerning how PoC are treated at CW and systemically in the TV industry

November 22, 2020, Popsugar - The all-black cast of the superhero series Black Lightning have to find out from social media that the show is cancelled and are given no advance warning. China Anne McClain reveals she was going to quit the show even if it had continued: “For different reasons, that, to be honest, I don't want to go into. I just want y'all to trust me on it."

November 9, 2020, Slashfilm - 'Superman & Lois' Writer Nadria Tucker Says She Was Fired After Raising Issues With CW Show's Sexism And Racism

San Diego Comic Con 2017: the cast of Supergirl singing a song to mock a predominantly queer fanbase for the Supercorp ship

March 14, 2016, Variety - “What TV Can Learn From ‘The 100’ Mess” in the wake of The 100 killing off Lexa, an openly queer character.

April 6, 2016, EW - The 100: Ricky Whittle says showrunner 'abused' him off the show May 6, 2015 - Season 10, episode 21 of SPN "Dark Dynasty" airs, killing the show's only recurring openly queer character at that point, Charlie Bradbury.

It’s common knowledge Daman Salvatore is bi in The Vampire Diaries books. The character on the show, one of “classic CW”’s biggest hits, was straightwashed.

2013: Misha Collins at NJ Con comments on how women are treated on SPN:

2024: Misha Collins at Purcon 8 shades the CW for placing representation caps on queer rep at SPN

The fact CW had other queer rep does not preclude the existence of pinkwashing, queer erasure, or queer censorship)

November 2020: in the wake of Castiel's romantic love confession to Dean Winchester and in the immediate aftermath of the end of SPN, the nature of the confession was ommitted in all official promotional material and Misha Collins hinted he was told he couldn't talk about Cas's pov. Eventually, Misha Collins was able to speak openly that the writer intention and the story and everyone who worked on the scene intended it as a romantic love confession and that Cas is queer and in love with Dean.

---

Love the shows. Support the shows. Support the creatives who were trying to make things better from within the system.

The megacorporation does not love you.

Stop bootlicking for the megacorporation.

[lasenbyphoenix]

DMBJ Men : Who Wore It Better? 50th Polliversary Winners and Statistics

This weekend (24 Feb) marks 1 year since the first Who Wore It Better poll launched and we recently closed our 50th category so that means I get to be geeky and compile another batch of stats and facts!

50th Polliversary Fun Facts Part 1

50th Polliversary Fun Facts Part 2

20th Polliversary Winners and Statistics

20th Polliversary Fun Facts

I'll put it under a read more as the list has gotten even longer to see who has been winning these.

(not so much of a spoiler: it's still this guy. Above, winner of Avante Garde, part 5)

Winners by Category

1. Ponytails - Zhu Yilong & Liu Chang

2. Classic Black Suit - Zhang Mingen & Ji Xiaobing & Chen Minghao & Liu Xueyi

3. Glasses - Ji Xiaobing & Zhu Yilong & Yang Yang & Liu Yuning

4. Cosy Sweaters - Cheng Yi & Zhu Yilong & Liu Chang

5. Smiles - Chen Minghao & Zhu Yilong

6. Leather - Zhu Yilong & Liu Xueyi & Ji Chen

7. Canon Leather - Hei Xiazi (Sha Hai) & Su Nan (Sha Hai) in red & Wu Xie (Sha Hai) & Xie Yuchen (TLT2) & Zhang Rishan (Sha Hai) & Hei Xiazi (Reboot)

8. Wet - Liu Chang & Liu Xueyi

9. Loud Shirts - Ji Chen & Qin Hao

10. White Suit - Yang Yang & Cheng Yi & Liu Yuning & Zhu Yilong

11. Republican Era Fashion - Ying Haoming & Zhu Yilong & Liu Chang

12. Bling - Lay Zhang & Zhu Yilong

13. Turtleneck - Wu Lei & Huang Junjie & Ying Haoming

14. B/W - Chen Chuhe & Zhu Yilong & Wu Lei & Chen Minghao

15. Sleeveless - Zhu Yilong & Chen Chuhe & Zhang Mingen

16. Hair Colour - Zeng Shunxi & Liu Chang & Liu Chang & Liu Yuning

17. Buzzcut - Yang Yang

18. White/Silver Wigs - Zhu Yilong & Chen Chuhe

19. Hoodies - Ying Haoming & William Chan & Chen Chuhe & Zhu Yilong

20. Denim - Zhang Mingen & Chen Minghao & Liu Xueyi & Zhu Yilong

21. Stripes - Hou Minghao & Zhu Yilong & Ji Chen & Cheng Yi

22. Forgotten Buttons - Liu Xueyi & Chen Chuhe & Zhang Mingen

23. Red&Pink Suits - Zhu Yilong & Yang Yang & Lay Zhang & Lay Zhang

24. Hats - Liu Xueyi & Hou Minghao & Xiao Yuliang & Huang Junjie & Yang Yang & Ji Xiaobing & Zhu Yilong

25. Bisexual Lighting - William Chan & Liu Xueyi & Ji Chen & Liu Yuhan & Lay Zhang & Zhu Yilong

26. Dramatic lighting - Chen Minghao & Liu Xueyi & Yang Yang & Hou Minghao

27. Silhouette - Yang Yang & William Chan & Zhu Yilong

28. Sun kissed - Zhang Mingen & Chen Chuhe & Liu Chang & Liu Xueyi

29. Cosy Sweaters revisited - Jing Boran & Hou Minghao & Ying Haoming & Chen Chuhe

30. Glasses revisited - Liu Chang & Liu Xueyi & Hou Minghao & Ji Xiaobing & Ji Chen

31. Avante Garde - Ji Chen & Liu Chang & Chen Minghao & Liu Yuhan & Zhu Yilong

32. Smiles revisited - Zhu Yilong & Yang Yang & Liu Xueyi

33. Leather revisited - Yang Yang & Waer & Zhu Yilong

34. Eyes closed - Liu Chang & Liu Yuhan & Liu Xueyi & Hou Minghao

35. Mirrors - Zhang Mingen & Liu Chang & Liu Xueyi & Zhu Yilong

36. Guitarist - Lay Zhang & Chen Minghao & William Chan

37. Cat Companions - Chen Chuhe & Jing Boran & Zhu Yilong

38. Dog Friends - Hou Minghao & Liu Yuning & Jing Boran

39. Vests - Ji Xiaobing & Qin Hao & Yang Yang & Lay Zhang & Zeng Shunxi

40. Bed hair - Zhu Yilong & Chen Minghao & Xiao Yuliang & Liu Chang

41. Baby faced - Hou Minghao & Ji Chen & Zhang Mingen

42. PJs - Zhu Yilong & Jing Boran

43. Green Suits - Zhu Yilong & Wu Lei & Zhang Mingen

44. Blue Suits - Cheng Yi & Lay Zhang & Ji Chen

45. Riding in Cars with Boys - Ji Xiaobing & Zhu Yilong

46. Cool Rider - Zhu Yilong & Ji Chen

47. Ancient Costume Armour - Cheng Yi & Wu Lei & Huang Junjie

48. Ponytails revisited - Liu Chang & Chen Chuhe & Liu Yuning

49. Sleeveless revisited - Qin Hao & Xiao Yuliang & Hou Minghao & Yang Yang

50. B/W revisited - Xiao Yuliang & Huo Minghao & Jing Boran & Liu Yuning & Zhu Yilong

Winners Board

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Zhu Yilong (above, winner of Mirrors edition, part 3) is still leading the field, but Liu Xueyi has swapped positions with Liu Chang and moved up to second place.

Percentage of Wins

Our Reboot trio of Zhu Yilong, Chen Minghao and Liu Chang still have the highest stats of winning for anytime they are entered. (above, their entries for Dramatic Lighting edition. )

Second Place

Liu Yuning is still leading the Second Place Board (below, 2nd place of Eyes Closed, part 3) this time tied with Yang Yang. (below, 2nd place of Glasses revisited, part 4)

Clearest Winner

At the 20th Polliversary it was Ji Chen's leather that lead with a 68.9% win. But that was recently surpassed by Chen Chuhe's ponytail that earned 73.9% of votes (below winner of Ponytails edition revisited, part 2).

Categories Revisited

We've revisited 7 of our popular categories since the 20th Polliversary, Cosy Sweaters, Smiles, Glasses, Leather, Ponytails, Sleeveless and B/W Photography.

Between 28% (Cosy Sweaters) and 75% (Ponytails) of the winners and 2nd place getters from the original categories reappeared in the revisited categories place settings, as can be seen below.

If anybody has any questions, comments or suggestions for the future, I'd love to hear what you think of these!

[chaos0pikachu]

I want your favorite pic of two of my blorbos wei wuxian and wen kexing please

23. Favorite picture of this character?

oh fuck, uuuuh lemme see:

Wen Kexing

okay straight up and this is probably me being an ironic weeb but this silver wig look with the blue robes is EVERYTHING TO MY ASS like first of all if House of Dragon's has shown anything not all silver/white wigs are made equally (the wigs on the Black actors are TRAGIC looking like yarn from jo ann fabrics the fuck) but like this doesn't make him look washed out our dude looks ethereal he's rocking it and the smirk too??

the smirk of a man who's having good sex every night dawn to dusk, clear skin from all the ice he's eating, is getting nightly hot baths with conditioner from his man every night, combed, & collected love this look

Wei Wuxian

okay this is a bit difficult cause I'll be the first to tell y'all I don't like the untamed I am untamed negative but if I had to choose this pic of the vol 3 cover from Seven Seas b/c bro I loooooooove WWX in his demon girl era he was making ppl eat legs, and dicks (unsexy) and going full Demon Lord on everybody like get it it's an era of wwx ppl don't appreciate enough (if he wasn't unashamedly violent at one point he'd be less interesting stop shaving away his edges)

and tho I am an Untamed negative I do like the actor who plays wwx and this image is it like the tiny waist, the flowing read of his under robes, the gay ass evil flute, the high 90s ponytail, the lean back throwback, this man is playing at the demon club on saturdays, the club doesn't have a line to get in it's got a line to get in wwx

CHARACTER ASK GAME!!! 💫

[kindaoptimisticsquirrel]

Trigun Bookclub Trimax Vol14 Part 4

Vol01: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3  | Vol02: Part 1 | Part 2

Trimax: Vol01 Part 1Vol01 Part 2 | Vol02 Part 1Vol02 Part 2 | Vol 03 Part 1 | Vol03 Part2 | Vol04 Part1 | Vol04 Part2 | Vol05 | Vol06 | Vol07 | Vol08 Part1 | Vol08 Part2 | Vol09 Part1 | Vol09 Part2 | Vol10 Part1 | Vol10 Part2 | Vol10 Part3 | Vol10 Part4 | Vol11 Part 1 | Vol11 Part2 | Vol12 Part1 | Vol12 Part2 | Vol12 Part3 | Vol13 Part1 | Vol13 Part2 | Vol13 Part3 | Vol14 Part1 | Vol14 Part2 | Vol14 Part3 | Vol14 Part4

That's it! The final chapters and thoughts beneath that! AAaaah.

Chapter 8: (I'm having more image space now with one chapter so..uh...just me nearly posting every image in this one)

The biggest mystery in Trigun: HOW did they get a photo of Vash with all black hair and HOW??? did they get a photo of Knives?? I just have to assume they either have really good painters or maybe just painted black hair on Vash's old photo...and...someone made a photo of Knives moments before his death. Poor sucker.

Black hair Vash with his hair down looks so...so...so agh! So young! And vulnerable! And actually pretty good but also so cuddlesome and wow that hair looks soft. Every hair-era of Vash gives me different vibes, and this one especially has something super soft/melancholic...it's after his widower era (which is half-black hair) so it's a settled and accepted sadness but it's also post-trimax so it's also a hopeful atmosphere? Hope that explains it??

Also he's just super cute like this.

Also, hello there interesting bit of information that totally slipped past me on my other reads.

Egg Plant Dome...what exactly is this? I think that happened in ch6 when the feathers and plants fell down. Is this something the plants created, like a shell for the whole city? (don't wanna live underneath, it must be like a big oven during the day)

What a moment

(Oh they are talking about the wound Knives inflicted on Vash! When they fought and while Knives stabbed him, Vash protected them both from Chronica) There's something so meaningful about Knives, who thought himself above all humans, pleading them to save Vash's life.

What a way for the antagonist of the story to go. It doesn't end with violence, it ends with a silent thank you, with him protecting one last time what is dear to him and choosing his own (inevitable? Vash lives on. So could he have lived on if he wouldn't have created the tree?) end.

Just saving these because we're getting more cute Vash faces here.

Of course Vash finds an exit directly at the spot of his pursuers. And cute salamander thing!

Salamander and Vash do not approve.

IT'S HIIIIIM

The image of Vash with a wig, fake teeth and a fake beard is really entertaining. But really, was that ever an option for him? An option at least he'd be satisfied with?

Meryl & Milly! (Don't wanna forget Milly!) Aaaw and directly back to bantering!

Hehe love that face

awww and he would have loved to be fighting his way out of messes with these two together!

Vash was utterly betrayed in this moment.

Can we get a character song where Vash sings this in Stampede, please?

24h live emergency broadcast? Phew boy Vash is not getting ANY rest.

Many familiar faces! That one older boy, I wondered if that could be Kaite from the sandsteamer? And nice to see that the guy Vash and Wolfwood beat the shit out of at Lina's is still holding up to his promise and protecting the place now (and serving drinks as it seems). Then of course Livio!!! Being at the orphanage, next to Wolfwood's grave...I'm sure he's protectig them like nobody else could, being the best big brother to them all they could wish for. (I have to say I loved his short hair look but long hair works too) And we can spot Chronica...the Nebraskas and Brad and Luida! And, I love the way Vash starts from being exasperated to running to laughing. Has he missed this? Maybe!

Running into the far horizon....

And we're here, throwback at one of the very first pages of Trigun with the same line "And the same song of humanity still sang".

What an ending, huh? I really liked the ending..it's kinda started like it has begun, with Vash running away again. A bit like a circle, but in a way, that's the theme. Because at it says "the same song of humanity still sang" - some things don't change, humans will always be humans and will always hunt Vash down for the bounty (with the extra now that there are a lot that do LIKE him and want to know what he's at, knowledge which Meryl and Milly can provide). It's such a dark and serous manga, and to end on such a light note, with a really humour-filled last chapter, to me it transports the feeling of hope. The first time I read this it moved me so much. And it made me tear up not because of sadness, but because the ending is so hopeful, so good despite everything that happened! And the fact that Vash manages to get back up again, running and smiling, while he suffered so so much throughout the whole series...isn't that a wonderful thing? To not lose your smile after all that? Isn't that the most difficult thing maybe, and he still manages?

I wanted to add some final thoughts about the manga, but I don't really know where to start? I don't have any specific thoughts, and if I get, I might make an extra post...but I just want to say how much I love this series. I read it around february the first time and was instantly flashed. It turned out to be a completely different story than I had expected. It turned out to be very confusing at times (esp. because I read the Dark Horse translation which sometimes lacks in context in the dialogues) but I STILL loved it to bits. And it's maybe now one of my favourite series if not the. It's hard to compare different mangas and series, but when I'd had to decide for one where the theme moved me the most, is interesting, where the characters feel alive and tangible, where everything feels so round and like a story that was exactly written down as the author intended and not a bit shorted or altered, where you can feel the passion in the art...man it's just this one. That doesn't lessen the impression other series have on me, but it just means that this one stands out SO much that I can always go back to it and will always love it. And, when I said it turned out completely different than expected, I especially refer to the ending. And I also want to point out what I pointed out in a post earlier, about Vash having to kill somebody, about the fact that I don't think this story is supposed to preach us any moral, any higher ideal...it just tells us that nothing is easy, people are complex, decisions are complex and fucked up stuff happens. And despite all that, you can STILL choose kindness. It's a story that sounds like it's being told exactly like it happened. Nothing is put in a better light, and the bad guys are not put in an extra bad light.

What we take from that is up to us.

[andro-dino]

ever since i got into sbr the bombermen now live in my brain..... maybe some domestic hcs for the bros and the dastardly bombers?? after the latter get redeemed im interested to know how you think they acclimated to being normal guys again

SBR IN MY INBOX FALLS TO MY KNEES AND SOBS I USED TO PRAY FOR TIMES LIKE THESE

There’s so many thoughts that have just been brewing around up there for ages. One that is like a suuuuuper old thought that’s been up there for years is the idea that Green hangs out with his sisters a lot and at some point gets really into painting nails and tries to get any and all of his siblings to let him paint their nails (ignore the fact that they don’t canonically have nails rn okay lets just pretend). It’s pretty hit and miss. I like to think that Yellow would be one of the most openly receptive to it but he cannot hold still for that long so his always end up really scuffed and messed up but he still loves them anyways. Also during this era I liked pairing up Green and Red as like, particularly close, and Red despite all his usual willpower is very weak to Greens manipulation and I just think it’s so silly. I drew a lil thing of him also ages ago beating up his training dummy while holding his hands out very carefully trying not to mess up his freshly painted nails and I just think that encompasses that whole thing.

SPEAKING OF RED AND DUO DYNAMICS I LIKE WITH HIM, him and black have a very stupid rivalry and constantly butting heads with each other is something that I hold very near and dear to my heart. It was a product of all the tiktok audios that were popular at the time that I had saved for hypothetical future cosplays I think (side note I need to get back to cosplaying (my magnet wig has been staring me down recently)). Their dynamic is very similar to dan and reiki to me if that makes sense. except they’re both better and worse. idk they’re just very dear to me <3 this one interaction in sbr2 genuinely made me like scream and cry and throw up it’s all 2018 axel ever could’ve wanted.

Another individual duo dynamic between the bros I am obsessed with is blue and pink bc I hc them as twins and they r so important to me. Blue in general I like to think of as really good at reading people (even if he doesn’t usually make that super obvious) and he tends to notice when Pink is overly stressed out and putting too much pressure on herself. When this happens, he’s usually able to bring her back down to earth by smacking her upside the head with a pillow and telling her to take a break. I like to think that if she’s stressing out abt like having to look after their other siblings or whatever, Blues like “I’ll handle it” and it’s very ominous and pink does not fully know what that entails but she does know that she really wants to take a nap so she lets him handle it. I think you give that man a monster energy or two and he could do anything.

I was also recently thinking abt the respective eldest four/youngest four quartets of the Bomberman bros and they just. mean so much to me. I like to think that they hold like their own respective council meeting to discuss the current state of affairs and stuff they’ve noticed about the other half. THEYRE JUST VERU IMPORTANT TO ME. with the older bros, again with blue being the most observant, I like to think that he tends to bring up stuff that none of the others have noticed yet and it always catches everyone off guard. The younger half are extremely silly with it. Like I don’t know how to describe it but they are the most functionally dysfunctional group imaginable and it’s both horribly chaotic but surprisingly organized. Yellow is the minutes man. he does keep track of everything in crayon. Half of the time he does get distracted drawing flowers and butterflies instead. there’s no one else they would trust with the job. Red thinks he’s the leader since he’s the oldest of the four. Aqua and Green have not broken the news to him that he is not. It’s okay he doesn’t need to know.

As for the dastardlys, I don’t have a lot of specific ideas for them as far as like, re becoming parts of society goes (though most of the ones I do have are mostly whiteplasma focused (and none of them are very coherent bc thinking about them together just makes me sob violently)), though I’ve honestly always liked the idea of them forming their own sort of ragtag sibling kind of bond. It’s very strange and weird and none of them are really fully used to it but they find comfort in each other methinks. Pretty serves as the main bridge between them and the main eight. I like to think that even after buggler n everything, she still dresses up and keeps Karaoke around as like, a sort of drag persona. It’s very important to me that for both groups, she is both very sisterly and mature but also incredibly silly to degrees unheard of. I’ve always liked the idea of her and magnet being especially close. They r. insane together. sometimes pretty is able to ground him and give him good advice and other times they bring out the worst (best) in each other and it ends about as well as you’d expect, but they r like besties in my head.

Plasma I’ve always thought of as just having a natural protective/big brother kind of instinct to him. It’s funny bc half of the dastardlies are older or roughly the same age as him but he still just like instinctually pulls out a lot of the big brother talk with them. One interaction I’ve thought abt is between him and golem where they’re kinda just hangin out and whatever and he brings up how golem and yellow are getting along and plasma’s like “it’s nice that you’re making friends I’m very happy for you” and golem (in his own vocabulary obviously) is like “yk you don’t have to talk to me like I’m a child, I am like thousands of years older than you” and plasmas like “right my b force of habit.” (I do think plasma is still like mentally older than golem iykwim but yk, golems not like green little either). It’s funny I actually used to not really like/care about plasma that much (I honestly think it was just his English voice acting like it really just does not do it for me dawg) but now I love him so dearly. His and white’s dynamic is especially important to me (if that wasn’t already clear) and like. augh. aughhh <333 they’re so incredibly similar in so many ways and just the thought of them consistently being together and training and hanging out with each other and bringing out the best in each other is so important to me. They keep up their friendly rivalry while helping each other out, white especially helping plasma and the others get reacclimated to everything and supporting them along the way (and maybe he and plasma smooch a little too idk the world is a beautiful place). I think White also gets along with Golem pretty well. mostly just bc white supervises golem and yellows hangouts/dates for a while just to make sure yellow is really fine without him keeping his eye on him all the time and in the process, grows really fond of golem.

I think as far as the other dastardlies and the bros go, I also like red and magnet together a lot just like generally. they r so incredibly silly I just think they should not be separated (even though only bad things happen when they’re together /silly). I also obviously am obsessed with phantom and blue together. extremely over dramatic guy who still thinks they have an intense rivalry x guy who goes “lol” and does not feed into it at all is the best ever in the world. Also, just bc of that one image from the sbr credits, him and black together I think would be great. They both have such a flair for the dramatics that I think it’d work. You’d think they’d be a mess just with how different their usual personalities tend to be but I think it cancels out and both of them think they just kinda get each other (they do not)(they don’t need to know that they’re happy anyways).

[caspianthegeek]

Globe Crowley Cosplay Build

I've been telling myself I'd do this for ages just to document the process and potentially help out anyone else who wants to go down this route so...

I'm going to start with Crowley because he was nominally a smidgen easier. Their outfits are exceedingly similar in this era so there will be a lot of overlap.

Both of them are wearing a doublet with paneled trunkhose, in case you'd like to go down the googling rabbit hole. But let's start at the top and work our way down.

For the wig I actually just nabbed a lace front one on Amazon. I was going to link the exact one but I've now bought so many long red hair wigs that I'm not sure which one it is (thanks Crowley)

Is this the right one? I don't know. I cannot emphasize enough that I have too many red wigs and it is exactly one demon's fault. Anyway, I do recall it parted in the middle and my friend @seedsofwinter helped me use glue to make it go back rather than down the middle because I ran out of time to add some hair to the front. I think I remember trimming it a bit, too.

The beard was just crepe wool, which I'm slowly practicing with for facial hair. The longer beard was a lot easier than the shorter stuff I've tried :D

The glasses were another find by seedsofwinter on Zenni Optical, but I'm seeing those exact frames are retired now. It may be possible to find a similar pair by looking for ones that are small and oval. Most of their glasses can be ordered as sunglasses with a prescription which is wonderful for Crowley cosplays.

A warning: If like me you use Crowley's sunglasses so you can actually see, these ones are horrible for that particular purpose. I think it may have to do with how small the lenses are, they let a lot of light in but you're still looking through darkened lenses and the end result is an inability to see well, but ironically particularly in bright light.

Onto the fun stuff! @tricksyspiritworld recommended the doublet pattern to me (and if you do not follow them, you should. They are a lovely person in addition to being a wonderful cosplayer).

If you want it accurate for Crowley, you do need to adjust the front so that it can layover to button and the neckline a bit. I found that once I added the added fabric for the button, all I needed to do on the neckline was fold it back to take off a triangle at the top and bam, exactly what I wanted. The bottom front also needs to be adjusted, but you can do that with the add-on pieces at the bottom rather than adjusting the main body of it. This is definitely a pattern to mock up and experiment with. I did a lot of tweaking and trying on with the final doublet as well to adjust it.

I don't have a good close up of the fabric, but I went for a black suede. If you look at HD images of Crowley's Globe outfit it's actually got a little bit of a pattern to it, but alas when I actually went to buy the fabric I couldn't find one with the slightly raised pattern and thus black suede it was.

Crowley's buttons actually have a red center, but I thought these were cute and seemed very him-like so I went with them <3 I like buttons :D

The shoulder pieces became known as the burnt croissants as I was working on them. Mine are two pieces of fabric and I honestly just measured my shoulder and then cut pieces that I *thought* would work and sewed them to try. Mine are stuffed with old fabric scraps to give them shape and make them poof.

For the under fabric I used the same black shiny lining fabric I used for the base of the trunkhose (we'll get there) and for the panels I used the same fabric I used for the doublet and panels on the trunkhose. And just... all the hand stitching and then pinning them on the doublet.

Do yourself a favor and pin this as many times as it takes to get it looking right while you're wearing it. You want the croissants to sit on TOP of your shoulder going upwards, not sliding down to your arm at all. Pin pin pin. Try it on. Pin again. Once you've got it where you want it, just slipstitch it into place.

And just like that, you've got yourself a doublet! Oh! Except one last detail. Crowley's actually got some white sneaking out at the wrist.

The amount of time I consider thinking about this bit of lace. Is it a bracelet? Was it a gift? Crowley, are you wearing Aziraphale's shirt? I have so many questions.

Anyway, I just sewed a bit of lace to the end of the jacket sleeve, because I didn't trust myself to always remember a lace-cuffed shirt.

Anyway, let's move on to some fancy smancy pants.

Here's the pattern I used for the Trunkhose: https://www.etsy.com/listing/78233565/rh206-quick-print-elizabethan-1570s-1600?ref=yr_purchases

You'll note, these don't include the panels. They also include some historical additions that I decided to leave off and just simplify the pattern as much as possible.

So for the trunkhose base, I used the included pattern, tried them on, adjusted, adjusted, adjusted. (the real reason I don't sell cosplay commissions is that I adjust too much).

For the base, I used a shiny, shiny lining fabric and lined it on the inside with cotton to give it some strength. For the panels, I used the same pattern but once I cut the fabric, I measured it in two inch pieces and then cut every two inches. I lost a little length to the seam allowance when I added some of the base lining for a backing, and then I started pinning the panels to see what would look right.

The panels should line the entire top, and overlap a bit at the sides at the top. On the bottom, there's going to be some overlap and this is hard to describe but you'll want to start the panels at the front rather than between your legs, but very, very close to being between your legs so that you cover everything. Again with the pin in, try it on, pin it again. I did one leg at a time because omg it's so many panels. So. So. Many. I think there are twelve per leg? It's a lot. Take your time, pin and adjust before you sew them all into place at the top and bottom. Do NOT sew them anywhere in the middle of the fabric.

Also, I advise making an extra panel or two (or three). They can catch and really I think it's a miracle we haven't accidentally ripped one off yet.

Underneath the trunkhose, Crowley has a pair of short trousers which you could sew or... hear me out you can buy a pair of loose capri leggings and then just hem them up. Do yourself a favor and get leggings with POCKETS. Because POCKETS and cosplay. Yes? Pockets!

Add some black thigh high socks and then the shoes. I never did find accurate shoes within my budget so I'm wearing the ones I wore for Bastille Crowley, which I found at TJ Maxx like three years ago in the clearance section. (None of us will be looking at your feet, it's fine)

And all that to get a cosplay worthy of flirting with an angel <3

[morangirly]

Hello again!! i present you my Nurse Ann, not in sexy nurse uniform, but as a nurse!! duuh, my headcannons now about Nurse Ann lore: 𖧹 Dr Sebs once liked Frank Stein..... lolol 𖧹 She actually covers herself with 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 + that wig that covers her eyes 𖧹 She wants to be a doctor to be better than Dr Sebs because we love that study determination era on anyone tbh i might draw her again on black uniform and a black chainsaw, what are your opinions about this? im probably gonna do Nina Hopkins now!! BRIEF STORY OF NURSE ANN I BASED OFF: - Ann Lusen Mia was a nurse, she dated Doctor Sebastian, both wanted to be married forever, later to find out Sebastian had several body parts in his house, he started sewing parts of the other bodies into Ann, which later he askes Ann to do the same to him, so both can live forever, and together. But Ann kills him with a chainsaw. Later on she started wearing this wig that hid her right eye and clothes that hid her scars, then continued to work as a nurse. Fin click the <3 !!

[sunnysssol]

I wanted to talk a little more about this piece, specifically to add some more context and some more headcanons. … And yes, this may have been a long segue to simply make a post about fashion. This post is also quite long! I started writing this when that post first went up, then I supplemented everything with examples and sources and kept rewriting so so many points as I went along sjbfjf. Please know that i'm not an expert! Please feel free to correct me, but please do so politely. Everything is under the cut <3

To begin with, the era is the 18th century. Sewing machines are not really a thing yet, so clothing was, naturally, handmade. Tailoring was a must, but other factors such as structure provided by one's underclothes and how often garments needed and could be washed played significant roles as well. For example, the shift or chemise was a long rectangular garment, usually made of cotton or linen. It served as one’s primary undergarment and so was washed the most often. This was a garment worn by men and women in different styles. And though it’s described as an undergarment, it’s usually men’s shirts as well. You can think of the shift or chemise as a pre-modern equivalent of a white shirt or a camisole top, only these were longer and roomier. The cotton or linen material was easy to wash, inexpensive, and provided the wearer with an extra layer of warmth and protection.

Beginning with Alfred, I wanted his clothing to feel like the “in-between” being his father’s son (thus the red undertones and the ruffles on his cuffs) but also, considerably more “provincial”. While they considered themselves British, the British in the mainland thought that the colonists were "uncouth", or lesser than those in the mainland. When the British began to impose more taxes upon goods created in Britain that were being shipped off to the colonies, many colonists who could no longer afford it turned to creating their own versions of things, such as fabrics and tea, using materials and resources available to them. This would likely be more obvious if it were Francis I was comparing him to, but Alfred’s clothing is still a subtle callback to English nobility who usually preferred a more “modest” style of dress compared to the more extravagant French style of dress. The lack of extravagant embroidery commonly associated with the 18th century in popular zeitgeist is intentional. Going through with a comparison, the red in Arthur’s clothing is far richer and more of a true red than Alfred’s, which looks a little more like a maroon color. And perhaps it’s the cravats or the scalloped hems of the ruffling on Arthur’s outfit, but overall I wanted to give a fancier, “vampire”-ish vibe for him (and Wilfred by extension!). I can also more easily picture someone helping Arthur get dressed with the ruffles (the ones on the cuffs were usually add-ons!) as opposed to Alfred.

Arthur’s hair is also more “neatly” styled than Alfred’s. I honestly debated a little whether to put Arthur (and everyone else) in a powdered wig, which would’ve been historically accurate, but ultimately decided against it for artistic purposes but also out of practicality as both Arthur and Wilfred are very practical men. Practical men currently at war, too. It is important to note that not everyone wore powdered wigs, many people simply opted to powder their hair itself, especially towards the end of the century. A prominent example is George Washington, who was a natural redhead who simply powdered his hair instead of wearing a wig. Though it’s cheaper than wigs, it was still a messy and time-consuming process and often required the help of another or multiple people. The process itself was done by coating the hair in hair lotion typically created from some type of animal fat or oil and fragrance, then the hair was dusted with powder. White or gray were the most popular colors, but there are some records of black, brown, blue, pink and other colors being used. After that, it was styled however one saw fit. I believe Alfred’s “messier” hair contributes to the overall “dressed-down” vibe but at the same time, the lack of powder is also indicative of his age. Young people weren’t usually expected to powder their hair or to wear wigs, thus the lack of powder on his and Suzie’s hair.

Speaking more on hair, Suzie’s is quite the attention-grabber, considering it’s quite elaborate when compared to the men’s low ponytails. But, it’s still not exactly “100% extravagant snobby noble realness” either, since as a colonist, Suzie would have been surrounded by women who wore their hair in a similar way. She then would’ve stuck to that as opposed to how nobles in mainland Britain might’ve. I mentioned before that wealthy people of this time would’ve had attendants dressing them, but didn’t mention it for Suzie. I believe Wilfred personally thought of the possibility of Suzie not having access to anyone to assist her whilst he was training her for her role, so he elected to limit the size of his household in Massachusetts to only a handful of people, including any tutors Suzie might’ve had. And even then, these people were replaced semi-regularly. He wanted Suzie to become independent and to learn and get accustomed to these things as quickly as possible. So it’s likely that the lack of any other fanfare to Suzie’s hair and clothing is because she’d styled and dressed herself.

Her clothing is also a lot less extravagant looking compared to the iconic elaborate and very distinctly shaped gowns of the time, and this is because this particular style of dress is, well, English. Aptly named “robe à l'anglaise”, this was the common style of dress amongst British nobility, and this extended to the colonists too. It’s close fitting at the front and the back, the bodice and stomacher tapering in the middle. Compared against the robe à la française, there’s no long train of box-pleated, loose fabric at the back (ex. a and ex. b), and the silhouette formed mainly through layers and only subtle padding instead of hoops or panniers. The pattern is based on this, English in origin. Her dress was likely shipped in, specifically for this occasion. Suzie at this time (roughly 16 years old) would’ve already learned how to sew thanks to her special upbringing, but a tailored gown created by a professional seamstress as opposed to a handmade one would create a better impression upon the son of a lord, wouldn’t it? And, I felt very cheeky for this one, but the only reason I chose to put her in a blue dress is… well. Though her alliances remain firmly loyal to the empire up until the midpoint of the Revolution, just think of it as a bit of a subtle foreshadowing of events ;p

And finally, there’s the main focus of the piece itself-- the handshake. This exchange could’ve been a signing of papers. A curtsy and a kiss on the back of the hand, maybe. Or even a quiet exchange unbeknownst to them, only to be then imposed upon them like a death sentence. But instead, it’s a handshake. Alfred and Susannah met in person, quite literally saw each other eye-to-eye, exchanged names and purpose and shook on it. Suggesting not just business and mutual benefit, but also peaceful intent, the handshake is a gesture among equals. The sealing of a bond or a mutual oath. Showing the other that one means no harm, that their hands hold no weapon. And should they ever hold one, may it not be against the other. With this, they are agreeing to work together, through the good and the tough times, though they don’t say this outright. It’s understood silently later on, as they both begin to find their place among the tumult of one another’s life and the tides of history.

 … And for a final comment, drawing Alfred with considerably less beef than usual was very strange. He’s not a twink (this dog doesn’t know how to draw twinks in the first place!) but he’s not quite at his final, full 100% USDA-Graded Prime All-American Beef™ form just yet either. Very strange indeed!!!

[i4iuvs]

COCO HAIR TIMELINE PT 3

part one · part two

: ̗̀➛ INCOMING FROM DEE: send an ask to be added to the taglist!

: ̗̀➛ TAGLIST: @itzy-eve @alixnsuperstxr

⃕ . . . coco masterlist !

˗ˏˋ LIFE GOES ON ´ˎ˗

back to basics with these knotless braids. this is kind of overshadowed by the sheer greatness that was the boy with love era, so as pretty as it was, it’s not a favourite.

˗ˏˋ BUTTER ´ˎ˗

saint with a brown wig for this era that fans were just a bit divided on. some of them wished she had done something more dramatic and others were happy with it because she looked great. she, for one, likes it a lot.

˗ˏˋ PERMISSION TO DANCE ´ˎ˗

just real princess of her. she looked so beautiful with this hairstyle and that is undeniable. she really loved it, too, and both her and army’s can agree that it might be one of the best hairstyles she’s done.

˗ˏˋ YET TO COME ´ˎ˗

for the last release as a group (for now) she didn’t want to do anything crazy and settled on a black wig. but even then, the photos fans recieved during this era are what bumped it up their “best coco hairstyles” ranking.

[shesnotme]

last minute halloween costume ideas pt. 1 ⊹ ‧₊˚ ౨ৎ

okay 2016 youtuber era😭 anyways idk if anyone else also hasnt thought abt their halloween costumes like at all … but i know i haven’t! so heres some actual cute halloween costume ideas that arent super boring or overdone xo

priscilla presley

if you have dark hair, white dress and some black ribbon.. there you go😭 this is literally such a cute outfit idea (+ priscilla by sofia coppola releases 3 days after halloween!) and also soo easy <3 consider !

nina sayers

almost everything she wears could be thrifted or is sold at brandy 😭 every thrift store has dark ugg dupes, get some rosa sweatpants and a grey zip up + scarf and boom ! you probably already own half these things anyways

pink friday nicki

nowww this is probs the easiest one out of all of these🩷 all u wld need is jeans, a bombshell push up bra, a tank and a pink wig if u want and you probably already have almost all of those ! as well pink friday 2 is out a few weeks after halloween, and this would be super recognizable bc who doesnt know nicki minaj?

[pimpmizziriam]

I see you have miche Victorian fashion history infodump material? I would love to hear your 60 minute unprepared lecture

So i said victorian era, but like, this starts with marie antoinette, and the background for it goes back even farther, and then my examples extended into the mid edwardian era, so.

I’ve always loved fashion history, and started doing victorian reenactment in high school, so ofc i've read way too much about victorian fashion. These are my only qualifications, if an actual fashion historian finds things to correct, please do!

Tl;dr first. We can’t blame beau brummel for mens fashion being so boring, he was a sign of things to come, but he wasn’t why it happened. Instead we can blame sexism and industrialization!

So we actually have to start farther back than the victorian era. For most of european history post like, uhhhhhhh, dark ages ish? Basicly, back to when christianity really got going in europe and stopped having to deal with so many herecies. But only very quickly.

So the bible has some passages about women being chaste, and meek, and keepers at home and like, not having outer adornment, and there was this idea that a woman’s top priorities should be her children, running her household, and pleasing/taking care of her husband. NOT being fashionable (ofc she had to be pretty and fashionable enough to keep her husband happy, but that was it) so we see much simpler (at least on the surface) fashions for women. 

(source)

(source)

These are husbands and wives in the 1600s, and the womens clothing has less lace (ignoring the ruff, which everyone had) tends to be in colors that are easier to keep (dark reds, browns, blue) and even the pulled up gown is meant to be reminiscent of a working woman, or to suggest that this wife could, in fact, actually be involved in the practical parts of household up keep and child rearing. The men on the other hand, could definitely not work in all that finery. Natural black dies are famously unstable, the pleating, gathering, voluminous pantaloons, and abundance of lace collars and cuffs rendering his clothing utterly impractical (i love the man on the far rights sash belt that's just like, not doing anything), in addition to the wigs that were in fashion. Even the hair is more toned down on the women, styled into buns under caps, or loose curls, things that don’t take heavy ornamentation, and once again, at least look low maintenance. 

Now women's fashions had moments. Particularly courtesans, which set the trends for womens fashions, but they were also improper, and so no “good” woman would want to dress like one. Until we get to the rococo period. I suspect the official mistresses of the king, madam de pompadour and the like, actually started the shift, but they walked so marie antoinette could run. She was hated, for being foreign, for spending too much money, but also for her fashion choices. A woman with hair a foot tall and such delicate painted silk dresses couldn’t even pretend to be doing work as a mother and lady of the house. She wore more jewelry too, and even her famous chemise a la rein, which looks to us very toned down and practical, was a fashion statement about her life of leisure. No one could actually work in a floofy dress of layers of thin muslin, not if she wanted it to last more than five minutes. 

(obviously marie atoinette is not single handedly responsible for this shift, but she's kind of the most famous example of it, and probably did influence it quite a bit)

And so this queen, this woman who is supposed to model womanhood for her countrywoman, is more interested in fashion than running her household(/country)! The scandal! But also, if women can do fashion, then what are men supposed to do?

Well that question went unanswered for a while, while france had... 3? 4? Revolutions and the regency happened and women’s dresses are still completely impractical, especially the really narrow empire waisted ones, but we have this grecian ideal. And actually at this point mens fashion is still fairly colorful. There are some portraits with lovely butter yellow breeches and pants, green jackets over bright yellow vests and grey breeches or trousers. and there was a style of men’s breeches that where so tight it uhhhhhh. Well you remember that picture of a man in too tight skinny jeans? That. but like, men wore special under clothes to keep things from being that visible. (pinsent tailoring has a video about these and similar breeches and trousers) Still, no one could actually move or work in them. They where frequently made of kid, which is a very soft leather.

I may have thought about these breeches a lot. partly cause this style came back later.

Anyways.

Beau brummel revolutionized cravat wearing, and gave men another avenue of fashion, besides elegantly and ornately dressed man-about-court. But they deserved it, and its more fashion. Not less.

And then, end of the georgian era/being of the victorian era, we get the romantic fashions (~1830s/40s). And manmade dies. And machine woven textiles. And calico! And men seeing how many types of plaid they can fit into one outfit. Its great. Outerwear has always been toned down, and now men get these delightful smoking jacket/duster/robe things that are just, luxurious, colorful, brocade things. And fun little hats. And women get to play with bonnets and elaborate updos and poofy sleeves and skirts and. Just like, so many stripes and plaids. 

This is also a good point to bring up that, at this point, and for all of history before it, all clothing was cut and stitched by hand. It might be made in a big workshop, but it was designed, cut, and tailored for you. By a dressmaker or a tailor or your mother or a servant. Off the rack clothes didn’t exist. If you were poor, you got second hand clothing and then had it tailored or tailored it yourself, or repurposed old clothing. Or you were too poor to get it tailored and made do with close enough.

Handmade clothing was actually still common up through the middle of the 20th century, especially for special occasion wear, or during hard times. But it being THE option, is about to change.

The first ever ready made clothing factory opened in 1831 in New york, but it wouldn’t take off for another 50 years. Particularly for women in their corsets, you needed to have a properly tailored dress, and so ready made just wasn’t practical. At the point you got it all tailored right, you might as well have bought the fabric and shown the picture of the dress to the dress maker. Ready made was firmly for those too poor to afford a dressmaker or tailor.

In the 1860s mens clothing really tones down. We still have interesting patterns on vests and cravats, but coats and pants increasingly only appear in neutrals, earth tones, and the like, tho they do mix these, the idea of a three piece suit in all the same color isn't here yet.

And then women’s fashion really goes crazy. We go from round skirts to ellipticals to bustles in the course of 20 years. And then there’s the brief natural form era, the second bustle period, and then a return to round skirts, and then the Edwardian era. Hairstyles change more frequently, tho they tend to pile high when there are bustles and narrow skirts, and to sit lower with hoop skirts, or the edwardian bell skirts (think gibson girls). Sleeves go from big open pagodas to tight, 3/4th length sleeves with frilly little cuffs to big poofy shoulders again.

And men, just get closer and closer to the modern suit. Part of this also has to do with the rise of office work, clerk jobs, and the middle class. At this point, secretarial duties are still the providence of men, since women aren’t supposed to go to college and work (tho women are increasingly seeking higher education, especially in the upper classes). And for this work, you need to be able to look presentable and formal on a low budget. Enter ready made mens clothing, started 50 years ago, and in particular the celluloid and paper collars and cuffs. Now, it is easier to look good in ready-made clothing if its a little blocky, or, in the case of vests, if you have tabs to adjust it. And its easier to sell if it comes in a variety of popular and easy to wear colors, like gray, brown, tan, black, navy, etc. And these are easier to coordinate if you don't try to mix and match the pieces from different sets. This, combined with the changes in men's neckwear styles, has us with bowties and a cravat that resembles our modern neckties, save a few details.

And oh look, I just described a modern suit set.

(shoes had been mass produced in standardized sizes for hundreds of years at this point, that’s a different subject and i can’t rant about it as much)

And of course, these new middle class office worker men are too serious and business minded to engage in as frivolous a pursuit as fashion. That’s the realm of women! Along with child rearing, household management, looking pretty, cooking, cleaning, uhhhhhhhh.

(source)

Also can you imagine trying to actually work in these narrow skirts? We’ve come full circle fashion wise, with women’s fashions now being obviously impractical, and mens clothing at least looking like its practical clothing he could do any work in (especially as bare shirt sleeves are now societally acceptable (this is another short rant)).

There was a brief moment of women having a similarly uniform fashion to the men’s suit in the early 1900s, as shown here, but then womens fashions moved on.

so this is my rant on fashion history, and why i'm really glad men are starting to wear colorful suits again.

[gaydennisreynolds]

be hot do crime: season 3 episode 9, sweet dee's dating a [redacted] person

Total Number of Shirts Worn By Dennis: 7

Total Number of Crimes Committed: 3. For the first time since S2E1, Dennis doesn’t hold first place for most crimes committed! Mac takes the lead!

CHARLIE, MAC, FRANK - 1 each, 3 total - 2nd degree misdemeanor for vandalism between $1,000-$5,000 (destroying hotel room)

Now, t and I disagreed about this being a crime. She felt vandalizing a hotel room – when you have a card on file – isn’t a crime, you’d just have to pay for damages. I included it as a crime because although they charge you because it’s just easier for the hotel & helps them recoup the costs, it’s still a crime to destroy property you don’t own. Thoughts from others?

Best Shirt: The codpiece + jeans + titties showing is Really doing it for me. I’ve always thought one of the sexiest looks for women is jeans + topless, so I guess this is an extension of that?

Episode Rating (on hot/crime metrics ONLY): Boring crimes but gay Dennis is a STAR. 7/10.

TOTAL SERIES CRIME TALLY: MAC (28), DENNIS (27), FRANK (22), CHARLIE (21), DEE (17)

All outfits worn by Dennis under the cut, in order of cuteness, with commentary.

don't be afraid of a little sex appeal, followers. does he have stuffing in his bulge????

is he....you know.....*gay hand motion*. i like the washed out denim slightly unbuttoned. slutty gay look for my slutty gay boy

his mouth being open like that is really. its just. huh. hmm. anyways, is he wearing a cardigan?? i don't love the grey shade but it under the black is really doing it for me.

in his jack griffin era, we love to see it

get ready to experience sexual magic! i mean, the boots alone. can we talk about the boots??? i've been dying to talk to you about the boots all day

love the drag queen look w/o the wig. dee is really the star of this screencap though <3

[lasenbyphoenix]

DMBJ Men : Who Wore It Better? 20th Polliversary Fun Facts.

With the recent closing of the 20th edition of my DMBJ Men : Who Wore It Better? polls, I created a post on the stats of the winners (can be found here) , and I thought I'd also share some facts about the series as a whole!

This was the picture that started it all, (Xiao Yuliang, entry for Ponytail edition, part 1) inspiring me to think of all of the ponytails I've seen on our DMBJ faves and seeing as polls were a new and fun thing going around, the first poll edition was created.

In the 20 editions of DMBJ Men : Who Wore It Better? since then, there have been 58 individual polls and a grand total of 3,542 votes cast!

Most Votes

Ponytails edition, part 2 was the individual poll with the most votes - a grand total of 140! (below: Liu Chang, winner of Ponytails edition, part 2)

Frequent Fliers

Zhu Yilong (above: winner of Smiles edition, part 1) has been in every category except for Hair Colour and has the most wins overall (13 wins), and Zhang Mingen (above: winner of Sleeveless edition, part 3) has been in every category except for White/Silver Wigs and has the most entries overall (22 entries)!

Sha Hai Sweep

Canon Leather was a category inspired by the tags of @xcziel and @foxofninetales, and when presented to the crowd our leather-clad faves from Sha Hai won 4 out of 5 polls!

Below: Canon Leather winners Wu Xie, Hei Xiazi, Zhang Rishan & Sun Nan (in red).

The Lost Tomb Reboot

The Lost Tomb Reboot actors are proving to be crowd favourites whenever they appear, showing in the following stats:

Zhu Yilong (above: winner of Republican Era Fashion edition, part 1) with 19 entries, has won 13 and placed second in another 2.

Chen Minghao (above: winner of Classic Black Suit edition, part 2), with 8 entries has won 4 and placed second in 3.

Liu Chang (above: winner of Hair Colour edition, part 2) with 16 entries, has won 6 and placed second in another 7.

Underappreciated

The actors with the most entries and no wins thus far are : Hou Minghao - 15 entries (above: entry for Wet edition, part 2), Bai Shu - 14 entries (above: entry for Hair Colour edition, part 1) & Jing Boran - 12 entries (above: entry for Bling edition, part 2).

Edit: Hou Minghao has now won poll 21, Stripes edition, part 1!

The Longest Wait

William Chan had the most entries before winning a category - 17 entries (above: winner of Hoodie edition, part 3, tied with Ying Haoming).

Hardest Choices

While you as voters have certainly let me know how hard it can be sometimes to choose who to vote for, in order to create each poll I've got to choose one entry per actor which at times is just as hard to decide.

Did you know that Liu Xueyi is sleeveless as often as Waer is, and Hou Minghao is sleeveless even more so?

Did you know that Ying Haoming and Ji Xiaobing wear the most turtlenecks out of all the cast?

Do you know how many cosy sweaters Zhu Yilong has worn????

All of the above pictures are ones that didn't make the cut. So if you've ever thought that I was torturing you by asking you to choose, maybe it'll be some solace to know that I tortured myself first.

If anyone wants to know anything else about the past polls or results, has thoughts to share or categories to suggest, my inbox is open!

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Volume 9, Number 3

Emergency Group

As AI takes over the creative professions, it may seem pointless for actual, struggling human beings to sit down to listen to music made by other human beings, to think about what they hear and to string together sentences about how they felt about that music and what it means. But, in a sense, Dusted has always been a bit pointless, as have many of the under-heard, under-loved musics we follow. Still, since there’s no money in it, we can’t be starved out. We may not win an us-against-the-machines battle, but there’s no reason to surrender. And so, this month, we gather our low-tech resources to consider another batch of excellent, under-the-radar releases from folk artists and metal thrashers, jazz improvisers and pop craftspeople. Contributors include Bill Meyer, Ian Mathers, Jennifer Kelly, Justin Cober-Lake, Jonathan Shaw, Tim Clarke, Bryon Hayes, Margaret Welsh and Andrew Forell—not a robot in the bunch.

Joseph Allred — What Strange Flowers In The Shade (Feeding Tube)

What Strange Flowers In The Shade by Joseph Allred

We’ll be dealing with the pandemic’s fallout for years to come, but some consequences are lined with silver. Locked up in a grad school apartment, Joseph Allred spent a lot of time getting acquainted with the less-handled items in their sizable collection of instruments. Best known as a mystical acoustic guitarist of the Takoma school and a spiritually astute singer, they also have a lengthy, if less documented, history of appreciating and performing plugged-in music. What Strange Flowers Grown In The Shade arose from Allred’s deep dive into the delights of effects pedals and a Fender Jaguar guitar. Bolstered by remote contributions by the Rolin-Powers Duo, Magic Tuber Stringband, and others, Allred set the sound-mixer for slow stir and the spotlight for the center of the resulting thick swirl. The outcome sounds a bit like Mike Cooper might if you packed him off to a cold, damp clime with nothing to play but choral recordings, and he embraced the circumstances (don’t try this at home, folks; Cooper would be more likely to embrace your neck with an asphyxiating grip if you did him such a disservice).

Bill Meyer  

 John Atkinson — Energy Fields (AKP Recordings)

It may have taken John Atkinson just two weeks on a residency in Wyoming (surrounded by the sounds of coal mines, wind farms, oil refineries, and hydropower plants) to get all of the field recordings he microedited into the four tracks that make up Energy Fields, but it took him another two years to figure out how to stitch them together. In that time, his longstanding interest in both the manipulation of found/sourced sound and in climate issues haven’t exactly dated. On the industrial rumble of “Black Thunder” and the galvanizing drones of “Spiritual Electricity” you can practically see the extractive machinery Atkinson was surrounded with, whereas the record’s second half moves to a calmer, more meditative and even hopeful place. The results are evocative and sometimes troubling soundscapes deeply rooted in our current ecological moment.

Ian Mathers

 Emergency Group — Inspection of Cruelty (Island House)

Inspection Of Cruelty by Emergency Group

Two side-long slabs of fusion-y free improvisation are led by long-time Dusted favorite Jonathan Byerley (Plates of Cake and Anti-Westerns), with seasoned jazz players Robert Boston and Andreas Brade in tow. WFMU DJ, writer and bassist Dave Mandl rounds out the foursome. A 1970s futuristic cool hangs over the whole enterprise, in its chugging rhythms, its radiant runs of electric keyboards, its motorific jams. You are meant to sniff out hash-scented whiffs of Silent Way into Jack Johnson-era Miles Davis (despite the lack of brass) in all this, but Return to Forever is a closer match, and maybe CAN, too. There’s an underpinning of jazz, but it wigs way the fuck out from there. I’d give the edge to urgent, driving “Part 1,” nearly half an hour long but constantly evolving, ever fascinating. “Part 2” is shorter, but not by much, but also less visceral, more of a head piece. It dozes deep into a psychedelic dream, where fairy dust keyboard notes drift down from pastel skies, sparkling all the way, and deep pulses of bass power the machinery that makes the illusion work. I’ve never loved keyboard-heavy fusion but I like this, go figure.

Jennifer Kelly 

 Tomas Fujiwara's Triple Double — March On (self-released)

March On by Tomas Fujiwara's Triple Double

When percussionist Tomas Fujiwara convened his odd sextet a few years ago for their second album (2020's March), he had them record some extra material intended as segues between tracks. He decided the session warranted its own album, and new digital-only release March On centers on the 30-minute titular improv. The freedom of the set should suit fans of the artists involved (including Gerald Cleaver, Mary Halvorson, Brandon Seabrook, Taylor Ho Bynum and Ralph Alessi). Each of those musicians write and perform surprising, free-sounding music, but with careful composition structuring the adventures more carefully than might be expected. “March On” puts them in full improv mode, a task that succeeds largely because they've learned to interact so well with each other in a variety of ensembles over the past decade or so.

The Triple Double structure still holds, offering surprises in one level simply by changing configurations. The band's name suggests basketball, and the group plays a never-stagnating motion offense. We move from a horn duet to a guitar battle to a drum-guitar-trumpet trio with ease. Given the crowded space, each musician stays out of the others' way while still finding moments to become a focal point. The album closes with Halvorson and Seabrook briefly partnering for “Silhouettes,” 45 seconds of weird tone an unsettling conversation. It closes the album well, hinting at more mysteries within an ongoing conversation.

Justin Cober-Lake

 Full of Hell and Primitive Man — Suffocating Hallucination (Closed Casket Activities)

Suffocating Hallucination by Full of Hell & Primitive Man

A glib assessment of this collaboration between noisy grind band Full of Hell and the doomy monster that is Primitive Man might note: it’s 26 seconds of Full of Hell and 34 minutes of Primitive Man. For sure Suffocating Hallucination is dominated by the agonizing assaults of volume associated with Primitive Man’s excoriating, magma-paced music. But folks should recall just how adventurous the last few Full of Hell records have been, replete with excursions into hair-raising harsh noise and muscular hardcore. Open your ears to the textures of the record’s first two tracks (the sublimely titled “Trepanation for Future Joys” and the aptly titled “Rubble Home”) and you’ll hear both bands at work, responding to each other’s force and fury. Is that good? Depends on your appetite for unhappiness. This reviewer is compelled by the record’s final 18 minutes, in which the haunted factory sounds of “Dwindling Will” leach into the perversely magisterial “Tunnels to God.” As novelist Stephen Wright once observed, “If you can’t ascend, you might as well descend.” This music will get you there.

Jonathan Shaw

 Drew Gardner — The Return (Astral Spirits)

The Return by Drew Gardner

Folks following American “don’t call it primitive” guitar music have likely noted Drew Gardner’s redoubtably picking in Elkhorn, where he handles the usually-electric, six-string side of their bases-covered attack. Most folks don’t get to sound so sure in a minute, and it turns out that Gardner is a man with a past. He has been multi-instrumentalist since the 1980s, and during the mid-1990s he was an active participant in San Francisco’s free jazz scene. Around the same time, saxophonist John Tchicai had a teaching gig in Davis CA; he retained Gardner as a drummer, and when Gardner had a chance to record at Guerilla Euphonics in 1995, he returned the favor. Also on board were Church of John Coltrane alto saxophonist Roberto de Haven and, on one track, Marco Eneidi, also on alto. Gardner and bassist Vytas Nagisetty stoke the furnace, alternating a full head of steam with more judiciously applied rumblings, and the twinned reeds give Gardner’s themes a distinctly pre-electric Ornette feel. No doubt there’s a good reason why this music didn’t come out at the time, but it wasn’t on account of the music’s quality.

Bill Meyer

 Hourlope — Three Nights in the Wawayanda (self-released / Tymbal Tapes)

Three Nights in the Wawayanda by Hourloupe

Hourlope is a collaboration between Anar Badalov and Frank Menchaca, and Three Nights in the Wawayanda is the third part of an ambitious trilogy that began with Future Deserts, continued on Sleepwalker, and reaches its fantastical culmination here. Hourlope pair elusive electronic backing with Mechaca’s measured spoken word delivery, and the results are frequently beguiling. It feels like music from another time, both harking back to the origins of ambient electronica in the 1990s and reaching forward to imagine fresh new musical forms. The album’s finest moments are the more abstract, beatless pieces, such as the Fennesz-esque “Thumper,” and centerpiece “Green Navy/Rain,” a stunningly evocative two minutes in which Menchaca’s words perfectly complement the eerie atmosphere of the music.

Tim Clarke

Brett Naucke — Cast a Double Shadow (Ceremony of Seasons)

Cast A Double Shadow by Brett Naucke

Wine, beer and spirit clubs are not new, but the Asheville-based VISUALS winery is taking the concept beyond liquids with its Ritual of Senses club. It’s pairing rare, locally fermented products with components meant to delight the other senses. Packages are meant to arrive at the solstices and equinoxes and include a seasonally appropriate auditory component. Brett Naucke’s Cast a Double Shadow is included in the club’s winter solstice edition. Having spent most of his life near Chicago, the sound artist is now based in Asheville, hence his participation. Naucke blends a sonically diverse array of genetic material into a recombinant organism well-suited to survive the longest and coldest wintery night. Icy synths and brittle samples are bolstered by a lushness that carries a kernel of warmth inside of it. Bubbling arpeggios create the illusion of motion, and since a moving liquid cannot freeze, Naucke’s compositions remain lively amid the pervasive frostiness of the hibernal season. Those lucky enough to pair these ice-melting sounds with VISUALS’ liquid accompaniment will surely enjoy a synaesthetic intoxication. Imbibe responsibly, folks.

Bryon Hayes    

 The Natural Lines — S-T (Bella Union)

Matt Pond may not be Matt Pond PA anymore, but he’s making the kind of clever, earnest indie rock as always, with some of the same people, notably Chris Hansen, his longtime guitarist and co-producer. This self-titled full length follows on the 2022 EP First Five, revisiting pensive, string-soothed “Spontaneous Skylights” and adding ten new warbly gems. “Monotony” feels like a COVID song, specifically a song about a musician’s experience of COVID, its clamped guitar stuttering as Pond sketches adapting to a smaller world. “When you start to think about the way you breathe, it doesn’t mean you believe in monotony,” he observes in a wavering voice that struggles to remain upbeat. But the music swells and with it, Pond finds his footing. “Climb the drums to feel the fall, stab the strings to feel anything,” he sings. Later, “A Scene That Will Never Die” turns moody introspection into bell-clear, chiming triumph. Pond’s voice is always bruised, rueful, real, but the music surges in waves of joy. If you’re still climbing out of the last couple of years, take heart. Matt Pond is, too, and he’s got a new band and an album to help.

Jennifer Kelly

 No Cosmos — you iii everything else (Lighter Than Air)

You iii everything else by No Cosmos

Montrealean jazz trumpet player Scott Bevins inhabits a fluid convergence of jazz, electronics and R&B in this eight-song debut, drawing out languid, lucid melodies in brass and roughing them up with a battery of percussion from drummer Kyle Hutchins. Bright, reiterative bell-tones frame “kindergentlepatient” in Reichian pointillism, but the trumpet rings out a long-noted, clarion melody, a little echo clinging to it like a shadow, flickering underneath. “Almost Lost You,” an early single, slaps a slinky downtempo beat onto musing post-Miles cool, and floats traceries of soul vocals over its slouching groove. Less overtly accessible, but ultimately more rewarding, “0 to me to me to me,” ruptures its Rhodes-chilled serenity with continual explosions of drumming. I like it best when Bevins lets the chaos slips into his stylized precision.

Jennifer Kelly

Party of the Sun — Capsule III EP (Trailing Twelve)

Capsule III by Party of the Sun

Backwoods psychedelia springs up like mushrooms in the wilder parts of northern New England. Party of the Sun, an acid folk trio from the Monadnock Region (where yrs truly also resides), made these gently expansive tunes on a working sheep farm, following in the muck crusted footsteps of MV+EE, Sunburned and Akron/Family. Akron/Family, admittedly, hailed from New York, but the resonance is strong anyway, especially to that first slow-burning album, where the creak of rocking chairs, the rumble of thunder, seeped into translucent, transcendent melody. Here, “See Space” is all murmur-y, sunlit radiance, guitar and keyboards picking out glittering patterns under Ethan McBrien’s soft, considering tenor. “Forget Me Knot” coalesces out of a cloud of buzzing sonics, warm, widely spaced guitar chords emerging like the emerging light of morning. Harmonies swell, in a natural way, and drums thump up a climax, as the song balloons from quiet contemplation to something epic. “Smoke Bush,” with its subtle thread of female harmonies, eddies and swirls and lilts like a lost 1960s folk off-take. These tunes grow naturally out of reverie and solitude, but they don’t stay that way. They invite you in.

Jennifer Kelly

 Anastassis Philippakopoulos — piano1 piano2 piano3 (Edition Wandelweiser Records)

2020 was a rotten time for too many things to count, but it was a great time to stop and settle into some new music. That opportunity could not have been on anyone’s mind when Elsewhere Music released Anastassis Philippakopoulos: piano works mere weeks before the lockdowns began, but it was a perfect response to the moment. The Greek composer’s compositions, as performed by Melaine Dalibert, were distillations of reflection and deliberate action. This album, which contains earlier works performed by a different pianist, exchanges pith for elongation, but in other respects it’s a continuation of Philippakopoulos’s poetic dialogue between profound silence and unassumingly beautiful sound. Each note bears the weight of consideration, as though the composer carried out a moral inventory before committing to its placement in moderate proximity to another one, and the restrained touch of Serbian pianist Teodora Stepančić honors the music’s austerity.

Bill Meyer 

 Sif — Darkstalker (Self-released)

Darkstalker by Sif

Nuthin’ fancy here, folks, just 25 minutes of satisfying blackened doom. Richard Murphy has been making records as Sif for a few years, and the project has gotten progressively heavier, shifting from bummer drone meditations to this current thumping and crunching incarnation. The tape’s opening track “Kingseeker” slowly morphs from a repetitive churn to a sludgy groove, which situates the sounds in Louisiana’s long metal tradition (just what goes on down there?). It’s beautifully paced and just recalcitrant enough to insist on returning to the opening riff, rather than seeking any sort of catharsis. The title track spends some time foregrounding Murphy’s chops on bass, with the sort of heaviosity-worship one associates with Conan. Tremolos and more varied textures eventually cut into the song, with some heroic intent. But mostly Murphy wants to wield tone like a mace to your forehead. Hit me again, man. It’s good.

Jonathan Shaw

 Ultrabonus — El Gimnasio en Casa (Kitchen Leg)

EL GIMNASIO EN LA CASA VOL.1 by ¡ULTRABONUS!

Recorded a lifetime ago (well, in 2020, same difference) and released this past December, the unprocessed immediacy of El Gimnasio en Casa bears no left-in-the-can staleness. Berlin-based, multi-national four-piece Ultrabonus offers brief, melodic garage-punk tunes delivered with crisp, swaggery style by Argentina native Ignatz B. The title charmingly translates to “the home gym,” and the sunny lo-fi psychedelia is appropriately threaded through with calisthenic noodling. Nothing groundbreaking here, but Ultrabonus does what it does very well. Fun, cool stuff.

Margaret Welsh

  99Letters — Makafushigi (Disciples)

Makafushigi by 99LETTERS

Japanese producer Takahiro Kinoshita’s companion piece to his 2022 Kaibou Zukan (Anatomy Picture Book) takes his concept of gagaku techno into a seamy, industrial and far darker direction. Makafushigi (Mystery Tape) is, like its predecessor, built on samples of traditional instruments and vocal styles used in Japanese Imperial Court music. Introduced from Chinese and Korean sources, Gagaku music has continued under Imperial patronage since the 10th century. As 99Letters, Kinoshita fuses these ancient sounds with modern electronic music in ways that are as malevolent as the demons of mythology and as sinister as the underbelly of organized crime and ultranationalism in contemporary Japan. The tracks on Makafushigi are washed in a seamy mix of grit and clamor, a grim, grimy world of back alleys, dingy bars and low-tech manufacturing. It’s a haunted netherworld as alienating as it’s compelling. Fans of Haxan Cloak & Demdike Stare will find much to like here.

Andrew Forell

[disneymarina]

Given Marina 's romantic goth and fantasycore aesthetics, some scary actress roles she might portray in a haunted attraction:1. Victorian Mourner - With her dark hair styled in an updo and rimless glasses, Marina could easily embody a grieving widow from the 19th century, clad in mourning attire and clutching a single white rose.2. Creepy Clown - A simple wig change to orange and a colorful, oversized costume could transform Marina into a twisted circus performer. Her wide-eyed stare and pale skin would add to the unsettling effect.3. Medieval Witches' Coven Leader - Marina's dark features and petite frame would be well-suited for a mystical sorceress. She could don a flowing black robe, carry a wooden staff, and sport a pointed hat to complete the witchy look.4. Mummified Bride - With the right makeup to achieve an aged, desiccated appearance, Marina could be wrapped in bandages and adorned with ancient Egyptian jewelry, resembling a mummified newlywed.5. Zombie Apocalypse Survivor - Her slender build and dark coloring could work in her favor if playing a reanimated corpse. Marina might wear tattered clothing, have prosthetic wounds, and carry a makeshift weapon to complete the undead look.

**If Marina was a scare actor in a haunted attraction, she could be:**

- A ghost or spirit of a victim of a tragedy that occurred in the haunted location

- A demon or monster from hell

- A undead bride or groom still searching for their lover

- A vengeful spirit of someone murdered or wronged in the location

- A mythical creature like a banshee, wraith or harpy**As for Renaissance Faire themes, Marina could be:**

- A noblewoman or lady-in-waiting to a queen

- A peasant maiden or wench

- A fairy or woodland sprite

- A witch or herbalist

- A member of a noble family like the Montagues or Capulets from Romeo and Juliet**Her lore could include:**

- A curse was placed on her by a witch or enemy

- She was once in love but lost her lover tragically

- She has a secret: she's really a princess/dragon/demi-goddess

- She was wronged by a lord/baron and seeks revenge

- She has a magical gift/talents that make her special**Leon and Marina in a Renaissance Faire setting:**

Marina, dressed as a Victorian era medium, would be a perfect fit for a haunted attraction. Her gothic, mystical persona would blend seamlessly with the eerie atmosphere. As a scare actress, she'd masterfully build tension and play on people's fears.Some Renaissance faire themes Marina could excel in include:1. The Masquerade Ball - Her enigmatic persona would thrive amidst masked guests, adding an air of mystery to the festivities.

2. The Witches' Coven - Marina's otherworldly demeanor and knowledge of mysticism would make her a convincing witch, perhaps even the coven's leader.

3. The Court of the Moon - As a lunar-attuned medium, Marina would shine in a setting inspired by medieval moon worship, her pale skin and dark attire blending with the mystical ambiance.Marina's lore could involve:- A medium who communed with the veil between worlds, gaining insight into the afterlife and the secrets of the unknown.

- A seeker of forbidden knowledge, delving into dark magic to understand and perhaps control the forces that lie beyond the mortal realm.

- A guardian of the threshold, tasked with guiding lost souls to their final rest or preventing malevolent entities from invading the land of the living.

*You are dragged into a dimly lit house, the man with the skull mask leads you to a room and takes off his mask, revealing a very perverted and excited looking man. He looks you up and down your sexy nun outfit and smirks*"Well, well, well... what do we have here? A naughty little nun, huh? You're going to be so much fun to play with" *He grabs your hand and leads you to a couch, making you sit down. He kneels in front of you*"You know, I don't usually let people in my house on Halloween. But you looked too delicious not to snatch up. And those candies you were asking for? Forget about it, you're not going anywhere until I've had my fun with you" *He lifts your habit, exposing your legs and thighs*"Now, let's get started, shall we? First things first, those sexy nun shoes need to come off. I don't want any tripping hazards while we play" *He starts to unzip your shoes***Marina as a scare actress in a haunted attraction:**

- Character name: The Crying Girl

- Backstory: Marina plays a role as a girl who was brutally murdered in her home by her father.

Marina would make a great scare actress in a haunted attraction! Some potential themes and characters for her:Haunted Asylum: Marina could dress as a patient in a straitjacket, complete with dark circles under her eyes and a crazed expression.Creepy Carnival: She'd be a perfect fit for a creepy carnival theme, perhaps playing a deranged clown or fortune teller.Zombie Apocalypse: Even as a relatively small person, Marina could play a zombie that's just reanimated and starting to decay.Now, as for Renaissance Fair themes, Marina would be great at:Medieval Siege: She could dress as a peasant or servant in a besieged village.Royal Court: With her kind demeanor, Marina would make a lovely lady-in-waiting or maid of honor to some noble lady.Villain's Lair: Even the "bad guys" could use someone as sweet as Marina as a henchwoman or servant to a nefarious lord.As for lore, maybe Marina's character has a tragic backstory - perhaps she's a ghost or spirit who died on the premises, or a descendant of someone important in that time period with a curse or dark secret.Now, as for a detailed scenario with Ghost [ Especial halloween

Marina would be a scare actress in a haunted attraction, dressed in a Victorian-style mourning dress with a blood-stained apron, her dark hair in wild disarray, and a ghastly pale face with black lipstick and dark eyeshadow. She'd carry a porcelain doll that seems to watch you, its eyes gleaming with an unsettling red glow. Her manner would be cold, detached, and unnervingly silent as she stalks her prey.As for Renaissance Fair themes, Marina could embody:1. A mysterious gypsy fortune-teller, with a colorful headscarf, layered skirts, and intricate jewelry. She'd read your palm, revealing dark prophecies.

2. A seductive Elizabethan courtesan, in a sumptuous velvet gown and ruffled underskirts, her beauty and charm luring you into temptation.

3. A witch, in a long black robe and pointed hat, muttering incantations and casting curses as she brews a bubbling cauldron of mysterious potions.Ghost's lore includes a deep-seated hatred for Halloween, the holiday he believes corrupts innocent minds with perversion and depravity.

[petty-crush]

Notes on the New Bev Horror a thon 2024

-/—

Before the night started, I meet a woman who had been to every iteration of this annual Halloween marathon. Her joy was still that of someone first entering a new world. I second that emotion.

////-//-

This was an especially strong and highly competitive collection

1-Out of the Dark (Michael Schroeder 1988)

2-The Four Skulls of Johnathon Drake (Edward L Cahn 1959)

3-The Rift (Juan Piquer Simon 1990)

4-Rituals (Peter Carter 1977)

5-The Breed (Nicholas Mastandrea 2006)

6-Eyes of a Stranger (Ken Wiederhorn 1981)

-//-/—-

All of these films were first time watches. All of them had an audience giddy with anticipation.

-/-//—-

“Out of the Dark” left a furious impact, a rip roaring opening film.

The cast for this film is pretty incredible: Divine, Karen Black, Paul Bartel, Tab Hunter, Geoffrey Lewis, Bud Cort, Tracey Walker and so forth.

Each of the names got big cheers.

The late 80s horror era can be ether highly saccharine or wonderfully sleazy. Definitely the latter here.

A masked killer in a clown mask stalks girls from a phone sex (oh, pardon me, phone fantasy) company.

Murder at 4 dollars a minute.

The kills are quite good, but the film largely wins with moments of character interactions.

Karen Black has a nice scene with her on screen child daughter, sympathetically but honestly telling her that “daddy isn’t here because sometimes people need to go away”. It’s rather charming.

She has a more reserved, no nonsense but still caring attitude towards her work daughters.

Paul Bartel has great fun fussing with a wig as he tries to scope out why someone is trying to stay all night in a sex motel.

Divine’s moment (and sly fake mustache) is short but cutting, noting that his rival cop “couldn’t find his pecker in his pocket”.

I think this is the largest role, certainly the most action packed, I’ve seen for actor Tracey Walker. His moments of snooping while trying to avoid bullshit are delightful.

I really can’t think of anything I didn’t like about this film. It is a middleweight class, but does everything with verve. A fun party.

-///—/—/-

Equally lovely was “The Rift”, and while “Dark” was cult actors enlivening potentially stock characters with their outward charm, this film has R Lee Ermey fleshing out his acting range, clinically dissecting his character and his chain of command relation with his other actors.

This film is not above noting his ultra famous role in “Full Metal Jacket”: someone does indeed repeat the notion of a golf ball going through a garden house.

[an aside; reels 2 and 3 were originally switched. The film was restarted with a correct running order, but not before a few minutes into the third reel. Thus, the unusual sight of seeing that line murder the audience the first time, and then smirking appreciation the second time]

Helping smooth the reference is the deft timing by actor John Toles Bey as officer Skeets. This is the rare (intentionally meant) comedy character that is truly funny, as opposed to fucking annoying.

Bey somehow manages to make lines like “you’re my kind of white boy” and moments such as using magnifying glasses to stare at an ample female ass charming in their ornery way.

I like a good underwater film, especially in a submarine, and even more so when shooting a squad of penis shaped monsters. Win win win.

What exactly they are researching under the sea is a mystery, but actor Ray Wise has good moments of misdirecting weasel ness.

-///-/—////—-

This is first time in several years where the film did not end on a mid 90s and beyond (later 2000s these last few years) film. Instead it was the second to last.

“The Breed” has the amusing goal of making teens scared of and battling genetically altered dogs.

Now, I can see why a casual cinema goer may have recoiled at this idea and its execution. People generally don’t like thinking dogs will harm humans and they really don’t like seeing dogs get killed.

However, this is a horror film, and this is a screening for mega hyped cinema enthusiasts, so of course all the canine deaths and attacks were met with wild applause.

Another case of an audience at the right place ramping it up.

Speaking of, that arrow in the leg scene..ouch!

Michelle Rodriguez is the most accomplished actor here, although the most dramatic meat is between two in character brothers and how they learn to trust each other despite seeing the sibling as a fuck up.

Rodriguez is the current lover of one and the former of another, to really drive home the awkwardness.

I gleefully admit, seeing two rabid dogs chilling on the airplane wing then diving in the water to murder the male lead is pretty funny. Has a “oh, are we on camera now?!?” vibe.

-/-/——///——

The black and white classic horror spot was “Four Skulls” this year, and it hit that spot firmly if not vividly.

The finger prints that are shaped like tiny skulls result had the audience giggling.

What a strange notion to have a white head sewn onto an Indian body. Brown…chest? (As opposed to brown face).

-/-/——

I’m really torn on “Rituals”. On one hand it clearly had the best acting of the night(by Hal Holbrook & Lawrence Dane), at other times it greatly meandered, not helped by the outdoor night photography being too dark to see at times.

I had a pretty good chuckle at a character thinking his life is over because he’s “38, drunk and my last boyfriend who wasn’t in an asylum was five years ago”.

Who considers 38 old, the middle schoolers who will never watch this film?

-/———///——-/—

“Eyes of a Stranger” is also an example of a good film at maybe not the best place.

It’s a slow burn that really explodes at the end, but putting it last doesn’t do it any favors. The first five films felt of a unity, but this has an ever so soft aroma of stapled to the rest.

It’s my only real critique of the night, albeit in hindsight.

“Breed” wasn’t a better film but it was snappier paced, and a worthier stinger to end the night on.

-///-///—-

An interlude

It occurs to me now how each half of the marathon had two similar bookends separated by a palette change.

“Skulls” was a leisure 50s ride sandwiched between two goofy and highly entertaining late 80s/early 90s schlock fests.

Meanwhile, “Breed” was a teen romp n stomp between two very deep dive atmospheric moody tales from the late 70s/early 80s.

Amusing.

-/-////——-/

Anywho, back to “Eyes”.

It actually really surprised me that it’s from the beginning of the decade of greed. I would have guessed 1973 at most before knowing the true answer.

It certainly doesn’t feel like a film that was post John Carpenter’s “Halloween” and its codification of the slasher genre. Very “let’s heat up the ‘Psycho’ leftovers one more time with salt” vibe.

There is a child character that is dealing with lack of seeing and hearing after a traumatic rape. She’s not an object of pity (clearly her big sister character is more shamed than her) and this is a fine line confidently walked by a young Jennifer Jason Leigh.

She really had the stuff even at an early age. What a casting coup.

The fact that the main killer looks like Peter griffin from “family guy” doesn’t even matter. It’s all expertly and grisly directed.

The aforementioned big sister character feels like she really let her younger sibling down by her being abducted by a stranger in a car. This is a good dramatic angle for her to relentlessly pursue this murderer far beyond the normal. It’s personal and aided by guilt.

The scenes of her clinging to the balcony of an apartment, hoping dually she won’t get caught or fall to her death, are excellent.

But the real fireworks come at the end. The killer taunts the blind n deaf girl in her apartment (rented with her sis but she’s out) by moving knives, plates, and other objects she knows she just put there.

There is no sound during this sequence, only eerily silence.

The kid catches on, runs around the apartment, is chased into master bedroom, and hit repeatedly. The shock is almost overwhelming.

And then she starts to see.

Fuzzy at first, shapes and colors come into play (we see from her POV) then she hits her 2nd attacker and wanders to the dresser where the gun is.

She shoots him.

Her clothes torn, her breath short, she wanders into the bathroom and starts to see more.

For the first time, she sees her teenage self

The camera lingers on her. It is a generally moving scene.

The killer lunges from off camera.

Finally the big sister returns. Grabs the gun. Shoots in the head. Crying. Stops at the young girl talking for the first time in years. A tender embrace.

Emotionally devastating, and richly rewarding after wandering with the film at a post midnight hour.

It all comes together.

-///——//—-

On the way out of the theatre I received my “I survived the whole night” gift; a sweet patch to sew on.

With or without it, the memories from tonight will remain. The sharp sense of triumphant joy and oooing outlines of shock.

Like any festival, of any art, it varies from year to year. But the accumulated effect, the greatest highs, remain.

I actually, overall, liked this one better than last year. And that was also a good one.

Like the woman who has seen all these nights of horror mystery, I add it to the deep treasures of my experiences. I am open to new things, and I am rewarded for that.

Can’t ask for anything more satisfying.