#even jack and later natalie

[apollos-boyfriend]

👀

-@10piecechickenmcnugget

i need to read the comics before i fully touch on what i want to do with brian so tim time <33 i've already gotten into what he's up to a bit with the masky ramble but i can never talk about my boy enough <3

he's probably the closest thing the kids have to like. a stable caretaker. and by stable i mean consistent because that man is NOT stable in any way shape or form. in the order of events i have currently he's the first adult to show up and therefore has a much closer connection to the kids, having been unable to bring himself to leave them until jane arrived and gave him a Small break. he was meant to take a week for himself but came back after literally a day (for him, time's wonky at the mansion so it was either like a few days or hours for them) because he got too anxious and stressed about their well-being. he eventually gets better at it but it takes a Good While.

tim just feels a large amount of responsibility because in a way, most of those kids were failed by the system, like he was. it's clear most of them suffer from Some mental health issue, and tim knows what it feels like to be looked down upon and ostracized for not fitting into the norm. and like, yeah, it's not the Exact Same, but spending god-knows how long alone with just the kids and slender's inconsistent appearances made him a bit attached, despite his better judgement.

and it's funny because i don't think tim is good with kids. like at all. he barely considers himself a caretaker because he sees himself as the bare minimum at best. but he was all they had for a long time and even when jane and brian eventually show up to help, they still can't help themselves. it's like how cats have this sixth sense and can instantly swarm the nearest cat hater/person with cat allergies. brian was a camp counselor and dealt with kids for years and jane essentially raised her sister herself but no. they cling to the man with 300 diseases that spends half his time wallowing in self-pity about how he's not good enough for them

[send me a "👀" and i'll ramble about an au]

[sixofcrowdaydreams]

I was incredibly lucky enough to get to visit London and see Next to Normal twice in the short time I was there (and meet Jack Wolfe at the stage door!) But lots of fans might not have the same opportunity, so I wanted to share some details about the production and the changes/additions made to the performance since the Donmar production because I remember eagerly reading as many details as possible once upon a time.

Obviously, spoilers ahead for acting choices and stage directions. (Personally, I love spoilers and knowing what to look for in a production, but if you have the chance to see the show and want to be surprised, this is a good place to stop reading.

First off, Diana is shown as waaaaaay more crazy. Her behavior is far more erratic and there's never a moment when you think she's lucid and in control. Personally, I liked this change because I felt like in the Donmar production she was too... normal? She didn't quite behave as the person who broke down in the market, set the house on fire, crashed the car, and jumped in the swimming pool. Here, I completely believe she did all those things. Diana is hypersexual, ripping her top off as she runs past Natalie in the beginning to go have sex with Dan. She plants a kiss on Henry, to Natalie's utter horror, the first time she meets him. (Dan does not react to this, haha, he's used to it.) All of Diana's interactions with with therapists have an undercurrent of overly flirty, sexual dialog. Obviously, this is one sided and unreciprocated from the therapists. At one point she tells the therapist that she's flattered, but her husband is waiting in the car and it's impossible to see it as anything other than super sexual. (She's kinda into it though...) Diana lays curled on the floor more often clutching her head. You never doubt that she is manic.

Let's talk about Gabe.

Jack Wolfe rewrote the role of Gabe, there's no denying that. Instead of the menacing looming ghost, all American jock ghost, Jack plays him as a soft boy. The ultimate soft boy. And I didn't know it was possible, but he ramped that energy up 100% in this production. Jesus christ, he couldn't have been any more adorable if he stood on stage batting his eyelashes. Not only is Gabe played as a soft boy, he's particularly played as being very child-like. It's quite the duality. He has the body and mentality of a supposed 18 year old. He makes a joke about not taking coke "right now," and taunts his father with the location of the car keys at the beginning of the show. Later he reminds his mother that young people in love are horny.

Yet, Gabe's emotional responses, reactions to those around him are extremely childish. It really struck me how similar his expressions of joy, fear, and anger were to my toddler. Eerily similar. In a new addition, his face lights up with uncontrolled joy, giggling when he sees the music box. (His music box.) Gabe jumps to sit on the counter, and hugs it to his chest as he and Diana listen to the music.

There are moments when he is hurt by watching his parents fight and looks absolutely wounded. Like, shoulder hunched, chin tucked in looking down completely betrayed. Another new addition to this production includes Gabe turning his head away and closing his eyes as his mother flushes her pills down the drain. He does not want to see her do it. The dialog is a little at odds with this action because he still tells Diana that he thinks she's being very brave even though he visibly disagrees with her choice.

Gabe recoils in fear during the "chair moment" in a way you wouldn't expect from a young man. When Gabe and Dan crowd Diana during "I Am the One" she lashes out and grabs the chair, swinging it around, forcing them both away from her. Gabe jumps backward in surprise. But this time he also runs behind the counter, visibly terrified that his mother's anger is directed at him. He ducks as she swings the chair, unlike Dan, who is still on the same side of the counter as her and backs out of the way but continues singing and engaging with her, unlike Gabe who does it from a safe distance.

And when Diana's memories of Gabe, and Gabe himself returns after shock therapy, he unleashes the "I'm Alive Reprise" with what I can only describe as the same chaotic gleeful energy my toddler has when my kid starts evil cackling. It's a loud, full body laugh of delight that no one else takes any amusement in that, but that does not stop the child from enjoying it. It's a wild moment in the production. Gabe literally rolls around on top of the counter in delight at being unleashed.

Gabe is also more physically affectionate toward Diana. He hugs her several times and kisses her head. If he gets the opportunity to touch her, he will. In one poignant moment, Dr. Madden convinces Diana to look at Gabe's baby items and start letting go. Gabe tries to get her attention by attempting to hold her hand in order make her talk to him, and instead of taking it, she walks away and leaves him reaching toward her. He is devastated. In the Donmar production Diana and Gabe sat against the counter and leaned on one another. In this production that moment was substituted for Gabe kneeling on the floor and Diana lying on the floor and putting her head in Gabe's lap. He strokes her hair and reassures her.

Instead of seeming jealous or spiteful toward Natalie, Gabe seems enraptured with her. No sibling rivalry here. He tries, unsuccessfully, to get her attention several times and even places his hand over hers on the counter in a moment of comfort, not that she notices. In this production Gabe does not put Diana's purse or bag of pills in front of his sister, starting her addiction. She finds them herself.

This production solved one of the problems I originally had with "Super Boy and the Invisible Girl" in the Donmar production. In the original original New York run Gabe was played by Aaron Tveit as the very jock, athletic all American boy, which is in strict contrast to Natalie, the dorky anxious sister. At the end of the song Gabe joins Natalie singing, "she's not there," until his voice overpowers her and takes over the song as a vocal reminder that he's the favored child. Obviously, the Donmar production didn't do this because Gabe changed to soft boy energy. So Gabe joining the end of the song, singing at Natalie made less sense that the two are no longer in competition. THIS PRODUCTION instead had both Gabe and Natalie singing the end of "Super Boy and the Invisible Girl" to Diana, which was completely brilliant. Diana curls up on the floor clutching her head as both turn their attention toward her. Natalie stands at the top of the stairs and Gabe stands on the counter, both looming over Diana on the floor (asking her why she is not present in their lives and almost accusing her for casting them in the roles of Super Boy and Invisible Girl.)

Gabe is also present in more moments than the original Donmar production. He lurks in the background of several more scenes that did not feature him at the Donmar. This is an excellent choice. He joins Diana during her therapy session when she is hypnotized. Diana makes the joke about turning the light on at the bottom of the stairs to Gabe, both of them being playful and sharing teasing glances because they doubt the success of the hypnosis. (Jokes on Gabe) As Diana falls further into hypnosis, Gabe becomes less visible on stage until he's completely eclipsed behind Dr. Madden and cannot be seen at all even though he's still on stage standing behind the doctor. Gabe tails Diana through the house like a sad puppy afterward when she goes upstairs and retrieves the "baby box."

Gabe did not "try" to make his mother commit suicide. He grabbed his backpack and a dufflebag and started to walk out the door until Diana sang, "I'd die to dance with you." She had already made up her mind to die before Gabe turns around and begins to sing "There's a World." He seemed to help her after she already made her choice. It was less coaxing her into suicide and more guiding her through it, reassuring her of the what came at the end and how he would be there with her.

Gabe watches while Dan cleans up Diana's suicide attempt. He shows up just in time for Dan to sing the lyric, "And there's no one around," disproving Dan's claim that he's all alone. Now, looking this up, it seems like Gabe is supposed to be in this scene, but I have NO MEMORY of Gabe at this part in the original Donmar production. That could just be my faulty memory though. This scene really strengthens their confrontation later in "I Am the One Reprise." I also have no memory of the "sonogram scene" at the Donmar though I distinctly remember reading about it and was actively watching for the moment when Gabe stood on the upper floor and the curtain dropped, casting him in silhouette reminiscent to a sonogram while Diana listens to the music box. So maybe I'm just not remembering correctly? Still, this scene was also excellent and haunting as Gabe hummed the music box melody. The humming was beautiful and it broke me.

At one point in this production, Gabe almost touches his father, but pulls away first. Gabe, desperate to be acknowledged, stands in front of Dan, who reaches forward to touch Diana. Gabe quickly retreats in fear, and throws himself out of the way to avoid touching his father.

I'm not particularly sure anything changed during "I Am the One Reprise," but it's my favorite scene of the entire show, so I'm gonna talk about it. Because hot damn. Before this moment Diana talks to Natalie and sings "Maybe" While they talk Dan and Gabe are sitting against opposite side of the counter. (Dan in the front on the far left hands clutching his head, Gabe behind the counter on the far right curled into a ball, arms wrapped around his knees, forehead on his knees) When Diana finally tells Natalie (and the audience) how her older brother died, Gabe perks up at the mention of his name. He slowly unfolds, sits up, and listens as if it is the first time he's heard it too. Then Diana sings "So Anyway," and leaves. Both men watch her go. (To my utter amusement, Gabe turns into a prairie dog standing up on his knees -- again, reminding me of my toddler who does the same thing in order to sit up and see better -- as Diana leaves.)

Dan stands and starts singing "I Am the One Reprise" to Diana. But Gabe stands and starts singing the reprise to Dan. Then he gets to, "I know you told her that I'm not worth a damn, But I know you know who I am." And then the music cue drops.

It's so powerful.

For the first time Gabe looks angry. Confrontational. He demands to be recognized by his father while Dan denies his presence and begs him to go away. In a stunning leap of athleticism, Gabe jumps on the counter and grabs Dan from the back. It's almost violent. Dan struggles but Gabe refuses to let go until Dan spins around they lock onto each other's forearms and sing the same verse. It's so emotionally charged. Both actors are cry and yell at each other as they sing.

Then Dan starts to pull away and Gabe desperately reaches out trying to hold him again, but unable to from his position on the counter. He continues to reach out despite Dan growing farther away. it's heartbreaking. Dan finally says Gabe's name and recognizes him. It's all Gabe has wanted from his father the entire show. Gabe is so happy in this moment. They look like they are going to continue talking, but Natalie comes in and asks her father, "It's just us?" Now, I remember the line being "It's just the two of us?" at the Donmar, but it's been a hot minute, so I could be wrong (again). But I like, "It's just the two of us?" better because it forces Dan to deny Gabe once again. Dan deliberately looks over at Gabe on the counter before agreeing with Natalie. And Gabe just... gives up. He got the 10 seconds of acknowledgement he wanted from his father. Dan said his name and Gabe's content with that much even though Dan denies him once again in front of Natalie.

Gabe slowly gets off the counter, touches Natalie's hand, though she's unaware, and walks upstairs like a sad little ascending angel who watches over his remaining family.

Other thoughts:

I may not have talked nearly as much about the rest of the cast, but they were all perfect. I loved everyone's voice. Dan was sooooo sympathetic and I love him more and more each time I see the show. Natalie's voice is gorgeous. Stunning. Diana is an unreliable narrator and I think the audience often forgets that.

There are so many props in this set, it must be a nightmare to restock for each show. The food Diana throws around making sandwiches is real, as is the disastrous dinner. (During Diana and Dan's argument they clean up and Diana just throws the dishware into the trash, not just the food, the pan and bowl too and it feels so in character.) Everything else just gets shoved into the sink, haha. The sink does have running water. The birthday cake seems like a prop though and Diana did her best to keep the candles lit while she raced around the stage looking for her dead son. From the balcony on my first viewing I had a really good view of the baby box and saw the exact moment the "blood" began to leak from it. It happened very quickly before the stage turned around, which made me think the it was remote controlled and not set on a release timer (though it probably could be. Every movement from everyone on stage is extremely coordinated even though they are not dancing.) Sitting closer to the stage, the box seemed to leak from all four corners -- I'm just a weirdo who likes knowing these production details.

The cast popping out of the fridge was way funnier during "Psychopharmacologist and I" because they opened the fridge was used it as an ordinary fridge during the opening song. So it was totally unexpected.

Only one person audibly reacted in the audience to Gabe's death reveal between the two shows I saw. Lol. Everyone else went in knowing.

Jesus christ, I have no idea how the actors wore long sleeves and pants on stage. I sat four rows back on the second viewing and I WAS HOT from the stage lights and I wasn't running around the stage like they were. They definitely were visibly sweating.

A friend pointed out that the cast were using American accents, which I didn't realize. For the most part they sounded fine, especially compared to the interviews where the cast use in their natural accents. The most shocking difference was Natalie's actress -- she had the best American accent compared to her strong irl accent. Dan's actor too! Both Jacks couldn't quite cover up their soft vowels so my American ear didn't realize they were using an American accent when I heard their natural ones so clearly.

There were several stage mishaps the second time I saw the production. The curtain that goes up and down on the upper levels of the stage knocked over the "I'm Alive" microphone stand when it when down, knocking the mic off. The mic popped off and bounced down the stairs and rolled off the back of the stage where production presumably grabbed it. The actors picked up the mic stand and put the mic back on it in the next scene. The same microphone stand fell down again when Gabe turned around and his red backpack knocked it over. He picked it up very quickly.

During my "Psychopharmacologist and I" one of Dan's pill bottles, being used as a shaker, exploded. The actor froze for a second, then kept going as the "pills" scattered across the stage. He just put his empty hand in the pocket of the medical coat and continued. When the song ended, a production manager came out, apologized, and said the stage needed to be reset. All the actors left as the stage was swept. The audience looked at their phones for 5 minutes and then the production started again.

Next to Normal was such a joy to see. Like, yes, I saw it because of Jack Wolfe and he was absolutely a highlight of it. But I was never bored without him on stage. Though I did think "So Anyway" was a bit too long, but that's my personal opinion and the effect of jet lag may have influenced that thought. All of the cast and their voices were incredibly talented and I'm glad to be familiar with the show now.

This is long enough, but if you have any questions about the production, please ask! I am happy to answer questions to help those who might be able to see it in person visualize what happened on stage.

[toasttt11]

dogs

October 8, 2023

Ophelia walked out of her room wearing blue jeans, a tan sweater and a red leather jacket with matching red boots. She had half of her hair clipped back and out of her face.

Quinn looked up from his phone where he was leaning on the kitchen counter waiting for her to come out before they left.

“Ready to go Bee?” Quinn asked her as she put her purse on cross body and she nodded softly and followed Quinn out of his apartment.

Quinn drove them to Brock’s house for a team party, Quinn could have hosted the party but his apartment wasn’t really a good hosting space and Brock has the space. They have a party every year after the preseason is over and before the first game.

“Okay?” Quinn gently asked as he turned the car off and saw Ophelia fiddling with her bee ring.

Ophelia slowly nodded, “Okay.” Ophelia reassured she was okay just nervous.

Ophelia followed Quinn out of the car and up the front steps to Brock’s house, she glanced around seeing a lot of cars already and hearing a good amount people from inside.

“Hey you two!” Brock beamed as he opened the door and his two dogs were standing next to him.

Ophelia gasped softly at the two dogs, she’s heard about them from Brock but hasn’t met them yet, “Can i pet them please?” Ophelia looked hopeful at Brock.

“Of course SJ.” Brock said and immediately Ophelia was kneeling down and petting the two dogs happily.

“Hi Milo! Hi Coolie! Your Dad has told me all about you two.” Ophelia cooed petting them both and she laughed as Milo bumped her and she sat on the ground and the dogs started licking her face making her giggle.

Quinn’s face softened seeing her smiles and giggles and pulled out his phone recording a little bit knowing Jack will find it adorable.

“Alright you two let her up.” Brock laughed seeing Ophelia just getting sat on by both of his dogs and they were licking her face like crazy.

Milo and Coolie eventually got off her but still stayed closed as Ophelia stood up and petted them so more.

Quinn and Ophelia walked into the house eventually and saw how filled the house already was.

Ophelia noticed a lot of the team’s kids here, she hasn’t really met any of the kids yet but has heard quite a bit from a lot of her team.

Ophelia looked down as something ran into her shins and saw a boy that seemed to just learn how to walk and noticed he seemed very familiar.

“Owen!” Natalie called out chasing after her one year old son clinging to Ophelia’s legs, “Sorry Ophelia.” She gave Ophelia a smile.

“That’s okay.” Ophelia smirked back and gave the little boy a smile as Natalie picked him up. Owen waved back grinning widely at Ophelia.

Ophelia gave Quinn a quick nudge making him glance down seeing her tilt her head at the food table and he nodded pressing a quick soft kiss to the top of her head and she walked over to the food table where Elias was as Quinn watched her walk away and turned away once she got to Elias.

“You have to try these.” Elias said when he saw her standing next to him and handed her a cookie dough protein ball.

Elias not only gets a quiet teammate finally but also a teammate who appreciates food like him and likes similar food as he does.

Ophelia took a bite and her eyes widen in delight immediately eating the rest of the protein ball, “Holy crap.”

“Exactly!” Elias grinned smugly.

Elias and Ophelia stood at the food table for a long while just trying everything together.

Quinn smiled across the room seeing how much Elias is getting Ophelia to eat.

Jt came over a little while later with his two daughters following him, “Oh SJ these are my daughters, Scarlett and Scottlyn. Girls this is Ophelia.”

“Hi!” Scottlyn waved smiling up at Ophelia.

“Your hair is so pretty!” Scarlett gasped starring at Ophelia’s with stars in her little eyes.

Ophelia smiled softly and bent down to be at the two girls level, “Thank you, You both have even prettier hair.”

Ophelia’s words made them both giggle happily.

Jt laughed as he watched his daughters keep talking to Ophelia and asking her a million questions.

Ophelia eventually headed outside after sitting with the two girls for a while until they both started falling asleep.

Ophelia let out a small sigh as she sat on the back deck. Everyone is so nice and very welcoming but it’s still a lot of people and it’s a bit overwhelming especially as everyone wanted to talk to Quinn.

Quinn glanced out the back window seeing Ophelia sitting on the back patio. He grabbed a blanket off the couch and walked over to Brock.

“Maybe the dogs would want to go outside.” Quinn suggested handing Brock a blanket as Brock glanced outside and smiled understanding.

Brock whistled making his dogs run over to him and he walked towards the door and opened the back door and immediately his dogs ran outside and right to Ophelia once they noticed her.

Ophelia laughed softly and quickly petted both of dogs.

Brock sat the blanket over her shoulders, “A present from Quinn.” He smiled, it’s adorable seeing how much Quinn absolutely loves Ophelia.

Ophelia smiled and bundled up under the blanket letting out a soft sigh as she was warming up.

“I think the dogs want to stay out here and they would like some company.” Brock said knowingly, he’s noticed Ophelia isn’t the biggest fan of big groups.

Ophelia smiled at his words giving Brock a grateful look, “I’d love to stay with them.”

Brock smiled back nodding softly and he patted her head before heading inside.

Ophelia smiled to herself, she really likes here in Vancouver and she can’t wait for her first NHL game in a few days.

[crushedsweets]

SCREAMING SHAKING YOU OVER YOUR CREEPYPASTA SQUID GAMES ART YES YEEEEES YESSSSS 💥💥💥💥💥 silly silly question abt it but how do u think they (clocky toby kate and nina but u can include other creeps too) would die in squid games and how devastating would it be

ok so i kept TRYING to think about it as i drew but i legit couldnt come up with anything. so ill try to scramble out ideas now

it would take place in s2 because i drew them with the X/Os on their shirts (and s2 is more fun to me). . . spoilers ahead most likely. also SUPER disorganized and messy because if i tried to make this organized and clean itd take me an hour

so squid game AU where they all existed without slendy. im gonna focus on toby/nat/nina/kate/EJ(the creepjects) but ill mention jeff, ben, lulu, ann, brian, tim, jane, and liu

why theyre in debt/how the salesman approached them

toby is not a proxy, he's in the games because his mom is in a ton of medical debt after lyra's death and she went back to frank bc of it. toby is in there to relieve her debt, mostly so she can leave frank for good. he never killed his dad. the salesman prob came up to him after he and his dad got into a really violent fight after lyras death and he stormed out and was in a really bad spot.

similarly, i sort of like the idea of Jack's parents going into debt. its not his fault at all, but his dad maybe starts gambling for fun, it spirals out of control, he keeps desperately gambling to fix his mistakes, and its fucking up their (and all his 5 siblings) lives. i think he'd get approached by the salesman after pulling a lot of his own savings out to help his parents, only for it to barely make a dent in their debt and causing a huge argument between him and his dad.

natalie would fall into student loan debt after she moves states away for art school to escape her family, and they never had any savings, so the expenses piled up and financial aid/working multiple jobs couldnt keep up with them. she was approached by the salesman after cussing out a customer and getting fired on the spot cuz of it.

nina was big on buying, reselling, etc with a lot of fashion items. she eventually would get into a lot of luxury items, which immediately up the prices. even if they werent scams, she probably shouldnt have been buying them anyway, but she got screwed over severely and fall into credit card debt. however instead of trying to pay it off, she'd keep fucking herself cuz she has no self control. doesnt even realize how bad her debt is till its unsalvageable. salesman prob approached her after her card got declined and she finally called her bank and got the news and started freaking out.

i think kate was just pulling out loans to afford basic things. probably started with a car because she was young and fresh out of the foster system(IN A NON-SLENDY AU BTW) and needed transportation so she can work and get settled into her adult life. fucked over by a loan shark who took advantage of her being financially illiterate and had insane interest rates, resulting in her pulling out more loans to avoid getting her ass kicked, only for it to spiral. prob got approached by salesman after a loan shark roughed her up for being late and shes on her last leg

this is really hard cuz i love them all so much i dont wanna kill any of them and i can think of 100 reasons for why each would be 'good' to kill off for the sake of the story and 100 reasons why their death would be bad for my soul

SO REDLIGHT GREENLIGHT

i think in redlightgreenlight, kate and toby wouldve been arguing abotu some stupid shit. kate shoves toby when the song ends, he hits the floor, and the doll turns around. hes still on the floor, and some people start getting shot. thats when they realize this is a death game and kate realizes she nearly killed him(and possibly herself) if she pushed him even 5 seconds later.

realistically, nina would die in redlightgreenlight because the blood/gunshots would scare her so bad she'd be one of the people shaking, screaming, or running. BUT I DONT WANT HER TO SO THIS DEATH CAN BE HYPOTHETICAL.

SO ILL SAY INSTEAD the reason nina survives despite her shaking is because she's hiding behind Clocky. who is doing good at the game and doesnt even realize nina has been hiding behind her until the end of the game, in which she turns around like "...?why are you standing so close back up."

i think jack would be sort of quiet and not really notable in the first game. i dunno why but he seems like a character that would show up later. OR he'd be like Ali(199 s1) or Hyun-ju(120 s2) who makes their first big move by saving someone else, even if it risks their life.

SO THEN THE FIRST VOTE.

nina immediately votes X, clocky votes O, toby votes O, kate votes O, EJ votes O. theyre all desperate and think the only reason ppl lost redlightgreenlight was fear/confusion, and that the next games cant be that bad.

THEN THE SIX LEGGED PENTATHALON.

they'd all get put together.

toby would play ddakji. clocky plays flying stone. nina plays gong-gi. jack plays spinning top. kate plays jegi.

i think for other creeps, id prob shove some of them into a group against their will where they'd go in super confident and then die. like jeff/ben/lulu would be in a group, asking Ann to join. she'd reject them, and die in her own group

SO THE SECOND VOTE

EJ, Nina, and Clocky vote X. Kate and Toby vote O. clocky screams at them for it. kate just kinda sits there and lets her yell, but toby argues back. "you selfish fucking pricks why would you do that?!" "i need the fucking money man EVERYONE here needs the money stop bitching!" etc. Nina doesnt talk to them for the rest of the night, till the next game. EJ talks to them and is like "i understand. it was your decision, not mine." because he also almost voted O

SO MINGLE.

round one with 10 people, they get grouped with jeff(013), ben(404), lulu(400), jane(119), and liu(310). (i think jeff would be dragging lulu around everywhere. ben follows jeff voluntarily, jane and liu end up there cuz they needed two more)

round two with 4, jack and clocky are like "go take the other three into a room ill find someone else" but theyre losing time arguing, so toby and kate end up dragging clocky. so clocky, nina, kate, and toby in a room. jack barely scrapes by with another room, so theyre all so relieved when he shows up - but theres a moment of awkward tension between toby and jack, because toby chose clocky without second thought

round 3 with 3, toby, kate, and clocky get in a room together. nina is freaking out grabbing onto jack in near tears, and before jack can find someone, another tim(209) and brian(214) grab nina and force her into a room. leaving jack with nobody.

JACK IS ELIMATED IN MINGLE. nina is screaming banging on the wall. the others have no idea he's dead until they see nina choking on her tears.

round 4 with 6, nina doesnt wanna go with toby or kate anymore, but clocky begs her to just stick with them. so nina, toby, kate, and clocky. jeff and ben join them, leaving lulu to die. jeff defends himself saying he swore he left her with a group of 5.

round 5 with 2, toby and kate. nina and clocky. jeff and ben. jane and liu. tim and a random man who forced his way into the room before brian could, leaving brian to die. tim starts beating the man while the door is locked, nearly killing him before the door opens.

lulu, jack, and brian are elimated in mingle.

SO VOTE 3...

Clocky, Nina, Jane, Liu, Tim, and Toby vote X. Jeff, Ben, and Kate vote O.

nina's the one to scream at kate now, but kate once again just sits there and takes it. kate is Unfortunately Quite indifferent to herself or the people around her dying. toby voted X this time cuz of Jack's death + Nina and Clocky are just so distraught.

kate, being 008, is one of the last people to vote so it's a huge like ?! moment.

then the bathroom scene happens after the tie . . .

i think ben and liu die in the bathroom scene. liu didnt mean to get into a fight, and ben bit off more than he could chew. jeff is losing his mind cuz he's all alone now. jane is distraught after lius death so clocky/nina console her. kate sees toby covered in blood and she's shaken up by it.

SO LIGHTS OUT HAPPENS.

jeff kills jane. im sorry. im so sorry. she doesn't deserve it but he'd go straight for her.

this literally only leaves clocky, nina, toby, kate, jeff, and tim as MC's...

ok the issue here now is How would the whole revolution happen... i think tim would have to be in gi-hun/456's position and he's the one to lead it.

tim, toby, clocky, kate would go. nina and jeff stay back cuz jeff WANTS to stay in the game and nina doesnt wanna die (plus the others wouldnt let her join).

so. yeah. um. thats so pathetic i really jsut squidgamed them all

[gravehags]

Secondo is standing there in the living room watching Nat come out in set after set of lingerie, red-faced, and doing his absolute best to be good so Copia and Nat don't both kill him: I'm sure this is fine. Definitely not going to jack off about this later, what are you talking about

it’s even funnier if you imagine copia in the room with him glaring at him like “i know what you are, stronzo” man isn’t even paying attention to his wife with her tits out he’s so laser focused on making sure secondo doesn’t have an ounce of a reaction. natalie thinks it’s the funniest shit she’s ever seen.

[randomperson99sworld]

Hope

~ Chapter 5 ~

Summary: Dean and Sam Winchester save a young woman —Natalie Johnson, from a coven of witches who are after her deceased grandmothers spell book. At first Dean doesn’t trust her, will he ever? Natalie is just simply a woman who gets roped up in the supernatural world from a mistake her grandmother made.

Pairing: Dean x OC

Warning: Age gap, slow burn, smut (not until the later chapters), language, gore.

Word Count: 2,737

A/N: Please feel free to leave comments! I love reading them. This is my last chapter for the night. I’ve worked all day on these lol

A Few Days Later:

Things had mostly gone back to normal between Dean and Natalie, or at least as normal as things got in the bunker. Dean was still gruff with her, his words often clipped and his tone carrying that familiar edge of impatience, but there was something different now—something softer beneath the surface. Maybe he'd been too hard on her. Hell, he knew he had. He couldn't help it. It was how he was wired—tough, gruff, always on guard.

He'd been the same way with Jack. The kid had never deserved the kind of crap Dean had thrown at him, and Dean knew that now. But it was his defense mechanism, the walls he put up to protect himself from losing more people. Still, after that blow-up with Natalie, he'd been trying—really trying—to be less of an ass. It didn't come naturally, but for her sake, and for Sam's, he was making the effort.

A few days had passed since their argument, and there had been no sign of the witch or the Dark Scroll—the cursed spell book that had gotten Natalie tangled up in all this. She'd been working hard, though, tracking leads and piecing together the book's history. Every time Dean walked past her at the war room table, she was hunched over her laptop, scrolling through old records, auction listings, and black-market websites.

"It's close," she'd said more than once. "I know it's close, I just don't have anything solid yet."

The Dark Scroll had a long, twisted history. Used exclusively for dark magic, it had been passed around for centuries, causing chaos wherever it went. Natalie's grandmother had been the last known owner, but since her death, the book had vanished—likely sold off with the rest of her belongings. Natalie was determined to track it down, though, and Dean couldn't help but respect her determination, even if he still had his doubts about her.

That morning, Sam had burst into the war room with fresh news. "We've got a new case," he said, setting down a stack of papers in front of Natalie. "There's something weird going on in a small town just outside of Lawrence. I think it might be connected to some kind of supernatural entity—a Djinn, maybe—but I need your help with the research."

Natalie glanced up from her laptop, rubbing her tired eyes. "Djinn? Like, grant-wishes-but-then-twist-them kind of Djinn?"

"Exactly," Sam nodded, sifting through his notes. "People have been going missing after making wishes at this creepy old wishing well. I need to cross-reference the town's history with known Djinn activity in the area, but I also want you to keep working on tracking down the Dark Scroll."

"Two things at once," Natalie muttered, stretching her arms. "No problem."

Dean leaned against the doorframe, watching the exchange with crossed arms. "Think you can handle that, geek?"

Natalie shot him a look, half-amused, half-annoyed. "I've been handling it so far, haven't I?"

Dean grunted, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Fair enough."

Sam shot Dean a warning look, but there was no real heat behind it. He was starting to notice that while Dean was still gruff with Natalie, the edges had softened just a little. That, in Winchester terms, was progress.

"I'll be in and out, checking with local contacts," Sam said, gathering up his gear. "Dean and I will handle the fieldwork, but we'll need you to stay back and monitor everything from here."

"Yeah, yeah," Natalie waved him off with a playful roll of her eyes. "You know I'm your tech support. I'll handle it."

The hours ticked by, and Natalie found herself juggling two tasks—tracking down leads on the Dark Scroll while simultaneously researching Djinn lore and cross-referencing local legends for Sam and Dean. She wasn't sure how she'd fallen so easily into this routine of remote support and hacker extraordinaire, but somehow, she had.

Sam had gone off to investigate the case, leaving Dean behind with her at the bunker for a few hours. He'd been unusually quiet, working on weapons maintenance while Natalie clicked away at her laptop.

"I think I've got something," Natalie said suddenly, her voice breaking the silence. Dean glanced up from the silver knife he was sharpening, his eyes narrowed.

"On the case or the book?"

"The book," she replied, scrolling through an old auction catalog from a black-market dealer. "It was sold off to some collector in Massachusetts a few months after my grandmother passed. I'm trying to track where it went after that, but... it's slow."

Dean set down the knife, wiping his hands with a rag. He stared at her for a long moment, his face unreadable. "You really think this book's gonna solve all your problems?"

Natalie frowned, not sure where he was going with this. "No. But it's important. You know that. If this witch gets her hands on it, a lot of people could die."

Dean sighed, leaning back in his chair. He knew she was right, but the whole situation still didn't sit well with him. His instincts screamed that they were walking into another mess, another disaster waiting to happen. But that was their life, wasn't it?

"I get that," he muttered. "I just hope you're not getting too wrapped up in this."

Natalie gave him a curious look, sensing a rare moment of honesty from him. "You think I'm in over my head?"

Dean shrugged, his expression guarded. "I think... this life doesn't give a damn about what you're good at or what you care about. It just takes. And sometimes, it takes everything."

Natalie studied him for a moment, her frustration softening. She knew Dean was still processing everything—Charlie, Jack, everyone he'd lost. She could see the weight of that loss in the way he looked at her, in the way he tried to keep his distance.

"I get it, Dean," she said quietly, her tone softer than before. "You've been through a lot. More than anyone should have to deal with. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying. This book—it's not just about stopping the witch. It's... it's about my grandmother. I can't just let it go."

Dean stared at her for a long moment, then finally nodded, his gruff demeanor slipping just a little. "Alright. Just... be careful. We've lost enough people."

Natalie gave him a small, grateful smile. "I will."

Hours later, Sam called in from the field, his voice crackling through the comms. "We found the Djinn's lair. It's bad, Dean. People are trapped in their heads, reliving some kind of twisted fantasy."

Dean cursed under his breath, standing up and grabbing his jacket. "We'll handle it. You got the antidote ready?"

"Yeah," Sam replied. "But we'll need Natalie to monitor the security system here. We need to make sure no one else gets caught in the crossfire."

Natalie sat up straight, already switching gears. "I'm on it."

"Thanks, Nat," Sam said, his tone appreciative. "I don't know what we'd do without you."

As Dean prepared to leave, he glanced over at her, his expression still serious but no longer hard. "Keep us updated. And... good luck with the book."

Natalie nodded, her fingers already flying over the keyboard. "Good luck with the Djinn. Try not to get yourselves killed, okay?"

Dean chuckled under his breath, a rare sound that surprised even him. "No promises."

And with that, he was gone, leaving Natalie alone in the bunker once again, tackling both the hunt for the Dark Scroll and the Djinn case, her mind buzzing with activity. But for the first time, she felt like maybe, just maybe, she wasn't just a liability or a tag-along.

She was part of the team. And that meant something.

As the hours wore on, and the case unfolded in real-time over the comms, she couldn't shake the feeling that they were getting closer—closer to the truth about the Dark Scroll, closer to finding the witch, and closer to figuring out where they all fit in this strange, broken world.

But for now, all she could do was keep pushing forward.

Natalie sat back in her chair, rubbing her eyes as she scrolled through another old auction listing, her mind wandering. She couldn't help but think about how insane all of this was. A few months ago, her life had been completely normal—working as a cybersecurity analyst, living in her apartment, never worrying about things like witches or cursed books. Now, she was smack in the middle of a supernatural war zone, all because of a dusty old book her grandmother had bought on a whim.

It wasn't supposed to be like this, she thought, glancing at the laptop screen where she'd been piecing together the history of the Dark Scroll. She had told Dean this over and over: her grandmother wasn't a witch, not some secret sorceress hiding spells in her attic. She was just a woman who had an interest in the strange and unusual—kind of like the way people collect crystals or tarot cards, even if they don't believe in them.

Natalie could still remember her grandmother laughing when she first brought home the spell book.

"It's probably nothing," she'd said with a dismissive wave. "But it's a conversation starter, at least."

But now Natalie was caught in this mess—hunted by a witch coven because of that book. It was surreal and terrifying, and sometimes, when she was alone like this, she couldn't help but feel a pang of anger and grief. Not at her grandmother, but at the sheer unfairness of it all. If her grandmother had known what this book would bring into her life, she would've never bought it.

And yet, here Natalie was—tied to a spell book she barely understood and a witch who wanted it more than anything. Every lead felt like another dead end, and she was getting frustrated, though she'd never admit it to the brothers.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Sam's voice coming through her earpiece, his tone tense.

"Natalie, I need your help. Now."

Natalie snapped out of her reverie, immediately shifting her focus. "What's going on, Sam?" she asked, her fingers already flying over the keyboard.

"We've run into a problem," Sam's voice crackled. "The Djinn's stronger than we thought. We're in the lair, but we can't get the hostages out. We need more time."

Natalie's pulse quickened. She glanced at the monitors, tracking the security feed she'd hacked into earlier. "I'm pulling up the museum's internal system now. What do you need me to do?"

Dean's voice came through next, harsh and breathless, like he'd been in the middle of a fight. "Get those damn doors locked. Keep anyone else from getting into this nightmare. We've got enough on our hands in here."

"Got it." Natalie's fingers danced over the keys, her mind focused and clear now. She hacked into the security panel, overriding the local control system. Within seconds, she had full access. "Okay, I've locked down the outer doors. No one's getting in or out."

"Good," Dean grunted, his voice tight with strain. "Now we just need to figure out how to kill this son of a bitch."

Natalie continued to monitor their movements on the security feed, tracking their progress through the museum's darkened halls. She could see flashes of movement on the grainy cameras—Dean swinging his machete at the twisted, shadowy form of the Djinn, Sam pulling unconscious victims from their nightmarish dream worlds. They were holding their own, but just barely.

"Dean," she called through the comms, "the Djinn's moving toward the west wing. You need to head that way before it traps more people."

"We're on it," Sam replied, panting with effort. "Just... keep those cameras rolling. If it moves again, let us know."

Natalie's eyes darted across the screens, scanning for any sign of movement. She felt the familiar rush of adrenaline—the same rush she'd always felt when she was cracking a code or hacking into a system for work. Only now, instead of stopping a cyberattack, she was helping two hunters fight off a supernatural threat.

This wasn't the life she'd chosen, but it was the life she had now. And somehow, she was making it work.

The Djinn was relentless. Dean and Sam were moving as fast as they could, but it was clear from the strain in their voices that they were running out of time.

"Natalie, do we have any other exits?" Sam asked, his voice tight with exhaustion. "We need to get these people out before the Djinn circles back."

Natalie scanned the museum's blueprints. "There's an emergency exit in the north hall. It's not on the usual maps, but I can get it open."

Dean's voice cut in, rough as gravel. "Get it open now."

Natalie hacked into the emergency system, overriding the locked doors. "It's done. You've got five minutes before the system reboots. Get those people out."

"Good work, Nat," Sam said, relief clear in his voice. "We're almost done here."

Dean muttered something under his breath—something that almost sounded like praise. Natalie smiled to herself but didn't press the issue. They were in the middle of a life-or-death situation, after all.

As she continued monitoring the cameras, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye—something darting across one of the screens. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Dean, heads up. It's coming back your way."

Dean's heart pounded in his chest as he and Sam dragged the last of the hostages toward the emergency exit. He could feel the Djinn's presence getting closer, the air growing colder and thicker with every passing second.

"Here it comes," Sam warned, gripping his silver knife tightly.

The Djinn emerged from the shadows, its eyes glowing an eerie blue as it stalked toward them, moving like a predator ready to strike. Dean stepped forward, machete raised.

"Come on, you ugly son of a bitch," he growled. "Let's dance."

The fight was brutal, the Djinn moving faster than either of them had anticipated. It lashed out with supernatural speed, knocking Sam to the ground before turning its glowing eyes on Dean.

Natalie's voice came through the comms, urgent. "Dean, you need to aim for the heart! It's the only way to kill it!"

Dean gritted his teeth, dodging the Djinn's next attack. "Yeah, thanks for the tip."

He lunged forward, swinging the machete in a wide arc. The blade caught the Djinn in the chest, slicing through flesh and bone. The creature let out a piercing scream, its body convulsing before collapsing in a heap on the floor.

Dean stood over it, breathing hard, his muscles aching. "That's right. Stay down."

Sam groaned from the floor, pushing himself up. "We good?"

Dean glanced around, the tension in his body slowly easing. "Yeah. We're good."

Hours later, after the Djinn case was wrapped up and the hostages were safe, Dean and Sam returned to the bunker. Natalie was still at her laptop, her eyes tired but alert.

"How'd it go?" she asked, looking up as they entered the room.

"Djinn's dead," Dean said, collapsing into a chair. "People are safe. Thanks to you."

Sam gave her a grateful smile. "Seriously, Nat. You were a huge help. We couldn't have done it without you."

Natalie smiled, feeling a little warmth bloom in her chest. "Well, I try."

Dean leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. "So... any new leads on that damn spell book?"

Natalie sighed, shaking her head. "Nothing concrete yet, but I'm close. I can feel it."

Dean huffed, but there was no real edge to it this time. "Yeah, well. Keep at it. Sooner we get that thing, sooner we deal with this witch."

Natalie nodded, her determination renewed. They still had a long way to go, but for the first time in a while, she felt like she was making progress—on the book, on the witch, and maybe, just maybe, with Dean too.

As the night wore on and the bunker settled into its usual quiet, Natalie couldn't help but think that, despite everything, she was exactly where she needed to be.

[kavinam-indra-bharathi]

the various forms of sauron

for those who read my fic sirivennela, i have finally decided to post this series of how sauron keeps changing his form throughout the series (even though i never finished the series, but do not fear, i will not leave without completing it.)

terms to remember- a fanar refers to a corporeal body used by a maia or vala.

taglist- @aarasiswear, @herawell

also, srry for not frequently updating sirivennela, i will try to update sooner, same for song drabbles and navarasa drabbles as well.

and if you have any doubts regarding this post (except why sauron takes up a female fanar at some point, since answering them would be giving out spoilers) pls do ask them in the comments, i will try my level best to answer.

ps: i updated the list after fully fleshing out somethings that will later be revealed in sirivennela, and have added more forms, and made sure that the ones that are more maia like are here and the cat and the others are going to be in anther post, so those who saw it check it again

so, here goes, the list of sauron's innumerable forms:

the smith and liutenent consort of melkor- cody fern

timeline: valinor- glaurung's birth

name: mairon aulendil (later- bagulir) / sauron gorthaur

the mother of dragons (a female fanar)- kate winslet

timeline: destruction of lamps- post glaurung's birth

name: mairon bagulir/sauron gorthaur

the lord of tol-in-gaurhoth - jack lowden

timeline: post glaurung's birth- Dagor-nuin-Giliath

name: sauron gorthaur/mairon bagulir

the one who bore wyrms- meryem uzerli (a female fanar)

timeline: post glaurung's birth- Dagor-nuin-Giliath

names- mairon bagulir/sauron gorthaur

the flame of udun- keira knightley(a male fanar (note that though the actress is female, thefanar is that of a male))

timeline: Dagor-nuin-Giliath- dragor algareb

names- mairon bagulir/ sauron gorthaur

the flame of udun- emily carey(a female fanar )

timeline: Dagor-nuin-Giliath- dragor algareb

names- mairon bagulir/sauron gorthaur

the base master of treachery- merve bolgur

timeline: dragor algareb- dragor bragollarch

names- mairon bagulir/sauron gorthaur

the base master of treachery-natalie dormer (a female fanar )

timeline: dragor algareb- dragor bragollarch

names- mairon bagulir/sauron gorthaur

the lord of the black lands (note that this is a male fanar though athe actress is a female)- joss stone

timeline- dragor bragollarch- tol in gaurhoth

name- mairon bagulir/ sauron gorthaur

the lord of the black lands (a female fanar)- leyla feray

timeline- post dragor bragollach- tol in gaurhoth

name- mairon bagulir/ sauron gorthaur

the aggrieved - charlie vickers

timeline: post tol-in-gaurhoth - glaurung's death (since he occupies a diffrent fanar after nearly dying)

name: mairon bagulir/sauron gorthaur

the mother of the worm of erebor(a female fanar)- elle fanning

timeline: post tol-in-gaurhoth - glaurung's death (since he occupies a diffrent fanar after nearly dying)

name: mairon bagulir/sauron gorthaur

the black hand-aslihan gurburz (a female fanar)

timeline- glaurung's death- fall of gondolin

names- sauron gorthaur/ mairon bagulir

the black hand- nur fettahoglu (note that though the actress is a female , the fanar is that of a male)

timeline- glaurung's death- fall of gondolin

names- sauron gorthaur/ mairon bagulir

the lord of angband (note that this is a male fanar though athe actress is a female)- Beste Kökdemir

timeline- post gondolin- pre war of wrath

names- sauron gorthaur/ mairon bagulir

the lord of angband (a female fanar)- Nurgül Yeşilçay

timeline- post gondolin- pre war of wrath

names- sauron gorthaur/ mairon bagulir

the one who fled (a female fanar) - deepika padukone (a female fanar that he takes to seek the valar's pardon)

timeline- post war of wrath hiding- pre eregion

name- mairon bagulir

the one who fled (a male fanar) - charlie vickers (he takes a disguise as a man to escape)

timeline- post war of wrath hiding- pre eregion

name- halbrand/ mairon bagulir

the seductor - keerthy suresh (a male fanar, though the actress is female)

timeline- pre eregion- eregion (note, form used only to ensnare those who would later become the nazgul)

names: sauron gorthaur/ tar-mairon

the lord of gifts- david tennant

timeline: eregion-pre numenor

names: annatar

a form taken to satiate the curiosity of celebrimbor (a female fanar)- aishwariya rai bacchan

timeline: eregion-pre numenor

names: annatar

the whore of pharazon- sai pallavi (a male fanar, though the actress is female)

timeline: pre numenor- post numenor (note this is his physical form and not the form he takes when he enters another's mind)

names: Tar-mairon/zigur

the one who plagues the mind- nissankara mahanati savitri ganeshan (a male fanar though the actress is female)

timeline: pre numenor- post numenor(note that this is the form he takes when he is entering another's mind)

names: tar mairon/zigur

the lord of the rings- jarred blakiston

timeline: post numenor- war of last alliance

names: sauron gorthaur

the lord of the rings- sala baker

timeline- poat numenor- war of last alliance

names: sauron gorthaur

the corpse- luke goss (note that this is his new corporeal form after the incident in dol guldur)

timeline: pre botfa- void

names: sauron gorthaur/ mairon bagulir

[huzzpuppy]

minecraft movie is rotting me I have to articulate my thoughts on it. I don’t think I’ve ever written this much abt a movie but I was compelled

probably the most unique theater experience I’ve ever had and definitely the funniest. I have to say I hate this movie so much for what it could’ve been and how poorly it was done plot wise. hate is a strong word though making the fact I can assertively say this pretty admirable, commendable even?? it’s kinda???? garbage? but very hilarious

as far as plot goes it’s very straightforward and lots of things happened predictably and ESPECIALLY conveniently; characters would show up/reunite at the perfect time or steve would be able to explain things/warn others pretty much verbatim to the game or prior scenes making for not much conflict that the characters didn’t get through easily. a lot of the conflict between the characters was short lived or just barely acknowledged.

probably the most disappointing thing was that the sign didn’t say “no minors” at the beginning

character arcs seemed kinda rushed to me; I don’t know how to properly write that into an hour-41-minute movie but I think henry’s was the worst as the random enderman attack added nothing to the plot besides a convenient ender pearl. that kid has to be a fucking trooper to have caused extensive property damage via a jetpack to her sister and guardian’s workplace with no apparent repercussions (besides the brief mention of him “going to juvie”), rid her sister and guardian of a job, be half the cause for the cast being in the overworld, endure an entire other-worldly war and an enderman attack, almost die at least twice, and. uhh h etc either way that’s overwhelming for a kid to go through and it’s a shame that isn’t explored more along with the other characters’ respective issues.

big characterhead talking I’m very disappointed that the groups were mostly the same the whole movie. as much as I fuck with the homoerotic “bilingual” steve and jason mamoa which I will GET TO you’d expect them to interact more with each other instead of just having their respective duos/trio (garrett henry and steve, natalie and dawn; natalie and henry did react ofc but definitely not as much as the others)

the dialogue is so cheesy and bad and again predictable but they memed it so bad our theater was genuinely cheering afterward (which I’ve heard was a recurring bit in other places.) it was very funny to me to see the people and the enemies go flying all the time. the villager and jennifer coolidge definitely fucked as did steve “jack black” minecraft and jason momoa and that is shit no one could have predicted. those piglins had to be fujoing out !!!!!!!!!

the mob models are still ugly but I like some of the set design they showed off like the realistic square crops and stuff that was cool to see during mc live I will say that

but besides that though it is an objectively bad movie but very funny sort of bad. the ability to meme the fuck out of it is very much bait and I’m sure of it and we (I went with friends) took it like fucking dogs

chicken jockey

there’s more to say for sure but I donwanna . don’t feel like writing too much more but maybe later if I notice more things that peeve me at all. tired so there are easily grammatical issues idrc abt

[a-gassy-antelope]

Miscellaneous Tag Game

Made by the one and only @ronald-speirs <3

Thank you for the tag @grumpy-liebgott ! Am I finally doing this after being tagged almost a month ago?....maybe

Favorite place in the world you’ve visited?

I haven't been many places truthfully. I loved hiking near Niagara Falls and also hiking in the Smokies near Gatlinburg. (I'm going to Alaska later this year so that will likely take the cake for me!)

Something you’re proud of yourself for?

Working 3 jobs while also caring for a terminally ill parent. Not to get too sad, but yeah, that was a time.

Favorite books?

Oof, gonna age myself with this. The Harry Potter will always hold a special place in my heart even though it has aged terribly. Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chatlas made a big impact on me as a teenager. One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest by Ken Kasey is a favorite classic. Recently Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison kept me very entertained with pure shock value (although I just finished The Slob last night and it by far takes the cake for the most disgusting thing I've ever read)

Something that makes your heart happy when thinking about it?

When I think about the people I choose to surround myself with. I am a very open person with those I love. Once someone is in my inner circle I am a no boundary kinda person. Let's cut the small talk and bare all our trauma and then tease each other about it. Let's rot on the sofa together. It makes my heart happy to know that I have people I can be like this with.

Favorite thing about your culture?

...what culture... I could say there's a certain culture of the American Midwest that i love. Mainly the 'midwest goodbye' where you stand in the front door chatting for way too long, then in the driveway then in your car with the window rolled down. Also, ever had a midwestern dessert salad?????

When did you join the HBO War fandom? What was the first show you watched?

Well, my brother is older than me and he was very much ww2 obsessed. So watched Band of Brothers way younger than I probably should've. Probably when I was like 8? When I got into my career there was this song at work that would play and it felt so oddly nostalgic until one day I realized it sounded the intro credit music for Band of Brothers. Then it was put on Netflix and it was all down hill from there. Very different to watch again as an adult vs what I remembered from my childhood.

Have you read any of Easy Company’s books? If so, which ones were your favorite?

I just finished Dick Winters' memoir not that long ago! I think I'll read Shifty's next!

Favorite HBO War character and your favorite moment with them?

Everyone in b.o.b is my precious baby. See that generic white man? Yep, thats my child. Honestly though there are certain quotes from various characters that just scratches my brain. Buck with: "Your ass?!" Webster with: "You ignorant, servile scum! What the fuck are we doing here?" and the cadence in which he says "Don't salute the Germans!" Liebgott with "Hershey Bar!" Winters with: "What's that? A piece of paper? I dont wanna see another piece of paper" and Speirs with: "You talk to an officer you say 'sir' " (totally not because it made me feel some type of way)

Do you make content for any fandoms, if so; what sort of content?

I have made Band of Brothers stuff here on tumblr, classic text post as memes. Ao3 I've made Band of Brothers, Star Wars and My Hero Academia content!

Favorite actor/actress and your favorite film of theirs?

hm....that's hard to pick a favorite. Meryl Streep is always delightful, as is Gillian Anderson. Natalie Portman? Keira Knightly? ok, ok, maybe I should list a man...James McAvoy. Jack Nicholson. I dunno, I don't like picking favorites.

Favorite quote/s that you wish to share with others?

"I paint self portraits because I am so often alone...Because I am the person I know best." This Frido Kahlo quote really sticks with me because I feel like I can relate to being isolated and enjoying spending so much time on my own. I am my best companion and draw from my own experiences and emotions.

Random fact your mutuals/followers don’t know about you?

I am a licensed massage therapist and I work with patients with chronic pain and injuries. I love my job and my patients even though it is a very draining profession.

If you’re a writer, do you need a beta reader (say yes so I can be your beta reader 🤭)?

I am a writer! I want to say that I'm open to beta readers but I am also simultaneously afraid of others reading my work and embarrassed that people might not like it. That being said, I am working on a multi part Winnix fic rn.

Three things that make you smile?

My pets: a cat, 2 snakes, 2 leopard geckos and a pink tongue skink

Sweet gestures from my partner (or their dumbass jokes)

Writing!

Any nicknames you like?

Instead of Alex, a friend once called me Al Pal and I'm bewildered that it took me over 20 years to ever hear that.

List some people you love to see around on tumblr!

Uhm, everyone???? I love seeing people share whatever they're passionate about or find cute and funny. I love when people love things unapologetically! @grumpy-liebgott, @blueberry-ovaries @lewis-winters @easycompany123@andromeddog @hanniewinnix and honestly so many more!

What would you do during a zombie apocalypse?

I have two options. Get to my Marine Corps brother who is a borderline doomsday prepper but lives an hour and a half away or die immediately.

Favorite movie?

Again with the favorites? Some of my comfort movies include: Pride and Prejudice (2005), Mamma Mia, Hellboy 2 The Golden Army (specifically 2, not the first one) and Coraline

Do you like horror movies?

Yes! If my above mentioned books weren't an indicator. I love modern paranormal, 80s slashers and any Vincent Price movie

Tagging (no pressure!) : Also, Sorry if you've already been tagged! (does anyone else get nervous tagging people for no damn reason?)

@hanniewinnix, @pettypumpk1n @multifandomfanfic @hbowarandchill @fxxiva

[greensparty]

Movie Review: A Minecraft Movie

Every now and again I get to bring my son to a press screening of a movie that he's super into. Such is the case with A Minecraft Movie. Last Halloween my son went as a Minecraft character and my wife and I joined the fun as skeletal and insect characters. I don't play the game or follow any of the adaptations, but I got to attend this press screening with my son, which was fun! Directing this adaptation is Jared Hess. That's right, the director of Napoleon Dynamite directed this. When that debut film was released in 2004 there was a good year or two of it having a cult following and people quoting it. I was not a fan. The story was non-existent and the characters were more like caricatures, but most of all it wasn't funny. As an indie filmmaker witnessing it's Sundance to theatrical release, I didn't get it. A lot of friends enjoyed it and quoted it. People I respect and admire like Jonathan Demme and Dave Grohl sung its praises, but I couldn't drink the Kool-Aid. Since then, Hess has dabbled in both studio and indie films. I hadn't followed his career in a long time, but last year when I was covering the Oscar Nominated Shorts, I caught his animated short Ninety-Five Senses, which was nominated for Best Animated Short of 2023 (yes, Hess is actually an Oscar nominee). That short actually was good, notably Tim Blake Nelson's voice performance. Now he's making his "one for them" studio event movies with six screenwriters.

movie poster

Jack Black (now Mr. Family Entertainment after Kung Fu Panda and Super Mario Bros. in recent years) is Steve, a regular guy who escapes into the Overworld, a virtual world built on imagination. Jason Momoa (flexing his comedic muscles) is Garrett "Garbage Man" Garrison, a former video game champ as a teen in the 80s, who is now a washed-up has been who is barely keeping his video game store going. Natalie (Emma Myers) and her younger brother Henry (Sebastian Hansen) are new in town after they moved following the loss of their mother. Dawn (Danielle Brooks, the lone Oscar nominee in the cast) is the realtor and friend to Natalie and Henry. They all come together in the Overworld and go on a journey together to try to make it back home. Oh and Jennifer Coolidge is the vice principal at Henry's school.

I went into this movie with the bar being set rather low: it was based on a video game I'm not that into and from a director I've never been a big fan of. But since my son is a fan of the game I thought - if nothing else we'd have fun together seeing it (much like my taking him to The Garfield Movie or Kung Fu Panda 4 last year). He loved it and ranked it a 9 out of 10. Here's what I say: This movie definitely feels like the kind of studio movie that is written by a committee of multiple screenwriters. It's also one of those big VFX extravaganza's where the vast majority of the movie looks like it was shot on a soundstage with green screen. There's also some vanity moments for Hess where he slips in some references to Napoleon Dynamite. I'm sorry Hess, but that film hasn't stood the test of time, so that's just you advertising yourself in the middle of this movie! But beyond the funny moments that I actually laughed at, there were two things I need to give credit to this movie for: (1) Momoa's character is clearly a reference to the documentary The King of Kong about video game champs in the 80s, who decades later re-match. The character even bears a slight resemblance to the doc's antagonist Billy Mitchell. I loved that doc and at one point a few years later I filmed some footage at an arcade competition for a pilot that was being developed that was similar to King of Kong's premise. I loved that this character is equal parts King of Kong and also Mickey Rourke's character in The Wrestler, another character who's best days were in the 80s and is struggling now. (2) There is a message in this that being creative and imaginative is a good thing and not something one should be ashamed of. I love that message and it might seem like it's an easy message to make, but especially for kids it should be shouted out loud! Also - the soundtrack was good and featuring Jack Black singing as well as Mark Ronson on Bass, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl on drums, Queen of the Stone Age’s Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar and Roger Manning on synthesizer. The instrumental score is from the always-reliable Mark Mothersbaugh. All this is to say, it wasn't nearly as good as Super Mario Bros., which wasn't even that great BUT in terms of video game adaptations it's like Citizen Kane, but it definitely was better than expected.

For info on A Minecraft Movie

3 out of 5 stars

[childofsquidward]

Books I Read In 2022 (and by read I mean actually liked)

Natalie the Christmas Stocking Fairy (Special Edition Fairies #19) by Daisy Meadows

“Jack Frost’s really mean to make us work when it’s so cold.”

"I'm tired of always making bogmallows and never getting to eat them.”

“I just wish he’d let us wear warmer clothes inside.”

⭐⭐⭐(3.25 STARS)

I loved this book and I’m probably gonna re-read it during Christmas!

Random thoughts I had while reading that I want to put out into the world:

I really like that instead of Natalie coming to the girls, the girls decided to go to Fairyland. I just thought it was nice to switch it up between books. I also loved that not the entire book took place in the human world, it was really fun to see them travel to Fairyland, specifically Jack Frost's castle.

There we so many fairy cameos!!! I was so psyched to Crystal the Snow Fairy, it's actually embarrassing. It was nice to see all the Christmas Fairies together, especially Holly since she was the first Special Edition fairy (They even made references to her book!). It made the book feel like the last Christmas/Winter themed book that we would get for a very long time (I mean, we got one 10 books later) and I know for a fact that if I had read this book when it first came out I would've been really sad.

Was I just never paying attention, or is this the first time that we got to see one of the fairies actually have a box for her 3 items? Regardless, it was a nice touch, especially the fact that it plays Jingle Bells when you open it, that is so cute!

I like that the stakes were high with this one because they literally had a day to find these items.

It was fun to switch it up and have the girls bargain with the goblins rather than just steal the items from right under their noses.

I love how the dynamic between Jack Frost and the goblins bounces between scared henchmen and employees done with their boss's nonsense. The goblins in this book did not hesitate to give up the magical items! The best part for me was the last section of the book in the Ice Castle because you had these goblins complaining about Jack Frost making them work in the cold and then the bogmallows - it was so funny!

Even at 22, I was confused as to why Natalie would be scared of going into the Ice Castle when the girls clearly weren't, but then I was reminded that not every fairy has seen the inside of this hell castle, unlike Rachel and Kirsty who pop in every other week (They said bye to Jack Frost as they left!). I just know for a fact that if I had read this book for the first time as a kid, I would think that these girls are so cool for being braver than someone with powers. I love these books, I hope that this series never comes to an end.

[namesandtrinketsandstuff]

all the names i have already done moodboards for:

juniper

lumi

astrid

sterre

rosemary

chris

reed

petra

trixie

marie

amelia

sasha

robin (will probably be redone either way but feel free to request)

amelina

caitlyn

jacob

blue

clara

jojo

pierre

willow

sedu

sheri

ángel

kendall

javier

natalie

october/tobi

nia

maura

alan

henry

kimi

nada

maeve

nele

emy

león

phoebe

delilah

william

ophelia

héloïse

karen

jack

william

(i sometimes update this list when queueing a post for that name, so if you can't find a post, it could be posted a day to a week later)

i do not mind doing names over if they don't fit your idea, but then i would need a more specific prompt (i.e.: "sasha dark academia", "robin dark blue aesthetic" or even just a description of that person and how they make you feel)

[pivotbitches]

I’ve had so much social anxiety since the funeral. I don’t feel like me anymore.

I did dance marathon this past weekend and almost immediately had an anxiety attack when I got to the gym. I had been dreading going the day before and that morning and but told myself that it was going to be so much more fun and the scenario I was making in my head wasn’t real. Then I got there and it was pretty much exactly like the scenario I made up. I felt so out of place, I was alone in a room full of people, I didn’t know what to do or what was going on. I spent a few minutes trying to find and figure out the schedule, because surely that would help but it wasn’t as structured as I thought it would be. I decided I’d go to the bag check but the walk from the main floor to the bottom floor was enough to put me into full panic. I ended up in a bathroom that was away from everyone and just cried and shook and breathed for a solid minute. I was trying to stay there until someone in my group got there so I ended up playing basketball ball for 10 minutes. But dance marathon took over that gym too so I just left and went to hangout with Casi at her house so that I wouldn’t be alone. A couple hours later I went back and ate lunch by myself and then found Natalie and her bf. It was still awkward but was better.

Yesterday, I went back to Casi’s house and watched baseball and some movies with her but then at the end when I was about to leave we started discussing (low key arguing) about minors (13-17) having access to social media and I ended up cutting it off because I was annoyed and felt like she didn’t understand me and then I was driving home and replaying it over and over and started to feel like she thinks I’m broken or something idk. Whatever it was struck a cord and made me want to cry and also made me angry.

I also feel like everything I say rn is bitchy or argumentative. It’s like every thought just comes out and immediately afterwards I’m kicking myself because it came out mean or snarky which wasn’t the intention. But can there be an intention when you just say the first thing in your mind?

Lastly, I feel so inferior. I feel like the “duff”. I stg every time I like someone they end up liking my friend and it makes me feel like shit. Like I’m not good enough and never will be. I like the guy in my lab and have even told my friends about it. Casi came into the lab to study and the three of us talked for a second in between some other conversations. Then this afternoon Jack and I were leaving at the same time and he asked about what she was studying and my heart sank. I know it could just be him making conversation, but she hadn’t been there for hours and he brought her up. It hurts. I also offered him a ride and he declined and that fucked me up a little too, bc if he liked me he would have accepted the invitation.

Now I’m home, and it hit me how empty I feel. And it’s not just emptiness, but it’s almost like I’m in this constant state of confusion (?) where I don’t know what I feel or why I feel like I do it’s weird. I don’t have a desire to do anything. I don’t want to talk to anyone. For the first time, I don’t want to go to therapy, but I know I need to because I am spiraling a little bit. I’m just honestly waiting for it to be dark out and a slightly more acceptable time so I can just go to sleep.

[carnagebleda]

fandom section + natalie pace!

skipping the ones that i don't understand lol

What do you think the fandom for your character would be like? Are they a fan favorite, a love-to-hate villain, derided for whatever reason, or something else?

personally, i think they would be a fan favorite. i think it would've been really cool and grounding to see a sci-fi character going through a common addiction (more common than heroin from a british rockstar mind you) like alcohol and fighting it while being on an island. we didn't see much of the negative sides of being stranded (other than shannon and her inhaler), and we didn't see anyone with diabetes or someone needing daily medications run out like anti-depressants or something like that. it would've been cool to see a character beat alcohol and later heroin cause falling off the wagon does happen and have her come out on top.

What feelings does your character most often instill in their fans? Affection? A desire to protect? Open lust? A love/hate dynamic? Why do you think their fans feel this way?

again this is just my opinion but I feel like people would want to protect her since her brother would've pushed her aside and concentrated on claire and aaron until she got into the island heroin stash. if they look back on the episodes leading up to his hallucinations, they would've seen her struggling in the background but not having the courage to speak up about it. and they probably would've loved seeing her overcome it by helping to get jack from the others and becoming a really good shot with a gun.

By contrast, what would their haters dislike about your character? Is it a petty complaint? A mischaracterization of the character or their intentions? Are they just a woman in a largely male-centric series?

I can see her not being liked because she's so codependent on her brother in the beginning of the series (not like boone and shannon obvi) and not knowing what to do when he's not around with her but eventually finding her place among the survivors was something she had to figure out on her own. i can also see her falling back on her recovery (let's be honest the ableism was very high in the early 2000s).

What controversies/drama would your character incite in fandom?

I can see ship wars for starters or even the pettiness of being a female character with flaws like everyone else in that series.

Is your character the subject of ‘imagines’ or ‘x reader’ style blogs?

not as much as the men but I can see male!readers or even some x readers !

Are there any tropes fandom would put upon your character, for better or for worse?

they would probably always see the twins in a form of addiction even if she survives her brother for years, creating an alcohol anonymous group in the dharma initiative would be a substitute for not talking about the grief his death would've caused her.

What would be the ‘incorrect but wildly popular’ interpretation of your character in fandom?

probably being a mirror to any other character including her brother and claire post s5. she's her own character.

META ASKS IF MY OC WAS CANON // HELLA ACCEPTING // @whitelace

[crushedsweets]

How did the group even form a group? Was it originally Nina and Toby? Or was it Nat and Toby idfk

Plot twist Nina orchestrates this whole thing so she could have friends

the VERY FIRST interactions were kate and toby! then toby and natalie became the first proper duo, with kate occasionally popping up! then jack was someone they all visited sometimes.

YOU ARE SORT OF RIGHT THOUGH! nina is the one who fully secured it as a 'friendgroup'. she would intentionally make plans with everyone, try to get everyone in a groupchat (if they use phones, which is something kate doesnt get till years later LOL), try doing secret santa as a group, etc. without nina, they'd all just kinda be some weirdos who live in the same area and sometimes talk (which is funny considering nina is the only one who never lived in that forest)

[gravehags]

Copia and Primo both try to bring them little drinks, and they're bright red n shit. Terzo almost manages, but then Lucy smiles to show just a little of the point of one of her fangs, and he trips and lands face first on the floor. Eventually Secondo gets them their drinks but even he's absolutely not ok and he leaves immediately after presumably to go jack off in a closet somewhere like a loser. Meanwhile the girls and the ghoulettes are just vibin'

aether posted up next to them like a bouncer to “is this guy bothering you queen?” them at everyone who isn’t their significant others speaking to them. it gets a little out of hand when he does it to a scowling sister imperator but when she refuses to leave well enough alone and aether hauls her up over his shoulder to take her away, natalie is deeply amused (and has the video to relive the moment later)