#compass point studio

[gachael]

Chief Inspector (Nomad Soul Remix) / Wally Badarou

Inspector Nomad

[dickinson-devotee]

Nassau — 1984

[tv-moments]

Lioness

Season 2, “The Compass Points Home”

Director: Stephen Kay

DoP: Stuart Campbell

[addictedtorobertpalmer]

Moon Martin and Robert Palmer recording Palmer's cover of "Bad Case Of Loving You", 1979, Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas.

[starful-emporium]

that finale made me so emotional. i cried at all of their scenes in Ankarna's realm. anyway, here's some bad kids senior year head canons.

Kristen: Her wish for a sister is filled by Bucky, crying in her room late at night and praying together. After talking to Jawbone they learn that there are grounds to remove Bricker and Cork from their parents' home. Kristen is the only one given the option of emancipation--instead, she asks Jawbone to adopt her as well.

She falls back onto old patterns with Tracker. But they're a little older and wiser, so they see it happening and take a step back. Not a break up, but a readjustment. With her academics finally not reliant on deadlines, Kristen dedicates herself to her pantheon. They work with Lucy to bring Ruvina back to her sister, and Kristen finds herself in awe of the dedication she sees.

Fig: She puts all her time into the Bottomless Pit, something it desperately needs. Often she tells Sandra-Lynn she's sleeping at Gilear's, and vice versa, and stays with Ayda instead. On her 18th birthday her parents sit her down and explain that she can live with Ayda officially, if she wants to. Just as long as she remembers she'll always have a room with both of them.

She brings Sandra-Lynn on Complicated Women, first to interview, and then as a permanent guest host. They talk about womanhood as something living and changing and queer and complicated. It's her mom who encourages her when Lola Embers drops Ruben. They rally all the rock-hating souls and cordon off part of the recording studio. Fig never goes in there, but from what she's heard, his music has gotten better in the absence of Kipperlilly's judgement.

Fabian: Somehow, he ends up being the one to train the new dog. The Hangman is jealous to a ridiculous degree, so he spends a lot of time managing that. He starts looking into a sea-worthy vessel for after graduation, spends hours at the Compass Points Library learning how to navigate. Learning sea shanties is part of all that, of course, and has nothing to do with the way his baby sibling stares at him while he practices.

Mazey teaches dance to kids while he finishes school. She's so kind it almost hurts, and Fabian has no choice but to learn to accept love. He "lets" Gorgug skip Bloodrush under the condition of weekly movie nights, which only sometimes are expanded to the rest of the Bad Kids. The radio in his room crackle to life sometimes, with little messages from Bill when he's close enough to the material plane.

Riz: Appointed as vice president, he quits all but the AV club. He makes a bedtime pact with Sklonda, and for the first time in a very long time, they are both getting enough sleep. Someone mentions ace and aro identities to him, and he's awake enough for it click.

He finds a new scholarship for Aguefort students, and it looks scam-y so he does some investigating. It easily traces right back to Seacaster gold and Fabian. He's thankful for the cover and accepts the money with an understanding that they won't talk about it. He doesn't check, but the scholarship is offered every year after that.

Adaine: She spends the summer with Aelwyn tracking down their mom. She doesn't need revenge, but she needs to know her mom will never hurt anyone ever again. She feels Ankarna in the hot sun and wonders if that's the difference between revenge and justice. They take the long way back to Solace, the Hand-van paddling across the ocean.

When school starts, she works with Kristen to turn her inheritance into resources. Student who can pay for some of their components still do, but everyone gets what they need to learn. On the first day of class, she's asked about her summer prophecies, and tells off Tiberia for relying on her for lessons.

Gorgug: His senior year MCAT is signed on the first day by Lydia, who's teaching barbarian classes for the year. She gives him permission for independent study, and Henry gives him a shop key so he can do classwork whenever he wants. The rest of his time is spent perfecting Barbificer skills and creating a program to run at Aguefort the next year.

Mary Ann offers her quokky pet skills to help remodel his homonculous. The result is much cuter and more functional than before. She still names her highest level pet Cloaca in honor of the original, much to Gorgug's chagrin.

After graduation, the Bad Kids move in trios and pairs, and they always reconvene on the Summer Solstice, the anniversary of Ankarna's resurrection.

Kristen splits her time between Solace and Fallinel and Mountains of Chaos, the places where temples to her pantheon stand. Adaine and Riz rent an apartment in Bastion City, where they both continue school. Gorgug stays in Elmville, teaching at Aguefort and working on the side to start his own school. Fabian takes to the sea, bringing Fig and Ayda and Mazey with him.

They save the world again, a few times, but only when they want to.

[flightlogmcu]

Hey so Sam Wilson as a character is flawed (exists only to score the bl*ck points) and one dimentional which is why people don’t resonate with him as opposed to previous captain (not that that one was any… marvel to behold). It doesn’t help that the actor is a trump supporter…. Flop all the way, Capitan Floptina more like it

You goin on about how he’s the new jesus is kinda proving that represnetion for representation sake is enough for those here without any critical thinking skills lol

Since we're talking about critical thinking, let's have an actual critical analysis of Sam Wilson. (That is if you can actually read more than three paragraphs)

First and foremost, no one appreciates representation for representation sake. Including people who advocate for it. That's why thing such as the Bechdel test and The Duvernay Test exists. It comes off as disingenuous and done poorly half the time. Ironically enough, Disney is notorious for this and it bleeds into Marvel Studios on a regular.

However, it is odd to even consider Sam Wilson for quote unquote "black points" (not sure why you had to censor that) when Sam Wilson has existed as a character since the 60s and has been Captain America in the comics since 2015. He's a prominent character within the comics that was then brought to screen. As thus the natural progression of the MCU.

Sam Wilson as a character in the MCU invites discussion on the idea of not only the role of Captain America but the idea of what America is.

The parallels between him and Steve within The Falcon & The Winter Soldier and (somewhat) within Brave New World provide a perspective in which we are to question what America stands for.

Hofstede's cultural onion model (since I have to stop writing my thesis to address this dumbass message, you're gonna get my thesis talk) reflects the manifestation of culture with layers. One of those layers is Heroes.

Heroes are persons, alive or dead, real or imaginary, who possess characteristics which are highly prized in a culture, and who thus serve as models for behavior.

And by all accounts, Sam Wilson should fit that ideal model: he's active duty military, smart, and (if we were to look within the universe itself) an ordinary man capable of following in Steve's footsteps.

The only issue is that he is black. His accolades and character no longer matter because racism and anti-blackness is wrapped within the fabric of America.

This then points to the discourse of Captain America: what (and who) does the hero represent?

Steve Rogers represented the true to form American hero of the 40s and 50s. Blond haired, blue eyed man with super strength that punched Hitler. Questioning authority and being an immovable object. It represents (whether that is who Steve Rogers truly is or not) an old America at the top of it's imperial game. It intends to reflect brute strength and power through said strength. No questions asked.

Contrast that with Sam Wilson in the modern era. A black man from the south serving in the air force. Prioritizing conversational tactics alongside sheer human strength. No serum needed. He represents a post-vietnam, post-globalization America. An America that has changed in it's values since Steve Rogers was in his prime. He is to reflect what America is today; a *trigger warning cause I know the snowflakes hate this word* diverse country that is intended to be a beacon of hope through compassion that will still fight you and persevere out of spite.

Sam Wilson does not exist just to be black. Most black characters aren't and shouldn't be. The existence of black superheroes and any black character in media is to add a different perspective that invites conversation that would not be considered if we went along with the status quo. And that's for any underrepresented group.

[antinousletmehit]

Don't be shy give us the drafts 😈

Telemachus adjusted his drafting table, the low hum of the college studio room filling the air as he meticulously worked on his latest architectural blueprint. He had a midterm project due, and Professor Hephaestus had made it clear that he expected perfection. “Still drawing your little squares and triangles, Telemachus?” came a familiar, mocking voice from behind.

Telemachus sighed but didn’t look up. “Hello, Antinous.” Antinous, y/n’s older brother, sauntered into the room, his forensic textbooks tucked under his arm. His sharp grin made it clear he was in the mood to antagonize. “You know, while you’re busy doodling, some of us are out here studying real sciences. Forensics, the stuff that actually solves mysteries and makes a difference.”

Telemachus rolled his eyes. “And yet, here you are, interrupting me instead of solving mysteries.”

“Antinous!” Y/n’s voice cut through the room like a knife. She strode in, her physcology notes in hand and an exasperated expression on her face. “Are you seriously bothering Telemachus again?”

Antinous leaned casually against the wall, clearly unfazed. “I’m just trying to inspire the kid. Maybe he’ll switch to a major with some… weight.”

“Being an architect requires more creativity and discipline than you’ll ever understand,” she snapped, planting her hands on her hips. “You can’t just tear people down because you think your major is better. Also, maybe focus on your own work instead of harassing others.”

Telemachus smirked at her lecture but quickly covered it with a cough. “It’s fine, y/n. I’m used to it.”

“No, it’s not fine,” she said, glaring at her brother.

Antinous groaned, dramatically throwing his hands up. “Fine, fine! I’m leaving. Have fun with your rulers and compasses, Telemachus.”

As Antinous strolled out, she sighed and sat next to Telemachus. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just jealous because you’re better at focusing than he is.”

Telemachus chuckled. “I appreciate the backup. I don’t know how you deal with him.”

She shrugged. “He’s my brother. It’s a full-time job keeping him in line. Anyway, need a break? I brought coffee.”

“Please,” Telemachus said, setting his pencil down. “You’re a lifesaver.” And as they sipped their coffee, Antinous’ teasing was quickly forgotten—at least until the next time he decided to crash their study session.

——

In Antinous and Eurymachus’ shared dorm, the atmosphere was a mix of chaos and disarray. Girl’s panties were strewn across the floor, empty takeout containers balanced precariously on the edge of the desk, and the faint smell of cologne hung in the air. Eurymachus was sprawled on his bed, scrolling through his phone, clearly uninterested in the pile of ELA assignments stacked on his desk. Antinous paced the room like a caged lion, his arms flailing as he launched into yet another rant.

“I’m telling you, Eurymachus,” Antinous started, his voice sharp with frustration, “y/n is way too young to be hanging out with guys like Telemachus. She’s barely even out of high school, and now she thinks she can just… what? Be friends with him like it’s nothing?”

Eurymachus didn’t even look up from his phone. “Dude, she’s in college. Same as you. She’s not a kid.”

“She is a kid,” Antinous snapped, pointing an accusatory finger in the air. “She’s my baby sister. She has no idea how guys think, how manipulative they can be. And Telemachus? Don’t even get me started. He’s got that whole quiet, ‘I’m-so-serious’ vibe going on. It’s suspicious!”

Eurymachus finally glanced up, smirking lazily. “Suspicious? Or are you just jealous she’s spending more time with him than with you?”

Antinous froze mid pace, glaring at Eurymachus. “Jealous? Of Telemachus? Don’t be ridiculous. I just think she’s too naïve to see through people’s motives. She doesn’t need to be wasting her time on some guy who spends all day drawing buildings.”

Eurymachus shrugged, clearly unimpressed. “Look, man, you can’t micromanage her life forever. She’s not a kid anymore, and she’s gonna make her own choices. If Telemachus is the guy she wants to hang out with, what’s the big deal?”

Antinous groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “The big deal is that she doesn’t know what she’s doing. And don’t act like you’d be fine if your sister was hanging out with some random guy.”

Eurymachus chuckled, setting his phone down. “Good thing I don’t have a sister, then. But if I did? I’d probably trust her to figure it out on her own. You’re just being overprotective, man. Let her live a little.”

Antinous shook his head, still unconvinced. “You don’t get it. She’s y/n. She’s too young, too trusting. And Telemachus is probably just pretending to be nice so he can—”

“Can what?” Eurymachus interrupted, raising an eyebrow. “Ask her out? Fall in love? God forbid, right? What’s the worst that could happen, Antinous? She’s not some helpless little kid anymore.” Antinous scowled but didn’t respond. Instead, he resumed his pacing, muttering under his breath about “reckless friendships” and “guys who think they’re smarter than they are.”

Eurymachus, clearly amused by the entire situation, grabbed his phone again and settled back into his bed. “You’re gonna give yourself a heart attack, man. Just let it go. Who knows? Maybe Telemachus isn’t as bad as you think.”

“Unlikely,” Antinous muttered, though his pacing slowed slightly. Still, the thought of his baby sister being anywhere near Telemachus—or any guy—left him bristling with frustration.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Gay Cheerleaders AU

Y'all knew it was coming.

I'm thinking Lena would be the... third(?) year veteran, who is a legacy. Her mom Lillian was also a cheerleader, and then became the head honcho in charge of the cheerleading division. Lena grew up with the expectation of eventually joining the organization as a dancer, and naturally becomes a group leader (the youngest 1st group leader in the history of the organization?) through her sense of responsibility, magnetism, and compassion, even if she remains a little distant-- she doesn't share her whole self with the team, as she's constantly aware of needing to present the image of a perfect cheerleader, a perfect leader.

Kara would be the rookie, immediately awed by Lena's performance during tryouts. She's not in Lena's group, but her own group leader faces some... personality challenges, lets say, that have Kara taking on more of a responsibility than would normally be allocated to a first year dancer.

But when Kara and Lena end up bumping into each other in the studio for some solo practice, they agree to share the space and work together. Of course they end up bonding, and those practices lead to coffees, lunches, some movie nights.

They eventually become the darlings of the team, inseperably so. Young fans try to catch glimpses of them standing together on the sidelines, loving to see Kara acting herself (aka goofy) and seeing Lena laughing in response. Behind the scenes they become romantically and sexually involved, but they keep it hidden because while it's not explicitly forbidden, they do cheer for a very conservative state, and they know it would impact not only their squad but the team overall.

In their day jobs, Lena is a children's dance teacher-- she wants to do more, but Lillian wants it for the community-service image it presents. Kara would be a fitness trainer I think, something lucrative but flexible and reflective of her athletic and exuberant nature whereas Lena is a bit more reserved.

Kara and Lena span multiple seasons/classes, and in the off season Lena pops up on Kara's instagram a little bit here and there, which only fuels the quiet online rumors about them. Like, the people who clock them are also queer in a conservative region of the country, so it's not a mass pop-culture phenomenon-- yet.

That all changes when one night Lena is grabbed inappropriately by a cameraman or other stadium employee, and can't manage to extricate herself despite her obvious and vocal discomfort. Kara sees red. She slugs the man right across the jaw with a proper right hook. The cameras had only just started to pan over to Lena's commotion and catches the exact moment Kara lunges for him and spins Lena out of his reach.

Kara is the champion/brute of the moment, depending on who's talking. Some laud her for both her protectiveness of her teammate and her technique, while others condemn her for unladylike vigilantism. Why didn't she let the security team deal with it, she serves a role model for young girls what is she teaching them the thug life?

Most importantly-- and most dire, perhaps-- is that it clues Lillian into the deeper nature of their relationship. She corners Lena, and interrogates her as Lena tries and tries to deflect. Lillian all but tells her that she'll be watching Lena through a microscope, and terrifies Lena to the point she breaks up with Kara in an attempt to protect her tenure with the organization.

Kara doesn't really care about all that, but when Lena says it's what she wants, she respects that. Until the team goes to the superbowl, and in the height of emotions at the winning touchdown, Lena forgets herself and throws her arms around Kara's neck and kisses her.

She's stunned at herself, horrified even, but before she can even try to apologize Kara recovers and kisses her again, this time long and slow. The cameras not on the players or stadium stands are focused on them, and the next day and weeks they are the only ones anyone can talk about, for better or worse.

Lillian uses Lena's next year, her fifth and final, as leverage. Apologize publicly for her lapse in judgement, confirm it was only ever friendship, condemn Kara for assault-- or she's out.

Lena listens calmly, then smoothly rises.

"Then I'm out."

She walks out without a second glance.

[itsjustdg]

Long post but I had to get my thoughts on Hudson & Rex (and certain fans) out.

This has been in the back of my mind for a while, and I think I've finally put my finger on what's been bothering me about the way a certain online contingent are reacting to the imagined idea that John Reardon has been forced out of Hudson & Rex.

TL;DR - We have nothing to go on that John's not returning and anyone who feels owed an answer by the studio/actors/dog handlers who have no say over the studio's decisions needs to take a good long look at everything. Use some critical thinking skills and just breathe for a second. And maybe some compassion for the fact that John nearly died half a year ago.

(And spamming every social media account related to the show demanding answers is not going to get anyone what they want. In fact, it's highly likely to do the opposite and I'm not surprised people's comments have been deleted. Especially for all the tangential people - but even for John! - they're probably pretty miserable to get yet another contact about this.)

More below the cut.

First off, let me say I'm a huge fan of the show. This is probably one of the first shows in a while that I got so into so fast. It has a lot of the things I love in media all rolled into one, I would be upset if they truly did kill off Charlie Hudson, and I've been anxiously awaiting any cast news. However...

None of us are owed a single thing by any studio, producer, or actor, especially not on our timelines. I know we live in a day and age of constant news and instant gratification, but we certainly aren't owed what might currently be tentative, confidential information regarding an actor's contract. If both parties haven't signed a final agreement, then they likely cannot publicly publish any related details. Maybe they're still negotiating. Maybe John is still trying to figure out how much he can commit to for a new season. Because lemme tell ya, acting might seem glamorous, but do you know how many hours they have to put in and how physically demanding even a Hallmark movie is? Let alone Hudson & Rex where Charlie is regularly jumping off of things and fighting people? More on why this is important in point 3.

We basically have never been told the regular stars were coming back. I looked but can't find where the show announced that any of their actors were coming back for seasons 2-7. They just said the show was returning. And... that's what's happened with season 8. The promo materials thus far have been on par with every other season's promo materials. (Because I love the show, but for some reason they never really put out much until the season premiere is nearly upon us.) Did we get an announcement that Luke joined the cast? Yes. Because he's a new addition (and it's often part of the contract that they'll promote it.) Did we get an announcement that Justin, Kevin, or Mayko are coming back? No. So... maybe hold up on assuming John's not returning just because nobody has mentioned that he is. We've never gotten much early promo content, just that the show was back… so why are all of these people suddenly so sure that John's been punished by the studio for having cancer? Speaking of which…

John practically just got the all-clear from his cancer diagnosis. In late December, he posted that it was his first night out since being diagnosed. (And my heart broke at the hospital picture he included because he looked so tired and sick. His "now" picture was drastically better, but you could tell he was still recovering.) Are these fans all forgetting that the man literally almost died not even 6 months ago? I don't know if their understanding of cancer is what they've seen on a couple of pieces of media or if the cavalier way most shows (including Hudson & Rex) handle injuries, poisonings, etc most of the time has warped any sense of what actually happens when a human being is deathly ill, but... illness wrecks your body. Chemo wipes out your immune system. Fighting cancer weakens your entire system. How are people demanding he turn around and come back to an extremely physically demanding role and spend 20+ hours a day on a set for weeks? They might still be figuring out just how much John can physically do. For that matter, John's doctors might not have even cleared him yet and the studio is waiting it out or John may have just recently decided if he was well enough to come back. (Also, he has a wife and three little kids. I'm pretty sure the seriousness of them losing him was a lot to deal with. Maybe he needed time to decide if he's able to fully commit to coming back?)

John's likely still dealing with a lot with having lost Diesel. They were incredibly close. All of the interviews I've seen talk about how much they bonded (they were co-stars for 6.5 seasons!). I remember one where they talked about how they had to keep Rex off-set when they filmed scenes where Charlie was in danger or got hurt because Diesel wanted to tear people apart for touching him. So then consider that John's fighting cancer, and then Diesel gets sick and passes away - and John probably couldn't even really see him much if at all because of him also being sick. (How hard must it be to have your co-star die of the same thing you're fighting? And not even be able to grieve properly because of the sheer amount of energy you're expending just trying to stay alive yourself?) Can we show some compassion toward the guy? And not just wail about how we're being cheated of... well, anything? Like, come on, cancer should put everything into perspective!

Luke joining the cast has 0 bearing on if John's staying. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Luke was added so the show could continue having a lead detective who can fall down a well for Rex to rescue while John comes back to regular episodes slowly. Maybe they'll be partners long-term. Who knows. NONE OF US DO. That's kinda my whole point here. (And yeah, the show is called Hudson & Rex, not just Inspector Rex, but I have a feeling these fans would've still lost their minds when the original show changed their human cast multiple times.) The only thing that the show starting to film season 8 means is they have a required schedule to stick to in order to meet legal requirements with the studio. Which could also have a lot to do with why Luke was added as a series regular.

Can we all just calm down and find our thinking caps? I'm aware that might be too much to ask from the internet at large, but I'm also really tired of all the panicking fans I've seen posts from lately.

At the end of the day, this is a television show that does not actually control any of our lives, and demanding they cancel it and end everyone's jobs in a very competitive industry just because you're upset about something that may not actually be happening just feels really self-centered and unfair to me.

Maybe John's leaving after all (and if he is, I'll be sad). Maybe he's coming back eventually. But also maybe don't harass every single person related to the show and contribute to making all of them miserable just because you feel like you're owed an answer and a specific outcome?

[bayareabadboy]

In The Rock 4/19/1980: Brian Johnson joins AC/DC at Compass Point studios in Nassau, Bahamas to record ‘Back In Black’ as their new lead singer.

[mariacallous]

Why has Disney’s new live-action remake of “Snow White” flopped at the box office? Is it because the dull trailer looked A.I.-generated, or because the film’s stars, Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, appear to have sourced their costumes and makeup from Party City? Is it because the film personifies Hollywood’s status as a bottle-and-can redemption center for moldering I.P.? Is it for being a movie nobody asked for, about a princess who falls asleep?

The prospect of the “Snow White” reboot has been irritating various constituencies for some time. Conservative critics griped that Zegler, who is partly of Colombian descent, wasn’t white (these kinds of complaints were louder a few years back, when the Black actress Halle Bailey was cast in Disney’s live-action “Little Mermaid”). Some were offended that Zegler talked trash about the 1937 original. The actor Peter Dinklage questioned why the story was being dusted off at all. “You’re progressive in one way,” Dinklage said, referring to Zegler’s casting, “but you’re still making that fucking backward story about seven dwarves living in a cave—what the fuck are you doing?”

At some point, Disney started asking itself the same question. Despite the film’s two-hundred-and-seventy-million-dollar budget, the studio scaled back the première and promotional blitz and may have delayed making tickets available for pre-order. Currently, on IMDb, “Snow White” is being “review-bombed,” with more than ninety-one per cent of users giving it the lowest rating: one out of ten.

Recent articles in Hollywood’s top industry broadsheets pin much of the blame on Zegler. The Hollywood Reporter observed that the movie “has been under fire for years on social media due to a combination of the film’s progressive creative decisions”—presumably referring to Zegler’s casting—“and star Rachel Zegler’s controversial comments.” In a Variety article, which promised to take readers “Inside Disney’s ‘Snow White’ Fiasco,” a “top agent” rebuked the studio for permitting the twenty-three-year-old actress to “control the narrative” by making a lighthearted quip to a reporter about the stalker-like qualities of the original movie’s Prince Florian. “The first time she shoots her mouth off, you nip it in the bud,” this agent said. (Incidentally, the screenwriter of the new “Snow White,” Erin Cressida Wilson, has said that she centered the character’s journey toward “discovering and trusting her own voice and her own purpose with compassion and strength.”)

Variety also zoomed in on an episode from August, shortly after a teaser for the movie dropped, when Zegler shared a message of gratitude to fans on X, adding, in a separate post, “and always remember, free palestine.” The article implied that Zegler’s post fuelled death threats against her co-star Gadot, who is Israeli. It also reported that one of the film’s producers, Marc Platt, was so incensed by Zegler’s pro-Palestine message that he flew to New York to admonish her in person about it.

The detail about Platt seemed to strain credulity, but it was later confirmed by his son Jonah, who wrote on Instagram, “Yeah, my dad, the producer of enormous piece of Disney IP with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, had to leave his family to to fly across the country to reprimand his 20 year old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity for. This is called adult responsibility and accountability. And her actions clearly hurt the film’s box office.” The younger Platt may have also been alluding to an Instagram post that Zegler made following the November elections, in which she lamented the “deep, deep sickness in this country that is shown in the sheer amount of people who showed up for this man who threatens our democracy.” She concluded, “Fuck Donald Trump.” Zegler later apologized for her Trump-related remarks, saying, “I let my emotions get the best of me.”

Placing the failure of “Snow White” largely at Zegler’s feet—as many insiders in Hollywood are evidently eager to do—is almost perversely flattering to her. The Walt Disney Company has a market cap of nearly a hundred and eighty billion dollars, and yet, in Variety’s telling, this international conglomerate could not “overcome the backlash that had been brewing like a fairy tale cauldron.” I am no box-office analyst, but, for what it’s worth, my kids are squarely in the “Snow White” demographic, and I don’t think they were lukewarm on going to see it because its star has insufficiently nuanced opinions about Prince Florian, President Trump, or the Israel-Hamas war. (An open letter from film journalists criticizing Variety’s coverage of Zegler has about a hundred and eighty signatures.)

The reasons behind the implosion of “Snow White” are structural and multifaceted, and emblematic of an industry that has no new concepts and poor judgment about which of its old ideas warrant revival. For example, Disney recently pulled the plug on a streaming series based on “The Princess and the Frog,” which is easily the best and most modern of the Disney-princess movies: glorious New Orleans blues-jazz-gospel soundtrack, outrageously stacked cast, makes an airtight case for marrying for money—the works. (And no dwarves in caves!) Whether it’s the fate of “Snow White” to become a symbol of the anti-woke, anti-D.E.I. fervor that characterizes the Trump II era or it’s simply a casualty of reboot fatigue, the identity and political views of one performer could never have sunk the film on their own.

The Platt anecdote and the framing of the Variety article in which it first appeared point to what is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the “Snow White” debacle: the film’s position in a larger narrative about which kinds of views on the Israel-Palestine conflict are acceptable in Hollywood—or anywhere in the U.S. circa 2025, really—and who is permitted to air them. The top Hollywood agent Maha Dakhil stepped away from her role as co-chief of C.A.A.’s motion-pictures department after she shared—and then deleted and profusely apologized for—an Instagram post that referred to Israel’s military attack on Gaza as “genocide.” The actress Melissa Barrera was fired from the “Scream” franchise for expressing pro-Palestinian sentiments online. In contrast, the actor Mark Ruffalo won his fourth Oscar nomination in 2024 despite vocal opposition on social media and elsewhere to Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Ruffalo’s fellow-actor Guy Pearce, one of the most prominent pro-Palestine voices in the film world, earned his first Academy Award nomination this year and sat in the front row at the ceremony, where “No Other Land,” about the I.D.F.’s demolition of a Palestinian community in the West Bank, won the Oscar for documentary feature.

In other words, there would appear to be space in Hollywood to demonstrate sympathy for the more than fifty thousand human beings that Israeli military forces have killed in Gaza, as well as for the roughly twelve hundred human beings that Hamas killed in its October 7th terror attack on Israel. But you must be the right sort of person to demonstrate such sympathies, and you must use the correct terminology. One might speculate that Ruffalo and Pearce have more latitude than Dakhil and Barerra because they are both middle-aged white men. And yet, last year, after the director Jonathan Glazer won an Oscar for his astonishing Holocaust film, “The Zone of Interest,” an open letter circulated in Hollywood to condemn his acceptance speech as supporting a “blood libel,” attracting more than a thousand signatories (Jonah Platt among them). One Academy member likened Glazer’s measured words to a “Hamas rally.” Among Glazer’s offenses was in using the word “occupation” to refer to the occupied territories and invoking the “dehumanization” of both Israelis and Palestinians in the ongoing war.

The tenor of this conversation presumably informed a recent statement issued by the C.E.O. and president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, after Hamdan Ballal, the Palestinian co-director of “No Other Land,” was badly beaten by Israeli settlers in his West Bank village and then detained overnight on an Israeli military base, his whereabouts unknown to family and friends for hours. “Understandably, we are often asked to speak on behalf of the Academy in response to social, political, and economic events,” the AMPAS statement read in part. “In these instances, it is important to note that the Academy represents close to 11,000 global members with many unique viewpoints.” The text did not mention Ballal by name, or enumerate any of the unique viewpoints one might have on his terrifying situation. (After an outcry by hundreds of Academy members, AMPAS issued an apology for neglecting to name Ballal.)

The organization released its non-statement of non-support on behalf of a freshly minted Oscar winner on the same day that video emerged of a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk, being accosted outside her apartment building by masked, plainclothes ICE agents; she was handcuffed, detained, and flown to a facility in Louisiana, reportedly for co-authoring an op-ed in a student newspaper citing Israel’s “clear violations of international law” in Gaza. Ozturk’s arrest, which has sparked worldwide condemnation, was made possible by precisely the two conditions that Zegler’s controversial posts acknowledged: the subjugation of Palestinians and the election of Donald Trump.

The attacks on a wealthy young actor like Zegler for her political stance may scarcely bear direct comparison to the violations of human rights allegedly endured by Ozturk, or Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian green-card holder who, in early March, was arrested by ICE agents in the lobby of his Columbia University–owned apartment building and now faces deportation. But a commonality between them is that they work within ostensibly powerful cultural institutions that are now under assault by the Trump Administration. Columbia, along with Harvard and other universities, may lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding owing to allegations that they allowed antisemitism to flourish on their campuses during the antiwar protests of late 2023 and 2024. Disney and its subsidiary ABC—which settled a defamation lawsuit with Trump in December for fifteen million dollars—is now under F.C.C. investigation for possibly breaching “equal employment opportunity regulations by promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination,” according to Brendan Carr, the agency’s new chair. In a letter addressed to Disney’s C.E.O., Carr cited ABC’s “Inclusion Standards,” which called for the network to draw from “underrepresented groups” for its casts and crews, and in creating its characters. In other words, we may now be living in a world in which casting a Latina actress as Snow White is not only infuriating to online edgelords but a purported violation of federal law. And, if a Ph.D. candidate can be jailed for speech and threatened with deportation, it may follow that so can a showrunner, a filmmaker, or an actress who “shoots her mouth off.” 

[delirious-donna]

They Call Him The Reaper [Hanma Shuji]

an: after many discussions on discord with @unknownspecies over Shuji and especially soft Shuji in the past few days, this idea was born. A huge thanks to Zoya for helping a ton with the inspiration and characterisation.

pairing: Hanma Shuji x female reader

warnings: SFW, suggestive at best but only in one section, canon level violence mentioned, fluff, photographer timeline Shuji, soft Shuji, self-indulgence

Masterlist

They call him the Reaper.

A title bestowed upon him when he was only an adolescent. A delinquent with seemingly no moral compass, little compassion and a desire to watch the world burn, but only after being the one to strike the match. Nothing but a thug with no qualms about being used by others to enact their worst ideations.

Even now, in his mid-thirties, the namesake remains.

Sure, he isn’t the most upstanding citizen, but he is a far cry from those youthful years when he would pull the wings off insects just to watch them writhe. He found his passion, and it wasn’t taking orders without question. Perhaps those years helped him capture the world in a way that others couldn’t, a unique take on the subject of his photographs that no one but he could draw out because he didn’t see the world like anyone else. 

His studio was full of his favourite shots, landscapes blown up to cover large sections of the walls with small intimate photos scattered around in what seemed like a haphazard way when, in fact, there was a logic and pattern that only made sense to him. Photos taken with a polarizing filter caught your eye amongst the raw scenes on display. Natural sunsets stood out against a sea of cityscapes with twinkling lights, the pure magic of the sun outshining any number of neon lights that covered the glittering buildings.

It was safe to say that he had an eye for photography, and his fully booked calendar only highlighted that fact. However, he hadn’t entirely turned away from his criminal past. He would still lend out favours to those he called friends and they weren’t many. Those that did make the exclusive list were some of the most powerful men in the entire country and the majority of their wealth was stained in crimson, not that he cared.

An enforcer, a dangerous presence or sometimes the kindling to spark the flames of a dispute that had taken too long to reach this point. He played the role well, and it would be a lie to say he didn’t enjoy it when he was called upon. His fingers itched for a good fight often, and whilst he could now channel that energy in other, less violent ways, sometimes nothing could quell the bloodlust than a brawl where his knuckles split wide and smears of his opponent's blood covered his golden-hued skin.

Of course, he was still the Reaper. To be feared simply from how he smiled when he entered a room. It didn’t matter who occupied it or how high up the tree they might be, his smile was crazed, a warning and a threat rolled into one. The wolf called in when things were growing arms and legs, when attention was being drawn and a conclusion was needed sooner rather than later.

One flash of his perfectly white and deadly sharp teeth was enough to silence a room and he got off on that feeling. A glance at the stark black ink decorating the backs of his hands was more than ample to strike fear into the most hardened criminals. They all knew the atrocities those hands had committed, the blood that had long been washed away but still evident on the slender fingers by reputation alone.

An animal. A hired thug. A monster.

Except, he wasn’t those things, at least, not to you. He was gentle, a good listener and a whirlwind of his own making. Not always, and he had his moments when he was far from gentle, but you loved those times nearly as much as you coveted the soft times.

He liked the sound of rainstorms and would pull you to bed simply to lay in his arms and talk whilst the heavy thud of raindrops pelted against the roof and lashed the windows. He was a curious creature and often questioned you over things that seemed trivial but somehow were important to him. What had you eaten for lunch in middle school? What had you wanted to be when you were a kid? Which was your favourite ice cream flavour? 

You’d laugh and press your hand against his shoulder in a playful shove, he couldn’t seriously want to know those things but he truly did. His nose rubbed into your hair as warm laughter met your ear, the arm around your waist tightening until you yielded and gifted him the answers he sought. Did he remember them? You weren’t sure and you didn’t test him on it, it was enough that he had asked in the first place.

The man called the Reaper thought about you and not just when he needed something from you. It had taken some time to sink in but the evidence was plain to see as the little trinkets grew on your vanity. He had an uncanny ability to sense you weren’t in the best of moods, perhaps it was a hard week at work or your monthly cycle kicking your ass. It didn’t matter the reason, simply that in these instances he would appear on your doorstep with that wicked grin curving his lips and a small bag or box in hand. It was never a random item either, always something you had previously spoken about like the hobbies and interests he teased you over or an item you had lingered at whilst out together.

Someone considered a monster couldn’t be that sweet, but he was. Perfect he was not but soft, measured when it counted and open with his affection. He didn’t shy away from twining his fingers with yours, thumb stroking over your knuckles while you swung your joined hands happily. What a funny pair you made when out walking, but he didn’t mind one jot when you had a spring in your step or you pulled him to stop over something you had spied. Maybe you couldn’t see the secret smile that he wore only for you but the ghost of it caught your eye now and then.

For everything that made him hard, dominating and the master of his universe, there was a parallel to be drawn. All you had to do was look within the box tucked away beneath his bed to know that to you, he was no monster to be feared. Inside a frayed box that had been opened and closed so many times that the stiff cardboard was now peeling in places, scuffed and overused, was a thick stack of photos. Polaroids and glossy photos sat in a jumble and the subject of every single one… you.

Some only showed the curve of your shoulder as the morning sun streamed through a bedroom window to bounce off your skin and the rumpled white sheets. Others were candid shots that you remembered fondly. Being chased around your apartment whilst he snapped photos that you tried playfully to avoid. Bright smiles and splayed fingers across the lens blurred the surroundings but did nothing to dampen the happiness they exuded. You’d blush at the intimate ones carefully thumbed by long fingers. Hair spread out on pillows like a halo, features twisted in bliss and uncaring for the camera poised above you. 

Yes, there were lewd images of the two of your bodies joined and the decadent mess such a joining resulted in. Streaks of saliva on heated flesh, a pink tongue painted in creamy white, a hand painted with ‘punishment’ wrapped around an eager throat and other things that made you blush to even think of. 

He even kept the photos you had taken, the ones from a lazy Sunday morning when you had grabbed his camera and snapped away at his tousled hair and carefree expression. Capturing the curls of smoke that rose from one of his morning cigarettes and asking him to try and blow smoke rings just to amuse you. The ones where you kissed his cheek and peeked at the camera with a wink and others where you made stupid faces together until you couldn’t breathe from the laughter.

Despite it all, the violence he was capable of and the times he tested your patience and sanity to the very limit, he had stolen your attention but you had gifted him your love.

They called him the Reaper, but you called him Hanma Shuji.

[tv-moments]

Lioness

Season 2, “The Compass Points Home”

Director: Stephen Kay

DoP: Stuart Campbell

[starberry-cupcake]

I could have just gone ahead and finished the book, but I adult life is interrupting so I stopped mid-fight and that's what you're getting, since I think it'll be a more sensible length this way.

previously, in gideon the ninth

this happened (also, this is the tag for all of the stuff)

currently, somewhere before ending the penultimate chapter, I think:

WELL, WELL, WELL

GUESS WHO WAS RIGHT ABOUT DULCINEA DEL TOBOSO SORAYA MONTENEGRO SEPTIMUS

I GOT YOU, BITCH

YOU DIDN'T GET PAST ME

ok, let's back it up a bit, but I needed to get that out of my chest for a sec

out of my guts, like the key she hid in the 5th necro bride's body

(too soon)

anyway, after yandere simulator w/inner chad left the room, gideon, harrowbean and my qp wife realized palmolive was gone

and everyone knows where he went because his dick has been a compass the whole time

or, like gideon puts it, he's been a weenie

camilla, the light in the dark, the sun to my moon, tells gideon and harrow that palmolive has been corresponding with dulcinea since he was like 8 and she was like 15 and he's been in love with her the whole time

and that he's made his lifelong purpose to save her life

there are many levels of Issues here

but at this point, we don't have time to unpack any suitcases

all this just proves to me that camilla has been carrying all the weight of the world on her shoulders even more, but anyway

they also feel confused as to why dulcinea has been ghosting palmolive massively since HE PROPOSED TO HER

palmolive, my man, my dude, just...what the fuck is your life

what are you doing, my guy

anyway, I immediately started thinking some soul possessing or some stuff like that could be going on, like she's not herself, but there's no time to theorize much

gideon feels terrible because she's been flirting with dulcinea in front of palmolive's salad all along and says something like "why do I have to be so attractive?" to which harrow answers something like "if you weren't, people would deck you after 5 minutes" which is a very good read

so gideon goes to find palmolive and he stops her with necro magic and enters dulcinea's room and outs her as the murderer

who is surprised??? not me, of course

so, basically, ducinea The Real One died at some point before arriving like protozoa, and this bitch here is a previous lyctor whose name I cannot remember so we will call her not!dulcinea

the real dulcinea was the other roasted body in the furnace

and protozoa was killed by her also which, again, the sword through the heart was a good indicator it wasn't an accident, but harrow was the only one who saw the body

non!dulcinea is a lyctor of the seventh that served the emperor and did the soul slurping thingy and already has her cav within her ("inside her" sounds...not great)

and she wanted to stir some shit up to get the man of the hour to show up and get revenge and whatnot

the emperor, coming back to canaan house from some holidays that took longer than he expected

it's not totally clear, because there's still a lot we don't know, but it sounds a bit like a toxic relationship with an authority figure

palmolive then proceeds to immolate himself like superman going super solar flare, but not being able to heal himself after, unlike superman

after that, all hell breaks loose

not!dulcinea tries to kill gideon

camilla tries to kill not!dulcinea

harrow also enters the fight and brings gideon's sword

like, the real one

you can hear the audience cheering when she catches her sword like it was filmed in front of a live studio audience

gideon and harrow team up against the mega massive monster junji ito concoction that killed isaac

they do the mind mesh thingy

harrow unlocks a new power

like in the sims

she also passes out for a bit

gideon gets her knee and shoulder fucked up

camilla is amazing and does amazing things

non!dulcinea seems to be too tough to win against

yandere simulator twin w/inner chad enters the chat

they fight like goku and vegeta for a while but non!dulcinea ends up using her like a battery

which is, to me, the revenge of duracell bunny nephew from beyond the veil or wherever he went

like, poetic cinema fate

I have no idea where regina george twin is at this point

last we saw of her, she was crying in a corner

which, mood tbh

so, where I left off for now, we've got three survivors accounted for: gideon, harrowbean and my qp wife, there's a lost twin somewhere in there and then there's yandere simulator twin being used as a charging pad by non!dulcinea

I want to take a moment to point out something, though

I want to briefly point out how MASSIVELY FUCKED UP EVERYONE WAS COMING INTO THIS

like, harrow was "oh no, we mustn't let people know you're not actually my cavalier and that I puppeteered my parents and that there's a frozen barbie in the ninth" and gideon was "oh no, I mustn't let people know I'm not a ninth cav and I don't use a rapier and I have a complicated relationship with my necro"

and everyone else LITERALLY EVERYONE ELSE WAS BEYOND FUCKED UP

maybe the second weren't because they were ignorant asshats, but EVERYONE WAS MESSED UP

NOBODY HERE WAS FINE

you got the third, with a non necro princess and a feral real necro doing the work of both and chad as their support, look how that turned out so far

the fourth, who weren't tall enough to reach the top shelf and weren't even allowed their keys

the fifth who knew too much so they were goners after throwing a party

the sixth, with a guy who had the hots for a woman twice his age that he had a grey's anatomy fantasy to save that powered his entire reason to be there (and a cav who didn't use the right equipment but is great 10/10 no notes)

the seventh, who's THIS MESS

and the eight, who were doing the creepiest thing possible at all times and couldn't even do it properly

the only ones here who came in without dirty laundry were the second and that's why they were easy targets

everyone else was shady af

the best reality show you've ever watched

anyway, see you for the next one when we'll know who wins between one old lyctor and 3 bad bitches (or 4, if yandere twin is still alive, or 5 if regina george twin shows up again)

[maybe-itll-be-someday]

“You, with all your academic pursuits, you wouldn’t think less of me if I dropped out?”

She says it jokingly, a smirk on her face that doesn’t betray the insecurity that’s rolled around in her head for weeks. Ayda thrived on learning, thrived on the collection of books that lined the high shelves at Compass Points. Fig can remember the stolen moments amongst that cramped space in Leviathan, Ayda speaking with such a wonder about each book and the knowledge each contained. She didn’t want to be a disappointment, slotting back into her role of “doesn’t really fit anywhere” amongst Ayda’s academic pursuits.

But Ayda just looks at her, with that steely determination when she truly believed something. God, Fig loved that look on her.

“Learning no more belongs to academia than joy belongs to recreation facilities. They are dedicated to a thing that exists in all places, and with all people.”

Hell yeah are the only words she can say because she’s still trying to figure out how to say words out loud. Just like that, the aching feeling of not being enough, seeps out of her. How is it that Ayda always knew what to say, despite her constant fear that she would never say the right thing?

She thinks back to the words etched in the stars, smiling as she instructs Rip to get the fuck out of her studio because it was hot tub time.

We have been on our way to save us since the lights of our world were first lit.

Fig hopes Ayda takes her to those stars someday, and maybe, just maybe, she’ll rearrange a bunch of rocks to tell her just how much she’s been saved since the day they first met.

[dickinson-devotee]

Iron Maiden — Piece of Mind — May 16, 1983

Piece of Mind is Iron Maiden's fourth studio album, and the first to feature Nicko McBrain on the drums, creating a line-up that would define the band throughout the 80s. It's also the first Iron Maiden album that does not share its name with a song from the album (though the phrase is referenced in the song "Still Life,") the first album to be recorded in Compass Point Studio in Nassau, Bahamas, and the first to allow Bruce Dickinson to receive writing credits (it is well-known that Dickinson contributed quite significantly to The Number of the Beast, but was forbidden from receiving writing credit due to a contract conflict from his time in the band Samson.)

It's an album that is very heavy on literary and cinematic themes, with almost every song tracing its roots to a book, historical event/person, or a film. It is also the album on which "The Trooper" made its debut; a song that would become a setlist staple throughout most of the band's career, and would also become the name of Iron Maiden's official beer in 2013.