#it's on the latest episode of gender reveal

[nyancrimew]

"while gender is a fuck, it’s also kind of fun. you can get kinda silly with it." might be the best thing i have ever said in an interview

[foone]

So I watched @atopfourthwall 's latest (and possibly last!) History of Power Rangers (Cosmic Fury) and I have to say that I'm very happy to learn that Power Rangers said Trans Rights.

But... It seems like they could have definitely done it better, easily: just make the alien who hates being in a human body have a different gender of human body (than their alien form). Then you don't need to do anything extra in the dialogue, but now the "trans rights" subtext is much clearer.

Or hey, remember that you're a show about TEENAGERS THAT TRANSFORM INTO NEW BODIES. You've basically had a built in trans allegory, you just need to use it.

Introduce a new side character in the ranger's civilian life. A coworker or fellow student or something. Then you introduce a Sixth Ranger character: mysterious and powerful! And you have them be different genders... And then when the rangers finally befriend them, you reveal that they're the same person! A teenage girl who morphs into a man, or a teenage boy who morphs into a woman.

You could even have someone ask if it's weird that they switch genders when morphing, and they go "at first, but then I realized I really like it. Now it feels weird to not be morphed."

And then in the finale you tie it all together: they make a big sacrifice in the fight against the bad guy, and then get restored by The Morphing Grid or whatever. Except now their unmorphed form matches their morphed gender, they got a magic transition.

Bonus points if you brought this up beforehand in the penultimate episode: have them say that they're gonna miss being able to morph after they finally defeat the local gravely-voiced bad guy, since then they'll have to give up their morpher and won't get to be their morphed form anymore. The ranger they're talking to goes like "yeah... I'm gonna kinda miss being this powerful!" because they don't get why they like being morphed.

Extra bonus points: in your season requisite clip show, have it be dream-based... And show that, a la Batman in Batman Beyond not calling themselves "Bruce" in their head, their dream self is the morphed form, while the other rangers are in their civilian mode. You could even use this as part of the plot: they're attacked by some kind of dream monster, which is trying to defeat them in their dreams like Freddy Krueger. The rangers are powerless in their dreams, until they manage to meet up with the sixth ranger, who is morphed in their dream, and thus able to fight the monster, while the other rangers use their dreams to help out: flashing back to great moments in the season, with the dream monster greenscreened in.

(Help, I'm writing fanfic for a show I don't watch!)

Anyway... It just seems they could have easily done quite a bit better without making it too obvious to the point where it feels like a PSA.

[denimbex1986]

'It should come as no surprise that Russell T Davies, the man behind Queer As Folk, the one who first made Doctor Who tangibly gay, has returned to the franchise with what might be its queerest outing yet. But even we were surprised by quite how integral LGBTQ+ themes would be to the story this time around.

Much has been made of David Tennant and Catherine Tate's return, yet it's Yasmin Finney's brand-new character Rose who's at the heart of this Star Beast special.

Donna's daughter befriends The Meep first, and she's also the one who saves London when The Meep reveals itself to be evil. What's special about this is that it's Rose's trans identity specifically that proves key to her victory.

When we last saw her mother, Donna had absorbed some of the Doctor's energy, creating a 'metacrisis' that would have killed her if the Doctor had not erased her memories. But when she's reminded again of the Time Lord's existence in this latest episode, Donna survives intact, and that's because when she gave birth to Rose, she unknowingly split that energy between them, halving their potentially devastating impact.

As Donna's memories return, Rose's innate Timelord energy is then activated too, enabling her to stop Meep with newfound knowledge and abilities from her position on the ground.

Rose's non-binary identity stems from The Doctor's. (The show finally acknowledges them to be gender-fluid after they presented as both male and female over the course of the franchise). That means the source of Rose's power comes directly from her nature as a non-binary individual, positioning her as a hero because of her gender identity and not despite of it.

That's not to say Doctor Who shies away from the difficulties trans people face in real life. Earlier on in the same episode, bullies deadname Rose in the street and soon after, Donna's own mother, Sylvia, accidentally misgenders Rose as well, despite her good intentions.

Donna's response to all this? "I would burn down the world for you, darling," and honestly, that's how we feel after seeing some of the negative feedback these scenes have received online.

Despite scoring strong reviews from critics and the majority of fans, it seems not everyone is celebrating Doctor Who's much-lauded return.

On Rotten Tomatoes, trolls are review-bombing the episode, bringing the audience score down to 41%, which is a huge contrast from the critics rating of 89%. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and the episode won't be to everyone's tastes, but when comments suggest the show 'needs to stop pushing talk of pronouns onto kids', it's safe to say most of these opinions are grounded in hate and ignorance.

Imagine being shocked that a show about an alien who regularly changes their body and gender would dare acknowledge such concepts?

In the days following the special, a hashtag named #RIPDoctorWho continued this backlash on X/Twitter, to which Doctor Who casting director Andy Pryor said the following:

"Just stopped by to say that on @bbcdoctor who (or any of our work) we don't work hard to cast inclusively for publicity. We do it because we like stories. & stories should speak to all of us & include all of us. And if one person feels a little less alone, then."

With more queer cast members on the way, including Neil Patrick Harris as the villainous Toymaker and Ncuti Gatwa as the new face of The Doctor himself, the future of Doctor Who is looking queerer by the day.

But it's not just the future that's queer.

To those who baulk at more inclusivity in future seasons, we can't help but wonder: What show have you been watching this whole time? Because Doctor Who is super queer — and it always has been.

Yes, even before Jack Harkness slapped a guy's arse or Bill Potts fell for a puddle named Heather, the Classic era channeled queerness with how it defied the establishment and stood up for those who need it most. It's hard to exaggerate how much stories like this resonated with LGBTQ+ people at a time when positive representation was almost non-existent on screen.

It's no wonder then that a sizeable chunk of Doctor Who's fandom identifies as queer, even if the show wasn't able to address LGBTQ+ fans directly until (queer lifelong fan) Russell T Davies regenerated the franchise in 2005.

But now, all these years later, The Star Beast ushers in a new chapter for Doctor Who where the show can finally live up to the inclusive ethos it's always striven for.

That's not to diminish the positive steps other showrunners have taken in the interim. 2015's 'Sleep No More' featured Doctor Who's first trans actress, Bethany Black, and season twelve's 'Praxeus' successfully flipped the 'Bury Your Gays' trope, although the less said about how season 13 handled #Thasmin the better.

And it's not like everything is suddenly perfect now. Rose's metacrisis abilities could feed into sci-fi tropes around trans/non-binary identities being considered "alien", plus the inclusion of Rose's deadname has garnered a mixed response from the trans community online.

While some argue this has given trolls the opportunity to use that name venomously against her character, others point out that transphobia is a reality the show shouldn't shy away from.

The moment when Rose calls the Doctor out for assuming Meep's pronouns might feel a bit-on-the-nose for some too, although if this kind of talk immediately heralds the end of the franchise for you, you might want to cast your mind back a few decades to 1972's 'The Curse of Peladon' where the Doctor and Jo discussed Alpha Centauri's pronouns at length.

But still, seeing trans and non-binary identities celebrated to this degree is very much welcome regardless, especially in a family show with such a huge fanbase like Doctor Who. This is the kind of storytelling that saves lives, trolls be damned.

And now, with the impending arrival of more trans actors and characters in Yasmin Finney's wake — including Jinkx Monsoon, Mary Malone and Pete MacHale — Doctor Who's next season promises to be more inclusive than ever before.

If you have a problem with that, remember that your hero, the good Doctor, would never discriminate against trans people, or any other marginalised group for that matter either. So why would you?'

[themintsimmer]

baby shower and a weekend getaway || mint condition lp || episode 14 cc and lot list

hi pookies! i didn't realize i hit 100 followers on here, thank you! here is another list of mods used in my latest gameplay video on my channel!

Baby shower decor

Keep in mind I did recolor all of these items below, but here are the original meshes! If you are interested in the decor + neon signs I made please let me know and I will upload them in a set to Patreon!

[KM] Balloons Tower

Pink Baddie - Baby Shower Set

Platinum Luxe Sims - Baby Shower Set

Mel Bennett - Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Baby Shower Decor

Gameplay mods:

Realistic Childbirth Mod / with gender reveal updates by PandaSama

Better Presents by QMBibi (for the gift card)

Lots:

Nettari Di Mare build by @chicxsims

Villa Del Mar Build (shell) by Mr. Olkan

[4rainynite]

Welcome to Dreamworld oc Sunny pt 1

This is something I've been thinking since I joined the fandom; If there's a Star Light and a Night Light, is there a Sun/Day Light?

Think about it we have a star (Lewis/ Starlight), a moon (Night Light/ Sara's childhood female bully), but where's the sun animatronic?

Lewis never made a sun animatronic (as far as we know) and if it weren't for what happened in the series he would've made one.

Sara/Litho designed a sun animatronic

Wiatt's soul will inhabit it.

Story: During Dreamworld's infant stage the animatronics almost completed with Star Light and Night Light being the first.

When Lewis revealed Star Light and Night Light to Sara, Oliver, and Eric were impressed by their first working animatronics. But, Eric did wonder:

"If there's a Star Light and a Night Light, is there a Sun/Day Light?" 

Lewis openly admits he never thought of a sun animatronic. After a good group laugh Lewis decides to make a sun animatronic to go with the celestial theme. But after incident Night Light, the sun animatronic was scraped with only the frames being made and designs still in the concept art stage.

After, Sara killed Lewis she went to work on the sun animatronic as a 'sorry I killed you' apology gift. Unaware that it would come in handy.

Long story short - Litho kills Wiatt, Winnie finds out Wiatt is his granddaughter, and as a last resort to save Wiatt puts him in the sun animatronic!

Everybody meet Sunny:

I don't have her image inked or colored yet, but I'll have that done later.

[Image ID: A full body image of Sunny the sun animatronic with a mischievous smirk on her face. Sunny has hooded-brown-eyes with the left sclera being black with sky blue eyeshadow and right sclera is white with midnight blue eyeshadow. Her hooded eyes give her a sleepy/moody appearance. Her design is similar to Star Light and Night Light, with the split color bowtie, suit, and face, but instead of a coattail she had a split peplum. Sunny's left side is yellow and her right side orange fitting her sun design. On her suit she has the sun and two mini stars images on the chest part, on her shorts she has the sun with the three stripes colored yellow, light blue, and orange.  She has a round face similar to Cheer's, but except for seven (or five depending on who draws her in which episode) pink flower petals she has five sun rays three large ones on her right, left, and top of her head and two smaller ones between the left and right rays. /.End ID]

The new sun animatronic awoken in a dark room holding the bodies of Litho's latest victims all alone. Believing they're in a kill room tries to escape the facility only to be caught by Hazel, Cheer, Eric, Ribbon Dancer, Allison, and Morris.

Once, they return to the group, they realize they have a problem when the sun animatronic has none of Wiatt's memories. Not even mentioning Lewis triggers the sun animatronic's memories. This shocks and scares everyone as not only is their ace to stop Litho is gone, but so is their good friend who helped them this whole time is gone too.

The sun animatronic doesn't like being referred to as Wiatt due to not knowing him even though a part of his soul is the reason she's alive. And she hates being called Day Light or Sun Light; creating a new problem on what to name her.

Ribbon Dancer gives her the name Sunny due to her being a sun animatronic and her sun rays resembling sunflower petals. Sunny agrees, only because she couldn't think of any other names.

Unlike the other animatronics Sunny doesn't have a backstory, gender, or character bio so she's a blank state.

At first Sunny doesn't trust anybody in the murder factory masquerading as a children's facility where an evil demon is trying to open the gates of hell and wants the soul residing in her. Deep down she's scared and just wants answers to what's going on.

But she never refuses to abandon the others or their fight against Litho. Over time Sunny begins to trust them and sees why Wiatt despite the odds against him tried to fight Litho to save everyone.

Personality: Despite being a Sun, Sunny is not a happy person. She's very melancholy, jaded, and guarded due to her situation. Sunny bottles up her anger until she explodes only to feel guilty afterwards and will apologize for her actions. She is caring and doesn't want to see anyone down, after seeing how much Wiatt meant to them, she does her best to cheer them up and give them hope of them bringing him back and being human again.

She even has bits of Wiatt's personality such as being sarcastic, mischievous, quick-witted, swearing, and wanting to protect those close to them.

Design: While designing Sunny I had to pay attention to Star Light and Night Light's designs and I studied Cheer to help with facial design.

Another character I studied for Sunny's design was Sally Starlet from Welcome Home; I even got the idea for Sunny's eyeshadow from Sally.

I wanted Sunny's design to be similar to Star and Night's, but I gave her a peplum instead of a coattail to give her a feminine look. The similarities between the three are: split-colored faces, blush/cheek marks, bowties, suit, blush stickers, and celestial markings.

I had a hard time designing Sunny's face due to the sun rays, but each attempt was either ridiculous or would take too long to while looking over the other animatronics design I realized Cheer would be a good reference for Sunny's head and facial expressions.

Human disguise: Like Night Light and Lorenzo, Sunny will have a human disguise when she enters Dreamworld Facility. Unlike, the decommissioned animatronics who claim to be entertainment critics works as a mechanic and her alias is Sunny Nicolson, Wiatt's cousin covering for him after a bad car accident to help pay medical bills & pay for college.

She'll be covered head-to-toe like the others and wears a wig by created Morris, Astra, and Star that resembles Wiatt's hair but in a ponytail.

Traits: Curious, tomboy, sarcastic, uncertain, loyal, and brave.

Voice: Tough, sarcastic, tomboyish

Talent: Mechanical, filming, and singing.

Oddity finds one of Wiatt's other cameras and gives it to Sunny who starts filming and finds it oddly calming and familiar. She mainly uses it as a video diary and helps with the investigations.

Sunny has an amazing singing voice that ranges from soothing lullaby to hardcore rock!

Like Wiatt she's an excellent mechanic, in fact she can repair herself and the other animatronics. When she repairs herself it's similar to how Sally from TNBC sews herself back up.

Corrupt: Sunny will have a corrupt mode where she gains an attack mode similar to Mommy Long Legs from Poppy Playtime and Alice Liddel from American McGee's Alice.

Gender: Female

Sexuality: AROACE

Bonds : At first Sunny has a hard time bonding with the group and the workers of Dreamworld Facility due to just coming into existence and them being concern about her not having Wiatt's memories. Over time she bonds with them and finds out about their history. She is protective of the kids the same way Wiatt was.

I won't lie Star Light and her struggled at first due to the whole: she's technically Wiatt, but doesn't have his memories, and is her own person. They really need to sit down and talk things over and become close friends. 

I want Sunny and Ribbon Dancer's friendship to be similar to Polly and Scott's from the Monster Prom series.

Refs: Here are some refs of Sunny in Wiatt's place.

Take a picture, because Sunny rarely smiles.

[Image ID: 1st image of Wiatt smiling from episode 5. 2nd image is of Sunny with the same smiling expression. /.End ID]

[Image ID: 1st image of Ribbon Dancer and Wiatt smiling at each other from the music video 'Out of Sight'. 2nd. Image of Sunny in her human disguise (minus the face mask and sunglasses) with Ribbon Dancer (forgive me, I messed up his nose). /.End ID]

[Image ID: 1st image of Rex's hand while Wiatt grips onto his crow bar to protect himself and Night Light from the music video 'Out of Sight'. 2nd image is of Sunny protecting the kids from Winnie. Winnie's shadow looms over Sunny and the group in a menacing way aready to attack. Oddity, Masquerade, Mimic, Melody, Cheer, Lolli & Pop, Hazel, Night Light, Lorenzo, Gruff, and Millie have frightened expressions on their faces while Sunny has a furious expression yielding an axe ready to protect the kids from Winnie. 3rd image is of Sara, Winnie, Oliver, and Allison evilly looming over our heroes. /.End ID]

Gosh Darn It to Hey-Hey! I just realized I forgot to add Allison; I'll add him when I color this in, plus he's a tough little cookie. Like I said before Sunny is fiercely protective of the kids and doesn't care who or what the enemy is Sunny will fight to the end to keep her loved ones safe.

[Image ID: Sunny in keychain form with her signature mischievous smile./.End ID]

Yeah, I was in the zone when doing keychain Sunny, only to find out I didn't have enought room for her other leg (When, I ink and color the images later I'll add the other leg). At first, I was going to give Sunny an angry expression to go with Star's smile & Night's frown. But I like her little smirk better, it gave her an 'I know something you don't know'/mischief vibe.

I hope this gives you some information on Sunny. You can find out more about her in my fanfic: Stars, Night, and Sun Shine.

Okay, I'm gonna end this here. Bye!

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Hi! It’s the catholic school maybe ace anon again. I just have one more question.

I want to be open and okay with sexuality and that kind of thing, but from a very young age I’ve been taught it was Not Okay.

Is there anything you can recommend to me (books, blogs, channels, etc.) that might help me.. understand more, ig? I try really hard to keep an open mind, but I don’t actually learn enough to be at a point where I’m chill with it (I try to be, I really do).

hi catholic anon (cathnon, if you will),

I did drop a couple of recommendations in my answer to your last query (shoutout to Lindsey Doe's Sexplanations and Heather Corinna's Scarleteen again, I really can't say enough good things about them!) but let's talk about some more cool resources!

Dr. Nadine Thornhill is an educator doing THE COOLEST work, definitely check her out!

if you want to read about asexuality and aromantic experiences, check out Yasmin Benoit's writing on her website! she's one of the most outspoken aroace figures in the business.

while I have my gripes with Teen Vogue, they write a lot of very accessible articles about sexual topics ranging from abortion info to disability-friendly sex to tips on buying vibrators. give it a look!

Planned Parenthood's website is chock full of useful info that I frequently use as a reference in my work, with a section specifically geared towards teenagers.

for asexual-specific writing you gotta check out Angela Chen's book Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex. it's a fantastic piece of writing, and makes me so hopeful for the future of ace and aro scholarship written from within the community.

Sexuality: A Graphic Guide is also a gentle illustrated into to a lot of big ideas about sexuality and orientation, by Meg-John Barker and Jules Scheele. you may also be interested in another of Barker's books, How to Understand Your Sexuality, written with Alex Iantaffi.

another book I'm very fond of is Jaclyn Friedman's Unscrewed, which looks at ways in which sex can be exploited by patriarchy and capitalism and contrasts that bleak outlook with people doing real, tangible good to advance sexual freedom, queer rights, and reproductive health.

also hey listen I'm going to say one that's a little goofy but a lot of fun: there's a show on Netflix (or elsewhere, if you know how to pirate) called How to Build a Sex Room that's short (only sex episodes, I think?) and nothing but fun, following designer Melanie Rose building her clients' ideal rooms to have sex in. clients range from eager to overshare to adorably awkward, and Rose is always there to encourage them to think about what they really want and how to express that desire. it's very cute and a great way to get cozy around casual convos about sex!

[brightlotusmoon]

Back to the main story, Hailey’s body isn’t taking to roller derby, but naturally the aerobatic Steve is killing it. A desperate Hailey who is still eager to fit in concocts a standard sitcom scheme that sees Steve pretending to be a female so he can be on the derby team and take Hailey along with him.

This isn’t ridiculous as it all seems, considering Steve pretending to be a girl (Stevie Wonderbra is his team name, with Hailey getting the much less eloquent, @8?47QQ#) means he gets to get bounced and trounced amongst other girls, “which is how the game is played,” Steve reiterates. What helps this storyline out a little bit is how Steve isn’t dressing up as a female at all rather than the bra and garters he is wearing. It’s great that Steve’s present appearance could pass for a butch female much more easily than the show trying to dress him up as one, and makes this more palatable.

What makes this even more palatable is the reveal that the entire team knew the whole time that Stevie was Steve, but instead think of him as a female trapped in a male’s body. As they break Steve down further, it begins to make sense that he could be a girl trapped in a boy’s body (but of course isn’t). It’s a solid spin to all of this though and makes this Bosom Buddies kind of ridiculousness less so. There’s a nice, sensible added sequence where Roger attempts to help Steve sort out his gender identity issues with a bunch of costumes and rituals. Unsurprisingly, he comes to the conclusion that you’d expect him to, even if Roger has a dick remover at the ready.

-

The episode aired in 2015 (some of the language in this review feels outdated), long before I knew how genderqueer I actually was. Watching it now continues to stir up thoughts.

[dearemma]

do you have any headcanons for christine's relations with other characters?

boy, anon (gender-neutral) do i have some!!

first and silliest, i think christine is responsible for the rumor that transporter chief kyle is mean. she said it as a joke once and the rumor got a life of its own

to me, christine, unlike erica, la'an, spock and uhura, does not enter the kids jokes the fandom makes. the fandom at large loves to joke about pike and una as mom and dad (respectively) and their kids going on space adventures. while i do find that cute, i don't like including christine in that scenario. i think christine, due to her not being starfleet, and therefore not being in the chain of command, not sharing their jokes about starfleet, wouldn't really be one of the kids, which leads her to have a more grounded relationship with both pike and una.

to me, her and una, end up developing a really amazing friendship. una, who is more slow to trust and let people in, is not ready for the hurricane that is a determined christine chapel. and the two of them are together in various tense moments in season one where una has to be more open, exposed (revealing that she is an illyrian, the whole surgery scene). una, who keeps everyone at arms length, can't and... doesn't want to keep christine at a distance.

her and pike, i like to think of them having this very warm friendship that's easy to miss. they are both stubborn, adventurous people, who don't let others take care of them. i can see the two of them being able to just... nudge the other one in the right direction. christine getting him to sickbay after a mission when he is determined to go back to the bridge, pike roaming the halls and seeing christine working on an experiment and distracting her with stories about his farm until she forgets about what she is doing and realizes how tired she is.

her and erica are besties. i think we'll eventually learn they were in the war together (it explains why the two of them and m'benga have a sort of code only they know during the pilot). i think they also sleep together sometimes, no strings attached (and that eventually they get tangled up in those strings, but anyway). i like to imagine christine dragging erica on trips, going rock-climbing together, having all these wacky adventures that only they laugh about (everyone else is horrified and mouthing how did you not die).

her and la'an, look... christine getting la'an to lower her walls? making la'an laugh? is something that is very personal to me. la'an is determined, very closed-off but she is becoming more open and i think allowing christine to show her the more lighthearted things that she's missed out on would be very sweet. i also like the idea of la'an teaching christine how to fight more efficiently. christine's style is more: i'm faster than you and i'm going to take you down. while la'an really knows the technique. and i think la'an likes to feel useful, so she wouldn't just accept christine showing her what she missed out on while becoming a baddass starfleet chief of security. so showing her how to fight, would be a fair trade.

christine and uhura love to dance. that's my first thought. christine and uhura twirling around the room, laughing obnoxiously loud, singing along to the music, being the center of gravity and warmth in the room. i'm a big shipper of christine and uhura in the tos timeline, but in the snw... i see them more as sweet friends, the two of them growing together, having a good time, both becoming more connected with starfleet, enterprise and each other.

right now my thoughts about her and m'benga are shifting. babs and jess described them as a familial sort of relationship and i always had that in my mind as a sibling sort of thing. the two of them knowing way too much about each other's lives, being nosy, bantering. but right now, with the latest episode, i'm starting to think its more a family forged in fire sort of situation. they are family because no one else could ever understand what they went through. they are still very close, still banter and quip at each other, though.

her and spock are in love, thxns.

[haroldgross]

New Post has been published on Harold Gross: The 5a.m. Critic

New Post has been published on https://literaryends.com/hgblog/3-body-problem/

3 Body Problem

[3.5 stars]

TL;DR: An interesting interpretation that isn’t all I’d hoped but which picked up aspects the previous adaptation didn’t. But I am hooked and want to see where they take it all now that they’ve set up what really interested them in the story. So, yes, you should see it. It isn’t an instant classic, but they’ve, ultimately, built some good bones.

Now the long version: Dune, infamously, had all manner of attempts to adapt it over the years. From the unproduced Jodorowsky, to the Lynch attempt of the 80s, to the dual 200X SyFy Channel entries to, finally, the Villeneuve masterpiece. Like Dune, I think we’re in another decades-long saga of waiting for the person who can do this story right.

I have to admit, I am having a hell of a time getting the book and the Tencent adaptation of the same out of my head enough to give this a clean review. But suffice to say, neither adaptation really nails the full story. And both have aspects they do better than the other. If we could merge the them, we’d get a better overall experience.

The Chinese series excelled at taking its time, really sinking into the pace and structure of the books. Liu created a wonderful slow boil in the books that only slowly revealed itself to the reader. This new version rushes to provide answers, speeding past the suspense and shifts rather than mirroring the whole point. And this is where the latest adaptation reveals itself.

What interested the writers in the newer version is what comes up in the last three episode. Conversely, this is where the Chinese series peters out story-wise (despite one extraordinary moment that both series share). The Netflix version, however, is just getting its legs by the end. Weiss and Benioff (Game of Thrones), along with Alexander Woo, were most intrigued by what comes over the long haul of the story. And it is a great story (Liu got two more brick-sized novels out of it). But the series really compacted too much into the 8 episodes. We never got to enjoy the sense of mystery and the peeling back of the layers. 10 or 12 episodes would have been more appropriate.

But I was thrilled that they provided better motivations for the main instigator of the plot and were less jaundiced in their depiction of history. They also tackled the more complicated aspects of the response to the events of the tale around the world. The Tencent version sort of glossed and then dropped that thread, capturing the despair, but not the long vision of how to deal with it.

But this series also took some liberties with the plot to get it into present day as well as gender-flipped and splintered some characters to create a larger ensemble. Frankly, those changes mostly worked for me, though it was a bit confusing at first knowing the original material. Fortunately, it’s mostly a great cast. Rosalind Chao (Together Together), Benedict Wong (Raya and the Last Dragon), Jovan Adepo (Babylon),  Alex Sharp (Living), Liam Cunningham (The Vault), John Bradley (Moonfall), and Jess Hong are all solid in their roles.

In fact, only Eiza González (Ambulance) didn’t work for me. And boy she didn’t work. Her character, one of the gender flips and splinters, didn’t seem at all to have the intelligence and presence she needed to be at the crux of world-changing events. Emotions, yes, but there was no understanding behind her eyes when she spoke about anything other than that. A cardinal sin in good science fiction.

All of that said, I hope they get to continue the tale. I can’t really give it the clean watch I’d have loved to provide, so I also am not able to properly assess it at the moment. But I am intrigued by where they’re going now that they’ve set up the foundation of what they really wanted to do. I do think they made some major mistakes building the season that way, but perhaps it works better for those that don’t know anything going in? I dearly wish I could combine the two series to get something that better captures the feel of the book and the scope of the story. However, like Dune I suspect we’ll have to wait for another attempt down the road. For now, this is far from bad…just not perhaps everything I’d have hoped. And the subsequent seasons may still succeed in ways I haven’t anticipated.

Where to watch

[billscheft]

With the actual "Frasier" reboot now come and gone, I feel compelled to re-post this "Totally Real Episode Guide" I wrote for Salon almost three years ago (March, 2021)....

[NOTE: This document is not to leave the Paramount+ virtual lot!!!!!!!]

Episode 12.1 ("Howdy Podner!"): Dr. Frasier Crane is back in Seattle after living for 14 years at a WH Smith in O'Hare Airport while trying to book a return flight from Chicago with a declined NBC corporate card. He is now in the third year of his daily living-room based podcast, "Freud Not." After ten minutes lambasting his listeners for never phoning in for advice, only a returned call from the Apple Store reveals to Frasier that, technically, he cannot have a podcast if he does not have a webops platform. Or if his laptop has an operating system less recent than Windows XP. His 2005 lifetime FCC ban from radio following an on-air incident with Robin Quivers (guest star Issa Rae) is briefly mentioned but not discussed.

Episode 12.2 ("You Might Feel a Little Prick"): Now up and running on Patreon, Frasier suddenly cuts off a podcast episode with a survivor of Stockholm Syndrome (Hope Hicks) when he gets an alert on his phone that there's an open slot available for the latest, most exclusive Covid vaccine, the Moderna Lisa. When the urgent care nurse (Billy Eichner) asks for an emergency family member contact, Frasier hastily scribbles "Lillith S." and a profile link from JDate.

Episode 12.3 ("Driver's Oedipus"): His thirty-second birthday approaching, Frasier's now grown, multi-issued son Frederick (Sean Hayes in a receding blond wig even though he is only heard on the phone) lets his dad know that he is motoring into town for an Oath Keepers 3K Fun Run and makes the old man promise to hook him up with courtside seats for a Sonics game, even though it's August and the NBA team left Seattle 13 years ago. Wounded, and still bitter over losing his medical license after a psychiatric journal published his meant-to-be satirical essay, "Transference in Inflatable Patients," Frasier feels compelled to tell Frederick, "Remember, you're an only child. Just like me…."

Episode 12.4 ("La-Z-Goy"): After finally selling his late father's pea-green recliner on eBay for $112.47 (local pick-up only), Frasier has second thoughts while waiting for the buyer (Riz Ahmed) to show up. He fondly reminisces about a trip to Howard Johnson's when his dad was an active duty cop and momentarily confused the Heimlich maneuver with a sleeper hold on a distressed diner (flashback with Artie Lange playing both parts). When the buyer (Daveed Diggs, after a scheduling conflict with Ahmed) finally arrives, he notices the side lever of the chair is inoperable. Frasier repays him the $112.47, plus $60 to cart the recliner away, plus two bottles of Febreze.  

Episode 12.5 ("All in the Fluidity"): Frasier's podcast is about to get its first revenue producing sponsor, the gender-neutral footwear company Matriarch. But Frasier blows the deal when he keeps insisting to the Matriarch marketing team (Alex Borstein, Dan Levy) that his pronoun should be who/whom. The sudden loss of a reliable income stream forces him to cancel his search for a new housekeeper, now down to six finalists (Busy Phillips, Amber Ruffin, Claire Foy, Justina Machado, Moses Ingram, William Zabka) who were to compete in a Wagner lip synch battle for the job.

Episode 12.6 ("Have a Tryst Kit"): His 90-day Tinder suspension suddenly lifted after only four days when the complainant (Amy Sedaris) blames the misunderstanding on a salt deficiency, Frasier renews his Quixotic search for companionship. Unfortunately, minutes into his triumphant return, he dislocates two fingers after swiping right too overzealously. When the urgent care nurse (Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan) asks for an emergency family contact, he writes down the number of the guy who carted off his dad's recliner. In the closing cliffhanger scene, Frasier is seen ringing an apartment buzzer with his free hand, a clutch of pansies and a bag of IV saline under his arm.

Episode 12.7 ("Star Bucks"): Frasier celebrates the ten-year anniversary of the closing of Café Nervosa by showing up with a thermos of Kona, a seat stick umbrella and a copy of "Alfred Adler: Sicko-phant" in front of the SmileDirect that now occupies the space. While the manager (Ken Jeong) calls the police, a well-dressed couple in their mid-forties (Vincent Kartheiser and Luke Kirby) approach. They recognize Frasier instantly and ask him to help get their daughter (a Fanning TBA) into Harvard. When the flattered celeb shrink asks what he can do, they hand him a bag with $250,000 in cash and make him open a Venmo account at gunpoint. Upon seeing the glint of the gun barrel, the assistant manager (Miles Brown) calls the police back and tells them not to bother.

Episode 12.8 ("Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time…"): Shot documentary style, Paramount+ execs and showrunners stop by Kelsey Grammer's trailer with a magnum of non-alcoholic champagne and news that they've been able to sign original cast member Dan Butler (Dan Butler) to reprise his role as Frasier's unapologetic, misogynistic co-worker Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe. The last 20 minutes is a montage of a Tesla pulling away and a mostly union crew breaking the set down to a looped medley of "There Used to be a Ballpark"/"Crazy"/"It's Raining Men" (BMI license fees pending).

[pcsasg]

Does media gives good or bad impacts to fans?

“Fandom, fandom, fandom. “Fan” and “dom”. Who createed this word of fandom? And what the relationship between “dom” and “fan”? Yeah, I know fan is admiring something or someone, but what is dom?” – yeah, this was me, stressing myself after attended our class during week 9. To be honest, fandom topic really brings me back to my childhood memory where I really love to watch KPOP.  Okay, enough with my story. Now let’s move with week 9 lecture topic, fandom.

What is fandom?

Fandom is the condition of being passionate supporter of someone or something (Fandom, 2023). Meanwhile, (Cooper, 2014) defines fandom is a greatly beneficial addition towards one’s own enjoyment as well as that of the community. For example, Harry Potter fandom or also recognized as Potterheads. What makes you a Potterhead? If you are already read all the books for multiple times, watched all the Harry Potter series multiple times and took quiz regarding Harry Potter, then you are already a Potterhead.

What is media function in fandom and fans?

As our technology nowadays is rapidly expand, so does the social media platforms. Social medias now are not just for people get the latest news, to keep in touch with friends or family or blogging. Social medias now have become one platform where people can create a community. The development and growth of fans and fandom has been greatly supported by the media. Fans of books, movies, music, video games and TV shows, are able to interact and share their interests freely by using the social media and internet.

By giving common interest and a forum for interaction and engagement, media are able to assist fans and fandom flourish. Fan now are able to communicate with fellow fans who share the same passions, emotions and express their views about the media they adore and involving in creative writing and fan art projects by using X, Facebook and other online platforms. By releasing fresh news and announcements that keep followers interested and engaged, media might additionally contribute to the to the expansion of fandom and fans. In particular, the reveal of an upcoming film in an ongoing series or the airing of new TV programme episodes can excite motivate audience engagement. However, a lot of the same mechanisms that organize the educational economy can also be found in fan culture, which can work against the involvement of people colour. Scholarly peer critism, research and analysis and fandom always exist in a dynamic and variable balance as components of any personals or team’s attitude towards a cultural work, as proved by decades of fan scholarship. Yet, gender-based authority and racially might causes these interests to split (De Kosnik & Carrington, 2019).

Psychological impacts

Media-facilitated fandoms may influence people and groups mentally in several of ways. Depending on the circumstances and the person, these consequences may be positive and bad. Considering positive impacts of fandoms encouraged by media are:

               Sense of belonging and community: Fans may provide people who might otherwise feel alone or disconnected a sense of belonging and connection. Engaging with fan might offer a feeling of direction and a way to meet people who share your interests.

               Increased self-esteem: Being a part of a supporters can provide someone with an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment and credit for their contributions, and this can increase their self-esteem.

               Escape and distraction: Fandoms can be a source of entertainment and distraction as well as a getaway from the stresses and struggles of everyday life.

As for negative impact, psychological consequences that fandoms can have, such as obsessive behaviours or prioritising fandom above other facets of life. In addition, unpleasant or toxic relationships can happen on occasion inside a fanbase, which can cause anxiety or worry.

In general, depending on the person and the scenario, fandoms generated by media can have various psychological impacts. Fandoms can be harmful if they grow into unhealthy obsessions or if bonds within the fandom are poisonous or bad. They may also have negative influences on a person's sense of belonging, while belonging, and self-worth.

References

fandom. (2023, November 22). https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fandom

Cooper, B. L. (2014, April 10). Understanding Fandom: An Introduction to the Study of Media Fan Culture. Popular Music and Society, 38(1), 109–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2014.908524

De Kosnik, A., & Carrington, A. (2019, March 15). Fans of color, fandoms of color. Transformative Works and Cultures, 29. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2019.1783

Fans and Fandom Facilitated by Media. (n.d.). https://www.tutorialspoint.com/fans-and-fandom-facilitated-by-media#:~:text=Media%20has%20played%20a%20significant,connect%20and%20share%20their%20passions.

#WEEK9 #MDA20009

[webseriesviral]

Kourtney Kardashian, Travis Barker Reveal Baby's Gender Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker just announced their baby’s gender with a new post on Instagram. This couple just revealed not long ago that they were pregnant, but they already know the gender. The Big Pregnancy Announcement Kourtney and Travis tried hard to have a baby using IVF and ultimately gave up on that and tried the natural way. After a few months of trying, Kourtney revealed at a Blink-182 concert that she was pregnant with Travis’ baby. She held up a sign that said “Travis I’m Pregnant.” They made it seem like this was when she revealed the news to him, but fans think that he already knew. Kardashian was already showing and now that they know the baby’s gender already that proves how far along she was at this point. Kourtney Kardashian, Travis Barker’s Gender Reveal Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker just revealed their baby’s gender on Instagram. The post was perfect for them. Kourtney Kardashian was sitting on Travis Barker’s lap, which is something common for this couple. They are not afraid of a bit of PDA. Both are wearing white clothing and Barker has a pair of drumsticks in his hand. He asks Kourtney if she is ready and then all of a sudden he starts playing the drums. Next thing you know, confetti flies everywhere and it is blue showing that they are having a boy. You can hear Khloe Kardashian in the background so you can easily assume that all of Kourtney’s family was there for the big event. She says, “Let’s get the party started. We’re all excited.” It is unknown if Kourtney and Travis already knew the sex of the baby or if this is when they found out the news too. After the blue confetti shot up, they kissed each other. Comments on the post are going crazy. The fans are super excited and here is what a few had to say about the big reveal from Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker. So sweet 🥲 I haven’t seen Kourtney this happy ever since she left Scott She has finally found happiness. Are you excited to hear that Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are having a baby boy? Sound off in the comments below and catch new episodes of The Kardashians on Hulu. Mandy Robinson has been a freelance writer for 10 years now. Her passion is writing reality television. Mandy loves being able to work at home and make a living by writing about crazy reality television scandals. Latest posts by Mandy Robinson (see all) [ad_2] Read More

[puns-and-podcasts]

1) I think probably wtnv let’s be real

2) I’m actually currently listening to the latest episode of gender reveal which is a series of interviews with various trans people

3) I’m the sort of person who gets really into a podcast and then moves onto something new and gets really into that but I think the last thing I got really invested in was the night post, I’m really enjoying it

4) I feel like I never hear people talk about station to station but it’s really good

I'm curious (and in need of new content) what everyone's podcast experiences are like, so, in the tags or replies, what's...

The first podcast you listened to?

The most recent podcast you listened to?

Your favourite and/or comfort podcast?

A pod you think deserves more appreciation?

[4rainynite]

I Called It!

After, finally being able to watch the latest episode of Welcome to Dreamworld I noticed most of my predictions on my AO3 Welcome to Dreamworld headcanons came true (and some didn't). Here's a few that came true and didn't and headcanons of what may happen:

1.After watching the video on how Sara killed him and erased most of his memories Norman decides to help Wiatt and Damian to find Sara and return everyone to their bodies and he's gonna feel a lot of guilt/betrayal:

Before Sara killed him, she got him interested in the idea of immortality.

The reason he doesn't bat an eyelash over the dead workers/visitors is because when his soul was transferred into the animatronic Sara hide his morality along with the memory of her killing him.

After, he watches the videos Norman is hit with a wall of guilt. Sure, he wanted to live and be young forever, but not at the cost of human life!

Norman will slowly help Morris and Astra restore their memories.

Will attempt to make Hayden help bring Sara, Pen, and Lisa back.

Norman will feel betrayed by Sara and question their whole relationship.

And start crushing on Morris/ Andrew.

2. I was wrong about Hayden and Pen knowing each other since childhood.

It turns out Audrey/Astra and Andrew/Morris knew Hayden during high school, are the reason why he had blue highlights in his hair, and got hired around the same time.

We'll find out more about Pen later on.

3. In the show the animatronics dream, so they may have their own sleeping quarters similar to the animatronics in Five Nights at Freddy's Pizzaplex.

Each room is designed to accommodate to each animatronic and is on their respected floor.

We saw Morris's room in the latest episode, and it's located at Watchful Eye. We'll most likely see Astra's when she gets her memories back.

Look how cute Morris is! Playing with his dolly in his little hammock!

4. Rex/Mike's history being revealed from:

Childhood - Mike most likely normal childhood and had many friends.

Transitioning - Mike starting to question his gender and starts feeling isolated.

Being kicked out and rejected by parents - (warning tearjerker) It was nothing nice (look what that horrid excuse of a dad did to Mike's eye), poor baby was homeless, maybe stayed in shelters, and as soon as Mike found out Dreamworld was hiring he took the job to survive.

Crushing on Alyssa - Being roommates, bonding over sexuality, and they were roommates tropes!

Being crushed to death in the trash compactor and who put him there - (warning tearjerker) Died alone, Sara stored his body with Lewis & Oliver's, and only Alyssa tried looking for him.

5. The souls of the victims' weren't just placed into the animatronics at random there had to be a connection for them to come to life:

Lewis & Star Light - Artistic, perfectionist, kind.

Eric & Rainbow Dancer - Loveable goofballs, creativity, protective-dad-energy. 

Mike & Rex - Protectors, caring, laid-back.

Alyssa & Glory - Caregivers, kind, a bit of a tease.

John, James, Jake & Masquerade, Melody, Mimic - Innocent, mischievous, playful.

Carly & Cheer - Brave, tomboyish, competitive.

Ben & Liz and Lolli & Pop  - Fun-loving, adventurous, curious.

 Andrew & Morris  - Loyal, energetic, nervous.

Audrey & Astra - Friendly, kind, observant.

Carlos & Winnie, Sara & Millie, Lorenzo, Night Light, and Gruff will get connections later.

Things to come:

With everything happening in the facility with the talk of immortality, the countless deaths, and ghosts talk I wouldn't be surprised if Litho was running a cult!

We know of the rumors of the facility with a mechanic (Carlos/Winnie) during the 1980s, but that is just the most recant and popular rumor up to date!

There must have been thousands of deaths near that cave even before Litho arrived.

Some of the cult members work at Dreamworld *COUGH*JAMESON*COUGH*. Heck, some of the cops (not caring and being bribed) and maybe people who live nearby know too.

Litho has ordered them not to mess with Wiatt.

They're aware Litho most likely will kill them and put them into animatronics, at the end of the day they just want to live forever.

2. We're gonna see more Hazel and the other Animatronics!

Hazel will finally meet Wiatt and introduce him to the other animatronics.

As much as Wiatt doesn't want Hazel involved, he sees bits of him in her so he's crazy protective of her. 

Whenever Oliver is near Millie he goes into corrupt-soul-mode that freaks/confuses everyone even himself (nobody knows Sara is possessing Millie). 

The first thing Lorenzo, Night Light, and Gruff will remember are their names. 

  We'll get an episode of how Hazel met Lorenzo, Night Light, Gruff, and Millie.

We'll see why Hazel is interested in Dreamworld's mysteries. I think it may have something to do with John/ Masquerade, James/ Melody, and Jake/ Mimic.

3. Alison will return to the facility at some point. And we get to see more ghosts.

Most of the ghosts want to help and get revenge on Litho.

Others are too blinded by the immortality promise to rebel and fully believe in Litho. To add support to the theory Litho did but souls in the animatronics and is keeping their bodies alive so some of the ghost believe Litho will do that for them.

4. Either Glory/ Alyssa, Cheer/Carly, or Lolli/Liz & Pop/Ben will gain their memories next.

5. When Glory gets her memories back, she's gonna feel extremely guilty for causing Morris's death.

Morris accepts her apology because he knows Glory wouldn't harm anyone on purpose (except Sara/Litho).

When Astra starts gaining her memories, she'll remember that she and Glory/Alyssa worked together on the same floor.

The three become gossip buddies.

6. Wiatt stops recording and his healthy starts to decline.

We'll most likely see things via security cameras or normal viewing for most of season 2.

Wiatt will still help get the animatronics their memories back. Because, HELLO - if your family/friend's soul got trapped in a animatronic by an evil demon wouldn't you save them?

Everyone will notice something is off with Wiatt (mainly Star/Lewis), but Wiatt will brush it off.

Wiatt will start having nightmares similar to his Grandmother (Lucy) and dad (Owen) did.

Wiatt's soul is linked to the camera (the one he mainly uses) and the more time he's away from it the sicker he becomes. His situation is similar to Allison and his violin since those items hold their souls since Allison is a ghost and Wiatt is most likely an animatronic/cyborg.

Everyone will find this out when it's too late!

Images from DEWIKI

[ordinaryschmuck]

Why Luz Noceda is a Fan-Frickin'-Tastic Character

Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

And today, I’d like to say that I’m about to introduce you to somebody, but, odds are, you already know about her.

Mainly because I’ve talked about this character quite a lot.

This is Luz Noceda, from Disney’s latest hit The Owl House. And she might just be the best character in the show, which is saying something given that The Owl House is filled with incredible characters. Hell, I would probably do an entire essay based around each and every one of them if I had the time and sanity to do so…which I don’t.

So, instead, we’re just focussing on Luz, and for good reason. There are a few great things about her that I really don’t think the fandom takes the time to appreciate. And I’m going to do my best to point out my favorite reasons for why I love Luz.

What are those reasons? Well, let me count the ways.

1. She’s Wonderful Representation

I don’t want to say that Luz is perfect or “the way to do representation right,” mainly because I don’t think it’s possible for any character to be that way. But, I will say that there’s a lot of Luz that makes for great representation. Luz Noceda is Dominican, bisexual, and a girl that doesn’t conform to gender stereotypes. You see these qualities in Luz throughout the show in the ways that she speaks Spanish, gains crushes on both boys and girls, and wears outfits that aren’t exactly feminin. Admittingly, her Dominican roots don’t get as much attention as Anne Boonchuy’s Thai culture in Amphibia, but I’m willing to give some leeway in that respect. Matt Braly, Amphibia’s creator, wanted to shine a light on a culture–his culture–that he felt was underrepresented in most media. Dana Terrace, The Owl House’s creator, wanted to do something similar, only instead of focusing on Luz’s culture, Dana focussed more on Luz’s sexuality, feeling as though it’s a part of Dana that’s also underrepresented.

And yet, despite everything Luz represents, these aspects don’t overshadow her character. The writers didn’t make her whole thing being Dominican, bisexual, or a girl who doesn’t dress “girly.” These are parts of Luz that exist and will always be present, but not in the way that’s similar to writers who make their character’s personality based on the representation. Like how having a gay character in a story, writers would just make that character’s whole personality be defined by gay steorotypes rather than, you know, actual personality traits. As for Luz, she is defined more than that. She’s goofy, nerdy, optimistic, and a whole bunch of stuff that makes Luz her wonderful, unique self. In other words, the writers focussed more on the who and not the what. And as for who Luz is…

2. She’s NOT A Chosen One

I’m well aware that the picture above kind of negates that statement, but stick with me.

In “Witches Before Wizards,” Luz tries desperately to follow the footsteps of her favorite fantasy hero, hoping that she too could be a plucky protagonist predestined for greatness. Only to learn, in the end of that episode, that the whole idea of “a chosen one” is complete bulls**t.

There is no prophecy or predetermined fate that led to Luz coming to the Boiling Isles and dealing with Emperor Belos. The whole reason that she’s there was a complete and total accident.

…Ok, the elephant in my room is giving me a look, so I might as well bring a little certain something up.

Yes, “Elsewhere and Elsewhen” revealed that Luz coming to the Isles shaped the destiny of a certain character (not saying who because I want to keep this spoiler free). But even that doesn’t feel like it takes away from Luz’s journey being an accident. Yes, there’s a predetermined reason for why Luz is on the Isles, but it’s done in a way where it seems like Luz hasn’t influenced things TOO MUCH. What happened was going to happen anyway. Luz just…sped up a certain time table. Besides, even the whole situation of “Elsewhere and Elsewhen” felt like an accident too, meaning that while it’s kind of predestined, but it’s in the same way your car was predestined to hit that street light. No one knew it was going to happen, but it was always going to happen anyway.

Does that clear things up? It did? Good.

Now, I can’t explain enough how much I adore that it was an accident that led to Luz coming to the Isles. It just means that everything she does, every adventure she goes on, is one hundred percent on her. She isn’t destined to be this great hero who will defeat the bad guy. She’s just a kid who wants to do the right thing all because she wants to help people. It’s a refreshing take on a child protagonist, as most tend to be driven because someone told them that they’re destined for greatness. Luz is often told that she’s special, but she’s much more frequently told to stay back and sit in the sidelines so as not to get hurt. Yet, Luz does it anyway because she’d rather eat her hoodie than let someone suffer. Because you don’t need to be someone special to do the right thing. You just need the morality to do good and the will to fight. And Luz both has the morality and the will to fight..even though…

3. She’s Not Much of A Fighter

She really isn’t. 

Anytime Luz is in a fight, she more or less scrambles just to survive. Every attempt to attack someone head-on rarely goes well and that’s mainly because Luz isn’t a bruiser. She still has a great number of spells that can work in a fight and do their job in helping her survive, but that’s about it most of the time. Hell, aside from “Reaching Out,” I can’t think of a time when Luz won a fight by overpowering an enemy.

Now, you’re probably thinking, “Well, then why is Luz not being much of a fighter a compliment?” And the answer is simple: She doesn’t win fights by outfighting her foes, but outsmarting them. There are so many instances when Luz came through in a fight just because she planned things out ahead of time or because she thought fast on her feet. Some of Luz’s greatest feats come from the fact that she managed to improvise a solution that worked all because she was clever enough to think of it. This type of character is always my favorite, because it proves that one’s true strength comes from the mind, not their physical strength nor ability. It’s always cool to see a character win a fight in a grand battle that involves trading blows until one is left standing, but I just admire someone that manages to use their wits to win. Afterall, there’s a reason why people say, “fight smarter, not harder.” And a thing about Luz is that–

4. She’s Pretty Smart and Resourceful

Something you see in certain fan comics and fanfiction is people writing Luz off as an idiot, flanderizing her quirkiness as just plain stupidity.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. Can she be a little reckless at times? Yes. Was she oblivious to a certain character’s affection? Absolutely. But is Luz stupid? Not exactly. Because Luz is kind of a genius, primarily when it comes to making glyphs. There were some that she found by lucky chance, but there are scenes that prove that Luz took a lot of time studying her environment for glyphs or making new ones based on trial and error. It almost makes her a mad scientist, experimenting and analyzing ways to add to her arsenal. Granted, this is a part of her that isn’t shown often, and it’s honestly something I wished the series showed us more of, but those little scenes where we do see Luz experimenting does prove that she’s smarter than people give her credit for. Like that one kid in class who’s not too smart socially but still manages to recite the periodic table by memory.

And, as I’ve said, this intelligence feeds into when she’s in a dangerous situation. Like when she slips a glyph onto something or someone to give her an advantage. Or when she uses research to mix glyphs and win the day in an episode like “Hunting Palisman.” She’s got a bit of a big brain in her noggin, and it’s that same intelligence that gives Luz her power.

Which leads me to my next point…

5. She’s Powerful But Not Overpowered

Luz can throw fireballs, entangle people in vines, and even turn invisible. And yet, despite all that she can do, Luz isn’t exactly an all powerful witch.

The strength of the glyph depends on how big it is, meaning that Luz’s usual glyph papers, while still capable of doing powerful stuff, aren’t as strong as they could be if combined or drawn bigger. Plus, some of her glyphs have limitations. The invisibility glyph can turn Luz and anyone/anything she touches invisible, but only for as long as she holds her breath. And while the light glyph can make a good light source, there’s not much it can do in a fight other than temporarily blind a foe.

Now, a character not being all powerful might sound as weird as a compliment as saying that they’re not a fighter, but I actually love that there’s limits to what Luz can do. While a character that’s limitless can be interesting (when done correctly), seeing a character who has limits can be a little more compelling. Not only is there added tension to any situation the character’s in, but you get to see them grow past their limits and become stronger with each episode. The same goes for Luz. Look at what she could do in “A Lying Witch in a Wardrobe” and compare it to the one in “Young Blood, Old Souls.” She went from being a kid who could barely escape from Warden Wrath to a kid who could barely go toe-to-toe with Belos…Ok, total transparency, her feats aren’t too impressive either, but trust me when I say that Luz does grow throughout the series in terms of power. Not as much as others, but still enough where you can tell that she’s not the same kid that she started out as. A journey that wouldn’t have been as nearly as compelling if she was already perfect at everything that she did.

But enough about talking about how cool Luz is and how much she’s developed. Let’s dive deep into her character and personality. Because if you ask me…

6. She is Layered

On the surface, Luz seems like a goofy nerd who likes editing anime clips to music and reading fantasy books with convoluted backstories. But when you peel back to see the layers in this particular onion, you’ll find that there’s a lot more to her.

For instance, Luz is a good person. Nothing will ever change that. Even if she breaks so many laws and constantly gets into heaps of trouble, by the end of the day, Luz is still a kind hearted individual. When holding a Moonlight Conjuring in “Hooty’s Moving Hassle,” she does it against Eda’s orders, but only to make Willow and Gus feel better. Plus, even during the conjuring, it’s Luz who tends to act as the voice of reason, trying to convince Gus and Willow that they should call it quits before things get worse. Even when doing something bad, there is always a part of Luz that acts with a bit of kindness within her. Like how in “O’ Titan, Where Art Thou,” her goal in that episode is to pull off a heist, but only because she wants to steal back something that will make King happy. Stealing from the government (even if it’s a crooked government) isn’t exactly the nicest thing to do, but the good intentions help make things a little better.

But as nice as Luz is, she isn’t this being of endless optimism who thinks that everything will turn out alright in the end if you believe hard enough. There are episodes where that seems to be the case, but for the most part, it seems as though there are episodes where even Luz has her limits and times when she cries after realizing how hopeless a given situation is. Being optimistic in the face of adversity is admirable, but the realism of proving that everyone has a point where they give up, whether it be brief or not, gets so many more points for me.

Speaking of limits, while Luz can be happy go lucky, there are times when she can get angry, downright bloodthirsty. There’s even an entire episode where all Luz can think is “kill, kill, kill, kill…” Yet, despite how angry she gets, Luz is still very much her usual self. When facing the exact person she wants dead, Luz screams, “Talk to the glyphs, witch!” This is a time where all Luz feels is rage, and she still manages to scream this quick quip that fits her well. It shows us that despite her darkest moments a part of her is still going to be a little silly. And that’s true through all the ways that Luz is layered. Whether it’s through her movements or just by saying a random thing, Luz is and always will be a silly person even when she’s down in the dumps. That’s just who she is at her core and that’s amazing. To me, it’s important that a character’s central personality doesn’t change too much, no matter how grim things can get. After all, that personality is what won us over, so completely changing Luz’s character for the story will just feel…wrong. I’d rather have her be a little silly, even if it’s just for a single quip, than to lose something that makes Luz, well, Luz.

But, in fairness, silliness isn’t Luz’s best quality. It would be the fact that–

7. She Improves the Lives of Everyone She Meets

Trust me when I say that the above image is a perfect representation of everything that makes Luz amazing.

And it’s true. Every single person that Luz meets managed to live better lives because she was in it. I’d love to go into detail as to how, but that’d be spoiling a lot, so, instead, I’m going to leave a link to a post I made a while ago. It shows exactly how much certain characters changed because of Luz and it’s for those who don’t care about spoilers or are curious to see what I mean.

For this post, I’ll just say that the way Luz manages to light up the lives of nearly every character in The Owl House is just…incredible. Literally, the lives of almost every character in the show improved just because Luz accidentally stumbled onto the Boiling Isles. It shows just how wonderful an influence she has and proving an act of kindness, or several acts, can go a long way. Even if you think the person doesn’t deserve it, you’d be surprised how important a helping hand could be in making them act better. There are exceptions, of course, and both the writers and Luz herself knows this. Still, having someone so generously kind and making things better because of it is a character that is all too easy to love.

Unfortunately, there’s a price to this. Because…

8. Her Kindness is Her Greatest Flaw

At first, I was going to leave this whole analysis at my previous point. But then the Season Two finale happened, and it made me realize something: Luz can, at times, put other people’s needs before her own. And the series shows how that’s not a good thing. To name a few prominent examples:

In “Young Blood, Old Souls,” Luz makes a sacrifice that puts her in an iffy situation for most of Season Two.

Luz made herself a practice dummy in “Escaping Expulsion” just so Gus and Willow can get back into Hexside.

With “Reaching Out,” Luz helps Amity in an attempt to put Luz’s mind off of something that she shouldn’t ignore.

And, in “King’s Tide,” Luz tries to make another big sacrifice for her fiends and family despite how they all beg her not to.

These were all actions that come from good intentions, but think of the consequences that came from them all. The emotional strains with prominent relationships in Luz’s life or the physical strain some instances do to her body. We often praise characters who put others' needs before themselves, but The Owl House seems to show how such a mindset is unhealthy. No one’s pain is worth more than your own and you shouldn’t have the whole world weighed down on your shoulders. Even if you’re the protagonist of your own story, not everything depends on you. That’s pretty much what Luz goes through in this series, and it’s a problem she needs to get over. Otherwise, Luz will lose the very same people she cares about. It’s an aspect of her character that’s fascinating to me because, again, we don’t often see this with protagonists. The closest I can think of is Adora from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) and maybe Steven from Steven Universe, but you can clearly see that’s not a lengthy list. So, I appreciate this attempt in showing kids that, while kindness is admirable, it doesn’t mean that you are less important than anyone else.

In short: Luz making lives better makes her a great role model, but the ways she goes too far makes her a cautionary tale. And it’s time the fandom appreciated that.

Luz, to me, is the best character in The Owl House. Everyone else is still really great, but I feel like I could talk for hours on end about Luz. Even with this analysis, I feel like I’ve only barely scratched the surface about this character and why she’s so amazing. We can all love Eda for her slowly becoming a nurturing mother or Amity for becoming a better person, but to me, nothing beats a character that’s both sweet and tortured, slowly becoming a better person and a better witch throughout the series.

And that’s why she’s a fan-fickin’-tastic character.

[twh-news]

A mischievous god, a reverend and a newly engaged man: Tom Hiddleston has been busy

by Bob Strauss. Photos: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

It hardly needs saying, but Tom Hiddleston is a much nicer guy than Loki, the supervillain he’s played in six Marvel movies and an acclaimed Disney+ series, which just started shooting its second season in England.

And despite the Norse God of Mischief’s ubiquity, the Cambridge and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art-educated actor does have other interests. His stage résumé is as impressive as the array of auteurs he’s made movies with: Joanna Hogg, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Terence Davies, Jim Jarmusch, Guillermo del Toro, Ben Wheatley. There’s also prestige TV such as ���The Night Manager” and now “The Essex Serpent,” which launched in May on Apple TV+.

Still, “‘Loki,’ ‘Essex Serpent,’ they have occupied the last two years of my life,” Hiddleston notes on a warm afternoon in an L.A. hotel garden.

Of course, there was more to the last several years than “Essex” and the first season of “Loki.” Hiddleston found time in March to propose to Zawe Ashton, his co-star in a 2019 West End revival of Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal.”

“I’m very happy” is all he wants to say about that, perhaps gun-shy regarding personal matters since a super-scrutinized 2016 romance with Taylor Swift. But just get him started on the latest shows ....

“I love playing Loki, have loved playing him every time,” the actor says about Thor’s shape-and-loyalty-shifting brother. “In every story, there’s been a different iteration, a different director, a different spin on the ball, if you like.”

The “Loki” series takes place in a divergent timeline before/after he was killed in the last two “Avengers” movies. This trickster version is detained by a kind of cosmic bureaucracy, the Time Variance Authority, and stripped of his powers if not his arrogance.

“If you take away everything that the character knows and understands, what remains?” Hiddleston submits. “Something will be revealed to us and to Loki about who he is. This idea of him undergoing an almost psychoanalytical interrogation with the TVA’s Mobius, played by Owen Wilson, and being confronted with repetitive patterns of destructive behavior, which only resulted in his loss and loneliness, I found to be extremely exciting.”

Another first, for Marvel and Loki: He came out as bisexual to the series’ other key frenemy, Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie, a female variant of himself.

“In my research into the character and the ancient stories, Loki’s identity has always been fluid in his gender and sexuality,” Hiddleston notes. “It was a privilege to touch on it this time. I’m aware it’s a small step and there’s further to go, but I hope that people felt represented by it.”

Contemporary concerns are also represented in Sarah Perry’s bestselling historical novel “The Essex Serpent.” It’s set in a scientifically advancing 1893, while superstitions still haunt the Blackwater Estuary on England’s eastern coast. People go missing, a big underwater thing is bumping into fishermen’s boats, and some believe a folklore dragon has returned.

Claire Danes plays Cora Seaborne, recently widowed from an abusive marriage and an amateur paleontologist, who comes up from London to investigate. An attraction grows between her and the local, married vicar, Hiddleston’s Will Ransome. All six episodes were directed by another of the actor’s admired auteurs, Clio Barnard (“The Arbor,” “Dark River”).

“I loved this combination of her and the story,” Hiddleston says. “It deals with some very resonant themes: uncertainty, fear and how fear of what we don’t understand can sometimes collectively distort reality. There’s an ideological debate between science and religion that’s staged in the dynamic between Cora and my character, the very progressive but nevertheless faithful reverend of the community.

“In my research into the character and the ancient stories, Loki’s identity has always been fluid in his gender and sexuality,” Hiddleston notes. “It was a privilege to touch on it this time. I’m aware it’s a small step and there’s further to go, but I hope that people felt represented by it.”

“It felt like with the pandemic, we all had to manage so much uncertainty,” he continues. “It’s about that, but of course there’s a very psychological metaphor about the serpent, things that lie beneath the surface.”

Hiddleston tried to be a gracious host to his American co-star when they filmed in the Essex salt marshes 13 months ago but fears he might have gone too far.

“It’s windy and it’s muddy and it’s wet,” he says of the shoot. “Claire was incredibly game about all of that. I became a kind of cliché Englishman, endlessly promising that the weather would improve. Every day I’d be like, ‘It’s going to get better, Claire! Just you wait, the spring in England is lovely!’”

Cliché, or in actuality a particularly nice chap?

“I was very lucky when I was younger,” Hiddleston reckons, regarding his reputation. “I worked with some great actors, and I could see that they were very committed to the work and very kind, inspiring in that way. I was junior to Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench and Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ewan McGregor; these are the best of guys doing it.

“I try to put my best foot forward,” he concludes, then adds with a sheepish grin, “It’s hard to address that.”