#cause I had no idea who taika was?

[blakbonnet]

love that they introduced Ed as this menacing and intriguing looking guy who's smoking his pipe in a dark room and speaking cryptically to his little henchman and truly personifying Blackbeard, and then proceeded to spend the rest of the season telling us that we fell for his act he's actually an adorable man who wants nothing to do with that shit he only did it cause he was bored and it looked cool like 😭

[ofmdrecaps]

11/13-14/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Con O'Neill; Nathan Foad; Kristian Nairn; Anapela Polata'ivao; Vico Ortiz; Jes Tom; Zayre Ferrer; Petition Status; Articles; Transgender Awareness Week; Love Notes;

Hey crew! So I am trying VERY HARD to be better about alt text across all the platforms, and it's taking way longer for me to get things out because of it. If anyone has a good idea on how to do those more easily will you please let me know? I do want to try to be more accessible (and I know the Repo is absolutely not terribly accessible at the moment). Anyway-- thanks Crew! Happy Friday!

= David Jenkins =

Chaos Dad out partying!

Source: King Malisz's Instagram

Apparently (and I didn't know this, so thank you to the folks who explained to me wtf was going on) apparently CIS is considered a slur on twitter and will literally make your posts un-retweetable, and so Dad decided to go full hog and cause Cissmegeddon the other day. Props to our crewmates who helped him irritate the shit out of Elon.

Source: David Jenkins Twitter

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys is going to Australia in April! Apr 30, 2025 at the Princess Theatre in Brisbane you can see the legend in person! Are you in town then? Get tickets here!

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Twitter

He's also announced all his UK & Ireland Tour Dates for 2025! You can buy tickets here!

Source: Rhys' Instagram

Reminder about new Atlanta show at the Helium clubs Nov 29, 30, and Dec 1st! Get tickets here!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rhys Darby (@rhysiedarby)

Source: Rhys Instagram Stories

= Taika Waititi =

Interior Chinatown is almost here! Remember to check it out on November 19th on HULU! Taika was out doing lots of promos with the crew!

Source: Sthanlee's Instagram

Source: Variety Instagram

Source: Jerabraham

= Con O'Neill =

Con is going to be in a new sitcom SAS Rogue Heroes! Thank you to Irene Adler for finding this! Sun.co.uk Article.

Source: Irene Adler's Instagram

= Nathan Foad =

Nathan sent us a bathroom selfie-- and ALSO shared this awesome review of Voyage of the Damned (the book he narrated) by _brainbowie_ on instagram! OH AND JUST BY THE WAY-- IT WAS NOMINATED for Audible's "Best Audiobooks of the Year 2024 in both the SFF list AND the Top 20 overall!!"

ANNND if you have read it and would like to help Voyage of the Damned out -- please put a review up on Audible! Let the world know how much Nathan's voice should be cherished! In addition - if you haven't already, please help Nathan and the author out by voting for it on Goodreads for 2024's Goodreads Choice Awards!

Source: Goodreads

= Kristian Nairn =

Kristian was kind enough to share a playlist featuring his love of synthwave!

Source: Kristian Nairn's Instagram

= Anapela Polataivao =

Source: The Guerilla Connection Instagram

BTS of The Guerilla Connection!

Source: TheGuerillaConnection

= Vico Ortiz =

Vico had a great time at their first stand up comedy show! More random IG stories of it!

Source: Vico's Instagram Stories

= Jes Tom =

Jes Tom is out at Little Secrets Comedy tonight at the New York Comedy Festival if you're in town! November 15 @ 10:30 pm - 11:30 pm!

Source: Jes Tom's Instagram

= Zayre Ferrer =

Thank you so much to @adoptourcrew and Zadry Ferrer for highlighting this awesome Fellowship award awarded to our dear writer Zayre Ferrer! They were named one of the #inevitablefoundation's 2024 Visionary Fellows!

Source: Zadryg.bsky via @adoptourcrew

== Petition Status ==

Great news! Up to 90,150 signatures! To all our new OFMD fans out there, have you signed the petition yet? Thank you luci5459.bsky.social for sharing! (and @adoptourcrew for promoting!) https://www.change.org/p/save-our-flag-means-death

Source: Luci5429.bsky.social

== Articles ==

More articles featuring OFMD and Zayre Ferrer! Thanks @adoptourcrew!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Bsky

== Transgender Awareness Week ==

Happy Transgender Awareness week crew! Sending all my love out to our trans siblings out there <3 Especially know, please know how much we see and love you, and we have your backs no matter what comes, okay? Wanna learn more about Transgender Awareness Week and how you can help be a better ally? Visit GLAAD's website.

Source: Glaad Website

== Love Notes ==

Wow, now as you can tell, a lots gone on the last couple days! Especially with Rhys! Jeez! Everything seems to be ramping up, which is pretty great -- I don't know if you all are feeling the energy too, but it's nice to see some good things going on in these uncertain times. I know things are still rough right now, and some of you are itching to get out and make a difference. Please know that if you are feeling up for it now, it's totally okay to do that. Find things to do in your local community, find out how ot help online-- whatever you feel comfortable with. --and if you're not quite ready yet, that's okay too. I took two days off work this week despite having a huge project to finish, because I got sick, and my brain told me it needed a break, that there had been too much. I know not everyone has the luxery of doing that-- but if you do, please take some time if you need it. I've probably mentioned this before, but something that always bothers me about the phrase "You can't help anyone else if you don't help yourself!" is that that's not entirely true. YOU CAN. You can do all sorts of stuff without helping yourself, and by tiring yourself, and burning yourself out. But it's not sustainable, and you can't do it forever. You are so very strong, and I bet you could help so many people, and family and burn brightly until there was nothing left of you-- but that's not what any of us want. We want you to be okay on the other side of all this-- and sometimes that means taking a break even when things feel like they just can't wait. We care so much for you lovelies. Please care for yourselves too if you need it <3

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by You Are Another Me (@you.are.another.me)

Source: You are another me Instagram

[elyssialumengard]

Hazbin Hotel theory ( centered on Alastor ) :

Hello (or good evening), I am writing this post to share with you a simple but interesting theory regarding Alastor. This theory is not from me, but from a French YouTuber (whom I invite you to go see if you speak French) called: Team Taika Raven (name of the video: Character analysis: Alastor, a Devil of Hotel Manager).

At the end of his video, he states the following theory :

Alastor would have made two contracts (not necessarily for his soul). In the last song of episode 8, Alastor shows that he aims higher than Overlord status, he wants to rule all of Hell. But this will only be possible once his wings are freed, once his contract is broken (Alastor inspires power, chaos and freedom).

If indeed Alastor made a pact with Rou for power, then why would he want to break it ? He would lose everything he has acquired, that wouldn't work. Additionally, Rou, the root of evil, and likely the series' main antagonist, is a purely chaotic entity. She succeeds in infiltrating the earthly world when Lucifer gives the apple to Eve. All she wants is to spread as much chaos around her as possible, just like Alastor. The YouTuber later said that it wouldn't be surprising if she didn't ask Alastor for anything in return for the power gain since the latter was accomplishing her will just by being himself. Alastor would in some way be Rou's agent, the manifestation of her spirit in the world of the Underworld. The fact that Alastor is his shadow independent of his body could be a sign of another entity in him, that of Rou, symbolized by his powers. The YouTuber continues by saying that it would even be possible that Alastor made this pact during his lifetime, before his arrival in the underworld through voodoo rituals (which would explain why he had so many powers upon his arrival in the underworld although he was a human before). Therefore, it would seem odd that he would want to get out of the contract with Rou, knowing that he loves what he does. Moreover, why would he suddenly decide to want to break this pact suddenly, like that with Rou after having disappeared for 7 years ?

The YouTuber follows his theory by saying that Alastor, known and feared in the underworld for his power, seems to have lost his abilities, as the Vees mention in their song saying that he does not seem as powerful as before. When he returned, rumors spread that Alastor was a shadow of his former self. This could be explained by the fact that the genocide that Alastor was causing had attracted the attention of Lilith, causing her to enter into a forced contract restricting her powers.

That 7 years ago, Alastor and Lilith fought and that Alastor's defeat forced him to make a pact with Lilith not to die. Lilith would have done this to protect her people, but surely because of her commitment to Adam in Paradise, the commitment being that of preventing the souls of sinners from being saved so that they would not come to Paradise leaving the extermination to be carried out. If Alastor started killing every threatening person in the underworld, the purge would no longer make sense. Seeing the real threat of Alastor's abnormal powers, she decided to seal part of his powers and flee to Paradise, preventing him from following her. Thus, Alastor has every interest in Charlie's project working so that he can access Heaven and find Lilith to break his contract. The fact of having made a deal with Charlie, in exchange for a favor, would be a means of putting pressure on Lilith to break her contract with him.

What would Adam gain by welcoming Lilith? Glory, because being a person full of himself, Adam wanted to become more powerful and known than the seraphim as we can see subtly in his song where he has 8 wings and not 6.

The YouTuber ends up saying that the name "Alastor" means "the spirit of vengeance" in ancient Greek, sticking even more with the idea that he is just a tool, an incarnation of someone's revenge.

Perhaps Eve who would be under the control of Rou, being the character most likely to want revenge, considered just the stopgap for Adam who had not digested his rake with Lilith. It condemned humanity to suffering and mortality thereby depriving Adam of the throne which was due to it. Her stay on Earth must have been the most horrible where Adam had to make her pay for every day of her existence because of her betrayal. Lilith and Lucifer are also responsible for his misfortune, because they are the ones who gave him the apple. Fueled by hatred and resentment, Eve is possibly the one who most wants revenge on both hell and paradise, a receptacle of choice for Rou.

What do I think of it :

I find this analysis highlights several intriguing elements of the story and character motivations, particularly Alastor and his potential connection to Rou, as well as the implications of his past and present actions.

The connection between Alastor and Rou as an agent of chaos and fulfillment of Rou's will is a fascinating idea. This theory suggests that the pact between Alastor and Rou could have been established well before the events of the series, perhaps even during his lifetime, which would explain his powers upon his arrival in Hell. Additionally, the idea that Lilith restricted Alastor's powers due to his potential threat to the balance of the underworld and her own pact with Adam is also an interesting interpretation.

Furthermore, regarding Lilith and the extermination of sinners, I think she grants it to protect her people who are the real demons and not the sinners, which would explain why she allows such carnage while she is portrayed in the series as a queen who loves her subjects. Sinners being only the beings who are supposed to be the worst of humanity, harming demons for the most part. ( and for the romance, so that Lucifer is less confronted with the spectacle of sinners which he does not appreciate at first from the serie. )

This would explain his interest in the hotel and why he was so hostile towards Lucifer, not wanting the two to get close, wanting to take advantage of Charlie's slightest vulnerability as much as possible, making him believe that he is on his side ( that's why he went to see her when she wasn't comfortable in bed in episode 7, manipulating her into finally agreeing to make a deal). Alastor is a greedy and manipulative being, if he went to see Rosie to help him, it was certainly to save the hotel, but to show Charlie that she can trust him, since he manages the situation to save his project.

Finally, the idea that Eve could be an instrument of vengeance controlled by Rou, due to her grievances against the Underworld and Heaven, brings another layer of depth to the plot. This raises questions about the nature of power and manipulation in the world of “Hazbin Hotel,” as well as the motivations and desires of each character.

Overall, this theory offers a fascinating perspective on the characters and plot of the series, and it raises many interesting questions about the relationships between the various characters and the forces that manipulate them.

The YouTuber puts forward other interesting theories, don't hesitate to watch his video.

[tvshowspoilers]

Rewatching all of the episodes released to do last minute, 11th hour thoughts

————————————————

Season 2 episode 1

Just realized Rickey calls himself an “odd bird” which is fitting with the episode title

Also realized that Rickey says ���I know everything about you” but instead melting Stede like whenever Ed said, it just pisses him off

Still can’t get over the way Ed says “and these are the kids” and “hi all”

“Vibe on this ship is poisonous” ——-> “turn poison to positivity”

Still crazy he was at sea for 88 days…the idea that the tally marks were for Stede is sad but that it’s also for the record makes it sadder

I wonder if the indigo will ever come back into play

Also it’s interesting that Ed never did anything about Fang crying

Episode 2

Seeing cleaned up and chipper Ed hurts with the context that he wants to die…also every moment with Ed when he’s interacting with Frenchie is just….ooof yeah he looks gorgeous but damn those eyes are dead…like when he says “was someone injured” and “panto”

Idk what to think about Stede’s lack of expression when Lucius says everything that happened was his fault…I mean he does let out a hell of a sigh at the end of the scene

I like Archie’s earring

Does ed feel any guilt at the moment when Jim says “he was your friend “ or was it still just pure anger

Also, Zhang saying “you’re doing great” totally has the “doing great sweetie ❤️❤️” vibes

EPISODE 3

Stede face when he starts to climb over the rail breaks my heart every time

anyone else notice how gentle ed is with his hands? Like when he places them on the table as Jeff during the gravy basket, when he places them on his lap when visiting sick Izzy, when he crosses them in s1e6 when Stede tells him they should do a fuckery

The heartbreak coming on to Stede face when he sees Ed hurts

Wonder if ghost Hornigold is a foreshadowing for living Hornigold coming

Also love the Zheng tries to seduce Olu with a sword

Aww Jim grabbed Archie’s hand when they were escaping the cell

I’m never going to stop yelling about how ed grabs Stede hand at the end of this episode

Also is This Woman’s Work season 2’s The Chain? Either way I tear up

EPISODE 4

I think Ed’s first expression when he wakes up is confusion, of course. But also maybe a little omg you’re here…for a minute, lol. Then he gets pissed. Anyone more eloquent then me have any ideas?

I so wish the cast could talk about this show so we could ask them who voted to kick ed off ship and to keep him

Heh…is that a yay or neigh

I don’t think Stede was actually gonna leave him leave him right

Still wondering if ed called the rabbit a wolf cause he’s still a little out of it lol

I’m glad ed got his hug but HE NEEDS A HUG FROM STEDE

Also I wonder if Buttons led him to Mary’s shop on purpose

I better get ed calling Stede darling or love in epi 8 or I’m going to cry

Omg I know we see bare chested Izzy later and all but dude! Just noticed his opened vest when he’s talking to the unicorn

Man ed is sooo pissed and trying so hard to keep that cold facade but he always wants to “melt back into “ Stede arms..hence his first expression when he wakes up before the anger comes back cause Stede “expects him to back back into his arms the second he pops his head up”

Also I love how fondly he remembers being stabbed by Stede but also it huuuurts because of epi. 6 “I had to make him do it…hes so fragile”

First time I saw epi 4 I thought Annie was gonna throw up in the bowl buttons found

Episode 5

Love that Lucius points out that ed never actually said I’m sorry to them, he’s right and I hope he gives them proper apology later

So Ed’s emotion and breaking of his voice but also the YouTuber quality of it….anyone have any thoughts?

Ed’s apology and the whole “restore my reputation” hits different with Taikas fuck up, doesn’t it?

Still going crazy over Ed’s face when Stede says it’s a long story. Is he sad? That stede feels like he should stop talking? Or what…

I love ed setting boundaries, well done and Stede’s instant acceptance

Also, did David really put in a song that goes “you’re so baby”…..he knows… he knows ed is our babygirl

EPISODE 6

Gosh but I do love Bronson Pinchot. I first saw him as Mr. Toomy and I love that he brought that energy here

I don’t think this is the day after but a few days maybe

I wonder why ed put on his leathers….cause he had no clothes yet or…? Cause Stede says he can use the treasure to buy new clothes but in the next episode he is wearing clothes he clearly gathered together from the ship

DO WEEEEEEE? Love Fang

During the scene where they are getting the supplies for the party…..Where did ed goooo??? He is walking on the bridge and suddenly is gone and then back….did he trip over guitar guy ( who I guess is Ned)??

WHY IS RICKEYS NOSE STRING PURPLE, That’s Ed’s color!

Ed’s little hey and soft eyes when Stede walks up is precious

I love the community during the party

When ed sees Izzy, his face…WHAT IS HE THINKING

Heh, just noticed a torturer with little sunglasses on

The noose around Hellcat Maggie’s neck

Does anyone else think they may have not gone all the way during sex? Tbh that’s my head canon I think?

EPISODE 7

The morning after robe is lovely…. As much as I wanted it to be from the auxiliary wardrobe, I absolutely love the idea Ed chose it for himself

Omg I can’t with Stede’s squeak

Lol the cigarette behind Lucius’s ear

I can’t hear Swede say “my wife” without flashing back to Borat

Ed’s sad look when he’s looking at the fishing boat hurts

Also, the guy Stede sets Hey simulation sorry I missed it on fire only gives me Freddy Krueger vibes

 Also, I had originally posted ages ago about Ed not being happy… And yeah whenever Stede says you don’t sound happy… 😭 I don’t know how to articulate what I’m thinking

Oh Stede, loosing ed and then his crew

The tears in Stedes eyes, he’s so upset about loosing his family and ed

Still can’t with the fight

———————————————-

So I think I’m ready for episode 8! (Lol no I’m not) but this has been a good run and here’s hoping for season 3!

[zuzajs14]

Thanks for tagging me @birdstiel 💕

I guess we are doing it. Let's expose ourselves.

8 series to get to know me:

- Supernatural - obviously. my current hyperfixation as you can all tell. I am rather obsessive consumer of media but there are not that many shows close to my heart. and while I despise it deeply (I am a writer and bad storytelling kills me), I am also unable to not love it. this show had many great ideas and even bigger potential, many amazing characters who's story I woul love to explore. the unused or misused or badly used possibilities... damn it.

- Once Upon a Time - listen, i know it's low budget with shitty special effects (the poorly done fire every fucking time). but this is my comfort show. the idea is great, there are a lot of strong women (and one pirate who I am madly in love with). it's not very bright but I never needed it to be. it's just... fairytales, you know. comfort. and my beloved trait of gray morality - evil is made, not born ect, ect

- Doctor Who - this shit saved me. i am not sci fi person much (with exceptions, sure). but this silly man(I use it as a gender neutral term, like - damn, man) in a box, that fights the good fight... a pacifist that killed whole races (the bad ones, sure, but you know). and this otherworldly creature just struggles with so many emotions and is damned to feel forever lonely while having so many people live them... It's AAAAA. sure there are bad episodes. but who cares. i love it

- Our flag means death - you may not now this about me (but everyone in rl DOES as it's my personality) but I love pirates. like a lot. so obviously I care the silly gay pirates show. and I generally like Taika's projects. it's just adorable. makes me feel warm and fuzzy. and has a bit of angst. niceeee

- What we do in the shadows - again, silly and gay. i like gay media, what a suprise. and I love dumb characters. and they are all sooooo fucking stupid. love it. and ya know, vampires ( i have pirates and vampires, I need silly gay cowboys next)

- Game of Thrones - I am still so fucking mad. but I am also a sucker for dark fantasy. the costumes, the drama, the freaking politics and magic. also Jaime and Brienne. this dynamic is all to me. i've read the books to. and it's good storytelling. but unfinished... so sure the show fucked it up. tragic, really (still not emotionally ready to rewatch it dhdjdjd)

- Good Omens - Neil Gaiman is my favourite author. Really. Terry Pratchett is high on that list too. and as Neil supervised this adaptation... and it has David Tennant and Michael Sheen... couldn't go wrong. and is just hilarious and tender and full of love (and biblical motives which is something I value a lot - Gabriel shouting he's buying pornography lives rent free in my head)

- Broadchurch - you can't tell by this list but I like criminal shows too! (I was thinking os putting Sherlock on the list cause I care it a lot too and bonded with my mum over it buuuuut... somehow Broadchurch won, being fresher in my memory) again it has David Tennant, who's work I enjoy a great deal. and it's really good story that kept me on my toes. first season is my favourite

Huh. It was hard choosing only 8. Special mentions go to Sherlock, The Terror and One Piece (pirates!)

Okay, I will shut up now. This is way too long anyhow

No pressure tags (I still hate tagging people, I don't want to annoy anyone but I am curious about yours!)

@naughtystiel @fluffsnake @valeron99 @archervale @werepires (still intimated by you but if you want 👉👈)

And anyone who wants to! You can tag me and I will defo read it! I would gladly see all of my mutuals do it, but as I haven't talked to most of you, I am still shy about bothering you...

[bitchfitch]

I've been thinking on Drogo and Taika again bc I've been playing the new holocure update and more specifically I've been mulling over the differences between them and Henry and Adonis and what that says about Taika.

Bc like, They have the same base.

A man isolated by his own hand constructs a lover to fill the loneliness in his life. That constructed lover is brought to life and the story ensues.

But Henry and Taika don't Feel the same.

Henry wanted a muse who would never become imperfect, someone who would never age, or see him as doing wrong, or disobey or disagree with him. and only sought out bringing Adonis to life because a stone statue couldn't tell him it loved him or praise him or worship him.

Taika was just lonely. The world outside was too loud and the people too much. Still he needed human comforts like the presence of another so he made himself a doll, not a very good one, just an embarrassing facsimile for him to talk to. And as he hid away from outside more and more, he spent more and more time devoted to caring for and making his doll better until it was his love that gave the doll life.

Fundamentally what I've described Taika being is a shut in dude bro with a body pillow or figurine he treats like a wife out of social isolation and fear of rejection. but with a witch hat.

Like, Taika is not a heroic figure, and there's not an easy way to show him without describing that specific IRL parallel. But i think that's the point of him? Henry is a mockery of self absorbed artists who used their art as an excuse to be abusive, Taika is...

Taika is something. Is he an abstraction or parody of the idea of the quintessential neck beard? A romantization?

He's a shut in, a witch, and a man in love with a doll.

He, like many of the men he reflects, is autistic and struggling with a world that doesn't fit him and people who he doesn't know how to communicate with... Do I want to push him farther? Is he being radicalized by people more willing to meet him at his level and more able to point fingers at who it is that they believe causes his problems?

Does Drogo help or make that worse? He knows nothing besides Taika. Is that the story I want to tell with them? A sweet blooming romance between a shut in who's been scorned by the world at large and has become part of a toxic community that sees monsters in every shadow or scrap of difference.

What is the story there? incel who calls women females and is slowly falling deeper into the 4chan to 8chan pipeline is handed his waifu through no real effort of his own and then what?

Is Drogo a motivation to escape this hell he's made for himself? His happiness is used as an indicator that he is now an outsider to the in group causing him to become unmoored from the one tether he had. Is there something wrong with Drogo that Taika must leave his hole in order to fix? Does Drogo call him cringe and drag him out by the lapels?

is this the story I want to tell.

[happymeishappylife]

Movies I Watched in 2023

1. Tu Me Manques

The premise of this movie and its subsequent is both beautiful and absolutely heartbreaking. Based on a play and a true story, the idea is that an estranged father who didn't understand his son because of his sexual orientation, finds his phone after his death and wants to learn about his life. This leads him to connect to his son's boyfriend who shows him, teaches him, and pours his heart out to this stranger because their relation is what leads his lover to commit suicide. And that in itself is promising, until you get to the end of the movie and find out that these are the actors of the play, showing what would be the better ending to such a heartbreaking story. Instead, that father wanted nothing to do with Sebastian and never goes to find out about his life.

2. Spirited Away: Live on Stage Production

I'm so glad they filmed this live show and made a movie. It's such an incredible production and just as enchanting as the movie itself. The puppetry, scenery, and staging to bring this animated film to life is a delight and so well done, that honestly it felt like watching the original movie. And honestly, with a caliber this high, I would love to see more of Studio Ghibli's works brought to life.

3. The Best of Enemies

This was an incredible movie and had amazing performances by Taraji P Henson and Sam Rockwell. What rocked me though is this is a true historical story from my home state and it happened 50 years ago. 50 years ago!!! And yet here in North Carolina we were still fighting the segregation movement, even if it was technically illegal. But watching the people of Durham clash because of the destruction of the 'black' school and watching how the clan tried to intimidate black and white folk for supporting segregation was wild. But watching Ann Atwater fight and then also help the new Klansleader C. P. Ellis with the caring of his son was an absolutely fantastic moment to prove to the audience and I'm sure the people of Durham, that change can happen. Which is why that ending scene, while tense, is so hopeful and a cheer worthy moment.

4. Tick, Tick... Boom

Rent has always been one of my favorite musicals, and the story of its creator has always been so bittersweet. Andrew Garfield deserves the world for such a brilliant portrayal of a man who struggle so much to make his dreams come true, and sadly never saw them thrive. Sure Jonathan Larson's obsession with his musical and the alienation of his friends and responsibilities is hard to watch, but that also influenced his art so much. And while we may never see a full production of Superbia, I applaud his risks to create amazing music.

5. First They Killed My Father

The story of Cambodia's Civil War is gut wrenching and guilt ridden, as I'm aware that we caused it. When I watched Funan a couple years ago, I was absolutely grief stricken by the way people were treated and how much they suffered. So while I had more background going into this, it didn't lessen the impact or the pain. The way its directed from the eyes of Loung Ung, a child at the time that the Khmer Rouge forces her family to leave Khmer Republic. She then watches as her family is forced to leave everything behind, be compelled to do hard manual labor and starve, and watch slowly by slowly as her family is torn from her, treated badly and killed. Plus watching her be trained as a child soldier and then having to walk through a mine field that she understands how it was created is just absolutely gut-punching as other people around her hit mine after mine. Just an incredibly powerful movie.

6. Free Guy

One of the more lighthearted movies on my list, I really enjoyed this movie because it twists the general conception of video games. I would love if some random NPC like Guy just decided to go rogue and do his own thing in a game. How beautiful would that be? And why would anyone try to terminate that? (I don't care if they are played hilariously by Taika Watiti). But I also love the understory of these two indie developers trying to reclaim their original build and preserve it from a giant game company who only wants profits.

7. Nope

Watched this during Spooktober this year and I wasn't that scared by it, even with the one true horror-esque scene of the blood and guts pouring down the farm house. Instead, I was super intrigued and loved this brilliant sci-fi movie because it envisioned a truly unique alien. I mean we don't know what's up there and of course there could be life who don't act like humans so why not a giant creature that's just eating people? I love OJ's calm collective approach to discovering what the alien is and what it wants and that he pulls from his long years of horse training to understand it. Plus, paired up with Em's hilarious and charismatic approach to trying to get famous off this footage it makes for a great partnership.

8. Marshall

Rest in Power, Chadwick, but you were so incredible. And in another movie where he gets to play one of the legends he absolutely shines. Seeing his portrayal of Thurgood Marshall on this case against a black man accused of harming a white women, we see his absolute relentless dedication to defend this man's innocence against the racist judge and jury, but we also see his compassion as he helps guide and show Sam Friedman that this more than just a trial. This is about civil rights. And as Sam has to deal with the pressure of our racist systems, he eventually comes around to become a civil rights fighter of his own.

9. Welcome to Chechnya

I happened to watch this documentary a couple days after Russia's supreme court ruled that the LGBTQIA+ community as a terrorist organism which is just devastating. But watching this and seeing how the problems first started gaining more attention because of Chechnya's horrific violations of human rights, made all the people featured in this documentary even more heroic. I can't even imagine going through anything like this and its so tragic that where more of the world is slowly making gains, its getting so much worse in Russia. But kudos to Maxim Lupanov who took the step to try and bring attention to the issue and take the persecutors to court. While it may not have changed the situation in Russia, it brought attention to the issue and raised the voices of that community which needs our help right now.

10. Liz and the Blue Bird

This was such an interesting story because at the heart of it, was the exploration and showcase of a relationship between Mizore and Nozomi. Mizore is a talented and introverted oboist who is getting ready to move on in her life, but rather than focusing on what's best for her, she only wants to be with Nozomi. But Nozomi is an extrovert and while she plays flute, she's not a star like Mizore is. So she doesn't have the opportunity to go to a star school. As the two figure it out, the background is the story of the new musical piece they are learning, which is about a lonely girl who rescues a blue bird that turns out to be a magical young girl that then makes it hard for either to let go.

Other Movies I Watched:

11. My Father’s Violin

12. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

13. Judas and the Black Messiah

14. Miss Saigon: 25th Anniversary Performance

15. Over the Moon

16. Prayers for the Stolen

17. Dance of the 41

18. Homestay

19. Railroad Tigers

20. Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods

21. Saw

22. Parasite

23. Once Upon a Time in China 2

24. Needle in a Timestack

25. The Giver

26. Les Miserables

27. Tell it to the Bees

28. Amaraica

29. Real Women Have Curves

30. The Last Emperor

31. Te Ata

32. Funny Boy

33. The Death and Life of Martha P Johnson

34. Predator

35. The Sorcerer and the White Snake

36. West Side Story

36. The Wailing

38. Drive My Car

39. Saving Face

40. Confirmation

41. The Farewell

42. Son of Monarchs

43. Rosemary’s Baby

44. Weathering With You

45. Beginners

46. Passing

47. Please Don’t Save Me

48. One Night in Miami

49. I’ll Follow You Down

50. The Royal Treatment

51. My Name is Pauli Murray

52. The Harder They Fall

53. Mogul Mowgli

54. Mur Murs

Movies I rewatched in 2023:

1. Doctor Who: The Movie

2. Phantom of the Opera

3. Rent

4. Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat

5. Hairspray

6. The Muppet Christmas Carol

7. It's a Wonderful Life

[lapsed-bookworm]

Source: The Weeknd Donating 4 Million Emergency Meals to Gaza Through His XO Humanitarian Fund (dated to 1 December 2023).

This is good news, but I do want to caution people on avoiding artists who don't talk about the Israel/Palestine conflict. Quite frankly, artists who have a PR person (or PR teams) might not be rushing to put forward a statement that's more than carefully neutral right now. Artists are also not immune to not being knowledgeable enough about every topic to weigh in on them (think back, perhaps, on people making fun of Justin Beiber for using an image of Gaza in a post about Israel, or how people were tired of actors feeling like they had to weigh in on the fire in Maui earlier this summer).

This doesn't mean there's anything inherently wrong with supporting pro-Palestine artists or artists who are specifically donating to Palestinian causes. It's more that I've seen plenty of people "not being normal" about silence on I/P, and someone tried to claim earlier in November that Taika Waititi's silence on presenting any public opinions as a nonzionist/antizionist/zionist was evidence itself of him being a Zionist [when he's just a well known Jewish director/actor]. I've seen people act suspicious of any use of Hebrew, someone realized that Leonard Cohen did a concert for Israeli soldiers back in 1973 and got weird, and I can only guess that Jewish artists are feeling like they have to do the whole "are you a good Jew or a bad Jew" litmus test when relatively unknown Jewish Tumblrites are expressing that feeling.

Again, I'm not saying there's something wrong with the idea of supporting pro-Palestine artists.

The Weeknd donated 2.6 million dollars to humanitarian aid in Gaza so if you like his music go stream it!! Support pro-Palestinian artists and TRY to avoid the ones who don't talk about it. If they start with Zionist bullshit drop them completely!! Should I make a post on pro-Palestine artists?

[rovermcfly]

lover lover lover by leonard cohen // blackbeard in our flag means death episode 10 “wherever you go, there you are” // @all-chickens-are-trans on tumblr

[gaypiratebrainrot]

This is not so much a question as it is me screaming about the secret fic. Probably not for the last time.

I wanna talk about how you swapped the names of the actors with the characters they portray. Ok, maybe I do have a question--did the idea for the name swap come during the early formation of this story in your mind, or did that come later, after you'd been writing for a bit?

It's just--we so often lean on names in fanfic not just as indicators of identity but as stand-ins for/signifiers of intrinsic elements of entity*, so while it's RPF (but is it lol) it's also like you've set up this series of mirrors so you can't tell if you're looking at the projection or the real person

which also sort of begs the question, is it all a projection

and basically you're amazing because you do all of this within the recognizable structure of an explicit one-off fanfic, complete with brain-melting smut and an emotionally satisfying (if also 'unhappy') ending. I can't even.

*See end of this interview https://krauseessayprize.org/winners-2/mary-ruefle-interview/ with Mary Ruefle where she talks about identity vs entity; see also every fanfic with the line "he smelled/tasted like [noun] and [noun] and something uniquely [NAME]"

Ok here's the quote from the Ruefle interview because I can't resist:

"Literacy is a blessing and a curse. Increased literacy means increased self-consciousness and we all know where that ends. Gertrude Stein once pointed out the difference between being an entity and having an identity: an entity is an entity but has an identity. An identity is bestowed from without, it is given to you socially. It’s your resume. But an entity is your being, and for many people, they have no entity without an identity, they confuse the two, and therein lies a great deal of anguish and suffering. Language and literacy are ambiguous because they invest one with entity at the same time they accessorize one with identity. That’s what I mean by being both a curse and a blessing. The moment someone learns to write their name, they become someone else, someone other than who they were before. A whole world opens, and a whole world closes. Who am I? I am one person when I am answering interview questions, and I am another person when I am alone on a plastic float in the middle of a lake. Which is the real me? Damned if I know. But the tension between the two creates my life."

ok first thank you so so so much for this incredible message and amazing quote, truly truly a gift to me.

the story of the conception of this fic: in the wild fields where fic ideas and masturbatory fantasies are not easily distinguished, my mind kept producing the rpf scenes that are now in the fic. i had very little interest in writing rpf (though i came into fandom through rpf and don't have problems with it), especially bc i knew there would be wank, but the scenes just kept coming.

so then i was like, okay, how far would i have to go to turn these scenes into an actor AU, and that was the slightly cursed day i asked myself "what really is the difference between a rhys/taika-coded actor au and a stede/ed-coded rpf?" i was too lazy to come up with the actor AU, and then the idea of just switching the names was really funny to me, AND THEN i was like but what do i call david jenkins, and sat on the floor weeping with laughter for a very long time at javid denkins, and the rest is now history.

one of the most fascinating parts to me is that i wrote it with their names being stede and ed, and then there was a stretch where i wasn't sure the meta aspect was working and almost swapped the names back (there exists a google doc where they are called rhys and taika). i had to grapple with feeling like i wouldn't have written it if i'd actually called them rhys and taika from the start, but that feeling is so so so interesting to me, cause like, damn, the power of a name!

anyway, i think excessively about the nature of identity, so this is just a bonkers great time for me to have folks engaging in the conversation that runs constantly in my mind <3 <3

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

The few fans on ao3 that somehow are managing to write love and thunder fix its are the strongest soldiers. I have brain death every time I try to think abt it

Yeah must be tough to navigate with how angry some people get when you don't like the same movies they do.

I do believe there are certain ideas in L&T that weren't that bad, they just were executed very poorly. They had all this thing about Thor trying to figure out who he is but towards the end he still hasn't, he's at the same point 2 hours later but with the added responsibility of raising a kid that's not his + he still hasn't acknowledged his trauma, his upbringing and his grief.

So figuring out who he is turned out to be no more than... turning into his dad? Taking in a kid that's not his while he's in no shape to raise anybody, with a ton of mental and emotional issues that are going unaddressed and will definitely affect the kid in the long run and with no real connections to anybody: Val seems to be a colleague more than a friend, Sif apparently means very little to him now, he has no family and no real friendships... that's one hell of a way to destroy yourself. I'm still baffled at how Taika managed to sell this as something positive 🤷‍♀️

Introducing the goats could have been done respectfully and meaningfully but nah, they're in it for the jokes. Jane's story could have been nuanced and deep but nah, she was there with no arc just to cause man pain to the main character and die in his arms (because Thor hasn't lost enough already...). The gods should have been shown in a different light and not in an insulting "oh they don't give a fuck, they just like orgies!", Gorr's character was completely forgettable and I'm still surprised they so openly wasted Christian Bale's talent, etc.

A good writer and director could do something great with this but I guess we needed less of Thor and his story and more of Korg, right? 🙄

[mirkwoodest]

Universal truths in boy's own adventure

By MICHAEL BODEY THE AUSTRALIAN 12:00AM AUGUST 25, 2010

TAIKA Waititi is still pinching himself at the success of his second film, Boy.

He concedes New Zealand films don't do as well on their home turf "as, I imagine, many Australian films don't do crazily well".

Boy doesn't exactly scream "hit", being a coming-of-age story set in 1984 on NZ's rural east coast and starring an unknown 11-year-old.

But Waititi's film is the highest grossing local film in NZ history. Its box-office take to date of $NZ9.3 million ($7.4m) surpasses Once were Warriors and The World's Fastest Indian, both of which earned more than $NZ7m.

"In my head I thought around $NZ2m would be nice, twice what my last film [Eagle vs Shark] made, and it's just kept going and going," Waititi notes.

"The feedback and response by local audiences is something none of us really expected."

Boy has been a success because New Zealanders want to see themselves on screen, but its tone is more tragicomic, self-deprecating and relaxed than audiences are used to. It focuses on universal themes of family and the insecurity, clumsiness and wonder of growing up.

James Rolleston is the Boy, a Michael Jackson-obsessed kid living on a farm with his Gran. He idolises his father, Alamein (played by Waititi), a man he imagines is a deep-sea diver, a war hero and a relative of Jackson.

The reality is underwhelming: his itinerant and unreliable dad has been "in the can" for robbery and is little more than a rebel biker without a cause.

"Anyone who has a parent can relate to this idea of not quite understanding who your parents are or making up stories about them," Waititi says.

"Then there are the realities of who they are and their secrets and [realising] they're not superhuman human beings."

Global audiences understand the film, he adds, even if some are surprised to discover it's not a family movie. A Hawaiian festival director programmed the film before seeing it. "Halfway through he asked me, 'Just out of curiosity, is there much more swearing or violence?' "

Australians will find Boy sweet, raucous and lovably NZ, with its recognisable cultural references, language and intonations. It won the audience awards at the Sydney Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival this year.

The film upends certain cliches about NZ cinema globally, although Waititi is still smarting from one US review, in trade newspaper Variety, that accused it of misrepresenting Maori culture.

"[The reviewer] almost took it personally that there weren't ghosts and people in villages riding whales," Waititi says.

Waititi played against local expectations, too, after winning an Academy Award nomination for the short film Two Cars, One Night. "Essentially that was a dramatic short and people assumed after that I would go down the drama road and make typical New Zealand films, dark films about kids who die," he says.

"So I ended up moving away from that and trying to inject some quirkiness and comedy. Maori get pigeonholed into the idea they're spiritual and telling stories like Whale Rider and Once were Warriors, quite serious stuff, but we're pretty funny people and we never really have had an opportunity to show that side of ourselves, the clumsy, nerdy side of ourselves, which is something I am."

Waititi is something more than clumsy and nerdy. The 35-year-old has a background in painting and photography, having exhibited in Wellington and Berlin. His acting and comedy emerged on the side, as he performed with mates including Flight of the Conchords's Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, directed episodes of their US series and gave popular stand-up comedy shows. The semi-autobiographical Boy was the first, tentative screenplay he wrote as he mulled the prospect of being able to move from shorts to feature films.

"I kind of freaked out a bit, I didn't want to leap into it because the transition between short films and feature films is the same as short stories and novels," Waititi explains. "Some people just can't write a novel and some people can't make a feature film, it's just the way it is sometimes. Maybe I couldn't have made a feature film."

Now that one's settled, Waititi is in the enviable position of being able to juggle directing and acting. He has just finished filming a performance in the big-budget studio superhero film, Green Lantern, and expects a sequel to follow.

"Yeah, for my film work I'm in a good position in New Zealand. I could probably make my next film pretty easily," he says with honest understatement. "You're always fine until you stumble and then obviously it becomes harder. The acting thing crept up. I'm not sure how much attention I'll give it.

"I'm lucky my main job now is filmmaking, so it's not like I'm rushing off to LA to do all these auditions and desperately trying to be an actor.

"I think I'm a better filmmaker than actor, so I already know that. That's OK, I can handle not being a famous actor."

He remains unsure whether he can sustain himself as a filmmaker in NZ, even though he doesn't appear particularly rushed to take up any international offers.

He believes he can remain in NZ "if you don't expect what we all thought was the high life of a film director in the 90s when people were being paid squillions of dollars just to do anything".

The money in filmmaking has dried up; today it really is just like any other job.

"The glitz and glamour has gone and you get paid a normal wage to do a job that isn't extraordinary," he says. "So it's kind of fair. I think people were overpaid for what the job is, having fun and telling stories and getting all this cool stuff."

Waititi appreciates that the films he wants to make won't generate the fortune of blockbusters such as Green Lantern, but he doesn't want dedicate two years of his life to a project he's not passionate about.

"The stuff I'm passionate about is what I write, it isn't multi-million-dollar franchise movies," he says.

But with the success of Boy, could there be pressure to create a sequel or franchise out of its characters? Waititi looks across to Rolleston and raises an eyebrow.

"Maybe I'll just make this into a franchise, do the Truffaut thing and just keep hiring him until he's 40."

Boy is in cinemas tomorrow. SBS One screens Eagle vs Shark on Saturday.

[chai-penguin]

I will say that when the lesbian masterdoc became popularized a lot of people (on social media) were posting things that to me, at the time, seemed very accusatory. As in “if YOU only like fictional men you may be a lesbian”

Now I’m talking about posts that weren’t directed at specific people, but it still felt very targeted to me. I mean, who are you to tell ME my identity? I read it regardless, it didn’t really do anything for me as my comphet was very *circumstantial*

I mean, sure, I only seem to like celebrities or 2D men, but what about that crush I had on whatshisname like 10 years ago? It didn’t click to me that this boy was the only kid who treated me like a human being at a time in which I was relentlessly bullied both by my peers and my so called friends, and I disliked most boys, so of course the joy of being treated with kindness and having a friend, who happened to be a boy, meant that I had a crush on him.

Around 2018-2019 I kept seeing these “comphet” posts. I had been bouncing around bi and pan for 4-5 years by then. To me, the “only liking unattainable men” bit made me queasy, specially because I realized my attraction to women because of unattainable women (Thanks Jenna Coleman and Natalie Dormer!) So of course, it did the reverse effect on me. it made me think that I was making up liking women (lol)

And having everyone constantly be like “comphet is [this], [this] is how a crush should feel like” only made it even more confusing for me.

It was only when a man I had been talking to (and never met irl) for months, whom I really really liked as a friend (and I was aware of that) “confessed” to me, that I was like “hang on, I don’t wanna be with a man, ew. Oh my god im a lesbian”

I’ve been IDing as a lesbian for almost 4 years now, and yes, I can actually appreciate the masterdoc whenever I look at Taika Waititi. He is a very attractive man, but I don’t like him like that i want his gender

What I’m trying to say is, people are so fucking different. We experience so many similar things differently. I am bringing this up because, even though the accusations were right (about me being a lesbian), I’ve seen actual bi/pan women express that these posts felt targeted to them…

I feel as though, at the time, people were treating the masterdoc as the “one and only truth”& that is why so many people were confused & having others take everything out of context and constantly going online saying stuff like “if u have a crush on [ficitonal] man ur a lesbian” did not help at all.

And to this day, the concept of attraction is something that my pea brain cannot fully grasp. And that is okay, for I am bitchless.

These concepts of invalidity of attraction when it comes “unattainable”, “fictional”, or “the idea of [person]” is also shared with the ace/aro community. Thing is, when your audience is full of literal teens/kids, these very harsh statements only cause even more confusion. I guess my conclusion is… don’t take anything to heart, if it’s confusing let it be. Of course you don’t know what a crush is supposed to feel like you are FOURTEEN.

[nyxshadowhawk]

Names for Witches

An updated version of an earlier list! Good and evil witches alike:

Acrasia: A witch in The Faerie Queene who tempts and bewitches people, controlling their minds. Means "lacking command."

Agatha: Means "good." A disproportionately common name for witches in media, including the Enchantress from Beauty and the Beast, Aggie Prenderghast from ParaNorman, and Aggie Cromwell from Halloweentown.

Aglaonice: A Thessalian witch from the writings of Plutarch, who could draw the moon down from the sky (probably referring to an eclipse). She might just have been an astronomer!

Akantha: A Greek name meaning "thorn."

Akitophis: The name of an unkown goddess mentioned in the PGM. Possibly a name or epithet of Ereshkigal.

Alcina: An evil sorceress and seductress from Orlando furioso, and the title character of a series of operas. Meaning uncertain.

Alcmene: The mother of Heracles. Means “moon strength.”

Aradia: The title character of Charles Geoffrey Leland's book Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches. A moon goddess and basically the witch version of Jesus, at least in that book.

Arcana: Latin word meaning “secret” (literally “to shut in a chest”), also a word for the two groups of cards in a tarot deck.

Argante: The Queen of Avalon in one Arthurian text, a version of Morgan le Fay. Might be related to argenta (“silver”).

Arianrhod: A Welsh goddess, associated with the moon, stars, fertility, and the passage of time. Means “silver wheel.”

Armida: The name of the witch/seductress in Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered, meaning uncertain.

Asteria: A Titaness and the mother of Hecate, the goddess of falling stars, prophecy, astrology, and oneiromancy. Means “starry.”

Asterope: The mother of Circe in one telling. Means either “lightning” or “star-faced.” (Also the name of one of the Pleiades.)

Autumn: The season containing Halloween/Samhain.

Belladonna: Deadly nightshade, a poisonous herb. Means "beautiful woman."

Briar: Refers to thorny bushes. Could be associated with evil enchantments, beautiful roses, or both.

Brigid: Celtic fire goddess. Means either "strength, virtue" or "exalted one."

Cassandra: A Greek prophetess whom Apollo cursed so no one would believe her. Means "she who entangles men." Could be shortened to "Cassie."

Cerridwen: Welsh enchantress goddess associated with the sacred cauldron of divine inspiration. Means "white poet."

Circe: A sorceress in Greek mythology who turned men into animals and who was a priestess of Hecate. Means "hoop-round."

Despoina: A daughter of Demeter and Poseidon associated with the Eleusinian Mysteries. Means “the mistress.” Also an epithet of Hecate and Persephone.

Diana: Roman name of the goddess Artemis, the virgin goddess of the moon and the hunt. Associated with Dianic Wicca, a modern cult centered around this goddess.

Edana: Celtic, means “little fire.”

Elergia/Annowre: An evil sorceress in Arthurian legend who tries to seduce Arthur.

Endora: The Witch of Endor was a sorceress in the Bible.

Empusa: Female monsters that served Hecate. Means “one-legged.”

Erichtho: A horrifying, evil hag from Lucan’s Pharsalia. Meaning uncertain.

Esmeralda: The name of Granny Weatherwax (from Discworld), means "emerald."

Freya: Norse goddess of love, beauty, sex, and war, means "lady."

Ganeida: An Arthurian sorceress, a sister of Merlin.

Grimhilde: The name given to the Evil Queen in Disney's Snow White. Good for fairy-tale-esque witches, could also work for a kinda Gothy heroic character. Means “masked battle.”

Gwendolyn: A Welsh name meaning "white bow" or "white ring."

Habundia/Habonde: "Abundance," a name for the queen of witches or fairies, associated with Diana, Mab, Nicnevin, and Hecate.

Hazel: Witch-hazel is a shrub with yellow flowers, associated with witches because of its name and its medicinal properties. Actual hazel is an all-purpose wood for magic wands.

Hecate: The goddess of witchcraft, necromancy, the night, and the crossroads in Greek mythology. Means "worker from afar.”

Hecuba: The Queen of Troy, mother of Cassandra. Uncertain etymology, possibly related to "Hecate." She turned into a dog and became one of Hecate’s familiars.

Hellawes: An evil sorceress in Arthurian legend, who seeks to kill Lancelot so she can embalm his corpse and kiss it every day to spite Guinevere. Creepy.

Hellebore: A poisonous herb.

Ianira: A name of several nymphs in Greek mythology, possibly meaning "enchantress."

Ingrid: A Norse name combining the name of a fertility god and the word for "beautiful."

Ivy: A plant thought to drive out evil spirits.

Lamia: A vampire-like monster from Greek mythology that eats children. Name of the witch in the film version of Stardust.

Lilith: The Queen of Demons in Hebrew folklore, means "of the night,” referring to a screech owl.

Lilura: Basque name meaning "enchantment."

Louhi: An evil witch queen in Finnish mythology. Means "trance."

Luna: Roman goddess of the moon.

Maeve: Based on Irish Gaelic, means "intoxicating." Possibly related to Queen Mab.

Medea: Means "cunning," a sorceress in Greek mythology who helped Jason steal the Golden Fleece. Took violent revenge when he left her for another woman.

Melissa: An apprentice of Merlin, who rescues the victims of Alcina. Means “honeybee.”

Morana/Marzanna: The Slavic goddess of death and winter, means "death."

Morgana: Name of the famous sorceress Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legend. Means “sea circle.”

Morrigan: Irish goddess of death, war, and ravens, means “great queen” or “phantom queen.”

Morwenna: A Welsh name meaning “maiden,” the name of the witch in the book version of Stardust.

Nepenthe: A magical drug from the Odyssey that cures sorrow and causes forgetfulness.

Nicnevan: Queen of the Fairies in Scottish folklore, and the witch queen of Samhain. Means "daughter of the divine." Identified with Hecate.

Nimue: A name for the Lady of the Lake, and/or the sorceress who encased Merlin in a tree with his own magic. Might be related to a Greek word meaning "memory."

Nyx: The Greek primordial goddess of and personification of the night.

Orenda: Iriquois name meaning "magical power."

Persephone: Greek goddess of flowers and Queen of the Underworld. Means either "wheat-thresher" or alternatively "destroyer."

Ragana: Lithuanian Crone goddess of witchcraft.

Raven: The bird, associated with death, magic, and prophecy in multiple mythologies.

Sage: Unisex, a cleansing herb used in many magic spells. From Latin, “healing plant.”

Selene: The Greek goddess and personification of the moon.

Sibyl: Greek, “prophetess,” a word for an oracle.

Strega/Striga: "Strega" is the Italian word for witch (and a word for Italian neopaganism). "Striga" is the Latin word for witch and means "screech owl" (owls are in the order "strigiforms") and a genus of flower called "witchweed."

Sycorax: The name of the witch in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, who is probably based on Medea. Uncertain etymology.

Taika: Finnish, "magic spell."

Vervain: An herb with magical and medicinal properties.

Venefica: A Latin word that simply means “woman who poisons,” referring to a woman who works magic by means of potion-making.

Vivian: A name for the Lady of the Lake, means "lively."

Willow: A tree associated with witches and spirits

And, because I don’t want to neglect the men, here’s a few for male witches (I haven’t been able to find nearly as many!):

Abdecian: Means “to get by asking,” as in a magic spell. (Disclaimer: I have no idea where I got this name. I had it written in my notes, and I remember finding it somewhere, but when I searched it I got mainly my own content on various websites. So… idk.)

Abraxas: A magic word found throughout Greek magic spells as a name of power. The name of the “Great Archon” in Gnosticism, also the name of one of the horses of the Sun. Etymology uncertain. Also spelled Abrasax.

Alaric: Germanic, “all-powerful.”

Alistair: Scottish variant on Alexander, meaning “defender of mankind.” Similar to the chosen name of a certain famous occultist.

Altair: The brightest star in Aquila. Means “eagle.”

Amergin: A druid in Irish mythology, “born of song.”

Aspen: A white tree, associated with fairies. Its leaves turn golden in the fall, and they appear to “shimmer” in the breeze.

Arawn: The Welsh lord of the Otherworld and the dead, and leader of the Wild Hunt. Etymology uncertain; might be a variant of the Hebrew Aaron, “exaulted.”

Aurelius: Latin, “golden.”

Belenus: Pan-Celtic god of light and healing identified with Apollo, who gave his name to Beltane. Means “shining one.”

Briar: Refers to thorny bushes. Same fairy-tale associations.

Eliphas: Hebrew, “God is agile.” The pen name of the famous occultist Alphonse Constant.

Gwydion: Means “born of trees,” a magician and trickster god in Welsh mythology.

Hemlock: A poisonous herb used in spells.

Hunter: Self-explanatory. Modern witchcraft tends to involve the worship of forest gods associated with hunting.

Mabon: Welsh, “divine son,” a figure in Arthurian legend. His name was given to the autumn equinox in modern paganism.

Maddock: Welsh, “fortunate.”

Melchior: One of the Biblical magi, “king of light.”

Merle: A unisex name, from Latin, meaning “blackbird.”

Raven: The bird, associated with death, magic, and prophecy in multiple mythologies.

Rowan: Irish, “little red one,” the name of a tree with the ability to ward off evil.

Simon: Greek, from Hebrew, “hearkening.” The name of an ancient sorcerer, Simon Magus, who founded Gnosticism in early Christianity.

Soma: A name with various mystical meanings in different languages. In Greek, it means “body.” In Sanskrit it means “distill, extract” and refers to the drink of the gods, as well as being another name for the Hindu moon god, Chandra. In Finnish, it means “pretty.”

Tanwyn: Welsh, “white fire.”

Taliesin: A legendary bard in Welsh folklore, the son of Cerridwen. Means “shining brow.”

Valerian: A medicinal herb, used to induce sleep. “Health, vitality.”

[small-round-and-angry]

My opinions about the Loki (2021) series. Spoilers and all that.

I took some time off the fandom until I felt it was time to make this post, if only to get it out of my system, so I can finally rest. I thought, since I was so pumped for the series to begin with, before it was launched and everything, and how I waited to expectantly for every episode that was airing weekly, that the empty feeling I was experiencing after it was all done was just because, well, it was all done.

I thought maybe it was the normal empty-chested-feeling you get when you finish a movie, series, or book that you really liked / waited a lot for.

It was not it. It didn’t pass. It got worse.

I’m going to put this under a cut, and under the anti-tags, because I know some people liked this show and not everyone has to be miserable with me.

I want to preface this by saying that I respect everyone that was involved in this project, and I know that it may be gut-wrenching to receive criticism on something that you worked in, but I feel cheated. I feel lied to. It’s one thing to work hard and be thoughtful and still receive bad reviews, but I don’t think this is the case at all.

To start it all, I was so excited to see Loki again. He’s the only character that I maintained any attachment to throughout so long, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I always considered myself a fan since I saw The Avengers (2012) with my parents in the theaters, at the ripe age of 12. To be honest, Loki was what got me into superhero movies, and into the marvel fandom at all. And I knew, or at least suspected, that they would do something different with the character. I was ready for that, after reading the comics and realizing that MCU Loki and Comics Loki are two different versions of the same character (more on that later). And I thought it was even going to be for the best, since Tom Hiddleston, bless his heart, was one of the executive producers and, I thought, would have more of a say on Loki’s character arc during the series.

What I watched was, to be completely fair with myself, not Loki. I couldn’t really pinpoint it at the time, but I keep expecting something to happen after he was captured by the TVA to show us his mind at work. A scheme, a plan, anything remotely smart that he cooked up. And yet, nothing. He kept acting…Not Loki. As time passed, I hoped he was biding his time, fooling everyone, that he would reveal his masterplan at the season finale and go back to the main timeline. The series ended and I didn’t see Loki, any of them, act as Loki once.

Maybe it’s because I am a fan of the older version of MCU Loki. The darker, more complicated one. I didn’t want a redeeming arc at all, I don’t think all villains or anti villains need a redeeming arc. That’s boring. And, to my interpretation of his character, shouldn’t be in his future at all. Loki thrives on the gray area. I love not knowing what he is to the other characters, the chaos, the lying and manipulation, the grand schemes. This new content we’ve been getting, since Ragnarok, depict him as a more comedic, campy character (which is …fine? Meh, I don’t care for it).

And of course, that’s not to say Tom Hiddleston didn’t do a good job. Poor man did his best with what was given to him by the writers. It’s hard to keep a character consistent, however, when every director and screenwriter seems to have a different idea of who they are. He kept it together fairly well when Taika attempted to assassinate Loki’s character, but Kate Herron snapped his neck harder than Thanos ever could. And for what?

Sylvie.

Now, hear me out. There’s nothing wrong with the concepts of Sylvie, Lady Loki, and a Love interest. Separately. In trying to bring everything together in one character, the writers not only could not come up with a compelling woman character, but also had to bring down an already well established character, the TITULAR character, no less, so she could look somewhat presentable, which is insulting. And they Still failed. I don’t like the pairing either, but that’s not what I’m talking about (right now). The truth is, I don’t know Sylvie. She just got here, I have no emotional attachment to her whatsoever, so I won’t feel for her the same I feel for Loki, who’ve I watched for almost a decade. And instead of trying to build an emotional connection between Sylvie and the viewer, they chose to spoon-feed us a romance between her and Loki.

Well, more between Loki and Her, and not even that. I felt like Loki was always trailing her like a lost puppy, and big eyes and expectations, and she was giving him…Absolutely nothing. All the sweet moments between them were initiated by him, all the talking about feeling were done by him, all the looks and gestures…And although I understand Sylvie grew up in apocalypses and Loki grew up in a palace, she still claimed to have romantic partners. Multiple, man and women. And still, showed no visible interest in Loki up until the kiss scene, which I suspect was more to shut him up and send him flying that anything.

Excuse me if I want Loki to have a love interest who is actually invested in him too.

And Why make her a Loki variant at all if she is adamant she isn’t Loki? Why go to the extent of dying her hair blonde (where in the apocalypse did she manage to get her hair blonde? WHY?) and then give her horns? If she was taken as a child, where did she get the very Asgardian like leather armor she used? WHERE IS THIS INFORMATION?

If they were going to go so far to alienate her from the identity of being a Loki variant just so they could pair her with Loki and it not be weird (it was), why make her a variant at all? If you’re going to make a selfcest pairing, at least commit to it. Sylvie Lushton, from where they got the name, isn’t a Loki Variant, if anything She’s an Amora Variant. Why name her Sylvie if she has no relation to Amora?

The plot has so many holes and is so disappointing. I was promising Loki playing around and causing havoc with time traveling. When I saw Richard E. Grant had been cast, I imagined the big bad would be King Loki, like in the comics! Something about Loki seeing what he becomes if he let darkness completely consume him, and finding balance in his chaos, after all. The premise of Loki healing though observing himself, or variants of himself, was honestly good. His variants, however, where so underused, poorly used, made Loki look like a fool. Even he was ashamed of their interactions. And Kid Loki apparently Killed Thor, which makes him the leader (???) and that’s never mentioned again. President Loki, who was a big part of the appeal of the trailer, is gone in two minutes. And then there’s the mirror scene from the trailer, that didn’t even make it to the series.

There are other things that bother me a lot about this too, but it’s not my place to discuss them in dept. To list, if anyone is interested in knowing: The underdevelopment of black character, and the reaction of the fandom, to my knowledge, to said black characters, in special Ravonna and Boastful Loki. The misrepresentation of gender fluid people, which if I can recall was one of the points they sold to us as something they would touch into Loki’s characterization. Some people have pointed out that it was biphobic to pair Loki with a woman after he “came out” on screen as bisexual. I am bisexual, and I disagree, but I can see why it’s an issue for a lot of people, as mlm relationships are rare in MCU canon. What I thought was Biphobic, however, was having Loki not show us he was bi, rather than telling us.

In summary, I am very disappointed, and I am mourning. This series managed to do what End Game didn’t, which was kill all hope I had to ever have Loki back. He’s gone.

[ellovett]

Two things as Random Ideas:

Taika and Lyla because so far she had a thing for many wildcat like people

Osyron and Heaven is funny in my head

WAAAAA I RLLY LIKE BOTH OF THESE IDEAS !!!

Taika and Lyla seems like a partners in crime kinda duo, not rlly crime as I don't think they're the kind of people to cause actual trouble but together they make a great team !! I feel like Taika's fearlessness would a great balance for Lyla, Taika is also unexpectedly a voice of reason as well so they'll be there 2 back their gf up for sure ! They can either be best friends or lovers...or best friends INTO lovers...holy shit bruh..

Osyron and Heaven have that ethereal god/deity solidarity already...so I alr like their dynamic :sob: They seem like they'd be old friends who meet once again after many many years and start 2 fall in love, Heaven frequents RSA so they're bound to meet ! While Osyron is v blunt, Heaven's the complete opposite, so I like 2 think that they balance each other out ^^ and both of them are capable of being equally ruthless and frightening.