#deleon family

[historyhermann]

Velma Review

Velma is a mature animated series which mixes the genres of mystery, comedy horror, and thriller. It is based on characters from the Scooby-Doo franchise and is an origin story, of sorts, for Velma Dinkley, before the formation of Mystery Incorporated. The series was developed by Charles Grandy. He previously created Guys with Kids, produced episodes of The Office, and has been a creative collaborator with Mindy Kaling, the voice of Velma, since 2013. This review will have spoilers.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the twenty-fifth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on February 17, 2023.

The plot of Velma primarily centers around the story of Velma Dinkley. She attempts to uncover the perpetrator who murdered two local teenage girls, Brenda and Krista, and circumstances behind the her mother's disappearance.

She is soon joined by school news reporter Norville Rogers (voiced by Sam Richardson). Her former best friend, and popular girl, Daphne Blake (voiced by Constance Wu) also helps her, since her quest to find her biological parents, draws her closer to Velma.

Unlike previous depictions, Velma is South Asian American, while Daphne is East Asian American, and Norville, often named "Shaggy" in previous Scooby-Doo iterations, is a Black man. This representation is reflected in the voice actors: Kaling is of Indian descent, Wu is of Taiwanese descent, and Richardson is a Black man of Ghanaian descent.

The only one of the original Mystery, Inc. crew who is portrayed as White is Fred Jones. He is a popular 16-year-old rich kid, heir of a fashion line for men, and said to be a "late bloomer". Despite these negatives, Velma still has a crush on him. Voiced by Glenn Howerton, known for his role as Charlie Day in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Fred is accused as the murder suspect of Brenda and Krista, despite lack of evidence which ties him to the crime.

Velma is differs from previous Scooby-Doo series by not featuring Scooby-Doo as a character. Grandy, one of the show's executive producers, said that the show's staff struggled to find a take on this beloved dog. This coincided with Warner Bros. Animation telling them "Hey, you can’t use the dog", as Grandy recalled.

Apart from Kaling, Wu, and Richardson, the cast is relatively diverse, more than other Scooby-Doo series, including Black men, Black women, and actresses of Cuban, Chinese, Filipino, Malaysian, and Indian descent. This aligns with the focus of Kaling's small-but-powerful production company, Kaling International, which founded in 2012 and described by Time magazine as telling stories about "inner lives of women of color" and stories of underdogs.

While in previous iterations, Velma has been in romantic relationships with men, her romantic attraction to women was hinted in episodes of Mystery Incorporated and in 2022 animated film, Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! In contrast, Velma depicts her as bisexual, as she has a crush on Fred, and accepts Daphne's feelings toward her. Like other versions, Norville has a crush on her, but it is not received by Velma, as it appears. This leads him, to later, date a cool girl named Gigi (voiced by Yvonne Orji).

Daphne has a crush on Velma, kissing her at the end of the second episode (as shown in the video above), causing her to go into a bit of a panic. She has crushes on men as well. Her actions are partially affected by her two incompetent police detective mothers: Donna and Linda. Both are voiced by lesbian actresses: Wanda Sykes and Jane Marie Lynch. Lynch previously voiced a lesbian character, Mrs. Roop, in The Ghost and Molly McGee, while Sykes voiced a lesbian character Deb, in Q-Force.

This representation is not limited to Daphne, Velma, Donna, and Linda. Cherry Jones, who voices the mother of Fred, Victoria, is a lesbian actress, as is Fortune Feminister, voice of popular girl Olive. Others are unambiguously queer, such as Nicole Byer, the voice of Crystal Cove High principal (and mother of Norville) Blythe Rogers, and Shay Mitchell, the voice of Brenda. This series appears to be the first voice acting role of Mitchell.

Despite this, the characters of Donna and Linda appear to reinforce the lesbian cop trope, which depicts adult lesbian characters as cops. This trope is said to make such characters more palatable to so-called "average people" in the U.S., if these women, mainly women of color, are "helping to uphold the systems that oppress them".

These characters seem to fall into the has two moms / two dads trope, although such a trope ignores "traditional" views of family life necessitating a mother and father. In this case, Donna and Linda are the same gender as their parents, just as Barry and Randall Leibowitz-Jenkins are in The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. In fact, Sykes had personally served as a former NSA contracting specialist for five years, something which could have influenced her role as a police detective in Velma.

This breaking of the nuclear family is present in Velma's family, as her original mother, Diya Dinkley (voiced by Sarayu Blue), left. As a result, her father, Aman (voiced by Russell Peters), a lawyer, re-marries to Sophie (voiced by Melissa Fumero), owner of a malt shop in town and a pregnant model. The latter is often belittled by Velma.

While the first season spotlights Velma's long, and strong, friendship with Daphne, with Velma even proposing they become girlfriends in episode 8, it ends with everything up in the air. As a result of the events in the show's season one finale, Velma's personal life is in shambles. This is unfortunate because the writers had a chance to make Velma/Daphne canon, but chose not to. Instead, they went the route of Never Have I Ever, Wednesday, and even Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl by setting the groundwork for a likely love triangle between Daphne, Velma, and Norville, but not Fred. Such a development shows the limitations of Velma.

Velma has been received by critics, and those on social media, with mixed reviews. Apart from the diverse cast and LGBTQ+ representation, I was drawn into the series as a new fan to the Scooby-Doo franchise. The dialogue can, sometimes, be snappy, funny, and witty, while the plot can move along smoothly. The characters, themselves, can be compelling enough to make viewers sympathize with them, but aren't always this way.

Even though Velma is snarky, one can root for her at times, but not at others. The former is the case when she has horrifying hallucinations as she feels guilt for her mother's disappearance. The only parallel that comes to mind is Julian Chase in gen:LOCK. Although he is only alive as a copy of himself, as his original body barely survived, he faces internal demons, which manifest in his memoryscape, while he faces external demons in the form of the Nemesi, who are "evil" copies of him.

While there is some similarity between both characters, Velma doesn't face trauma akin to the terror Chase experiences. However, she still faces the crushing burdens and oppression of being a person of color, and is in part of some dangerous situations.

Velma sometimes cheapens its own protagonists, even making them unrelatable, at times. For instance, late in the season, Daphne begins a fake relationship with Fred so that both of them can become popular, even if it enrages Velma. Daphne also wants to become part of Jones Gentlemen's Accessories, and is willing to put everything on the line.

On the other hand, Velma acts awful to everyone throughout the series, even acting like she is in a relationship with Norville to fool her mom, Diya, who is recovering her memory. She is probably even worse than the toxicity of Penny Proud's long-time friends in The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.

The series seemed to counter past claims about Norville's supposed drug use, as he says he hates drugs, and is only shown to be a nerd who likes Velma. While he might appear to be a stoner, he is annoyed, in the second episode, when stoners are listening to his online show. Funny enough, his father Lamont (voiced by Gary Cole), has a design similar to what Norville looked like in previous iterations. The season one finale hints that Norville may begin trying drugs, possibly marijuana, at the suggestion from his father.

In addition, there is a focus on beauty norms, shut-shaming, human experimentation, and the over-bearing power of the government (especially the police). In terms of the latter, the town's sheriff (voiced by Stephen Root), declares that they can't catch a serial killer because "it is a ghost", not because they are incompetent.

For example, in the fourth episode, it appears that Fred becomes a better person after reading The Feminine Mystique. Instead, Velma just sees him as problematic and gross, showing he hasn't changed. His character somewhat improves as the series move forward, as he becomes more sure of himself.

The voice actors of Velma are seasoned, making the series strong in that regard. Many have experience in TV, film, and even theatre roles, or previously played characters on other projects by Kaling, like The Mindy Project and Never Have I Ever.

Furthermore, some voiced characters in Amphibia, Kim Possible, Milo Murphy's Law, Phineas and Ferb, Glitch Techs, and Big City Greens, six all-ages series. Others provided voices in mature animations such as Close Enough, American Dad!, Family Guy, Bojack Horseman, Harley Quinn, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Pantheon, and Bob's Burgers.

I had hoped that characters like Dandruff Tuba, voiced by Weird Al Yankovic, would be more prominent. The name was familar because he voiced Milo Murphy in Milo Murphy's Law, a character with so much extreme misfortune and bad luck that he is prepared for any situation thanks to his handy backpack. Sadly, he was underutilized in the series.

The voice talent of Velma comes through with actors like Richardson, who is best known for voicing Richard Splett in Veep. Also, Wu voiced the Mom in Wish Dragon, Lynch voiced characters in Final Space, Fumero voiced others in Elena of Avalor and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and Peters is a Black comedian. The cast of Velma includes well-known talent like Stephen Root, Ming-Na Wen (voicing Carroll), Debby Ryan (as Krista), and Frank Welker (voicing Fred's father).

Welker has voiced Fred since the character began to be animated in 1969. He previously voiced characters in a variety of series, like Star Wars Resistance, 3Below, Totally Spies!, and Futurama. There is, additionally, Karl-Anthony Towns who voices Jacques Beau (Jock Boy). Towns is a professional basketball player of Dominican descent.

Although Velma is not my favorite series, I somewhat enjoyed watching the episodes. Others may have liked the series as much as I did, or perhaps even more, as Velma broke records for HBO Max in terms of the largest number of people watching an original animated series on its premiere day. In fact, at times, the comedy can be subtle and strong.

The series premiere is a miracle in and of itself, considering the HBO Max content purge championed by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav last year. Two series (Summer Camp Island and Victor and Valentino) were removed from the streaming platform, while Craig of the Creek had its final season order cut in half, and Young Justice was effectively cancelled.

All five of these shows, regardless of other issues, had outward LGBTQ+ representation. Previously, the platform shuttered Final Space, which featured a lesbian protagonist, Ash Graven, voiced by pansexual actress Ashly Burch. The acclaimed Infinity Train, which featured Black and Asian protagonists in the third and fourth seasons.

The fact that the series survived this purge could be due to the fact that it was produced by Warner Bros. Animation, along with 3 Arts Entertainment, Charlie Grandy Productions, and Kaling International. Not only had Charlie Grandy Productions, the production company of executive producer Grandy, worked on previous projects with Kaling before, but an executive producer, Howard Klein, was one of the heads of 3 Arts Entertainment.

Another executive producer, Sam Register, headed Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. He had previously produced various Scooby-Doo and Tom & Jerry films, Teen Titans, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Young Justice, Harley Quinn, and many others.

Charlie Grandy Productions was known for producing The Office, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Duncanville. The show's producer, Kandace Reuter, had worked on Scooby-Doo!: The Sword and the Scoob and Thundercats Roar, and the show's editors had worked on assorted series, such as Undone, Bojack Horseman, and Tuca & Bertie.

Despite all of these experienced people, in the entertainment industry, working on Velma, it does not take away from one major flaw: music. Apart from a scene in the show's season one finale, in which Velma listens to old voicemails of Norville, the music is altogether unmemorable, and the theme song is strangely alienating.

This is too bad because a Bronx-born Black man, Craig DeLeon, who composed the score of the series, worked with renowned directors in the past. Perhaps his talent was not used as well as it could have been. There were no amazing songs like those in D4DJ or banger songs like the theme song of recently premiered Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.

This credibility of the show's producers may have been a reason that the series moved forward on HBO Max, just as Harley Quinn did. It could have been part of the rationale beyond the renewal of a Season 2 for Velma. Considering that the series became a "lightning rod for controversy" and garnered many hate-watchers, it may garner more of a cult following than anything else.

Although the series has incurred backlash, with Wikipedia claiming that audience response had been "overwhelmingly negative", it did not dissuade me from watching the series, nor even writing about it. Surely some of the criticisms, like the comedic lines which fall flat, or possible stereotypes have merit. But, the show is not the worst thing out there as those review-bombing the series on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes, or others complaining about it on social media and YouTube, may lead to you to believe.

This season had Fred, and his family, as the manifestation of White privilege and wealth. It is on par, in some ways, with the snobbishness and narcissm exemplified by nouveau riche protagonist Kaz Khan in Neo Yokio.

At the same time, the series exemplifies the reality of how easy it easy for someone, especially people of color, to be swept up in the criminal system. After all, Velma herself is almost imprisoned by being at the wrong place at the wrong time, before she falsely implicates Fred in the murder.

Thee show's plot only hints at part of what the Marshall Project noted in their November 2020 post about trials in the U.S.: that many felony convictions on the state and federal levels are often results of plea bargains, and prosecutors are some of the most powerful players in this criminal system, relying on sheriffs and police as key witnesses. In many of the states, the Marshall Project noted, that judges can charge for use of a public defender.

In Velma, the arrest of Fred by Donna and Linda is not questioned, despite Velma's defense of Fred, before his outburst causes the judge to declare him guilty. Velma's father, Aman, takes Fred's case because he wants the money for his girlfriend, Sophie, not because he truly believes in the case.

The series highlights the inadequacy of mental health care in the U.S., therapy, and gender disparity. The latter is exemplified by the school Principal, Blythe, only having 50 dollars in the school budget to counter "centuries of toxic masculinity", which she uses to pay for an all-girls self-defense class, taught by Daphne's moms. The former is shown through Norville and his father.

I thought the story's focus, at first on experiments by Doctor Edna Purdue, the grandmother of Norville, a scientist who found a way to keep the human brain alive outside the body, was intriguing. I would say the same for the series plot about Velma's mom, Diya, her lost memory, and manipulation by a miscreant to commit the murders. However, it felt hollow in the end.

Velma reveals that Diya had been manipulated to recreate the lab of Dr. Purdue, recruited by Army General Henry Meeting to create the Special Covert Operations Brain Initiative (Scoobi), a reference to the original franchise. This manipulation happened through hypnosis by Fred's mother, Victoria (voiced by Cherry Jones). It is further noted that Velma herself was hypnotized as well.

Victoria states that she wanted to switch Fred's brain with someone more "ambitious", who she believed were "hot girls",  and keep the global brand of Jones Gentleman's Accessories afloat. This absurd plot cheapened the series. It was compounded by Velma's foolhardy attempt to get her mom to remember anything, involving massive lying, which blew up in her face, and her rupturing of friendship with Norville after falsely accusing his father as the serial killer.

While the social commentary on big companies which support politicians who "look the other way", as is the case for Jones Gentleman's Accessories, is apt, as much as the criticism of economic exploitation in My Dad the Bounty Hunter, it is muddled by the rest of the story.

For one, there are callbacks to the first episode of this series, when female characters were showering in the nude together, sexism by the police, and more. In the case of Velma, it is problematic that the villain is a woman in that it could send a bad message about women in positions of power.

Through all of that, the series seems to hint at a possible storyline for another season, as the police officer who received the file from Velma is killed while putting it in a "solved cases" box. Undoubtedly, in the next season, Velma will continue to use her "pretty good" detective skills, the relationship between Velma and Daphne may develop, and a new "conspiracy board"/"murder board" would come about. The series will likely have a love triangle between three of the protagonists: Daphne, Norville, and Velma.

This is because, in the season one finale, Velma inadvertently said she "loves" Norville, so he came to save her from the serial killer who is out to kill her, Daphne, and Fred. If this comes to pass, and the story straddles the home/school lives of the main characters, and doesn't come into more of its own, it will feel more like a stale CW drama. That would be a serious loss of potential in a story which could be stronger if it's plot had better execution.

In the end, I feel this series is not great but not terrible, as hate-watchers have declared. Instead, it is only in the middle. So, I can't fully, and confidently, recommend giving this series a watch.

The first season of Velma is currently streaming on HBO Max.

© 2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[kramphyx]

Just learnt that Typhon is the infernal name for Satan and it’s fitting because Typhon De Leon became the devil in his children’s personal hell so that’s some symbolism right there.

Someone else on here mentioned the connection between Calypso and the gap between games / being the in world gap of 7 years so there’s a double symbolism going on.

[chicago-pd-is-weird]

Crazy that Joe Cruz can intentionally leave a guy to die and then do the same to that guys cousin(?), all to protect his own family.

But Hank Voight does anything to protect his family, and it’s completely wrong??

Is “bullying” Casey really as bad as intentionally letting two people die when your literal job is to save lives? 🤷‍♀️ Not like Hank was ever going to kill him or his gf. In fact, when he got the “justified” chance (self-defense), he slid the gun over to Casey instead and told him he should kill HIM.

If killing people or leaving them to die just because they’re “bad people” is okay, then Hank is completely justified in everything he does in PD (killing Bingham, Browning, and DeLeon, not to mention almost doing the same to Walton). Hank is just as justified as Joe.

Joe and Hank were both right in protecting their family. Period.

[buffythecomicslayer]

In an exclusive interview, Amber Benson, James Marsters, and Charisma Carpenter dove into the new Audible original Slayers: A Buffyverse Story, which debuts on October 12. Due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, they could not speak on their experiences on Buffy, Angel, or any other struck work.

Slayers is co-written by Amber Benson, who portrayed Tara in Buffy, and Christopher Golden, who has penned multiple books in the Buffyverse. Before the COVID pandemic, Benson began calling her former costars to see who might want to be involved, focusing on the characters she felt weren’t serviced enough in the original show. She also wanted to find a way to highlight what it means to be a slayer who is also a woman of color.

Amber, why did you want to do this now?

Amber Benson: The reason I got excited about doing Slayers was because I wanted to see Charisma be a vampire slayer. I want to live in the meta world where Charisma Carpenter is Cordelia, the Vampire Slayer. That was the pull for me. We spent a ton of time trying to create satisfying arcs for all of these characters that we love so much. It’s been a labor of love. For me, doing this was about diving into a world where I get to have some control over things.

Why set it in 2013 instead of 2023?

Benson: We wanted a passage of time so there was an entrenched world where slayers existed in our world and they were everywhere — especially because we have Laya who takes audiences through this mythology. She’s like a fangirl of vampire slaying, and is on the Reddit forums. We didn’t want it so entrenched that we were so far removed from other times. We wanted that sweet spot of the world knows about this stuff, but it’s not an old hat.

What was it like getting back in the room to record with everyone?

James Marsters: We love each other so much that it was absolutely fabulous. I was just able to watch Charisma step into this role and have it make complete sense. It is so far from the Charisma that we started with years ago. It couldn’t be further, and yet, it makes absolute sense. Just her as an actor, being able to give a strong, loving, slightly world-weary, wise perspective to it, this absolutely seems like what Cordelia would be like in 2013. And I loved watching Amber take her character in a completely new direction. It absolutely makes sense, but it couldn’t be further from the Tara that we started with. And I was in awe of Juliet Landau.

And then Seth Green showed up! He’s not even in it, but he was recording something else in another booth at the building, and he heard we were in there. He comes in, and the whole thing stops. We didn’t do any work for 45 minutes because we’ve just gotta love on Seth. It was a complete love fest the whole time. We’re all in a really good place. All of our lives are going really well, so we could brag about how well we’re doing. Plus, meeting Laya DeLeon Hayes, having her fold into our family — and she’s the most experienced voice actor of all of us!

The last time you played Spike was in 2004. How did feel stepping back into it?

Marsters: I had told the producers way back when: “I’ve been doing Spike for about seven years, and if you want me to do the character, you’ve got about seven more years. I think we can get away with it for a 14-year window.” Spike is a vampire, he ain’t aging, but James is! Seven years came and went; it hadn’t happened, and I put it in the rear-view mirror. Then Amber calls me! And it was perfect.

Tara was a very important character on TV, and it was really devastating how that arc ended. Amber, can you hint at what she’s like now in this alternate universe?

Benson: She’s a very kind-hearted character, and we wanted to give her some meat. So we found a way, without spoiling anything, to give her something to sink her teeth into. We also wanted to keep the goodness of her, and it’s still in there, but we go to some darker places. And selfishly, as an actor, I wanted to work with Charisma, to do more with James, to spend time with Juliet. I have a lot of fun stuff with Juliet!

Charisma, you’ve been very vocal about your experience on Buffy. What was your reaction to getting the ask to come back into this world and bring Cordelia back? Were you hesitant at all?

Charisma Carpenter: When I got a call from Amber in 2020, I said, “You know, my friend, I would follow you anywhere. Of course, I want to be a part of it.” I didn’t know where it would end up, or certainly what medium it would be in, but it wouldn’t matter. I would just do it because I trust her vision. I trust her and I respect her talent as a writer and creator and I just love her to pieces.

How did it feel for you to be able to give Cordelia this entirely new life?

Carpenter: I think I felt a bit lost. Because the description of Cordelia and the scenes were the world-weary, kind of doom and gloom. I’m kind of saddled with this young player that’s super excited. How do I play this embattled slayer, who’s living their purpose and sees it really as the burden that it is — taking on the big bad — and infusing that with the Cordelia from before, which is sassy and witty and pithy and all those superficial things? How do I balance them? So for me, it was such an interesting dilemma to figure out. I spent a lot of time with Christopher and Amber, stressed, going, “I don’t know what I’m doing.” I didn’t think it was possible to bring more layers to Cordelia, because I feel like she went through so much in terms of her character arc from beginning to end.

Marsters: It’s so funny because, from my perspective, you came in and effortlessly did this. It didn’t seem to be a struggle at all!

When this was announced, many referred to it as a Spike-focused series because he’s the narrator, but this universe has always been so about female empowerment. Do you guys see it that way?

Marsters: I saw that, and was like, “Oh, didn’t clock that before. I don’t think so, but OK! It’s called Slayers!”

Benson: And he came up with that name!

Marsters: Yeah, first we thought of Spike and Dru, but reading the script, that wasn’t really the thing. We have two new slayers that we haven’t had before: Cordelia and Indira. We’ve been promising the audience there’s a new slayer for a new generation. Every generation has one. We never made good on that promise. So, you had to wait — now you get two.

Benson: I think it’s a multi-pronged narrative. We have amazing Spike stuff. And he is the narrator and he takes us through this and has so many amazing arcs and relationships. The Juliet/James combo is electrifying.

Marsters: Spike is a great character, but he doesn’t encapsulate the theme. I’m in the project a lot, but what are you going to call it, Spike, the Vampire, Slayer of Vampires? It’s not the same thing. It is much more exciting to keep it focused, as it always has been, on a woman who is overcoming the challenges of life, and using a vampire demon metaphor to talk about those challenges. That’s one of the big strengths of the project since the beginning. I was glad with all the changes, all the updates and all of the surprises that we’re offering, that that kernel is kept. I would never want to get away from that.

Benson: Charisma, you should also talk about this because the “Justice for Cordelia” aspect is very important.

Charisma, please! Let’s hear it!

Carpenter: One of the most important things to me about Slayers is that it is an opportunity to give the Buffyverse fandom permission to enjoy the show, enjoy these characters again in a way that is representative of perseverance, of work ethic, of the familiar. It has really been made clear to me how much entertainment in general and the previous show and what this future show will do to provide comfort, empowerment, self-belief and reminders of our purpose. I think it will be an opportunity to give credit and justice to Tara, to Anya, to Cordelia. Because that show involved hundreds of people to make, and it wasn’t about just one person. So I feel like it’s really a beautiful thing to have this opportunity to bring her back to life — Cordelia specifically — and have her live out a very empowering life, and share her wisdom from that battle. I just feel like it’s very poetic in a lot of ways.

Spike is a bit of a controversial character, especially through the 2023 lens. Amber, how did you come to the decision to have him narrate?

Benson: No. 1, it’s always important to separate the actor from the character. And I know that James has spoken about this. He is one of the best humans, I adore James. But yeah, there is problematic stuff with the character, especially around consent. We really wanted to do something different and not live in the past. So for us, it was sort of a reinvention of the Spike character. We wanted to see more of that human and empathetic version of Spike. That was really important to us — the more James-version of Spike. He still has all the Spike bells and whistles. He’s still sexy as hell. But we also wanted to see that humanity and I think that was one of the reasons James Leary is such a big part of this. There is a humanity. James really wanted to make sure we still kept him Spike, but we updated for 2023.

Again, I know you can’t talk about the past projects here, but many of these characters weren’t there at the end — specifically Cordelia, who’d died in Angel. Are you ignoring the events of Angel completely?

Benson: We really created Slayers away from everything else. We wanted to create a world that felt familiar, but also was different — because I think putting your own stamp on something is really important. I think that’s what Chris and I wanted to do — find a way to do the things that we thought were important, some of those righting of wrongs things. That was important for us. We weren’t really looking at other versions of these worlds to draw from it really was. We tried to keep it its own unique thing.

Well, it is based on characters previously created. Was it a struggle to get permission to take ownership of these characters?

Benson: We can’t really talk about this stuff because of the strike and because also, sometimes, the creation is the creation, and the creators are totally removed. And for me, just personally, I will say this, I always had trouble going to conventions and not being honest about certain situations. And now that all of that is sort of grist for the mill, I feel this relief that I can love this world and these characters and have a little bit of a little tiny, tiny piece of ownership in them. I love this world, I love the family I have because of it. I love the fans I have in my life. A show is not always just the person that came up with a show. A show is a collaboration for us on Slayers.

Speaking broadly about ownership of creative material, it really is a collaborative media. It’s not one person. The auteur theory does not apply here. It takes a village.

Marsters: The genetic material is there because Amber breathed it. She is a fabulous writer, and Christopher Golden has been writing books in the Buffyverse for years. So it’s kind of a seamless continuum. It’s not just like a bunch of people who don’t know much about the lore or don’t care about it. There are people who’ve been involved from the beginning, in the driver’s seat.

Were there other characters or actors you wanted to bring back?

Benson: For us, the important thing is to do service to characters that maybe didn’t get the right servicing in other versions. So we really focused on that. That was really important for us.

Well, Seth Green popped in! Were there ever any talks of bringing him on?

Benson: We were talking about it, but we had such a full slate of characters that once we looked at it, we were like we can’t service everybody if you have too many characters. It was really important for us to make sure everybody had a satisfying arc. If we do multiple seasons, then we can bring in other people and give them new things to do. Seth is definitely on our list. Clare Kramer too, we would love to have Glory come and play. There’s just so many amazing characters to bring in.

Do you see this going for multiple seasons?

Benson: I would love to do more seasons. Emma Caulfield was like, “When do we do the next one?” We really would love to do more. We love the team at Audible and Audible UK. They’re all fans. They all love this world. So we would love to jump back in and do more. It’s really up to the fans!

[bastardtrait]

Scooter Legacy 2020 - generations 1-9

ya know, I was gonna make individual posts about the old generations of this save, since they're coming here from their old home on dreamwidth, but I'm really lazy so we'll just go with the one. a primer post. why not.

for a bit of background, I started this save in the middle of the start of the pandemic, right after completing another legacy, and I blasted through this thing in like, 2 years? I had never felt so fuckin productive. let’s ignore the fact that stopped playing for 1.25 years after generation 8 though. okay.

to the shock of nobody, each colour-coded generation had some story that eventually just devolved into pure gameplay. listen when i tell you i'm a one trick fuckin pony, i mean it. here's what happened:

Generation 1: Percy Scooter and Sebastian Park. my founders. Percy was the sheltered only child of a rich old Chinese woman who hired Sebastian to be her butler and personal service worker. awkward enemies to lovers plot ensues. they had 2 kids: Ollie (who died as a child) and Josie.

fun fact: I was looking at my timeline and it makes perfect sense that Percy's mother, Francie Chen, would've been the younger sister of Chen Ruiyang (Lucky Legacy). they even had the same last name. so I made that canon. duh.

Generation 2: Josie Scooter and Matangi Silva. childhood friends. Mat left town to become a vet, and Josie tracked him down to continue their fledgling romance they had as teenagers. they also had a fuck ton of animals, one of which was the iconic Mayor Whiskers. they had 1 kid: Randy.

Generation 3: Randy Scooter and Collin Pix. Randy, Collin and Ripp Grunt from TS2 were roommates at a college that psychologically broke down students before selling them to aliens for Nefarious purposes. it was kind of a lot. they ran away to Sulani and had 3 kids: Willow, Xander and Landon.

Generation 4: Landon Scooter and Toro Katalunan. childhood friends that reunited as adults that tackled off the grid living together. their friendship and eventual romance persisted through awkward misunderstandings and island ghosts. they had two children: Kai and Sully.

Generation 5: Sully Scooter and Ori Delgado. Ori guided Sully through the jungle in the search of a cure for the genetic condition they were born with (I also brought this up during my flop reclaimed roots legacy). kissing ensued. they had three children: Luca, Brianna, and Damián.

side note: I also started a side story about the Strangerville mystery that coincides with this generation. this family went on to spawn Dakota Dinh, co-founder of the Lucky Legacy. it's all circular y'know?

Generation 6: Damián Scooter and Hari Rotan. I fucking hated this generation because it was Eco Lifestyle. I don't remember the story and I don't want to. they had two kids: Laila and Yasmin.

Generation 7: Laila Scooter and Kawahara Koichi. Laila, a giant fucking twat, goes to university and makes enemies with everyone except the anti-social weirdo that loves robotics. then they terrorised Evergreen Harbour together. they had one child: Xavier, who they sorta neglected ngl lmfao

Generation 8: Xavier Scooter and Fayrouz al-Dimashqi. my FAVOURITE! generation. Xavier, a traumatised individual, moves to San My and has his icy heart opened up by the warm and welcoming Fayrouz. unfortunately, he died before his time, leaving Fayrouz a widow. they had one child: Kaleb.

Generation 9: Kaleb Scooter and Natasha Deleon. Kaleb and his gf Jaesha, family vloggers, are pressured into a wedding for their viewers, which is being planned by Natasha, Kaleb's childhood friend. they run away together from Kaleb's livestreamed wedding. they had three kids: Aaron, Evan, and Naomi.

which leads us to where we are today, with Naomi and Taryn forming Generation 10, and Dexter about to launch Generation 11. let's see where this goes next!

[cardsharksplayingames]

2024 Books

American Dirt, Jeanine Cummins - 1/5

The Purest Bond: Understanding the Human-Canine Connection, Jen Golbeck & Stacey Colino - 3/16

Anxious People, Fredrick Backman - 4/25

Louisiana Longshot, Jana Deleon - 5/26

The Dollhouse, Fiona Davis - 8/12

Champagne Widows, Rebecca Rosenberg - 8/25 (re-read for book club)

The Perfect Marriage, Jeneva Rose - 9/28

Her Perfect Life, Hank Phillipi Ryan - 10/10

The Housemaid, Freida McFadden - 11/3

Keep It In The Family, John Marrs- 11/26

The Housemaid’s Secret, Freida McFadden - 12/8

This Time Next Year, Sophie Cousens - 12/27

[baekd-blog]

Artist/Idol OC Information.

A/N; this is simply for fun, nothing is true just a figment of my imagination. the songs claimed to be produced by my oc will be songs made by actual people. ‘My Eyes Bleed’ is by Dax, ‘Real’ and ‘PRIDEFUL’ is by NF. this is a blog page to live out my oc x stray kids alt reality.

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 ▬▬▬▭▭▭▭ 𝐵𝑎𝑒 𝐾𝑦𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝐷𝑒𝐿𝑒𝑜𝑛’𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑒

* . °•𝑩𝑨𝑺𝑰𝑪𝑺•° . *

𝑵𝑨𝑴𝑬

──────────

Bae - Kyung DeLeon

☾ her first names signifies deep respect and admiration, highlighting the importance of honor.

☾ their surname DeLeon is associated with strength, courage, and nobility, symbolized by the lion. it also indicates an ultimate family origin in the Kingdom of León or the later Province of León.

𝑵𝑰𝑪𝑲𝑵𝑨𝑴𝑬(𝑺)

──────────

☾ BKD; initials

☾ Bae/Bee; used by close friends and family

☾ The Western Lion; used by idols

𝑮𝑬𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹

──────────

female

𝑩𝑰𝑹𝑻𝑯𝑫𝑨𝒀

──────────

january 03

𝒁𝑶𝑫𝑰𝑨𝑪

──────────

western; capricorn

chinese; ox

𝑺𝑵𝑺

──────────

☾ instagram; bkd

☾ twitter (X); deleonbaekyung

☾ private twitter; whoevenisbkd

☾ youtube; The Real BaeKyung DeLeon

☾ tiktok; unofficialbkd

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆

* . °•𝑫𝑬𝑴𝑶𝑮𝑹𝑨𝑷𝑯𝑰𝑪𝑺•° . *

𝑩𝑰𝑹𝑻𝑯𝑷𝑳𝑨𝑪𝑬

──────────

los angeles, california

𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑵���𝑪𝑰𝑻𝒀

──────────

mixed race

half hispanic or latino

half asian

𝑵𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀

──────────

american

𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑼𝑨𝑮𝑬𝑺

──────────

☾ english; primary language

☾ spanish; second language

☾ korean; third language

𝑯𝑶𝑴𝑬 𝑳𝑰𝑭𝑬

──────────

☾ they lived in california most of their life, traveling back forth from L.A to Seoul.

☾ recently moved to Seoul.

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆

* . °•𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑬𝑬𝑹 𝑰𝑵𝑭𝑶•° . *

𝑨𝑮𝑬𝑵𝑪𝒀

──────────

Lion’s Den Production

self made record label

𝑶𝑪𝑪𝑼𝑷𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵

──────────

rapper

singer

songwriter

producer/ composer

𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑽𝑬

──────────

2012- present

𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑶𝑪𝑰𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺

──────────

Stray Kids

XG

ATEEZ

JYP Entertainment

Interscope Records

Shady Records

Aftermath Entertainment

𝑭𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑶𝑴 𝑵𝑨𝑴𝑬

──────────

cub; certainly unique baes

𝑬𝑴𝑶𝑱𝑰

──────────

🦁; used mostly by asian fans

𝑷𝑳𝑼𝑺𝑯𝑰𝑬

──────────

she has three different versions of a mini lion plush. each have with different names.

bo-bae saja-kyung mini rawr

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆

* . °•𝑨𝑷𝑷𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑪𝑬•° . *

𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑳𝑳

──────────

☾ bae-kyung has mid length black hair with bangs, and dark brown eyes.

☾ 5'4"/1.62cm

☾ hourglass type of body, she’s more on the mid-size side.

𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑨𝑩𝑳𝑬 𝑭𝑬𝑨𝑻𝑼𝑹𝑬𝑺

──────────

she has beauty marks (moles) all over her face.

𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑶𝑶𝑺

──────────

☾ she has three tattoos, a small angel on her right wrist.

☾ ‘always my sunshine’ on her right upper forearm.

☾ last tattoo is a tramp stamp on her lower back, two hearts with ‘lioness’ in between.

𝑷𝑰𝑬𝑹𝑪𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑺

──────────

the only piercings she has are her ears.

𝑭𝑨𝑪𝑬 𝑪𝑳𝑨𝑰𝑴

──────────

bmgaribay on instagram

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆

* . °•𝑰𝑫𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑻𝒀•° . *

𝑷𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀

──────────

☾ MBTI: INFP

☾ she seems standoffish but genuinely a sweet person once you get to meet them. she’s awkwardly funny, loves corny and dad jokes. she’s a loyal person, a positive and negative personality trait.

☾ she can get angry or upset easily, her facial expressions showing it being less than subtle. she’s stubborn so she has the tendency to do avoidance coping.

☾ she’s an introvert, a workaholic that likes to keep to themselves. she finds content in being alone and comfort with being with her friends even if they were all silent.

𝑷𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺

──────────

☾ music, music would be the one and only passion that she loves fully heartedly. whether it’s producing/ writing her own songs or songs for others, she always puts her all into it.

☾ writing short stories, a fun hobby she picked up in elementary since she has a wild imagination.

☾ doodles, small drawings or ones she tries on, drawing had always been a fun little time passing hobby.

𝑨𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺

──────────

☾ she dislikes tofu and avocados, the texture and flavor just don’t do it for her. the first time she tried them she gagged almost immediately.

☾ she hates people touching her, physical touch isn’t her thing and she only allows certain people to do it. she isn’t sure why but physical contact hasn’t ever been her thing.

☾ bright/ flashing lights, she gets migraines easily so bright lights and flashes are her true enemy.

𝑨𝑫𝑫𝑰𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺

──────────

☾ she has a healthy addiction to all sorts of sour candies, sour patch kids being her main vice.

☾ on her down time she binges adult animation such as American Dad, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers and Rick and Morty.

𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀

──────────

☾ they been diagnosed with both depression and anxiety.

☾ unfortunately their depression comes and goes, it hits harder around the holidays and especially in the winter.

☾ their anxiety kicks in when they feel overwhelmed with a lot of different emotions. when around crowded places which is unfortunate because of their career choice. though they push through during concerts and fan meets.

☾ they don’t take any medication, however she keeps sour candy on hand to help with panic attacks. the sourness helps distract her brain to focus on the flavor rather than the overwhelming feeling.

𝑽𝑨𝑳𝑼𝑬𝑺

──────────

she was taught to always be truthful, honest, respectful and loyal; she lives by those four principles.

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆

* . °•𝑬𝑿𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑺•° . *

𝑭𝑼𝑵 𝑭𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑺

──────────

☾ 90s/00s hiphop fan

☾ close friends with korean boy group Stray Kids

☾ love language: quality time and acts of service

𝑷𝑳𝑨𝒀𝑳𝑰𝑺𝑻

──────────

상위 5위 [Top Five]

▶︎•၊၊|| My Eyes Bleed - BKD ||၊•

▶︎•၊၊|| Real - BKD ft. Changbin of Stray Kids ||၊•

▶︎•၊၊|| Falling Up - Stray Kids ||၊•

▶︎•၊၊|| PRIDEFUL - BKD ||၊•

▶︎•၊၊|| Railway (BangChan) - Stray Kids ||၊•

𝑴𝑶𝑶𝑫 𝑩𝑶𝑨𝑹𝑫

──────────

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ ˚ ༘✶ ⋆

[offender42085]

Post 0648

Dustin Gray, Mississippi inmate 247047, born 1995, incarceration intake in October 2023 at age 28, sentenced to life

Capital Murder

A second brother convicted of capital murder in the robbery and killing of Pearl River County resident Willie “Chill” Jones is headed to prison for life without the possibility of parole, Peal River County District Attorney Hall Kitrell said in a release.

A jury convicted Dustin Michael Gray, of Picayune, of capital murder, following a trial in August 2023. His sentencing was deferred until October 2023, when Judge Prentiss Howell imposed the sentence.

Gray and his half-brother, Austin Brookshire (inmate 246060), have now been sentenced to life without parole in Jones’s July 6, 2020, robbery and killing.

According to court records and other interviews, Jones considered the brothers’ friends and met up with them the morning he disappeared.

The brothers planned before the killing to steal $40,000 in cash that Jones had on him in the metal box he stores his money in.

Pearl River county investigators determined Brookshire shot and killed Jones in the backseat of Gray’s car, and then the two brothers buried his body in a shallow grave near Texas Flat Road in Hancock County.

In the aftermath of the killing, the family of Jones, who is Black, held vigils for him, and the community came together to search for his body.

Gray’s father ultimately turned in information that led authorities to suspect Gray’s involvement in the killing.

His father, attorney James L. “Jim” Gray, called authorities after he found blood in Gray’s car. Gray and his wife, Erica Deleon Gray, went on the run for days before officers caught up with them.

Afterward, Gray’s father received online threats, and someone burned his office to the ground under what authorities called suspicious circumstances.

Once Gray was in custody, Brookshire was later identified as the gunman.

The killing occurred the same year a law enforcement officer was arrested in the killing of another Black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis, which resulted in national cries for justice from various groups, including Black Lives Matter.

Misinformation soon spread about the circumstances leading to the killing in Pearl River County, prompting right-wing militias to gather in Picayune on the false premise that Black Lives Matter and Antifa supporters planned to burn the city to the ground.

No violence occurred.

3o

Last reviewed January 2025

[illumsky]

LS Sith Warrior OC

I need to get him out of my system because the SWTOR hyperfixation™ is occupying my last brain cell

Anyway this guy has been marinating in my head for like 2 years and he's gone through so many personality and style changes it's crazy, but this one stuck with me

Name: Daniel DeLeon Class: LS Sith Warrior | marauder Age: 23 (class story beginning) Gender & race: Male, Thyrsian/Echani

Heavily LS leaning, could be described better as morally grey/complex. Most of the time does what he feels is right, guided by his own moral compass & personal warrior code

Won't hesitate to use his lightsaber if necessary but diplomacy and pragmatism are always preferred over violence

Fiercely loyal to his friends/family/crew and would do anything for the people he cares about even if he doesn't vocally express or show it to them

Vette and Jaesa are his besties, his crew=found family, favorite hobby is making fun of Malavai with Vette (affectionately)

Also, I like the way he looks in-game, the braids are fine or at least as close as it can get but a few details are missing so here's a rough depiction that's a bit more him

[kbkirtley]

Part 2 of my superhero favorites list: Top 5 Female Heroes

1. Artemis/Tigress (Artemis Crock) - Not a ton of appearances beyond Young Justice but she was maybe my second favorite character in a series that I loved. She’s also the main inspiration for a future character of mine that has become one of my favorites that I’ve written.

2. Batgirl/Oracle (Barbara Gordon) - Babs has long been a favorite in part because of her connection to Dick Grayson, but she’s more than worthy of a spot on this list on her own merits. Her roles in Young Justice, Harley Quinn, and the excellent recent Batgirls run were all phenomenal.

3. Zatanna (Zatanna Zatara) - Like most of the other characters on these first two lists, I love Zatanna in Young Justice. I Also loved her in the wonderful Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend Graphic novel by Alys Arden and Jacqueline deLeon (DC green light a sequel already).

4. Batgirl/Orphan (Cassandra Cain) - While Cass did appear in Young Justice, she had a pretty small role. But I fell in love with this character through the Batgirls run and the phenomenal Webtoon Wayne Family Adventures. (My deepest apologies to honorable mention Steph Brown, the one Batgirl not included here.)

5. Supergirl (Kara Danvers) - A little edgier than her Boy Scout of a cousin, Kara is a great superhero and great ambassador for the House of El’s symbol of hope.

[handeaux]

18 Modern Words That Had Very Different And Curious Meanings In Old Cincinnati

Some words we use daily today meant something totally different more than a century past. Here are a few normal, everyday terms that once had surprisingly altered definitions long ago in Cincinnati.

Affinity In the early 1900s, “affinity” meant something very much like “soulmate” does today. In Cincinnati newspapers, “affinity” usually shows up in articles about divorce. Many a husband sought a divorce because he had found his “affinity”, and it wasn’t the woman he was married to. Jacob Pels told the Cincinnati Post [31 October 1907] on the occasion of his second divorce: “Twice I thought I found my affinity, and twice I made a bad mistake.”

Blue Today, if you’re blue, you are mildly depressed. Back in Old Cincinnati, “blue” meant risqué, or even obscene. Cincinnati ministers erupted in indignation when Millie DeLeon, the “Girl In Blue” (wink, wink!) performed at Heuk’s People’s Theater on Vine Street in 1901. And, when Cincinnati Redlegs Manager Clark Griffith excoriated the team after a dismal spring training game in Georgia, the telegraph company refused to carry the Enquirer’s dispatch [14 March 1909]: “Wishing to be perfectly accurate, we wrote out the rest that Griff said, but the telegraph man would not send it. He said his wire was a family wire of good and regular habits, and he would not insult it by asking it to carry a lot of blue language.”

Boom This old term had nothing to do with firecrackers or other explosions. It meant to promote, or to hype, or to publicize. When Judge Andrew J. Pruden wrote to the editor praising a Cincinnati Post editorial, the Post headlined his letter [6 January 1893]: “Judge Pruden Indorses The Post In Its Efforts to Boom The City.” An editorial an 1888 edition the old McMicken Review at the University of Cincinnati encouraged students to “Boom the ‘Varsity!” Cynical Thomas Emery, a pioneer real estate developer, told the Post [1 July 1886] he was concerned about future investments: “Boom Cincinnati? Can you boom a dead dog? I don’t mean that Cincinnati is dead exactly, but she’s overbuilt.”

Brace To brace somebody meant to cheat them, and Cincinnati was swarming with galoots just salivating at the opportunity to brace someone. The bracers needed to watch out who they braced, though. Frank Y. Grayson in his classic “Pioneers of Night Life” tells the tale of Frank James, Jesse’s brother, getting fleeced at a Cincinnati card game: “James dropped $800 on the night. He knew that he had been braced. Before he left he said genially, ‘Well, boys, I’ll say one thing for you, you get it easier than I do.’”

Cake We’re not talking pastry here. This word figures into one of the most obscure lines in Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s classic “Casey at the Bat” from 1888:

But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake, And the former was a hoodoo, while the latter was a cake;

A “hoodoo” we still recognize as a jinx, but a “cake”? In 1888, everyone knew that a cake was a fool. Within the context of baseball, a cake was a loser.

Candlelight Many a romantic evening has been conducted by candlelight. In the days before electricity, “candlelight” was a time of day, specifically that time of evening when you lit your candles. The Cincinnati Gazette [11 June 1857] presented this line: “The preacher gave notice that, if the weather was fair, he would preach at candlelight, but, as it sprinkled a little, there was no congregation.”

Card There is not much call for classified advertisements these days, when everything is advertised online. Ads used to be the main source of income for newspapers, who called small advertisements “cards,” as in this example from the Enquirer [22 November 1890]: “Mrs. Pollock did not stop at advertising her business in circulars. She inserted a card in the Sunday Newsdealer.”

Cockpit Did you ever wonder why the place an airplane pilot sits is called a cockpit? It’s named for an actual pit in which roosters (or cocks) fought to the death. Cock-fighting was popular in Cincinnati, though intermittently illegal. The Cincinnati Commercial [11 January 1847] advertised a new venue: “A regular Cock Pit having been established in the rear of the “Lunch House,” fights will take place three times a week.” If cock-fighting was too high-class, Cincinnati also hosted rat-pits from time to time in which small dogs battled rodents.

Combination Strictly speaking, in the 1800s, a “circus” was that entertainment taking place withing a sawdust “ring” which in Latin was “circus.” The other aspects of the modern circus – the traveling zoo known as the “menagerie” and the “side-show” or “exposition” – were considered separate enterprises. The first impresarios to “combine” all of these shows called them “combinations.” So, we have the Cincinnati Gazette [8 June 1872] reporting: “Warner’s big combination show attracted an immense crowd of spectators yesterday afternoon and evening.” And old John Robinson advertised his traveling spectacular as “Robinson’s Great Combination.”

Dashboard We use “dashboard” today to talk about status displays on our computer screens, which derived from the instrument panel in our automobiles, which referred to the array of gauges and dials in an aeroplane. But there was a much earlier and practical use of this word as the actual wooden board at the front of a carriage that kept stones and mud from being kicked into the driver’s face. From the Cincinnati Dollar Weekly Times [1 November 1855]: “The mare was put between the thills of a nice light buggy, her harness thoroughly adjusted by the owner, the reins carefully laid over the dashboard, and the usual chapter of advice opened concerning her management.”

Drummer An old definition of this word, metaphoric in origin, has nothing to do with music. A drummer was a salesperson, usually a traveling salesman, and usually a man on commission. The Enquirer [22 December 1871] reported: “The State of Maryland has in force a statute similar to that of Tennessee and several other States, which classes ‘drummers’ selling goods by sample for houses out of the State with peddlers, and exacts a license from them so heavy as to prohibit effectually sales in those States.”

Embarrassed If you realize, after ordering at an expensive restaurant, that you left your wallet at home, you might be embarrassed. That is close to the old-time definition of this word. It meant bankrupt. The Cincinnati Gazette [27 April 1837] related the story of a scoundrel named John Law: “With him perished all Law’s hopes for regaining his personal fortune. He became embarrassed; suits were commenced against him.”

Grocery So many old-time groceries offered liquor by the glass that “grocery” came to mean almost any saloon that emphasized the hard stuff over beer. Here’s the Western Christian Advocate [20 May 1836]: “When I hear a man say ‘my cigars cost me two dollars a week’ – I should not be surprised if I see him drinking in a grocery or tavern.”

Hilarious The history of comedy reminds us that we find drunks to be humorous. Back in the day, “hilarious” did not mean funny; it meant extremely inebriated. The Enquirer [14 January 1870] recounted one such case: “Night before last, this identical phonographer, who now calls himself Henry Henderson, was found in a highly hilarious condition, enjoying the society of ugly females in a bad house on Eighth street.”

Map There are abundant synonyms for physiognomy, but Cincinnati in the 1890s had a good one – “map.” In regaling his readers with memories of post-midnight culinary delights, Frank Grayson recalled Simon the Hot-Corn Man, who slathered his steaming ears of corn with “a substance that passed as butter.” Grayson recollected how “There were a lot of greasy maps decorating Vine Street in the wake of Simon.”

Queer In recent times, “queer” has settled into a linguistic niche as a sobriquet for what used to be called “alternative lifestyles.” Around 1880, however, the primary connotation of “queer” was financial. It referred to counterfeit money. The Cincinnati Gazette [28 October 1873] reported on the trial of M.Y. Morton: “He is an old gray haired man, and told the detective that he had been ‘pushing the queer’ for thirty-five years, making a good business in buying and selling counterfeit.”

Slut Ever since it became a term of sexist opprobrium, “bitch” has been ruined as the technical name for a female canine. Few today remember that “slut” was synonymous with “bitch” and also referred to distaff dogs. An advertisement in the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune [21 June 1870] sought: “Dogs – Two full blood Scotch rat terriers dog and slut. Must be a year old or older.”

Snide You rarely hear this word today outside the phrase “snide remark.” When you do, it often has the tint of sarcasm. In old Cincinnati, however, “snide” meant fake, cheap or counterfeit. The Cincinnati Daily Star [23 January 1880] recorded that “Ed. Kline was pulled in yesterday for selling ‘snide’ jewelry.” The term applied to people, too. The Enquirer [5 April 1880] noted: “A snide party styling themselves Tennessee Minstrels were rotten-egged and mobbed in Easton, Maryland, on Friday night.”

[totaleclipse573]

Doleon: So???? why haven't you traumatized Terios yet??? Is he too good for you?

Starline:..... you want me to...?

Deleon: it's practically family tradition at this point

Its how you get indoctrinated into the family. Literally.

[parasitesiren]

[I make fun of it a lot, but I honestly really love Troy having his own last name tattooed across his stomach.

Mostly because it DOES come across as cheesy and shallow and egotistical at first glance, just like much of what he does. But, I really do think it's deeper than that if you get to know him. Mostly because Calypso ISN'T his legal last name; it's a stage name that him and Tyreen chose for themselves after cutting ties with their abusive father.

“Calypso” isn't really just a shrine to his own ego. It's symbolic of the identity and life he's created for himself, in sharp contrast to the life his father wanted for him. When he became a Calypso, he stopped being a DeLeon and stopped carrying his father's legacy and his upbringing around with him.

In addition, he isn't the only Calypso. “Calypso” is symbolic of not just his own identity, but of the bond between him and his only family, his sister. “Calypso” represents him and Tyreen against the world.]

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, October 31

Willow: Buffy, are you all right? Buffy: What? Xander: Are you hurt? Willow: Buffy, are you hurt? Buffy: Buffy? Willow: She's not Buffy. Xander: Who's Buffy? Willow: Oh, this is fun. What year is this? Buffy: 1775, I believe. I-I don't understand. Who are you? Willow: We're friends. Buffy: F-friends of whom? Y-your dress... Everything is strange! How did I come to be here? Willow: Breathe, okay, breathe. You're gonna faint again. How are we supposed to get through this without the Slayer? Xander: What's a Slayer?

~~Buffy Episode #18: "Halloween" ~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Man Wonder (Xander/Giles, T) by drsquidlove

I Want Candy (Spike/Xander, T) by forsaken2003

Part of the Family (Buffy/Spike, Dawn, T) by Anonymous

Somthing Old, New Borrowed and Blue (Ensemble, T, SPN xover) by DreamingInColor

Curious Little Thing (Drusilla/Reader, T) by FiveBiFiveMind

With You (Jenny/Giles, T) by Bobbie23

Candy Corn Mischief (Buffy/Spike, E) by honeygirl51885

[Chaptered Fiction]

So Very Ch. 1-2/? (Buffy/Angel, M, multiple xovers) by AnyaChristinaJenkins

Kinktober 2023 Ch. 31/? (Buffy/Giles, E) by DancingAngel0013

hit rewind Ch. 14 (Buffy/Spike, M) by untiljanuary

Goodbye to Everything That I Knew Ch. 5 (Buffy/Spike, M) by My_Barbaric_Yawp

New York Ch. 1-3/43 (Giles/Xander, M) by drsquidlove

Kinktober 2023 Ch 31 (COMPLETE) (Buffy/GIles) by Skyson

Shadow Over Hellmouth Ch 96/264 (Ensemble, E) by Tuxedo_Mark

1632 Revello Drive CH. 1/? (Buffy/Willow, T) by A_Most_Sovereign_Lady

The Poet At The Door (or: Not Writ In The Stars) Ch. 8 (Spike/Drusilla, M) by Eyeballs_to_Entrails

What the Drabble?, Chapter 34 (Buffy/Spike, M) by VeroNyxK84

Once More With Feelings, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Spikelover4ever

something wretched, something precious, Chapter 27-30 (Buffy/Spike, M) by LittleTayy

Icarus, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, E) by HappyWhenItRains

In the Depths of October, Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, E) by acekoomboom, violettathepiratequeen

Forgiveness Doesn't Come Easy, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, E) by slaymesoftly

Can We Keep Him?, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Desicat

The Whole Point of Halloween , Chapter 1-2 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Dynamite

Startlingly Moral, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, T) by acekoomboom

Autumnal Shorts, Chapter 30 (Buffy/Spike, M) by VeroNyxK84

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Happy Halloween!!! (Dark Willow) by jasonriv37

Cosplay:Slayer Halloween costume () by vouloir

Artwork:Buffy and Spike () by lialivingart

Video: JibJab video: Halloween Rap () by Double Dutchess

Artwork:Spike () by vampyrwaltz

Video: Honest Trailer for Buffy The Vampire Slayer () by Infamous-Lab-8136

[Reviews & Recaps]

PODCAST: Episode 1 - Chatter in the Caf by The Sunnydale Diaries

[Fandom Discussions]

Slayers Audio book by Multiple Authors

fun notice for patriotic fan while rewatching Beer Bad by Thin-Sleep-9524

Thoughts on Joyce by Quick_Surprise_1911

What does indirect sunlight actually do? by AnyNeck1885

Enjoying the scene by LGonthego

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

PUBLICATION: Spike & Dru Reunite in Slayers: A Buffyverse Story by Popverse

PUBLICATION: NYCC Interview: James Marsters & James Leary Talk 'Slayers: A Buffyverse Story' by The Cosmic Circus

PUBLICATION: NYCC Interview: Juliet Landau & Laya DeLeon Hayes Talk 'Slayers' by The Cosmic Circus

PUBLICATION: The Only Episode Of Buffy Where Joss Whedon Told Anthony Head To Do More, Not Less by Slash Film

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[fundieshaderoom]

Fundie Families and Adjacents I Follow: Jackson

Gregory Allen Jackson - born on September 26, 1971

Analucia Paz Deleon - born on September 2, 1974

The couple married on May 5, 1996, at ages 24 and 21. The couple shares 6 children and a son-in-law. They are based in Arkansas.

Marjorie Ellyn- February 1, 1998

Genevieve Grace- July 12, 2000

Melody- June 2007

Harmony- January 15, 2010

Felicity- March 15, 2013

Grant Craig- June 2018

Genevieve married Nicholas Robert Steinmetz (June 25, 1998) on August 1, 2020, at ages 20 and 22.

Marjorie is dating Phillip Todd.

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

JUNE Celebrity Birthdays & Events

All Month Long: Acne Awareness/Beautiful in Your Skin Month | Black Music Month | National Soul Food Month | PRIDE Month: Canonically Queer Characters Masterlist��| PTSD Awareness Month

June Birthdays

Gemini Stars (May 21- June 21) 1: Shailyn Pierre-Dixon 2: Brandee Evans, Jadah Marie, Omono Okojie, Zuri Hall 3: Assa Sylla, Elizabeth Adare, Josephine Baker 4: Bahni Turpin 5: Denisea Wilson 6: Alex Datcher, Shellita Boxie 9: Logan Browning, Gloria Reuben 10: Faith Evans, Yasmin Benoit 11: Johari Johnson 12: Felecia M. Bell 13: Daniella Perkins 14: Marla Gibbs, Tamara Smart 15: Judy Pace, Ashley Nicole Black 16: Iantha Richardson, Yaz 17: Venus Williams, Sarah Niles, Sonya Eddy 18: Fatou Jobe 19: Phylicia Rashad, Alysia Rogers, Arsema Thomas 20: Tika Sumpter, Laura Kariuki, Kaci Wallfall, Laya Deleon Hayes

JUNETEENTH

Cancer Stars (June 21-July22) 21: Sonique 22: Octavia Butler, DomiNque Perry, Joie Lee 23: Brandi Rhodes, Britne Oldford 24: Solange, Candice Patton, Adele Oni, Dominique Tipper 25: Brenda Sykes, Sibongile Mlambo 26: Antoinette Robertson, KaMillion 27: Anjela Lauren Smith, Chantel Riley 28: Tichina Arnold

June Events:

1: National Say Something Nice Day, Dinosaur Day | 3: Wonder Woman Day | 6: National Eyewear Day | 12: African New Year (Odunde Festival) | 15-21: National Black Family Cancer Awareness Week | 18: Mermaid Day | 19: Juneteenth |26: LGBT Equality Day | 27: Orange Blossom Day