#i imagined i would be giving a presentation in front of an audience! which i think was fair of me to assume

[crescentmp3]

i have work to do. 27497005 dead 7738 injured

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

The Good Omens Musical Masterpost🎵❤

How it started :)

Some time before 2013: Vicki Larnach, the australian composer and lyricist, read the Good Omens book, imagined figures dancing on stage with brilliant music and thought, ‘Ah, I’m gonna ask Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman if I can turn it into a musical.’ and sent an email to the publishers. The next day she got an email saying, ‘We don’t want a musical but Terry’s coming to Australia, so come and say hello and tell us what you got.’

Rob Wilkins came down to meet Vicki and Jim Hare - Vicki's husband and writer - and took them to meet Terry. They spent an hour and a half with them where Terry asked ‘piercing questions’, had tea with them and they showed Terry a song that Vicki wrote (about the Chattering Nuns). Terry said to Rob, ‘Rob, write and email to Neil, “Dear Neil, this is Terry. I’m sitting in front of two hippies from Sydney and they want to make a musical out of Good Omens and I’m tempted to let them do it.”’ which was the best email they ever heard and then Terry said, ‘Okay, you have me curious.’ - it was because of the Nuns song which sounded like the book. ‘I’m gonna give you six months, come back with a first draft libretto and five songs.’

They then sent it to Terry who sent it to Gaiman. Terry said, ‘I really like it, you’re moving story, you’re doing all the right things, but where’s showstopper, where’s the toe-tapper, you know I need people to go to intermission just snapping their fingers with the song they just can’t get out of their head, and I haven’t heard that.’ - and they realized that they were so busy serving the story they forgot to do the wow-factor, but found it very encouraging from Terry that he wanted to make it better.

They went through the whole book again to find a centrepiece - and they found it  when Warlock is growing up and Aziraphale and Crowley are with him, and spent months working just on that one thing and called ‘All Living Things’ [the song at the start of this post :)] which is a line from the book.*’ Terry gave that song to a person he knew and asked him to play it to his wife with no context and when the next day the person said that his wife woke up still singing the song Terry said to Vicki and Jim: ‘Well, that’s what I asked you to do.’ 

* [“This here’s Brother Slug,” the gardener would tell him, “and this tiny little critter is Sister Potato Weevil. Remember, Warlock, as you walk your way through the highways and byways of life’s rich and fulsome path, to have love and reverence for all living things.” “Nanny says that wivving fings is fit onwy to be gwound under my heels, Mr. Fwancis,” said little Warlock, stroking Brother Slug, and then wiping his hand conscientiously on his Kermit the Frog overall.]

Vicki and Jim got the permission to being adapting it as a musical in 2013.

Vicki and Jim on it a couple of years ‘fumbling about’, took it as far as they could and decided to bring another person into it: Jay-James Moody

In 2015, Jay James-Moody joined the collaboration initially as a dramaturge and directorial eye, eventually evolving into co-book writer. Vicki, James and Jay have continued to evolve through countless more revisions and a number of private development readings with the support, time and talent of numerous wonderful Australian performers testing the material.

In November 2017, the musical was presented in its then-current form and entirety for the first time before an audience of over 500 eager attendees. The cast included Luke Joslin, Lachlan O’Brien, Nancye Hayes, Barry Quin, Brett O’Neill, Lauren McKenna, Nicholas Craddock, Paul Capsis, Rob Johnson, Amy Lehpamer, Debora Krizak, Blake Erickson, Nat Jobe, Ana Maria Belo, Jordan Hare, Bella Thomas, Anthony Abrakmanov and Samson Hyland.

Following a rapturous response to this reading it continued to be refined and developed.

In 2019, ten days before the show came out they did their last presentation, since then they’ve been to London and shown a videotape of that workshop to Gaiman and Rob Wilkins which was ‘a pretty heartstopping experience’.

Differences between the musical and the book

The ending of the musical is a bit different.

It opens with the burning of Agnes Nutter and Aziraphale and Crowley are introduced there. 

Act One ends with them ‘essentially breaking up’ because of a huge argument and they dissolve their friendship, Act Two starts with the first time they meet.

The Future?

What is the future for the musical: in 2021 they said that they need to work on some things and then they hope to do another run, initially in Australia.

There will be a CD of the soundtrack available when the show is produced in it’s full version.

In 2024 on insta they said that it is in "complicated process of rights to stage Good Omens" and "We appreciate your support and patience of the progress or seeming lack therof, of Good Omens the musical but we assure you, we will bring you the show in the next few years."

Videos

Vicki, Jim and Jay talking 46min about the musical (this video was shown at the Ineffable Con 3 in 2021 :))

Sizzle Reel 6min

Anathema singing The Perfect Place

Crowley calling Dagon to check on the hellhound

Shadwell and Newt

Aziraphale vanishing Hastur 👀

Links

Webpage

Instagram - a lot of more bts videos and pics :)

How to support?

Subsribe to the instagram page and like and comment that you want the musical on posts :)❤. If you want to be a sponsor or donor, there is contact on their webpage.

[falling-star-cygnus]

somebody reblogged my appleradio post and tagged it as "not a ship" ...

anyway, budding qpr Lucifer and Alastor because i love them :D Duckie Deer pt.1 {pt.2}

{Lucifer is hunched over his new desk in Charlie's hotel, his grin bordering on maniacal as he puts the finishing touches on his newest rubber duck. In a flourish, he holds the little thing high- or as high as he can feasibly reach anyway- in the air}

"Now presenting..."

{The King of Hell pauses for dramatic effect, despite not actually having any audience except the judgmental stares of his scattered ducks}

"The Wendigo Peace-Offering Red Radio Rubber Duck! ...That switches hands!"

{Lucifer grins a bit more genuinely as the little thing teleports from one hand to the other, twisting into the shadows between his fingers and out to his palm. The more tolerable version of it's intended recipient, he thinks}

{For the sake of Charlie, he had begrudgingly decided to try and befriend the agitating Radio Demon. After all, if they were going to be sharing the space here for the foreseeable future it only made sense for them to get along, right? Or at the very least, try to tolerate each other}

{And what better way to do that then with a rubber duck?}

"Heh heh heh..."

{The king chucks the duck at the door}

"Who am I kidding, nobody wants a rubber duck look-a-like. That's weird, it's a weird gift!"

{As Lucifer rants, he fails to notice the rubber contraption nailing the object of his ire in the forehead. It bounces with a squeak into red tipped hands}

"I'd argue talking to yourself is weirder, your highness."

{That familiar mocking drawl and static covering, the sarcasm on his title, it causes the king to whirl around. Alastor is indeed standing in front of his door, pinching the horn of the duck between his claws with a raised eyebrow}

"Alastor! Just the annoy- uh- just the demon I wanted to see. At this exact moment. ...How much of that did you hear?"

{Smooth. Totally nailed that.}

{One of the hair tufts upon Alastor's head twitches in his direction, confirming Lucifer's suspicion that they were, in fact, ears. It's embarrassing how much effort it takes to stifle the coo that wants to erupt from him at the subconscious movement}

{He has a feeling the Radio Demon wouldn't take kindly to it}

"Hm... Is there any particular reason for this... look-a-like, as you called it? I can't imagine anyone in either of circles would appreciate a duck of my visage."

{Oh good. So just the last part, then. He could still salvage this}

"It's for you!"

{…Damnit.}

{Lucifer sounded too eager. Waaay too eager, actually, if Alastor's steadily raising eyebrow was anything to go by. The king clears his throat}

"Ahem. Uh- it's for you, actually. A peace offering! Since we're going to be around each a lot more often, I figured- well, we might as well try to get along- right? For Charlie's sake. Not- not because you're tolerable. Or because I like you. Heh. No."

{The deer demon blinks slowly, raising the rubber duck up to his eye by it's horn. His perpetual smile- seriously, is that thing stitched on or something? -looks painfully strained.}

"Is that so?"

{His voice is less staticky then usual, which encourages the King to keep going. Lucifer nearly lunges forward, grabbing Alastor's hands and adjusting the duck to rest in one of the Radio Demon's palms}

{He feels a little bad for the flinch and hitch if static that comes with it, but he ignores it for Alastor's sake. He'd like a comment about that even less then a comment about his adorable ears}

"What are you do-" "It switches hands!"

{Alastor quiets at that, his glare softening just slightly around the edges with a blink. Again, Lucifer takes the small allowance and runs with it. He uses his thumbs to push against the joint of Alastor's fingers, furthering flattening his palms; an awkward laugh spills from him}

"Hah- Give it a try! Just- think about it switching and-"

{The duck slinks into Alastor's other palm before the king can finish his sentence. It goes back and forth a few times, filling the deer's eyes with a sense of unguarded wonder that has Lucifer's breath hitching}

{It's gone as soon as Alastor remembers his company}

{The Radio Demon pulls his hands away from Lucifer's, keeping the duck tucked securely in his hand. The king tries not to mourn the loss, both of his surprisingly warm fingers and of the glimpse into his head Lucifer was so graciously privy to today}

{Baby steps, he reminds himself. Something dangerously hopeful stirs in his chest}

"I see..."

{Alastor looks, on some level, like he's lost his footing. He came in here expecting to trade insults like usual, no doubt, especially after getting bonked with a rubber duck of all things upon entering}

{And instead he's left cradling a gift made in his image}

"Well! It'd certainly be rude to refuse such a thoughtful gift from his majesty. Even if it's a silly one."

{It's a feeble attempt at regaining control at best, they both know it. Lucifer sticks his hand out with a flat expression.}

"If you don't like it, give it back."

{Alastor's smile tightens, just like his grip on his rubber duck}

"Now, now, I just said it'd be rude to refuse. Surely your manner aren't lowering themselves to your height?"

{And just like that, normalcy is restored as Lucifer sputters at the jab. The king stomps forward, maybe childishly but no one who matters is around to judge him-}

"What did you even come up here for? If I recall, your 'radio tower' is on the other side of the other side of the-"

{The deer demon had stepped on a wild rubber duck in his subtle attempt to keep distance between them and with a burst of static, Alastor had begun to fall backwards}

{Lucifer acts on instinct and summons his cane,- he's pushed his luck with touch already today- bracing it behind the wendigo's back.}

{It leaves the two in an... awkward situation to say the least. Alastor's long legs pulled out from under him and his lanky torso held up purely by the thin rod of his staff.}

{It leaves Lucifer looking down for once to make eye contact}

"...who's the short one now?"

{Alastor melts into shadows, still holding the rubber duckie look-a-like in one hand as he reappears behind the king. He can feel the radio demon's hand on his collar preventing him from falling flat on his face.}

"Still you, my friend."

{...friend. Lucifer could get used to that.}

[i-write-boop-spoops]

Leon Proposal and Wedding Headcanons

i understand the poll is not over yet, but this is the clear winnder! i've been watching a ton of wedding content recently, so i was so jazzed to receive this request. thanks anon!

features: gn! reader and 1 mild sexual refernce. other just pure fluff! also not proofread

Enjoy!

Now that he’s no longer champion

Leon has his sights on a much more important title

Husband

And the first step to gaining that title?

Finding a wonderful, awesome person that he loves and loves him back unconditionally?

He’s already got that covered!

Spoilers! It’s you!

Now he has to take the next step

The proposal

With Lee, I can see this going two ways, depending on the kind of person you are

If you’re someone who loves the spotlight, a fellow elite-class trainer and/or a major celebrity

I can totally see him proposing to you in front of a massive crowd in Wyndon Stadium

After an intense heart-pounding match

If you’re his opponent, when you go to shake his hand after the battle, he’ll take it

And drop down on one knee

If you’re just watching the match, he’ll call you out to the pitch

As the new head of the Galar League, he’s already got the staff clued in, no surprises with them

You walk onto the pitch to a roar of applause, having an inkling of what’s about to happen, where Lee gives you a kiss, takes your hand and get into position

Presents to you a little velvet box

And gives a heart-warming but brief speech

He’d love to go on, really pour his heart out… but some of the things he wants to say are just for your ears only

The whole time the audience is waiting on bated breath

With the occasional holler of “Go Leon!” and “Say Yes!”

Somebody did shout “Say no! I wanna marry him first!”

Which admittedly made you chuckle

The whole proposal is being broadcasted on the big screen, and across the region, maybe even the world

Which means, when you say – no, exclaim - “Yes!”, It’s the yes heard around the world

The crowd goes W I L D

Just an eruption of clapping and hollering and screaming

But you don’t register it at all

No, you’re too focused on the love of your life, slipping a gorgeous ring on your finger

And taking you in his arms

So warm, and strong, and perfect

He holds you to his body like you’re the most precious thing to him

Which you are

“I love you,” you hear him whisper in your ear

Your answer comes in the form of a passionate, triumphant kiss

Which makes the crowd go even crazier

Now, if you’re someone who’s more introverted, private and/or not a fan of public proposals

I imagine it’d go a little something like this;

It’d be a proposal in your shared home

And he’ll pull out all the stops to make it as romantic and as cosy as possible

He’ll secretly take a half day from the battle tower to prepare everything while you’re busy with work/school/etc.

The whole living room will be transformed

I’m talking candles (with your favourite scent)

Bunches upon bunches of favourite flowers

An arch decorated with said flowers

And so many photos of the two of you together from your relationship

Plus, ones of you that he just thinks are cute

He’ll prepare your favourite meal or order your favourite takeaway too

And he’ll wait by the front door, practically buzzing with excitement (and a touch of anxiety)

I mean, he’s pretty sure you’ll say yes

But he has an old, toxic friendship with doubt so, it’ll always be there, whispering falsehoods

You arrive home

Greeted by the sight of your purple haired himbo

And the lovely display he’s set up for you

It’s not your birthday, so you know something special is afoot

Even though, you’re certain it’s going to end with a proposal, you still end up feeling surprised

He takes your hand and walks you through all your memories together, reminding you how much you mean to him, how lucky he is to have you, how you’ve always been there for him, how much he loves you

And how he can’t imagine his life without you

It would be too painful

All ending with him getting on one knee under the arch of your favourite flowers

You’re crying, he’s crying

As you say “Yes!” and share a tight embrace

No matter if his proposal is public or private, the wedding is DEFINITELY private

That celebration of your love with you friends and family, just isn’t for the world to see

Except a few photos on social media a week or two later lol

It’ll be cute, quaint rustic affair

Probably in Wedgehurst or Postwick

In one of those farmhouses that double as wedding venues

Raihan is most likely best man

Hop’s just a bit too young

But he’s definitely a groomsman, and the ring bearer

He and Wooloo take this job very seriously

If you for one second think Charizard isn’t also a groomsman and wearing a bowtie, you’re SORELY mistaken my friend

The guest list is mainly your and his friends and family, and the Galar League

For the life of me, I can’t imagine Lee in a plain black suit/tux

He’ll at least wear a jacket that’s a colour that suits him

Probably something that’ll match the colour scheme

Let me tell you one thing

Well, two things

Lee will definitely cry

And he will carry you over every. single. threshold.

No exceptions

When he goes in for the kissTM he’ll cup your face and kiss you with so much love and passion you’ll be breathless

I’m sorry but that just gives me butterfrees

He will give a speech and a toast to you at the reception

It’ll be heartfelt and dorky just like him

Raihan’s best man speech is funny, and just a touch irreverent

He definitely harps on about how you’re way out of Leon’s league

And how smitten Lee is with you

When it comes to the cake, if you let him, Lee would like to smush a bit of it on your face

Just a little smush

Which he fully expects you to do back to him

Again, only if this is something you want

You two will definitely feed each other cake either way though

During the whole reception (and before) Lee just has this goofy, lovestruck expression on his face

He gives you heart eyes the entire time

And he keeps asking if it’s really real

Is he really your husband now?

You delight in telling him yes, every time

 Your first dance is basically just the two of you hugging while you sway to music for like three minutes

The world disappears, and it’s just you and your husband

It’s perfect

After a fantastic night of food, dancing and fun

Leon picks you up and carries you over one last threshold

Sure, the night may be done, but the fun? That’s not over yet ;)

[felicitywilds]

The Magiciatron

A couple of posts came across my dash recently in quick succession about Crowley and Aziraphale’s costuming, and boy howdy did they get me Thinking™. The details of those posts are not super relevant, but they did inspire this one and were quite insightful, so I’d recommend giving them a read anyway, as well as the several other posts I have linked throughout where ideas were taken. Please do give those a read/reblog as well!

And then take a look at this post I saw:

“You’re not trying to trick me, are you?”

Now kindly consider the fact that Crowley is beside Muriel’s left shoulder (like an angel) and the Metatron is on Aziraphale’s right (like a demon). And notice, like I did, that the lapels on his coat are some of the lowest we’ve seen. Which, for an angel-who-isn’t-Aziraphale, and you know, the literal fucking voice of God, is pretty fucking weird. But I digress.

Because what’s important here is that you’re reminded, like I was, how weird it is that the Metatron is wearing so much black.

Surely the most important angel we’ve ever met-- who up to this point, has only ever been depicted as a brilliantly glowing white head, and is (stage blocking-wise, literally) above inhabiting the typical corporations that other angels have, even while in heaven-- surely he would be sporting the cleanest, purest, whitest clothes imaginable, right?

But... he isn’t. He’s not wearing grey or beige like any of the other angels, or even white like Muriel’s constable uniform, he’s wearing black. That’s weird! Angels don’t wear black! Oh... well except when they’re magicians, of course:

(X, X)

But even in his magician costumes, Aziraphale retains many elements of his angelic nature: the upward-pointed lapels; the white cuffs poking out of his sleeves; the floppy bow ties; the single-button or open jacket revealing the soft gold and velvet vests. This is merely a flashy costume! Don’t worry folks, he’s still the same, good old angel underneath!

The Metatron, on the other hand, does not have any of these angelic indicators. Underneath his magician’s coat-- which is big and loose, falls closed in front of him in a way that obscures his suit, and has extremely downward-pointing lapels-- he wears a dark tie, and a very normal-looking, white, pinstripe shirt. No angelic tartan to be seen, either. It’s a very understated, business-minded look compared to Aziraphale’s flashy stage getups. Also worth noting imo is that in many scenes, the Metatron has his hands in his pockets, which obscures his form even more.

Now this might be indicative of something more, some larger scheme we haven’t deduced yet, but by itself it’s a brilliant move by the costuming department, adding yet another perfectly conniving layer to the Metatron’s manipulations:

Dress him in the magician’s coat and send him on stage, where his tricks are hidden in plain sight...

Engage the audience to participate in a dramatic reveal...

Reassure his volunteer that his props are completely normal by offering them up for inspection...

Have the assistant do all the flashy presentation for him...

So that while the audience is distracted, they fail to notice...

... that a swap has been made...

And then the curtain falls. Show over. Audience fooled. Job well done.

The End.

[hotvintagepoll]

Ernest Thesiger—who could forget him camping up the screen as doctor pretorius in bride of frankenstein??? a few years before that legendary role he also appeared as the haughty horace femm in the old dark house, creating another memorable weirdo in another witty horror classic from his friend james whale. thesiger was a seasoned theater actor renowned for his comic abilities who moved in many literary and artistic circles, where he was a notorious eccentric and wit and is said to have made no particular secret of his queerness, and his friends included george bernard shaw, john sargent sargent, somerset maugham, radclyffe hall, and ivy compton-burnett, several of whom based fictional characters on him or wrote parts specifically for him (also if anyone here happens to know the gormenghast books, mervyn peake loosely based doctor prunesquallor on him). when he wasn't acting he occupied himself with many artistic endeavors and was particularly expert at petit point embroidery, exhibiting his work internationally and publishing a book on embroidery; he was also skilled at painting, knitting, crochet, lacelace-making, beadwork, costume and jewelry design, and probably more. his screen appearances are always delightful and i just can't imagine a world where we didn't have his signature flamboyant, comic, and menacing gaunt weirdos enriching cinema (supposedly the studio wanted claude rains for pretorius which would have been a wildly different vibe), so give it up for my man ernest.

ZaSu Pitts (Greed, The Bad Sister, Shopworn, Dames, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World)—The vocal inspiration for Olive Oyl in the Popeye cartoons! ZaSu Pitts started out doing a variety of roles during the silent era, but audiences couldn't take her seriously after the advent of sound, to the extent that preview audiences laughed at her dramatic performance in All Quiet on the Western Front and the role had to be recast. Her doleful eyes, fretful handwringing and quavery voice brought interest to what might otherwise have been forgettable supporting roles, often as flighty spinster types, and it's that wonderfully cartoonish voice and pathetic demeanour that give her true scrungle quality.

This is round 1 of the contest. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. If you're confused on what a scrungle is, or any of the rules of the contest, click here.

[additional submitted propaganda + scrungly videos under the cut]

Ernest Thesiger:

He just... has the right vibes. He's so eccentric, but he has so much scrungle that goes with that. I don't think he's ever played a "normal" character in his life!

He's the OG queercoded villain to me. He often plays mad scientists or morally dubious eccentrics, so he's got the perfect scrungly combo of being physically non-intimidating and arch yet vaguely threatening in his presentation and behaviour. He is extremely camp.

Just look at him. He looks like a cat became human

ZaSu Pitts:

2:15-5:23 in the film below [editor's note: I haven't watched the whole film, so no content warnings if you choose to watch all of it.]

[blossomthepinkbunny]

I think a much better structure for Hazbin Hotel would've been to focus solely on hell for the first season. Charlie would advertise the hotel and there would be guests looking to be redeemed. Without having to focus on Charlie convincing heaven of her idea, they could've spent a lot more time to get us to actually care about our main cast as well as introducing the citizens of hell in a more natural way. I know they would still have to work with just 8 episodes but it would've been much more focused if they actually had the hotel be the main source of story for season one. Right now I don't really care for the characters of HH.

Like Valeria was an ex-exorcist? Okay, I don't really know anything about her that would've made me assume she wasn't, except for the fact that she loves Charlie and from how Charlie was portrayed so far I assume she is going to forgive her immediately. Oh, everything is resolved within one episode.

Sir Pentious (presumably) died and everyone is sad? Well they didn't seem to even know him that well and they never gave us the impression that they cared about him. His progression wasn't even shown and we don't know what he did that actually redeemed him. I guess it's still kinda sad that he died. Oh, he is actually alive ... alright moving on.

Charlie doesn't have a good relationship with her dad? Well it's gonna be interesting how they'll make me feel for their relationship when Lucifer basically neglected her and when he's someone allowing the extermination of the people Charlie wants to save to happen. Oh, they resolved it in the same episode he first appeared in by saying he actually just really cares for her and he was just misunderstood and rejected by people. It's good that Lucifer apparently cares for his relationship with Charlie, because I don't.

The only character moment I kinda felt for was Angel standing up to Valentino (which one could argue was also pretty mishandled, but that's for victims of abuse to judge). And making the viewer feel bad about abuse happening is like holding a box of puppies in front of an audience and then patting yourself on the back for making them say "aww".

The main problem is that we never get to spend enough time with any of these people because the show also has to focus on heaven, Adam and Charlie still trying to pitch her idea. In my imagination, the hotel does fine and attracts guests. Not too many but still some sinners who could be used to show the variety of hell and it's citizens. They could also show that there are people down there who aren't literally the worst sinners you could imagine, who wouldn't have gone heaven anyways, even if it wasn't corrupt apparently. Each episode could focus on Charlie trying to redeem someone, with a second plot maybe focused on a member of the hotel staff. And when a character needs more time dedicated to them specifically (like Angel or maybe Sir Pentious), you could have the redeeming either happening in the background as a B-plot or just fully focus on said character. Lucifer could be more present with making his bad relationship with Charlie one of her driving motives to keep the hotel going or with showing him actually supporting the hotel, probably giving it more believability in hell. The Vees would be the main antagonists instead of Adam of season 1 as they are in hell and could be connected to the characters' struggles. Valentinos and Angels storyline would work when he and his team have already been established as well. Vox could be used more in his rivalry with Alastor and maybe Velvette could also have some connection to the main cast (maybe with Valeria or Nifty or just in general with citizens in hell). The Vees could be used to flesh out hell as a place more and also the characters of course. And Adam wouldn't really appear in s1 but could be mentioned here and there, possibly with Lucifer making remarks like: "Adam isn't going to approve of this" or something like that.

The end of season one would maybe feature Charlie and Lucifer finally making up in a way and the end of certain character plots. There could also be a final showdown with the Vees and the character stories they impact could be solved in a way. The real last scenes could be that the hotel has reached a milestone, like maybe Charlie redeemed 10 sinners now and that's reason to celebrate. But as the sinners party happily, finally believing that theres a way they can resolve the issue without needing a war, the scene cuts to heaven and we see Adam looking to the sinners filled with hope and his face just makes it clear that he isn't going to let them get away with this. Adam would then be the main antagonist of season two.

Hazbin Hotel really just has a problem with the plot being really overstuffed. And even my version might seem like a lot to cover with just 8 episodes but it could definitely work if done right. A lot of stuff could be cut, like Carmillas whole arc, Charlie talking to Adam and visiting heaven, Valerias backstory reveal, introducing Sera and Emily, Building the army and the fight at the end (probably other stuff that I don't remember now). Carmilla could be introduced in s2, when heaven and the exterminations are really in focus. Velvette could still bring up the dead exterminator (possibly to show that even after the Vees were technically defeated they still exist and cause troubls, unless they were killed in the s1 finale of course). Mimzy and Rosie could just be cut fully or brought in in other ways. Maybe Charlie wants to redeem a really greedy sinner and so Alastor suggests that she visits Mimzy to really find out what makes someone so greedy or something. Or in season two, after the date of the exterminations gets moved forward, more and more sinners come to the hotel out of fear of dying. Charlie would want to know how to be a more respected and direct leader without coming off as mean and so Alastor introduces her to Rosie. Then they could still have the big cannibal army at the end.

These are just some thoughts on how the show could be structured better and make the story feel less crowded. This would obviously go hand in hand with some character rewriting.

[ihopesocomic]

This morning I was in bed thinking about how awful Quite's whole situation was in conjunction with her death. Cause in a prior chapter we're given enough to infer that she's probably been overlooked by her parents in favor of Adement on the regular, and even tho the sisters love each other, we see Adement talk over her too. But then one day, Dad of the Year goes to her personally and tells her to come with him. Quite was probably concerned but also some part of her was maybe hopeful. Her father wants to spend time with her one on one. Maybe this is it? Only for her to be presented in front of some stranger. Then she likely had to listen to her Father talk about giving her to Edge. She probably found out that Edge wanted her sister instead and that this was just Jasper's ploy to not give away his "favorite". After finding that out she'd likely be just as concerned for Adement as she was for herself, but there's nothing she'd be able to do, suddenly Quiet would be attacked. Maybe it was quick, maybe Edge drew it out to prove some point to his associate. Regardless, the last thing she sees is either Edge or the father who only acknowledged her when it was time to try and secure something he wanted for himself.

Proof that you don't need an 18+ rating to present a truly horrific scenario in your comic for your readers to think about, and also that I need to squirrel some cash away so I can upgrade my Patreon tier to read the Quiet Au.

eee thank you so much, anon. This is such good analysis! What you're saying has two components to it:

You can make something for minors and have it be high stakes and "mature" in its execution. Bambi, for example, is indeed a movie with cutesy animals in it but it doesn't shy away from the brutality of nature and humankind. It just does things in a very subtle, artful way that isn't ramming such subjects down your throat. Which brings me to:

Too many folks out there take harsh subject matters and treat it with either insensitivity and carelessness. Which has a major impact on the characters affected. If you don't treat them with dignity, it's very likely that the audience won't and anything you have riding on their deaths is going to fall apart pretty darn fast. And that includes any "trauma" left behind.

We've discussed this before but I'll repeat what I've always said: a death doesn't have to be shown on-screen or on-panel for it to be effective. If anything, what's left to the imagination can be truly more scary than anything any artist can put out there, as anon here has pointed out. Poor Quiet indeed. - RJ

[louisupdates]

[Translated from Spanish]

Louis Tomlinson chose Argentina once again to enjoy the time before his show on May 18, nothing more and nothing less than at the Vélez Sarsfield Stadium in front of 40,000 people. His last visit to the country took place under the framework of his concert at the Movistar Arena, in mid-2022 with the presentation of his debut solo album Walls, so the fans wanted to be able to see it again and share some time with him.

To the good luck of those present last weekend at the Four Seasons hotel in Buenos Aires, Louis took some time to greet each and every one of them on the street, where minutes before he had spoken with various media about how he prepares for this great show, which in his own words "is a great leap in his career."

In this show, he will present his latest studio album, Faith In The Future, which has hits such as "Bigger Than Me", "Out Of My System" or "The Greatest" and which he presented in an exclusive listening at The Roxy Bar & Grill at the end of 2022.

You have already stepped on the field of Vélez, you even had the opportunity to score a couple of goals, how did you feel?

Very good to be honest, but I'm not going to lie to you, I think I injured my quadriceps, I'm not very fit these days (laughs). As a soccer fan it's beautiful to be able to play on a field in good condition, I was able to kick some penalties, score a couple of goals... It was a great day.

Especially in Argentina, a country so passionate about football, did you have the opportunity to know anything about our football culture?

Totally, I saw the videos of the celebration of the World Cup, five million people... It was crazy. I love that, football is my other love after music. Having so many people who love the same thing as me makes me feel at home, it's very nice.

When you stepped on the grass, could you imagine how crowded it will be in your show?

It's something very difficult to imagine. You have the idea because you look at the place and you could have the image of what it will be like, but I really don't think you have the true feeling until you go on stage. It's a reaction that is always shocking to me, because although it's real, and you can have an image in your head of what it will look like, you can't imagine how it will feel to get there and go on stage with so many people. I'm excited to be able to feel it.

Did you prepare something special for our audience?

I think I'll probably be bringing... The setlist will be a little different... Maybe bring some of the old songs, make new covers... I would like the show to feel a little different from the last ones we did, so there will be some new additions.

You recently commented that Anitta was your favorite Brazilian singer. We are a little jealous.

It's fair, I get it, I get it. Give me a minute... Where is it? (Take a paper out of your pocket) I have a couple of names... Here I have it, look at this: WOS, Airbag, Cerati, do you see it? Are they okay? I have three here.

From the Movistar Arena two years ago, to this show in Vélez, what differences can you notice?

The truth is that I can't tell you... It seems that I made a very good record, and the jump is huge. It's something I don't know what to expect, because since I didn't know what my first show would be like, I wasn't very aware of what the evolution would be like from there. I feel very grateful to be able to be in these beautiful places, the stadiums, the arenas... I feel very lucky to be able to have the opportunity to do it again.

Throughout your career you have been present multiple times in both the Hot 100 and the Hot 100 Argentina, is it something that worries you when it comes to creating songs?

It's something I try not to be too worried about. I think that sometimes, when you try to create something for playlists, for radio or something similar, the panorama of the imagination changes because it becomes a more linear path. I was particularly enjoying writing a lot, regardless of the success that the track will have. A lot of what I do when I write is oriented to the live show, and later it is molded for the radio.

Are you working on something special for this year?

I wrote about four or five songs for the new album. By the end of this year, I think I'm going to start writing a lot more, with the intention of presenting a new album next year.

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S02E13 - In Pod We Trust

This is a serious episode. Somewhat.

I can't get over the fact that they all want to listen to true crime podcast when not only are they with the police but they deal with murders all the time.

What the hell, dude? Do you not have a home?

Rex: I don't know what the fuck a podcast is but it allows me to eat Charlie's burger while he's distracted so it must be good.

Me neither. Although, in S3 we learn that Charlie had followed the news of a case of a notorious serial killer when he was like in high school, so I guess it's the true crime aspect of it.

"How did he get up there? That dog is a ninja". You haven't seen anything yet.

This is a better cops-done-wrong episode than the one that was written during the BLM movement period. The latter was basically trying to placate the audience and was presenting cops reacting unrealistically as they find out that they're part of the problem, coming off as disingenuous. Cops would not react that way. Still, it's Hudson and Rex, so I don't expect much of a balanced script in terms of that, and I've seen other (bigger and more expensive) crime shows go off the deep end when when the time came to write such episodes. They do try to handle difficult issues respectfully, I'll give them that. However, this is still a cop show. I mean, if you're ashamed that you're making a cop show... don't make it?

lol Jesse saying that the case files from 20 years ago haven't been digitized because they're ancient, in front of Joe who was already a cop back then. "I think you've just bought yourself a one-way ticket to those ancient archives". That's fair.

"I went [to the crime scene] to make sure that you didn't bury the truth, again". There's a misunderstanding. See, Charlie is a good white cop™.

Hi, Vicky, who later got a redemption storyline a lot of characters would have dreamed of.

Rex, huh?

Protestors using the imaginative slogan "Do your jobs". Awful. Do yours, writers.

"But... But... they still love me, right?"

Joe: "We have to be really careful with the optics on this one". You've put an innocent in jail, I think you should care more about that.

She totally said SJDP instead of SJPD. Oops.

Dude, I know Charlie is white but you don't have to tell him a hundred times that this case is a hot potato.

"If you come peacefully, you'll be treated fairly," he says to a man who was wrongly incarcerated for 20 years!

Booking the black guy, releasing the white police guy. I mean... I'd have asked the question too.

Well, that lasted all of 2 minutes. You can argue and have tension for like 5 minutes. It won't kill you guys.

Yeah, I wouldn't trust him just for that. I mean, that was 20 years ago. During which Joe continued climbing the ranks inside the police, which means that he could have easily stopped caring about justice more than he could afford to.

This show's attempts to write some of the jargon and phrases that would otherwise be said in a proper police procedural but can't be said on this "family show" is hilarious. I assume we can't say "ass"? Like, I have no issue believing the actress in her role, I think she's good, but the dialogue...

Enjoying Charlie's on-screen suffering once again.

Joe, like 10 minutes ago: We have to be careful about the optics in this case. Charlie: Nah, I have a murder to solve.

I bet Charlie is reminiscing the good old days where suspects were intimidated by the police right about now.

"You think I murdered Ty for ratings?" People have killed for 20 bucks.

Police corruption in the SJPD is rampant. The only clean cops are our cops lol

Okay, you need at least a second paperclip, amateur. Also, in the second shot, the paperclip is not blue.

I like that line. And she's partially right. Except for the whole murder thing.

I can't help thinking that Joe was right not to get involved further back then. That way, he kept his job, he survived a toxic environment, and even managed to rise to a rank where he can now make an actual difference. And he kept his soul. I'm sure if we were to delve deeper into it, we'd have seen the cost of that on his conscience, but it still led him to where he is now. And where he is now is not a bad place. Camilla cannot understand any of that because she hasn't been nor will she ever be in that position.

Well, turns out they did all this for nothing as Tyler had recorded his own confession and it just arrived to Phoebe a few days after solving the case.

Yeah... I don't think Romeo would want to see a cop within a hundred yards ever again. But we have to get our happy cheesy ending.

[rabbitcruiser]

World Television Day

For those of us who grew up in the western countries, the television is almost taken for granted; it has always been there in the corner of the front room, entertaining us with bright colors and sounds, or satisfying our need to learn something new. The television, invented by an assortment of individuals in the late 19th and early 20th century, but often attributed to John Logie Baird, has revolutionized the world.

For the first time moving images could be adequately projected from around the world into the homes of ordinary people, bringing a new level of access to information and entertainment previously only dreamed of. The social and political changes brought about by this innovation were so profound that it was decided to appreciate the medium formally, on a global scale.

The first World Television Forum was staged by the United Nations in the mid ’90s, and it was out of this event that World Television Day was born. The forum brought together leading figures from the media industry to analyze the growing impact that TV had on decision-making and public opinion when it comes to issues of peace and security around the planet.

History of World Television Day

In December 1996 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the 21st of November World Television Day, the same year the first World Television Forum was held. According to the United Nations, this decision was taken in order to give recognition to the increasing impact television has had on decision-making by bringing various conflicts and threats to peace and security to the world’s attention, as well as its coverage of other major issues, including economic and social.

Prior to this people received information via radio broadcasting, if a household was equipped with a transistor radio, and the newspapers. Early television broadcasts followed the same format as radio, with a man reading a simple bulletin on a black and white screen. The technology however soon evolved to include images of events and interviews with people. The monochrome style was abandoned when color technology was developed in the mid to late sixties, and TV technology continues to advance with evermore sophisticated optics and digital enhancements.

However, World Television Day is not meant to be so much a celebration of the electronic tool itself, but rather of the philosophy which it represents–a philosophy of openness and transparency of world issues. Television has long been thought to represent communication and globalization in the contemporary world, but not all of the government representatives present saw matters quite that way.

The delegation from Germany said, “Television is only one means of information and an information medium to which a considerable majority of the world population has no access… That vast majority could easily look at World Television Day as a rich man’s day. They do not have access to television. There is more important information in the media and here I would mention radio in particular.”

Despite this understandable objection, the television has still been an instrumental innovation for humanity, in the same category as the printing press, radio communication, and the internet. World Television Day is a chance for us to appreciate not only the extraordinary technological ingenuity of the scientist and engineers who made seemingly impossible things happen but also to understand the social and cultural implications that such a unifying medium has had on our global communities.

The internet has connected us in ways we didn’t expect and perhaps could not have imagined, but on World Television Day we remember that television was there first, and paved the way for what was to come.

How to celebrate World Television Day

The most obvious way to celebrate World Television Day is by watching television. But what? Surely not vulgar reality shows offering little to no value of any kind to their audience? World Television Day is a time to rewatch and relive some of the greatest moments of television that helped bring the reality of a rapidly technologically advancing world into people’s homes, forever changing their lives and how they perceived the world.

1954 marked the launch of Disney’s “Wonderful World of Color”, a family-friendly variety program that mixed iconic cartoons, drama and documentary programming. The very first televised presidential debate between Republican Vice President Richard Nixon and his challenger, relatively unknown Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy in 1960 changed the presidential elections forever.

For the first time ever, American voters actually saw the candidates present their ideas, which worked greatly in favor of the young and handsome Kennedy, who went on to win the election. And few moments, if any, in television history could ever surpass Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Ed “Buzz” Aldrin’s moon landing in 1969, which many people consider to be a pivotal moment in their lives until this very day–after that, nothing was going to be impossible again.

World Television Day was established as a way of bringing the focus back to these issues on an annual basis. In years gone by, major TV stations have come together on the day to broadcast tributes to the importance of television in people’s lives. The obvious way for anyone to celebrate is to turn on their TV and watch.

But you don’t have to rely on broadcasting networks to bring you ideas of what to watch on World Television Day. These days our television sets are also internet compatible, allowing us to access a range of content suitable to our specific interests, whether they be educational or for entertainment value. It’s easy to use your television set to look up a historical documentary giving you a window into the past or choose a cultural figure who was influential in her time and changed the world in some way. In doing so you will be in keeping with the true purpose of television media, to educate and inspire.

But if you would rather be entertained, why not select a classic film from the Hollywood archives and imagine you are watching it for the first time, as a member of the original audience. Feeling adventurous? Go all out and dress up in period costumes as well, turn World Television Day into an annual event that you and your friends can enjoy planning months in advance.

Those that want to become more involved and have ideas about how to honor the day are welcomed to send their thoughts to the official website.

Source

[writeyouin]

Back to the Future - Outta Time (One Shot)

Description: When Marty is faced with the death of his father, he runs to the Doc for comfort.

A/N – So, when I went to London, I saw the Back to the Future Musical. It’s my new fave musical and it rekindles my obsession with the franchise.

Warnings – Angst.

Rating – T

Marty had thought of a lot of things since he first met Doc Brwon, and the two had taken part in various adventures together.

He had thought about the many different lifetimes and ways upon which they had both met in other timelines, he had considered the various experiments they might attempt in their lives, and he had even wondered what it would one day be like to have the Doc serve as his best man when he was ready to marry Jennifer.

In all his imaginings of events past, present, and future, he had never thought about the day he was currently faced with. Yet, as he sat in the front pew of the church, one of only six people at Doc Brown’s funeral (unless you counted Doc’s dog Einstein who made their number seven), he didn’t know what to say, but he would have to figure it out soon since the priest would soon call upon him to make a speech about Doctor Emmett Brown and who he had been in life.

Jennifer squeezed Marty’s hand, and he turned to look at her, silent tears falling from his eyes as his mouth sat slightly ajar, his bottom lip quivering against the onslaught of sorrow.

Past Jennifer were Marty’s family, and the only other people to attend the funeral. While it was a relief to have them there, Marty couldn’t help but wonder about the family he had left behind in his original timeline, and where they would have been on this very day had he not accidentally changed the events wherein his mother had fallen in love with his father.

His original, unchanged family probably wouldn’t have been there. That George McFly would have been stuck at home, doing Biff’s busy work, his mother Lorraine would likely have been drunk and his siblings… Well, they probably would have told Marty that he was wasting his time mourning an insane disgraced physicist and that it was probably for the best that such a lonely old man was gone.

It wasn’t fair to imagine his family like that when they were here for him now, but Marty couldn’t help it; after all, this more successful, happier family had only been his for a little over two years.

“And now, we in the church would like to hear a few words from Emmett Brown’s dear friend, Marty McFly,” The priest said, standing aside from the podium where he had been delivering the Doc’s last rites.

Marty rose quickly to his feet and jerkily made his way to the podium. He couldn’t help hating the Priest for getting that last part wrong. Granted, the Doc’s name was Emmett, but he should have always been called Doc, first and foremost; Doc was proud to be a scientist and he shouldn’t lose his doctorate even in death.

“Uh- Hello- Hel- Ah- Hi,” Marty waved awkwardly.

“I need to say a few words about the Doc, and uh-”

This wasn’t right. None of this was right.

“And uh,” Marty repeated, his throat dry as he stared past the audience of only five people, picking a spot on the far wall in an attempt to focus.

“Uh-” He tried again, his vision blurring as his eyes welled up with tears.

Then it occurred to him.

There was a time machine with his name on it. A Delorian which he could use. There had been timelines where it was destroyed, one where it was marketed, and at least four wherein the Doc had gone back to the Wild West and traded in the Delorian for a train and a family, but as far as this Marty McFly was aware, there was only the Delorian, and it could give him more time with Doc.

“Excuse me for a minute,” Marty breathed half-heartedly before running from the church.

Jennifer got up to go after him as well as his mother, but his father shook his head, indicating that Marty probably just needed a minute.

10 MPH.

Marty had barely started the car, having only set the date for a few days earlier, when the Doc had seemed so alive and well like there was nothing wrong with him.

30 MPH.

Time travel had saved both him and the Doc in the past. Logically, he knew that there was no saving the Doc from this one, with no cure for old age, but he still needed to see his best friend.

55 MPH.

This probably wasn’t a good idea. A therapist would likely say that this wouldn’t lead to closure and that it was unhealthy for Marty to be doing something so impulsive and stupid; then again, what kind of therapist even knew about time travel?

88 MPH.

As usual at this speed, Marty was going to see some serious shit.

Once Marty was back in the past, he parked the Delorian and ran to the bungalow where Doc Brown lived, letting himself in amidst one of Doc Brown’s more stable experiments.

“Marty!” Doc lit up upon seeing his protégé, “You’re just in time! See what happens to this grape when I-”

Marty crushed the Doc in a hug, crying into his shoulder.

Doc Brown’s arms went wide, uncertain of what they were supposed to do in such a situation wherein social etiquette was not his second nature. After a minute, he closed his arms around Marty, patting him on the back twice before he simply held onto the boy.

“Marty, what’s wrong, my boy?”

Marty shook his head, for once too riled up for the right words to come out. He couldn’t tell the Doc what was wrong. If he did, he would spend his last days thinking about his impending death and that wouldn’t be fair.

All the same, though the Doc wasn’t well versed in reading people, he knew Marty and he understood that such an outburst could only be linked to something tragic. So, even though it would have probably been wiser to simply wait until Marty was ready to talk, he began guessing at the problem.

“It’s your family?” He astutely tried, earning another muffled sob from Marty. “Your sister? No, mother? …Father?”

Marty only cried harder at that so Doc pressed on.

“If I am correct in my observations Marty… Well, I-” Doc Brown didn’t want to provide his hypothesis; after all, he had only seen Marty so worked up in an alternate timeline… one wherein Marty’s father had tragically expired early thanks to Biff.

All the same, Marty was young and if he couldn’t outright say what was on his mind, then perhaps it would help if Doc said it for him, “Your- Your father has passed away… Am I right?”

Marty clung tightly to the Doc. He was the man who had always been there for him, through every timeline, and he had never given up on Marty, even when nobody else believed in him. The Doc was more like a father to Marty than anyone else, which wasn’t really fair to his newly confident biological father, but then again, that version of George McFly wasn’t the man who had raised him.

“Yeah Doc,” Marty answered after a minute. “My dad died.”

Doc Brown stroked Marty’s back, “Tell me what you need.”

“Can I just stay here for a while?” He asked in a small voice that made him sound ten years younger, more a child than almost a man.

“Of course, whatever you need, my boy.”

[chirpsythismorning]

PR? 🤔

https://www.tumblr.com/iamforbyler/717929729693548544/heres-a-video-of-millie-talking-about-byler-at-a?source=share

Millie has a record of saying whatever she feels like saying in the moment, based in large part on the audience in front of her.

Like when she said the milkvan wedding thing a while ago, you could tell she felt sort of pressured to because the audience was giving good reactions to milkvan reassurances.

So, her comment here especially, about how the duffers tell her to shut up and stop staying stuff will happen, only for her to be like, I’ll tell people whatever I want is peak comedy bc… that’s exactly what she does.

But it is funny just hearing her say yeah yeah yeah x10 bc the nonchalance about it with a mixture of visible nerves makes it feel different than stuff she’s said before…

I know a lot of fans on Reddit or just milkvans in general sort of hate on Noah for not being able to shut his mouth and for giving bylers false hope or whatever, but now they gotta add Millie to the list of people that talk about byler positively, as opposed to what they would prefer, which would probably be for her to shut it down.

This is sort of the opposite of shutting it down so… fun to see her sort of shift a little bit.

The official shift for her is definitely inevitable though. Like i am 100% confident she’s going to be excited about being able to focus more on the Will and El bond in the future as opposed to Mike and El’s romantic relationship, so once the shift happens she’ll be on board and be giving off superfan vibes, just like a lot of the cast does, but rn it’s obvious they can’t really go beyond that sort of hehehe anyways bc they know it’s no no territory still for a while until the reveal.

I remember when she talked about how amazing one of Noah’s performances was later in the season before vol 2 dropped, aka the van scene, but she made it obvious she couldn’t really say it, so you just know that van scene is something the cast all watches with a lot of appreciation, but they can’t really talk about it beyond that without giving away too much.

Like imagine if the cast reacted to the van scene?? It would have been a completely different response than them reacting to Mike’s monologue. And so that just wasn’t an option.

Something that also wasn’t an option, having Millie and Noah present for the cast’s reaction to the monologue. Bc for obvious reasons it would’ve been awkward for Noah bc they cut out some of the shots of him to make it look more romantic, and I feel like it would have been impossible for them not to acknowledge that with him right there… and then with Millie, she put on the fucking performance of her life using expressions that resembled heartbreak and humiliation… imagine her having to sit and listen to people saying she looked in love and relieved during that monologue… Like, just… no.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Do you think there's a connection between the 80s and 90s comics mostly only mentioning him offhand without actual appearances and modern comics like Twojar or One Bad Day making him more violent and increasingly taking away his gimmick ? Because I feel like it's two different approaches to the same idea of wanting to have a villain whose thing is being 'smart' on hold in case they want a story where Batman shows off his mental capabilities but not wanting to deal with everything else that comes with the character like the goofyness or having to come up with riddles that don't suck

oh man okay this is such an interesting question and I'm so excited to be able to revisit it when my reread gets into the 2000s and have more perspective to offer

for the time being I do think that it's fair to say that making the Riddler a central antagonist in a story is challenging because he has, like, a relatively narrow gimmick compared to a lot of other rogues and having to actually come up with riddles is a tall order that a lot of writers simply don't want to fuck with.

personally I think the best way to embrace this is to just acknowledge that the riddles are going to be balls to the wall stupid and let the audience understand that Batman is equally unhinged for being able to solve them at all. Batman '66 is frankly great at this, best exemplified in this scene from the movie that no other Batman adaptation has topped yet:

what are any of you talking about! you sound crazy! they are right though, and that's what living in Gotham does to a motherfucker.

for the record I think Batman Forever also actually does this really well without being quite as unhinged. the riddles are actually pretty solid and straightforward; Bruce solves them easily but the real challenge is in putting them together at the end to figure out who's actually behind everything. (it's Jim Carrey, serving cunt.) it's maybe the only part of the movie that actually shows any restraint at all, and I respect that.

the thing is that this approach kind of falls apart if you want to do a more grounded take on Batman that presents the Riddler as the legitimate threat despite being a man who on purpose calls himself the Riddler. I dog on Batman 2022 a lot but at least there you can (charitably) read Paul Dano's shitty little puzzles as being intentionally messy owing to the fact that his Riddler is, you know, a sopping wet miserable catholic redditor who's really just trying to kiss Batman. I do genuinely like that his master plan is incoherent enough that Bruce doesn't crack all of it and misses vital pieces, it's a nice spin on an inexperienced Batman + the complexity addiction that Riddler schemes are so known for.

and like, to be clear, I do still think that Riddler sucks, but other attempts to make him a serious antagonist are so much worse. you mentioned War of Jokes and Riddles and One Bad Day, the latter of which I do think is just. appallingly misguided on literally every imaginable front and betrays an embarrassing lack of understanding of what people actually like and find entertaining about the character in favor of scrubbing him down to a bog standard Hannibal Lecter-flavored evil genius serial killer manipulator.

which is a fine stock character, where would comic books be without easily recognizable bad guy archetypes, etc, but god, not the Riddler. where the fuck is the fun in that? he's just a silly little guy in a leotard. please, stop trying to make this guy scary.

for god's sake. he's just a baby.

anyway I get why it happens though and it's Marketing, and I think specifically the very online and instantaneous nature of fandom in the 21st century. detective comics comics needs people reading their comics and, maybe even more importantly, talking about their comics, and that means leaning really heavily on well-established characters the people give a shit about. most readers are going to be more interested, even passively, in the Riddler than Random Smart Guy Murderer #623, because he's been around for a long time and he's a very ingrained part of the lore.

but everything has to be a fucking event with high stakes now, again because attention is currency, so it can never just be, like, "oh no, the Riddler has Batman trapped in a giant hamster maze," it's the Riddler and the Joker beefing and also the Riddler murdering Kite-Man's son for ??? reasons ??? idk man look how fucked up he is! this guy's serious! he has a question mark scar on his chest! please take him seriously!

and also, back to the first point, it's frankly just easier to write a generic egomaniac smart guy than it is to come up with riddles that are even a little bit good or interesting enough to carry an entire plot. I bet Tom King really thought he was doing something when he settled down to write One Bad Day and decided that the riddles were actually just a fucking power inhibitor the Riddler was putting in place to stop his massive brainmeat from killing everybody he came in contact with, but I think it's actually the sign of Tom King being a lil punk bitch, actually. just admit you don't have the sauce to come up with a riddle and pass the gig onto someone else!

anyway this is why most of my favorite Riddler appearances have him in a supporting role rather than serving as a primary antagonist (think Batman: Unburied, King Tut's Tomb, the Long Halloween/Dark Victory/When In Rome triptych), and his best antagonist appearances have him working with WAY lower stakes that's mostly just trying to get Bruce to pay attention to him (Vol. 2 of the Batman Adventures and Strange Love Adventures 2022).

tl;dr stop trying to make me take this man seriously

[jjenvs3000w24]

My Role as an Interpreter

When thinking of my ideal role as an interpreter of the environment, my interests in exotic and unique animals, and my own learning preferences towards auditory and visual learning, lead me to the position of a zoo keeper/tour guide. In this role, I would be able to use my knowledge about the diverse range of animals held at zoos to teach others and incite interest in wildlife that they likely would have never seen elsewhere. 

The type of interpretation and teaching style that is used by zoo keepers is mostly auditory as they give presentations to the audience that attend the zoo. Good communication and leadership skills are needed to manage the crowds of people who come through a zoo each day. To gain the interest of the visitors I could tell stories about the feats the animals are capable of performing. Such as the geese that can travel thousands of kilometres to migrate for the winter, and spend days without rest. Or tell the crowd about the predators with the strength to take down large animals and paint the picture that excites the crowd most. This would be in line with Mill’s style of interpretation that appeals to the imagination to give life to the information that is being taught. By describing what the animals are capable of, the visitors can link the living beings that they see in front of them with the information and facts about how they live their lives in the wild, even if they aren't seeing it first-hand. This effectively links the intangible of knowing what they can do with the tangible of the individual animal.

Verbal presentations, even combined with the presence of the animals would likely not be enough to encourage fulfilling interpretation, so more visual and physical forms of conveying information would complement the information presented. This could be done through the use of plaques and boards that have written stories and information as well as pictures and diagrams to be viewed. Other permanent displays or physical models could also be used to encourage self-discovery and learning by the visitors, as well as offer multiple sensory approaches to learning about the information being presented. This together with presentations and answering questions will also promote repetition which can effectively facilitate the retention of knowledge and create a more stimulating interpretation-based environment. 

It would be important that each educational program be specially designed around the species being presented to best enhance the strong points of experiencing the animal's unique characteristics. If an animal is friendly or socialized with humans, then they might be able to tolerate a higher amount of hands-on learning with visitors being able to gain first-person accounts where they can interact with the animal directly. Other animals that might be endangered or at risk might benefit from putting more emphasis on their importance in nature and what can be done to help them.  

My ideal role as an environmental interpreter would not only educate but also inspire individuals to appreciate the wonders of the animal kingdom. Having a varied approach to nature interpretation can cause visitors to think differently about the animals they see at the zoo, and may even inspire them to view the nature they see outside of exhibits in a new light as well.

[chasinghalebopp]

The Ellen White Cult: Chapter 6

Part VI :: First Departure

It would take some time for us to get our paperwork approved by the Conference. In the meantime, we would wait at the in-law’s house and bide our time by bouncing from Countryside and the Deer Park church. At this point, you may think we were crazy to keep going to Countryside. I would agree. I should have stopped at this point. Yet, I didn’t for a couple of reasons. I didn’t want to stir up any controversy by appearing to distance myself. Second, I was curious about everything that was taking place. Third, I was confused about how this factored in with religion, and little did I realize I was internalizing all these strange beliefs. Lastly, I believed that my presence could cause some kind of good. Perhaps I could be a silent witness for something besides Jesuit conspiracy.

Yet, now, a new type of conspiracy was taking shape. Albert had decided to move away from the Jesuit infiltration for a while (not completely, but a bit), and move towards another threat that a lot of YouTube pastors were loudly proclaiming. It was also a message that Bill Hughes had also been vocal about. There was also this pervading idea that the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church had become corrupt. In addition to Jesuits, Freemasons also had control of the SDA church. Prominently displayed on the board were quotes by Ellen White telling about a shaking in the church and vaguely describing how the SDA church was in apostasy. Paradoxically, Ellen White also claims the SDA church is not in apostasy and to assert it is in apostasy is a sin against God. In addition, sermons now came with imagery showing death and destruction from real and imagined world events. 

Albert had been testing the waters, and the waters were just right for this type of thing. The congregation LOVED it! They ate it up a schoolboy devours jello on a hot day. Images featuring mass graves, FEMA camps, holocaust footage, and more graced the screen at the front. In addition to singing “We have this hope that burns within our hearts” we learned how hopeless life had become. Population control via chemtrails and poisons to water became regular topics. The table out front was now loaded with pamphlets about all sorts of population control measures. No matter how many were added, the people wanted more of it. An aging population was eating up death for breakfast on Sabbath morning and could not get enough! “Friends, it is time to get ready for the Sunday law. There is not any time to tarry,” Albert would say.

There was a form of excitement missing from the lives of the congregations, and Albert was able to give the people what they craved. It was what they were lacking. For the audience, it was exciting and thrilling to hear how one would be able to escape natural death, and instead, be ushered away to receive a special golden crown* for one’s hard work in avoiding the Jesuit Sunday law. This was the very thing that Bill Hughes had used to fill up churches, and now Albert  was able to tap into it as well. This was how Hughes had drawn a crowd. Now Albert was on the way to realizing his own dreams. It was obvious that Albert was trying to capitalize on Hughes’ success by aiming to draw his own crowds with the same type of message.

*Note: Ellen White writes of golden crowns that will be given to those who enter into Heaven. Stars to represent those saved by the individual will be present. This works-based idea is not based on any biblical text, but is instead a remnant of Methodism, which Ellen White was a part of before she became the Adventist prophetess and cofounder.

As we waited for lunch, I found myself tarrying near the pamphlet table. DVDs on a wide variety of subjects graced the table. DVDs about the poisons in air water and food (chemtrails, fluoride, and GMOs) were particularly notable. “You have to watch that one,” Stephen said, handing me them. I never could get myself to do so. Freddy had always been against fluoride. I wondered if he had embraced it, would he still have his teeth? Looking around the room, teeth were a rare commodity. Dentists seemed to be in wide support for fluoride. For pastor Albert, fluoride as a weapon for population control was another Sabbath sermon.

The final month of living up on the in-laws' property was hard. I could tell that there was a lot of tension now about matters pertaining to religion and life. Stephen’s demeanor had begun to change from a happy demeanor to a more militant demeanor. Everything he talked about was about the Pope, Jesuits, or the Authorized King James Bible. Every time that the Great Hope was mentioned, he would go into a tirade about how Ted Williams and his Jesuit cronies should have never corrupted Ellen White’s* work. Freddy was also easily irritated, and he would spend much time talking to Pastor Albert, who had become somewhat of a mentor figure to the in-laws.

*Note: Although the Ellen White estate continues to push Ellen White like a stubborn turd as the true end-times prophet and present-day messenger of the Lord, those in more extremist camps tend to venerate her as on a level close to that of Jesus. It was stated that the Ellen White estate had been corrupted by Jesuit infiltrators who had added and subtracted words from her books.

I can’t express how happy I was to finally leave that place. I was given a

behemoth stack of DVDs to watch on the coast.

“These are better than anything the conference is going to tell you,” I was told. Many were from obscure pastors on YouTube or sermons by Albert that we had missed out on.

“You are going to watch them, right?” Stephen asked.

This stack of DVDs also included nail-biting sermons by the legendary Bill

Hughes and other pastors that were not involved with the Jesuit-controlled General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As we left the mountain behind, our U-haul rocking back and forth on the washboard roads, with our Volkswagen towed behind, I felt a deep sense of relief. Why had I come back to that, I wondered.

Oh well, it was finally over. And that’s what matters.