#i have a CRIMINAL MINDS theme and a CRIMINAL MINDS icon

[reidsaurora]

You Are Invited To:

It's time!!! It's officially my third birthday celebration, so I think that makes it a tradition officially 🥹

As always, I wanna say ahead of time, thank you to all the friends and mutuals have sent me things in the mail or even just sent me a happy birthday message. You guys truly are the sweetest people and the greatest gift I could ever receive 💗

Anywho, now that I'm done rambling, onto the challenge!

The Concept/Rules:

So, this is very heavily inspired by this challenge by @carolmunson that I totally meant to write a fic for but it never got finished bc ✨️writer's block✨️ lol

Anyway, the concept is:

I'm going to give you some phrases and props that you must include in the fic.

If you can't fit them all in, it's totally fine! I know I'm including kind of a lot!

These items and phrases can be depicted however you'd like! Whether they're just mentioned in passing or if they have a deeper meaning is totally up to you!

Your fic can be however long or short you want, however fluffy or angsty you want, with any Criminal Minds muse(s) you want!

Whether it's Character x Character or Character x Reader is totally up to you!

It doesn't have to be birthday themed, but can be if you'd like since this is all in celebration of my birthday!

There will be prizes! More to come on that later 🫶🏻

I will start taking submissions on August 1st, and submissions will close August 31st! If for some reason, you find yourself struggling with the deadline (girl me 2), just send me a DM!

Make sure to tag me in the fic and use the hashtag #reidsaurorabdaychallenge so i can see it!

The Props:

A Bottle of Wine/Champagne, or a Wine/Champagne glass

Candle

Card (any type! birthday card, credit card, playing card, etc)

Piece of Cake (can be the item or as a phrase!)

The Prompts:

"Hand it over."

"Are you happy now?" "Very."

"Best. Day. Ever!"

The Prizes:

First Place - a personalized fic written by me OR a fic of your own beta read by me! (up to 5K words)

Second Place - a fic of your own beta read by me! (up to 3K words)

Third Place - icon pack with a Criminal Minds character + episode of your choice!

The Thank Yous:

As always, I could never get through the year without my besties and mutuals, so to go without tagging you guys would be a shame!

@dungeons-are-too-cold @rupsmorge @reidsbookclub @sadgirlml @writer-in-theory @serenity-lattes @reidselle @broken-stardust @gay-prentiss so many others! I love you all so so much, thank you all for being the absolute best people in the world 🫶🏻💗

[heathensimmer]

Roaring Heights 3T2 .... Thieves and Artisans

Really fun session ahead. Long though, sorry!

45 Beach Dr.

This beautiful home (yes, I am going to flex bc I built this from scratch. It's recreated from the home in Sims 3) is on Beach Dr. - a mostly commercial strip of bars, a theater, and various cafes.

Francisco Battista lives here. Because of his darker skin tone, features from Sims 3 etc. and his name, I feel like he may have come to Roaring Heights from Old Country, possibly Tartosa or a "Spanish" themed EA creation. Searching for something ... let's get to know him.

I did make one mistake - see if you can spot the wall that I left unpainted lol

His house is really cool. He has this loft-like space on the roof. It's where he assumedly gets away to paint (he's an artist)

3rd floor

Random twin beds (hey, I recreated it faithfully from Sims 3) and another artist's room.

Hello, Francisco!

This is Francisco Battista. Iconic name. But his 3t2 traits? Not so iconic!!

OOF. Artistic, Technophobe, Kleptomaniac, Loves the Outdoors, and Neurotic.

This is actually literally perfect and actually iconic. And yes, Kleptomaniac is not the best description of someone who steals. But come on, I mean, the term in this world seems to imply that these are Sims who have a severe problem with self-control, not anyone who steals out of need.

So break from reality and enter nonsense land with me, alright?

But if you want to change it to "Swiper", there are ways!!

I can test the Neurotic and Technophobe mods I have been fiddling with.

With these traits, I made Francisco a Knowledge/Fortune Sim.

I made him primarily Knowledge despite being a Kleptomaniac because his Lifetime Want is to Paint a 1,000$ Masterpiece from Lamare's 50 New Lifetime Wants on Mod the Sims.

The way that I play does incorporate Aspiration Benefits because with 3t2 trait mods, certain Sims are able to do the benefit without actually having the benefit (natural cooks can automatically cook Comfort Soup for example)

I also make them much less cheat-y because I keep traits in mind, thus, not every Sim gets every aspiration benefit! Therefore, every Sim's aspiration benefits board will look different, which I think is cool.

For example, when thinking about who Francisco is ... he's Neurotic. So, I am not giving him the "Less Social and Less Comfort" benefit (bottom left)

I AM going to give him "Skilled Negotiator" (leftmost column, third row) because he clearly scored this beautiful home and he is a Kleptomaniac, after all, even though he has only 4,500 Simoleons. Maybe he had lots of moolah, but furnishing the house dipped his funds severely.

He is also Creativity level 10!! And of course, has the Arts hobby as his predestined hobby.

His wants include the want to get a job in the Criminal career, which is perfect. He can do the painting on the side.

Bla, bla, bla, boring morning, Francisco made some tea but as his social need got low, I decided to take him to the "Community Art Gallery" a lot recreated from Sims 3 Roaring Heights. Also on Beach Dr. basically a short walk from Francisco's house.

Bonnie Davis decided to greet him. She is the ‘Bonnie’ from Bonnie and Clyde, another way that EA referenced the early 20th century in Roaring Heights Sims 3.

Let's pickpocket her! Francisco has a want to earn 100 Simoleons.

Marvelous. AND there are no witnesses.

32 SIMOLEONS??

Francisco, that's all you managed to find on Bonnie ... Bonnie from Bonnie and Clyde? Give me a break. And of course, his eyes are closed for the picture. Already can't stand him!!

Or maybe I should be infuriated by Bonnie who only carries around 32 Simoleons with her in cash.

But I'm in character so ... Francisco is disgusted by Bonnie's lack of Simoleons.

Kay, well since your useless self, Bonnie, is going to now gawk at that hideous sculpture, I am going to go take a piss.

Omg, Alma Hitchcock is here! Hello, queen! How's your husband? She may have plenty of money for Francisco to pickpocket, but she decided to head up to the bar on the second floor.

Ok, what is this custom maid that I managed to clone from a randomly created maid doing here?

I think I screwed the pooch by moving her into a house with SimBlender so I could fix her face LOL

There is no way to move her back out I think even if I make her unselectable! For all I know, she turned from a maid into a townie. Ugh. SimPE here I come. For now, I am banning her ass with Visitor Controller.

Well, that doesn't work, so I am teleporting her ass off the lot with SimBlender XD

Bye honeyyyyyyy

Well, I sent Francisco upstairs and Alma has left. It's literally only Broke Bonnie.

Ok, Francisco autonomously decided to pickpocket this teenage girl.

WOW.

And of all the things to accompany this assault on her family's finances, a Good Witch has arrived and is casting rays of sunlight.

LOL he got the want to earn 100 Simoleons. Score! She's rich! At least richer than Broke Bonnie! And now this man is basking in the Good Witch's sunlight! OMG he is literally so Evil! He's basking in the afterglow of robbing poor Frances Picard! (You can also spot her in my post of my Homework mod XD)

I took Francisco outside, down the stairs and out to the front and I guess I wasn't paying attention to just how many Sims have now decided to show up on this lot. Literally everyone and their mother is here now, including the NPC pickpocket.

And I banned all hobbies except for Arts and Film/Lit. with visitor Controller but you see, I didn't take into account that LOTS of Sims in Roaring Heights love Art AND Film and Literature.

And what in the HELL are you doing? This is the poor person's Art gallery. Try the Downtown Museum you psycho!

And because Mother EA doesn't let us have any fun, Francisco can't even pickpocket the pickpocket!

HA Well a Victim has been chosen, and it's none other than Daddy Warbucks. I mean, Unsavory Charlatan, that was a super smart move I take back everything!

Lol, and then four random Sims just idly having conversations not noticing the mugging.

Another thing that I love to do is (when I am on a community lot) make townie Sims or currently unplayable Sims selectable when I feel the moment calls for it.

And *ahem* Olivier Harbucks ... NOT Daddy Warbucks ... just got pickpocketed. And he even has a memory of it already!

Who knows what Francisco is doing, but since I don't feel like Daddy Warbucks would fight the pickpocket, I am going to have him "Report Foul Play" at the phone. Yes, if any Sim is pickpocketed while your selected Sim is on the same community lot, your Sim can Report Foul Play at the phone and the Unsavory Charlatan will leave and won't show up at that same lot for a few days, I think.

Oh my, what is happening here? This is a perfect development. An argument/altercation is starting and Francisco wants to win a fight. Apparently, Frances Picard and Grumpo Marks (clearly parody of Groucho) are fighting!

Makes total sense. All of the Marks brothers in Roaring Heights are super playful. Frances is a serious Bookworm.

Hey! Why don't you pick on someone else? Like me! I am looking for a scrap!

Oh and now Grumpo Marks is autonomously nagging us. Great. This is because Grumpo, unsurprisingly, has the Grumpy trait. THIS trait mod unlocks the "Nag" social interaction for Grumpy Sims.

And check out the thought bubble!! It is an icon for the "Work" topic and it has a X over it...

Is Grumpo nagging Francisco because he hasn't found a job yet?

Oh it is ON!

Virginia Supine, I did NOT see you as the type to cheer on a public fight.

Well that was a disaster but Francisco is GOLD because he won the fight with Grumpo! And now he has rolled a want to win ANOTHER fight, but this time with specifically Grumpo LOL

And I also want to show you guys how I handle the Sims 2 trademark issue of time not changing on your home lot. At the art gallery, it was almost 6 pm but clearly, Francisco has arrived home and its still early afternoon/morning. Let's fix that!

Lemme show you a great cheat.

It's the "Set Hour" cheat.

No need for Community Time. No need for Time Sync. No need for anything like that that affects global time.

I just "Set Hour" and the time changes to 5 pm! Magically! now the timing makes sense and I won't be playing Francisco extra hours. That feels cheaty and nonsensical to me.

I also use Merola's Time Control Clock. Yes, you do have to place it on every lot but the ability to manipulate the speed of time flow whenever want is worth it.

HAPPY SIMMING!

For now, Francisco revels in the glory of a successful pickpocket.

How have you played with the Pickpocket mods by @earlypleasantview ?

[machinedesires]

pwyw art is open!

machineillness to machinedesires

hello all! i am machine. i use he/it pronouns. i am an adult. i am borderline and autistic, and struggle with psychosis. this is a coping mechanism for me!

i am shamelessly a selfshipper... i am mostly fine with sharing my fictional others (romantic, platonic, familial, etc.); unless stated otherwise, i'd love to talk with doubles. i am also posic and objectum

userbox requests: open; stimboard requests: closed; doodle requests: closed

i have no dni but i block freely. do not bring online discourse to my blog, please! i do not align myself with any discourse label

i tag each post with whichever other is being shared about. you can view all of my fictional others here (some characters may be from explicitly adult media and will include adult themes). the characters i post about most often (and three of few i am nonsharing(?) with) include:

bumblebee 💛 9/18/23 🐝 (transformers animated)

spencer reid ❤️ mid 2017 📚 (criminal minds)

gregory house 💙 late 2024 💊 (house md)

i follow/like from @goggle-guy! my current icon is drawn by @anghelcode

[untilnextchapter]

Monthly Fanfictions Recommandation: September'23

Here are my best discoveries from the last weeks

🍬 The Authors

@kquil : a gentle author, writing about the Marauders, her writing will bring you peace and the writings are so soft. I love seeing her theme on my computer and seeing her icon on my dash is always a sign that I will read something good.

@luveline : you don't know if you want to read an Aaron Hotchner story or a good Marauder one? You don't need to change to another page, here is the wonderful Jade. She's so talented and you won't be disappointed if you want to check her work.

@thatfanficstuff : when I discovered this blog, I didn't know where I should go first. So many fandoms I love, so many characters, so many stories... So many comfort shows and so, comforting times after work. And sometimes, it's all I need. A gentle person writing some sweet stories.

@luci-in-trenchcoats : I read a few stories a few months ago but, I recently re-discovered this amazing author. With her works, I was back into Supernatural. So many hours spent at reading about our favourite hunters, so many series. And the best of the best: the writing skills are so great and it's so easy to read... Waow, just waow.

@imagineteamfreewill : Fluffy Supernatural fics and a lot of good AUs, all I need after a hard day at work. Meg is an excellent writer and you will spend a good time, I promise. I haven't read everything yet but, I know I have a few a good escapes in perspective. Don't hesitate , you will enjoy your time reading, I hope as much as I'm doing.

@anika-ann : I'm in my Marvel phase, I'm weak, I know. And, I think I found someone that could quench my thirst with so many good stories and good writing skills. I could spend hours reading about Steve Rogers. And I know I've found an unique writer because I loved a crossover story. I usually hate that. But here I am, reading a Criminal Minds / Avengers story and loving it. Thank you for that.

@crazyunsexycool : Another "Val", it can only be someone nice, right? But really, a sweetheart, someone with so much imagination, and a way to write about children... And I know what I'm talking about, I'm working in a nursery. It's so great to read something accurate when it's a subject you know. And except for the children, she's always here to answer your questions, being nice and taking time for her followers. I hadn't asked to be add into a taglist for a story for a long time. You won't be disappointed if you want to make a stop here.

🍭 The Stories

* = Smut (Minors DNI) || 🦋 = Series || Beware of the TW please

Not so secret admirer || @kquil (Remus Lupin x Reader, you can't hide your adoration for remus lupin and often end up staring at him, good thing he thinks you're really cute)

A star between hands 🦋 || @luveline (James Potter x Reader, finding out you’re princess isn’t half as intimidating as your new bodyguard, James. mutual pining, fluff)

if things go bad || @/luveline (Aaron Hotchner x Reader, Hotch rushes to get to you when you call him during a home invasion. angst, hurt/comfort)

True Mate 🦋 || @thatfanficstuff (Peter Hale x Reader)

Remember me || @/thatfanficstuff (Thranduil x Reader)

I Know Your Brother || @luci-in-trenchcoats (Sam Winchester x Reader, The reader is pulled out of Hell accidentally by Sam Winchester who’s wondering where his brother is…)

A Safe Mistake 🦋 || @/luci-in-trenchcoats (Nanny!Dean x Single Parent!reader, Dean’s in need of some extra cash to help Sam pay for his tuition and gets a job working as a nanny for the reader’s young son. As Dean becomes ingrained in the reader’s life though, he soon becomes more than just the nanny to them both…)

Beauty and the Beast 🦋 || @imagineteamfreewill (Dean Winchester x Reader AU, Living in a village is nice, and even though you’d always longed for adventure, you weren’t expecting to go on an adventure of your own anytime soon. But as soon as you take your father’s place as the prisoner of a Beast who lives in an enchanted castle, you’re surprised that adventure isn’t all it’s cracked up to be—and neither are monsters)

Daisy || @/imagineteamfreewill (Sam Winchester x Deaf!Daughter!Reader, Sam breaks some bad news to his daughter, who’s deaf, and watches her start to grow up without her mother)

Love on the Brain 🦋 || @anika-ann (Steve Rogers x Reader / Crossover MCU-Criminal Minds, You found menacing pictures of you friend, colleague and neighbour Steve in your mailbox.   Someone might play it off as a bad joke, but you were an agent for the Avengers Initiative and a former FBI agent. You’ve seen cases like this and you were taking no chances. Not with Steve of all people. But you were going to need help; enter the BAU)

Hands Too Cold, but Heart of Gold 🦋 || @/anika-ann (Steve Rogers x Reader, Matt Murdock x Reader, You officially joined the Avengers only two months ago and you’re about to take off to yet another mission. Cap would like to have some extra help on this one – but the Avengers have approached the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen before and he made it pretty clear how he felt about it. Of course, this time it’s you who got stuck with trying to convince him once again. “I still don’t understand why it’s not you coming, oh Star Spangled Man with a Plan.” “I do have a plan. I have you.”)

Heart’s Munition 🦋 || @crazyunsexycool (Mob boss!Steve Rogers x Maid!Reader. I can't copy and paste all the resume but I swear, you'll love it. A bit of surprise but it's worth the world)

My little love * 🦋 || @/crazyunsexycool (Bucky Barnes x Enhanced!Reader. Really long resume but in short, Bucky, Reader, children, Papa and Mama bears, great scenario, you'll love it I promise!)

That's all, for now.

Don't hesitate to share the stories you liked and tell the writers you enjoy their works, it always means a lot to them ❤️

Have a good reading,

Val 🌸

[yourfriendlyneighbourhoodnerd14]

Why Do Villains Have The Best Monologues?

          Everybody loves a good villain and superhero universe know this. Whether it’s the criminally insane like Joker or the mastermind like Lex Luthor, superheroes have fought against fearsome adversaries that we just can’t help but root for. Often the villain uses monologues to justify their motives, taunt the Heroes or intimidate their enemies. Some villain speeches (Thanos, Loki, Joker) has so deep philosophic themes that it makes us wonder: is the villain actually right?

The line of good and evil is blurred and both the good and evil have different shades. Not all light is good. Not all darkness means danger. Villain monologues often challenge the Hero’s ideology, shakes their moral code so much for a moment (or even longer) they are vulnerable, doubting themselves for the villain to manipulate. Like I said before, not all darkness is essentially evil; that’s why the Anti-villain archetype exists. Anti-villains are villains who don’t think they’re villains. In their mind, they’re the hero, though they are unaware or think it is necessary for their unethical ways of achieving their goals. Magneto from X-men wants peace for mutants in a world that despises them.  What others think as terrorism, he thinks it’s taking revenge on a world that wronged him and many others. Another example is Thanos, explaining population control…by wiping away half the planet. Yikes.

The best villains also thrive on theatrics, taking control of the narrative and driving the Heroes bonkers, even when they’re outnumbered. Joker is the best example for this. It makes them larger-than-life, their presence unforgettable and iconic. Villains also use monologues to up the fear factor, intimidate Heroes, unsettling them with carefully crafted worlds. They often speak in eloquent, persuasive ways, forcing the Heroes (and audiences) to question their moral boundaries.

In conclusion, the best villains don’t just fight heroes—they challenge their ideals, unsettle their minds, and make audiences question everything. Like Tom Hiddleston said, "every villain is a hero in his own mind" -and they’re not afraid to say it.

[13eyond13]

In your reply about how L is written without a lot of inner world for lack of a better term, I totally agree. I think L is genuinely a hard character to write because he's both an enigma and highly specific in his mannerisms and speech. It's easy to both go really overboard with how he's strange and off putting and at the same time under write him as a person with ideas and desires. When I see L being essentially written to revolve around Light as either his gay awakening/nemesis/boyfriend/ force that shakes up his life I call it the inverse of a manic pixie dream girl. Depressed Goblin Nightmare Boy L who doesn't really want anything except Light and who exists to do something for Light's character growth. I personally love when fics take the time to give him a past, and a life outside of Light and expands on him as a person and not just a detective. This is a long ramble but anyway, do you have any head canons about L's past?

Depressed Goblin Nightmare Boy ahahaha so true

I think part of the issue that shippy fic writers might run into with L is kind of also that he's not the focus of the source material in terms of like. Having a character arc that needs to be satisfied somehow, really? It's not about L having an emotional journey because it's about Light having one, and L is almost more fun in some ways when he DOESN'T change a whole lot as a character (he's fairly iconic in how stubborn and arrogant and seemingly unmoveable he already is). He's there mostly to oppose Light and make things really difficult for him, as well as to represent things in the story that come up as part of the themes and ideas and whatnot - an equal/intellectual rival that Light can actually feel threatened by and come to respect, a person who already reached the peak of power for his job of bringing criminals to justice and yet does so without necessarily adhering to any sort of noble ideals or worrying about whether or not he's being moral or a hypocrite of some kind, etc etc etc. And a lot of the appeal of his character in canon can also be how vague and cryptic and difficult to fully know he is as well, hahaha. So you're right, he's pretty difficult to fully flesh out in terms of his life outside the Kira case and so on, especially if you don't find him easy to intuitively read.

In terms of headcanons about his past, I feel almost as though it might not be totally set in stone and change a bit for me just depending on what kind of fic I was writing? I might give him certain life experiences and memories and beliefs and so on that would serve a certain purpose in the story, like contrast or parallel things that Light has experienced or believes in or whatever else. So unless I have a specific story in mind I'm not sure I have a ton of them that I'd stick to absolutely no matter what.

However the broad strokes of things we were told about L's past and childhood in the one-shots do make for decent scaffolding to work from for L to me. Like I DO think he probably made himself useful and interesting to Watari at a young age with his smarts, and that he never quite knows if he would have been taken care of or protected or had his needs met properly if he wasn't exceptionally talented in some way, which would definitely be kind of fucked up for him emotionally to dwell on a bunch. I headcanon that he doesn't really like to dwell on the past or the future a whole lot maybe in part because he finds it pretty depressing stuff to contemplate, and that living in the moment is by far his favourite thing to do.

And I for some reason feel like he isn't maybe an orphan in the sense that he has no living relatives left so much as maybe that he was given up or abandoned by them at an early age or taken away from a rough/abusive home life of some sort, and maybe was thought of as much too difficult to care for by them. I think the tension between L's extreme and more difficult traits being both his biggest asset and thing people admire about him most, and also the thing that causes him the most alienation and trouble in his life, or his own belief/understanding that this is the case, might for me be the most interesting stuff to explore more thoroughly with him.

[deesblanketfort]

!! Currently all requests are closed !!

Stimboards — ★ ☆

A set of 9 gifs on a 3x3 grid used to convey sensory satisfaction through visual stimming

When requesting, please specify a theme. Additionally, colors and types of stims you want me to (or not to) include are very helpful, the more detailed the better!

Moodboards — ★ ☆

A set of 9 images (or a mix of images and gifs) used to convey an idea through aesthetics

When requesting, please specify a theme, colors, and if you want to, a gender and age range (or else I'll default to gender neutral and kid age range). Again, the more detailed the better!

Agere Flags — ★ ☆

A flag + a term that represents an specific identity within the agere community, that might be related to sexuality, gender, orientation, aesthetic, type of regression, or anything, really!

I only take requests for agere related terms! Please give me the term you want me to coin, preferrably with a small description and color palette, otherwise I'll use the colors that make sense for me. All terms will be gender neutral by default, so please let me know if you want it to be aligned towards specific gender/presentation.

Agere Icons — ★ ☆

An icon with a specific character and an agere flag, intended to be used as a profile picture

When requesting, give me a character and the flag you want me to include, otherwise I'll use the regular agere flag. You can request multiple flags for the same character.

˗ˏˋ☆´ˎ˗ Whitelist: agere, petre, animal related, mlp gen1 or gen3, pokemon, sonic

˗ˏˋ★´ˎ˗ Blacklist: real people, vivziepop, gore/violence, bigoted media, copaganda (includes paw patrol, criminal minds, etc)

˗ˏˋ☆´ˎ˗ Please request through my ask box or DMs

˗ˏˋ★´ˎ˗ I usually priorize stimboards and icons since they're easier for me to do, otherwise I work on requests from oldest to newest

˗ˏˋ☆´ˎ˗ I have the right to deny a request for any reason, and if you send me a request while they're closed, there's I'll likely just delete it

˗ˏˋ★´ˎ˗ I'm a college student with executive dysfunction so I may take a while to post your request, please be patient!

[bugeyedfreaks]

2, 5, 12, 23 for each of the Gangreen Gang, and each of the Amoeba Boys

Oooof, that’s a lot! 💀 [cracks knuckles] Well, okay, here we go…

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Ace — I loooooove his sexy leotard! Kidding! I guess in general I just really admire his canonically chill attitude and fine leadership skills. If he wasn’t a wanted criminal he would be a really cool guy to hang out with.

Snake — IMO, one of the funniest scenes in the series is in Buttercrush, when Ace hands Buttercup a bat while Snake is in a junkyard car, and he pleads and begs her not to hit it, fear in his eyes, but she does, and he gets launched into (presumably) the stratosphere. The fact that he canonically survived that is very impressive to me.

Big Billy — The gang needs muscle, and Billy is it, but it’s adorable that he’s such a sweetheart. It really feels like he just goes along with whatever the gang’s doing because, at the end of the day, he doesn’t really know any better. It’s less about doing crime for crime’s sake and just more about having fun with his homies. Despite being so big, he’s the little bro of the gang.

Also I love that he is a cyclops, very cool. 👁️

Li’l Arturo — I love that he can be tossed around like the football or the basketball. His talent is being smol and aerodynamic and I love it (I also love his pride for his deadly comb Maria!).

Grubber — You have to respect a hunchbacked boy who likes horsie rides. That whole sequence with him on the horse at the arcade in Schoolhouse Rocked is so cute and wholesome. …weirdly enough, as strange and gross as he can be (affectionate), there are many other wholesome Grubber moments in the show.

Bossman — His VOICE is just so iconic. Rest in peace, Chuck McCann, and it’s so sad he had to be in the awful reboot before he passed because I’m gonna miss hearing that amazing gangster voice in the future, see?

Slim — 😳 Uh… I…… love that…….. he is…… canonically….. skinny! (Phew! 😮‍💨)

Junior — I love his BOTTOMLESS STOMAAAAACH he has like the Mary Poppins neverending bag of innards. It may be gross, but you have to admit, it is quite the talent.

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

I don’t think of specific songs for each of them, but for the Gangreen Gang AND the Amoeba Boys, they both have very iconic theme songs (the GGG’s one is VERY funky, I love it… plus the gloopiness of the Amoeba Boys’ one is veeeeery gloopy and fits them well).

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Okay, I know you asked for one for each of them, but I truly do look at both gangs as, like, whole units when I think about headcanon stuff. One that I like to think about with the GGG is the origin story I have in my brain of how they all met. I imagine at some point they were all total strangers, just happened to all be green, all happened to wander into the dump on the same day, said, “Hey,” and immediately decided they were gonna be best friends for life and were cool chilling with each other. It’s really stupid, but it makes me laugh thinking about it. 😆

With the Amoeba Boys… I dunno! Never really thought about one for them before. Maybe a headcanon could beeeeee that they’ve been wandering around the Townsville area since the dawn of time, constantly splitting/reproducing/reforming to survive (which is why in modern times they’re almost as big as humans), attempting to cause mischief because they’ve always thought the people they saw doing it were really cool (of course, they’ve always inexplicably had their gangster accents and hats, too). Perhaps back in the day they would bug the Ministry of Pain to let them join in on their chaos so they could help fight Captain Righteous and Lefty. Who knows!

23. Favorite picture of this character?

Again, I dunno if I have the strength to pull from all of my screencaps for ALL of them (because if I do I will never finish this to post it), so I will round it down to two of my faves to represent each gang, inspired from my canon favorites list:

[cajuncardtricks]

CAJUNCARDTRICKS is a private , mutuals only roleplay blog for REMY LEBEAU / THE GAMBIT from marvel's X MEN. this blog is inspired by the comics , headcanons , the x men 97 series & deadpool & wolverine. this blog will contain mature content , and you must be 21+ to interact. mun and muse are 21+. penned by jj.

⁰¹ 𝙍𝙐𝙇𝙀𝙎 𝘽𝙀𝙇𝙊𝙒. ⁰² 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝘿𝘾𝘼𝙉𝙊𝙉𝙎. ⁰³ 𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝘾𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙄𝙀. ⁰⁴ 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙈𝙋𝙏𝙎. ⁰⁵ 𝙋𝙇𝘼𝙔𝙇𝙄𝙎𝙏. ⁰⁶ 𝙎𝙄𝘿𝙀𝘽𝙇𝙊𝙂.

" Step right up , then follow the spinning staff. Take your best shot , if you DARE ! The gentleman assumes the pot is his to win ... but I have a LITERAL ace up my sleeve. I got no problem wit' thieves, Redhand. "

exploring themes such as ... the life of crime , redemption through unconventional means , sacrifice , love overcoming everything , the rogue criminal , classism , racism , embracing the chaos , leaving it to the luck of the cards.

DISCLAIMER. THIS IS A DO NOT FOLLOW FIRST BLOG. i made this blog to rp with my friends i have here on tumblr , and while i have a lot to say and write about my boy here ... i am limited and don't wanna get overwhelmed. please do not follow this blog first , and reach out to me on one of my other blogs if you want a follow. ( violators of this rule will be blocked. )

this blog is mutuals only. that means i will only be writing with people that i am mutuals with from this blog. keep in mind that this blog uses sideblogs for most muses , and cannot follow back from them. you must be following this hubb blog to write with any of my muses.

this blog will be writing heavily mature and triggering content. that being said , this blog has a mature rating , and will only be writing with people 21+. this is for my own comfort , and i will not be making any exceptions. i'm also going to get out of the way that i am open to shipping , but no smut will be written with any muse under 18.

i will be using icons , small text , and formatting of various types on this blog. THIS IS NOT A REQUIRMENT TO WRITE WITH ME. i do this stuff for my own amusement. i base whether or not i follow someone based on if i think our writing is compatible.

this is not my only blog. i also am disabled , and have days where for one reason or another , i just can't be here all the time. i will do my best to make sure that i am here and keep up with things. most of my replies will be in a queue.

i'm open to shipping , but please check with me before assuming a ship. i don't ship every canon ship so please don't assume i ship anything that might be canon. most of the time i'm open to giving it a shot ... but it's best to check with me first.

no drama. it's really that simple. i don't have the time for it anymore , and refuse to engage in any of that. drama , toxic behavior , calling people out. not here for my blog. do not bring it to me. we're all here to have fun , so let me have my space be chill and drama free.

[charleecat-bat]

SLASHER/HORROR AU

So a handful o fyou actually were interested aside from one person by the time i’m making this so yeah uh. look away. don’t wanna be upsetting.

NOW i do want to clarify that I made this in the sense to be a black comedy sort of AU due to watching so many skits and shorts of horror characters in comedic situations, that was my main inspiration. 

my buddy @barsikscorner​ has been helping me develop ideas for this weird lil au.

enjoy below

please keep in mind it’s def not for sensitive softhearted people. I want to entertain with my ideas as weird as they are.

Sonic- A supernatural being who has memories of being alive but doesn’t remember what happened to him or how he died. It took him a long time to understand it but having a ‘life’ of inactivity and seeing so much more bad stuff when you’re not properly alive made him want to take action and he soon learnt how to. He toys with victims and tries to scare them into righting their wrongs but if they’ve done something unforgivable or irreversible or refuse to change, he kills them in a creative fashion. kinda based off freddy kruger but less nasty and gross.

Amy- A slasher known as either the Cupid Killer or the Rose Ripper. Goes after abusive partners and sexual predators due to her idealistic image of love so seeing this sort of behaviour makes her fly into a rage. uses her iconic hammer mostly for her kills. She wears a heart themed mask. 

Tails- a sort of 'cyber' ghost. he had died and his spirit became ingrained into tech and cyberspace. He can sort of 'appear' outside of tech and into the material world but not for too long. Can communicate with people, mostly his victims, through their tech. He targets criminals and terrible people of all sorts online and either forces them to repent for their crimes or just makes their life a living hell until he decides to end it, whether it be for him or making them doing to themselves.

Cream- mostly normal. Has a strange connection to monsters and creature however and hence the chaos. They protect her. Chaos have a bit of a 'yes they're cute but they can be dangerous' reputation in this AU. they definitely have taken care of people that have threatened the sweetie bbies life and safety without her knowledge.

Vanilla- A protective mother who either lost her first child or almost lost Cream herself so she started to become a serial killer who went after child murderers, abusers and predators. She keeps this side of her away from Cream and is a loving mother nonetheless. Her main weapon are garden shears that can be seprated into a pair of blades and her mask is deocrated with flowery designs. 

Knuckles- an undead/ghost like slasher that has become one with the woods he’s connected to, quite literally having roots and such all over and even inside of him (being exposed in old wounds he has). He’s cursed to walk amongst the mystical land that he was murdered on and now protects it and keeps people out. He’s very easy to anger but he’ll never attack people like lost children or people who are obviously not looking to trespass and are lost. Anyone who does trespass and does anything he deems disrespectful to the land or just refuse to leave he handles violently. He tends not to leave the area and hasn't even tried to. He might be able to. Might not.

Shadow- A space-like being that can shapeshift into horrifying forms. He was taken and experimented on a spaceship but grew close to a human girl named Maria on board. They used this to have a chance to study him without the risk of him being aggressive. After she was killed during a government break-in and he was captured and taken back to Earth. He went on a vengeful rampage in the base and now just does his own thing on earth since he can't exactly leave. He was tempted to destroy everyone but now is content on just watching the stupid shenanigans and occasionally tormenting someone he doesn't like. And gossip. Inspired by Pennywise/It and Predator

Rouge- a seductive slasher that has very strange desires and doesn’t really have any motivation other than she wants to. She likes to take bones (and occasionally the blood) of her victims to make accessories and jewellery out of them. She’s not completely heartless though and has standards and there stuff she won’t do. She uses her beauty and appearance to lure victims most of the time, to appear innocent and harmless or sexy and sultry depending on what she wants. She wear’s a beautiful decadent mask, and sports specialised finger blades she created into gloves.

Silver- a mysterious spirit that’s tied to a cursed object. he has telepathic and telekinetic abilities and can burn disturbing images and distort a persons mind and body possibly, even mind control if he wants to need to decide how he functions properly more so inspired by samara/sadako and possibly think of other inspirations like bagul from sinister

Blaze- an otherworldly being that is hinted to used to be a normal person in one lifetime but no longer is. She works by supernatural means and tortures her victims horrifically but doesn’t do it indiscriminately. Mostly only does it when she wants, especially to those that try to summon her and use her power for themselves. Inspired by pinhead mostly but also could take elements of candyman

Big- a wild beast man that didn't have a regular upbringing. He has a werewolf-like condition where he turns into a beast against his control, for his own safety and everyone else's safety he lives in isolation. He as a special connection to animals and even has befriended Froggy who is a monstrous being that can disguise itself as a frog, it’s been named the loveland frogman when caught in one of it’s many forms. His uncle had raised him alone and kept him in the dark about how dangerous he really could be and mostly did his best to keep him safe, so out of all of them he is one of the most innocent as the worst he does is literally against is control and he's unaware of it since the most he'll know is that he'll wake up and just look around adn see blood and gore or see it on himself. He has more animal friends than mobian friends. 

Vector- a justice-seeking serial killer. He worked as a main detective with cops but grew tired of seeing not only horrible people go free and dodge the law and their punishment but even see the people that are 'supposed' to be the good guys be horrible people and letting shit slide. So he decides to take the law into his own hands and goes after anyone who he sees needing a just punishment in his city, dirty cops, abusers, predators, politicians, basically anyone who he thinks are utterly awful people that deserve to be punished. He can be quite sadistic and torturous with them and is very thorough with his research. was initially inspired by Jigsaw but he's not a hypocritical prick like Kramer.

Espio- He’s in a strange state of being an ‘undead’ being. He can’t quite tell if he’s alive but no longer mortal or if hes’ dead but still around on the mortal plane. He's kinda just... stuck in between. It’s a very strange situation. Theres evidence supporting both, he can still bleed the tiniest bit but no longer feels and still occasionally needs to eat and drink but he definitely doesn't have as much limitations he was when he was mortal/alive. Vector had found him when he broke into and ‘dealt’ with his abductor and ‘murderer’, they Vector and Espio got quite a fright when Espio was somehow still alive. Since then Vector has looked out for the lone chameleon despite being confused about his situation. He works as an assistant to Vector and they do have a very 'big brother' 'little brother' bond. He wears an Oni-themed mask. He has strange markings on his body such as his hands his back and chest, he still doesn’t know wha tthey mean but feels they have something to do with what happened to him. 

Charmy- normal mostly but can see ghosts and even repel them in a way but he doesn’t realise it. winds up protecting vec and esp from a lot of unseen danger and also is unaware of this. Charmy frequently will talk to ghosts but Vector is honestly fine with this due to all the weirdness he's run into, and initially, he just thought it was Charmy having imaginary friends. He is not involved at all in Vector and Espios 'business' because they dont' think he needs to know about that. 

Mighty- a murderous and protective spirit. he was murdered by 'accident' (if you call taking abuse too far an accident) by his father due to all the physical abuse but it was made to look like an accident so his father could save his reputation. His little sister was enraged by this injustice and in an attempt to find closure and just to talk to her brother again, his spirit was summoned and he became a vengeful being that wanted to protect her. She unleashed him on their father as a result. Matilda either summons his spirit or he just makes his own way to protect innocent people, mostly children but anyone they feel needs protection… or anyone they just want to suffer. When not angry Mighty is actually still the same form what he was in life, minus a bit of more of a temper.

Matilda- a creepy and slightly unhinged girl that studied the occult. She had done a ritual/seance to summon her brothers spirit again when he was murdeed and now he serves as her murderous protector. or just annoying ghost borther who watches and judges anything she does that he doens't like. Judgemental eyes from the grave from your brother is very annoying.

Ray- ghost boy that got attached to Mighty’s spirit and Matilda. they let him stay as he really doesn't do anything to harm then and is just lonely. He doesn't really do much of anything but can lure mighty to people, startle them to shit or even attack them but he leaves the more lethal stuff to Mighty. (kinda like toshio from ju-on/the grudge)

Nack- a heavily abused slightly mentally unstable hybrid that was abused by his small town heavily until he finally snapped and went on a rampage, killing some and driving the rest out. The village became run down and abandoned very quickly, becoming overun by nature again. The only thing intact is a scrappily made shack that Nack made himself in the middle of the land. He lives on the large property of land and guards it and does anything and everything to keep people out due to still being traumatised and afraid of people and thinking they're going ot hurt him and just not trusting them.  He is proficient with guns and prefers his shotgun but can and will use other weapons, a hunting knife, machete or even a chainsaw. He's shown to be incredibly strong despite his small size, being able to run with a chainsaw in hand. (inspired by leatherface and mick taylor)

Bark- a cold serial known as the Billionaire Butcher that targets greedy billionaires, getting a distaste for them after growing up surrounded by like-minded people. He drains their accounts and steals money and while he does pocket a small amount for himself, he doesn’t keep all of it because he doesn't want to become what they are. Most likely just keep his own regular reputation as good hearted philanthropist by donating a lot of money to good causes. His main methods include using an ice-pick as his main weapon due to experience with the tool. He met Nack in a rather awkward way but they quickly became friends and he was the first person allowed on Nacks property.

Bean- A mentally unhinged boy that has a penchant for fire and burning things. Just a very strange kid. he escaped from a mental hospital and ran onto nacks property and he and bark just let him stay as despite his mental stability of there lack of he was mostly harmless to them.  he doesn't talk a lot about his past but has shared tidbits, including stories of abuse, burning his own home down and mistreatment and abuse from the hospital. he ever has burn scars. He tends to chill out in the attic of their home and just likes to appear out of nowhere. (sort of inspired by billy from black christmas)

Infinite- A telekinetic and telepathic being who was ostracised by a large ration of people in his home town, mostly the religious types due to thinking he was a devil-child. He snapped after thinking he lost his family when his house was set on fire.As a result he went on a rampage destroyed the a huge chunk town with his powers and killing the ones who were responsible. He now lives and deals with a lot demons and strangeness... literally. He’s not aware his family actually survived they just didn’t even give him a moment to hear this and he left before he actually got told. DUMMY (Inspired by Carrie)

Gadget- a victim of a wannabe cult, they wanted to sacrifice him but it didn’t work and he became possessed by an incubus, a demon of lust. He struggles with his urges due to the demon and at first fought it and then finds an arrangement thanks to Infinte, his boyfriend. Actually kills people while doing the deed with it and if needed, feeds on their bodies, not the extent of Storm. (Inspired by Jennifers Body kinda) The demon has a slightly different voice and changes the colour of his eyes when it's speaking through Gadget and Gadget definitely has a demon form that is either physically attractive or purely terrifying depending on the taste. It’s not an entirely pleasant situation btu Gadget learns to handle it. 

Jet- a insecure and pissy lil birb boy that got into a life of serial killing after his cousin got possessed and needed flesh/blood to survive. At first, it was nerve-wrecking but he quickly got a taste for it as he enjoys making people feel powerless and afraid, he toys with them before finishing the job including phone calls, threatening messages and taunting them verbally while going after them. Inspired by Ghostface. He gets mad fun of a lot by the other professionals. 

Wave- a dark web guru. She has a massive powerful following on the deep dark web and does a lot of dark illegal things, such as selling body parts on the black market and even doing strange videos and documentation of experiments. She was also not involved initially but due to the situation their cousin got into she quickly did and then quickly found out about how much money they could get and also get rid of a lot of the body parts. Win-win situation in her mind. She has definitely gone a bit crazy due to all her experimenting and the shit she does for the dark web. She wears a plague doctor-inspired mask when recording and documenting stuff for the dark web. 

Storm- While originally only doing little crimes like thievery for money, he also was the victim of the same wannabe cult that Gadget was and it also failed, becoming possessed by a demon of gluttony. It makes him want to devour flesh and blood and he unfortunately had no choice. When he gets to the point where the demon demands for him to consume, he cant eat anything else even if he tries. It just comes right back up and he starves. He’s still coming to terms with it and grew depressed and got a bit of a tricky relationship with food. he gets some help from gadget so shit doesn't suck for him entirely anymore. The Demon definitely is based off of Venom is some silly way. The demon is a bit of a screamer and talks loudly to Storm and since only storm can hear it 90 percent of the time he gets VERY tired of it (i initially wanted him to be food related like a killer chef but god i didn't want him to be a willing cannibal that's just another level of ICK)

[angeltreasure]

what are your thoughts on the fact that the artist behind luce being very openly pro LGBT pride and doing art for so called adult toys

Luce and other characters were designed by artist Simone Legno, who is co-founder of tokidoki.

“tokidoki, which translates to “sometimes” in Japanese, is an internationally recognized and iconic lifestyle brand based on the vision of Italian artist Simone Legno and his partners, serial entrepreneurs Pooneh Mohajer and Ivan Arnold. Since debuting in 2005, tokidoki has amassed a cult-like following for its larger-than-life characters and emerged as a sought- after global lifestyle brand. tokidoki offers an extensive range of products which include apparel, handbags, cosmetics, accessories, toys and more. Simone Legno, tokidoki’s creative director, was born in Rome, Italy and from a very young age developed a deep love of Japan and a fascination with world cultures. Combining Legno’s unique talent and creativity with Mohajer’s business acumen, tokidoki has grown exponentially. As an innovative company, tokidoki is known not only for its eye-popping aesthetic and criminally cute characters but also its megawatt partnerships.”

—-

What is exactly is Luce And Friends?

Ahead of the 2025 Jubilee, the Vatican has launched a cartoon mascot unveiled Monday as the cheerful face of the Catholic Church’s upcoming holy year.

The mascot, named Luce — which means “light” in Italian — is intended to engage a younger audience and guide visitors through the holy year.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the Vatican’s chief organizer for the jubilee, described the mascot as part of the Vatican’s goal to engage with “the pop culture so beloved by our young people.”

The mascot will debut this week at the Lucca Comics and Games, Italy’s celebrated convention for all things comics, video games, and fantasy, where the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization will host a space dedicated to “Luce and Friends.”

It will be the first time that a Vatican dicastery participates in a comics convention. Fisichella, who serves as the the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization’s section for the new evangelization, said he hopes taking part in the convention “will allow us to speak to younger generations about the theme of hope, which is more central than ever in the evangelical message.”

…

Legno, who admitted a lifelong love for Japanese pop culture, said he hopes that “Luce can represent the sentiments that resonate in the hearts of the younger generations.”

———-

If you are asking my opinion, just read what the quotes are from the article above. How nice it is that the Vatican is trying to reach the younger generation, which I am a part of, to some extent! Without reaching younger generations, our numbers in Mass will fall even more. I hardly see people my age at Mass. You don’t have to look very far either, when you see the statistics of Gen Z and Alpha (younger than me), when asking if they are religious or not. (More over, I don’t share many personal details of my life outside my blog, but I can say I have been a big fan of Japanese pop culture myself for over 26 years.)

Whether or not the brand itself does pro activist movement for other things is not the focus of what Luce and Friends is. The focus is evangelization. You don’t have to like the artist or art style and you don’t have to like my opinion of if I like it or not since I am a complete stranger on the internet haha, but you must remember what Jesus told us in today’s Gospel reading at Mass:

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,

"Which is the first of all the commandments?"

Jesus replied, "The first is this:

Hear, O Israel!

The Lord our God is Lord alone!

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul,

with all your mind,

and with all your strength.

The second is this:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no other commandment greater than these."

The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.

You are right in saying,

'He is One and there is no other than he.'

And 'to love him with all your heart,

with all your understanding,

with all your strength,

and to love your neighbor as yourself'

is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,

he said to him,

"You are not far from the kingdom of God."

And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

- Mark 12:28b-34

You are allowed to make an opinion and here is mine. Thank you for the question! May God bless you. ☺️🙏🏻

[catchyhuh]

If each of them would ever have YouTube / Tik Tok account... What would their content be?

i tried so hard to really and truly answer this but i just kept thinknf of this throughout

lupin: started as a joke but he IS having fun with it. he’s mostly just fucking around there’s like NO production quality there it’s just. viddy oe. and thats the case whether its youtube OR tiktok, either way it’s going to be quick cutesy spur of the moment junk. if he ever really went all out, he might make some kinda digital calling card (he has made video cards before to inform his targets he’s about to rob their asses lmao) but it’d be some stupid hilarious shit. like imagine those video wedding/graduation invitations with the poorly animated stock resources and generic acoustic guitar music. text slides in that says “i want that statue dumbass” (cymbal fade sfx) “so yeah i’ll be taking that” (dramatic text pan) “seeya thursday, can’t wait :)”

jigen: no profile pic no real username. just like jigen76943 with the blue j icon. NO tiktok. NO tiktok for our guy. insists lupin shouldn’t be using tiktok either as its shortening his already horrible attention span. jigen doesn’t really post videos too much, but if he does it must be something very important to him, really only uploaded so he doesn’t lose it. there’s a handful of videos from some of their vacations (whether its an intended vacation or just ‘oh shit we’re in spain. we should have fun with this’ type deal) but it’s almost all privated. he’s not really showy about stuff like that

fujiko: she had a momentary lapse of judgment when making it, because she thought, easy way to sucker in idiots and make some money off that ad revenue. but also… do you REEEALLY want the world knowing exactly where you are, what you’re doing, at any given moment? well. no. but if you heavily screen every tiny fraction of your video before even THINKING of posting it, maybe nobody will be able to tell you’re literally sitting inside the taj mahal. posted a makeup tutorial once while she was already wearing a full face of less obvious makeup just because it was funny to her to see comments insisting she was so much prettier “without makeup.” so yeah like everything else in her life she’s found a way to rig this for money and her own personal entertainment

goemon: Nay. you know i don’t personally subscribe to the “goemon cant understand ANY technology he’s so archaic teehee” philosophy, but this ain’t even about that, it’s about the fact that goemon is the only one who’s initial reaction was “you want me, a wanted criminal, tagging the people i have been around and locations i have been to? for ‘clout’????” at best he just uses jigen’s phone to watch random stuff that interests him, and like, he’s not PHYSICALLY RECOILING when fujiko tries to show him a funny tiktok, he enjoys the fun of it. but he’s not making one, and if he has anything to say about it, he will not be featured in lupin’s bullshit

zenigata: doesn’t even have his own. he’s like a background feature when (SURPRISE YATA SNEAK ATTACK) yata posts. yata will be like “wow the louvre!!! look!” and take a lil video and zenigata’s just in the background looking bored out of his mind. in the louvre. he’d never BULLY zeni into participating, but once yata becomes aware of the fact people are playing where’s waldo with his stuff, he might try to have fun with it. q&a with the inspector. share some life advice with the audience. and the whole time zenigata’s like “um. uh. don’t break the… law?” and the commenters eat it UP. zenigata thinks its stupid but he tells yata he’s doing it because yata enjoys it, and that's it. however secretly you know he’d fucking love the attention

so final verdict: unfortunately i believe all of these people would be baffled and horrified if i explained how many times i've rewatched defunctland's disney channel theme video in full. but they could have a little fun with it

[ear-worthy]

Because The Boss Belongs To Us Podcast: Bruce Springsteen As A Gay Icon!

Every once in a while, a podcast comes along that defines the best podcasting has to offer and demonstrates the limitations of legacy media. 

I'm from New Jersey, or as locals and detractors call it -- "Jersey." The state has always suffered an image problem, and the media has only made it worse. The Sopranos came to embody what New Jersey was to million of viewers. Jersey Shore added an element of dim-witted young adults who care only for tan lines, hook-ups, feedback from their mirror, and the verbal dexterity to utter "Fuhgeddaboudit." 

It's not an exaggeration to say that Bruce Springsteen (The Boss) is one of the most talented musical artists to come from New Jersey, with all due respect to Mr. Sinatra. 

 The Boss represents New Jersey and life there, but also the lives of many hard-working Americans. He's a blue-collar singer whose keen sense of what makes us uniquely American explains his long-time popularity. If you've even seen one of his shows, Springsteen doesn't have performers swinging on cables or appearing in a puff of smoke in elaborate costumes. There are no lavish sets, or visually striking images. It's just dirt under your fingernails' music.

With that background in mind, let me introduce you to Because the Boss Belongs To Us, which is a narrative podcast series all about how, though you might not expect it, Bruce Springsteen is a queer icon. Over seven episodes, Jesse Lawson and Holly Casio go on a mission to get The Boss the queer icon credentials he deserves, and to explore what it even means to idolize a celebrity in this way. The series was produced with Molten Heart, and is going out on iHeart Podcasts. The trailer for the podcast reminds listeners of the well-known queer icons -- Britney, Mariah, Cher, and Christina. Co-hosts Jesse and Holly explain: "The series where two queer nerds who are obsessed with Bruce Springsteen try to get him recognized as the queer icon we know he is."

As the co-hosts say in the first episode: "Who wore it best? Bruce Springsteen or K.D. Lang?" 

I've listened to the first episode twice because there's so much there. First, we meet Jesse at a Drag performance where she is playing a drag king, who is Bruce Springsteen. She explains in detail her costume and makeover, even down to the widening of her nose to give her a more butch look. Then, we learn about Jesse, a Londoner, and Holly, in Northern England, and the crucible they faced as pre-teens and teens as their sexual identity emerged. We learn that a 1988 U.K. law -- with its section 28 that prohibited the local promotion of homosexuality -- kept exploration of one's sexual identity a secret mission. Like so many others, Jesse and Holly suffered through an awakening that was fraught with risk of exposure, denigration, bullying, and even a criminal act.

Holly tells the listeners how she made a mixtape with The Boss's hit, Dancing In The Dark, on it, wondering why she was including "Dad music" on her mixtape.

Holly tells listeners that after listening to the song numerous times, and focusing on its lyrics -- I check my look in the mirror,Wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face -- the tune -- and The Boss -- spoke directly to her. 

Once the co-hosts describe how they got together, the first episode proceeds to argue that Bruce Springsteen is indeed a gay icon. The co-hosts do make a compelling case, and this was only the first episode. In addition, listeners are treated to superior sound design, with its subtle background noises and catchy music that echoes the themes of the show. 

Who are the co-hosts of this crazy stew of music, queerness, sexual identity, cross-gender attraction, wild humor and sharp wit?

Jesse Lawson is an audio producer who produced Down the Rabbit Hole, which is an audio storytelling project. She is also the co-founder and co-director of Boldface – a platform that works with community groups to produce audio, art and film. She has also run a series of workshops – Intro to Podcasting, Interviewing, Presenting, and Editing – and designed a podcast format that facilitated as much independent work as possible for members of the youth network, so the authorship for the podcast came mainly from them.

Holly Casio (she/they) is a Dover-based queer artist, zine maker, and trade unionist. Holly makes queer zines and DIY comics about queer pop culture, fat bodies, libraries, mental health, and Bruce Springsteen.

I highly recommend Because the Boss Belongs To Us. I realize that this podcast will drive most American white evangelicals crazy and be ignored by political conservatives. And that's a shame, because Lawson and Casio are onto more than an image makeover for Bruce Springsteen. 

This podcast isn't just about "The Boss." Instead, it's about "Who's The Boss?" Are we the boss of our sense of fairness, or the servant of intolerance? Do we decide who to accept in society? Or do we allow a book, a person, or an institution to command us to denigrate those who are perceived as different? Do we cling to the security blanket of conformity? Or do we embrace diversity and distinctiveness? 

As actor Emma Stone said: "What sets you apart can sometimes feel like a burden, and it's not. And a lot of the time, it's what makes you great." 

[notwantedonthemoon]

The pacing of Not Wanted on the Voyage... could have been better. This novel is split up into four 'books', and my biggest issues are with book three and four. If I were to rewrite this book, the first order of business would be shuffling some events around.

(Pretty big spoilers below- though I try to keep them as vague as possible)

As it is, book three ends with one of the most iconic scenes in the whole book- Lucy's speech. I would shuffle that over to book four and instead end book three with Emma being taken to the Upper Decks. Then the closing lines would be: "'I don't really know,' said Mrs Noyes. 'I only know I wish I believed in prayer'" (Findley 244).

And then we start book four with Emma actually on the Upper Decks and events proceed as normal.

First, I think that's a fantastic closing line and

Ending off book three with Emma being taken to the Upper Decks and the doors closing ominously behind her fits with a theme that I thought I was picking up with the earlier books- book one ends with Yaweh entering his carriage and the doors closing ominously behind him as he leaves. Book two ends with the ark taking off, with its doors closed to all the animals that weren't wanted on the voyage (title drop). Book three should have ended with a door closing ominously as well. Then book four can break the cycle by not ending with an ominous door closing, which would make it feel more final.

Shuffling some events would fix one personal gripe I have with the pacing: how book four feels criminally short. In the English version of the book that I own, book four is only 63 pages (compared to book one, which has 103 pages) and this change would get it up to 95 pages.

But now we have a book three that only has 56 pages. Which leaves plenty of room to extend it by stuffing it with filler.

This novel does not have nearly enough breathing room.

Book one is hands down my favourite part of the novel and I appreciate it more and more every time I come back to it. The first time I was reading this novel, it was for class and so I was trying to get through it at breakneck speed and to me, book one moved at a snail's pace and it frustrated me immensely. But book one was definitely needed; all the filler and the detail and the little details make the setting feel so lived in, so you really get the sense that the book is trying very hard to make you fall in love with this world your time with it ends. And then book two starts and things never slow down again.

(I will say, though: book two is also very short, but I don't mind that very much. I think it's because book two has one very specific purpose: covering the events of the flood itself.)

I think I'd really enjoy having book one and book three as breathing room while all the plot happens in book two and book four. Ideally it'd go like this:

Book one: introduction to the setting, the various characters, and ominous build-up to Yaweh's decision to drown everyone.

Book two: the flood itself. Life is a nightmare and everyone is miserable.

Book three: survivors of the flood get used to their new lives on the ark. Contrast life on the Upper Decks with life on the Lower Decks. Ominous build-up that ends with Emma being taken to the Upper Decks.

Book four: life is a nightmare and everyone is miserable, again. Also, the Lower Decks attempt to unionize. Book ends.

The reason I want more filler isn't because I'm enamoured with this world and the characters (though I am. That's why I'm here) and because I could probably read at least twenty little spin-off novels of this book (god I wish this was a franchise). It's because this book as it is is absolutely packed. It brings up so many interesting concepts that could have been explored, but weren't, because the novel was too short. Making book one and three the filler books that explore character dynamics and tie up some loose ends would have been really good! I have a non-comprehensive thing of what this imaginary section of filler in book three could have covered! And it's non-comprehensive! There's definitely more!

The filler could include information on unexplored dynamics in the dysfunctional Noyes family. Especially the brothers. We barely know anything about what the brothers think about each other and what their relationships are like, besides Japeth hating Ham for having a wife who willingly hangs out with him. Ham later on protests against the possibility of having to kill his brothers- which doesn't have as much emotional weight it could have had because A) we don't get the sense that the brothers particularly care about each other and B) Ham would say that about literally anyone.

SPEAKING OF HAM, wasn't there that scene very early on in book one. In which he has to sacrifice a lamb. An action that, as Mrs Noyes says, "'will break [his] heart'" (Findley 11). Well clearly it DIDN'T since the novel just dropped the topic and we can assume that any emotional turmoil resulting from that event happened offscreen and we simply never explore it.

This is fine and great and I totally don't feel cheated out of a character arc at all. <- (Lies)

The filler could answer the question: why did Lucy bother hiding her angel identity at all, especially once she was amongst the Lower Deck people who probably wouldn't care? (Since she goes on to reveal it with little reaction from her allies). I'd also like to know more about her backstory!

Book three could have been a great opportunity for Mrs Noyes to reminisce on what the Noyes family used to be like and the bonds they used to have before the world went into disarray.

Lotte, Crowe, and the demons. NWOTV has an unfortunate habit of introducing characters and then killing them off way too fast (I know Crowe was introduced pretty early on but there are so few scenes with her between her introduction and her death). The deaths are emotional and gut-wrenching but I feel like it has more to do with how brutal and sudden they are rather than actual attachment to the characters. I wish we got more time to get attached to characters that eventually die- these ones specifically. I know that Lotte is already dead by book three, but we never really get to know her beyond as a 'generic sweet child character who dies'. I want flashback scenes! I want to get to know Lotte as a person! Crowe does not get enough screen time- which is a travesty. I love Crowe. I want a whole book on Crowe. And the demons are introduced and then killed off immediately after- let Lucy hang out with them in book three!

Okay so book three makes a point of showing us how the people on the Upper Decks are living pretty comfortably (especially compared to everyone on the Lower Decks) but they’re all still miserable because there’s no real warmth or connection or sense of community between them. And I thought the point of that was to draw a contrast between everyone on the Lower Decks, who become a found family of sorts…

And we get that. Kind of. Mottyl and Mrs Noyes get to make friends. But this seems to be a privilege reserved for them. The more significant side characters left in the Lower Decks are Lucy, Ham, and Emma, and they're a trio that... okay. It is established that Mrs Noyes loves all three of them very much and that the three of them love her very much too. But if you remove Mrs Noyes from the equation, you're left with a trio of friendly workplace acquaintances who eventually leave to find other jobs and tell each other, "We should definitely get coffee sometime!" but then they never do because they’ve all forgotten about each other within months.

This trio frustrates me because it feels like they're supposed to be friends, but there's not enough set-up that convinces me that they actually are.

I find it especially egregious that Emma doesn't have friends. Emma needs friends. This should have been made a stronger priority. Especially because Emma gets unwillingly trapped on the Upper Decks- and that separation would have hit so much harder if it's established that she has friends. The book includes scenes of everyone on the Lower Decks waiting anxiously for Emma to return to them but the only person who has been established to really care for her is Mrs Noyes.

There's also this line, where Emma reunites with Mrs Noyes, Lucy, and Ham near the end of the book:

"Emma slid back towards the doors and yanked them open (...)- only aware that she was safe again with the only people in the world she loved" (Findley 315).

Since the novel never establishes that Emma ever really bonded with Lucy and Ham and sees them as friends, the message that I'm getting from this line is that Emma has been deprived of positive attention for so long that the mere fact that her coworkers are polite to her is enough to get her to love them. Which is... which is really sad, actually... When will this child ever get to be happy...

But my point is that the line would work better if they were friends.

Lucy and Ham not really being friends is less of an issue for me; during my first time reading the book, I assumed that they were acquaintances in a marriage of convenience and that their relationship never progressed past being friendly coworkers because they just didn't really care. But book four has an entire passage in which Lucy reminisces on her relationship with Ham (and compares him to a bunch of historical figures- which apparently exist in this book- for... some reason...) and... don't get me wrong. I like the passage, it's a very good passage, it's one of my favourite parts in the novel, the prose is very nice and the moment felt very sweet. But it's also very baffling, it felt like Lucy going, "SIKE! YOU FOOL! I CARED ABOUT MY HUSBAND THIS WHOLE TIME".

And apparently they bonded... offscreen... and they played like... board games or whatever, like normal friends do. Which. Come on. We couldn't have gotten to see that? It irritates me when characters suddenly become close offscreen.

I would like to know more about their relationship. There are many unanswered questions, like why Lucy wanted to get married in the first place- the obvious answer is to board the ark but if that were the case, the timing just doesn't line up. She and Ham are engaged before Yaweh even comes up with the idea of the flood. So why are you getting married, Lucy?

I don't care as much for them as I do about Emma having friends so I wouldn't mind if information about their relationship was excluded from the novel and was covered in a spin-off novella or something. ...I actually really want to read that. (To be fair, I would read basically anything about this book.)

(If anyone writes literally any fanfiction about this book they instantly have a fan. It's me. I would read it and frame it in my room.)

But on the other hand I probably wouldn't care that much about Lucy and Ham if I did get more information about their relationship; having it be more-or-less a blank slate means I can fill in the blanks with whatever I want (and what I want is friendship) and a novella might make them seem like a couple. That are actually romantically interested in each other. They are married, after all... it's very unlikely that Timothy Findley would want to portray them with a purely platonic bond like I imagine...

Wait what was this post about again

...I did not expect this to get so long.

In conclusion, if anyone wants to adapt Not Wanted on the Voyage into a show or something, Hire Me Please.

[its-to-the-death]

Bracket C thoughts:

I liked "You Got Nothing to Lose" as a song, but I admit I'm a bit of sucker for the old-school Disney diabolical mustache-twirling vibes of "Prince Ali (Reprise)". Also, I didn't know the context of "You Got Nothing to Lose" when I made my vote, so it didn't sound very villainous.

...I honestly think "Friends on the Other Side" still might be the better one, but give "Waikyou Shensoujin" a listen. It's underappreciated and very moving in context.

In a reverse of the previous Nightmare Before Christmas entry, "Oogie Boogie's Song" is not as good as I remembered. Also "Blumenkranz" is pretty intimidating. You will want to listen to it with Genius' translation open, though (unless you know German).

I know we all love "Gaston," but "Hey Little Songbird" is such a good villain moment for Hades with him seducing Eurydice to her metaphorical death.

"Queen of Mean" is better than I expected under all that autotune, I will give it that.

Why the fuck does Kirby go so hard.

"Where is the Justice" vs "Confrontation" is so cruel. I went with the latter because I find the singer's ability to do VERY different performances for Jekyll and Hyde incredibly impressive, and I like how it's a hero/villain confrontation with the same person being both.

Again, I know we all love "Snow Miser/Heat Miser," but hot damn Jonny goes hard in "Old King Cole"!

"I Expect You To Die" is fucking iconic. Why do these games go so hard with their opening credits.

Something about the awkward rhythm of "No Good Deed" just...irks me, and "Between Two Worlds" is very good (especially the second part).

Hot damn whoever is performing as Sweeney Todd is putting 110% into "Epiphany".

"The Nowhere King" vs "World's Greatest Criminal Mind" was very hard. I think I prefer the former as a song, but I gave my vote to the latter for having Ratigan take a break from singing to have his minion eaten alive.

I could not give two shits about the RWBY vs Sanders Side one.

"Battle! Ghetsis" really makes you feel like you're fighting a tyrannical PETA leader with a team-wiping hydra who is arrogant enough to emulate Arceus' theme and the last check point was a whole boss fight ago.

...Ok, yeah, in hindsight "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" is just the singer insulting the guy. I give the win to "Blood in the Water," which really makes me want to kick Callahan in the balls.

Goddamit, "We Are Number One" is the meme song, but "Get Jinxed" is the better song.

I’m sorry but I have to disagree about Oogie Boogie’s song because The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack can do no wrong imo

[tar-rhaenyra]

3, 5, 6 and 8?

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you soooooooooooooo muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch, Kadiiiiiiiiiiiiii for asking me! I'm truly enjoy answering these 🤗🤗🤗

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Answers are under the cut! 🥰

Number 3 : If you could spend one day with a character, who would it be? What would you do together?

*Squeaking*

Elrond! Without hasitation or re-thinking just a bit!

I would talk to him about history and lores - concerning the Middle-Earth, and most western lands, including Valinor.

Asked him to teach me Quenya. Read scrolls and books in the palace's library - exchanging opinions, debating and discussing what we had in mind - with nice cups of warm tea. ☕🫖☕

Writing together 📝 on field of green grass and wild flowers 🌹🌺🌷🪷🪻🌻🌼🌿 (or tree's trunk surrounding by natures in Lindon); speeches for the High-King, poems and any project that he had been up to. If I got writer's block, I would practice him by sketching his portraits; literally every possible angle, if he didn't mind.

Number 5 : What’s your favourite song or piece of music from RoP?

Last, but not least, having dinner with him and possibly with Galadriel or Durin and Disa. (Would I be send back to real world after, wouldn't it?)

It's really hard to pick, all of them are Magnificent! So I must choose and…cheat a bits. 3 favourites from the exquisite Mister Bear McCreary's scores:

Numenor. This theme - the exotic and alike to ancient greek and roman music at the intro, which applying througout the song - captures me at the first grip as I saw how grandeur and the peak of blessed Humankind's realm is; Ulmo's colossus sculpture, great ports, elegant buildings - close to how Tolkien's describes in The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. As if I were standing there, beside Galadriel and Halbrand. And yes, giving me a bit 'A Whole New World' to Haladriel/Saurondriel's adventure in this blessing Island.

Elrond Half-Elven. How should I describe to do the very justice of this theme *sighing dreamily* In my humble opinion, this theme is what our softest boy WAS, IS, and WILL BE. Like you know, the intro; I get and percieve the sense of nostalgia - good and bad memories - in his past life. Although sadness is tinted within and apart from main symphony, but then the melody is getting brighter and more promising and hopeful Yes, gently precises to 'as kind as summer'. NGL, I almost cry everytime I pay close attention to the piece. Please forgive me for being super sentimental with this precious boy. 🥹🥹🥹

And the last one, another addition deep and haunted voice of Ms. Fiona Appple.

Where the Shadow Lies. Who would have ever thought that one who sings the iconic 'Criminal' can transform herself into, in my humble opinion again; the anonymous and mysterious storyteller, or Galadriel at the prologue and when Frodo confronted her from PJ's FOTR! Now I can hear and dive deep into this greatest verses! Indeed, May It Be is the theme of Lord of the Rings, but please consider this; Where the Shadow Lies is Lord of the Rings theme too, although the dark and mysterious tone of Fiona's voice and the chorus, but it's equating to May It Be. Like Galadriel's two sides of her personality - the Lady of the Light and the Dark Queen of Mordor.

Number 6 : Where would you most like to live in RoP and why?

Actually, I would like to live in Lindon with Elrond, but considering my desire and passion for knowledge, I would like to live in Mithlond (Grey Havens) or maybe Eregion.

Certaintly, Lindon had big amount of Knowledge, since the time before Years of The Tree, The Moon, and The Sun. But, I believe that another numerous and various kinds of knowledge, even older than Lindon's, was well kept at Mithlond and Eregion. Especially with crafting the ships and other marvelous inventories, as same as the hammer of Feanor.

Plus the guidances from Cirdan and Celebrimbor, they remind me of my late father.

Number 8 : What accessory would you like most to own? (sword, brooch, crown, etc.)

Tar-Miriel's S01 headpiece.

I'm really attracted to many headpieces, Tar-Miriel's is not an exceptional because of the designing and the details; the things resemble to rays of the sun or golden flowers and the pair of tassel. Such the stylish, graceful and sophisicated accessory. More over, it looks like Byzantine Empresses' crowns, my second most favourtie period in history of fashion. 😍