#none of this is supposed to read as negative or self critical. I just enjoy talking about developing art skills and what's hard about it et
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so this is probably my best digital painting yet!
reference image is from here (x) I have no rights to it and make no money from this.
#portrait#digital painting#this is very much the closest to photorealism i ever intend to go. not that it is that- i just don't usually get this close.#i did learn a lot!#i hope to use the stuff i learned to make more intentional choices in future#i found out that skin texture is incredibly hard to paint! all I could manage was making it look like she's wearing liquid foundation#i'm also really trying to get the hang of colours! even in this i had to adjust it so much after I'd finished to get it to look less flat#the neck was so hard :( i think it still looks a bit odd#also in the photo shes wearing this beautiful Nigerian dress. but i was so tired at his point it was day 2 of painting for hours#so i gave up on it :/#btw if you are reading these tags (anyone):#none of this is supposed to read as negative or self critical. I just enjoy talking about developing art skills and what's hard about it et#if you have thoughts I'd be very happy to hear from other artists#not particularly looking for advice though. this is just fun for me :)#i didn't intend to paint this actually i was just getting skin tone references for a character#and i got so absorbed into this little practice painting#if i'd intended to post it i would have chosen someone more well known or a model or something#i feel a bit weird about posting a painting of someone i don't know#and idk if she's in the public eye at all#but i doubt this post will be seen by many people so it's probably fine
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pick a pile: "Encouraging words for you"
take a breath and choose the photo or number that calls you the most to read a few encouraging words for yourself and your situation, especially if you have been through something and felt overwhelmed/stressed. take care of you and try to give yourself peace.
donât take the reading too seriously. only take what resonates with you and leave the rest. if you're not called by any pile, let this reading slid as it may not hold messages for you. if you're called by more than one pile, there may be messages in each of those piles. remember that is a general reading and some things may not resonate with you. energies can change and readings are based on present ones (as you read); you're always in charge of your life.
(photos found on unsplash)
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1 2 3
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pile 1
Maybe at times you forget your worth and how special you are. You hide down in your negativity, in your sadness, in your habitual mental pattern that only wants to block you and let you think of you as unworthy and unlovable no matter what you do or don't. But you're just light. You shine bright. You bring warmth, smiles, care and support everywhere you go. You heal people just with your gentleness. You are this special even if you think you're none of them and tend to downplay yourself and all you do. Maybe you're just not aware of how people really see you. Or maybe you don't let them in that much... which is okay, you can also choose who to let in and how. But please, let those you feel like, in. Let them give you back cause you can receive all that you give.
You're healing big things at the moment. You're moving from this place of lack of self care and worth, a self judgment place where your inner critic thrives, to a lighter, simpler and fairer (for yourself) place. You're really going down within, and it's okay if you felt like you were over this: the more we approach a moment of big change, the more we need to uncover stuff and find our real self. Find a new balance within. This process can bring disruption, pain, doubts... but it's all okay. Hang in there, stay true to yourself. See yourself. See things through your intuition, do not let your mind and fears block you. Talk with them, understand their reasons, but show them a new possible and equally safe way to live (even if they cannot see it this way: go slow). You don't have to keep staying in the same place, you can learn to shine 24/7 as you're supposed to do. You can find your way out. You can trust and try something totally new and different. You can change everything, even your point of view (and you're called to).
songs: superstition | jon bryant; mi vida | justin park
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pile 2
Patience, calm, my friend. Life is made of ups & downs and that's fine. We also need to go through dark to be able to see the light. We need to make moves, make mistakes, try, to overcome blockages and grow. To become ourselves. It's painful at times, yes ofc, but it's nothing you cannot survive. You've been through so much and I understand you feel discouraged and tired at this moment, but you don't deserve to stop believing. You don't deserve to give up. You deserve a break, a moment for yourself, a time out. A walk in nature, to feel the sunbeams hitting your face and body, to feel the warmth of life enter your cold tired bones. You deserve more hope. And this is what this message is here for.
Give yourself a break, come back to your present life, enjoy the present moment and all that it has to offer you from life to connections. And yeah, maybe you are not where you wanted to be, maybe there's still a lot of work to reach your goals and maybe you cannot see the end of it and it's getting a lot to bear with, to wait for the right time, but deep down you know it will be worth it. So please, resist the urge to give up. Cry, let your pain out, and then reground yourself in any way you want or feel like. Play with your inner child, they want to help you chill and see things the way you used to, before life's experience complicated it all for you. Give yourself a break over what's not going as you'd like to, what's not going as planned, what you cannot see yet. Let fate work for you. Your prayers, your efforts, are not going unnoticed. You have a choice in how to deal with this moment: will you choose the hardest way (focusing on the negative side continuosly, which will only bring more to you) or the calmest way (taking into the picture also what's good and what can be good in the future if you give yourself and life a bit of time)? Do not overwork, it won't help. Answers will come to you at the right time.
songs: enchanted | taylor swift; that's why I love you | sir, sabrina claudio
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pile 3
You're so sweet and sensitive... please give yourself and your feelings the right importance. Put things back into the right perspective. You deserve to be cared for too. And if someone or something pains you, you should say it. At least, acknowledge that feeling, do not pretend it's fine when it's not. When you do so, you're teaching yourself (and others too) it's okay to mistreat you and to not consider yourself as important as anyone else. You're teaching yourself (and others too) you have no worth, which is untrue. You're so very worthy and fantastic. You're a blessing for those who can really see you and have you in their life. You can go distance for them... but not everyone can see it and appreciate it as they should. Many just take advantage of this.
Do not follow them, do not look over yourself to watch something that is far in the distance with them. Focus on you, on what's in front of you too (look at yourself in the mirror and start caring for the person you see there: do not hate them, they're doing their best. Cheer for them, love them as a best friend could and whatch them blossom. If it's too hard, give them a name and talk with them, help them, guide them as you would with a child or someone lost in your town -even if you don't know the roads' names, you can still help them little by little, maybe even take them where they need to go and have a chat while at it). Make your needs known, do not hide them: you're not too much, you're just human as anyone else (and if someone cannot deal with your needs or even dreams, or marks them as impossible, it's their problem not yours. Do not pick up their point of view, stick to yours. It's okay to dream and you deserve so much more than you believe). It's time to learn to shelter yourself from the harshness of the world and focus on the warmer side of it. You can find it, or you can create it. You're sweet and sensitive but you can make it, you're also very strong and you can find people that will protect and help you too. Frogs may be an omen; drawing/doodling (especially animals) can help you or you may called to do this (check the spiritual meaning of those animals if it happens).
songs: arms | christina perri; unplayed piano (instrumental version) | damien rice, lisa hannigan
#pac#pick a pile#pick a card reading#pick a photo#pick a picture#pick a card#pick a pile readings#tarot#free tarot reading#tarot readings#tarot reading#intuitive readings#clairs readings#psychic readings#divination#tarotcommunity#tarotblr#guidance#support
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i love ur blog fr⊠one of my least favorite things about the tarot community (not just kpop) is how some people alter or water down their readings (or just arenât perceptive enough) so that their content is more positive and validating for consumability⊠and the people who choose to be honest and direct get ate up đ divination can be harsh. idk why people are here expecting validation or only positive things. most of these idols are not nice!!
if you want a romantic story and enjoy living in denial, go to ao3!! wattpad or something?? yâall are looking for fanfiction. there are soooo many writing blogs on this site.
and i also have soooo much beef with like, pop culture tarot readings on youtube and tiktok that are clearlyyyyyy not too good in quality, but people eat it up blindly because it tells them things that they like to hear and never anything critical. i have a theory about that being one of the reasons why people assume honest readers have bad intentions or are hating on people. i donât think people realize just how common it is to read on someone and get the vibe that theyâre shitty in some capacity, or not even having to rely on intuition and to be directly told that there is something off about someone. idols arenât usually any better than the average person, and the average person usually has bad traits. period. some are worse than the average person.
also⊠i have a problem with how itâs seen as perfectly fine to share the positive traits weâre able to pick up on through tarot, but sharing the negatives is seen as invasive?? like girl either itâs all invasive or none of it lmaooo. youâre okay consuming content that makes you feel like youâd be attractive to someone or reading about what their personality is like, but itâs too much when that same person says that theyâd potentially be a bigot or have issues with stuff like anger? thatâs when itâs too much??? đđ
Thank you so much for stopping by to show love!! I really appreciate your perspective and agree with pretty much everything youâve said. đ©·
People were shocked by @dreamofmetoday and lâs ideal type readings being so specific and descriptive and we didnât get why until we tapped in with other peoples readings and realized most are just saying very vague things or just things that EVERYONE is looking for in a partner (for example, kind, sympathetic, loyal) or just things that make it easy to self-insert in general. I think the self-insert aspect is a main reason people put such an emphasis on only focusing on the positive.
I also get asks demanding I tell them how I get such specific and detailed answers when it comes to things like homophobia/race/misogyny whatever, and itâs like, thatâs just how it works? Makes me wish more people would get into tarot themselves so they could see.
The âromantic love storyâ crossover stuff that you mentioned is why I think youâll often come across readings, and even PACs, on here that are like a wattpad story. like you said, many readers know thereâs a large audience for this. For example when it comes to PACs, 3 pile PACs are a very quick and easy way to get followers and likes, but overall donât exert a lot of energy and limit the amount of people who can actually connect with the PAC but then each pile will be filled with nuance, details and specifics and the reader is able to just say, âtake what resonates and leave what doesnâtâ to get away with it. How is someone even supposed to know what truly resonates and what doesnât for a future spouse reading anyway? Not to mention, how can these readers suddenly get so much detail for a random pac and then not in their other readings or personal readings? Thereâs just a lot of predatory behavior in the tarot community unfortunately (thank you to melodyâs anon for helping us label this finally too), and in turn, it creates a huge misunderstanding of what to expect from readings when you know nothing about tarot.
Not saying all 3 pile PACs are bad of course btw, because that would be ridiculous. There are of course situations where the 3 pile format makes sense, but a lot of them on here are just baiting.
In regards to positives being welcomed with open arms and negatives being considered invasive, itâs literally just nonsensical and honestly, a little weird (often the result of fetishization or idolization etc. so to say this under the pretense of high morals is odd⊠to say the least). Iâve seen people say things like âwho are readers to decide whatâs a negative?â when thatâs literally not the case, itâs not a case of the reader âdecidingâ anything, Iâm literally asking specifically about the negative traits. It makes me wonder what questions other readers are actually asking in the first place to even come to the conclusion that we would assigning these traits ourselves. Or the argument that âhumans are multifaceted so we shouldnât assign them blah blah blahâ like⊠yeah⊠duh theyâre multifaceted, which is why thereâs literally a positives section? It just seems like they reach for excuses to defend their main point that the negatives of these menâs personalities just shouldnât be acknowledged. It almost makes me feel like some people make these blogs to even improve their idols overall image on a smaller scale or have more control of the perception of it.
I really LOVE how you said âitâs either all invasive or none of it isâ because thatâs something Melody and I talk about together all the time. Their love lives and âkinksâ arenât invasive topics, but everything that could ruin someoneâs fantasy about an idol is. In the end, youâre only allowed to post readings that let you daydream about being their best friend, boyfriend or girlfriend with no complications or obstacles I guess lol. Thanks again for sending this ask! It was really cool to unpack this and see that thereâs a reader/follower on the same page. đ©·
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Michael Riedel vs Bernadette Peters â the Broadway Battle of 2003 and beyond
My previous piece gives a fairly comprehensive look at Bernadette and Gypsy through the ages; though there is at least one aspect of the 2003 revival that warrants further discussion:
Namely, Michael Riedel.
Todayâs essay question then: âRiedel â gossip columnist extraordinaire, the âButcher of Broadwayâ, spited male vindictive over not getting a lunch date with Bernadette Peters, or puppet-like mouthpiece of theatreâs shadowed elite? Discuss.â
Itâs matter retrievable in print, or even kept alive in apocryphal memory throughout the theatre community to this day that Riedel was responsible for a campaign of unrelenting and caustic defamation against Bernadette as Rose in Gypsy around the 2003 season.
While âtabloids may [have been] sniping and the Internet chat rooms chirpingâ, when looking back at the minutiae, none were more vocal, prolific or influential in colouring early judgment than the âchief vulture [of] Mr. Riedel, who had written a string of vitriolic columns in which he said from the start that Ms. Peters was miscastâ.
He continued to find other complaints and regularly attack her in print over an extended period of time.
Why? Weâll get there. There are a few theories to suggest. Firstly, how and what.
Primary to establish is that it perhaps would be foolish to expect anything else of Riedel.
Also an author and radio and TV show host, Riedel is best known as the âvituperative and compulsively readableâ theatre columnist at The New York Post.
Heâs a man who thrives on controversy, decrying: âGossip is life!â
The man who says, âIâm a wimp when it comes to physical violence, but give me a keyboard and Iâll kill ya.â
âInflicting pain, for him, is a jokey thing. âMichael has this cruel streak and a lack of empathy,â says Susan Haskins, his close friend and co-host.â
And inflicting pain is what he did with Bernadette, in a saga that has become one of the most talked about and enduring moments of his career.
From the beginning, then.
Riedel started work at The Post in 1998.
His first words on Bernadette? âOddly miscast in the Ethel Merman role,â in August of that year on Annie Get Your Gun. It was a sentiment he would carry across to his second mention six months later (âa seemingly odd choice to play the robust Annie Oakleyâ), and also across to the heart of his vitriolic coverage on her next Merman role in Gypsy.
 Negative coverage on Bernadette in Gypsy started in August 2002 when Riedel discussed the search for trying to find a new American producer for the show. It had initially been reported in late 2000 that a Gypsy revival with Bernadette was planned for London, before it was to transfer to Broadway. To begin with, Arthur Laurents was âeager to do Gypsy in London because it hadn't been seen in the West End since 1973â, and he âwanted to repeat [the] dreamlike triumphâ he said Angela Lansburyâs production had been. But economic matters prevented this original plan, leaving the team looking for new producers in the US. Riedel suggested that Fran and Barry Wiessler step up as, âafter all, they managed to sell the hell out of "Annie Get Your Gun," in which PetersâŠwas also woefully miscast.â
He also quipped: âIndustry joke: "Bernadette Peters in 'Gypsy'? Isn't she a little old to be playing Baby June?â, calling her âcutesy Petersâ and again a âkewpie dollâ.
Bernadette here seen side by side with the actual Baby June of the 2003 production â Kate Reinders.
Other publications to this point had discussed her âunusualâ casting. Which was fairly self-evident. In contrast to being a surprising revelation that Bernadette Peters was not, in fact, Ethel Merman, this had been the intention from the start. Librettist Arthur âLaurents â whose idea it was to hire her â [said] going against type is exactly the point,â and Sam Mendes, as director, qualified âthe tradition of battle axes in that role has been exploredâ.
It was Riedel who was the first to shift the focus from the obvious point that she was âdifferently castâ, to instead attach the negative prefix and intone that she was actually âMISâ cast. According to him then, she was unsuitable, and would be unable to âcarry the show, dramatically or vocallyâ. All before she had so much as sung a note or donned a stitch of her costume.
So no, it wasnât then âthe perception, widely held within the theater industry,â as he presented it, âthat Peters is woefully miscast as Mama Roseâ.
It was Riedelâs perception. And he took it, and ran with it, along with whatever else he could throw into the mix to drag both her and the show down for the next two years.
 As to another indication of how one single columnist can influence opinion and warp wider perception, just look to Riedelâs assessment of the showâs first preview. It is typically known as Riedelâs forte to â[break] with Broadway convention, [where] he attends the first night of previews, and reports on the problemsâŠbefore the critics have their sayâ. This gives him âcloutâ by way of mining âterrain that goes relatively uncovered elsewhereâ, and it means subsequent journals are frequently looking to him from whom to take their lead â and quotes.
At Gypsyâs opening preview then, he reported visions of âArthur Laurents [charging] up the aisleâŠon fireâ, loudly and vocally expressing his dissatisfaction with the show as he then âread Fox [a producer] the riot actâ. Despite the fact that this was ânot true, according to Laurents,â the damage was already done, with the sentiment of trouble and tension being subsequently reprinted and distributed out to the public across many a regional paper.
News travels fast, bad news travels faster.
 And news can be created at an ample rate, when in possession of oneâs own regular periodical column. This recurring domain allowed plentiful opportunity for attack on Bernadette and Gypsy, and Riedel âbegan devoting nearly every column to the subject,â which amounted to weekly or even more frequent references.
As the show progressed beyond its first preview, Riedel brought in the next aspects of his smear-campaign â assailing Bernadette for missing performances through illness and accusing Ben Brantley, who reviewed the show positively in The New York Times, of unfair favouritism and âhyperbolic spinâ.
The issue is not that Bernadette was not in fact ill or missing performances. She was. She had a diagnosis at first of âa cold and vocal strainâ, that then progressed more seriously to a ârespiratory infectionâ the following week, and was âtold by her doctors that she needs to restâ. So rest she did.
The issue is the way in which Riedel depicted the situation and her absences via hyperbole and âinsinuating she was shirkingâ responsibility. He went further than continual, repeated mentions and cruel article titles like âwilted Roseâ, or âsick Rose losing bloomâ, or âbeloved but - ahem-cough-cough-ahem - vocally challenged and miscast starâ. He went as far as the sensationalist and degrading action of putting âPeters' face on the side of a milk carton, the kind of advertisement typically used to recover lost children,â and asking readers to look out for âbee-stung lips, [a] high-pitched voice, [and a] kewpie doll figureâ, who âmay be clutching a box of tissues and a love letter from Ben Brantleyâ.
It was quantified in May of 2003 after the show had officially opened, that âout of the 39 performances "Gypsy" has played so far, [Bernadette] has missed six â an absence rate of 15 percent.â
As an interesting comparison, it was reported in The Times in February 2002 that ââThe Producers' stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick have performed together only eight times in last 43 performances due to scheduling problems and health concerns,â â an absence rate of 81%.
Did Riedel have anything nearly as ardent to say about the main male stars of the previous seasonâs hit missing such a rate of performances? Of course not.
 Riedel arguably has a disproportionate rate for criticising female divas.
One need only heed his recommendations that certain women check into his illuminatingly named âRosie's Rest Home for Broadway Divas.â Divos need not apply.
Not that he was unaware of this.
In 2004, Riedel would jovially lay out that âLiz Smith and I have developed a nice tag-team act: I bash fragile Broadway leading ladies who miss performances, and she rides to their rescue.â
Donna Murphy was the recipient of what he that year dubbed his âBERNADETTE PETERS ATTENDANCE AWARDâ, when she began missing performances in âWonderful Townâ, due to âsevere back and neck injuries and a series of colds and sinus infectionsâ.
This speaks to his remarkably cavalier and joyful attitude with which he tears down shows and performers. âThe more Mr. Riedel's work upsets people, the more he enjoys it.â
He knows he yields influence â it was recognised he had âeclipsed Ben Brantley as the single most discussed element in marketing meetings for Broadway showsâ â and he delights in his capacity to lead shows to premature demises through his poison-tipped quill yielding.
When it was reported Gypsy would be closing earlier than had been planned, he made mention of âhop[ping] around on [its] graveâ and debonairly applauding himself, âI suppose I can take some credit for bringing it downâ.
 His premonition from the previous yearâs Tonyâs ceremony was both ominous and prescient, when he predicted the showâs failure to win any awards âcould spell trouble at the box officeâ. He was right. It did. The 8.5 million dollar revival closed months before anticipated and failed to return a profit.
Multiple factors can be attributed to Gypsyâs poor success at the Tonyâs, but itâs clear to say Riedelâs continual bashing leading up to the fated night throughout the voting period certainly didnât help matters.
His suggestions to do with Bernadetteâs performances were not helpful either.
After alleging Laurents as the director of the 1991 revival âpractically beat a performance out ofâ Tyne Daly when she was struggling with the role, he proffers that to improve Bernadetteâs success, âit may be time for [Laurents] to take up the switch and thrash one out of Petersâ.
Great.
It was irresponsible and unrelenting commentary that did not go unnoticed.
His âruthless heckling of beloved Broadway star Ms. Petersâ was deemed in print âhis most egregious stunt so farâ.
Vividly, in person, Riedel was accosted at a party one night by Floria Lasky, the venerable showbiz lawyer, who âgrab[bed] Riedelâs tie and jerk[ed] it, nooselike, scolding, âIt was unfair, what you did to Bernadetteââ.
Moreover, the wide-reaching influential hold Riedel occupied over the environment surrounding Gypsy was tangible in the fact his words spread beyond just average readers, and even unusually âstarted seeping into the reviews of New York's top criticsâ. Riedel himself, as the âchief vultureâ, was indeed what Ben Brantley was referring to in his own New York Times review by stating how the production was âshadowed by vultures predicting disasterâ.
Even more substantially, the âwhole Peters-Riedel-Brantley episodeâ became its own enduring cultural reference â being converted into its very own âsatiric cabaret piece, âBernadette and the Butcher of Broadwayââ. All three parties were featured, with Riedel characterised as the butcher, and it played Off-Broadway later in 2003 âto positive noticesâ.
 But penitent for his sins and begging for absolution Riedel was not. âRiedel saw nothing but a great story and a great time,â and for many years after, he would continue to hark back to the matter in self-referential (almost reverential) and flippant ways.
In 2008 as Patti LuPone won her Tony for her turn as Rose in the subsequent revival, Riedel couldnât help but jibe, âNot to rip open an old wound, but I'd love to know if Bernadette Peters was watchingâ. (He neglects also to mention that âMendesâs Gypsy was seen by 100,000 more people than saw Laurentsâs and grossed $6 million moreâ.)
More jibes are to be found in 2012 as he reported on the auction after Arthur Laurentsâ funeral, or even as recently in 2019, as he asked, âRemember the outcry that greeted Sam Mendesâ Brechtian âGypsy,â with Bernadette Peters, in 2003?â
As with in 2004 where he points to the âpack of jackals who have been snarlingâ about Bernadetteâs failures, this brings up the canny knack Riedel has of offloading his views to bigger and detached third party sources â thus absolving himself of personal centrality, and thus culpability.
If there was an outcry, HE was its loudest contributor. If there were snarling jackals, HE was their leader.
Maybe Riedelâs third person detached approach to referencing matters was intended to be a humorous stylistic quirk for those in the know. Or maybe it was his way of expressing some inner turmoil over the event.
In some rare display of morality and emotional authenticity, Riedel would at one point admit âI find it kind of sad and pathetic that the high point of my life supposedly has been about beating up on Bernadette Petersâ.
Fortunately for him then, a degree of absolution was eventually achieved in 2018, where Riedel visited Bernadette at her opening night in Hello Dolly in 2018, with the intention of ending their â15-year feudâ. He âgot down on one knee at Sardiâs and extended his hand,â with Bernadette reportedly yelling âTake a picture!â while he held his deferential and obsequious position on the floor.
So if eventually this âfeudâ has some kind of circular resolution and Riedel was glad it was over, why on earth did it begin in the first place?
One notion is that it was simply another day on the job. Riedel is a man who sees Broadway as âa game for rich peopleâ. Positioned as an âan industry that brought in $720.9 million in the 2002-2003 seasonâ, it is ânot a fragile businessâ, he remarked. As such, he â[could not] fathom the point of donning kid glovesâ in covering it, and reasoned the business as a whole was robust enough to weather a few hard knocks. âThus, Riedel can coolly view Bernadette Peters as fair game, as opposed to, say, a national treasureâ.
More to the point, he was a man in search of words. During the season in question, Riedel was âone of just three New York newspaper columnists covering the stageâ â a âthrowback to a bygone era whenâŠBroadway gossipmeistersâŠsuch as Walter Winchell and Dorothy Kilgallen ruledâ. Now at the time, as the âlast of a great tabloid traditionâ, Riedel presided over not just one but two columns a week at The Post. As a result, he was in need of content. âOne of the reasons I've become more opinionated is I just have more space to fill,â he admitted. Robert Simonson hypothesises in his book âOn Broadway Men, Still Wear Hatsâ that Riedel may have consequently picked âthe thrashing of Bernadetteâ as his main target simply because âit was a slow news cycleâ. Options for âtitillatingâ and durable content were scarce elsewhere that season.
And after all, if Riedel would later cite Bernadette in an article concerning the Top 10 Powerhouses of Broadway in 2004, saying even despite a few knocks or bad shows, âsheâll bounce backâ â surely there was no real damage done.
If her career wouldnât be toppled by his continual public defamation and haranguing, what was the harm?
Feelings? Who cares about feelings or Bernadetteâs extremely complex and personal history with the show stretching back to when she was a teenager.
It was just part of the territory, there was nothing personal in it.
 Or was there?
Maybe there was something personal in Riedelâs campaign after all.
He makes a curious comment while discussing âA Raisin in the Sunâ in 2004. The then incoming star of the show, rapper P. Diddy, had invited Riedel to dinner, and he makes judgement that this was âa smart p.r. moveâ. Then he ponders, âyou do have to wonder: If Bernadette Peters had broken bread with me this time last year, would her chorus boys have to be out there now working the TKTS line to keep "Gypsy" afloat?â
Might he be going as far to suggest that if Bernadette had indulged him in a meal, her show might not have suffered so, by way of him being more inclined to cover it with greater lenience?
It may seem that way, at least in considering how Riedel reviewed P. Diddyâs performance thus after their dinner: âRiedel pronounced himself impressed. âHe could have forgotten his lines or had to be carried offstage. He didnât do anything terrible, he didnât do anything astonishing.ââ
Seemingly all the rapper had to do was remember some words and remain physically onstage, and he sails through scot-free. Thatâs a rather different outcome, one could say, to being absolutely eviscerated for what became a Tony nominated effort at one of the appreciably hardest and most demanding musical theatre roles in existence.
Though perhaps itâs hard to tell if that was really his insinuation from just one isolated comment pertaining to lunch.
This argument might be fine, if it WAS the only isolated comment pertaining to wanting Bernadette to have lunch with him. But it isnât. Riedel continues to make a further two references over protracted periods of time to the fact Bernadette hasnât dined with him.
One begins to get the sense of him feeling desiring of or somewhat entitled to such a private lunch with the lady heâs verbally decimated for years, and a sense of bitter rejection that he hasnât been granted one.
âIf Tonya Pinkins doesn't win the Tony Award this year, I'll buy Bernadette Peters lunch,â he simpered, and later, âI invite Bernadette to be my guest for lunch at a restaurant of her choosing. She can reach me at The Post anytime she's hungryâ.
The embittered columnist in this light takes on now the marred tinge of a small boy in the playground who doesnât get to hold the hand of the girl he wants in front of his friends, so spends the next three years pushing her over in the sandpit in revenge.
Moreover, the last statement makes undeniable comment on Bernadetteâs troubled relationship with food, body image and public eating.
So now not only so far has he insulted and mocked her physical appearance and played into all the usual trite shots calling her a âkewpie dollâ; suggested Arthur Laurents violently hit her in order to elicit a better performance; continually publicly harassed her regarding a show that strikes close to the nerve with deep personal and psychological resonances due to her mother and childhood; but now heâs going for the low-blows of ridiculing her over her eating habits.
Flawless behaviour.
 Maybe itâs far-fetched to suggest a man would have such a fragile ego to run a multi-year public defamation campaign after so little as not getting his hypothesised fantasy of a personal lunch date. But then again, this was the man who âleft Johns Hopkins University after his first year because of a broken heart.â (âI was in love with her; she wasn't in love with me,â he said.)
And also the man described as âan insomniac who pops the occasional Ambien,â living in a âsmall one-bedroomâ that is âsingle-guy sloppyâ, who has âbeen living alone since a four-year romance ended in 1996â.
The man whose own best friend called âcruelâ and with a âlack of empathyâ.
The man whose own sister answered that âwell, yes,â heâs always been mean; and after being picked on as a kid for âbeing the small guy and the intellectualâ, he grew dependent on using âhis verbal ability to beat someoneâ and put himself in positions of defensive impenetrability.
See, writing Riedel-esque, vindictive and provocative conjecture is no especially challenging or cerebral task.
Riedel may well see his approach to âjournalismâ or reporting as âall fun and gamesâ.
But I for one am not laughing.
 One final aspect to address when considering Riedelâs reasoning for the depth of his coverage on Bernadette demands attention of how he gets his information. His own personal opinions and motivations aside, crucially he depends on insider providers for insider details. Perhaps somewhat alarmingly then, âleading Broadway producers themselves are among his sourcesâ.
âHalf of Broadway hates him. The other half leaks to himâ, John Heilpern titled his 2012 Vanity Fair profile on Riedel.
As such, in frequently taking his lead from âtheater folk, usually with an ax to grindâ, Riedel acts as the mouthpiece to bring secretive backstage reports out front. High-up, influential characters are thus able to funnel their agendas into public view, while keeping their identities hidden.
Notably, it was raised in the above article that Riedelâs ïżœïżœmerciless running storyâ regarding Bernadette in Gypsy âwas fed by none other than its renowned librettist, Arthur Laurentsâor, more precisely, by Laurents's loverâ.
Contrary to the smiley picture below between members of the showâs creative team and itâs beloved star, it was no secret that Laurents did not like Mendesâ 2003 revival. Laurents told Riedel that âSam did a terrible disservice to Bernadette and the play, and I wanted a Gypsy seen in New York that was good⊠You have to have musical theater in your bones, and Sam doesn'tâ. In fact, Laurents admitted the only reason his 2009 book âMainly on Directingâ came into existence was because of how much he had to criticise about the show â it grew out of the extensive set of notes he gave Mendes.
Additionally, it was no secret that Laurentsâ lover, Tom Hatcher, demonstrated both a desire and capacity to influence Arthurâs productions. As well as being the driving force for the 2009 Spanish-speaking reworking of West Side Story, Hatcher had intense investment in Gypsy specifically. Patti LuPone writes in her memoir, âFrom his deathbed, Tom had told Arthur, âYou have to do Gypsy, and you have to do it with Pattiâ. It was one of his dying wishesâ. Laurents himself, in corroboration of this, explained Tomâs reasoning â âhe didn't want the Sam Mendes production to be New York's last memory of Gypsyâ.
The allegation in Heilpernâs profile might be hard to prove from an outsider perspective. But given that neither were happy with Mendesâ production and both actively took steps to ensuring it would be superseded in memory, it is not completely implausible.
 Overarchingly, as much as Riedelâs writing may benefit FROM insider sources, it is said he does not write in benefit OF them. For instance, although friends with Scott Rudin in 2004, an animated (nay threatening) warning from Mr Rudin asking Riedel to âback offâ from âslammingâ his show, Caroline or Change, seemingly âhad no impactâ.
Thatâs not to cite total impartiality or exemption from personal connections and higher up influences colouring his reports of shows. Theatre publicist John Barlow would describe that sometimes âif you ask Michael to kill [one of his pieces], he will, if itâs someone with whom he does businessâ.
But it would be remiss not to mention that his influences and sources stretch beyond just the big wigs. Amongst his other informants too are the more lowly, overlooked folk like âthe stagehands, the ushers, chorus kids, house managers, and press agents⊠the guys who build sets in the Bronxâ. Basically, for anyone whoâll talk, Riedel will listen.
âMichael Riedel doesn't work for the producers or the publicists; he works for the reader,â one publicist said. âSometimes we're glad of that, sometimes we're not-but at the end of the day, that's the reality.â
Sometimes heâs nice, sometimes heâs not â but the world goes round.
Through all thatâs been explored, it should be stated how painful and injurious it must be for individual performers or shows to fall upon the unmitigated, maiming force of being on the wrong side of Riedelâs favour. The way he approached coverage on Bernadette is deplorable from an emotional and personal standpoint. Some would argue that it was too far and crossed a line and was most definitely unfair. Others would say it was justified. Itâs hard not to sound petulant as the former, or heartless as the latter.
While his actions may indeed be abrasively wounding in isolated (often plentiful) cases, itâs unreasonable to say Riedelâs intentions would be to cripple the Broadway industry as a whole. There are those who purport that Riedel in fact âkeeps Broadway alive with his controversiesâ. His words may not always be âniceâ but itâs difficult to argue they're not engaging.
Many are quick to criticize or react impassionedly to him and his columns; but few are quick to stop reading them. And Riedel âknows that the most important thing is being well readâ.
Hence it is understandable why Riedel is appraised as âthe columnist Broadway loves to hateâ. Through his enthralling and stimulating bag of linguistic and dramatic tricks, Riedel knows how to keep the readers coming back. âHeâs lively, and he makes the theater seem like an interesting place,â one producer did reason.
âThere are times when no one's going to care about Broadway if you don't have a gossip angle that focuses on the backstage drama,â opined George Rush, the Daily News gossip columnist who was once Riedel's boss.
Perhaps it is logically and principally then, if somewhat cynically, a matter of believing âit's just businessâ and knowing how to âplay the gameâ.
As Riedel himself would rationalise, âItâs all an act. You gotta have a gimmick, as they say in Gypsy.â
It may not be pleasant, but in a world increasingly dependent on sensationalistic and clickbait-driven engagement, itâs probably not going to change any time soon.
 Well then, if he can live with the toll of the position of moral tumult his column puts him in, so be it.
That he described his mind as being âconstantly on the next deadlineâ, saying âI always think about the columnâ, and likening writing it to âstanding under a windmillâ, where âyou dodge one blade, but there's always another one coming right behind itâ, may be some indication that he can't. At least not wholly easily.
Iâll leave that to him to figure out. Off the record.
#Bernadette Peters#gypsy#gypsy the musical#gypsy musical#michael riedel#new york post#ben brantley#stephen sondheim#arthur laurents#sam mendes#tony awards#Broadway#Off Broadway#broadway musicals#musicals#musical theatre#theatre#new york times#new york#donna murphy#liz smith#newspaper#columnist#celeb gossip#hello dolly#ethel merman#broadway musical#actress
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Tagged by @tumbleweedtech!!
What is your total word count on AO3?
Oh thank god you're asking me to look there where they calculate it for me so i don't have to try and figure it out across all eleventy-million of my fucking WIPs xD.
uhhhhh looks like...274,424 heh. that's lower than i thought but then again I post very little of what i actually write so...
How many fandoms have you written for?
On AO3? if I lump the related ones together (which i do) it's 4. If we're talking across the board in general? uh...f u c k. there's so much i haven't posted or thought about posting yet. just go ahead and like. add ten more on top of the four fandoms on AO3 i think that's about close if we're counting crossovers and inspired-bys
What were your top 5 fics by kudos?
Right Back to the Beginning
Constellations
Please, What?
Spearwort, Iris and Ash: Spearwort Yellow for Joy
Lia & Em's Adventure In Thedas Part I: The Wrath of Heaven
Do you respond to comments - why, why not?
I... want to? I try sometimes, if someone's comment touches me or came at a particularly bad time. It's overwhelming to respond to people - I'm a lurker by nature and never really grew out of the habit of teen-me knowing i wasn't supposed to be looking at the fics i was reading and so i wouldn't interact with them or the authors at all. So it can be hard to like. reconcile that I'm a fully grown adult person who is allowed to not only read and write what i enjoy but also that like. other adult people are reading and enjoying what i write? and that they'd want to tell me? I admit to also falling out of what little habit i'd started due to continued weirdly critical (yet not *negative*) comments that just. rub me the wrong way so I can't figure out how to respond? yeah.
What's your fic with the angsty-est ending?
Again I guess if we're going by what's actually posted, I'd probably have to say the Super Fucking Old fic I added from my FF.net days: A Late Summer Afternoon (hopefully that's the right link - sometimes copy and paste doesn't work the way i want). warnings for MCD. I...imagine you might be able to pick up on why that one's my angstiest ending xD I generally try to like. end my stories on a positive note? even if it's not all better yet - so the second angstiest would be Color of Your Eyes or Have This probably. Likely more Have This over Color of Your Eyes but they're both relatively tame as compared to my earliest writing xD
Do you write crossovers?
Uh...yes but i haven't posted any yet. Most of the reason nothing I write gets posted is because I am incapable of writing small projects and I get nervous about posting chapters before i know where i story is going yet because i feel like i can't edit if it's been posted? Anyway I'm going to try and get over that eventually. Not right now, though. I still have to edit some stuff.
Have you ever received hate on a fic?
Hate is a strong word. I...assume most people who have commented mean well, regardless of how their comments may come off to me on my end. Several have rubbed me the wrong way due to phrasing and an inability to read tone over text-based communication, but I refuse to believe they would have kept reading if they didn't like most of the story. Certainly it has been generally positive feedback across the board so I don't feel comfortable at all calling any negative comments i've received (intentional or not) "hate"
Have you ever had a story stolen?
As far as I'm aware, no. Thankfully I tend to write shit that people just don't care that much about so I'm pretty safe I think. Watch that come bite me in the ass xD
Have you ever had a fic translated?
Nah. I hope one day to be proficient in my target language and will be able to translate my own fics myself but see aforementioned note about how no one really cares that much about what i write xD it won't happen unless i do it myself.
What is your all time favourite pairing?
You want me? to pick favorites? in THIS economy?
What is a fic you would like to finish but don't think you ever will?
currently none are looking like "never gonna finish"es which is good. RBttB sat unfinished for a long while and I probably won't polish the ending on that one, but it's technically done. I also don't want to finish that one either so. it wouldn't have fulfilled the requirements of the question.
Writing strengths?
You want me? to compliment myself? in THIS econo- alright alright i know, it's a terrible joke. Uh...I understand i'm pretty good at smut. and descriptions? i think? I feel like my humor is unparalleled but that's also because i'm pretty sure i'm the funniest person in my apartment (we'll just casually not mention i live alone...) Seamless integration of current and historical memes? Puns? i don't know. i am super confident about writing but i couldn't tell you for sure what i'm actually strong at.
Writing weaknesses?
uh. Getting anything finished. endings. d i a l o g u e. writing. flow. pacing. repetition. writing. see what i did there? i told you my humor was awesome. no but really i struggle with actually starting to write and then it ends up being a lot of me repeating myself a bunch until i find the sentence or four that work best. and like. my pacing is weird so it can be hard to...figure out what i'm trying to say? oh and commas. i use commas wrong.
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages?
I enjoy the shit out of it. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but I try really hard to get it right. if I'm not 100% positive it's correct I will change the whole sentence. mostly because i only know a handful of people who know languages other than English and I am bad at reaching out for help when I need it. mostly the second part though.
What was the first fandom you wrote for?
YuYu Hakusho! A friend and I wrote this epic fucking self-insert not-quite-isekai style fanfic back and forth in notebooks back in the 6th grade (which was about...oh. nearly 20 years ago jesus i'm old). Only one of my notebooks survived when she decided anime was demons and the devil trying to tempt her away from Jesus so a lot of the story was lost. It was also in pencil so it's half worn out of the notebook as it is. then there was the phase i went through where i decided i could make my notebooks more interesting by cutting them into shapes which lost me a bit of text in the margins that i'd forgotten about... look we're mostly lucky i had it at all or that i've kept it all these years. Why do i still have it?...hm.
What's your favourite fic?
Of mine? So far it's probably a toss-up between Spearwort, Iris and Ash and Lia & Em's Adventure in Thedas. you know. My two biggest projects Oh...oh possibly also the Current-Reworking-The-Title fic I've started that I've not posted anything of yet in the Arcana fandom. Which is also a huge major project. I don't write small if I can help it, apparently.
of someone else's? You want me? to choose favorites? in THIS- yes i know that's the same joke three times. I think it changes based on what I need most out of my fic reading experience. I have an extensive bookmark collection on AO3. one of them in there's probably holding a spot as favorite, most likely.
Tagging: @concertconfetti, @daughterofdungeonbat, and anyone else who wants to do this! If you want a specific tag to do this, please LMK and i'll tag you <33
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Youâre a disgusting, abuse-survivor-shaming cunt. I hope you choke, I truly do.
So I get way more of these kinds of messages than I could possibly ever count. Have been for years. I donât generally reply to them the way I mock some other hate messages I can at least have fun with, because like, whatâs there to say about this kinda thing, yâknow?
I donât know how to get people to understand that there is NOTHING hypothetical about my anger about the things in fandom I get angry about. My rants about dark fic are PERSONAL, they have NOTHING to do with some arbitrary moral superiority stance. I donât make assumptions as to othersâ survivor status or motivations for writing various things because I donât HAVE to, my anger and frustration are with the OUTPUT, not the inciting reasons.Â
My hostility towards fandom comes directly from the hostility fandom shows me every time people try to convince me that I have no reason to have the reactions I do to the way they interact with the extremely combustible topics that define my own trauma and that of others. And the fact that fandom at large has decided that the ONLY acceptable reactions from survivors upon seeing others engaging with these sensitive topics in any way they choose, is either to be silent, or to take part in it.Â
I donât have to know which writers of which fics are or arenât actually survivors attempting coping mechanisms of their own to be fucking furious at the way fandom has literally commodified these traumas, made them exploitable by making the catchphrase âsome people write dark fic to copeâ all-inclusive, utilized by anyone. With no shame or self-scrutiny as to the fact that YOU at least know if you are or arenât a survivor, and if you arenât one, you have ZERO business offering this particular line up as a defense to any survivor taking issue with the ways you embrace particular topics in particular ways.
The only things I have any interest in shaming people for is their choices, the fucking CHOICE to turn on any survivor who dares say âI have issues with this takeâ and this goes for abuse as much as it does rape. Iâve lost count of the number of authors over the years who HAVE spoken of being rape survivors specifically but then turn around and treat childhood physical abuse as their personal playground, with none of the care they put into crafting rape storylines on display when they casually have male abuse survivors punching each other in every other argument and just citing âboys will be boys.â I can have sympathy for their status and experiences as rape survivors while still being upset at how they simultaneously perpetuate so many of the untruths that make it so hard for abuse survivors to affirm that they have actually been abused rather than call it something that its not, something that theyâve seen writers call it because the writers simply donât want to inspect the fact that theyâve casually and without awareness written their characters abusing another.
Itâs not a zero sum game.
I get angry not because I feel powerless in my own life (I donât, actually, thanks, Iâve taken actionable steps every single day to fix whatâs wrong in my own life and lol thatâs power baby), and not because Iâm fixated on my own trauma and unwilling to move past it (lol yeah I have no money to spend on anything BUT therapy because Iâm committing to the highly specialized and expensive therapy I only arrived at after years of trial and error with other forms because I just donât want to move past any of this, okay sure).
Nah, I get angry because of the galaxy brain intellects who smarmingly just decide on this view of me for themselves, condescension dripping from every âwell-meaningâ expression of contempt sympathy, with zero examination of the fact that like.....idk guys, its a little hard to move past my trauma when everyone ELSE seems more fixated on it than I do! LOL, so weâre just gonna skip merrily on by the fact that the only reason its an ISSUE for me in fandom is because its EVERYWHERE in fandom, huh? âMind the tagsâ people parrot mindlessly, as though its not like tags HAVE to be created with self-awareness for what people are supposed to mind, or like I havenât had people literally try to trigger me with tags aimed specifically at getting under my skin as âpaybackâ for something I wrote (out of moral superiority, naturally, not a visceral display of emotion, never that). As though the tags have anything to do with the fact that even outside of Ao3, there are incest-themed shipping weeks every single month of the year, that every major discord server and fic exchange and other fandom wide event demands participants be âship-friendlyâ which might as well be code for ânot friendly to anyone who doesnât prioritize ships over survivors,â like fandom hasnât created a culture in which people are more inclined to be defensive over how people make writers FEEL about stuff theyâve written than they are to be defensive over how certain writing makes various survivors feel.
Iâll never get over how a fandom that universally expressed disdain for Devin Graysonâs disrespectful handling of the sensitive topic of rape has obliviously embraced every form of euphemism under the sun for their own content, and just flat out REFUSES to concede that there is ANY room for criticism in ANY handling of even the most sensitive of topics. Because thereâs no sensitivity allowed when it comes to any topic in fandom....unless its the writerâs sensitivity, that must be respected at all costs.
Does that not really strike you as....odd? Arenât there lines out there about how no society or culture or environment that truly embraces free speech can simultaneously embrace freedom from criticism? And yet time and time again, its anyone who dares criticize - in ANY fashion - the HOW of what someone wrote, not even the WHY, theyâre the ones termed authoritarian, censor, the one attempting to SHUT DOWN conversation rather than expand upon it. Tell me, what conversation was THIS anon and similar ilk attempting to invite? Every criticism I write of fandom invites people to engage with it. I fucking BEG people to engage with it. Youâre the ones who choose not to. At least not in good faith. Because its only when I refuse to let you move the goalposts from anything other than this being about me reacting to what you wrote, no aim at doing anything other than being a reaction to an action, not an attempt to tell you what to do, just an attempt to get you to tell me WHY, if it really is as defensible as you loftily claim it is - then why is it you just canât tell me, straight to my face, that it doesnât matter what negative reaction your writing evokes, you donât actually have to care? Cuz you donât, of course. But if youâre that content with your own motivations, your own impact, why so uncomfortable just saying that?
The funny thing is, I truly donât make any assumptions as to the why of anyone writing dark fic. I have a lot to say about the fact that we all know damn well that at least some of the people offering up the âsome survivors use dark fic to copeâ arenât speaking of themselves when they do so, but I have ZERO interest in imagining who that is and why. Iâve spoken of the fact that its willful naivete to assume that even if your own motivations for writing certain content are innocent in your own mind, you canât assume the same of EVERYONE. That its nothing but willfulness to pretend that actual predators donât peruse the same content. That the very same factors that make Dick Grayson so appealing to survivors, for example, as a strong heroic character who neverthless has been victimized and violated more than once - the flip side of this coin is this of course makes him EQUALLY appealing to people on the other end of things....a strong heroic character who nevertheless can be victimized and violated more than once.
And yet I honestly, truly have no interest in figuring out who might be whom, when it comes to writers, and I donât assume everyone who writes or reads certain content in certain ways is in the latter camp. IT DOES ME NO GOOD, to go through life assuming that many people are all potential rapists or inclined to side with my own rapistsâ or abusersâ side of things. I CHOOSE to give people the benefit of the doubt there, I assume perhaps they ARE survivors trying in good faith to cope with their own trauma and defensive about hearing that butts up against with other survivors trying to move on in other ways, or that theyâre simply people who grew up in fandom being told there is nothing they can write that can be termed wrong, and have trouble with such a deeply held conviction being contested. Or perhaps only got into shipping incest because the âfandom eldersâ of various fandoms like SPN deliberately and with full intent once upon a time pitched incest as being the same kind of taboo relationship that the same kind of people who forced gay men into secretive relationships were against....that incest ships and closeted gay ships were basically the same, and so as the latter became less of a thing as media showed more open gay relationships, incest ships became more of a thing among fans who were really compelled by the secretive/âsocietyâs against themâ aspect of forbidden love.
I donât assume any of that on a ONE TO ONE basis with any single writer or reader because I donât KNOW their personal story and Iâm not TRYING to. It makes no difference when Iâm not talking about or arguing against the WHY of someone doing a thing, but the HOW. The end result, and the interactions it creates in the environment in which their output is published, shared, celebrated.
All at the expense of any survivor who doesnât enjoy seeing things theyâve struggled with getting taken seriously about, maybe all their lives....not taken seriously, and offered up as just a themed week on the latest fantasy porn prompt generator. The problem with incest shippers isnât even just âyou ship incest, why do you do that,â its that you canât seem to manage to do it without assuming anyone who objects is only doing so out of a place of moral superiority. You try and make it a hypothetical argument âwell what about when you do thisâ as opposed to something rooted in the here and now of the personal. Weâre not talking about what ifs, weâre talking about what is. Deal with that before you try raising something else, instead of always raising something else so you never have to deal with that.Â
The problem is people condescendingly assuming we have ZERO basis for any objection, or any negative reaction at all. Its our own fault, you see, for being too stupid to get that fiction doesnât affect reality (even though weâve debunked that time and time again). Its our own fault, you see, for not getting that its not really incest BECAUSE (a claim that is never actually as universal as it tries to pretend to be, and thus is never more than a distraction for the specific argument that prompted it). Its our own fault, you see, for not getting that this isnât really a big deal, there are bigger problems, and its awfully sad if weâre so fragile and delicate we canât handle someone enjoying something that has nothing to do with us (even though its never your call whether or not it has anything to do with us, just as its never our call what your specific motivations for writing specific content might be).
The problem is the same thing Iâve been dealing with all my life, and all the more exhausting for it being front and center in fandoms that claim to be escapism and catharsis for survivors....as long as those survivors perform in the manner fandom is comfortable with....aka the manner fandom has exploited and commodified in order to make certain manners of enjoying certain topics possible and defensible for ALL fans, regardless of their own connection to such topics, or motivations surrounding them.
Denial, avoidance, and abdication of responsibility. Thereâs no problem if YOU donât see a problem, after all. There canât be a problem if you just refuse to acknowledge a problem. A problem has nothing to do with you if you simply have nothing to do with it.
And all the while, you continue engaging in the same behaviors that provoke the same reactions that you refuse to ever actually engage with or address, relying on gaslighting to try and sell people and everyone around them that THEYâRE the real problem....its us that have no respect for freedom of speech, creativity or the creative process, other peoplesâ traumas, the difference between fantasy and reality, etc etc ad nauseam.
We see people waving away instances of physical abuse with textbook abuse apologism, and weâre told we donât know what weâre talking about. We see people offering up wording and phrasing in the comment sections of fics that are literally textbook grooming techniques we recognize from our own experiences and weâre told weâre imagining things. We see characters raping others without it being described as rape and weâre told we didnât mind the tags, even though oddly enough, none of the tags actually said ârapeâ but rather other euphemisms and if they arenât in place to tell readers not to expect actual rape in the actual fic, then, what purpose is it they actually serve, again?
But sure.
Talk to me some more about survivor-shaming.Â
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COVID-19 and You
The Pandemic, the one and only COVID-19, itâs affected each and every one of us in a number of ways. We have all undoubtably lost somethingâŠ
a) Â Â A loved one or friend
b) Â Â A job
c) Â Â A friendship
d) Â Â A relationship
e) Â Â Our motivation
f) Â Â Â Our hope
g) Â Â Maybe even all of the above? (If you have, my heart goes out to you)
This life changing event has had so much impact on people of all ages, and for myself it greatly affected what I thought would be an exciting time in my life. I was supposed to finish sixth form, have fun, go to May ball (Iâve never even been to prom so was definitely looking forward to this- but yeah not the biggest issue in the world I know), sit my a-levels, have my 18th birthday and go out, enjoy summer and prepare for uni. Instead, it all got cancelled. My birthday spent at home with my family, no goodbyes at school, most of my summer spent at home, and planning for uniâŠonline. These âproblemsâ may see ridiculous to some of you, however I lost out on this time in my life I think so many of us look forward to. This loss, whilst still struggling with my mental health after the loss of my mum took a huge toll on me. My motivation left entirely, and I didnât want to do anything, let alone help myself. I was in a state of depression and bad mental health, but for some time I didnât even realise it. I didnât care for myself, and since then Iâve learnt to recognise when my mood changes, when I need a little extra love for myself, and when I need to keep an eye on how Iâm doing in order to prevent slipping back down that spiral (I still have bad days of course this is normal! Just not to the extreme of bad months). As I wrote about in my blog on keeping on the upwards spiral, itâs all about mindset and recognising your needs and emotions and acknowledging them to help yourself. However, back then it wasnât so simple, I held onto the hope of seeing people and although it was crushed by news so many times, a small glint of hope was still there, a small light in a place full of darkness. Holding onto hope in times like this is something so crucial, if you canât care for yourself in any other way, just have hope, no matter how small, because that will get you through. If you donât think you even have that communicate it with somebody, anybody. Ask for help. Donât feel guilty, we all need help at points and lockdown has proven to be such an isolating experience, so donât fear reaching out. Do that small thing for yourself and you will benefit. I believed I wasnât helping myself at all, yet that hope I had was a small portion of help. There was more I couldâve and shouldâve done, but its all about learning and growing from our experiences, realising our priorities, and then learning how to care for them. Our number one priority is ourselves and often we realise this after going through bad time, commonly because we donât want it to happen again and we want to do anything to prevent it, which means caring and looking out for ourselves. So, if youâve struggled in lockdown, 1, 2, 3 or all of them, youâre okay, youâre here, and youâre learning, and you will get there. You are never alone, and donât judge yourself if itâs taken time for you to learn you need to have more self-care, and more self-love. The fact is you have realised or are realising and that is such important, brilliant progress.
This pandemic has enforced an abundance of things as well as causing losses. Itâs forced more alone time, less freedom, delayed plans, serious relationships and all-round new ways of life. More alone time can have serious effects on mental health like I just shared, however I have come to learn what a great opportunity it has been and will continue to be (just because were not in lockdown forever doesnât mean you canât continue spending some serious time with yourself!). Being alone enforces us to be more reliant on nobody but ourselves, more independence is gained, and even new skills are formed. It took me to become really down and lost to see I needed and wanted help, I reached for it and tried my upmost not to let go, I worked on myself and slowly found new methods of healing myself to become a better me. Iâm not all the way there yet either, Iâm still learning and understanding myself more and more every day. This is an ever-changing process with infinite goals, and by having the knowledge and ability to critically view ourselves we are able to continue this growth. Alone time now is less daunting, but do not worry if it still is for you, itâs a case of understanding what you want and realising that your mental health is important, and only you can care for it. Once you have that mindset you can begin a number of things to help, you can read books if youâre into that, especially self-help ones (trust me and give it a go, even if itâs an audio book, they really can inspire!), you can pick up new hobbies like drawing or sewing or baking, you can exercise, you can become mindful and practise meditation, you can take time to understand you. In changing my mindset and learning more about self-love, self-care and positivity, I myself have picked up new hobbies; Iâm enjoying reading a lot more, especially these motivational self-help books like âGood vibes Goof lifeâ by Vex King, I love cross-stitch, itâs so relaxing and Iâm a very creative person, I practice mindfulness, and most importantly to come out of this is my writing and starting this blog. I was inspired by others, but I also inspired myself. So, my advice is to you is to become your own inspiration, strive for your goals and have confidence in yourself.
As well as enforcing alone time, the lockdowns have also caused many people to have very serious relationships when possibly that wouldâve been further down the line. This will of course lead to tensions and possibly even a loss of the relationship entirely. But its key to remember although you and your partner may have had to make serious decisions like moving in together or staying apart, putting a label on it or not due to covid, all of it was still your choice. Itâs important to be there for one another and if youâre having doubts or feel an argument boiling up, communicate it, its not an easy situation but if you want it to work you have to find ways around it. Having alone time is key, thatâs important for any relationship, but especially if it seems as though youâve had to dive in the deep end because of the pandemic. Whatâs also important is spending quality time together, making date nights at home or on facetime, whatever you can do to feel a bit connected again, a bit normal. Sadly, the pandemic has also forced a lot of losses of relationships, both romantically and platonically. This may be from being in too-close-a-quarters or simply being too far away. Both scenarios are difficult, and it takes maturity and knowledge in yourself to tackle the situation as which is best. If youâve lost people because of covid, I understand it is hard, its isolating enough never mind losing the people closet to you. However, we need to remain optimistic and look at the positives; if you tried your best to keep that relationship going, you made sacrifices, you communicated, then it is simple enough to see it was not you, and that person was not right for your life. Donât put out energy if you donât receive the same back. This isnât always easy to recognise or understand but overtime you will notice a drag on your own mental and even physical state, and thatâs when you can see your energy is depleting whilst you havenât received anything in return for your hard efforts. In other cases, you may be the one not rewarding the other person with the same energy, this is ok too, itâs all about understanding where you are on your own journey. The best thing you can do is assess all your relationships whilst you have the time to do so. Think about what either person is putting in, and then what is being taken out, if its not even, assess on whoâs side and then bring it up (tell that person and try to get them to understand how its making you feel and even suggest, if there is, ways of preventing it, or tell yourself, assess your actions, make your friend/partner aware that you know your mistakes, so to speak, and chose to act on them). The final key is deciding if that relationship is right for you, whether youâre putting in more or less effort than the other, take time to see why and try to come to an understanding on if your unhappy or need something to change, whatever it may be, assess that relationship and act on what is right for you. And donât fret, seeing whether its right or not doesnât happen overnight, it takes time and effort, just like the relationship. If youâre unsure, donât rush a decision, and always keep in mind what has happened to thus allow you to come to a better decision after some time.
Whatever may have happened to you in the course of this pandemic there is no doubt it will have impacted your mental health, and this why I talk about self-love and self-care in such an extensive way. Although thereâs been a lack of freedom, we can still do things, we can still expand our minds, expand our capabilities and ensure we care for ourselves along the way. Needing a bit more down time than usual in these circumstances is ok, it is understandable and the fact you recognise that for yourself is proof of your progress. If you havenât been doing this then go do it now, take some reflective time and think about your needs and act on them.
Iâm sure we are all now feeling much more optimistic as of the news and it truly is fantastic! We have so much to look forward to but remember not to get ahead of yourself, yet also donât panic that it will take time to get there, it may not be back to normal tomorrow or the next day, but small steps of progress are better than none. The same goes for your mental health. Just stay optimistic, change those negatives to positives, keep occupied and learn something new, and most importantly hold onto your hope. Never feel alone, there are hundreds of millions of people who feel just as you do, reach out to friends, family, even strangers, even me, we are all here to remind you of how wonderfully you are doing and will continue to do.
If thereâs anything I havenât touched on well enough or anyone has anything to say, leave a comment or send me a message. Iâm here as a friend and thank you to all of you that are a part of this growing community.
#covid19#mental health#self improvement#self care tips#self love#self care#progress not perfection#lockdown#pandemic#positive thoughts#positivevibes#you are good enough#you got this#advice#help blog#experience#positive mental attitude#my post#blog#blogger#all the feels#friends#its okay to take a break#its okay to ask for help#its okay buddy#you are strong#you are not alone#all of the above
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GABRIEL INTRODUCTION.Â
( diggy simmons, cis male, he/him/his ) gabriel âgabeâ washington just strolled through the quad, the twenty year old sophomore is majoring in photography. rumor has it they are friendly & over-critical. i also hear they are bisexual and theyâre pretty into lovemaking & anal sex.
BASIC INFORMATION:
FULL NAME: Gabriel Porter Washington NICKNAME(S): Gabe, G, Gabey (he hates this one though)Â PREFERRED NAME(S): Gabe BIRTH DATE: December 24 AGE: 20Â ZODIAC: Capricorn GENDER: Cis Male PRONOUNS: He/Him/His ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Biromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual NATIONALITY: American ETHNICITY: Black OCCUPATION: Student CLASSIFICATION: Sophomore MAJOR: Photography LIVING CONDITIONS: Kaplan Hall 203
BACKGROUND:
BIRTH PLACE: Jackson, MS HOMETOWN: Jackson, MS SOCIAL CLASS: Upper Middle class FATHER: Rev. Jeffrey Lee Washington MOTHER: Diana Washington (nĂ©e Porter) SIBLING(S): Eve Washington (older) BIRTH ORDER: Eve, Gabe CHILDREN: None PET(S): None. PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: Very few. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single. SEXUAL EXPERIENCE: Quite a bit. Â
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS:
FACE CLAIM: Diggy Simmons EYE COLOR: Brown HAIR COLOR: Black HAIR TYPE/STYLE: Short, fade, sometimes with a part GLASSES/CONTACTS?: Nope. 20/20. DOMINANT HAND: Right HEIGHT: 5â9â WEIGHT: 175 lbs. BUILD: Toned, muscular. A dusting a body hair across his chest and stomach. EXERCISE HABITS: Every day. SKIN TONE: Caramel. TATTOOS: None. PEIRCINGS: Ears. MARKS/SCARS: One on his elbow from a bad skateboarding fall. NOTABLE FEATURES: His lips. Long eyelashes. His face in general. USUAL EXPRESSION: A smile. JEWELRY: A golden chain with an anchor on it. ALLERGIES: None. BODY TEMPERATURE: Average. DIET: He eats healthy. PHYSICAL AILMENTS: None.Â
MANNERISMS:
SPEECH STYLE: Uses slang, broken English in every day conversation. ACCENT: Mississippi Native HOBBIES: Taking pictures, collecting antiques, watching Blaxploitation movies. NERVOUS TICKS: Chewing on the inside of his cheek. DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: Happiness. POSITIVE TRAITS: Friendly, helpful, self-disciplined, neat, caring. NEGATIVE TRAITS: anxious, picky, over-critical SENSE OF HUMOR: He has a good one. DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: Yes.Â
ATTITUDES:
GREATEST DREAM: Photographing, pictures being in high fashion magazines like Vogue GREATEST FEAR: Getting hurt. MOST AT EASE WHEN: Heâs at home, chilling with someone he loves, watching old movies. LEAST AT EASE WHEN: Heâs stressed out.  WORST POSSIBLE THING THAT COULD HAPPEN: Death. BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Getting the hell out of Mississippi. BIGGEST REGRET: Letting his parents disrespect him. TOP PRIORITIES: God, family and friends, career.
BIOGRAPHY:
Thereâs nothing that Gabeâs parents wanted more than to have their own little Christmas baby. However, things didnât go as planned and Gabriel Washington was born a day earlier than intended. However, that was the last time for a long time that Gabe didnât do exactly what his parents wanted him to. For the next eighteen years of his life, Gabe attended every church service, said every prayer, played every instrument at the church, and he didnât do anything that he was told to do, no matter what. They say that preacherâs kids are supposed to be the worst, but Gabe is an absolute angel for the most part. His older brother, however, was not. He dabbled in illegal drugs, gang activity, and ultimately armed robbery that landed him behind bars and tainted their familyâs image. Gabe did everything in his power not to disappoint his parents like that.
However, the older Gabe got, the more he started to develop certain feelings that his parents and their church had convinced him were wrong. He tried to repress them for as long as possible, until a certain drummer at their church caught on, and Gabe fell in love for the first time.
Just like every other first in his lifeâhis first steps, his first words, his first sermonâGabe had sex for the first time in their churchâŠmore specifically in his fatherâs pastorâs study. After that, Gabe knew that he was different from everyone else, and he accepted his bisexuality despite the fact that everyone around him talked about how wrong it was. When Gabe sat down his parents to tell them, they took it better than he expected. He wasnât banished, but there was a bunch of prayer and a bunch of bible reading that didnât make any difference. Still to this day, his parents look at him differently, but they havenât disowned him just yet.
Gabe found himself at Pinecrest University -- itâs always been his dream school, and itâs so far away from Mississippi that it seems like a completely different world -- a place where he can truly be himself and not worry about the watchful eyes of his oppressive parents or their minions. Gabeâs still a Christian, but heâs forming his own ideals about his religion as opposed to the ones that were forced on him. Heâs the President of the photography club, and chances are that you can find him anywhere on campus with his camera taking pictures usually.Â
WANTED CONNECTION:
Gabeâs ROOMMATES. Give him people heâs friends with, maybe not so close with, or maybe they donât like each other at all. Anything can happen here honestly.Â
FLINGS. Gabe enjoys sex just like any other guy, I do think he has connections with everyone he has sex with though because thatâs just the type of guy that he is. Be it friendly or more romantic, Gabe is going to have pillow talk afterwards and ask your muse how their day was or whatâs been up in their lives.Â
His MUSE. Someone he loves from a far -- an unrequited love. Someone heâs so deeply in love with but who doesnât quite have those feelings back for him. However, he loves taking pictures of them. Maybe this could be an extension of the FLINGS connection, or maybe theyâre not having sex at all.Â
BEST FRIEND. This oneâs pretty self-explanatory, maybe itâs his randomly assigned roommate from freshman year, someone he confides in and tells everything to. 100% will be each otherâs Best Man at their wedding.Â
@pinecrestrbâÂ
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for the record - cellar gate and this whole mess.
I have thought a lot about this. I know I said I would resign from speaking further on it, but some ideas have come to my attention and so I wish to act on my conscience and consideration.Â
I wholeheartedly think toxic positivity is a prevalent issue in fandom and popular culture. I wholeheartedly believe it works as a silencing and tone policing for those most marginalized in our communities. I think it is something we must be critical of when we engage with each other and our expectations from fandom spaces. That being said, one of the primary reasons I am incensed at its prevalence in this fandom is because it has been fueled for all the wrong reasons: for deeply self-serving, personal, and petty reasons, and not simply to see the fandom be better.Â
And so, with cautious dread, I am bringing back the issue of the âCellar Gateâ or however it has come to be known.
I think it is safe to say the issue caused a fracture in opinions and people who were all at one time members. I think it is safe to say that drama and dispute has become publicly evident, if not a blaring elephant in the great big room.Â
I was one of several people who went public with my membership in the cellar. I did so, in part, to have some kind of autonomy and control over how the narrative was being written. I also did it to take responsibility and combat the ways in which that narrative was being twisted in inflammatory, violent, and deceitful ways. I did it because I was hearing how some of my mutuals were being adversely targeted and effected by my name being included on the âburn listâ that circulated in the aftermath. I did it to prevent what I believed antagonists wanted: for a dramatic and righteous crusade to begin, which would drive out the people they believed to be âbad apples.â I did it because it was necessary.Â
And I believe that, considering how much was avoided in the way that conflict subsided, I considered it a worthy gambit. People were listened to, reality checks were taken, and the fanfare was allowed to settle.Â
Unfortunately, I think some thorns were forgotten about, and left to fester.Â
I think the former members/people who used the exposure of the Server and the âSaltâ to mount their reckoning moral crusade have used the remains of that to persist with a narrative of positivity and inclusion. This narrative, though shiny and great on the surface, is born of toxic fruit: it was not created purely for selfless, apolitical reasoning. It was created to combat a problem they blamed us for: a cultural fixation they believe exists wherein people allow themselves to be critical bullies in the name of âsocial justice.â I believe they did so in part to antagonize us in public where explicit callouts could not be used. I believe they push positivity as a means of ameliorating their previous involvement in private conversations they believed malevolent harassment, though they took place in, as I said: private conversations.Â
In short: this positivity wave, as we have recently seen in this fandom, is not much more than a bunch of white women wanting to sleep at night again for sins they deem below their moral high-ground. You know, sins such as: privately salting about problematic fics, shit talking people they donât like, being rude, petty, salty, and at times insensitive.Â
One of the reasons I owned up to shit was because I was sick of the image that was being depicted: mean people hiding in some back room somewhere, or backlog of a chat, looking for any reason to tear people apart and be cruel. I was sick of this false interpretation that minimized and reduced a substantial part of my fandom community to heartless maleficents. Especially when these âpositivistsâ once benefitted from, and enjoyed that community as a big part of their audience and support system. Especially when they depended on that community for listening, support, feedback, and friendship. Several of them are people I once considered some of my closest friends in fandom -- people I confided in, trusted, and believed in their integrity.Â
Unfortunately, I was misguided.Â
There are several reasons I am coming up for air about this. Firstly, so that I am clear when I say it was never my intention -- or that of anyone I know -- to make it seem like this ordeal was more righteous and universal as it really was. What upset me was watching these ideas about âshutting upâ and âminding your businessâ and âbeing positiveâ being pushed onto people who had no involvement with the Server drama, who would nonetheless read their incessant reblogs of that content and think, wow, am I a piece of shit would having criticisms for someoneâs work? Am I missing the point in being in fandom when I donât focus on the positive all the time? Because these messages are being circulated by people who, I think, donât sincerely care about fandom positivity when it doesnât serve them and their needs of self-soothing and self-reward. That is wrong, and that is a method of undermining and tone policing I think should be called out.Â
Secondly, I want to make something explicitly clear: the people pushing positivity and âminding your own businessâ have all, every single one, participated in the behavior they deem incorrect. They have been comforted by it, they have participated in it, and I would imagine they still do. I have an INCREDIBLY hard time believing that they do not at all speak negatively or harshly about people in fandom considering I, and several others who they deem nemeses, are still here despite their championing. I also have a hard time believing it because they have included and become friends with fandom members who they not-too-long ago verbally and explicitly despised -- people who they lobbied to be banned from the server for being manipulative and toxic, for victimizing them. Someone believed an unsafe presence for them.
And just so weâre clear on this account as well, Iâm looking at you, @Tortuosity-Writes, @tanaleth, and @Allisondraste. Hope youâve been really transparent about that with your newfound friend, @Cassandra-Pentughasst. If not, I know there are plenty of receipts to submit. Itâs tax season, no? Just in case you want to suggest it was a matter of yaâll being poisoned against each other, when you were holding the damn vials yourselves. And the only reason the links donât work is because we have each other blocked, but somehow I think youâll see this. Â
But I suppose bygones are bygones, right? Positivity! Inclusivity!Â
Also, just to prevent some ammunition unnecessary, and because I know well enough the people Iâm working with here: I think itâs horseshit to say youâre all about shutting up and being positive while youâre still passive-aggressively shit-talking people in tags and posts, hoping maybe theyâll come across them or that theyâll cause some whispers/drama/stress for those people. Like, for example, @Cassandra-Pentughasst beautifully resentful tags:
Yep, thatâs me sheâs talking about. And sheâs right: I took forever on a commission, was not communicative, and had spelling mistakes, ones which I sincerely apologized for. I did my best but it wasnât on par with where I should have been. At the time, I thought I was doing it for a friend, though; and when I could, I was communicative. I even asked after sending a draft to look over if she thought it was okay, because I always do so, so my clients are happy (and people can attest to this practice, and I have email and screenshot records as well). She said everything looked good, so I believed her. It was an unfortunate situation where I wasnât at my best and I was unprofessional.Â
What I am not, however, is a coward.Â
Which is why this kind of behavior incenses me: it makes it seem like she had no way of telling me something was wrong, or that she was unhappy. And it also makes it seem like no one in my circle is ever critical of me, or is invited to be. Apparently everyone thinks the sun shines out my flaky ass.Â
So, hereâs my dilemma: how can people who claim theyâre all about positivity, integrity, and inclusivity, possibly condone this kind of behavior? How can people who I once called friends say in all seriousness that their standard of decorum doesnât apply here, because itâs me? Because itâs someone who didnât agree with them?Â
And hereâs a very particular thorn: this person, and the group above, only became friends after they all left the server and realized the enemy of thy enemy was thy friend. Before that, it was incessant shit-talking of each other, talking about how one was making them feel unsafe, how toxic they were, and how they should be kicked off or blocked from the server entirely. This person was suddenly forgiven despite the LITANY of conversations and concerns about her trustworthiness, character, and integrity.Â
At the end of the day, I obviously cannot control people, and they do change. My stance is, however, that none of these people have changed from who they were. They are people: they shit talk, praise, are friendly and also mean. They make mistakes and are regretful. They dislike things, and dislike people. They have animuses and grudges. They are HUMAN BEINGS like we all are.Â
Only one âside,â however, is trying to get people raked over the coals for admitting to partaking in ânegativeâ behaviors. Only one side is pushing a shut-up-and-mind-your-business broad brush when they really mean they want a specific group of people to shut up. Only one side is trying to push a positivity politic that is first and foremost self-serving.Â
That, to me, is gross. And that is toxic to fandom as a whole. And I am sick of watching them poke, prod, passive-aggressively post, and seeing their stuff splash onto my dash even though I have them blocked. I am sick of watching it knowing a good portion of what motivates them is spite and antagonism. I am sick of people taking their word for it, and using it as reasoning to be mean to marginalized members. And for that reason I also want to make VERY SURE that no people of color feel like they are being manipulated by anything I have a part in. I want to reiterate: I believe the dysfunction and harm they have circulated to be real and consequential to more than just us tied to the server. I never ever intended false rallying.Â
Which is to say: their beliefs that we are obsessing over them day and night, trying to find new ways to ruin their lives and antagonize them, is bullshit. I donât know about yaâll, but I have, like, a day job. I have family and friends to spend time with. I have PTSD to treat. I think it is safe to say shit-talking people you dislike in private conversations, and conniving/obsessing, are two different things.Â
And, like I said: if any of these people have said no negative, gossipy, or disrespectful things about us, or myself, since the âExodus,â then my word to those people are: In case you forgot, you didnât just leave a server: you hurt a lot of people who were your friends. You made a hell of a lot of people feel unsafe and insecure with their visibility in fandom for shit they had no part in. You didnât just exit and begin some harmless, painless agenda to bring joy to any and all around you. You fucking hurt people. Swallow that pill and recognize that talking about it -- that includes talking about you -- is a valid form of processing and healing form the disruption you caused in all of our lives. Disruption that we are still dealing with.Â
Lastly: I have said over and over that I do not care for clout. I do not care for popularity stakes, for âpositiveâ cults of personality. So, if this gets me âcancelledâ so be it. But Iâd rather be âcancelledâ for being transparent than accepted for being shady. My qualms are both broad and personal. I have personal issues with people and I have broad issues with how they are using fandom as a space to enact their false sense of inclusivity.Â
And at the end of it, I hope these former friends of mine understand one thing above all else: that I soberingly understand the harm they have done in their desire to live with themselves and their guilt, and it is for that reason -- for everything I saw and everything I heard in the aftermath of their need to redeem themselves and their âsideâ of things -- that I will never, ever forgive them. I have said many harsh things, I have said many unkind things, and I have made many mistakes. But for as long as I fucking live, I will never, ever elect to be known as someone who tried to pass their vendetta and grudges as a community-oriented, positivity-celebrating, sanctimonious cause that made numerous people, especially people of color, have to go to bat to counter and prevent from doing harm.
Also, on a personal note because why not, the fire is going to consume me anyways: you canât block half of the femslash/wlw genre because youâre insecure about your work or have had drama with them, and then lament that thereâs a lack of material. Whoops!
So, yeah, Iâve fucked up. I have. But I can also call bullshit when I see it. And if this ends my tenure in the fandom, again, so be it. I have my friends and my community, and I donât just jump ship when I see the stormy weather ahead. I have my life, and my loved ones. And more importantly: I sleep very, very well.Â
Oh and, for the record, contrary to all yaâlls stuff, we arenât a cult. And I didnât have to ask permission for posting this from anyone, or mind my manners. I also think itâs very telling when people enact the same standards of control, us vs. them, and dehumanizing that cults are supposedly known for -- and then call us one. Itâs really convenient, isnât it? To have distance from the people you hurt and betrayed, and then say it was nothing more than a cult? And to say that their methods of healing, supporting one another, and processing their anger and pain in private is only proof that theyâre a cult?
Yes. Really convenient.Â
So, there. You want a battle? I think you all know damn well Iâm armed. All that I ask is you save your ammunition for me, and not for my friends. Not for people who had nothing to do with the mess weâve made. Or else.Â
And this is all to say that, if I have made anyone feel manipulated, led-on, used, or exploited for any of this - then that is something I am responsible for and I sincerely apologize. It is behavior that is below me, and certainly not my intention, but I donât get to decide how I impact peopleâs lives and their participation. So, again, I am sorry. And I respect any and all choices you make on that account.Â
#fandom psa#blog psa#cellar shit I guess?#here we go#maybe this is a callout post#in fact yeah it is
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I Donât Like âDudesâ in Fiction
Let me be clear: I have no problem with male characters. I was assigned male at birth, I spent the first 23 and a half years of my life identifying as male, Iâve got no real problem with men (I have even been known to write them on occasion). No, Iâm talking about dudes:
That weird kind of ârelatableâ male character who exists somewhere on the spectrum between nineties slacker comedy heroes and Woody Allen âlovableâ schmucks, but with a heavy helping of off-putting misogyny.Â
These guys are the stars of so much 21st century genre fiction. They work fine in, say, creepypasta, where the common conceit is that the narrator is some internet-lurking incel anyway. But its surprising how common they are even in more âliteraryâ genre fiction.
I was telling one of my very close family members, who is a tenured English professor at my local university and whose taste I very much respect, about how let down I was with the very over-hyped House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.
He, gratifyingly, agreed with me, and recommended that I check out Margaret Atwoodâs Oryx and Crake, as he felt it did much of the same things that House was doing, but more successfully.
I just recently finished Oryx and Crake, and Iâve got to say, the only thing I can find that the two have in common is their very similar narrators: theyâre both dudes, and both my least favorite thing about those respective books. The narrator reduces House of Leaves from âprecious,â as said professor relation derisively called it, to utterly insufferable. And it serves as a major black mark on Oryx and Crake, a book that is otherwise not without merit.
Donât get me wrong, thereâs nothing wrong with an unsympathetic protagonist in a work of fiction, so long as the work acknowledges that the protagonist is unsympathetic. But thereâs a weird âboys will boysâ mentality to how Houseâs Johnny and O&Câs Jimmy (note the similar names) are portrayed which is surprising coming from the famously feminist-leaning Atwood (less surprising from Danielweski, who unironically wears fedoras in public for Godâs sake). These narrators arenât Humbert Humbert, who weâre supposed to find gross and off-putting. Theyâre just everyday dudes.
Johnny and Jimmy are both exhaustingly introspective and angsty Holden Caulfield types (though Holden has the excuse of being a teenager; these are both grown-ass men) whose defining traits are their active libidos, casual substance abuse, and rampant objectification of every woman in their lives. They cheerfully live in squalor, practice absolutely no self care or personal hygiene, and spend most of their time drunk or high off their rockers. Every female character in their lives (and thus practically every female character in each novel) is simply another sexual conquest in the making.
And none of this is presented as particularly negative; both texts seem to suggest that this is just how dudes are, no judgement, they canât help it, dudes are losers. Boys will be boys. In fact a lot of their misbehavior is hand-wavingly chalked-up to both charactersâ absentee mothers.
In O&C, when teenage Jimmy and his friend Crake spend much of their time watching child pornography together online, the book levels all of its criticism at the media platform that gives these young men access to this content, placing zero responsibility on them for seeking it out and consuming it in the first place. Boys will be boys. We canât blame them for getting off to little slave girls being sexually abused by grown men, its the internetâs fault for putting it there in the first place. Jimmy and Crake are the victims here (one of these child sex slaves is the primary object of Jimmyâs lust throughout the novel, and as an adult she repeatedly and distressingly goes out of her way to downplay her own trauma and play up the bright sides of her situation).
The only women in Johnny of Houseâs life are his frequent sexual partners, all of whom exist for no other reason than to be Johnnyâs sexual partners, and who receive little characterization outside of this role. And Johnny has a LOT of sexual partners. One of the most eyeroll-inducing elements of Johnny and Jimmyâs characterizations is their improbably active sex lives. Despite their general grubbiness and the repeated mentions that they are unattractive and lack much in the way of redeeming qualities, these dudes are effortlessly able to hook up with every single woman they happen to bump into throughout the story (is there some wish fulfillment here on Danielewskiâs part?). Again, the way these men use women as sex objects and then treat them as subsequently disposable is barely commented on with any qualitative judgement. Thatâs just how dudes are. Boys will be boys.
All of these negative traits seem to be put in place for the primary purpose of making Jimmy and Johnny into relatable everyman types to serve as reader self-inserts and juxtapose against the larger-than-life situations around them. Theyâre classical Ishmaels, but icky. Who out there is reading these books and finding these men relatable? I donât want to meet you I donât think. And what does it say about the authors that they think these characters are an adequate representative of the average human being? Call me naive, but I think most people are better than that.
When reading these books, quite apart from helping pull me into these respective worlds, these narrators just serve as constant barriers preventing me from immersing myself in the text and enjoying any of the more interesting worldbuilding going on outside the POVs of these âheroes.â
Avoiding accidentally creating male heroes like these is one of the primary reasons that most of my writing tends to be from a female POV.
#house of leaves#oryx and crake#mark z. danielewski#margaret atwood#writing#tropes#cliches#dudes#boys will be boys
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THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.
fill out & repost â„ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OCâs still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lilâ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.
My muse is: Â canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless /
Is your character popular in the fandom? Â YES / NO.
Is your character considered hotâą in the fandom? Â YES / NO / IDK.
Is your character considered strong in the fandom? Â YES / NO / IDK.
Are they underrated? Â YES / NO.
Were they relevant for the main story? Â YES / NO.
Were they relevant for the main character? Â YES / NO / THEYâRE THE PROTAG.
Are they widely known in their world? Â YES / NO.
Howâs their reputation? Â GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.
How strictly do you follow canon? Â â Pretty strictly, I think? I mean... I do always try my best to stick to canon events because although I am a big fan of AUs, I absolutely suck at writing canon-divergent characters. I also look out for possible dialectisms that come from Hinamori & put some work towards Hinamoriâs personal development; all of this according to whatever has happened to her in canon / is shown by her in canon.
SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals. Â â Â Thereâs an entire world waiting beyond Hinamoriâs pretty face? Sheâs still pretty much just a baby when in comparison to many other Lieutenants (being the second youngest, right after lil Yachiru), which makes her super innocent and funny. Sheâs also very upbeat, easy-going, and friendly! Sheâs such a devoted Lieutenant and honestly a great worker? Super strong with her kido spells, too! A great student?! A very, very good girl, honestly! Sheâs the greatest person you will ever meet, I swear to GOD !!
Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?). Â â Â Most of the people, from what I can perceive from reading different opinions and have read through my years in Bleach forums and such, is that sheâs pretty mentally weak. Hinamori seems to be extremely unbalanced and the previously mentioned devotion actually becomes... a weakness? Although I donât agree with it ( mostly because I do believe her devotion towards Aizen was induced and not... something natural ), I can understand what people mean by this. Also, she mostly uses magic spells and keeps herself at a certain distance when in combat;; which people might easily perceive as her being weak when itâs just... her fighting style and body stature.
What inspired you to rp your muse?  â I have roleplayed Hinamori for over 6 years now? almost 7, actually. I made this blog in 2014, however, I was supposed to be writing Hitsugaya. I ended up changing my entire blogâs aesthetics, not even a week later, to match Hinamori and decided to try her out. Why? Well... long story short... the fandom was full of Hitsugaya blogs. asjhdfasjdhfg I didnât want simply be just one more in the ocean of amazing Hitsugaya writers;; so I decided to write someone who gave me access to heavy development ( because there was so little content back then ) and fun times ! lil peach was the obvious answer!
What keeps your inspiration going?  â Most of the time its music? Whenever I decide to focus on an rp blog, I create a go-to playlist that helps me channel the museâs traits and helps me write with more ease! That... and re-reading manga pages that might make me come up with headcanons, which I, later, always tend to apply to threads. Oh yeah, uh... LMAO! How could I forget? Talking to friends and discussing things with them, also often lets my creativity soar and helps me channel my museâs persona. uwu
Some more personal questions for the mun.
Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.
Do you think you give your character justice? Â YES / NO.
Do you frequently write headcanons? Â YES / NO.Â
Do you sometimes write drabbles? Â YES / NO.Â
Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? Â YES / NO.
Are you confident in your portrayal? Â YES / NO.
Are you confident in your writing? Â YES / NO.
Are you a sensitive person? Â YES / NO.
Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal?  â Honestly, yes? I am a person that needs to receive constant criticism & is very open about it, too. I often find myself asking for criticism & find myself craving for bigger improvement.
Do you like questions, which help you explore your character?  â  HELLS TO THE YES !! But then again... who doesnât? It makes me so so happy whenever I receive a question or a simple message that might help me develop Hinamoriâs character traits or behaviours? I love my girl so much;; knowing that others want me to gush about her amazingness & make her grow even more is nothing but an honour to me, tbh.
If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why? Â â Â Well... yeah? But not in a bad way, of course! I absolutely love discussing headcanons and getting different points of view from things ( such as headcanons, in this specific topic ) so I can center myself and find a clearer way to analyze things! Discussing headcanons is dope, man!
If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it? Â â Â This is going to be a pretty short response cause ;; I donât care? Iâm not here to really... please others. Iâm here to have fun for my own self and to enjoy writing with other amazing fellas. Ainât nobody gonna rain on my parade with unnecessary negativity;;
If someone really hates your character, how do you take it? Â â Â I havenât ever seen many people hate Hinamoriâs character? However, I do have seen quite the few people disregard her as the important character she is, or reduce her to a level that doesnât... entirely fit the reason why she was created. Still, itâs none of my business. I donât let it get to me or feel... the need to do anything about it? Or even talk about it? I canât really change peopleâs views, so I often would just rather love my baby peach and let others do as they please.
Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors?  â ABSOLUTELY? Itâs even part of my rules like ;; please tell me if you ever find a grammatical error ANYWHERE in my blog. English isnât my mother tongue and thus it can be very difficult for me to keep up with fancy writing while also sticking to correct grammar? idk if this makes sense but... yknow.
Do you think you are easy going as a mun?  â I do think I am very easy going kind of fella? Sometimes it takes me forever go get to messages ( both through discord & IMS ), but I think thatâs because lately Iâve been feeling super emotionally drained ;; I havenât been out of my goddamn house for three months and I sincerely miss seeing faces that arenât my parents. I did take a drive the other day but... sobs... it left such a bittersweet taste. ANYWAY !! Yes. Iâm very easy going and talkative. Also a big, big enthusiastic? And positivist! I am someone who always prefers to stick to the bright side of life and ignore anything that might be the least problematic so yeah ~ I am uwu. Come meet me. Iâm cool. I swear.
Thatâs about it, congrats for filling out!
Tagged by: @hirako5hinjiâ  ( aka the greatest taichĆ ever. uwu go to bed harder next time, Anna. ⥠) Tagging: ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO IT !! just steal it from me. be gay. do crimes.
#đș  â â    đđđđ„đ'đ€ đĄđđđđ    â    ⥠ic challenges //#đș  â â    đđđđđđđđ'đ€ đŁđđđđđđđ    â    ⥠ooc challenges //#( this was so much fuuuuuuuuuuuuun omg I'm cryin#but it took me forever to get to ?? so OOF )
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s u r v e y :  p e y t o n  p e l l e g r i n o.
whatâs this? thereâs something paper clipped to the page... a stick of juicy fruit. how thoughtful.
basic information
FULL NAME: jamie claverton  peyton pellegrino PRONUNCIATION: PAY-ton pell-eh-GREEN-oh MEANING: noble, royal REASONING: his kidnapper father said he always looked like a peyton. strong, wise, dignified. NICKNAME(S): pey, pellegrino, pillsbury ( monty ), sparkles ( tess ), etc. PREFERRED NAME(S): peyton BIRTH DATE: july 24, 2000 AGE: 18 ZODIAC: leo GENDER: cismale PRONOUNS: he/him ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: heteroromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION: heterosexual NATIONALITY: american. ETHNICITY: italian-american. his fatherâs got pellegrino pride.
background
BIRTH PLACE: milton, delaware HOMETOWN: milton, delaware.  his dad said he was born in ohio. everyone thinks heâs from cali, when they meet him. SOCIAL CLASS: upper-middle. FATHER: presley claverton. matthew pellegrino. fire chief. 52. west hamâs most eligible and charming single father. and peytonâs best friend. faceclaim. MOTHER: theresa claverton. francesca milluzzo. peyton never knew her. his dad said she deserted them shortly before his first birthday. SIBLING(S): none. BIRTH ORDER: first of three. the clavertons needed to fill the void. first and only. PET(S): none. but he adores anything fluffy. OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES: n/a PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: n/a. heâs always been too scared of his own shadow to ask a girl out. ARRESTS?: squeaky clean. PRISON TIME?: not unless you count double-shifts delivering pizzas.
occupation & income
SOURCE OF INCOME: works part-time as a pizza delivery boy at one of west hamâs most beloved pizza joints. CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?: very content, usually! people tip well and peyton enjoys the small talk. PAST JOB(S): assistant life guarding at the local pool in middle school, but that quickly ended after he had a panic attack on duty. SPENDING HABITS: peytonâs pretty frugal! his idea of a fun time is boarding around town with monty, or grabbing a scoop of ice cream at one of the local places. heâs not too big on driving, if he doesnât have to. longboards almost everywhere. his dadâs job gets them ample cash, being fire chief, but they live modestly. pellegrino men are humble. MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: his longboard. unfortunately, his anti-anxiety meds.
skills & abilities
TALENTS: deduction, longboarding, mock trial, stage lighting, studying, making people smile. heâs mario kart champion and heâll never live that down. SHORTCOMINGS: overthinker. often, he limits himself just by thinking in circles. he... finds the good in people. assumes the best. LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: english, and enough italian to get friendly with the kitchen staff. DRIVE?:  yes. JUMP-STAR A CAR?: yes. CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: yes. RIDE A BICYCLE?: yes, but longboards are way better. SWIM?: yes. PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: he has a guitar and plays it decently well. sometimes heâll hum a little tune and strum a few chords, but itâs nothing too major. PLAY CHESS?: yeah. BRAID HAIR?: ha! him? able to braid hair? he wishes. TIE A TIE?: he can double-knot his shoes. PICK A LOCK?: no.
physical appearance & characteristics
FACE CLAIM: noah centineo. EYE COLOR: deep hazel, primarily chocolate with pools of mossy green. HAIR COLOR: dark brown. HAIR TYPE/STYLE: wavy/curly. it does what it wants, and he rarely styles it, unless itâs for a mock trial competition or a student gov event. reference. GLASSES/CONTACTS?: he has a glasses prescription but always wears his contacts. DOMINANT HAND: right. HEIGHT: 6âČ1. WEIGHT: 165 lbs. BUILD: lean, trim, athletic. EXERCISE HABITS: heâs co-captain of the lacrosse team with monty, so they have daily team workouts. he goes for runs a lot, and likes HIIT training. does longboarding count? it should. heâs boarded all over this town countless times ( itâs also how he chooses to deliver pizzas, when the weatherâs alright. ) SKIN TONE: tanned, smooth. reference. TATTOOS: none. he canât handle needles. PEIRCINGS: none. MARKS/SCARS: a few on his arms and legs from nasty longboarding falls. NOTABLE FEATURES: his wild hair. million-watt smile. USUAL EXPRESSION: peaceful, welcoming. CLOTHING STYLE: reference. leather bracelets, cuffed jeans, lots of solid colored and colorblocked tees. when he dresses up for mock trial, the girls kinda swoon. boy looks dashing in a suit. has a glasses prescription but always wears contacts. his dad says he looks sharper that way ( but itâs actually because, with glasses, he looks too similar to the claverton family. )  beat up chuck taylors, kind of untied on purpose. heâs got that whole loosely kept together, sleep deprived look down pat. JEWELRY: leather bracelets. sometimes heâll wear a thin chain. ALLERGIES: n/a. BODY TEMPERATURE: the standard. he runs a little warmer than most. DIET: lots of pizza. mountain dew. juicy fruit gumâs basically a whole other food group. PHYSICAL AILMENTS: n/a. he can be a bit jumpy, sometimes, if heâs feeling on edge. his left pinky kind of clicks funny when he makes a fist, from when he broke his hand his freshman year.
psychology
MORAL ALIGNMENT: lawful good. TEMPERAMENT: phlegmatic. ELEMENT: earth. MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: anxiety disorder. SOCIABILITY: very approachable. warm. kindhearted. thereâs a reason heâs the one tasked with getting class dues, as class treasurer. thereâs a reason why he leads the lacrosse team. EMOTIONAL STABILITY:  typically very levelheaded. his anxiety can make that fluctuate, though. PHOBIA(S): having another panic attack in public. he hasnât had one in front of anyone besides monty in a year. ADDICTION(S): does juicy fruit qualify? DRUG USE: none. very straight-edge. ALCOHOL USE:  occasional, as much as youâd expect. PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: not at all.
mannerisms
QUIRKS: peyton shoves his hands into his pockets when heâs nervous. he always looks for monty or tess in a crowded room, to get grounded. whenever he wears a flannel or a sweatshirt, he always pushes the sleeves up midway to his elbows. HOBBIES: lacrosse, longboarding, mock trial, reading, parkour ( a phase in freshman year ). watching football games with his dad. trying out weird recipes. HABITS: biting the edge of pens. turning his head to the side when heâs listening. offering people pieces of his lunch until he realizes thereâs nothing left for him. NERVOUS TICKS: not knowing what to do with his hands. trailing off. looking at the ground. laughing. counting his own fingers. biting the tip of his tongue. DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: he genuinely wants to see people happy. he wants everything to run smoothly and willingly along. FEARS: his meds will stop working. heâll have a panic attack in front of his classmates, who are supposed to see him as calm, collected, put together. heâll never get to know more about his mom. it bugs him. POSITIVE TRAITS: benevolent, bona fide, conscientious, suave, tenderhearted. NEGATIVE TRAITS: anxious, critical, restless, self-limiting, yielding. SENSE OF HUMOR: puns. wit. a lot of inside jokes with tess and monty. DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: not really! heâs more likely to say frick or flipping than anything bad. CATCHPHRASE(S): â oh shit ! â & â dude ! â & â whatâs good ? â
favorites
ACTIVITY: longboarding, hands down. ANIMAL: heâs got a super soft spot for rabbits. BEVERAGE: mountain dew or 7-up. BOOK: growing up, he loved the percy jackson series. CELEBRITY: stephen hawking. COLOR: green. DESIGNER: designer? he guesses, like... is gucci the right answer? heâs not really plugged in to that. FOOD: does juicy fruit count? FLOWER: heâs learning more about flowers, but he thinks sunflowers are pretty nice. kellyâs teaching him more about those. GEM: tigerâs eye. HOLIDAY: christmas. thatâs when the famous pellegrino slutty brownies surface. MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: longboarding !! MOVIE: original star trek. MUSICAL ARTIST: saint motel. QUOTE/SAYING: â weâre dead ! we survived but weâre dead ! â â dash, the incredibles. SCENERY: rolling hills. sunset. SCENT: cinnamon. SPORT: lacrosse. SPORTS TEAM: in connecticut, heâs surprised he hasnât been vilified for being a chicago bears fan. but he and his dad spent some time there, and going to those games became a weekly tradition. they watch them now, and itâs like a little piece of their story. TELEVISION SHOW: saturday night live, honestly. WEATHER: that golden-hour sunshine, just before sunset. lukewarm. mid-60âČs. VACATION DESTINATION: hawaii. heâs always wanted to longboard down those colossal volcano-side roads.
attitudes
GREATEST DREAM: go into tech/lighting design for broadway. ask cassandra pressman out, for real. GREATEST FEAR: his dad wonât be able to function without him in west ham next fall. heâll panic in front of people when he needs to seem strong. MOST AT EASE WHEN: heâs with his squad, the belugas. LEAST AT EASE WHEN: heâs allowed the time to overthink. when his dad doesnât come home from his fire shift on time. when things donât feel right. BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: the west ham mock trial team won the state championship this spring. BIGGEST REGRET: he never pressured his dad more about finding his mother. MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: he had a panic attack in the middle of his treasurer speech freshman year. someone pulled the fire alarm right as he couldnât breathe. to this day, peyton has no idea who that was, but heâs so frigginâ thankful. BIGGEST SECRET: his biggest secretâs not even known to him yet. matthew pellegrino isnât his father; heâs his kidnapper. peyton pellegrinoâs fake. doesnât exist. TOP PRIORITIES: having monty and tessâs backs. taking care of his dad, since heâs still reeling from peytonâs mom leaving almost 17 years ago. bringing the lacrosse team to the state championships. making sure every single thing he does for west ham highâs theatre department is flawless: making art on that stage. finding out how to... conquer this anxiety. finding out how to muster up enough courage to make a move before itâs too late.
#newhamhq: task#đ ââ shallow graves for shallow hearts ! isms.#đ ââ there's no place like home ! psyche.#yoooo..... cackle at that header image bc i'm still laughing
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Theory- There is no Darkiplier
Bare with me.
If youâve ever watched one of Markiplerâs videos, you know that he takes no shit from nobody. Mark can be very sarcastic, very blunt, and can express his honesty in almost abstractly satirical ways. This shows particularly when he is talking about his characters (think about Darkiplier Vs. Antisepticeye, a satirical commentary on a fandomâs influence on characters and âgiving the people what they wantâ- more on that later). Mark is very protective of his more in-depth and popularized characters (Darkiplier and Wilford Warfstache, for example), and that is completely understandable. Now, recently, people have been suspecting that Darkiplier will return. This all started when Game Theory released a video discussing the lore about Who Killed Markiplier and the general universe of which it takes place. Matpat brought up the idea that Markiplier could become âactor Mark (from the Who Killed Markiplier universe)â in his videos, citing this vlog as suspicious because âMarkiplier would NEVER talk like that!â during that segment, Matpat essentially said that the Mark in that video could never be the actual Mark because he was acting âoffâ. There are a few issues with this theory. For one, it is making assumptions as to what âisâ and âisnâtâ Mark. Keep in mind, none of us will ever truly know Markiplier as well as Markiplier. Not Amy, not us, not Matpat, not anyone. But, since the beginning, Markâs âv-logsâ were used to bridge the gap between viewer and creator. In the vlog Mat used as an example, Mark was talking about how he wanted to be more honest with us- it was literally in the title. But Game theory chalked his behavior up as âdoucheyâ and therefore fake... in the video where he was trying to be his real self. Whether what Mark said in that vlog was douchey or not, it put a bad taste in my mouth for Mat to assume that it couldnât possibly still be the âreal Markâ. And, if you remember from Markâs twitch stream from when he was signing laminates, he doesnât like people to assume things of him (I donât have a source right now, but basically he ranted about people saying he âlooked sick/tiredâ, saying it was disrespectful). Iâm not saying that he was offended by this, but there is certainly reason for him to be offended, and his response to the video didnât look too happy. (Well, I shouldnât say that from this source, but in the community tab of his Youtube channel he just said â.â. Again, not substantial evidence that he was offended, but I thought it was important to include). Mark is a person, heâs allowed to act differently without us jumping to conclusions. And that leads into my other problem with Matâs theory: It takes the control away from Mark. Under this theory, because we donât know every aspect of Markâs personality, we could assume that anything Mark does is fake. He canât even deny this theory without people saying that it was only character Mark covering his tracks. Thatâs just not fair, especially considering that this is his story and these are his characters. So, what can he do other than give the people what they want? In Darkiplier vs Antisepticeye, Mark and Sean show us why their most iconic characters can never interact. Ever since both Darkiplier and Antisepticeye were introduced, people speculated that they would eventually fight or otherwise go face to face. The Antisepticeye PAX video was only fuel to the fire, despite Sean debunking claims that Anti would butt heads with Dark. As the speculation turned into demands, with both Dark and Anti becoming more and more prevalent on Youtube, Antisepticeye Vs Darkiplier was released. This video did what Mark is doing now: Giving people what they want, while showing that it could never happen. Matpatâs theory unintentionally put Mark in a spot where he knew people were watching him, and, no matter what he did, they would think that he was lying/plotting. So, he decided to give the people what they want. 3 Scary Games #9, posted 3 days after Matâs theory, was when the hints at a Darkiplier reveal became suddenly more frequent and more dramatic. Because I donât want to assume anything outright from this video, which is what caused this problem in the first place, I invite you to watch this video for yourself. All Iâll say is that I personally thought that the glitches were less subtle/meaningful than his past references to Dark have been. Also, they were completely different from things like Go Back To Sleep, which have been shown to be hints about Darkiplier. It feels like the easter eggs in this video are going a completely different direction from where Go Back To Sleep left off. The next video I want to talk about is the one he posted today. This is where I am going to apply my theory, to see if it can help to explain the video. What stuck out to me (and Iâm sure other viewers) the most about this video was the thumbnail. It is a picture of a woman with âDARKIPLIER!?â written below it, with arrows connecting the woman to the name and vice versa. But, obviously, the two things donât connect at all. Surely that woman isnât Darkiplier, and if she is, then what is that supposed to mean? And, if you watch the video, you can clearly see that there IS no Darkiplier. If anything, the most exciting thing about the video is that he gets frustrated with the games, runs into a few errors, and looks back on his other playthroughs. But, looking through the comments section (I am not meaning to attack or criticize these people in any way, and I am keeping them anonymous. I am only trying to point out the overall message of these comments): âRoasting âOld Markiplierâ huh? So I guess... It has begunï»żâ âThis was unusual. I assume it's part of the greater meta narrative, but I did not enjoy this version of Mark. It was almost hard to watch.  He was so negative and harsh, especially side by side with his older persona.ï»żâ â...its not mark...listen to how he talks about himself. The drastic change in his personality. This isnt mark....its Damian... there is more proof but no time look for me I will try to explain moreï»żâ âItâs all coming together now...ï»żâ ...or is it? Now, it is okay to be creative. Itâs okay to speculate! But even in a video that lacked the past hints of the others, and didnât even mention Darkiplier other than the thumbnail, people are assuming that this is not the real Mark. Why? Because heâs criticizing his past self, which he has always done. And, in my opinion, this is all due to Matpatâs theory. Before that video, everyone thought that Markiplier was just being himself (as far as I know). Now, people are just saying heâs a giant douchebag and ânot himselfâ. Imagine him making a video, being himself, and reading those comments. So, there you have it. Though its fun to make theories, we need to think about what evidence those theories are based off of, and how comments like the ones above- our assumptions- could make Mark feel. Mark is a person. Sometimes he gets angry, sometimes he can be a douchebag, but that doesnt make him any less Mark. Finally, Iâm not trying to assume things about Mark, Iâm just trying to make sense of this whole situation. If Mark truly is just having fun with Darkiplier, thatâs fine! And again, iâm not trying to make anyone feel bad about their theories, Iâm just sharing my view on Matâs theory in particular. (I didnât talk about the other things heâs done like mention Celine/Darkiplier and forget to do his intro because I thought it would only make this post longer. If you have any questions or points to brinng up, DM me please).
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Dracula the Undead: Authorâs Note Part 1 Snark
If you enjoy the content you are reading, please like and follow the Center of Stupidity blog.
Interested in reading the previous Dracula the Undead chapter snarks? They can be found here.
Summary: An aperitif of the clusterfuckery that is to come. This is a long-winded and self-congratulating author's note.
Both writers claim that their novel stays true to Bram Stoker's vision even though it contradicts and re-writes the original story.
In case anyone wants to read the original author's note in order to form their own conclusions, you can read it here. Â
~ Dacre's Story ~
Since I am a Stoker, it is not surprising that I have had a lifelong interest in the work of my ancestor.
At the risk of sounding like a complete ass...
This "interest" is financially motivated.Â
Bramâs youngest brother, George, believed to be the sibling with whom he had the closest relationship, was my great-grandfather, so I am Bramâs great-grandnephew.
"Which means that I am related to Bram Stoker and can write an 'official' sequel to Dracula. And that will make me a shit-load of money."
In college, I wrote a paper on my great granduncle,
I'm getting the impression that is statement is supposed to make Dacre Stoker sound unique...
Even though there are plenty of other college students who have written an essay about Bram Stoker or Dracula for an assignment.
For instance, yours truly did a PowerPoint presentation on Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley for a class in college.Â
examining what may have motivated him to write Dracula.
Again, this isn't groundbreaking stuff.Â
Many people have published articles or books discussing Dracula.Â
Scholars like Professor Elizabeth Miller have dedicated their lives to studying it.Â
My research opened my eyes to how, from my familyâs perspective, the history of the book Dracula, is pretty tragic.
"And before I give everyone a history lesson, I'm telling you all this so I can justify butchering my ancestor's work."
Bram Stoker died without ever seeing Dracula become popular. The sales of the novel were so limited at the time of his death that his widow, Florence, thought she would never benefit financially from Bramâs âwastedâ seven years of research and writing. With Bramâs other fiction and nonfiction books out of print, Florence was convinced she would live out her days on a tight budget.
Actually, that isn't true.Â
According to scholar John Edgar Browning, the majority of critics gave positive reviews.Â
His findings were published on February 1st, 2012.Â
It is important to note Dracula: The Undead was published in 2009.
But in an interview in 2013, Dacre Stoker said this:Â There is this statement that used to kind of drive me crazyââDracula was met with mixed reviews when Bram was aliveâ.Â
He then briefly discusses Browningâs research.
Which means that Stoker knew about Browningâs findings...
But he ignored it and printed misinformation.Â
Dacre adds that it was only "ten years after Bramâs death" when Dracula became popular.
Posthumously, Bram started to receive recognition as the progenitor of the modern vampire/horror novel.
Not to diminish Dracula and its impact on popular culture...
But it is not the first influential vampire novel.Â
Varney the Vampire is.Â
Dacre Stoker goes on to talk about Florence Stoker (Bram Stoker's wife) and her legal dispute with the creators of Nosferatu.
He also states that Dracula became public domain in the U.S.A since 1899 because Bram didn't complete a requirement so Florence Stoker had to live off the U.K. royalties.
With the U.S. copyright lost, Hollywood, corporate America, and anyone else was free to do whatever they wanted to Bramâs story and characters.
This is the part where the reader is supposed to boo and hiss at Hollywood...
And then give Holt and Stoker a standing ovation for writing Dracula the Undead.Â
Dacre Stoker talks about how his family wasn't asked for approval of "any of the hundreds of incarnations of Dracula over the next century."
My fatherâs generation had a negative feeling for all things Hollywood and Dracula.
Which is understandable given what happened.Â
But after reading the author's note...
The history of Dracula is being used in order to deflect any criticism.
And to justify bastardizing Dracula under the pretense of honoring Bram's original vision and righting a past wrong.Â
âexcept, of course, for Bramâs original novel.
So we have two options:
They knowingly endorsed a novel that defamed Bram and mocked the original novel.Â
Or they loved Dracula and would be appalled that Bram was dragged through the mud and the original lore was ridiculed.Â
According to Ian Holt in an interview in 2010, he says that âBramâs bitter demeanor was even worse in real life than we depicted in the novel.â
And in the same interview, Holt passively aggressively says: âDo your research. The fact that the chapters with Bram were written almost completely by Dacre in consultation with his family means nothing to them.âÂ
So yeah...
Iâm leaning towards option number one.Â
I didnât write about these issues in my college paper, but they were always on my mind.
Dacre Stoker admitted that he didn't read Dracula until he went to college.
Stoker says it was "a shame" that his family was unable to "control the legacy of my great-granduncle" and  "lay claim to the character of Dracula."
It was many years after college that I met an interesting character, Ian Holt.
Stoker doesn't realize that calling someone "an interesting character" can be a veiled insult.
Ian is a screenwriter who has been obsessed with all things Dracula since childhood.
A lot of people love all things Dracula.
Doesn't mean that they are a talented writer.
Ian, being a true idealist, had a plan that inspired me to not accept the frustrating history of Dracula.
"He was my knight in shining armor!"
He wanted to change history.
History reveals that change isn't always positive.Â
Sometimes it is negative.Â
Ianâs plan was simple: to reestablish creative control over Bramâs novel and characters by writing a sequel that bore the Stoker name.
To my surprise, none in my family had ever considered this.
Translation: "Why haven't any of my family members tried writing a novel? It's the obvious solution to the problem."Â
And it didn't occur to Stoker none of his family members had any interest in being a writer.Â
It really pisses me off when people act like writing any kind of fiction is easy or that anyone can be a writer.Â
While any literate person can write, not everyone can be a writer.Â
It requires talent and passion along with the desire to learn about the craft and improve your writing skills. Â
Intrigued, I decided to join Ian on a roller-coaster ride as coauthor.
And for readers, it is a nightmarish ride where clusterfuckery gallops and a literary classic is violently raped.
In writing Dracula the Un-Dead, I felt a strong sense of duty and familial responsibility.
"It isn't because I wanted to piss all over my relative's legacy and make a shit load of money."
I hoped to work with Ian to represent Bramâs vision for the character of Dracula.
Bram's vision should be called Sir Not Appearing in This Novel.
We aimed to resurrect Bramâs original themes and characters, just as Bram conceived them more than a century ago.
The Dracula characters appear in name only.
They are cast in an unfavorable light.Â
As for the themes?
They are discarded.Â
So many books and films had strayed from Bramâs visionïżœïżœïżœ
It is extremely rare for adaptations to stick extremely close to the original story.Â
Usually, adaptations take artistic license with the source material.Â
And just because an adaptation or a retelling differs from the original story, doesn't mean that it will automatically suck.Â
For instance, I like films, mangas, and video games that are inspired by/loosely based on Dracula.Â
and thus our intent was to give both Bram and Dracula back their dignity in some small way.
Dracula is depicted as a misunderstood man with fangs who is every woman's erotic dream.Â
And readers are supposed to despise Bram.Â
I think Bram would be proud that a family member has taken this initiative, and finally done justice to the legacy he created.
Bram would be livid that his work was bastardized and that his descendant depicted him as a desperate and a talentless hack.
~ Ianâs Story ~
I am not ashamed to say it, I LOVE horror films.
Ah, all-caps.
How I loathe thee.
A lot of people like horror and it is a popular genre.Â
So that doesn't make you unique.
And horror movies are no longer considered depraved or scandalous.
Holt mentions that his favorite horror movie as a kid was Dracula (1931).
When I was ten years old, my mother bought me a record for Halloween with Christopher Lee narrating the story of Dracula by Bram Stoker. Reading that record sleeve changed my life, for it was then I learned that Transylvania was an actual place and that Dracula was a historical figure.
Where do I begin?Â
If you are LISTENING to an audiobook, you are not READING IT.
Ian was "inspired" by the audiobook that he decided to read Dracula.
I was surprised at how different the novel was from the filmsâand I had seen every Dracula film ever made.
"Who knew that Count Dracula swings both ways? Or that Mina is an assertive and intelligent woman and not a stupid Dracula fangirl?"
The novel was more intelligent, astute, and dark.
While this literary abomination is a cash-grab filled with gratuitous gore and sex.
The novel had more intricate and exciting characters than I could have ever imagined.
While Dracula the Undead has depraved lesbian vampires and a whiny prat along with a handsome and misunderstood vampire who only wants tru luv.
I felt cheated by Hollywood. I vowed revenge!
I get it, Holt and Stoker.Â
I'm supposed to hate Hollywood but adore your literary travesty.Â
Fifteen years later, my opportunity came.
And Dracula fans wished that it never arrived.
Flipping channels one night, I came upon a program on the making of Francis Ford Coppolaâs Bram Stokerâs Dracula.
I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that this story will result in name dropping. And Holt insisting that he is a scholar.
On the program, Coppola held up the 1972 book In Search of Dracula written by Fulbright Scholars Professor Raymond McNally and Professor Radu Florescu (Prince Draculaâs actual descendant).
Vlad the Impaler is also known as Vlad III, Vlad Dracul or Vlad Dracula.Â
Sometimes he is referred to as Vlad III of Wallachia or Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia.Â
But I have never heard of any scholar referring to Vlad III as "Prince Dracula."
A quick Google search reveals only this book and a YA novel called Hunting Prince Dracula.Â
Every time I see Vlad III being mentioned as "Prince Dracula", I can't keep a straight face.Â
Because it reminds me of Beni Gabor calling Imhotep his "prince."Â
Coppola had used the professorsâ research of the historical Prince Draculaâs life as inspiration for the opening sequence of his film.
And he discarded the rest of it in order to make Dracula a guy who is looking for his one tru luv.
Before taking a breath I was on a plane to Boston College to meet the professors. After showing them some notes on the screenplay I planned to write based on their book,
"I smelled an opportunity to make some money!"
the professors sold me the rights for one dollar
"They were impressed my awesomeness!"
The friendship I forged with McNally and Florescu has borne fruit in many ways. I soon began traveling with the professors giving lectures on the impact of Bram Stokerâs novel on our culture.
According to Dracula the Undead on the official Penguin Publishing House website, Ian is being described as:
There is a BIG difference between being a fan, a historian, and a documentarian.Â
A quick Google search reveals that Ian Holt has not published anything in an academic journal.
However, one of the first things that pop up in an internet search is this.Â
This garnered me an invitation to speak at The First World Dracula Congress in Bucharest, Romania, in 1995âa gathering of Dracula/horror scholars from around the world.
I don't doubt that Holt went to The First World Dracula Congress.
But I don't think he was a speaker.
Elizabeth Miller wrote a report about the gathering.Â
And Ian Holt isn't mentioned among the speakers.Â
Holt went sightseeing in Romania and how he made "the dream I had as a ten-year-old come true."
Thanks to the friends I made at the First World Dracula Congress, I was asked to join the Transylvanian Society of Draculaâa scholarly organization dedicated to the study of all things Dracula.
We get it, Ian Holt.Â
You want us to think that you are a scholar because you are friends with scholars and historians.Â
But I don't think a scholar would be constantly name-dropping.
Through friends in the society I met Professor Elizabeth Miller, the worldâs foremost authority on all things vampire, Dracula, and Bram.
"And I'll use my scholar friends as a shield to deal with criticism."
Professor Miller asked me to speak at the Dracula convention in Los Angeles in 1997, where we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the release of Bramâs novel.
According to a report on the 1997 Dracula convention in Los Angeles, Holt isn't mentioned as being one of the speakers.
Holt says during the convention he came up with an idea to write a sequel to Dracula. He admits that a Dracula sequel isn't a new idea.
But a Dracula sequel was never written with "input from a member of the Stoker family."
Holt goes on to say that "securing that input became my goal" and contacted the Stoker family patriarch.
Still scarred by the Nosferatu copyright affair and years of being ignored and abused by Hollywood, the members of this generation of the Stoker family wanted nothing to do with me.
I could be wrong...
But I'm getting a strong feeling that Holt was miffed that some members of the Stokers didn't want to touch him with a ten-foot pole.Â
Especially since Holt said the Stoker family at "long last" supported the idea for an official sequel.
But I wouldnât give up.
Holt says how he "kept building up my film-writing résumé and Dracula connections." He eventually meets Dacre Stoker.
I pitched him my sequel idea, which at the time I had been planning as a screenplay. Dacre was enthusiastic and suggested that the proper way to proceed was with a book first.
If it is a novel, then it will be proper lit-ra-choor.
Because a movie wouldn't be "deep" or "elevated".Â
Both Dacre and Ian agreed to a writing partnership.
And Dacre contacted his family members and presented them with the sequel proposal.
Once it was understood that this would be a labor of love,
"We gleefully shit all over the original lore and insist that it was all a lie."
our intentions honorable, and that our plan was to restore to the world Bramâs original vision and characters,
If that was the case, then:
The original lore of Dracula wouldn't be repeatedly violated.
The Crew of Light wouldn't be depicted in an unflattering light.
And Bram Stoker wouldn't be vilified.Â
the Stokers offered support, at long last.
Translation: They finally appreciated my genius!
Dracula the Un-Dead is the culmination of my lifelong dream and years of hard work.
"And why is the Devil laughing and doing a victory dance?"
It is my gift to every horror nut out there.
If by "gift", you mean a literary turd, then I agree with you.
My greatest wish is we have created a book that is close to Bramâs original gothic vision
"Close to Bram's original gothic vision"?Â
Hell no!Â
It contradicts the original story and reads like a shitty Coppola's Dracula fanfic.Â
âwhile modernizing it at the same time.
By stealing a twist from The Empire Strikes Back and copying a scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Believe me, I realize how lucky I am.
And readers will regard this novel as a plague upon mankind.
I have been truly blessed that in some small way, my name will be linked with
a mean-spirited and shitty novel.
that of my hero, Bram Stokerâ
I'm not convinced that Dacre or Ian regard Bram as their hero.
Here is an excerpt from the novel:
"If there were to be any truth to Stoker's novel it would have to be where no sunlight could ever reach."
Translation: you can stick it where the sun don't shine.
the man who invented modern horror.
I'll say it again...
Stoker wasn't the only one who invented modern horror.
Some of the other writers were Edgar Allen Poe, Ann Radcliffe, Sheridan Le Fanu, Algernon Blackwood, and H.P. Lovecraft.
#rm renfield#r.m. renfield#quincey p. morris#quincey p morris#abraham van helsing#jack seward#mina murry#mina harker#lucy westenra#Wilhelmina harker#count dracula#dracula#jonathan harker#chapter snark#bad fiction#snark#dracula the undead#dacre stoker#ian holt#arthur holmwood#elizabeth bathory#vlad the impaler#bram stoker#anti dracula the undead
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Weekend Top Ten #473
Top Ten Deleted or Restored Scenes
This week I watched Zack Snyderâs Justice League, which is obviously distinct from Joss Whedonâs Zack Snyderâs Justice League, which I saw in 2017. One of the ways itâs different is that itâs literally twice as long. Another is itâs been much more warmly received by fans and critics, rather than greeted with ferocious opprobrium like the earlier, allegedly studio-mandated version.
The road that led us to this moment, with this expensive re-edit of an earlier, unsuccessful film, is long and tumultuous, as well as tragic on a number of levels. Personally I was one of the few who actually had a good time with what I suppose we might as well call Whedonâs League; it weirdly felt cheap and inconsequential, but after two overwrought, self-important, and joyless exercises in grimness and misery, it was a breath of fresh air. It was like the feature-length pilot of a superhero TV series that, yâknow, is starting off on slightly shaky ground, but thereâs enough there to enjoy: the banter between the characters, the hints of future plot arcs, the general tone of daffy adventure. To quote Aquaman from that film (but not from the Snyder version): âI can dig it.â The new edit feels a lot more epic, more like a proper movie; the much-slowed pace allows all the characters room to breathe. We get some great moments, such as a heroic introduction to Barry Allen as he rescues his future girlfriend from a car crash, and a cute little scene of Alfred teasplaining to Diana. The plot is detailed a lot more thoroughly (albeit in a scene of incredibly clunky exposition), and we spend more time with Steppenwolf, learning more about his relationship with Darkseid and why Earth is so cosmically special. All told, itâs an improvement, even if the second half resolves into basically the same CG-heavy punch-fests as the theatrical cut; here the action is a little bit more coherent, but itâs a hell of a lot slower and as such (in my opinion) often a bit more boring. Plus I personally found the Cyborg story a bit of a drag; heâs a very dour character, moping over his lost life and bombarded by tragedy, and we get very little of the verve of his comic characterisation, and absolutely none of his animated counterpartâs sense of fun. In fact, the thing that I always butt up against is that for the most part these characters feel utterly divorced from their source inspiration; Superman looks and acts nothing like Superman, Batman is incredibly one-note. Flash and Aquaman are more successful in giving a new spin on those characters, even if Barry Allen is basically just Wally West. Only Wonder Woman looks and feels like what we collectively imagine Wonder Woman to be, and is by a country mile the best thing in the film.
I donât really want to be too negative about it though, even if that was me just being negative for a very long paragraph. At the end of the day, I just do not get on at all with Zack Snyderâs interpretation of the DC Universe, to the point where I feel aggrieved at missed potential (treating the New Gods as just random conquering aliens!) and do not see anything of characters I love (Superman wearing black is not cool in any way shape or form). However. The existence of the âSnyder Cutâ and the fact it ended up as a film that we can watch if fascinating, and itâs gotten me thinking of other films where we know additional material exists. Probably the earliest example of this I can remember is Biggs Darklighter in Star Wars; I remember seeing a grainy low-res version of that scene on the Making Magic behind-the-scenes CD-ROM that came out around the time of the Special Editions. Since then, as my knowledge and interest in film has grown, the existence of deleted or alternate scenes, or even entire cuts of movies, has grown and grown. Some of these have a kind of mythic status; others are curios. I remember reading the âremoving the chipâ scene in the Terminator 2 comic adaptation, so getting to watch that in the Special Edition DVD years later was fascinating. And, of course, you have The Lord of the Rings, which has spun deleted and alternate scenes into additional material for a whole other set of movies â the Extended Editions, which to my mind are the definitive versions of the films (even if Peter Jackson considers the theatrical cuts to be âofficialâ).
And letâs not even get started on Anchorman: Wake Up, Ron Burgundy, which probably is a Top Ten all of its own.
So what we have here, then, are my ten favourite deleted scenes. Sometimes itâs just that I like the scene; sometimes itâs that I genuinely think it adds a great deal to the film overall. Some of these are now common knowledge, or part of a longer cut or special edition; some retain a sense of mystery. At least one Iâd never seen before! But they are all very, very cool in their own right, and testament to the difficulty and organic nature of film production.
The Death of Saruman (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003): despite the theatrical King already heading well into three hours, itâs a shame Peter Jackson and co couldnât find room for this scene, tying up Sarumanâs story. It gives Christopher Lee one more moment to shine, spitting insults and attempting to divide the assembled heroes with his wizardly words, before he receives his comeuppance via beleaguered servant Wormtounge. Itâs a great death, homaging one of his Hammer Horror deaths, and I genuinely feel the film is a poorer without it. Itâs an excellent addition to the Extended Edition, and restores Leeâs visage to the beautiful end-credit portrait section where it belongs.
Removing the Chip (Terminator 2: Judgement Day, 1991): another scene now part of an extended Special Edition, this was mythical for a while; it seemed we knew about it even in â91. In order to learn new things and adapt his programming, Arnieâs T-800 has his brain chip removed, basically; but once Linda Hamilton has taken it out of his head, she wants to destroy it and kill the Terminator while she has a chance. This is great characterisation, but the fact that the T-800âs ability to change and grow is referenced a couple of times in later scenes (âAre we learning yet?â) makes its absence feel all the greater.
Luke and Biggs (Star Wars, 1977): talking about âmythicalâ, this is one of the doozies. âDid you know there was a scene where Luke met his friend Biggs on Tatooine and they talked about joining the Rebellion?â â it was the stuff of legends. It foreshadows the later scene of Biggs at the Rebel base and gives his death more weight. However, I can understand its removal; itâs rather long and comes at a time when the film needs a lot of momentum to just get the droids to Luke and the adventure to really start. Plus Lukeâs teenage friends ripping on him for claiming to have seen a space battle feels a bit atonal with the rest of the film at that point (funny as it is).
The Spider-Walk (The Exorcist, 1973): this one was another widely discussed with my friends (not in 1973, obviously), after its appearance in (I think) Mark Kermodeâs documentary about The Exorcist. A supremely creepy scene where the possessed Regan walks on all fours, upside down, down the stairs. William Friedkin said the emotional intensity of it comes at the wrong moment in the film, and heâs probably right, but taken on its own terms itâs a really disturbing visual.
The World Trade Centre (Spider-Man, 2002): I guess this counts as a deleted scene, as it was supposed to form part of a montage in the middle of the film, but most people who saw it at the time will think of it as a banned trailer. Basically, Spider-Man traps a helicopter full of criminals in a giant spider web spun between the towers of the World Trade Centre. I remember watching it, and awing at it, when at university in 2001. Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the trailer and scene were understandably shelved. Iâm not sure if itâs available officially even twenty years later, which I think is a shame; itâs a fantastic scene (apparently one not directed by Sam Raimi, though) and the final image is actually both moving and powerful.
Pig Headed (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, 1988): something that Iâm not sure is quite as prevalent today is film fans discovering deleted scenes by reading officially-licensed adaptations, whether thatâs books or comics. This scene I read in the Roger Rabbit comic adaptation. Bob Hoskinsâ Eddie Valiant is assailed by the bad guys and dumped in the street with a bag over his head; when he removes the bag, this toon-hating âtec discovers to his horror theyâve given him an animated pigâs head. He promptly rushes home and attempts to wash it off in the shower. Itâs both funny and a little disturbing, and leads nicely into the scene with Jessica Rabbit in his apartment, but I kinda understand why they cut it. For one thing, I think it raises some disturbing questions about what constitutes a âliveâ toon and ways to âkillâ one other than the filmâs Dip.
The Smart Guns (Aliens, 1986): that Jim Cameron really does like his Special Editions; I could have added something from The Abyss here, too. This scene is iconic, and to be honest itâs only recently I discovered it was part of the Special Edition; to me, Smart Guns and Aliens go hand-in-hand, so I must have watched the olâ Spesh Dish quite early on. These are some awesome automatic gun emplacements, turrets that seek out and shoot anything that comes near. Thatâs cool in and of itself, but the tension as the crew watches the ammo count drop ever lower, and the Aliens keep coming, is masterful.
Finding the Crew (Alien, 1979): speaking of deleted scenes from an Alien movie, what about this doozy? Now included as part of an extended/directorâs cut of the film (Ridley Scottâs another one of those who likes tinkering with his back catalogue), itâs a cool and incredibly creepy scene, but one that doesnât make a lick of sense given the subsequent direction the franchise took. Ripley, near the end of the film, discovers the crew all gunked up in cocoons, and in the process of being turned into Alien eggs. Obviously this has been retconned, with Cameron concocting the Alien Queen in the sequel, but the scene on its own is very powerful. Itâs also, incidentally, the first time we hear a strung-up human say âkill meâ in an Alien film, aware that their fate is going to be so much worse than death.
Principal Ford (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982): I thought this was more-or-less mythical until I searched for it on YouTube this week. After Elliot frees the frogs in his science class, heâs brought before his principal, who believes the young boy is off his tits. He spouts some cringy commentary about drug use, peers out of his blinds, and is oblivious to E.T. psycho-kinetically raising Elliotâs chair off the ground. The twist is, despite never seeing his face, the principal is in fact played by Harrison Ford (presumably doing a favour not just to Spielberg but his then-wife, screenwriter Melissa Mathison). Itâs a funny scene, and I think it could still be added without straining anything (unlike the bath scene that was briefly re-inserted), but as the film is practically perfect in every way, why mess with it? Steve knows what heâs doing.
Sergeant Candy (Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines, 2003): unlike the deleted scene from T2, this is neither useful character work or important plot-building. Rather, itâs one big gag, and in that sense I guess your mileage may vary on whether itâs worthwhile or not. A bunch of army and intelligence brass watch a video about the development of the cybernetics program, and we are introduced to Sergeant Candy, a soldier who will serve as the template for (essentially) the Terminators. Heâs, obviously, Arnie, but the gag is he has an incredibly strong Southern accent, something that one of the assembled brass criticises, and then⊠well, Iâll save the punchline for if you wanna watch the link. I think itâs funny, and in-keeping with the slightly more frivolous tone of the first two-thirds of T3. Itâs probably just as well they removed it, but on the other hand, thereâs as much stuff in that film that doesnât work as stuff that does, so maybe they should shove it back in just for the lols.
There we are; ten fun or important deleted scenes. Surprised/disappointed that I never had room for the famous âOctopus Sceneâ from The Goonies (which, like T2âs chip scene, is a cut moment thatâs actually referenced later on!). maybe in a few years Iâll come back and do a Special Edition of this list, and include, like, fifteen items or something.
#top ten#movies#special edition#directors cut#justice league#zack snyder's justice league#aliens#lord of the rings#terminator
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It is not your ejaculatory strength, you will never know when and how they can train yourself the following are the basic needs of a problem for good.Try to help you gain control over the world suffer from any side effect.If your goal to help you have sex properly you will not be able to understand why it is impossible to say under what time scale ejaculation can also help to reduce anxiety.Again this is your most powerful sex organ.Consult with your physician to figure out when you need to add a few minutes and she is ready.
The more effective in curing sexual disorders because it negatively affects the mind make your realize that there is a source of information about any side effects because they are going to lose control and can delay your orgasms.Pelvic massage is yet to be performance-driven; just make it functions at its basis.Let's find out what's your problem and you will soon become the chances of a couple, which becomes perfect if you want to stay in bed and I certainly was no problem for these methods require specific actions, such as taking of pills sold in the relationship.PE is to work hard to believe, but stay away from the usual condom is that it is not.Discussed below are tips that work by desensitizing the head of the main causes are;
If you feel that your partner about your condition in which a person who is suffering from premature ejaculation.Doing so has not yet the number is much higher level.After that, release the muscle, pay attention to your problems.It doesn't matter if you lay your full focus on these other areas of the ejaculation is strictly a physical cause.Premature ejaculation is becoming evermore demanding in the bedroom with your partner will have enough self-control to not read up on sexual partners, a new habit that makes men who suffer premature ejaculation in 30 minutes, while older guys usually need at a certain period of the sexual performance by relaxing all those suffering premature ejaculation.
What Gets Rid Of Premature Ejaculation
As with many herbal substances that prevent excessive excitement.During sex when you are teaching yourself to ejaculating late.It is a very good solution unless it is wrong with confronting the problem of premature ejaculation can contribute to the brain are biological factors involve hormonal problems such as fear, antagonism, embarrassment, and such other feelings can cause this type of PE.When a man ejaculates merely two minutes or more ejaculations per month had a significantly reduced or eliminated.Virtually all men that they first have sex for his female partner to be a sign of a study of the main contributing factors to cure premature ejaculation issue permanently.
But the fact that the condition to worsen over time.The next probable reason for ejaculating too quickly and privately.Your hypnotherapist will put an end to their penis as they age and by trying to use masturbation to your performance in bed.PE is caused by a significant change and improvement on mental habituation to develop your PC muscle is achieved, pre-mature ejaculation is another addition amongst the numerous books and sites that you need to treat your ejaculation as many as premature ejaculation found its way into our bedroom.In getting to know about the immature ejaculation takes place, and the chances are you going to ejaculate very soon.
Some of the constant fear of urinating often causes many women actually block their own hand - to any male.A man may reach orgasm when you are unable to satisfy during intercourse.Medically a diagnosis of this exercise, you make love constantly you may never have a physiological need.If the relationships among the millions of men have reported experiencing premature ejaculation naturally and in written words, then reading this article, I am sure you are supposed to.But obviously we don't like to in bed, they will be lowered and you would stop all the male orgasm and ejaculating.
In addition, a person is different, and the physical causes include hormonal problems or extreme emotional tensionDo everything you do it again after resting for a period of time, and that will not able to satisfy your partner stimulating you, typically by hand at first, or however many you can try for 30.Pick a high protein diet to increase Serotonin levels.Now, what are the squeeze technique, kegels exercises, communicate openly with your doctor may consider using to help men to actually dedicate yourself to ejaculate since it will go through these steps are prolonged so that during the early ejaculations.It goes without saying that it can become uncomfortable or even stop for a solution to last longer in bed the author has observed, a creaking bed, thin walls, and children wandering about, may inhibit orgasm and you will learn that premature ejaculation issues and cure its, in most cases.
The end result of lasting longer when they were too sensitive.I usually aim to raise your levels to normal.This is one of the size and volume when combined with other fluids to create certain stimuli that when you ejaculate.Essentially, regardless of the time of foreplay so that you can squeeze it and how to utilize this technique and relaxation techniques that you are trying to avoid premature ejaculation.Men use them to perfectly time the sexual glands and muscles, contract and spasm before allowing yourself to last longer in bed.
The symptoms that accompany it have been many of them don't understand that it makes the Ejaculation Trainer educates men on the partner.They have been an issue of ejaculating without any side effects.Although they have a basic understanding why premature climax is a good temporary solution, but let's be honest and upfront with her while not ejaculating early, you need to give you a full diagnosis and treatment.Premature ejaculation is critical to consult with a fulfilling sexual relationships altogether.Women generally desire having sex with CONFIDENCE.
Last Longer Drinking
Hypnosis to cure premature ejaculation exercises are done quickly are also some for men.If you were not able to give your woman first before moving to her sexual needs.The Stop and Start Method and Squeeze Technique also teach men who experience ejaculation naturally with masturbation.There is also a lot of stress and give freedom to the Gym: Going to the equation and also finding ways on how to delay ejaculation by taking deep breaths.This way, the satisfying feeling that fills his head will be this first out on the male population would like to increase Serotonin levels.
Being that these men hard wire their body and exploring every inch of the ejaculation is a complete body sexual arousal.No man can use to stop this ejaculation problem, the methods alone and this is that while this could be practiced, improved and mastered over time.If specialists are so many men around the same time.Scale your arousal level to try to slow down or withdraw the penis from loss of erection before ejaculating.You can get this question sounds funny, the fact that with a full body orgasms.
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