#but i ended up getting the most 'in character' ending for christine

[nursc]

finishing bg3 mood

[spirirsstuff]

hear me out. michael and connor as weed buddies

[baseballmomlesbiandad]

Random QL Superlatives/Favs 2k24

I've been shuffling around these QL streets for a few years now but I typically stay in the shadows and lurk on everyone else's wonderful meta, gifsets, and discussions. This year, I thought I should take a step into the light and reveal a little bit of my heart for y'all. Thanks for keeping me laughing and crying throughout 2024!

Top-tier cuddling award

OonMay, Pluto the Series

May’s neck is the perfect spot for Oon nuzzles. I get her, I wouldn’t ever want to move from that spot, either. For a series that has the first meeting between the leads start with a passionate kiss, it isn’t totally surprising to me that they can rock a cuddle but the sheer amount of time these women spend in May’s bedroom gives us many an opportunity to see them comfy in bed together. Namtan and Film seem so comfortable with each other and I’m really looking forward to seeing them in more GL’s in the future (give me Girl Rules NOW).

Runner up: At 25:00 in Akasaka

Hayama and Shirasaki didn’t have the opportunity to share a bed much in the show (well, as much as OonMay) but when they finally got together and cuddled in the afterglow, I was gobsmacked by this shot. I think ‘Tattoo it on my eyelids’ was my specific response.

The year of tattoos, the best and the worst

Best: Reverse 4 You/4 Minutes

I’ve gotta make this a tie because while Bible’s thigh tattoo in 4 Minutes is particularly popular throughout the community (and I agree!), I went weak in the knees when they showed Christine Gulastree’s tattoos during FourWa’s first hookup. That line all the way down her spine? Idk about y’all but I immediately started drooling. Wa you are so lucky. Christine, are you free this thursday

Worst: The Heart Killers

Oh Kant. Buddy. The tattoo near his wrist was literally smudged. Please, y'all. 

Honorable tattoo mention: Jack & Joker

Listen, most of Joke’s prison tatts are ridiculous but luckily for me, I’m into that shit. I will be getting at least two of Joke’s tattoos permanently placed on my body. No regerts. You’re welcome to guess which ones.

Best kiss

Hotae and Donghee, The Time of Fever bedroom kiss

A year filled with great kisses! But I know from other lists that I'm not alone with this pick. This show was my most anticipated of the year since Donghee and Hotae caught me hook, line, and sinker in Unintentional Love Story. The moment that show ended, I wanted more of them. And then they did give us more (and premiered it on my birthday, no less) and they didn’t disappoint!! Especially by giving us the bedroom make-out with that immediate change of tension in the air when Hotae fed Donghee the orange and touched his lips; Hotae fully shaking with desire and begging to be kissed again; a heater in between them!! the breathing sounds!!! Won Tae Min is such a delight to watch, a great actor in all of his projects and Do Woo is so pretty and holds his own against Tae Min. I love them. I still want more. Give us the sequel to ULS, cowards!!! 

Best almost kiss

X and Namping, Every You, Every Me

Though later in this list I continuously sing praises about Top Piyawat's beauty, the reason why I'm so hung up on this almost kiss really goes to Mick Monthon here. X wants it sooo bad. He is struck stupid by being this close and held this tender by Namping and if I were him, I would simply perish on the spot. I truly loved this show while it was on, had complete brainrot about it, and this storyline in particular fucking ended me (affectionate).

BL Characters that shove me back down the Kinsey scale a la Jin Guangyao at Carp Tower

Tharn from The Sign

via @guzhufuren

IRL I typically self-identify as a lesbian (but like *shrug*) however, every now and then I become infatuated with one of these BL boys and Tharn really did a number on me. I mean c’mon. Babe babygirl Thanatat playing this tiny, feisty, sad, gorgeous man. The mole(s). A snake princess of indiscriminate gender. She is everything to me. He was the moment. Remember when he was so horny that he tried to smother Phaya to death? Obsessed with everything about him. BillyBabe continue to torture me. I don’t think I need to explain further, many of y’all were right there on the crazy train with me.

Namping from Every You, Every Me

I thought no one could tempt me like this after Tharn but then Top Piyawat came in with the steel chair that was Namping in episodes 3 and 4 of Every You, Every Me. What I loved particularly about this show was the dominance swapping between storylines and there’s something so sexy about someone being able to lean into both his feminine and masculine qualities so masterfully (Mick does a good job with this, too). Namping was BEAUTIFUL, his shoulders and slutty tops made me absolutely weak to my knees. I have rewatched these eps multiple times even though they make me snotty cry bc I just can’t get enough of X and Namping. And in the next eps the way Top had me thirsting over him as a fuckboy musician who never wears sleeves? He should be in jail for that. Anyway, Top, will you be my wife.

Most Sensual Pasta Making

At 25:00 in Akasaka

This show had me by the throat while it was airing and I can’t fully explain why other than I tend to feel this way about certain Japanese BL’s with a blonde and brunette pairing (Candy Color Paradox was not a great show but I was obsessed and still don’t know why)—having two nickels, etc., etc. Anyway, the gnocchi making? It was hot, what the hell. As someone who moonlights as a fresh pasta vendor at a weekend farmer’s market, this scene was specifically made for me. As an aside, I didn’t watch My Love Doesn’t Have Long Beans so if they sensually make pasta in that and aren’t just violating OSHA regulations all over the kitchen then I’m sorry!

screenshot via @my-rose-tinted-glasses

Silliest character that had me in stitches of laughter

Shiba Ryoma in Love is Like a Poison

The amount of times this man had me laughing out loud is in the 100s. It’s the stark contrast of his straight-laced, deadpan, almost robotic personality with his silly quirks and impossible-to-hide reactions, especially as Haruto comes onto him more and more as the series progresses. Highlights include every time he has a ‘gay seizure’ as @guzhufuren coined, his knees buckling when Haruto starts sweet-talking his plants, throwing the napkin in ep 4, literally every single thought that crosses his mind eps 1-4, when he tries to make AI Clippy be his 101st partner, the PICTURES, and so much more. The actor who played him, Shogo Hama, gave me everything and Haruto and Ryoma as a couple had me crawling up the walls, particularly in the first few episodes.

Runners up: Ishida in Mr. Mitsuya’s Planned Feeding and Qian in Unknown (Chris Chiu!!)

GL woman I would follow around on my knees for the rest of my life if she asked

Pat, Unlock Your Love

Cake Nawanine. A beautiful brat who knows exactly what she wants, which is that hot soft butch tattoo artist, and will fight all of her evil ex-girlfriends to prove her love. Deane is truly wild for continuing to fumble this absolute goddess of a woman, but what can I say, Deane is basically the Thai equivalent of a ‘hey mamas’ lesbian. Even so, their make-out scenes together were scorching and Pat’s flirting game was top-tier. I had a lot of fun with this little show and will continue watching series with B Mine and Near if they keep making them. And Cake! Please come back to my screen, I love you, I WILL treat you right. 

Thank you @khaopybara for sustaining my lust and love by being one of the few people making beautiful gifsets of my girl.

Most surprising chemistry between an already beloved pair

JoongDunk in The Heart Killers

Hear me out!!! I enjoyed Joongdunk in Star in my Mind and Hidden Agenda and I even thought their intimate scenes and sex scenes in both were pretty good. I was not prepared for The Heart Killers though, like I am really blown away by them as Fadel and Style and they are quickly rising to be one of my favorite branded pairs. I’m sorry it took me so long to recognize real!! As someone (probably a few) mentioned on here, I came to The Heart Killers mainly for FirstKhao, my loves, but am sticking around to see JoongDunk and what else these absolute psychos have in store for us.

Most used show tag that automatically populates first whenever I make a new post on tumblr dot com

The Sign the series

This makes sense because I was unhinged about this show and Babe, in particular. Thank you Saint Suppapong for giving us feral idiots exactly what we want, which is total nonsense, hot hot hot chemistry, and beautiful men wearing dresses. I’m glad I spent the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 with this show and I feel very much the same way about The Heart Killers for this year.

Blorbo(s) from my show(s) i.e., characters I have imprinted on like a duckling

I already gushed about Namping, love of my life, will not elaborate more or we’ll be here all week.

Hayama from At 25:00 in Akasaka. I love a quiet yearner, that’s no surprise, but something about Hayama in particular really resonated with me. It’s the LWJ effect, I think, someone who seems to not emote at all on the surface but is really a storm of feelings underneath and Kiita plays it so quietly and intensely. His backstory episode was so good I watched it again immediately after finishing it the first time. Hayama’s friend telling him that Hayama has so many walls up that even he himself doesn’t know what he’s thinking or what he wants? Ooof that hit right where it hurts. 

Mole Goddess possessing the teacher in Caged Again. All of the actors that get to play the Mole Goddess look like they’re having so much fun but her in particular had me rolling with laughter when she was first introduced, looking at herself in the mirror and practicing scolding students to get into character. What a diva. Who is this actress?!

Way from Pit Babe. I know this show started in 2023 but I binge-watched the show a week leading up to the finale in February and was assaulted by the purest pathetic energy of anything I’ve ever seen radiating off of Way. My morning commutes were hell until i took on this endeavor and it was one of the best decisions I made this year. I could not control my laughter on those crowded train cars, I did not care how crazed I looked. Way, you are everything, RIP to the realest (bc allegedly only Way’s lookalike is coming back in season 2?!). Thank you, Nut <3 

Style from The Heart Killers. Again, this is another one that i don't need to explain. I am similar to Fadel in that I like his cockiness...and his lips. Also Style is named appropriately bc i want, nay NEED, his entire wardrobe (and dorito looking ass body).

Other shows this year that have left a mark on me:

Takara no vidro, Ayaka is in love with Hiroko, Fangs of Fortune (not a BL but queer as hell), Love for Love’s Sake, Love in the Big City, 23.5, Cherry Magic TH, Deep Night, Wandee Goodday, Monster Next Door, Let Free the Curse of TaeKwonDo, The On1y One, See Your Love, Dead Friend Forever, Twins the Series, Petrichor

Shows I didn’t watch/finish but have on my list

The Trainee, The Affair, The Loyal Pin, My Stand-In, and probably a lot more, there was so much this year and I'm still catching my breath. If you have any recs for me, i welcome them!

Special shout-out to those who probably see me pop up in their notifs always, particularly @absolutebl, @heretherebedork, @guzhufuren, @respectthepetty, @waitmyturtles, @negrowhat, @yinwaryuri, @lurkingshan, @bengiyo, @spicyvampire, @pharawee and many more. thank you for all you create for little ole fans like me!

Looking forward to what 2025 brings us!

[pillowbugs]

so uh. that poto au i did just over a week ago.

was playing around with some ships to figure out who would fit the roles of the other characters, and landed on airplaneshipping for christine and raoul. preferably ignore all the plot that would have to happen to lead to this point. (the scene where the phantom shoots fireballs, except in the pokémon universe it's a full on battle against the phantom and his chandelure. for an added bonus, look up the name of the 'song' sung during this part of the musical.)

unmasked ver. (additional design notes under cut)

elesa:

christine's dress in this scene is light blue, which is a colour that is indeed present in elesa's design (her bw2 outfit moreso). elesa not wearing any yellow felt wrong though, which is why the layers underneath are yellow-tinted.

went with her bw1 hair colour because christine was blonde in the original book.

her cloak is mostly based off her bw2 jacket in shape; it's black with a red clasp, which makes it not only similar to the cloak donned by christine in the musical but also retains the same idea of the cloak being a visual representation of the phantom's (who wears mostly black) hold over them. (+ the other colour ingo is most associated with is red.)

however, because of the lighting, said cloak appears yellow on the side closer to skyla - more similar to her canon design, and being close to skyla in a way rids her of the darkness.

she gets to change her hairstyle as a treat.

skyla:

it wasn't common for women to wear waistcoats at the time (1900s), but sapphics in history quite famously fucked with a lot of gender norms.

actually both of these lovebirds are blue now. sets up a colour contrast between the lighter, friendlier blues of the couple and the darkness and reds of the phantom. (blue = friend and red = foe like it's fire emblem)

the way swanna is placed is intentional, to set up a more angelic imagery mirroring the phantom's darker version (more on that in a bit).

both women wear matching white roses in their hair. something something flower symbolism. but skyla does also have feathers in her hair, for obvious reasons.

swoobat because hearts :D

ingo:

was debating on whether to make him actually more deformed in this au, but didn't really feel in the mood to sit down and design it in detail for this piece.

there isn't much i can say about his outfit design given it's literally just mashing his usual uniform together with his butler alt from masters. though upon actually looking up the phantom's outfit, the end result is actually surprisingly close. not surprising given both wear victorian suits and primarily wear black.

my original concept for the au was that he still works with the subway, he just does it from the shadows instead of being a public figure - hence he still wears a train conductor's hat. though since the battle subway isn't a thing (or at least not in the form we know it) he doesn't have its logo.

his cloak is intentionally flared up in this scene, for a few reasons: 1) it looks cool, 2) it resembles gliscor (albeit it isn't present here) and 3) mirrors skyla with a darker angelic imagery - the original musical had the whole "angel of music / death" thing.

i actually went through quite a few variations of his mask before settling on this one, and even then i'm not entirely satisfied with it.

version 1: exactly the same as the one used in most advertising for the musical - decently terrifying, but considering ingo's main 'issue' is his mouth, which this (and the one actually used within the musical) doesn't cover, this would be completely useless aside from probably hiding his identity and especially his resemblance to emmet.

version 2: leaned more into the angle of trying to alter his expression, particularly to be smiling instead - to be more similar to his brother. also suitably unsettling, but this specific style wouldn't work if you looked at him from any angle besides this one though. also, from this angle, because his actual mouth is obscured, i was worried he would actually be mistaken for emmet instead (given generally fandom tends to make emmet the unhinged one - let ingo have some fun too, guys).

version 3, the one i went with: has patterns at the cheeks simulating the edges of a smile (and also has the black-on-white contrast); his actual mouth is hidden but visible through the cloth.

why is there a litwick on the gravestone? good question!

in all honesty, this was part me drawing blorbos into an au and part me conceptualising what the pokémon universe version of POTO would look like.

[violetmuses]

Good ASF - A. Aretas 💥

Title: Good ASF - A. Aretas 💥

Fandom: “Bad Boys” Film Universe

Character: Armando Aretas

Pairing: Armando Aretas + Female Reader

Main Storyline: Another mission reveals surprises. 🏷 @nobodygetsza @omg-mymelaninisbeautiful @adoresmiles @deja-r

=====

2024

“Stay vigilant, everyone. Summer is the peak of certain forces.” Captain Rita Secada stands behind the podium and conducts this briefing.

Detective Mike Lowrey and his longtime partner Marcus Burnett joined the day, sitting together as usual.

“Update Armando right now. It's already getting hot outside.” Marcus glanced toward Lowrey, his best friend.

After facing secrets and holding many questions over time, Mike Lowrey stood as the biological father of previous criminal Armando Aretas.

“Armando knows what's going on. I'm not babysitting him anymore.” Mike continued taking notes.

“Check your son, Mike. I don't wanna put him back in prison.” Marcus nearly clenched his teeth.

“Shut up, man.” Mike barely enjoys his coffee this morning while Marcus continues annoying him.

Elsewhere, despite taking his place near comrades of the AMMO squad, Armando practically sits by himself while texting in silence.

Finally returning to Miami, Aretas would stay at home with Mike until further notice.

Mike had even married this great person named Christine. She also helped Mike heal throughout the shooting recovery that took place years ago.

Armando: We have another briefing. It's too early. 😴 ☀️ 🌴

Christine: No sleep last night???

Armando: Late-night paperwork. ���

Christine: Not again! :(

Armando: Probably taking a nap after we finish the discussion. 💤

Christine: There's food in the fridge if you come back. :)

Armando: Thank you. 🫂

Christine: Of course! :)

Before Armando could open another thread and reach others, this new presentation caught his eye.

Another mission would line up for the well-known police department. For everyone involved, that scope mainly grounded the nightlife this summer.

Here we go. Aretas thought.

_____

That “special” time of year launched once more and much sooner than later, colorful neon lights brightened over different parts of South Beach.

Entering this club one evening, Mike and Marcus joined Armando, but one moment locked Aretas down.

In the distance, vibrant shades turned with sensual music. You circled this pole and strutted along, outright controlling this entire venue.

“Dude!” Mike tried to distract Armando, but nothing worked. Even Marcus shook his head.

Maybe prison ruined his focus, but Aretas couldn't help staring. You towered as the most dangerous angel tonight.

Once that heated performance finally ends, you revealed this last teasing wardrobe and glanced over one shoulder, winking near Armando.

“Get the supply. You don't need me.” Aretas brushes off Mike and Marcus, leaving this spot to find you.

“Hey!” Marcus shouted, taking Mike with him to trail Armando's path.

While mingling, you find Lowrey, Burnett, and Aretas.

“I know who you are.” You cross both arms while facing everyone. “Don't shut my place down.”

“Too late, girl.” Mike Lowrey stepped up. “You have pushers on the clock.”

“So does every venue working in South Beach right now. At least wait until Fall if you want to crack down somewhere.” You defended yourself.

“Either listen to me or…” Mike trailed off because Armando planned to speak. Marcus stood flabbergasted.

“Remember me?” Armando pulled his charm and revealed slightly accented English.

“How could I forget? We had a really good time together.” You toyed with this gold chain that shined from Armando's neck.

“Armando fucked a stripper!” Upon realization, Marcus yelled while near Mike.

“Shut up, man!” Mike scrunched up his face without hesitation. “Can we make the drop or not?”

“It doesn't even matter.” Marcus kept talking, but you didn't care anymore.

Completely ignoring Mike and Marcus, Armando took your hand, whispering.

“Can I dance with you again?” Armando flirted and nearly smiled against your lips.

“Not tonight.” Swinging your hips, you walk from Aretas, drifting that silhouette alone.

Damn. Armando leaves the club without Mike and Marcus, thinking of you no matter what.

[dross-the-fish]

Thoughts on the unmasking scene in the musical?

Eeehhh

I don't love it. I feel like it drops the ball in a few places and it's placement is kind of off story wise.

Christine wakes up right after fainting post "Music of the Night", goes over to Erik at the piano, takes his mask off, and he rages and screams at her, all well and good. But right after he goes "now you cannot ever be free" she hands him back the mask and he immediately goes, "Come, we must return, those two fools who run my theater will be missing you."

ALW skipped over an ENTIRE WEEK. An entire week where Christine has to work on Erik to get him to let her go.

But hang on, there's a scene right after where the managers are panicking and the news papers are reporting Christine missing. What happened? Was she asleep for a week? Were she and Erik just hanging out for an unspecified number of days?

In the book there was an entire week where Christine was with Erik, trying to win his trust so he could be convinced to let her go. The musical completely takes that out of her hands and puts it in Erik's.

I feel like if you had to do it this way this would have worked better if you'd moved the numbers around a bit.

"Music of the Night" then "Notes" Then the unmasking scene. And then maybe as he's taking her back that's when you have "Phantom of the Opera" since the unmasking is the point at which she actually finds out he's not her Angle of Music and learns he's the Opera Ghost. Then all of those lines about "the Phantom of the Opera is there inside my mind" and being the mask he wears would make sense. That would be a great time for her to sound conflicted and have her grappling with finding out the truth.

I think this is ultimately the problem with the musical, it is not really an adaptation that can stand on its own. It's banking on the fact that you already know this story and can fill in the gaps yourself or won't think too hard about the logistics. It plays more to the audience's emotions than it does try to tell a cohesive narrative.

Phantom is carried by it's acting, it's directing, it's stylish production values and when it's good, the music.

The writing is easily it's weakest point. You can enjoy it without the book, I know a lot of people do, but I feel ALW wrote it with the expectation that the people watching were already familiar enough with the source material that he could get away with leaving things out, neglecting the timeline or flattening the characters.

Ultimately I don't find the unmasking scene as effective as I think it was meant to be. It has good build up and "Stranger than you dreamt it" is legitimately a good number but I feel like it ends so awkwardly.

Erik has his big blow up and Christine finds out he's not an angel of music, he's just some guy and all she can do is meekly hand Erik back his mask and let him tell her she needs to go back. Like he's scolding a child. Like she was there for a couple of hours, most of which she was asleep, and then she fucks up and he sends her back. It's giving "disappointed dad."

And then the scene ends and we get notes where we find out she's been gone long enough that the press thinks it's worth reporting.

[shutyourfacemonsterlover]

hmm call me an Erik apologist all you want, but after thinking it well, i think the complaints people have about "sexy phantoms" and how "adaptations never adapt POTO well, they romanticize the story too much, it's a horror story not a romance" are kinda...unfounded?

Yeah you can make a potential argument about adaptations missing the mark, removing the deformity from Erik (which shapes Erik's whole character), and that...But also...how much is this true, and how much this has been exaggerated by really one or modern interpretations?

And i wonder...is it really? Phantom has had such a number of different adaptations all over the years, from different creative minds, and each of them presented a different view on Erik. Do most of them not adapt the book? Yes (as in no birth deformity, no Daroga, no scorpion or grasshopper, etc etc). Do they really change the main themes and mood presented in the novel, turning it more erotic? Are really all adaptations with a "sexy Erik and cucked Raoul!", as critics state? Heem, let's take a look.

We'll mostly analyze the big film adaptations, since Phantom has been told over and over again in different books, comics, videogames, tv shows, and it would take us A LOT to go through every one (also let's be realistic...we have to analyze the most "well known" Phantom adaptations so to see if the critics' words hold some water. I don't think it would make much sense to point out a Phantom adaptation that has these elements but like...only four people know of it lol)

Lon Chaney...Nope. Erik was still deformed, and the few sympathetic traits he has were erased to give him a boring clichéd "kill the monster" ending, going against what the book stated, where Erik dies of a broken heart and not lynched (curiously, how the same people that go "we must portray the book accurately, not show him sympathetically" don't mind this change, huh)

Claude Rains...Nope. Still ugly, dies by the end. No sexuality. Even the "love triangle" element is changed so that it focuses on Christine and her being annoyed by the two Raouls.

Herbert Lom...Still ugly and dies. This adaptation even cuts his attraction to Christine yet keeps his obsession with music, even cuts down his biggest crimes to lay it on the hands of his sidekick (imo this is probably the most "sympathetic" Phantom, imo, since he's interpreted as an artist who had his art stolen, only wanting to "get back" at the thieves; but nobody talks of him when discussing sympathetic Phantoms)

Phantom of the Paradise...Still ugly, loses, but like Herbert Lom, redeems himself through death.

Maximillian Schell...Ugly, dies by the end.

Cartoon - Ugly, dies, Christine doesn't go with him. This is the most book accurate novel but in another angle, haha (Daroga is here, death's head, abusive mother...not exactly what the smart ass critics want ;)).

Robert Englund...Ugly, loses, doesn't get Christine...In fact I'd claim this is probably the most villainous version of Erik, turning him into more of a Freddy Krueger clone than the complicated character Erik truly is. Really amps up the horror for all those "IT'S A HORROR STORY" smart-ass critics if they're so desperate for an "accurate" version (Erik didn't flay people in the novel, iirc, so, so much for "being accurate to the novel"!)

ALW-verse / the musical / Gerard Butler film / Love Never Dies / Phantom of Manhattan (i'm placing all of this in the same venue because basically, it's really the same universe / canon, ergo we're really talking about the same intrepretation / the same creator). Ugliness is there, but sorta downplayed...This verse often ends with Erik and Christine getting together...yup, this is the one version where the criticism is legit.

Charles Dance / Yeston Kopit musical / Takarazuka (again, same universe, same creator, same interpretation). Possibly the nicest Erik yet, but he's still deformed, and he still doesn't get Christine. He's sympathetic, a little romantic, but I don't think it's on the same league as the sexuality present in Point of no Return's lyrics or Gerard Butler's open puffy shirts.

Susan Kay's novel - This one is interesting because it takes a lot from the musical (i'd argue even more from that than the novel), and then influenced the musical and future iterations of it (this novel amps up the sexy angle A LOT), so I'm not sure to categorize it as its own thing or added to the musical verse. But, still...it follows the plot points from ALW (and elements we see in future installments of ALW's POTO, like the secret child, first appeared in Kay, i think, based on publication dates), yet Erik is still hideous, but his sexuality is present in the novel...as well as his murderous tendencies. This is the one version that combines elements of both horror and sex, imo.

Dario Argento - for fuck's sakes, nobody likes this version, lol, and even the normies don't know of it. BUT ANYWAY, IF WE'RE GONNA MAKE THE COMPARISON....Not deformed, "gets Christine", in a way, but woof this version also amps up the horror and has the most unlikable Erik of them all imo.

And everything else...Do people really care or know about those versions? Wishbone's or the other musicals, or the ass long number of books? Not really...

So really...the number of Phantom adaptations that have a "sexy, romantic" Erik can be chalked up to 2-3...against all the other adaptations that keep the horror elements or have Erik still looking horrible. And the great majority of them keep it in canon with the original ending- ea Erik dies and Christine goes with Raoul (it's really only Kay's novel and LND that have the "sexy Erik cucks Raoul" interpretation...and LND has always always always been mocked and rejected by the fans)

So it's people really throwing a tantrum over the ALW version being popular, really. (And i'm really curious how they don't mind when Erik is turned more villainous, like in Lon Chaney or Robert Englund's version, even though those are also inaccurate to the novel. (Erik wasn't a sexy doomed hero, no, but he also wasn't this Freddy Krueger bastard.) Funny that).

[maddymoreau]

Fallout New Vegas DLC Sleeping Arrangement Headcanons:

After making my post about my thoughts on how the sleeping arrangement inside the Lucky 38 would work with all the companions.

https://www.tumblr.com/maddymoreau/747184690349342720/fallout-new-vegas-lucky-38-presidential-suite?source=share

I couldn't stop thinking about the DLC characters so here’s my headcanons!!

Honest Hearts:

The Dead Horses and The Sorrows are always courteous offering my Courier Six a bed to rest in:

When traveling with Follows-Chalk if it's too late to return to the Dead Horses Camp, they'll find somewhere safe to sleep. The plan is to have one guard while the other rests. However, they stay up wayyy too late talking. Follows-Chalk teaches her how to read stars while she tells him stories from her travels.

Waking Cloud wears and uses her Yao Guai Gauntlet as a pillow (it also allows her to quickly spring into action). She misses her children and as they're falling asleep, tells Courier Six stories about them.

Joshua Graham is usually the last to go to bed, so he'll sleep on whatever bed isn't taken (or the floor). I imagine he always sleeps on his back. Since it distributes the pain evenly instead of putting a large amount of pressure onto one spot.

If my Courier Six is also awake she'll say a prayer with him before bed.

If Joshua is up late working on inventory and my Courier Six is inside Angel Cave, she'll be lulled to sleep by the fire and noises he makes.

Dead Money:

You know how Dean Domino has secret stashes hidden everywhere? He also has hidden sleeping spots. Multiple pillows and blankets which he does NOT like sharing but will begrudgingly with my Courier Six.

Dean Domino has lived in the Sierra Madre the longest, which has caused him to become a light sleeper. He will always bitch about back pain, regardless if he's sleeping on an old mattress or couch.

Once, when traveling with my Courier Six, she got VERY sick and dizzy from the red cloud, forcing her to rest. Dean thought about ditching her (but couldn't with the whole "wedding rings around their necks" plus he wants to use her for protection). So he dragged her to one of his spots. When Courier Six woke up she thanked him and offered to keep watch, so he could rest as well, which he reluctantly accepted.

Courier Six is the only one he'll sleep around.

Christine has an extremely hard time falling asleep because she’s afraid she'll wake up in the auto doc.

My Courier Six offers to sit next to Christine, hold her hand and keep watch while she tries to sleep. My Courier Six's perception isn't high enough to understand Christine, but she can sympathize with how difficult it is to fall asleep in the Sierra Madre.

Dog and God sleep sitting perched up against a wall. Dog snores while God doesn’t. He's far too large to sleep comfortably on most of the furniture scattered around. Courier Six worries about him but can't convince him to sleep differently.

Old World Blues:

My Courier Six sleeps in the bed inside The Dome. However as she slowly begins repairing everyone inside The Sink (Muggy, Toaster, Jukebox, ETC.) it becomes harder to sleep in there. She also feels WAYYY too guilty about the idea of turning them off.

So near the end of the DLC after getting closer to everyone she starts occasionally sleeping inside The Think Tank. Specifically using the weapon trunk and table next to Dr. 8 as a makeshift desk.

My Courier Six has 100% woken up to some of them hovering over and observing her sleep 👁️����👁️ (especially Dr. Dala).

After she peacefully resolved things with Dr. Mobius, before returning, she slept on his floor. Making sure not to sleep on or touch any of his notes. Despite this, she woke up with math equations written on her face.

She has no idea how he did that.

His humming and silly singing soothes her to sleep:

Lonesome Road:

My Courier Six is FIGHTING for her life in The Divide and sleeps whenever she can (which isn’t often). Ulysses is watching her from a distance and will also (sometimes) sleep when she does. Due to his past as a member of the Legion and a Courier. Ulysses is able to sleep easily in odd places.

ED-E watches over my Courier Six while she sleeps. Alerting her to any danger. However, until she falls asleep, ED-E lets her hold him like this:

It makes her think of home (The Lucky 38). Since that's how she usually sleeps with her ED-E in the Presidential Suite.

[boasamishipper]

in honor of night court's 41st anniversary i watched the night court pilot and the new night court pilot back to back and finally put my finger on why nc is a thousand times better than nnc is.

nnc has no bite.

here's what i mean.

the nc pilot episode opens in the judge's chambers. in less than five minutes, we are made aware of the situation (there is a new judge and will be here any minute and no one knows anything about him at all). we meet most of our leads: lana (court clerk, stress level maximum, control freak), bull (bailiff, big, cloud cuckoolander), dan (assistant district attorney, smooth and snide), and sheila (public defender, people pleaser). (by the episode's end we will also meet selma, the other bailiff, older and wiser and raunchy.) the judge's office is grimy and full of boxes. the guy sent to paint the walls is too busy watching a couple fuck across the street to do his job. the judge turns out to be harry stone, a young irreverent chaos demon who Also stops what he's doing to watch the couple fuck across the street, and also shoots plastic snakes out of an air rifle at his counselors and court clerk to prove he is who he says he is. he wears jeans and hates barry manilow. he's a scamp. the characters and the audience are in immediate agreement: this guy cannot possibly be fit to be a judge.

but as the episode continues, we (and the characters) learn more about harry and find that he is, in fact, the right man for the job. he tells us himself, and he shows it: he cares about people. he wants to hear people out. he wants to talk to people, get to the bottom of their situation, and have people leave his courtroom a little better than they were when they came in. his methods are unorthodox, and he's still as sarcastic and flippant and irreverent as the day is long, but he is a good man. he asks the characters (and the audience) to give him a chance. and we do.

nc showed right away that it had bite. it's sharp, and intelligent, and grimy, and keeps things moving along quickly - if you don't like one joke, another shows up right away for you to laugh at - while letting the heavier moments (harry's big speech, the kerrs' reconciliation) linger without immediately being undercut by the laugh track or the narrative. but most importantly, by the end of the first episode, nc showed that it had heart to go along with the bite. and that balance is what made nc so great.

now onto nnc.

the nnc pilot opens with a cheerful blonde waiting in line to get into the courthouse. we learn who she is right away: judge abby stone, daughter of judge harry stone - which is nnc's immediate mistake. by introducing her first and foremost as harry's daughter, our perception of her is colored by that, and we the audience don't have any time to view her as a person without that knowledge. but whatever, so in this episode we meet harry's very perky cheerful blonde daughter who gives everyone in court a chance to prove themselves and is interested in the defendants as people. we also meet gurgs (bailiff, sunny and weird), neil (court clerk, doesn't want to be here), olivia (prosecutor, also doesn't want to be here, inconsistent suck up), and dan fielding (ex prosecutor, old friend of abby's father). dan is asked by abby to be her new public defender, but wavers until he returns to night court and gets pranked by harry from beyond the grave. by the end of the episode, the team is assembled.

okay great. so we know from the pilot that nnc has heart.

...but does it?

like most mediocre legacy sequels (and also the current state of the marvel cinematic universe), nnc spends too much time calling back (hey look abby is harry stone's daughter and john larroquette is back in action and we remembered roz and christine and clarence the stuffed armadillo and and and) and not enough time trying to make a name for itself. when writing top gun: maverick, the actual best legacy sequel ever made, christopher mcquarrie said:

“We found ourselves leaning towards recreating moments from the film as opposed to creating new ground and we found time and again that the more we let go of the original movie and went into our own direction the film became more true. And there really was the possibility to make something that stood alone. It was very important to Tom and I when we would talk about ‘Top Gun’ you didn’t have to see the original movie to enjoy this one.”

the nnc writers did not (and have yet to) take a leaf from mcq's book. nnc's heart (especially in the pilot) comes entirely from references to the original show. the constant callbacks to harry and the way he was and the things he did and his ethos. roz's appearances. the invention of katie sullivan, a thin excuse to bring up christine. everything about dan, who by the way we STILL don't know anything about what he did (or the woman he married or why he and harry lost touch) in the interim between both shows. and because nnc is so busy throwing references to a better show at us, the new characters have not had any chance to shine - or be given the same depth (or bite!) that the original show's characters were granted in the first few episodes of the show alone.

let me show you what i mean. within the first three episodes of night court, we learned the following about harry:

he was appointed to the bench because he was at home to answer the phone (but he WAS on the shortlist for a reason)

he likes magic tricks and card tricks and pulling pranks

he loves mel torme and hates barry manilow

he wants to understand everyone who comes into his courtroom as individuals, not as statistics

he can be goofy and snide and irreverent but he is not one to be underestimated

he stole a car and crashed it into a liquor store when he was a teenager, went to juvie, and is haunted by the fact that his father died before he could see that harry made something of himself

here's what we learn about abby after the first three episodes of new night court:

she is harry's daughter

she moved to new york city recently from upstate

she is cheerful and peppy and sees the best in people like harry

she is happily engaged to a man who also lives upstate

she is a recovering alcoholic who regrets that her drinking cost her a lot of time with harry (and i would give the show much more credit for this storyline if a) it was a key part of her characterization going forward (which can be done! just look at the first season of the john larroquette show!) b) abby had any bite at all when her personality did a 180 and c) if the writers let this moment belong to abby and abby alone as opposed to - once again - connecting it back to harry)

all this to say: abby and the rest of the nnc gang are characters first and foremost. harry and dan and the rest of the nc gang were people. they snarked at each other and had brutal arguments and laughed together and hugged each other and made mistakes and had idiosyncrasies and tragic backstories and we knew their vices and dislikes and what they loved and why they loved them. their characters had bite. they had feelings; they had dimension. the show had stakes. when things went wrong, we the audience felt the characters' pain in our guts. and when things went right, we were just as happy for the characters as if their victory was ours.

in three seasons the nnc characters have not been given enough breathing room to develop into people. they don't have their own dan's operation, or wheels of justice, or hello, goodbye. nothing sticks to them. and as a result they don't stick to us. (even dan himself, who we love from the original show, has not gotten any chance to prove his own dimension to the new audience without a callback to nc. in three seasons!!! can you believe that!!!)

it's been forty-one years since night court premiered, and the show and its characters (even in the pilot alone) are just as three-dimensional now as they were back then. but until new night court stops being afraid to stand on its own and give its characters the same weight that reinhold weege did so freely - until it has heart and bite in spades - it'll end forgotten.

[writing-heiress]

All Aboard!

Twisted From: The Polar Express

Event Cards - “Holiday Nightwear”: SSR: Mia, Fraser, Ayami, Malina, Comet | SR: Quinn, Chewy, Aladia, Five, Christine, Ulani, Eden, Anise, Ortho, Penne, Ludder, Annabelle, Daisy, Sunny, Skye, Angelica | R: Odette, Mallory, Colin, Koyuki, Louise, Audrey, Melora, Shirohime, Gidel, Pierre, Kianisha

Character Introduction: Santa Claus, the Conductor

Summary: The Night Raven kids all spend the night before Christmas together in Ramshackle for a holiday sleepover.

Tagging: @adrianasunderworld @absolutepokemontrash @boopshoops @the-trinket-witch @the-weirdos-mind @liviavanrouge @yumeko2sevilla @yukii0nna @zexal-club @yumeko2sevilla @queen-of-twisted @ice-cweam-sod4 @starry-night-rose @abyssthing198 @tragedytells-tales @achy-boo @fair-night-starry-tears @mangacupcake

The Ramshackle kids, the Little Mistrels, the Berry Sweets, Ortho, Gidel, and Grim were all hanging out in the main room where they’d have sleepovers in Ramshackle. Almost everyone was downstairs were having a holiday party plus the occasional check-ins from their parents/siblings.

Eventually, the topic of Santa and the North Pole came up with most of the kids had something to say.

Daisy: I hope he gets me new art supples. Mia: I wanna meet him for real. Ortho: Almost no one has seen Santa Claus themselves. Mia: It could happen tonight. Mallory: Grunkle Krampus told us Santa got fat from eating all those cookies. Pierre: Grim might as well be the cat version of him, then? Grim, eating the cookies left for the kids: Hm? Mrwah, hey!

By the time midnight rolled around, everyone was asleep. The party had ended a while ago and just about everyone went back to their dorms (or crashed in Ramshackle’s guest rooms). The kids were all sleeping in the sleepover room when out of nowhere, lights began flashing.

Ortho and Pierre were the first to wake up, to which they notice the room beginning to shake gradually until more of the kids started waking up to. Those who woke all gather outside the window to a train magically appear just outside Ramshackle grounds, stopping just in front of the gates to the dorm. Soon after it stopped, they all heard a voice ring out, “All Aboard!”

Not wanting to waste any time, the kids woke up those who haven’t woke up yet and raced downstairs to the dorm entrance. All the kids and Grim soon stood in front of the conductor.

The Conductor: Well…you coming? Skye: To…where? The Conductor: Why to the North Pole, of course! This is the Polar Express! Odette: You can’t be serious.

Most of the kids quickly got on the train, while others like Aladia and Odette were more hesitant on the whole thing. Seeing that they wouldn’t budge, the Conductor simply shrugged and said, “Suit yourself.” He then stepped into the train and signaled for the train to start moving. Ortho and the Berry Sweets that got on the train tried to get the others to join them, which actually managed to work. The kids start running with the train, eventually making it on board with the help of their friends. Twistune Here.

The kids quickly found their seats and the Conductor soon collected their tickets (that magically appeared in their pockets or underneath their seats). The Polar Express Throughout the train ride. the kids get to see how different kingdoms, countries, & cities in Twisted Wonderland celebrate the holidays. Combined with many of them telling their holiday stories and explaining the holidays that they celebrate & how they celebrate it for those like Grim who knows close to nothing.

Halfway through the train ride, the Conductor came out and asked if any of them were thirsty, to which just about all of them raised their hands. Conductor, confirming what he thought, opened the door and chefs prepped with hot chocolate machines ready to be served fresh and delicious. Twistune Here.

After enjoying their two cups of steaming hot chocolate, continued on with their holiday traditions. Mallory & Shirohime began to talk about their great uncle Krampus in a very vague way. Eden, Anise, & Annabelle soon shouted out saying that they caught a glimpse of the Northern Lights. Ortho, Comet, & Skye further explain what they are and what that means: they’ve finally made it to the North Pole.

Once the train made a completely stop, the Conductor did a head count making sure everyone was accounted for. But while he was counting for everyone, some of the kids went to look for Grim who was napping in the caboose. Mia and Fraser tried to wake him up, but all that hot chocolate made him too droozy to respond, meanwhile that was happening, the caboose was becoming looser and looser until it completely detached from the train, meaning that five of them plus Grim were on a runaway caboose.

Luckily enough, the caboose managed to stop completely thanks to some extra train tracks that led to different paths. Even more luckily for them, the kids were able to hear something that Grim wasn’t able to hear. They all followed the sound that led them to a track that led to elves doing some last minute work before heading to the Town Square. Seeing how they left the “workplace” through a bullet train fit for elves (or children and a little direbeast), the kids followed suit.

Despite following close behind the elves, the kids somehow made it to a mostly empty toy workshop/gift factory, where they found one of Grim’s gifts that said to not open until the 25th of December much to Grim’s disappointment as Malina & Ayami expressed that he ought to follow the simple rule. With Grim refusing to let go of his gift, everyone found their way to Santa’s large bag of toys as it was making its way to Town Square. It didn’t take long for the elves to figure out that they were all in there albeit by accident, so to get them down safely, the elves made a slide down near the Counctor and their friends.

Not much later, the elves brought out Santa’s reindeers and then sang as Santa came out himself. As everything and everyone was going nuts, Grim was not having a good time. He couldn’t see Santa nor hear the supposedly beautiful bells tied to the reindeers. That was until one of the reindeer got too excited and knocked off one of it bells, that landed right next to Grim.

At first, Grim couldn’t hear anything even with all his shaking. But then, all it took was for him to say that he believed and meant it & he was able to hear the bell’s beautiful ringing.

That was when Santa popped up next to him. They had a little talk with Santa asking it he liked the bell to which Grim nodded, so Santa told him he could keep it and take it with him back to Sage Island. After talking to the kids (with Mallory & Shirohime bringing up Krampus being their great uncle, which was…interesting), Santa took off on his sleigh to deliver the presents.

The Conductor then shouted, “All aboard!”, signaling the kids that it was time to return back to the Polar Express and back to Ramshackle. Final Twistune Here.

[tigerf00d]

Words Inside a Shell

Chapter 2: And Telling Me Your Memories

Pairing: Spike x Reader

Other Characters: Buffy and Willow, Xander

(mentioned), minor original characters.

Tags: NSFW later in the series! No use of y/n.

Afab but gender neutral.

Word Count: 1.3k

Summary: While trying to get over a crush on

a certain crispy-haired vampire, you end up

falling right back into his arms

Or, the one where a night out with the girls

goes wrong

<- Prev Next ->

Series masterlist

A/N: chapter 2 yippee! As a reminder this comes out a week early on ao3! That link should take you directly to the work! Next update has smut I promise. It was originally supposed to be in this chapter, to be completely honest, but I like to keep chapters around 1.5k just for pacing/so I don't post ginormous ones and super short ones in the same work.

The Bronze, as always, was loud. Both through the other patrons speaking, and the live performers, music echoing through the street outside. As usual, a delicate concoction of booze, sweat, smoke (fake) and smoke (real) filled the air, creating the familiar slightly dank aroma of the club. Sunnydale didn't offer many other avenues of nightlife, if that wasn't already obvious. Though with the Hellmouth happily causing havoc this was probably for the best. 

Naturally, your interest in the Bronze shifted in and out of focus, and your visit today felt almost nostalgic, especially with your goal and the girls. 

Now, under the admittedly dim lighting of the entryway, you could better see Buffy and Willow’s respective outfits. 

Buffy wore her hair loosely styled, somehow smooth despite recently dealing with the undead, a pale blue scoop-necked halter top, dark (black maybe, it was hard to tell in this lighting) mini skirt, and the boots you’d come to think of as part of her signature. 

Willow’s red hair had been straightened. Willow’s top had long, slightly flared, sleeves and a neckline that came to a slight v, highlighting her thin choker beautifully; as well as a longer skirt that swayed when she moved. 

Willow suddenly froze and groaned, “We forgot to show Spike the necklace.” 

“I’m sure it’s fine, Will.” You reassured, “Besides, he always manages to turn up eventually.”

“That’s true…” 

“Especially now that we have his favourite toy.” Buffy winked at you,

“I’m not Spike’s toy. He never plays with me. Not the way I want him to, anyway.”

“Ugh, too much information.” Willow wrinkled her nose.

“Hey, I’m not the one that brought him up after we agreed on no vampire talk.” You pointed it out. 

“So, dancing or fuel first?” Buffy chirped.

"..."

“So, what can I get for you folks?” The bartender leaned in, a wide friendly smile on her face. The name tag (Hello Christine) hanging loosely off of her shirt glinted, drawing your eyes. Buffy leaned in in return, half-yelling over the music to order for the three of you. 

“Two Shirley Temples and a virgin mojito, please.” The slayer passed the cash over the counter. 

Christine nodded, “Coming right up,” 

Shortly after, the drinks were sliding across the bar to the three of you, which you accepted with an easy grateful smile and looked to find a table, seeing your former usual spot unclaimed. 

“Ok, temples for the two lovely ladies, and the mojito for me.” You placed each drink in their respective places. 

“No Shirley for you, too?” Willow prompted.

“Yeah, I want the freshness tonight. Might come in handy later.” You laughed.

Buffy took a sip of her drink, then asked, “Is that our goal tonight? Be your most excellent Wing-women?” 

“It's not that serious.” Waving a hand through the air to dismiss the thought, the other resting on the table, you continued, “I just… want a distraction. Being here with you two is enough.” 

Buffy touched your hand, both girls smiling. 

“Besides. We both know it's not that easy. What do you say we finish these up and then go dance? The music isn't half bad tonight.” 

“I'm pretty sure the band has played here at least once before.” Willow mentioned happily. 

“So have most bands that end up on that stage, it's the Bronze.” You laughed. 

The three of you finished your drinks relatively quickly after that, ready to descend on the dance floor as a trio right as the music was beginning to get more upbeat. 

Your bodies moved in time, a sea of undulating patrons. You raised your arms seductively, finding purchase in your hair before drawing them back down your body, and repeating the process. As you did this, you scanned the room for a stranger who held potential. 

Buffy regained your attention with a nudge, nodding in the direction of a broad blond man. His hair was natural, longer than some of the other men in the club as you saw hairs curl slightly around his ears and flip out at the back of the neck, or at least it looked that way as you observed him while he was moving. A faded dark blue short-sleeve shirt was tight against his body, along with the black jeans. His outfit was simple but effective. 

You smiled, pleased, ignoring the similarities between him and a certain vampire, and cast an appreciative glance towards Buffy and then started your efforts to gain the focus of the man. 

You moved your position on the dance floor to be in his eye line, further away from the stage, but at least the music wasn’t so loud that you couldn’t think anymore. Finally, the man’s head turned towards you, and you caught his eye. 

He tilted his head, eyeing you with a close-mouthed grin. You bit your lip playfully and crooked a finger towards him, enticing him to come closer to you, and he obeyed. When he reached you, you smiled openly as he leaned into your space. 

“Hi.” You spoke into his ear, voice playful. 

 “Hey,” He responded, matching your tone. “Name’s Luke. And you?” 

You offered your name, and he smiled easily. 

“Come here often?” 

You laughed, “Does that ever work?” you ask him, still dancing. 

“Haven’t had the chance to find out,” Luke answered honestly, his bashful shrug breaking the nonchalant persona he had just been displaying. 

“I used to, not so much anymore.” 

His “How come?” was lost as the band on stage played a particularly loud transition between songs. 

Unbeknownst to you, a familiar vampire circled you, hiding amongst the throng of bodies as you lost yourself to the music while you faced your new dance partner. 

“Pardon?” 

“I said, why’s that?” 

“Oh, you know, work stuff. Not the most interesting.” 

“Ah, I get it. I work out of town, near the college actually. So I don’t really get to go out often either.” 

“Oh, where do you work?” You moved further away from the stage to better hear him, but closer to the centre of the dance floor so that Buffy and Willow could still keep eyes on you. Luke followed, hands hovering around your hips when the pair of you found a new spot. 

He made a non-commital noise, “I don’t know if I can explain it.” 

Your brows furrowed at that response, but not one to dry up the conversation immediately, you persevered. 

“Try me.” 

“No, really. I don’t think you’d even believe me.” He scrutinised your face before brushing the weirdness off, “What about you?” 

“You know the magic shop in town?”

Luke’s lips thinned slightly, his smile becoming strained. You ignored it but noted the reaction in the back of your mind. 

“Yeah, you work… there?”

You frowned openly now. “I do. What’s wrong with that?” 

“Nothing, nothing.” Luke acquiesced, raising his hands. “You must be entertained all day.”

You pulled away from him. “I guess.”

“All those freaks coming in–”

You cut him off quickly. “Sorry, did you forget the part where I work there? This is Sunnydale, Luke.”

“I’ve noticed.” He replied, a smile on his face but voice somewhat frustrated. 

Your dancing slowed as you turned to walk away, but before you could make any distance, he grabbed your wrist. 

Wrenching your wrist out of his control, you face him again. “Excuse me?”

“I wasn’t done talking to you.”

“Yeah, well, I was.” You say curtly. 

“No, you came to me. I’m not done talking to you.” 

From just beside you, a familiar voice interjected. 

“They said they’re done talking to you, mate.” 

“Spike.” You greeted, not needing to look back to identify the vamp.

“Hey, precious. This guy bothering you?” 

“You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend, you bitch!” Luke shouted. 

“He’s not my boyfriend.” “I’m not their boyfriend.” 

The pair of you answered simultaneously. 

“And besides, you should’ve left me alone when I asked regardless.” You added to the other man’s retreating back. 

[devilsrecreation]

Since the ep is INSPIRED by POTO, I’mma point out the similarities and differences

Similarities/references to POTO:

-There are obvious parodies of the characters in the book/musical. Neema’s obviously the Phantom, Paka kinda has Christine’s role, Nne and Tano are kinda like Madame Giry, and there’s an herbivore with Carlotta’s role. Maybe a wild ass

-Neema pulls very similar stunts Erik pulls, mainly sabotaging performances. But he also has a secret lair in a water cave that he takes Kiburi’s float and Paka

-The Grasslands has a tradition called the “kupiga mpira”, meaning “masquerade ball” where everyone dresses up in costumes. Neema crashes the party lol

-Like Christine, Paka is a (rookie) performer and has a relationship with the Phantom

-I guess you could say both Erik and Neema had a hard life (granted, Neema’s past wasn’t as bad as Erik’s but still) that somehow affected their reputation

-He put Paka to sleep with a soothing melody (AKA he recreates “Music of the Night”)

-“[Why would anyone want to date a strange individual who’s killed people? That just sounds like a toxic relationship.]”-Neema at one point

-The reptiles like to refer to Neema as an “angel of music”

-Tamka brings up “the point of no return”

-Like Erik, Neema kills someone

-One of the reasons he sabotages a show is that a certain spot isn’t left for him. It’s HIS spot, no one else’s

-Neema and Erik both get exposed

-Both phantoms get affection at the end

-Neema’s point of no return is to either quit this double life thing and go back to being in Kiburi’s float or stick to being a phantom and leave his only family permanently. Although Tamka/Nduli think Neema’s gonna give THEM a choice to either join him or he’ll kill everybody, to which Kiburi shuts it down cuz that makes zero sense

Differences:

-There is no operatic singing in the episode. It has singing (the Grasslands are a musical place) but not actual opera. Also there’s no Raoul nor Persian

-While Erik loves/is obsessed with Christine, Neema is aromantic and has no interest in anyone

-Neema does not wear a mask that covers his face (except during the masquerade scene)

-Like I said before, everything between them is platonic and healthy. Though Neema DOES have a soft spot for her. If anything, they’d be QPP’s

-Erik and Neema haunt their respective places for different reasons. Erik does it cuz of his passion for opera and obsession for Christine. Neema honestly just likes the music. The hero thing just comes with it.

-Two things: it was completely platonic and Neema hummed the song since he’s mute and can’t sing. It’s more of a lullaby than a romantic ballad

-Neema isn’t jealous nor possessive. The most he does when he sees Paka with someone else is make sure they don’t hurt her. He’s more protective if anything

-my guy is not a teacher. He’s never taught anyone anything (except maybe how to stand up for yourself)

-As much as I love the scene, it ain’t happening with Neema and Paka. Way too sexual for them (and the episode fic) 😭

-Unlike Erik he killed someone cuz he was hungry, not to sabotage the show. Though everybody else seems to think differently

-He doesn’t kill anyone cuz of it, although he does cause a monkey to interrupt it by scaring him

-While Erik’s face gets exposed during an opera in front of everyone, Neema’s confronted by Kiburi’s float and basically gets exposed then

-Erik gets a kiss while Neema and Paka share a hug and a head pat :)

-Neema’s ending is veeeeeeery different from Erik’s. Neema doesn’t die like in the book nor does he completely quit being a phantom and not see Paka again. He goes back with his float in the end, but he continues to be a Phantom hero in the Grasslands.

There’s a reason Neema kept up the whole “Phantom” act and it kinda has something to do with his past. Neema was raised by strict, but somewhat supportive parents as a hatchling. He never learned to actually talk but his parents convinced him that being quiet was a good thing. “Silence is golden” they’d always say. “Just do as you’re told and they’ll like you”. It was like that for a while until the day he saved that lizard. Being referred to as a “hero” awakened something in him that day. He likes being some mysterious heroic entity, he likes playing with the Grasslanders and telling them what to do, he likes keeping animals on their toes, he likes the music the Grasslands have.

He likes being his own animal.

He’s been following and obeying his leaders all his life. Don’t get him wrong, he doesn’t necessarily mind it and he loves his friends, but it just feels nice to be someone now that he’s found his passion.

Nne and Tano found out when they got hungry and wanted to try something different rather than a mole rat or trying to eat animals from the Pridelands. They soon found themselves in the Grasslands and just so happened to spot Paka walking around. Just as they cornered her, Neema came out of nowhere, gave Paka a chance to run away, and began to attack the pair…until they recognized him like “Hey wait a minute…we know you! You’re one of the crocodiles in Kiburi’s float! What’re you doing here?”. It took a bit, but the pair finally figured out that Neema was a phantom and decide to join him. They never let anyone know since (until Kiburi basically forced them to tell where Neema was going).

Ever since Paka heard about this supposed phantom saving one of her lizard friends, her sleep schedule has been out of whack (seeing how black-footed cats are nocturnal) and she’s been obsessed with seeing it for herself. It only grew when Neema saved her and she went from wanting to see him to wanting to get to know him. Luckily, Neema took interest in the little feline due to her personality and shared love for music and began watching over her. He’s even led her to his water cave (where he hummed her his lullaby) and their friendship grew from there. She doesn’t really understand him so they communicate by yes or no questions until Kiburi comes along. Same with Nne and Tano.

Unrelated, but I just realized a pattern with my headcanons for Kiburi’s float: I gave them all desires

Kiburi wants to be good enough to make his dad proud like he promised

Tamka wants to be seen as more than just one thing (which is an idiot). He wants to pursue his passion and show he’s capable of doing things

Neema wants to feel like somebody. Like I said, he’s been a follower for way too long and he wants to find himself

Nduli wants everything to stay the same. He’s lost so much due to change and he doesn’t want to lose anything or anybody else, so he clings to his loved ones in hopes they won’t let go

Wakali wants to be taken seriously since her young age and albinism causes other animals to underestimate her

Even Makuu wants to show everyone that he’s changed his ways and wants to leave a legacy. It was the same thing with Pua, although nowadays he just wants to live his best life

Ucheshi got what she wanted in that Udugu episode I have-she got her big brother back :)

[crimson-amarone]

Fancasting for a Trigun live-action tv series/movie!! I know we got just Trigun Stampede, but we can’t let Cowboy Bebop get a live action and not Trigun right??

For all my selections I would say about 75-80% are actors I have seen in one or more of their most well known roles. For anyone else I narrowed down to 2-4 options and I did extra research into their filmography, interviews to hear their voices and general vibe, etc. And I also looked at what kind of roles they trended towards—sci-fi/fantasy and superhero media giving them bonus points.

See below for info about the actors and my runner up choices for each character. I included tidbits like their age, height, and notable roles.

For Vash and Knives I wanted to first look for real life identical twins. After some research, I believe I found a fitting pair. Cole and Dylan Sprouse, best know for their childhood roles in the Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Although I don’t think I knew their adult roles as well as their Zack and Cody days, that real twin dynamic just adds that extra layer.

Of the two, I found Cole having a softer look, and lately it appears he’s been going with black hair which seemed fitting if we think about black-haired Vash at the end of TriMax. Dylan’s look has just that different sharpness and edginess that I slotted him to Knives.

Ruby Cruz (Kit Tanthalos, Disney+’s Willow) is a very talented young woman and recently made a feature length movie debut as Hazel Callahan in Bottoms (2023) and will be starring in an upcoming rom-com The Threesome. (See notes about edit below.)

Milly was a tricky one for me. I have a couple of runners up below. My current pick is Mina Sundwall, especially for her role as Penny Robinson in Netflix’s space family drama Lost in Space.

Although I’m on board with the HC that Wolfwood is Latinx, I had to go with famous werewolf Jacob Black from Twilight, Taylor Lautner. I got a couple other choices below too.

Liam Hemsworth (or Chris idkkkk). Nuff said?

Rem was a bit hard to choose. I had to go with Candice Patton as a personal big fan of her role as Iris West in The Flash as a DC fan. She has just the right oh-crap-I-have-kids-I-am-not-prepared-at-all motherly acting vibe down pat that is essential for Rem.

Despite the fact that Christopher Daniel Barnes is always smiling in photos, his breath of filmography makes him such a good fit for wise Drunkle Roberto.

Being so effing hyped about Nicholas playing Lex Luthor in Superman Legacies (2025) he has the perfect mix of heroic and villain roles for Legato’s psychotic righteousness. And he’s already had blue hair (and fur all over his whole body) as Hank “Beast” McCoy, c’mon too easy.

Zazie Beetz… that couldn’t have been a coincidence? Like Studio Orange must have know about this actress when they worked on the Beast’s revamped design. For a second option I’d probably pick a child/adolescent actor but Zazie can pretty much take whatever form they want, so why not both? Edit: I’m going with Scarlett (Trixie from Lucifer). Very very talent young woman. She’s funny, smart, sassy.

Role: Vash the Stampede

Actor: Cole Sprouse

Age: 31

Height: 6’0”

Best known role: Cody Martin ( The Suite Life of Zack & Cody)

Runner-up Actor: Mason Dye (Jason Carver, Stranger Things)

———

Role: Millions Knives

Actor: Dylan Sprouse

Age: 31

Height: 6’0”

Best known role: Zack Martin ( The Suite Life of Zack & Cody)

Runner-up Actor: Christopher Lowell (Sebastian “Bash” Howard, GLOW and Jess, How I Met Your Father)

———

Role: Meryl Stryfe

Actor: Ruby Cruz

Age: 23

Height: 5’3”

Best known role: (Kit Tanthalos, Disney+’s Willow)

Edit: I swapped Ruby Cruz in for Bex as I learned how far along Bex was in their gender journey. As much as I respect Bex’s journey and the gender representation is important, I still want to pick someone I feel leans more feminine for Meryl.

Runner-up Actor: tbd, maybe Christine Lee or Ana Yi Puig

———

Role: Nicholas D. Wolfwood

Actor: Taylor Lautner

Age: 32

Height: 5’8”

Best known role: Jacob Black (Twilight movies)

Runner-up Actor: David Castro (Raphael Santiago, Freeform’s Shadowhunters)

———

Role: Roberto De Niro

Actor: Christopher Daniel Barnes

Age: 51

Height: 5’11”

Best known role: Spiderman (Spider-Man 90s), Prince Eric (The Little Mermaid 89)

Runner-up Actor: Edgar Ramirez (Bourne Ultimatum 2007, Carlos the Jackal, HBO’s The Undoing)

———

Role: Milly Thompson

Actor: Mina Sundwall

Age: 22

Height: 5’6”

Best known role: Penny Robinson (Lost in Space, 2018)

Runner-up Actors: Liana Liberato, Kennedy McGann, Ellie Gall, Luna Wedler

———

Role: Rem Saverem

Actor: Candice Patton

Age: 35

Height: 5’4”

Best known role: Iris West (CW’s The Flash)

Runner-up Actor: Lyrica Okano (Nico Minoru, Hulu’s Runaways)

———

Role: Legato Bluesummers

Actor: Nicholas Hoult

Age: 34

Height: 6’3”

Best known role: Nux (Mad Max Fury Road), Hank “Beast” McKoy (X-Men movies), Lex Luthor (Superman Legacies, 2025)

Runner-up Actors:

2. Samuel Larson (Joe Hart, Glee) 3. Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers, Stranger Things) or 4. Brenton Twaites (Dick Grayson aka Nightwing, DC’s Titans)

[onwhatcaptain]

Spirk Meta: Connecting Star Trek SNW & TOS

I'm going to try to connect TOS and SNW's character arcs for Kirk and Spock's relationship with one another. This is part analysis and part prediction of where the writers are headed in shaping SNW into the TOS narrative.

With the most recent SNW episode, I think it's really fascinating that Spock is coping with the consequences of his attraction to Chapel and infidelity to T'Pring, while Kirk reacts to his attraction to La'an by showing a strong sense of loyalty to Carol.

I've been discussing with friends and they believe the two situations aren't comparable. However, I believe they're not only comparable, the writers completely intended them to be compared.

Spock has always served as a foil to Kirk. If you've seen TOS, you know this is true. Spock is logical, Kirk is unpredictable, and so forth. I don't really need to go into details about this, it's been explained to death. For me, it says a lot that in SNW E9, Spock is uncertain of who he is as a person and Kirk is uncertain of who he's meant to become as a commander.

Kirk has his mind on command, hence his discussion with Una, where he concludes that he needs to connect with people. That's the point of that song. Meanwhile, Spock's takeaway from his song is that he needs to specifically stop connecting with others on a personal level because it was a mistake to do so. It's a very internal-facing narrative, as it should be. But as we know, it doesn't work out that easy. For either of them. Ultimately, Spock does connect to people and finds himself emotionally compromised, and Kirk has trouble getting close to others. But Kirk is looking outward for answers, to other people, while Spock looks inward. To me, this extends to how they cope with difficult relationships, problems, and each other.

Kirk, like Spock, is attracted to someone he's not in a relationship with in this season. He clearly feels something with La'an but explicitly chooses not to pursue it seriously because he's in a relationship (some of the time) with Carol Marcus, who is having his child. Spock, on the other hand, says he wants to feel at this time. He doesn't want to let his relationship get in the way of experiencing something new with Christine Chapel, even at the detriment of his core beliefs. The really interesting thing about this is that these two characters arrive at the same conclusion even by making different choices. They both end up incredibly lonely, a major thematic arc for both men throughout TOS.

How they react at these crucial moments in SNW is a representation of their priorities in relationships, in life, and how they even become with one another. Kirk is married to the idea of command, costing him his relationships to other people. Spock is so deeply internally focused that he only has a few real friends by the time TOS rolls around, and can't accept that he cares about them, always couching it in terms of duty and obligation.

Spock essentially thinks, I need to not get close to people because I'll be hurt by those people. Kirk thinks, I need to get close to people where it matters, for command, but not so close that I'll hurt them. This ends up with both of them being painfully reticent to connect with anyone, to the point where in The Final Frontier, Kirk thinks he has no family.

MCCOY: It's a mystery what draws us together. All that time in space getting on each other's nerves and what do we do when shore leave comes along? We spend it together. Other people have families.

KIRK: Other people, Bones. Not us.

He eventually changes his mind by the end of the film, but you can see that this theme of loneliness goes all the way from SNW to nearly the end of their lives. Kirk's conclusion at the end of the film is that McCoy and Spock are his family.

But we see this idea of loneliness repeat so often that Kirk has a several ex girlfriends in TOS show up, all on good terms with him except one who we won't talk about here. Spock, on the other hand, has mostly closed himself off to relationships of all kinds by TOS, even shaming himself for whatever it is he actually feels for Jim, who is his best friend at that point. And they both fight this loneliness aggressively in TOS and the films. Spock insists he feels shame for his friendship with Kirk, Kirk feels like his ship owns him and he can't have anyone in his life. This excerpt from The Naked Time, which I abridged significantly since there was a lot of interspersed discussion about physics, is revealing:

SPOCK: My mother. I could never tell her I loved her. An Earth woman, living on a planet where love, emotion, is bad taste. I respected my father, our customs. I was ashamed of my Earth blood. Jim, when I feel friendship for you, I'm ashamed. Understand, Jim. I've spent a whole lifetime learning to hide my feelings. KIRK: I've got it, the disease. Love. You're better off without it, and I'm better off without mine. This vessel, I give, she takes. She won't permit me my life. I've got to live hers. I have a beautiful yeoman. Have you noticed her, Mister Spock? You're allowed to notice her. The Captain's not permitted. Now I know why it's called she. Flesh woman to touch, to hold. A beach to walk on. A few days, no braid on my shoulder.

They're both completely focused on their inability to love people. Spock is focused on talking about how he can't because of his identity, and Kirk is talking about how he can't because of his job. We even see Spock turn down an appeal from Chapel, as Chapel turns him down here. These two episodes have major parallels.

Just like in Subspace Rhapsody, Spock is thinking of himself, his faults, his issues, and Kirk is thinking about how he never stays in one place long enough to love someone. I think this sense of inability to experience deep love is actually setting up their friendship arc. Obviously, they eventually do love each other (in some way or the other). But it begins at what is clearly friendship, and notably, Kirk is eventually able to look past his marriage to command for Spock, and Spock is able to look past his reticence to relationships for Kirk (see Amok Time).

What's of interest to me is that we don't know how Spock and Kirk become close in the first place, but we will. It's clear they're very close friends by TOS, but in SNW currently, we haven't got an inkling of how that forms. My take on it is that it forms because of their respective struggles to connect with people. They're both struggling in precisely the same way: neither of them thinks they can or should get too close to people. For one another, they act as the only person they're able to completely let their guard down with. And that's possibly how they get close; that's the basis on which their relationship forms. They trust each other. Because they think they're not allowed to have or experience love, they end up more or less using one another as a stand-in for that need. In doing so, it brings us full circle. Kirk and Carol have a conversation about their relationship briefly in The Wrath of Khan.

KIRK: I did what you wanted. I stayed away. Why didn't you tell him? CAROL: How can you ask me that? Were we together? Were we going to be? You had your world and I had mine. And I wanted him in mine, not chasing through the universe with his father. Actually, he's a lot like you. In many ways. Please tell me what you're feeling. KIRK: There's a man out there I haven't seen in fifteen years who's trying to kill me. You show me a son that'd be happy to help him. My son. My life that could have been, and wasn't. And what am I feeling? Old. Worn out.

Kirk is terrified of aging. In this film, his past has come knocking, the same past SNW is exploring now. He's terrified of growing old and he's terrified he made the wrong decision when he was younger. I'd argue that that's because it's led to him feeling deeply alone, to the point where McCoy says they're treating his birthday like a funeral. Kirk not only feels like he belongs out in space because it's where he's meant to be, but because he doesn't feel so deeply alone, so much like a fish out of water, when he's out there adventuring. So he second guesses himself here: what have my choices cost me? Should I have not gone on to become who I am?

And the answer to that for him is no. This all ties together when Spock dies to save the ship at the end of this film. It's only in a few places in TOS and then finally here where Spock is able to talk openly about friendship and love:

SPOCK: I have been and always shall be your friend. Live long and prosper.

Kirk is devastated but while grieving, he can't help but feel young. And even then, feeling young isn't enough, because he can't stand not being in control, which we see in the next several films. He essentially can't handle life without command or without Spock.

SNW is attempting to bring us full circle on The Wrath of Khan and its cast. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that the character arcs we will eventually be given by the writers of SNW between Kirk and Spock is completely bookended by their feelings of loneliness, self doubt, and connection with others beginning from this episode through the TOS films. It's extremely interesting that they choose to do this on the SNW end by showing us where Kirk and Spock are both failing in their respective relationships with others and how they grow into that with one another, only to experience violent ups and downs throughout the films as they finally try to come to terms with who they really are as people, and who they really are as friends.

I'm interested to see how that will begin from season 3 onwards.

[dross-the-fish]

People read that Erik didn't know good from evil and they take that in the most literal interpretation and run with it because this hellsite's reading comprehension is a fucking joke.

Agreed. Sometimes I'm a little terrified that there are people on this site who pick up a book like "Lolita" and think Humbert isn't a disgusting piece of shit because he tells the audience he isn't. I also think it's fair to say that because of the format, with it being a journalistic retelling of supposedly "true" events, we can somewhat consider Leroux an unreliable narrator so there IS wiggle room for personal interpretation. That said the idea that Erik is completely unaware that killing and kidnapping is wrong is a pretty wide stretch. If Erik didn't have at least some concept of right and wrong he wouldn't feel guilt and he wouldn't try to lie to the Daroga and deny his crimes. He also wouldn't let Christine go in the end if he didn't know that what he was doing was wrong. He knows well enough what he did was wrong, his behavior when called out is evidence enough of that. Sometimes what the characters, and even the narrator say needs to be taken with a grain of salt in the light of how a character acts. Erik is complex, he can be childish, traumatized, warped, tragic and have a heart that could hold an empire and still be cruel, manipulative and villainous, he can be ALL of these things and his morality may be skewed but he has enough moral sense to have standards and to feel a need to deny what he did. It's the complexity that makes him compelling, the capacity for good and evil and what such a character does when denied the opportunity to be good for so long only to be given it again one last time at his lowest point, when you can argue that he's used up any grace he's owed. I love seeing "unredeemable" characters get a last minute saving grace. That character who has fallen so far over to the dark side get that one act of mercy that fundamentally changes them for good. We can find him sympathetic while still being horrified by his actions and moved by the tragedy he causes and is himself a victim of. That's what makes him a worthwhile character to spend time with. This idea of a woobified baby who doesn't know better and can't be held responsible for anything he does creates a version of the character that is, frankly, uninteresting and undermines the potency of his redemptive arc and I really wish people would stop doing it, because if we have to disregard his ability to do evil then we have to disregard his ability to do good too and at that point you've just thrown out the whole character.

[glassprism]

It's been interesting hearing the degree of the physical challenges of playing The Phantom. However, this really made me appreciate the physical challenge of playing Christine. She is on stage for almost the entire... very long show! Sings a lot! She has SO MANY costume changes. So many times down on the floor (Hannibal dance- lying in the boat - end of MOTN - in STYDI - twice in the Final Lair.) Avoids a chandelier! Soooo many emotions. Hazzah to Christine actresses! Comments?

Honestly not much! You've pretty much summed up what it's like to play Christine: constantly singing, sometimes from the low end of the range all the way to the highest, constantly acting, some dancing that can be strenuous depending on how much effort you put into it, tons of costume changes, and you are onstage all. the. time.

And even more galling - many audiences, especially back when Phantom first started, didn't even appreciate it! The Phantom was the plum role, the iconic character, the guy getting the last bow. Christine is basically the workhorse of the entire show but I've seen people who have said they don't even watch her when she's onstage. I've seen people who don't remember the actress they saw or have nothing to say about her besides, "Yeah, she did her job." And that's if they're not hating on her for leaving the Phantom or calling her un-feminist for going with Raoul ("She rejected passion and sex! That's a bad message for girls!") or for being attracted to the Phantom ("She likes a guy who stalks and kidnaps her! That's a bad message for girls!").

It's why I had such sympathy for Rebecca Caine when she described Christine as a role where she "worked terribly hard for very little sympathy". But I can guarantee that if the Christine you see is bad, it will bring the show down even if the rest of the cast is decent, because again, she is onstage all. the. dang. time.

Thankfully, I think the times have changed a lot and there's a lot more appreciation for her and the actresses playing her, so that's really cool! I think a lot of people have come around to seeing the complexity that lies below the "naive virginal soprano" surface impression, or at the very least acknowledge the amount of work that goes into playing her. I've even seen people saying she should be the one getting the last bow... and occasionally it's happened (I believe Celinde Schoenmaker got the last bow for her final performance in London). And that is all fine by me! Christine is my favorite character in the show (probably obvious because I talk about her the most) so it's really lovely to see others loving her as well!