#oh! and the pirates of the caribbean ride!

[imagitory]

I personally see the new Haunted Mansion movie as leagues better than the 2003 version and thus wouldn’t lump them together in any comparison...but regardless, I actually think this is kind of a false equivalency.

Yes, the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are both very popular Disney theme park rides that were turned into films. But in truth, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was actually much less committed to that “bit” from the get-go. 

It is a pirate movie, yes -- but really, it has f***-all to do with the ride that inspired it. Prior to the parks going back and adding more movie iconography to the ride to better tie the two properties together, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and films were completely different in plot, characters, and tone. The original ride was set up with we the riders seeing the skeletons of pirates surrounded by gold they can’t spend or enjoy, before we go back in time to the Golden Age of Piracy and see pirates acting out and being terrible and ending up locked up, imprisoned, and trapped in a city that’s about to burn to the ground and get blown up and that we the riders only just barely escape. There really wasn’t that much that was glamorous about piracy, on the original ride. We don’t see any characters we really want to follow or aspire to be like. But Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was really more a tribute to the old-fashioned, swashbuckling pirate movies of days past with elements of the Disney ride thrown in for spice, such as the iconic song and nods to jokes like the skeleton drinking a whole bottle of wine or the dog holding a ring of keys. It was a lot more “adult,” humor, gore, and tone-wise, than the ride. It was much more quirky and off-beat in its comedy than the ride. It was much less moralizing than the original ride -- au contraire, it sympathizes with most of its pirate characters, which the original ride never did. And I love the movie for it! I love that it did its own thing so well to the point that you can’t accuse it of disrespecting the original ride! If anything, it ended up making the ride better in a lot of ways, by giving a different slant on the legacy of the pirate mythos based on how we as a society and our views of pirates and heroes and villains overall have changed. It shows pirates that are dangerous and filthy and lawless, but it also makes them largely likeable and sympathetic.

In the 2003 Haunted Mansion film’s case, it -- like Curse of the Black Pearl -- kind of does its own thing with its own tone, characters, and story while only referencing elements of the original ride here and there...but it also never set out to be a PG-13 tribute to classic horror or anything. Instead it seems like the filmmakers honestly kind of wanted it to be like one of those 90′s movies like Hook or The Santa Clause where you have a workaholic dad who gets swept up in this vaguely magical/otherworldly kind of experience with his family and has to better learn to appreciate the love around him through his experience. I personally don’t like that approach at all, to the point that I do think it disrespected the original ride -- but I know other people do. But The Haunted Mansion (2003) certainly didn’t do as well with audiences or at the box office with that approach so divorced from its subject matter as CoBP did.

Looking at the new Haunted Mansion movie from earlier this year, however...it wasn’t trying to do its own thing, the way the 2003 film or CoBP did. It was clearly intended to be a loving homage and tribute to Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion ride. Yes, it features new characters, and yes, it has some new interpretations of some of the Mansion ride’s current cast like the Hatbox Ghost, Constance Hatchaway, Master Gracey, and Madame Leota -- but the movie embraced the Gothic, beautiful, creepy, darkly comedic, but still family-friendly tone of the original ride INFINITELY more than either of the other two films discussed previously did their respective rides. The new Haunted Mansion doesn’t shy away from the themes of death, grief, loss, and pain -- it’s the core focus of the plot and just about all of the major characters’ story arcs. It doesn’t make the Mansion a place these ghosts wouldn’t want to stay in, or make it a place you yourself wouldn’t want to explore. The original Haunted Mansion, as depicted by Disneyland and Walt Disney World’s theme park rides, is a place where 999 happy haunts CHOSE to rest in, and the movie embraces that. (Contrasted to the 2003 film where all the ghosts are happy to leave it at the end and never return, leaving it an Un-haunted Mansion, sorry, I’ll always be salty about that.)

Haunted Mansion (2023) wasn’t trying to be like Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl -- if it was, I daresay we would’ve ended up with a more adult-geared horror film a la Crimson Peak. And while I can totally understand wanting that movie, I personally really appreciate the approach that respected what people originally loved about the ride. Because unlike with the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, I don’t think the Haunted Mansion ride needed as much retrospection through a modern lens. Its themes of finding humor in death and finding joy in what should be pain and sadness are timeless -- no more “adult,” cheeky, clever, nuanced spin was needed. And just because the filmmakers understood that doesn’t mean that their film “wasn’t committed to the bit.” They just chose to be more committed to the ride’s original themes and tone than to your idea of what a haunted house movie should be like.

[hemmingsleclerc]

Disneyland ┃CL16

summary: where the leclerc family spends a day at disneyland

It was a warm day in Los Angeles and Charles was packing the last of his little daughter's things into her mini-backpack. He had decided to take a break from the busy world of racing to spend quality time with his girlfriend and his energetic 4-year-old daughter, Emma. He had decided to take his girls to Disneyland.

When they entered the huge park, Emma's eyes opened with excitement as she saw the Disney characters, the various games and the other children dressed as their favorite characters. Charles and Y/N exchanged smiles, knowing that this day would be filled with laughter and unforgettable memories.

The first stop was Fantasyland, where they entered classic attractions such as "It's a Small World" and the Mad Hatter's teacups where even though Emma was barely 4 years old, she loved speed and laughingly shouted at her parents to turn the wheel cup faster.

Right there, Emma insisted on dressing up, excusing herself that it was to feel the magic in a better way, so they entered the store where they sold the different costumes and let Emma freely choose what their clothes would be for the rest of the day.

Now, Charles dressed as Prince Charming, Y/N in the beautiful Cinderella dress and Emma dressed as a little Wendy, strolled through Adventureland, where they met pirates and sailed through the mysterious waters of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Charles hugged Emma, while Y/N captured the funny image of them dressed as Disney characters with the pirates.

Emma, now a little ahead of them, was trying to run in the direction of the car ride, eager to ride the cars from one of her favorite movies.

''!Emma Jules don't run so fast!'' Charles shouted trying to reach his little daughter.

As the day progressed, the Leclerc family ran into beloved Disney characters, posed for photos, and enjoyed treats like Mickey-shaped ice cream, among other things. Emma insisted on meeting Peter Pan and Wendy, the characters of her current favorite movie, and Charles and Y/N happily agreed, following her daughter's enthusiasm.

The highlight of their day was a surprise meeting with Mickey Mouse and Minnie themselves. Emma's eyes widened in pure amazement as she hugged the iconic characters. Charles and Y/N exchanged a proud look, grateful for this opportunity to make precious memories for their daughter.

As the sun began to set, the family rushed to see the spectacular fireworks show in the front row. Emma sat on Charles' shoulders, pointing to the sky in wonder as explosions of color lit up the night.

Leaving the park, tired but happy, Charles and Y/N , with their daughter in their arms, headed to their car. The little girl had fallen exhausted after that day.

While Y/N placed Emma in her seat, Charles tried to unbutton the collar of that costume they were still wearing.

''What are you doing Charlie?''

''I've been choking on this costume all day but I didn't want to take it off for Emma. These things are not designed for people with f1 driver necks''

''Let me help you'' his girlfriend laugh

With a little effort they managed to noticeably loosen the collar of the suit and then climbed into their respective seats to reach the comfort of their hotel to rest.

''¿Do you think she had fun?'' charles said in a low voice trying not to wake up his daughter in the back seat.

''I'm sure she had the best time, baby, plus, I got to see you in that cute costume all day. You looked very handsome''

''What can I say? Although you are not far behind, you look beautiful in that dress, did you know that Cinderella is one of my favorite movies?'' he said smiling

''Oh shut up'' Y/N covered her mouth trying to silence her laughter.

They indeed had the best time.

[winwintea]

dreamies as your disney world boyfriend

pairing ▸ boyfriend!dreamies x reader author's note ▸ i am working on the SERIES I PROMISE GUYS... it's just quite long... oops. i needed to channel my inner disney for inspiration for this sorry. the prompt seemed to make more sense in my head so i guess it's just, 'dreamies at disney' now lol. ALSO SOME DISNEY TERMINOLOGY in there i apologize. should make sense but if it's confusing ask me lmfaooo

mark lee

photographer boyfriend obviously 

doesn’t even complain about how many photos you want to take

is actually dying inside but hides it away with dad jokes to cope with the pain

“it’s not even noon yet and dis-knees are killing me bro” 

will only complain about the heat 

“It’s like we’re on the surface on the sun dude… like satan’s armpit. that’s crazzzzyy.”

you couldn’t help but laugh

but then he just KEPT GOING

“it’s like we’re in the inside of a mouth… there are things sticking to things that-” 

and you cut him off right there.

can’t help the fact that bro is a D1 yapper.

will not wear mickey ears though no matter how much you beg him to :(  

favorite ride: slinky dog dash

least favorite ride: dumbo

huang renjun

the boyfriend that actually disney bounds with you

so y’all are disney bounding as nick wilde and judy hopps from zootopia (renjun’s idea)

chenle took him to shanghai disney once, so he’s a big fan of duffy and friends

oh how disappointed he was when he realized that the mascots don’t exist in WDW

“preferred parking? i would prefer parking to be free, thank you very much.” 

mood is very sour upon entering

“i know you’re cold but i did tell you to bring a jacket.” rude.

however once you two start collecting your first character signature he’s locked in

somehow more excited to meet the characters than the kids are? (ur 24. reality check!)

he gets more into it as the day goes on

YOU BET HE’S WEARING THE MICKEY EARS. 

although he already had fox ears on to begin with anyways

favorite ride: mickey & minnie’s runaway railway

least favorite ride: seven dwarfs mine train (it was too short)

lee jeno

foodie boyfriend 

wants a turkey leg like really badly 

“that guy has a turkey leg… sir- um sir- where did you get that turkey leg”

you have to bribe this man with food.

which honestly is okay by you because you just wanna take photos of the food.

"yknow with this ride being 50 years old, you'd think they could've made the boats a little bigger. have to man spread now" 

whatever you’re thinking of, that’s literally not what he meant. 

he’s an innocent lil guy. (seriously, it just came out wrong.)

holds ur hand on all rides. 

let’s you grab onto his muscles arms while you are nervous on the thrill rides

no mickey ears though. (it’s the bow that always throws them off)

favorite ride: rise of the resistance 

least favorite ride: teacups

lee haechan

out of pocket boyfriend who will not stfu

“bambi’s the only movie i really couldn’t watch… i could not be as strong as bambi” 

after you give him the, “wtf” look he just continues. on.

“cause if my mom died well… there goes my friend group.”

will randomly start singing disney songs in the middle of waiting for a ride. 

in those show/ride/attractions he’s the only one clapping and screaming. 

especially true for the beauty and the beast sing-a-long attraction, cause yknow he’s gonna scream his lungs out.

yeah he’ll wear mickey ears, but you bought him a goofy hat instead. It was more fitting.

“can’t believe disney made a character after me… should i sue?”

also complains a lot. way too much.

“EPCOT? more like every person comes out tired.”

favorite ride: pirates of the caribbean (he kept making a booty joke over and over again)

least favorite ride: toy story midway mania (bc he lost)

na jaemin

hardcore boyfriend photographer (pt 2) + ‘mom’ boyfriend

man knows all your best angles and where to take photos

“picture, picture over here… yes yes right… in front of the castle angel. oh that’s so pretty… in… in… down… up… okay! smile!”

you two spend like half the day taking photos, jaemin needs to show off his gf ofc.

cares for you the whole entire day, makes sure you drink enough water

aggressively refills your waterbottles every second he gets. 

“when it doubt, chug it out! (cue jaemin chugging his own bottle)

he unfortunately will not wear mickey ears. (jaemin i believed in you.)

he’s not the one being taken photos of, so no mickey ears for him.

“princess i don’t wanna hear it. the humidity is good for you. this is like nature’s pore declogging.”

favorite ride: frozen ever after

least favorite ride: none (bc he did everything with u <3)

zhong chenle

in between buying you everything and calling everything too expensive boyfriend

HOW THE FUCK DID HE GET A MEMBERSHIP WITH CLUB 33.

this man pulls you into that sus green building on main street, and your jaw drops.

club 33, is an exclusive, membership only restaurant at disney. it’s like an elite society filled with rich upper class, but at disney. (never been inside not sure how to describe it but oh boy is membership expensive.) the waitlist got so long in 2007, they closed it for 5 years. look it up on wikipedia disney lore goes hard

“i just asked a couple of friends, and they recommended me this place.” boy.

you’re panicking because you’re severely underdressed. (you’re in a jessie costume.)

he reassures you, since you’re at disney, and being dressed like this is normal.

once u have one of the most expensive meals of ur life, chenle drags u to every single thrill ride.

he also buys you a balloon and a bubble wand <3

but for some reason when you arrive at the gift shop he realizes he’s spent a lot.

“okay enough gift shop. look away from the gift shop. this vacation already has us in poverty.”

AND BRO ACTS LIKE THIS THE WHOLE TRIP IM NOT KIDDING.

he’ll buy you a nice meal at one of the restaurants and then…

“we’re not getting churros they’re 5 dollars.”

no mickey ears either why do you even ask

“next time i’ll take u to shanghai, it’s better okay?”

favorite ride: tower of terror

least favorite ride: it’s a small world after all

park jisung

anti-disney everything boyfriend

gets frustrated at everything. cannot read the map.

when he goes on small world…

he severely questions his mental sanity. like actually guys i think he needs help.

“this ride is for kids.” 

the ride in question: the barnstormer! a 40 second kiddie roller coaster that has top speeds of up to 25mph!

literally jisung’s 13 reason. 

he was screaming his little heart out poor baby.

“I’m not wearing those. Stop.” you do not stop. “Take these off of me right now.”

he wears the ears for half of the day though so a win is a win.

“we’re going to the other park? we’re not going home? there’s 3 more??????”

favorite ride: none

least favorite ride: all

[knitwit1912]

Team Tadpole: Modern AU Disney World Edition

A friend and I started riffing on what would happen if Team Tadpole went to Disney World.

Halsin 100% has a different ear headband for every day of the trip

Astarion tries to pretend he's too cool for everything, but is in fact loving it and gets a little emotional when they go for lunch at Be Our Guest

Minthara is just wondering how in the hell she was talked into this for the first half of the trip but betrays her growing enthusiasm by screaming gleefully on Tron.

Wyll gets blushy and nervous at all the princess meet-and-greets (Astarion does not let him live this down)

They go to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Lae'zel spends the entire time repeatedly riding Space Mountain because it's the one time it's 100% dark and as intense as Disney gets (she whines about going to Universal where they have "real rollercoasters")

Eating around the world: Gale, Halsin Drinking around the world: Astarion, Shadowheart, Karlach

Halsin laughs at all the dad jokes on the Jungle Cruise, Minthara seethes quietly, Astarion mumbles about whether he'd get banned from the park for jumping overboard

Karlach nearly gets the Mad Tea Party ride shut down for decontamination by spinning her teacup so hard the other occupants nearly lose their lunch

Minsc ties helium balloons to Boo until he floats. Otherwise he's carrying stuffies and huge amounts of food ("Gale, my foodie friend! Cheeseburger spring rolls; we must try these!")

Gale organizes the itinerary around dinner reservations (he's still a little sad everyone was like "HELL NO, GALE" when he floated the idea of doing the $425-per-person Chef's Table dinner at Victoria and Albert's)

"Which one would just run off and start causing chaos?" "Oh, Karlach. 100%. Well-meaning chaos, but chaos nonetheless."

Smuggler's Run positions: Pilot: Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Minthara (fistfight narrowly avoided by Jaheira splitting them into two groups) Gunner: Karlach, Wyll, Astarion Engineer: Gale, Halsin, Minsc

After the first 30 seconds of hearing the song on "Journey into Imagination" Astarion, Minthara and Lae'zel start discussing how they would like to kill Figment and settle on disembowelment (we will not discuss how "It's a Small World" goes)

Astarion and Shadowheart are Big Mad that the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is for children only, because they are pretty pretty princesses. Karlach is sad for the same reason but manages to badger everyone (except Minthara) into getting pixie dusted, meaning they're all finding glitter on their clothing (and elsewhere) for weeks.

Halsin makes everyone take the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch just so he can pet the goats

Crying at "Happily Ever After" fireworks: Astarion, Karlach, Minsc Cuddling their crying partner: Halsin, Wyll, Gale Using the fireworks to ride the rides with no lineup: Lae'zel, Jaheira, Shadowheart, Minthara

Most likely to have watched every All Ears/Mammoth Club/Disney Food Blog guide: Gale, Lae'zel

Mostly likely do have done a reasonable amount of research and preparation: Wyll, Minthara, Jaheira, Shadowheart, Halsin

Least likely to have looked at anything that has the faintest whiff of planning prior to the trip, including the weather forecast: Astarion (therefore also most likely to have to spend $$$ for a spirit jersey because he didn't pack warm enough clothing.)

Most likely to figure out on the first day how to game Genie+ and makes it their life's work to get the most lightning lanes possible and the earliest Guardians of the Galaxy/Tron virtual queue boarding group: Lae'zel and Minthara

Halsin seriously suggests staying on a tent/RV campsite at Fort Wilderness; Astarion votes for concierge-level Grand Floridian

Person who always asks to squeeze in one more ride on Pirates of the Caribbean: Wyll Person who somehow always gets wettest on Pirates of the Caribbean: Gale or Astarion

[vintagerpg]

A lot of TSR’s Forgotten Realms has always read a little bit like a theme park to me. The Great Glacier as a ski lodge with monsters, the jungles of Chult as Jurassic Park with swords. I can see the appeal of this even as it kind of grates on my nerves because I can see all the seams clearly. Like, there was no attempt to hide the seams at all.

Go to the Sea of Fallen Stars, be a pirate! Pirates of the Fallen Stars (1992) may as well be the Forgotten Realms’ Pirate of the Caribbean ride. This should really annoy me. And yet, it does not. There are zero surprises here. There are details on lots of pirates, the islands of the inner sea and a set of rules for all things nautical. Oh, and there is one island where a neogi spelljamming ship crashed and marooned its monstrous crew. So I guess that, at least, is surprising. A pretty solid campaign could spring entirely from this book!

[seenoversundown]

For Death Or Glory: Chapter Seventeen

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC)

Warnings: 18+ Smut (I’ll sneak the sexy warnings in at the end so you can look away if you want) Mild Anxiety if you squint, drinking/alcohol, discussion including sex references, gentle brotherly bullying, a lot of pointing and laughing at Jake (lovingly), Pirates Of The Caribbean references, Tall Tales from our Short King, Fluff, wholesome family time, silly banter amongst the boys.

*smut warnings*: sexual language, praise kink insinuation 😏, fingering, use of captain/daddy (it’s mild) thigh riding, Jake is sexy as hell, everyone.

Word Count: 5.1k 🤭

Summary: It’s Trivia Night! Charlotte decides to hang out with everyone for the night and gets to hear plenty about our favorite little pirate man.

Author's Note: ITS A FAMILY EPISODE 🥰 This was honestly way too fun to write 😂 I hope you enjoy getting to hang out with everyone because it was fun finding ways for them to interact with my main girl, Charlotte. 💕

(I listened to Bed Chem and Juno by Sabrina a lot also while writing parts of this chapter so do with that what you will! 🤭😘)

Nonsense - Sabrina Carpenter "I'll be honest, Lookin' at you got me thinkin' nonsense, Cartwheels in my stomach when you walk in."

It took some mild convincing from Quinn and Jacob, but I’ve decided to participate in Trivia Night with everyone. Not going to act like I'm not a little nervous to hang out with everybody again since the only time I saw them all together was at Halloween, and I was drowning my nerves with whatever drink ended up in my hand.  

“You’re already friends with Quinn, and I’m sure the ladies love you,” Jake quietly tried to pep talk me as I sat in my usual seat at the bar. 

“No, I know,” I sigh. “It’s more the boys that make me nervous.” 

“They’re just louder than me,” he laughs. “They’ll be nice to you though, don’t even worry about them.” 

I take a deep breath as I look at him. 

“I’ll spit in their drinks if they’re mean to you; how’s that sound?” His eyebrow raised as he said it, and I couldn’t help the laugh that fell out of me. 

“You’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re not clocked in, so,” he says with a dumb little smile on his lips. 

“Oooo Lottie, you’re hereeee!” Quinn yells as they step foot into the bar. The rest of them slowly trickled in behind them.  

They wrap their arms around me, practically swaying the barstool with them. “Come sit with us?” Okay, okay, okay. I nod and follow behind them. 

Once the booth has been claimed, the boys apparently wander off to grab drinks and queue up songs on the jukebox. 

“Since the boys aren’t here for a minute— have you two.. y’know?” Quinn asks with a dramatic wink, and I can feel the blood rushing to my face. They already know you’ve kissed him; what’s the harm?

My hand covers my mouth, trying to hide the smile growing while I nod. I practically received a standing ovation at the confirmation. 

“You have to tell us how it went because we’ve never really even seen any girl that he’s even been on a date with! Let alone actually sleep with,” Willa says, leaning into her hand with a shit-eating grin plastered on her face. 

“Oh, um, well,” I hesitate, not really knowing what to say. This was easier with Cass because we just didn’t have a filter with each other, and I’m still not sure what is too much with them. 

Quinn can definitely sense the panic so they cave and ask, “Does he know what he’s doing?” 

“YEAH,” my eyes go wide. “He’s probably more deceiving than you’d think.” My eyebrows practically touch my hairline at the thought. 

A collective giggle from the table made me laugh. 

Mel whispers, “Did he make you–”

“Three times in one night.” 

“JAKE, YOU DOG,” she whisper-screams back to me. 

Willa and Quinn just look at each other before Willa finally lets out, “.. must run in the family.”

“What runs in the family?” Sam asks, handing Willa her drink. Danny is next to him, handing Mel’s drink over to her, and then takes off to get trivia night going. 

Mel’s eyebrows shoot up as she lets a quiet “Being a little bitch,” slip out before she sips on her drink; the smirk on her face is undeniable.

“Oh, fuck off,” Sam laughs, sitting in the booth next to Willa. 

Josh isn’t far behind him, holding three drinks. Setting them down, but quickly handing Quinn’s over to them and then sliding one over to me.

He leans down to me, whispering, “I was given the task of bringing your beverage from a secret admirer of sorts.” My stomach filled with butterflies at his comment. 

“Hey! This is the family table, no secrets!” Sam pipes up. 

Josh whips his head over, “I was just politely asking if I may squeeze in next to my little lovebug over there; otherwise, I will take the shortcut!” He steps his foot onto the edge of the table, making everyone panic for a moment. I quickly slide out of the booth while Mel and Quinn trade spots to make it easier. 

Danny starts explaining the basics of trivia night to everyone; hearing his voice like that was so odd because he’s been so quiet around me; it’s almost like I hadn’t heard him speak before. 

“Tonight’s theme is Pirates of the Caribbean! “ His enthusiasm is rapidly met with a collective groan from everyone. I glance over at Jake, who is just beaming over the theme—of course, he’s excited. 

A few patrons, including Linda, hollered, ‘Not fair!’ 

“Hey now,” Danny chimes back in, “Before everyone gets too mad, Jake will be bartending as his handicap for tonight’s trivia!”

Everyone I’m sitting with is pointing and laughing at Jake as he dramatically pouts behind the bar. I can’t take my eyes off him as he finally breaks the sad face, laughing with someone sitting in front of him at the bar. It’s adorable how much he loves his job. His eyes meet mine, making my heart stop for a second, as he smiles and shoots me a little wink before turning to grab another drink for someone. 

“We’ll start with an easy one- a warm-up, if you will. Which movie was the infamous mermaid scene in?”

The fourth one.

“Charlotte, has Jake told you about the first time he got drunk?” Sam asks, already laughing at the question. 

My eyebrows raise, and I glance over at him behind the bar. “He has not, and I’m fully ready to hear it.”

“Oh, it’s a treat– TRUST,” Willa chimes in. 

Sam and Josh whisper between themselves before turning back to me, “Okay, so Daniel was actually at the house with me because it was a weekend, obviously.” 

Oh, he’s locked in, I’m ready.

“We were what, like thirteen or fourteen at the time, right Daniel?” 

“Something like that,” Danny quickly answers. 

“Anyway- so we’re just playing video games, as teenage boys do, and then Josh knocks on the door.” Sam looks to Josh, who is always ready to take over a story. 

He leaned forward, looking over at Jake and then back at me. “This guy over here decided that he would just drink anything that was handed to him at this party. Lo and behold, he ended up walking like  a baby deer by the time we got home.” He barks out a laugh, “He ended up eating shit in the front yard because he swore he didn’t need my help.” 

It was my turn to laugh, looking over to Jake, who was bright red at this point; he must have had to sit through this story often because he was taking it like a champ.

“Oh, and it gets worse,” Danny chimes in. 

“Yes! So, I ran inside quietly and grabbed these two,” Josh points at Sam and Dan, “To try and help me get the drunk out of the yard before our parents woke up.”

“But even with all three of us, we couldn’t get him stable enough to walk into the house carefully.” 

“You guys don’t have to tell everybody this story, you know?” Jake shouts from behind the bar. 

“Oh, but we do!” Josh rebuttals.

“After a few minutes of trying to get him up, we realized it was a lost cause and went and got our dad for help.” 

“Oh my god, no,” slips out of me before I can stop it. 

Making them all laugh because they know what’s coming next. 

“Well, our dad surprisingly didn’t get that mad,” Sam starts, “But he did insist on taking pictures before carrying him inside.” 

“Mom added them to a scrapbook!” Josh adds. 

My hand flies up to cover my mouth as I laugh at the thought of drunk teenage Jake passing out in the yard. My self-control ran low when I finally let out, “Please tell me she would send you the picture right now; I need to see it.” 

“Oh dear, I thought you’d never ask!” Josh laughs, pulling out his phone. “While we wait for the glorious photo, may I offer you another silly Jake story?” 

“You really don’t have to,” Jake says, setting down a tray of new drinks for the table. “Feels a little unfair; you’re airing out my dirty laundry, and I can’t even defend myself.”

“But, Lottie needs to be caught up on the Jake Lore!” Quinn pipes up, making the whole table laugh. His head drops back when everybody laughs, but his smile creeps through as he tries to scowl at them. 

“Can you at least throw in one redeeming one?” 

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll see, kid.” 

‘What is Will Turner wearing when he’s rescued?’ 

Oh.. the pirate medallion that Elizabeth takes. 

“Look who came to say ‘Hi’ for a few minutes!” Mel announces as she approaches the table with her daughter. I’ve never seen a group of people get so excited over a child. I watch as everybody takes turns hugging her. Josh definitely took the most time, spending time talking with her. They are the most precious little buddies.

She’s sitting on Quinn’s lap when I see her eyes light up as Jake comes over to the table. She quickly stands up in the booth, pointing to him with a big cheesy smile. Jake reaches out, stealing her away from Quinn, and despite the fact she probably couldn’t hear him, he lets out a, “Come here, sweetheart.” 

Why is that sexy? My hands start to sweat a little as I watch him hold her; he has her propped up with one of his arms. He brushes the hair away from her face as she just beams at him. Oh my god? 

“I’ll get you,” he mouths to her before tickling her little neck and then her belly. I can’t stop myself from noticing how big his hands look right now, as his palm seemingly takes up half of her tiny body. Her laughter fills the air as he plays with her for a minute. I don’t think I’ll be able to get this out of my head now. Why.. How is he so good with kids? 

She wraps her arms around his neck in a hug, his hand rubbing her back as Mel walks back up. 

“Oh, how sweet,” she says, “She was asking if you would be here tonight, Jake.” 

“She hasn’t figured out I live here yet, huh?” he jokes, looking at her and smiling so big at her. I’m not even in a relationship with this man; why is this so–

His voice pulls me out of my head, “Char, do you want another drink?” Hearing him call me by a nickname catches me off guard. He hands Iris over to Danny as I’m nodding at him, and he steals my glass from me. 

“Oh, perfect timing!” Josh boasts, sliding his phone across the table. “The requested photo.” The way I picked it up could have been at record speed. 

And what a feast for the eyes it was; there lies a baby version of Jacob, absolutely obliterated in the grass. 

“You can swipe for another good one,” Josh pipes up, his cackle quickly following.

Hesitantly swiping to the next one, it’s of him thrown over his dad’s shoulder with Sam cheesing next to him. Jake’s eyes are shut, and his hair is all over the place, but the way you can tell in the photo alone that he has just given up is hilarious. It’s cute that his family didn’t yell at him for it, and if this was the worst punishment he got, he was pretty lucky. 

“Oh god,” Jake’s voice suddenly next to me again. “Not my best moment, clearly.” I laugh quietly as I look up at him, his face softening a bit when he looks back at me. 

“Didn’t pin you as a sloppy kind of drunk, Jacob,” I tease. 

His smile grows quickly, “He’s a different breed– I don’t like to let him out very often.” Oh, I need to see him a little drunk at some point. 

‘What is Jack’s last line in Dead Man’s Chest?’

Jake leans down, his mouth hovering over my ear before saying, “Hello, beastie,” in his finest Jack Sparrow accent. The sound of his laugh graced my ears as he stood back up. Not entirely proud of how the English accent affects me, but he doesn’t need to know that.  

“Oh!” Josh pipes up, “Jacob, remember when you planned that one date in high school?” 

“Haha, oh boy, I have a bar to tend to, unfortunately,” his eyes wide as he walks off to escape this story. 

“So what about this date?” I lean into my hand, looking over at Josh. 

“It was really very cute,” he starts. “He asked this girl out, and she actually said yes. So, he spent like a week and a half planning out this date-” 

A collective ‘awww’ coming from the rest of us. 

“Well, she never showed up. He was devastated. Our poor Jake has been getting ghosted since the beginning of time.” 

How does he have such bad luck with girls? 

“He did get stood up— what was it like three months ago?” Willa asks, looking at Sam. He nods mid-sip of his beer. “Poor guy moped around for a week.” 

“It’s honestly baffling; he really is such a sweetheart,” Quinn adds, with Josh nodding along with them. 

“How come Quinn can say that and it’s okay, but I tell him he’s handsome ONE TIME—,” Willa starts, her face back towards Sam. 

“Wrong– you’ve said it twice,” he corrects her with a smug look on his face. 

She rolls her eyes, “Sam, be so serious right now,”

“YEAH, that’s right, I’m keeping track!” his voice raises for a second but immediately drops when he says, “Plus, you’re MY very beautiful and hot girlfriend, we don’t need to give him any ideas.” He side-eyes Jake while he wraps his arms around her shoulders tightly.

“He’s not going to try and steal Willa from you, Samantha,” Quinn giggles, watching him hold her hostage.  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

After finally being able to get away from the storytime table, I hustle to the bathroom: two drinks plus  Josh’s storytelling skills, a recipe for disaster. 

“Oh, excuse me,” I back away from the bathroom door as an older lady walks out. 

She stops in front of me for a second, her eyes lighting up, “Well, it’s about time I run into you.” 

“Um..” I hesitate. 

“I’m Eleanor,” she grabs my hand gently, “Or El, whichever the boys feel like that day.” The realization of who she is hits me; this is the one Willa said Jake was going to marry. 

“Oh! Hi, I’m Charlotte,” I shake her hand lightly, “I’ve heard about you, nice to officially meet you.” 

Her smile is contagious, “What a pretty name for such a beautiful girl.” 

“Oh, you’re too sweet.” 

“It’s nice seeing him so happy, you know?” She starts, “I’m not trying to tell all his secrets, but the poor boy has just had no luck the last few years. Constantly being let down by all these girls— which is such a shame because he’s such a charming young man.” 

My heart hurts hearing her say that. Why would girls not like him? 

“Oh really? I didn’t realize it had been that bad.” 

“Yeah, the poor thing had basically given up on dating. He really just invested himself into being here, which is admirable of him, but between you and me,” she leans in, “Linda and I are so glad that you’re getting him out of here a little. He needs it.” 

“He really is something special,” I admit to her, “It’s a loss for all the girls who didn’t give him enough of a chance.” 

“You said it!” she giggles; it seems her voice is just quiet by nature. “If I were younger, I’d be trying to take him home with me.” Her little wink made me laugh. 

“I’m not one to kiss and tell,” I whisper, leaning closer to her, “But you’d be making the right choice.” She giggles with me this time. 

“Well, let me not hold you up any longer! I’ll see you out there,” she squeezes my forearm gently as she turns to walk away.  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

As I’m walking out of the bathroom, I catch him coming from the back room and promptly make myself in his way. 

“Hey you,” he whispers. 

“Hi,” I say quietly back, “What are the odds I can steal you away?” Letting my hand run down his forearm, he subtly grabs it while he listens.  

“For work or..” his voice trails off, and that damn eyebrow of his popping up. 

Shaking my head, “Mmm.. definitely not work.” I pull my bottom lip in with my teeth as I look at him. 

“Ohhh, I see,” his shitty little smirk coming out. 

“So, is that a yes?” 

He looks down the hall past me, “I don’t know about that, Red.”

“We could just sneak upstairs real quick,” I don’t even care how desperate I sound at this point because I am a little desperate. 

“The bar’s kinda busy, I don’t–” 

I quickly cut him off, “What about your office?”

“Someone’s eager?” His eyebrows pull together for a second as he looks me up and down. 

Hooking my finger into his belt loop, tugging him toward me, “Baby, please,” batting my eyelashes at him.

“What’s gotten into you?” his laugh lacing the question.

“Just seeing you with Iris, I don't know..” trailing off, I lean forward into him, my hand holding the side of his face, “I just think you’d make a cute daddy.”

 Pink creeps into his cheeks rapidly before he spits out, “I’ll meet you in my office in five minutes.” ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

He backs me into his desk, slotting his leg between mine. He leans against me, letting his weight press into me. 

“Jake, please,” I moan as he leans even further into me, making my hips grind against his thigh. 

“Needy little thing,” he whispers as I moan into his mouth, still trying to resist riding his thigh. He glances down for a second as my hips betray me, “Does that feel good?” 

My face warms up, and a small “mhm” escapes me. The smirk on his face makes my stomach turn, nervous about whatever is going on inside his head. He leans in, the kiss feels more heated than before. His teeth lightly grabbed my lip, which sent a little shiver through my body and caused my hips to start moving a bit more forcefully. 

“Keep going,” he whispers against my lips, “use me, honey.” 

“Fuck me,” falls out of me, the friction making my head spin. 

He quietly laughs, “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” 

God, he needs to never stop talking. 

His lips leave kisses down my neck, finding every sensitive spot he can get to. I’m doing everything in my power to refrain from moaning too loudly, but he’s making it increasingly more difficult. The waves of pleasure shooting through me every time I roll my hips are only made worse by the feeling of his smile against my throat. 

“Jake–,” I whine. “Touch me.” I slide my hand down the back of his arm, trying to pull it from behind me. 

“Oh, you need my hands?” He teases me, whispering a breath away from my ear. “Is that what you want?”  He unbuttons my pants but hesitates to do anything else. The amount that I want, need rather, him to just touch me, is bordering painful.

“Baby, please,” I moan into his ear, “You’re just so good at it.” His hand immediately slid into my pants at the praise, running his fingers across my panties that are practically drenched at this point. 

“All that for me?” He coos into my ear, sliding the soaked fabric to the side; his fingers gently rubbing against my throbbing clit, causing a louder moan to slip out. “Gotta stay quiet for me, honey. Unless you want everyone to know how good I make you feel.” 

His voice was killing me as he added pressure with his fingers; the build of my orgasm was quick once he got involved. His hand slides down as he hooks his middle finger into me. Letting his palm rest against my clit as his finger pumps into me, the friction was just enough to keep inching me closer. 

“I’m so close,” I quietly whimper. 

He leans in closer to my face, hovering just above my lips, “Let me have it, honey.” He slid his ring finger into me as he said it and then leaned in to kiss me as his hand moved faster. I can feel the orgasm about to snap inside me when he lets his tongue gently dance across my lip. My jaw falls open as my release finally hits; I can feel the wetness against his hand as he works me through it. As I come down from it, his hand slows with me. 

He carefully pulled his hand back, grabbed my jaw with the other, and pressed one slow kiss into me. He lingers close to me for a second and, with his cheeky little smirk, asks, “Feel better?”

I giggle against his lips, kissing him a few more times before deciding to add fuel to the fire, “For now.”

“For now?” 

“Oh, Jacob,” I tease, sliding my arms around his neck. “I’ll be ready to actually ride you later.”

His eyes light up at my comment, “You may be the greatest friend I’ve ever had; I hope you know that.” 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

I managed to slide back into the booth with minimal questioning, though I think Josh knew what had happened with the way his eyes were burning a hole into the side of my head for a moment. 

“Oh, I did think of something wholesome for Charlotte,” Sam announces to the table. 

“He’s not here,” Josh reminds him, “You don’t have to suck up to him.” 

Sam’s laugh makes me laugh when he comes out with, “No, I know, but don’t we want them to get toge—“ 

“What were you going to say, babes?” Willa, wide-eyed, cuts him off before he finishes his sentence. Wait- do the boys want us to..? 

“I was just thinking that- he’s always been the one we go to,” he says, his tone feels different. “Like, with anything. He’s typically the first one I’ll think to call if I need actual help with something.” 

“No, that’s so true, actually,” Quinn chimes in. “He will do so much for the people he cares about. The amount of times he’s texted me to let me know that he left the door unlocked for me or that he bought more of the coffee creamer I like since I was at their place all the time anyway.”

Danny was lingering near us while they all talked about the exuberant amount of nice things Jake had done for them. 

“He got me the job at the shipyard and then basically created a job for me here; I feel like that speaks volumes about who he is as a person,” Danny says quietly. 

I look over as he’s at the opposite end of the bar; his smile is so wide. He must be talking to Linda and Eleanor– always taking time to talk to everyone while they sit there, but for those two specifically, he really makes sure to dote on them a little extra. 

The table falls quiet, well- quiet is subjective, and I take my chance to ask the question that I’ve definitely been sitting on. 

“Is there a reason for the Bob Seger cut out?” I ask. “Actually- there’s just a lot of Bob Seger that happens here? Because I’ve been here near closing time, and Night Moves, I think..has been on every time.” 

Everyone looked at each other; it was almost comical the way they all paused when I asked. 

“Jake!” Josh hollers, “Your presence is needed!” I watch him move through the room, slowly moving through people to get to us. “Someone is asking questions that..you should be here for.”

“Okay, shoot.” 

I look up at him, “What’s with all the Bob Seger?”

“Oh!” His eyes darted over to Josh. “Haha, well–.”

Willa chimes in, “Oh, this should be good.” 

“It started with Night Moves and, uh,” He pauses, looking down at the table for a second. 

Josh quickly chimes in, “Mind’s slipping away from you?” 

His head whipped up to look at Josh, “No no, just want to make sure I recall it correctly!” 

“Well,” Sam pipes up, “we got ALL night.”

Danny bumps into him, whispering something in his ear. 

“Ah! Yes, thank you, Dan,” he says, patting Danny’s arm as he walks off. “Have you heard the lore of the Old Port Pirate?”

“Obviously not,” I giggle. 

Sam pipes up quickly, “Really!?” 

“Oh! Charlotte, you’re in for a treat,” Mel says, leaning into her hand, ready to hear this story. 

“Josh, do you mind watching the bar for a minute while I explain this?” 

“Oh, but of course!” He quips back.  “I do love this story, so I’ll be lingering over here!”

I let Josh out of the booth, with Jake sliding in next to me as I sat back down. He turns to face me a little with a smirk on his face. 

“So, there’s this man who wanders around the Old Port, typically found sitting in front of one of the stores nearby. We’ve been told that he thinks he’s a pirate, so..that’s where the name comes from,” he chuckles at himself.  “Well, he wandered in here the day we opened, and obviously, from one pirate to another, I wasn’t about to send him on his way.” And a precious little pirate you are, Jacob. 

“Of course not! Pirates are always welcome in a tavern!” Quinn chimes in. 

“Exactly– I’m glad you understand,” he says. “While he was here, he barely spoke. Just kept to himself the entire night until Night Moves started playing.”

I glance around the table; Sam, Willa, and Mel are all fully invested in this. Wait..

He excitedly continues his story time, “He waved me down and proceeded to tell me about how Night Moves was his favorite song. Said that he actually knew Bob at one point– which I’m not going to tell him that I don’t buy it because.. well, if you saw the guy, you’d understand.”

“So you just…play it every day?” Why do I kind of believe him?

“Well, we never know when he’s going to come back or if he will,” he tells me. “But I want to make sure he feels welcome!” 

Willa asks, “Didn’t he pay with a doubloon?” 

“He did! That’s why it’s framed over there!” Josh hollers from behind the bar. 

“Oh,” I try to collect my thoughts. “Well, um—”

“I know it’s a pretty exhilarating story- take your time to process it,” he says, double-tapping the table. “I do need to go take the bar back from Josh, so if you have any more questions, you know where to find me.” His hand gently squeezes my arm before he scurries back to the bar. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

“Alright, be honest,” I say as he walks over to me. “Is this pirate man real?” 

“Of course, he is,” he says, no hesitation in his voice. “Do you want more to drink?” I nod as I’m trying to figure out if he’s lying. 

I let out a small, “Mmmm..” folding my arms over my chest as I watched him make a fresh drink for me. 

He slides it over to me, “Have I lied to you before, honey?” 

The way I want to kiss- I mean, smack the smirk off his face. My arms drop, and I can’t fight the smile on my face any longer, “Alright, I’ll believe you.” 

He leans forward onto the bar, resting his head in his hand, “While you’re here.. you should stay with me tonight.”

“Mmm.. I don’t know if I should,” I tease him.

He blinks slowly at me, a little smirk on his lips, “What if I promise to make you breakfast?” 

“Well.. that does sound nice but..” trying to sound dramatic, but let’s be honest- there’s no way he wouldn’t win this battle. 

“Josh is going to Quinn’s,” he pauses and lowers his voice “.. we can have sex.” His eyebrows shoot up, making me giggle. 

“Now we’re talking, Captain.” I lean forward into my hand now; we probably look ridiculous right now. 

“What was the other name you called me?” He winks at me, pulling his bottom lip in with his teeth. 

“Oh, you liked that, huh?” 

“Might need to try it out later and see,” he says, giggling to himself. It’s cute how excited he gets over little things like that. I wave him closer, and he leans a little further. I stand on the little supports of the barstool to meet him in the middle. 

I whisper into his ear, “Whatever you want, daddy.” 

His jaw goes slack, as he stares at me, slowly shaking his head while that devious little smile of his grows on his face. I just raise one of my eyebrows at him, waiting for the truth to come out. 

“If you keep talking like that,” his voice trails off. 

I can’t stop myself from asking, “What about it?”

“I’ll be making sure you let the neighbors know.” 

I gasp before I can even think, “Jacob!” 

“Yeah, it’ll sound kinda like that,” he says; the smug look on his face as he backs away is killing me. 

I know my face has to be red at this rate; I let out a fairly loud “Um!” Glancing around at the people near us, including his brothers. 

“They didn’t hear, don’t worry,” he laughs; I hate how sexy he is sometimes. “I only want you to hear me anyway.”

Oh, this man is on one tonight. 

“Charlotte!” Willa yells from across the room, distracting me from him. Thank god.  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Spending the rest of the night laughing and hanging out with everyone. Jacob still managed to school everyone on his Pirates of the Caribbean knowledge, not that anybody was shocked. It was nice getting to just spend time with people, even if it was a lot of them having to fill me in on the backstories of most conversations. They were so welcoming to me. 

And amid another Josh story, I hear the sweetest sound faintly over the chatter in the bar and even cutting through Josh’s voice; the opening chords of Night Moves started to play. I glance over to Jacob, whose eyes are locked on me, and something about his stare makes my heart flutter. 

‘Workin’ on our night moves—“

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Eighteen

FDOG Master Post | Masterlist | Playlist

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[twilightown]

Top 10 Disney parks original characters

This one required a think, oh my goodness, thank you

10. Sally Slater (Haunted Mansion) 9. Sonny Eclipse (Cosmic Ray's) 8. Constance Hatchaway (Haunted Mansion) 7. Disappearing Child (Carousel of Progress) 6. Tom Morrow (Various Tomorrowland rides) 5. Red the Pirate (Pirates of the Caribbean) 4. Dr. Seeker (DINOSAUR (RIP)) 3. Extra Extra Kid (Spaceship Earth) 2. Go-Go Boots Scientist (Spaceship Earth) 1. Figment (Journey Into Imagination)

Ask me my top five or ten anything

[berlynn-wohl]

okay here we go, aziracrow honeymoon at disneyland

Crowley after exiting Mr. Toad's Wild Ride: "Alright, I have some notes."

In New Orleans Square, Aziraphale remarks, "You know, I've actually never been to New Orleans. Is this anything like the real Bourbon Street?" Crowley replies, "Sort of...? Except it doesn't smell like sweat and piss and there's no one staggering around in a toga asking if I want to see his cock and balls."

Aziraphale sees the bride and groom mouse-ear hats and considers purchasing them. He lingers at a stand where they are being sold. The hat for the bride is white, and the hat for the groom is black. Aziraphale dithers over this dichotomy of gender and color, because he wants Crowley to be happy with the hat he will wear, and he understands that Crowley of course prefers black apparel but also that he has a complex relationship with gender presentation. Aziraphale is not sure either hat will work for Crowley. At last he turns around to ask Crowley directly. Crowley is not there. He left ten minutes ago and went to California Adventure so he could order booze.

They get stuck in the darkest segment of Pirates of the Caribbean. They're in the back row of the boat so Crowley starts getting fresh to pass the time. Aziraphale begins to get suspicious the third time this happens on a ride.

Crowley anticipates some bafflement on Aziraphale's part, because many of the parks' rides and attractions are based on recent manufactured, profit-seeking pseudoculture which he assumes Aziraphale is not familiar with. When they're in line for Star Tours, Crowley begins explaining the basic premise of Star Wars, but Aziraphale interrupts him: A: That's not necessary, my dear, I haven't seen the films but I have read their novelizations. C: ...Why have you done that? A: Oh, I read everything by Alan Dean Foster. (He never elaborates on this.)

Aziraphale actually recognizes quite a lot of things in the park, such as the William Tell Overture on the Silly Symphony Swings. These moments delight him to no end, and make up for his occasional bewilderment.

But Aziraphale's favorite thing about Disneyland is of course the food. Every imaginable confection in novel shapes and colors! Food that is designed to be comically large or small! Perfectly ordinary traditional Earth foods that purport to be from a faraway galaxy! Foods whose names are delightful puns! Aziraphale waits in line for beignets with the same frenetic anticipation that other visitors wait in line to ride the roller coasters.

They catch people staring sometimes, and they wonder if it's judgmental gawping because they are usually holding hands. It becomes clear that actually people are just trying to figure out if they're cosplaying when someone comes up to them and says, "...Are you act one Alexander Hamilton and ginger Bono?"

While they are visiting the park, the janitorial staff have an easier day, because somehow, some way, no other visitors spill their popcorn, no one drops their ice cream, and no one urps after riding Space Mountain.

[dearstvckyx]

Flufftober | 10.16 |

Disney Halloween - Logan Sargeant

The air at Disneyworld has a crispness to it, carrying the scent of caramel apples and warm churros. Halloween decorations cover every inch of Main Street, with pumpkins, cobwebs, and orange string lights giving everything a magical spooky glow. You and Logan Sargeant stand in front of Cinderella’s Castle, which looks even more enchanting with eerie projections lighting it up for the season.

Logan is decked out in a simple yet charming pirate costume—a playful nod to Pirates of the Caribbean. He insisted on matching with you, so you’re wearing an adorable pirate hat with skull earrings to complement the theme. His eyes sparkle with excitement, something you don’t often see when he’s off the track.

“Ready for the Haunted Mansion?” he asks, a grin creeping onto his face.

You nod eagerly, tugging at his hand as you both make your way through the festive crowd. The entire park is alive with Halloween energy—costumed kids giggling as they trick-or-treat, adults sipping pumpkin spice drinks, and spooky characters popping out from every corner.

As you reach the Haunted Mansion, Logan pulls you close, wrapping his arm around your shoulders. “I’ll protect you when it gets scary,” he teases, leaning in with a mischievous smile.

You playfully nudge him. “I’m not scared. You’re the one who screamed last time we watched a horror movie.”

He laughs, the sound contagious. “Hey, that was a jump scare! Totally different.”

Inside the ride, the spooky atmosphere gets to both of you. The eerie voice of the Ghost Host echoes through the dark, and every now and then, Logan gives you a little squeeze, trying to act brave. But you catch him flinching when one of the ghosts pops up, and you can’t help but laugh.

When you exit, Logan dramatically wipes his forehead. “Phew! Made it out alive,” he says, grinning as you both head towards the next attraction. “I definitely saved you back there.”

“Oh, totally,” you reply, rolling your eyes. “You’re my hero.”

You spend the rest of the evening indulging in all the Halloween treats Disney has to offer. Logan insists on trying a Mickey-shaped pumpkin cookie, which he claims is “the best thing ever,” and you share a giant churro covered in orange sugar. At one point, he sneaks you into a candy station, grabbing way too many pieces of candy, and you end up laughing together as he tries to stuff them all into his tiny pirate pouch.

As the night winds down, you find yourselves in front of the castle again, the Halloween fireworks show just starting. Logan pulls you close, his arm wrapped around your waist as you both look up at the sky, which explodes in vibrant colors.

“This is kinda perfect, huh?” he murmurs, his voice soft as he leans down to kiss your temple.

You smile, resting your head on his shoulder. “Yeah. It’s pretty magical.”

The fireworks reflect in his eyes as he glances down at you, a soft smile playing on his lips. “We’re definitely coming back next year.”

“You’re that into the Mickey cookies, huh?” you tease, earning a chuck

[oldiesstationlover11607]

It’s aliiiivvvvveeeee!

What up? It’s 💛. Ya boi! You miss me? And my horrible references and jokes?

I have officially caught up with all of the stories I’ve missed (the basketball and nerd!reader, the Christmas stream, and daughter pt. 2 were my personal favorite I must say). Man, I forgot how happy your stories make me.

Anywho, I have come to torment you with requests once more. Now, I saw that you are a big Disneyland/World fiend (as am I). So, I was wondering if you could do a story where the reader and Josh are trying to have a cute date at Disneyland (because that’s the one I’ve been too 😭) and, though they struggle to enjoy it at times due to attention from fans, they end up being all cute and fluffy with each other.

I’m excited to see what you come up with! I’m such a huge Disney lover myself so I’m pumped!

Disney Day - Josh Dun x Reader

Warnings: Some angst/annoyance

Word Count: 1489

A/N: The way I put so many of the random facts I just know in here is so funny. Also welcome back to the iconic 💛 anon! We've missed you! Sorry lots of my requests are taking a while to get out. I'm working on getting lots of these out today :)

The sun was shining bright as Josh and I stepped through the gates of Disneyland, fingers laced together, our energy buzzing in sync with the excitement of the park. This was it—the day we had planned for weeks. An entire day together in the most magical place on earth, where everything, for just a few hours, felt like a dream.

Josh squeezed my hand, his eyes twinkling as he turned to me. “You ready for the best day ever?”

I grinned up at him. “You have no idea. I've got the whole day mapped out in my head.”

He chuckled. “I don’t doubt it. Lead the way, Miss Disneyland Expert.”

I laughed, tugging him toward Main Street where the scent of churros and popcorn filled the air. “First things first—churros.”

Josh rolled his eyes but smiled. “I knew churros were going to be the priority.”

The energy of the park was contagious, and I couldn’t help but feel like a little kid again, skipping along with excitement. We grabbed our churros from the nearest cart and then took our time walking toward the heart of the park, soaking in the sights and sounds. 

As we walked, a small group of teenage girls suddenly stopped in their tracks and let out quiet squeals, pulling out their phones. I could sense it coming. 

“Is that…? Oh my god, it’s him!” one of them whispered not-so-subtly.

I felt Josh's hand tighten slightly around mine, but before we could take another step, the girls rushed over, nervous energy radiating from them.

“Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but… are you Josh?” one of them asked, wide-eyed and hopeful.

Josh gave them that signature smile, the one that made his fans melt. “Yeah, that’s me.”

The girls nearly squealed with excitement. “Can we please get a picture?”

I forced a smile, stepping back as Josh politely agreed. This wasn’t anything new—it was something I expected, really. Still, I couldn't help but feel a little tug of frustration. We’d only just gotten into the park, and already our time was interrupted.

Josh took pictures with each of them, laughing and chatting for a moment before he finally made his way back to me. “Sorry about that,” he said sheepishly.

I shrugged, giving him a reassuring smile, though I could feel my patience being tested already. “No worries. Let’s just get to the Haunted Mansion.”

We headed toward New Orleans Square, making our way to the ride that had always been one of my favorites. As we stepped into the stretching room, I couldn’t help myself.

“Did you know the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland was the only one Walt Disney personally oversaw before he passed?” I began, slipping into my usual Disney trivia mode. “He wanted it to be spooky but still fun enough for kids but the ride didn’t open until he died. The last ride to open before his death was Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Josh raised an eyebrow, clearly humoring me. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, the haunted mansion was supposed to be a water ride originally but they changed it. Would’ve been cool to see that though, I love looking at the concept art for it all.”

I was mid-ramble when I noticed a few people near us glancing over, whispering excitedly. I tried to ignore it, but sure enough, as soon as we stepped off the ride, another group of fans approached Josh, asking for pictures.

I took a deep breath, forcing my frustration down. I knew this came with the territory, but it was starting to feel like we couldn’t go anywhere without being stopped. I waited off to the side as Josh graciously took more photos, smiling and chatting with his fans.

“Okay, that was awesome,” Josh said when he finally returned to my side. “You might just turn me into a Disney nerd.”

I laughed, trying to push away the annoyance bubbling inside me. “Just wait until we get to Indiana Jones. There’s this boulder scene where the walls are moving back instead of the boulder moving forward to create the illusion from the movies. It’s super cool.”

We started walking again, but my excitement had dimmed slightly. I loved that Josh was good to his fans, but I wanted this day to be about us. I tried not to let it bother me, but as we grabbed a Mickey pretzel, I couldn’t help but launch into one of my usual rants to distract myself.

“Did you know Disneyland pretzels are different from Disney World’s? They put less salt on them here, which makes them way better. Disney World’s can be too salty sometimes.”

Josh bit into his half of the pretzel, nodding along. “Interesting.”

I smiled, feeling a little better. “See? This is why Disneyland wins in the snack department.”

But as we moved through the park, it seemed like every few minutes, someone would stop Josh. We barely got through Space Mountain without someone recognizing him, and even in the Indiana Jones line, there were whispers and glances.

By the time we got off Indiana Jones, I was at my wit’s end. We hadn’t even made it halfway through my carefully planned day, and I felt like we’d spent more time taking pictures than actually enjoying the park.

As we walked toward Fantasyland, a few more fans stopped us. This time, I could feel my patience snap. I crossed my arms, trying to keep my frustration in check as Josh graciously posed for more pictures.

When he finally came back to me, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “I’m happy you’re being so sweet with your fans, but I feel like we haven’t had any time for just us,” I said, my voice tinged with irritation.

Josh looked at me, his smile faltering for a moment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was bothering you.”

I sighed, feeling guilty for snapping. “It’s just… I was really looking forward to today. Just the two of us. And it feels like we can’t go five minutes without being stopped.”

Josh wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close. “I get it. Let’s try to sneak away for a bit, just the two of us, okay? We’ll find a quiet spot.”

I nodded, feeling a bit better as we made our way toward Toontown. “Okay, but I swear, if one more person—"

“Josh! Oh my god, can we get a picture?”

I groaned internally. Josh shot me an apologetic look before turning to the group. As he took more pictures, I crossed my arms, trying not to let my frustration show. But the more I thought about it, the more it got under my skin.

By the time we made it to Mickey’s house, I was practically fuming. Meeting Mickey Mouse was something I’d always avoided—I was more about the rides—but Josh insisted.

“Trust me, it’ll be fun,” he said, dragging me through the line.

When it was our turn, Josh practically ran into Mickey’s open arms like an excited kid. Despite my irritation, I couldn’t help but smile at how happy he looked. We posed for a few photos, and to my surprise, a Disney Cast Member asked if they could take a picture for social media. I rolled my eyes, but Josh nodded, flashing his camera-ready grin. The Cast Member snapped a few shots, and after we spent a few minutes chatting with Mickey, we headed out.

Josh must have noticed my lingering frustration, because as we walked away, he leaned down, whispering in my ear. “I know today hasn’t gone exactly as planned, but I’m still having an amazing time with you.”

I sighed, leaning into him as we made our way toward the castle. “I know. I just wish we could have more time for us. But… you’re right. It’s still magical.”

The sun began to set, casting a warm glow over the park. We found a spot near the castle to watch the fireworks, Josh wrapping his arms around me from behind as we settled in to wait.

As the first burst of color lit up the sky, I sighed contentedly, feeling the frustration melt away. This—this moment right here—was what I had been waiting for. Just us, wrapped up in each other, surrounded by the magic of Disneyland.

The fireworks exploded above us in a symphony of light and color, and I couldn’t help but smile as I looked up at the sky. We’d had interruptions, sure, but at the end of the day, none of that mattered.

Josh leaned down, his voice soft in my ear. “I wouldn’t trade a single second of today.”

I turned to look up at him, my heart swelling. “Neither would I.”

Because in the end, no matter how many fans stopped us or how many pictures we had to take, what mattered most was this—being here, together.

The real magic wasn’t just in Disneyland. It was in us.

//

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

[bearpillowmonster]

That last reblog reminded me of something and I wondered if anybody else felt the same epherealness of it. (yeah I made that word up, deal with it, you know what it meant)

Everyone likes to talk about game covers and how some of them are better than others. KH is a great example with stylized hand drawn 2D art. But...what about the back?

You see, nobody ever mentions those because 9/10 you're going to know what you want before you get the game anyway, you don't need to read the synopsis or see pictures. We have gameplay trailers. We have Youtube. But there's something about looking at Kingdom Hearts' back covers.

I remember the first time I saw that and I was in awe, I'd never seen one quite like it, it's so mysterious. We had the delight of seeing the 2D cover but the back is what the actual game is about. Different Disney characters, some interacting with the strangest of match-ups. Hades scolding Cloud? And the energy that Genie gives off just shows that it's like the cartoon. There's so much color in those little squares, contrasting that black background (*darkness* THE GAME'S THEME!) and then we have that very opening scene of Sora landing on the Dive to Heart, this is the literal introduction, inviting you to come play the game. No big paragraph, just short blurbs enough to tell you what you're actually in for.

KH2...like just WOW! How can you succeed in making a cover so good that I want both the front AND the back as a poster? There's Stitch and The Lion King, King Mickey face and all! Just the kind of thing we would want from a sequel. And what's this? A black and white world? Oh, I'm in. And what is that one in the middle, Tron? Huh, this game seems like a wild ride, so much to choose from!

E10, Mild blood? Use of Alcohol? In my Disney game?? That wasn't in the first one. Pirates of the Caribbean? How are they going to pull that off? Cloud vs Sephiroth?? This game is going to be edgy! And instead of showing the very beginning, we see the very end where Sora's in the Realm of Darkness. Pure poetry. Storytelling THROUGH the covers!

Of course I love them all but these two back covers are indeed the best of all and I hope KH4 will have them return this way. Even though I've played the games multiple times, I still look at the backs like "Mickey's in this??" I just can't wrap my head around it, it peaks my interest so hard.

[mermaidchan05]

Vesuvia Weekly: "We're going to Disney World!"

(Insert "When You Wish Upon a Star" audio here)

I guess this one kinda looks like the "explaining our world to the M6" prompt if you squint?

Yeah I don't know how to explain the real world to people in the real world, so... imagine a scenario where the M6 has somehow been transported to our world, and then introduced to movies. And upon being introduced to Disney movies specifically, clearly the next step is a trip to Disney World. Here's some headcanon bullets for how I think a trip with the four main LI's I write for and their loves would go!

Julian (and Damian)

Julian is living.

Seriously this is one of the best days of his life.

He knows theater magic, and he just stepped onto the world's biggest interactive stage.

It's extra magical with Damian there.

Thanks to Damian (who is a gamer at heart), Julian now knows as much about computers as he possibly can, so “this ride goes this way because of a computer command” makes perfect sense to him and it is wonderful. 

He was very nervous about going on the Haunted Mansion at first, and if he had just gone unprepared he would have hated it. But he had Damian by his side, and Damian has all the behind-the-scenes information. He’s talking Julian through every single trick and story concept, and it is fascinating. 

Julian is entranced by the Pepper’s Ghost effect now and he’s going to try it out the second he gets home. 

Get this man on Pirates of the Caribbean, stat!

Julian sees Flynn Rider in the parade and starts rambling about whether or not he could pull off a part like that. 

(oh no now everyone is going to be introduced to the idea of cosplay...) 

Asra (and Meleia)

Best day of their life Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

Asra practically needs one of those child leash backpacks he is looking at everything.

There is so much to see and so much to do and everything is beautiful and fascinating and you walk down the street and end up in an entirely different world...

It's practically as fun as exploring the Magical Realms. And here he has sights and activities and food that he's never even dreamed of.

But the best part for him is just reveling in Meleia’s joy.

Meleia loves Disney. She loves Disney World. And she adores sharing all of her favorite rides and shows and restaurants with Asra. 

And Asra loves seeing her so happy. The two of them are basically wrapped up in an endless feedback loop of childlike wonder and whimsy and it’s incredible. 

While they see the benefit of skipping the lines, Asra can also thoroughly enjoy just interacting with all the fun queues. Catch them almost stalling the line to spot every single one of Tinkerbell’s hiding spots and play with his own shadow in the Peter Pan’s Flight queue.  

(Since it's his favorite Disney movie according to the og devs) Asra absolutely goes on a hunt for every single possible piece of Emperor’s New Groove merchandise he can find. Comes out with a surprising amount of it despite no one else actually seeing anything. Where did this come from, Asra? 

Collects those little plushies with magnets that can sit on your shoulder. Has a new Shoulder Buddy for every day of the trip.

Nadia (featuring a brief appearence by Portia and Chimalus)

Nadia is the Ultimate Planner

She loves puzzles, she knows all about how to organize people, and the gang just dropped the world’s biggest organization puzzle right in front of her. 

She is on it. 

There’s a long list of things that everyone wants to see? And they have a limited time to do it all? No problem.

She did the research. She found the best possible times to get everything done. And now she has a color-coded schedule, complete with contingency plans. 

She could have just done one of those fancy VIP tour things, but this is much more fun. 

She knows exactly how to Navigate the parks despite never being there before.

Disney World has a gift shop practically around every corner. This is the perfect place to spoil all of her friends.

She will find a way to secretly buy things for everyone. Sometimes even while they are all exploring the same store.

Gets the perfect fancy dining reservations.

Absolutely sets aside time for people to break off into smaller groups.

Since she knows that Chimalus doesn't do loud noises, and Portia desperately wants to see the fireworks, Nadia would absolutely book one of those fancy Dinner and Fireworks experiences where you can admire the show from a safer distance while also enjoying delicious food.

She makes several mental notes for the next Masquerade. New goal: Outdo Disney. If anyone can pull it off, it's Nadia.

Portia (featuring a brief mention of Chimalus)

One might think Portia would be the second person you’d want to give a child leash-backpack to, but no.

She’s not going anywhere without "dragging" as many people alongside her as she can.  

In a beautiful world where the original Fastpass system is still in place (because it was scientifically proven to be the Best One) Portia is the one running to the kiosks to get The Perfect Fastpass.  

This girl has never been on a trip like this, but she has still somehow mastered the art of the Disney World Mom Bag.

Ponchos for the rain? In there. Bandaids? Covered. Snacks and water bottles? Oh, absolutely. 

She even brought ear protection for Chimalus, so nothing could stop them from enjoying every experience.

Absolutely cries over the fireworks.  

She has also discovered the joy of a camera. She will find time to take the best possible pictures of everyone, and no one knows how she pulls it off.

For Portia, this isn’t just a place where all those fun new movies she’s just learned about comes to life, it’s the place where some of her favorite childhood stories are actually real. And she loves it.  

Has about a million ideas for writing her own books when she gets home. Chimalus highly encourages this and can't wait to read what she comes up with.

[dre6ming]

Actors on Actors

The delicate beginning rush

Austin x singer/actress fem reader

Masterlist <all chapters here>

Instagram photo dump masterlist

Pairing: Austin Butler x singer/actress fem reader

Warning: none

Plot: you and Austin get to be a part of the series Actors on Actors with Variety and you talk about both of your careers and his upcoming movie ‘Elvis’

Word count: 5630

Disclaimer: everything fake

Intro

Y/n:

Growing up I was surrounded by the magic of Elvis Presley, I would listen to his songs and watch his movies all the time. You know even as a young girl I was immersed in his craft and then learning more about him, finding out how much he borrowed from black culture was a big thing. How did that play out in the movie? Are we going to see some of that? Because I don't think he would've been as successful or would've found his own voice had he not seen those gospel musicians in church. Because Elvis loved gospel music so much as well.

Austin:

So true, he did love gospel and jazz and blues, you know. He curated his own sound based on that and he was living in a time when those artists that he loved so much didn't really have a voice, because of their skin. But he did, he had that privilege, so he was able to take this beautiful sound, that not many people, back then, paid any mind to, because of who was singing it. He took that and he made it into a phenomenon. So Baz wanted that the be very clear and he wrote it beautifully in the scrip, I-I hope people like the way we brought that to screen. Because Elvis was in awe of that culture and it was crucial to his success.

*video montage intro*

Y/n: *nods towards him and smiles*

Hi Austin

Austin: * scratches his beard and smirks*

I'm so happy to be here with you today, truly.

Y/n: *blushes*

Aw, I'm so, so honored to be doing this with you! I was gonna ask what was it like being a kid and living next to Disneyland? I've never been there, but I've always dreamed of going.

Austin: * fidgets around with his rings, looking down*

Oh that's a good first question.

Y/n: *laughs*

Because it would've been the only thing that I thought about, if I were in your place.

Austin: *giggles*

Um that's crazy though, that you've never been to Disneyland.

Y/n:

It's like I would've skipped school, I would've- So what was it like?

Austin: * shakes his head in disbelief*

I did, I did... so my, um *licks his lips* my mom homeschooled me for a couple years in elementary school

*y/n giggles in the background*

Y/n:

Oh ok

Austin:

And so she would just say and even when I was in elementary school. She would say: hey you wanna take the day off school and just go to Disneyland

* y/n audibly gasps*

Austin:

She was the most fun mom

Y/n:

Aw oh my goodness

Austin:

So we would just go and we'd ride Pirates of the Caribbean or something like that

Y/n: *swoons*

Oh, god what a lucky kid.

Austin:

That was, a lot of my childhood, was wrapped up in that

Y/n:

I'm so jealous, I never did anything like that with my mom, I grew up in Brooklyn and I loved it, I really did, but the most fun I had around there was going to this old record store. And when I was really young, I used to come home from school, go into the shop and the owner and I would just listen to lots of old records. *laughs* since I didn't have any money you know, *Austin nods smiling* Frank, the owner he, he introduced me to so many of the classics and quickly Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Elvis, they became some of my favorites.

Austin: *hums*

That's beautiful, but I still can't believe you've never been to Disneyland. *shocked*

Y/n: *shakes her head*

I actually never went out of New York as a kid

Austin: *adjusts in his seat*

Wow

Y/n: *leans a bit forward, adjusting the neckline of her dress*

Yeah, no, my, my parents worked a lot, they also didn't make a lot *shrugs* , so for vacation we would just visit Coney Island for a day in the summer time.

Austin:

What about now, what's like your favorite vacation spot, I'm sure you've been on few.

Y/n: * crosses her legs*

I haven't actually, besides traveling for work, I haven't been on a vacation. Growing up in a middle class house hold, made me very self conscious about how I spend my money and I guess paying for a vacation is something that makes me a bit uncomfortable, even if I can afford it now. But I'd love to go visit Scotland.

Austin: *licks his lips again, listening carefully*

Oh I'd love that too, I've never been either

Y/n:

What's your favorite vacation spot?

Austin: *looks around deep in thought*

Ugh, I think Florence, Italy, I've been there, a few years ago, before the pandemic and everything, it was so beautiful, I stayed over at a Vineyard, it was so amazing.

Y/n: *pushes her hair behind her ears*

Still I can't move on, like I would've been all day: take me to Disneyland

Austin: *chuckles*

I'm gonna take you to Disneyland

Y/n: *gesticulates*

Can you? Take me to Disneyland! Please!

Austin: * laughs *

It'd be so much fun, let's go

Y/n: * holds her hand up*

I know, I want to go, pinky promise!?

Austin: * extends his right hand and intertwines his pinky finger with hers*

Pinky promise! You know I'm always curious for people who didn't grow up around Disneyland, If it would make them feel as nostalgic as it makes me because every time I go to Disneyland I feel like a kid again.

Y/n:

Ooh, that's interesting, probably it would, I don't know, I loved and still love Disney so much.

Austin:

Yeah

Y/n:

By the way, you looked absolutely phenomenal in the first Elvis trailer, I can't wait see it. Ugh

Austin:

Oh thank you

Y/n:

I was really blown away and as someone who's now, you know, stepping into the music industry and being creative that way, seeing another fellow actor, go that way for a role it's just made  me... I ...I was-  I was amazed, I was impressed. Watching you go into this character and have the stamina have the presence, the spirit, the essence of what I, you know, grew  up looking around at, looking at Elvis, but bringing it and making it your own is no small thing. I have yet to play a character that requires me to do that kind of change but it must've been, it must've been difficult I, I imagine. And you had to play Elvis as a teenager tapping into that kid-like spirit, all the way to his passing.

Austin:

Mhm, that's *pauses* that was one of the challenges of it.

Y/n:

I was gonna ask you...

Austin:

We're shooting it out of sequence as well

Y/n:

Okay

Austin:

To lock into each period of time and know where you are spiritually and emotionally, in every moment because one day we're shooting 70s and the next day it's the 50s and then he's 19 or you know.

Y/n:

Did you did, you have to do a lot of , you know, cause I saw even with just how his physicality was, his body changing as he aged and got more mature from that teenage boy to the man we knew. Was there a lot of prosthetics? Like what was the physical transformation like.

Austin: *clears his throat *

Initially Baz, when we started working on it, he said we could film it in sequence, so we thought ok well I can take a break and I can gain the weight and do that, but then with Covid and everything the whole schedule got turned upside down *y/n hums listening closely* . So we ended up, working a lot with, you know,  finding the subtle ways that you can age. A lot of that was, I had a movement coach named Polly Bennett that was amazing and she was great at working from the inside-out and that, that was the way that I knew how I needed to approach it. And so we could work on how your body changes with time when you start aging and he's performing and there's lots of movement, you know, I wanted to ask you, cause you did professional dancing for a while, cause towards his fourties' he started expecting a lot of pain and I felt that completely.

Y/n: * breaths in deep *

Yeah so for my first ever job, for the "50 shades after" series I had to do professional dancing for 3 years and I don't know if I ever expected the toll it would take on my body. Even though I was so young, I was 11 when I started and at 14 when I finished I had to go into a lot of physiotherapy,  because my muscles and my joints, just hurt so bad. And even now I have to be extremely careful with the way I move around because I get this extreme back pain and my muscles get locked in, it's it's really not that great so yes sports is great, it's healthy, but performing and dancing are very different from just doing  sports and it requires a lot of engagement from your body. I swim a lot now, to keep myself active and I have to watch myself when it comes to doing stuns on set.

Austin:

What's like the hardest stunt you've done

Y/n:

The hardest one wasn't necessary physically hard, but I needed a day to recover from it. So Amelia, the character I play,  her death is mysterious she falls or she jumps from the rooftop of her high school and we had to film that and I'm extremely scared of heights and yes I was in a harness and there was a huge mattress at the bottom, but it was still so scary to do and I was so afraid of it and during the time that I was falling I would tense my muscles so bad that the next day I just had to take a day off because I couldn't, I couldn't get out of bed, because I had contracted my muscles so hard, it sent me into a fit of pain. How about you, how did you recover from the physical effort? Because I imagine that everything you did took multiple takes as well.

Austin: *looks concerned*

It, It definitely was challenging from many many points, I- I was always in the gym trying to keep myself fit, but I definitely did have days when I felt like my body would give up on me, but I pushed through somehow I did.

Y/n:

And did I, did I understand it right? That you actually did the 68 comeback performance first, that that was your first time in full Elvis costume, right? How was that?

Austin: * scrunches up his nose and takes a deep breath *

Oh my god that was so nerve-racking *y/n giggles smiling* because I had a year and a half before that point to prepare. And suddenly the moment of truth is here, where are you gotta go out and all the preparation is, it's for nothing if you don't get it right within action and cut.

Y/n: * nods approvingly*

Yeah, yeah

Austin:

And so before walking on the stage I had the terror that, what if I'm not good enough or if I go out there and I fail everybody? And my carrier feels like it's on the line in this moment right...

Y/n:

*whispers* I'm so sorry

Austin: *breaks a smile*

But ,you know, I thought of Elvis and the way his career was on the line back then and he had terror and so I could end up just living in that and realizing that fear isn't the enemy in that moment and that if you use it, is the same energy that he was going out there with and started channeling it into the audience. *he absentmindedly points around*

Y/n:

Mhm, yeah

Austin:

And then you see somebody in the audience really genuinely smile and then somebody else laughs and a girl blushing when you get their energy and you have the rapport with the audience. You actually performed live on stage with Taylor recently, right, did you feel that? Do you connect with people while they're in the audience? Do you feel the energy of that?

Y/n: *laughs nervously fidgeting with her bracelet*

Yeah you, you feel it all and you know Taylor Swift fans, they're just, they're so passionate about the music you're playing to them and it was my first time ever performing a song in front of an audience and nonetheless a song that I wrote, so I was so scared before I went out there and started singing. *Austin looks in awe at her* I was trying to talk myself up, but I was so so nervous and I almost had a panic attack and you know Taylor was there trying to calm me down, but nothing actually calmed me down until I was in front of the audience. I started singing and I saw people resonating with my words and with my energy and the way they were mirroring my feelings * puts her hand over her heart* it was truly just magical it's all I can say.

Austin:

Right, beautiful song by the way.

Y/n: *mouthing thank you*

Austin:

Yeah I was listening to it on the way here and in a weird way, I relate to it. Before Elvis I was in a place in my career where I felt like "at this point I'm about to quit acting". Because nothing out of what I had done until then really felt good enough for me to still stay in the business. My career, I never felt like it took off or anything so listening to you and Taylor saying about this fear of going out of style and becoming old I've been there and I felt like that. So what was the writing process for you?

Y/n: *looks up thinking*

Hmm... Well I was doing the background vocals for the re-recording of Red in January of last year and one day I came to the studio and Taylor was there strumming the guitar singing "nothing new" . But she only had the first verse and a few bits of the chorus and she wanted to put the song out because the fans had been expecting it, she had teased it before, so now she had to put it out and after listening to the bits that she had written I asked if I could take the song home and try to write on it. *snickers * Which was very bold of me, because I had never done anything like that before and it took me like two days to feel confident with what I had written, because I finished it the night I came home with it, but it took me some time to actually get the courage to show it to Taylor. And for me I didn't personally write from the perspective of someone who feels like their career is in jeopardy or they are going out of style. I wrote from the perspective of someone who feels like their youth and innocence are in jeopardy.

Austin: *picks at his chin, tapping his foot against the floor*

Do you feel pressure of having to grow up faster than you're ready to?

Y/n: *sighs looking at her hands, cracking her knuckles*

Yes I do! The media puts that pressure on me and on girls in general. A week after my 18th birthday I stumbled over this article on the Internet *whispers covering her mouth playfully* it is a dark place everyone should be wary of it, *speaks normal again* but I couldn't help myself and I, I opened it and I read it *pauses to breathe* and someone a man, a man well in his 40s, had written about me. It was an article wishing "happy birthday" to me, followed by the question: when will I play characters *stammering* characters who perform adult scenes on TV ? Will there be a "Fifty Shades of Grey" remake with me as the protagonist? Would I be down to film those kind of scenes and how soon should fans expect to see that from me. *hands shaking*

Austin: *leans forward taking her hands in his*

That's horrible

Y/n: *breaths*

And I don't know I felt just so humiliated and ever since then every few weeks articles like this pop up. I sat to close next to a boy, I looked way too comfortable with a guy and people start throwing around things like: am I dating? are we getting some action? feels so dehumanizing and it makes intimacy feel so filthy.

Austin: *pulls his chair closer looking her in the eyes*

It shouldn't feel like that, I'm a man, so in a way I've never experienced that part of media. But my past relationships have. I hate how easy people strip artists of their work and reduce them to a product. I watched "Reconstructing Amelia" three times so far and I have to say, you're performance was incredible.

Y/n: *sniffs breaking a smile and squeezing Austin's hands*

Thank you!

Austin: *gives her a toothy smile*

What was the preparation for that role like?

Y/n: *sits back in her chair adjusting her dress*

I read the book 1st of all and then it wasn't much that I needed to prepare for. I related to Amelia to a T, I also was bullied back when I used to go to public school and I felt how mean kids can be and I definitely felt pressured to do certain things to fit in, never things like what Amelia had to, but her story is meant to just shine light on something that's so big, that's so talked about , as well , but still it's so ignored and people just look over it you know.

Austin: *nods bouncing his leg up and down *

You also got to work with Orlando Bloom and Emily Blunt, what was that like?

Y/n: *tilts her head*

They're incredible and I'm sad that I didn't have more scenes with them because of the way we filmed the movie, we have the present time and the past time. The past time being Amelia's point of view, things that are happening at school with her private life and there's not that much interaction between her and her mother or her father and so I didn't really get to bond or work with them too much. There was also Covid that kinda of kept us separate but they both made a point to reach out to me and be supportive and give their advice and I got to see them at the Oscars again and talk to them for longer than I got to through the whole process of filming so that was great. *laughs*

Austin: *starts clapping*

I wanted to congratulate you for that, it was well deserved

Y/n: *blushes and tries to hide her face with her hands*

*Austin laughs at her silliness*

Y/n: *gets composure and clears her throat*

Yeah I - thank you! I can't even say that it was a dream of mine to win an Oscar. I... I have this thing where I don't even dare dream certain things because even doing that feels like too much for me, but it is nice to see my work being paid off in such an honorable way. But the list of nominees was huge and there were many talented names on it. By no means do I believe I'm the best out of all of them, but I am happy to have taken the award home. I am!

Austin:

I was rooting for you the whole time

Y/n:

Where you?

Austin:

Yeah.

Y/n:

I'll make sure to do the same for you next year and circling back to you, you sing in this movie, right? Was that the first time for you singing in a movie? What was it like, trying to sound like Elvis?

Austin: *blushes*

So flattering to have you say that, thank you, I’m excited to hear what you think after you've seen the movie. * scratches the back of his head* it was my first time ever singing in a movie or in front of anyone other than my mother or close friends. I worked with vocal coaches, because I have a similar tone to Elvis's voice but I had to work with it in a way that wouldn't hurt my voice, but I haven't seen the movie or anything other than the trailer and I don't know how it ended up sounding. I did a few tracks for the movie soundtrack, that will be coming out, but I haven't heard much of those either so I don't really know how it ended up sounding but I'm, I'm hopeful.

Y/n:

When did you first fall in love with music?

Austin:

I can't remember a time when I didn't love music. I got my first guitar when I was 12 and since then I couldn't put it down. I'm not shy about playing an instrument around other people, but my singing voice has always been an insecurity of mine because I never felt like it sounded good, so it was a challenge to break out of that shell. I think my love for music and for Elvis, as well, helped a lot there. How about you? How did you come to love music and song writing? Because you write a lot of songs and you have a song coming out soon.

Y/n: *crosses her arms over her chest*

I've always love music also and when I was eight I begged my parents for a guitar as a Christmas gift and I received one, but when I asked for them to take me somewhere I could learn how to play guitar that's where they drew the line and said “no”. So I had a guitar sitting around in my room for a long long time and I decorated it with Hannah Montana stickers. *Austin laughs clutching his stomach* Then I got casted in "50 shades after" and Jamie Dornan, who plays Christian Grey, is an amazing guitar player and I asked him if he could teach me guitar. Also my character, Phoebe, is a pianist, in the series and I asked if I could actually learn how to play the piano and the studio paid for me to have piano lessons and that's how I learned piano and guitar at the same time and now I also play the ukulele and I'm learning violin.

Austin:

Amazing. *mumbles the word “beautiful”*

Y/n:

And then songwriting... I've always kept a journal, always and I used to write these poems in it. Then I got to work with Taylor and saw how her poems were brought to life by the melodies she composed and I thought: is that something I could do? And now I have a song that's coming out and I'm excited about it.

Austin:

I'm excited about it too.

*both laughing*

Y/n:

You said there's a soundtrack coming out for the movie, I'm guessing Baz Luhrmann is on the production of it. Tell me more about him. What’s Baz like?

Austin:

He's incredible

Y/n:

A director with whom I hope to work some day. Meeting him at the met gala was so surreal, he's so nice and he had so many wonderful words to say about my performance in previous projects that I have done and he seems like such a wonderful human being and I wonder what was it like to work so closely with him. Were you a big fan of his before? Because I've always loved Romeo and Juliet ever since I first watched it when I was 10 and I adored the directing of it. Was there something in his style of directing that surprised you?

Austin:

I often say he is the closest thing to a jazz musician when it comes to a director, you know, other directors they are like classical musicians they have specific directions and notes you follow. Then you have Baz who does so much homework and his team does so much work and you have a year and a half to prepare for this thing and you show up to work and he says “ I just re-wrote this entire scene last night” and you're like a deer caught in the headlights because suddenly you have to re-learn what you've been doing for a year and a half and he has this freedom to him. He had this thing that he used to say on set all the time, that we are all a big family and there's no place for fear in art.

Y/n: *nods listening closely*

Wonderful, I hope I get to experience that one day.

Austin:

I really hope you do, he really brought me out of my hiding, I was so shy and he took me and turned me into this rock 'n roll star. But it was mostly about finding my sound, I didn't want to be just an impersonator, I wanted to do justice to the person and Baz played a big part in achieving that.

Y/n:

Was it hard finding your sound? To make it be like Elvis's?

Austin:

I worked with multiple vocal coaches, over the course of two years, trying to find my sound in Elvis's music. I hope we did it, as I said I've only heard what it's played in the trailer so far. But the sound became more fluid and a lot more easy to get into when I got to actually do it and be there in action, it was like when you finish school and you’re finally are in the world trying to show to everybody what you've been learning. What was it like for you to match your sound to Taylor, to sing backing for her?

Y/n:

I also worked with vocal coaches prior to actually going in the studio with her. It was my first time ever in a studio when I recorded with her and I was so emotional over it because somewhere in the back of my mind I think I always dreamed of becoming a singer and finding my voice around Taylor was the best thing I could've ever asked for. Her and Jack Antonoff are so supportive and so understanding. I have a very similar voice to hers if I try hard enough we almost sound identical which is part of why she wanted me to do the background vocals for her , but I have this thing where I can get into a higher vocal range than her and she can go very low where I can't and so we complement each other in that sense and it works very well, but I think I'm still trying to navigate my sound. I hope with future projects I get to play with my sound and adapt it to myself even more.

Austin:

Well I can't wait to hear more of your singing.

Y/n:

Thanks

Austin: *rests his hands on his knees*

I also had this amazing experience when we were recording in Nashville there was this old wooden church where we recorded some of the gospel numbers and there were 30 people there and I was the only white guy and I felt so out of place. But the moment they started singing and they just let it all hang out, I felt so welcomed and so privileged to be a part of that and I got to enjoy gospel music for eight hours straight and it was so beautiful how they transitioned from one gospel to another so smoothly. In that moment I really, really understood what drew Elvis in about those kind of sounds and music. I felt this electricity in my body and I always went back to that feeling when performing my scenes and every single time I didn't feel like that, I knew I was off so I always tried to go back there mentally to get myself into character.

Y/n:

That sounds beautiful. I had that for of the confrontational scenes I did as Amelia. I watched hours and hours on YouTube of female actresses having these raging screaming matches on the screen and I took note from that and from the feeling of how frustrated I felt for them. I was like these are fictional people on the screen and the feelings of rage and frustration that they are making me experience, I need to be able to do that and so I would just before we would do a scene where I have to fight with someone I would go back and watch some of those scenes that I loved so much. Actually there's one that makes me laugh now thinking back but there was that scene of Zoe Saldana in "Avatar", that rage she felt and betrayal, in the way she literally send it home to you through the screen it always touched me and I tried to do that.

Austin:

You were doing it. I'm here to say you were, there were times watching you do these scenes where I felt like I wanted to fight with you, on your side.

Y/n: *placing both hands over her heart*

Aw you have no idea how much that means for me. But what else did you do in order really buckle down and focus on the role?

Austin:

*mumbling* I'm so interested to hear your take on this *clears his throat* So during Elvis I didn't see my family for about three years because I was prepping with Baz in Nashville and then we flew to Australia and I had months where I wouldn't talk to anyone and when I did all I could think of was Elvis

Y/n:

Wow

Austin:

And so I was trying to do everything like him, my voice, my accent, my laugh so I don't think it was very enjoyable to talk to me anyway. I would talk to my sister and she'd be like

Y/n:

Austin what are you doing?! *laughs*

Austin: *also laughing*

Yeah yeah oh my, at first it angered me a bit, but with time I think I understood her. What about you, was there anything you did?

Y/n:

Yes I unfortunately also went into a period of time where I didn't talk to anyone for months. I went into this spiral, into this very dark corner of my mind and I- I was forced to pull myself out of there because I was not doing very well. I'm thankful to have people like Timothee by my side. He saw the signs of depression and then came to the rescue because I don't know where exactly the line between me and the character I was playing got so blurry that I couldn't feel it anymore. I was lost in this person who wasn't me, but was becoming me. So I don't think I was ready for that kind of method acting.

Austin:

I can definitely say that happen to me too. I got lost in Elvis, but I had Baz, who at the end of the day would always call me aside and be like: just go home and be Austin. I didn't listen every time, but sometimes I did and that helped a lot.

Y/n:

You also started acting very young like me, I watched you on tv many times, on Disney and Nickelodeon. What's something you took from those acting days and brought into the way you work now

Austin:

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, but as a kid surrounded by adults who are telling me, teaching me how to work in front of a camera I just was so disciplined and I had this desire to be perfect and that's definitely something I carried with me. I'm not sure it's the healthiest thing though.

Y/n:

Oh I know that all too well *chuckles* I'm also a perfectionist, my whole life I've been one, it's not healthy, it gets the job done it gets rewarded, but it's not healthy for you as a person to always raise the stakes higher and higher and make the standards sometimes unachievable

Austin:

Sometime ago I watched a Ted talk where they talked about the difference between shame and guilt. I thought: how can I put that into acting. As I do with everything. Difference is shame is "I am a bad person", guilt is "I did a bad thing" and every single time I felt off I would just say to myself "I'm a bad actor". It was never about "I did a bad scene" , my craft was off, you know I always took it so hard upon myself but in the end what even is bad in art...

Y/n:

Right it's so subjective.

Austin:

So I'm working on just getting to free myself up from that, that weight we put on ourselves.

Y/n:

Well this has been such a crazy day, I'm so happy to have done this with you.

Austin:

Pleasure is all mine and I look forward to talking to you a lot more, I'm so grateful we got to do this today.

*they both stand up and hug each other*

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[ultimateissuessimp]

Treacherous waters

One shot

Word count: 735

Warnings: Dangerous boat driving? Y/N is basically Captain Jack Sparrow

Who would've thought? A man who loves to sail, calling himself an old timed pirate and a baron. Sounds ridiculous, but that's the truth, especially when they sail together on the open waters, visiting various countries, stargazing while laying on the deck, fighting with the wind that pushed them in all the wrong directions like now.

-Love, if you could, please, pull that rope on the right, near the stairs it would be really amazing! - Y/N shouted over the sound of waves crushing into the ship, instructing Zemo what to do so they could get out of their current situation.

-I'm really trying, Schatz! Not my fault the gravity is pulling me in whichever direction it fucking wants! - Zemo shouted back, holding onto the rope and planting his feet into the deck, pulling hard on the said rope to direct the sail. He only got a loud laugh in response to which he rolled his eyes, but a shadow of a smile started to appear.

-Looks like we're heading straight into the storm! Are you done with the rope?! If so, get your ass over here and hold onto me, it will only be a wild ride from now on! - Y/N yelled out, ushering his boyfriend to himself so he knew where he was while they try to survive the damn storm.

He saw Zemo tie the rope back onto its hook and nearly stumble on the stairs, holding onto the railing for dear life while climbing up and quickly getting to him. He felt his arms wrap around him from the back and his head rest against his shoulder. He grinned before letting out a cheer of excitement as they reached the storm that pushed the waters into many directions, buckets upon buckets of water getting onto the ship, wetting both of them while doing so. He felt his boyfriend shiver slightly from the cold which made him turn his head to the side and kiss his temple, a silent promise of getting them out of it soon enough.

-Did you have to sail right into the fucking storm, Y/N?! Where even are we?! - Zemo shouted over the loudness of the water tumbling into the boat like cannon balls shot from an enemy ships.

-You're at the edge of the map, mate. Here there be monsters! - Y/N responded with a laugh, the booming of the storm as a background noise to his statement.

-Stop quoting fucking Pirates of the Caribbean! - the baron said loudly, careful not to scream right into Y/N's ear, annoyed with the man's humour in such situations.

-Oh come on! Cheer up, lovie! It's not that bad, believe me! This ship has been through worse! - Y/N replied, overly proud at the memories when he sailed alone at that time, going through craziest of weathers.

They've sailed pass the storm, leaving it behind. The only reminder of it being the dark clouds and sound of thunder in the back. The waters they came into being calmer than the ones they've just left but none the less treacherous, neither of their guard coming down quite yet. When they've got far enough that hints of sun started to come through the clouds, only then did they had let out a sigh of relief. Zemo let go of Y/N, but still stayed close enough to him.

-See? Everything is fine now! - Y/N said with a chuckle, a massive cheeky grin on his face as he turned to Helmut.

-For now. Remind me not to sail with you again when there's a massive storm that you know of, okay? - Zemo asked Y/N, looking out into the ocean, noticing a blob on the horizon that could only be described as land that they're getting near to and he was never more thankful than at that moment to see it.

-Oh come on! It wasn't that bad! Now go and bring a bottle of rum, please! - Y/N requested, sending a wink the baron's way and a little kiss.

-We're out of rum, remember? - Zemo said, putting his hands on his hips and tilting his head to the side in the iconic way he always does.

-Why is the rum always gone? - Y/N asked, more himself than his boyfriend, resigned and shook his head as he steered the ship to the port. The storm far forgotten behind them.

[dracophile]

Haunted Mansion Old vs. New

Saw The Haunted Mansion today at the theater. It's pretty good! They maybe have a few too many characters we don't get to know as well in favor of focusing on the main character (I get why, but tbh a lot of the others seemed to have more interesting backstories so I kind of wish they'd maybe combined one of them into the main character), but they had a lot of fun one liners, easter eggs, and good story. Everything makes relative sense

I say this in comparison to the 2003 movie we watched before to remind ourselves how that one went, and show it to my nephew who had never seen it. The new one is honestly a VAST improvement. Watching the old one just made me realize how dumb Eddie Murphy and his family was, especially the wife.

Like, Eddie Murphy was typical workaholic dad from your 90s to 2000s build, like Robin Williams in Hook or Jim Carey in Liar Liar. Kids are...Kids. But the wife? Woman gets a call from a creepy voice asking for only her to come view the house when she and her husband are both realtors? That should've been an immediate click of the phone, that is some serial killer shit. Puts up with her husband? Questionable. Like even he can't really justify why he keeps putting work first and like...that kind of takes away his motivation for everything too. But, house is creepy and covered in cobwebs with a cemetery in the back? Oh, but the architecture! Can't find find her husband and the "charming" master of the house keeps looking at her with googly eyes, telling her tragic tales from a hundred years ago like he was there, and remarking on his lost love? Red flags everywhere, but she still follows him to the attic!

The man has to come out and directly say he thinks she's the reincarnation of his lover and reveal he's a ghost before realizing something is wrong. And she's just kind of...blah. Her character is just "the lady to be fought over who is also a mother and a realtor".

Also, the story didn't make much sense as to why they had ghosts from all over the world and history in this one mansion, hand-waving it as being just a magnet for them--yet to be honest you only ever really see them in the graveyard, for like less than five minutes. The only ghosts used as characters are originals who are just a maid and a footman, none of the ones from the ride, and no other ghosts besides the butler work against the family. Instead you get a bunch of zombies in the crypt, I'm guessing because they worked so well in Pirates of the Caribbean. But because there are hardly any ghosts, you don't see a whole lot of allusions to the ride either besides the graveyard and the climax is a little lackluster, with the butler literally being dragged to hell after admitting he killed his master's lover because she wasn't good enough via a giant fire serpent that we never see in the ride. I mean, zombies weren't in the original Pirates ride, but they are at least explicitly zombie PIRATES and they work it into the setting fairly well. Explicitly showing heaven and hell at the end and moving on the ghosts was kind of jarring but also it's over really fast for being the supposed final boss. And begs the question why he never was taken before--the curse is never really explained. The new lays out why the ghosts are there, why they are trapped, and has a showdown between an army of ghosts and the protagonists, which works a lot. Looking at it compared to the new one, it's obvious they put a lot more thought into the 2023 version.

New one makes a lot more sense in the story, with them having just kept summoning ghosts trying to find one specific one, and accidentally summoning an evil spirit. The antagonist makes sense, the ghosts are front and center to the story, including just the shear number, the effects are nice, there's lots of visual easter eggs for fans and cameos, and death and the afterlife are prominent in the story while still being relatively inclusive and kid friendly (though some of the jokes are darker, I wouldn't say they were inappropriate. There is a lot of reference to murder though. Surprisingly no hanging bodies like the first though!). It falters a little here and there,including one part of the climax being a little eh for me, but I won't spoil it and it's still better than the 2003 one. I will say I wish they did more with the camera idea because I'm a sucker for Fatal Frame type scenarios and it felt like they dropped it too soon. Oh, but they made Madame Leota a Russian medium/spiritualist who catered to royalty and dressed like a noble rather than using "g*psy" a whole bunch and playing into that stereotype, so that was nice. Every blah moment is balanced with something I really like, so it's all pretty good.

I had no idea Jared Leto was playing the Hatbox Ghost, but you never actually see Leto himself so...eh. Not my first choice, but he does a good job with the voice, I will give him that...begrudgingly. Just hope he didn't do any method acting for this one.

Basically I think it's worth the watch if you want some family friendly ghost stuff and a popcorn flick with a decent amount of heart too it. Could it have been better? Well yeah, but so can most things. Maybe I'll do something more detailed another day but if you like Disney and like the haunted mansion ride, I don't think you'd be disappointed with this one.

[dani-luminae]

The Mariner, and why was he the "Helpful Spook"?

I have more to talk about with the Haunted Mansion 2023 movie, go figure. This time it's about our wonderful new friend, the Mariner!

Slight spoilers for the 2023 movie below.

So what's the deal with the Mariner in the movie?

In the 2023 movie, he is the ghost attached to Ben, haunting him until he returns to the Gracey Mansion. This becomes helpful as the Mariner travels with Ben, Travis, and Kent to Crump Mansion, and while there reveals some of Crump's plot. In return for this, Ben takes the Mariner to the sea and, released from the mansion, the Mariner happily takes a modern fishing boat and heads out to sea, presumably to emulate Deadliest Catch, which he seems fond of on TV.

So what's the deal with the Mariner in The Mansion Itself?

Well, to put it simply, the Mariner may be considered the final, lasting, singular reference to one of the earliest concepts for the Haunted Mansion.

Yale Gracey and Rolly Crump* seemed to have a rather solid plotline for one of the very first iterations of the Haunted Mansion: a wealthy Sea Captain, Bartholomew Gore, is set to marry his longtime love Priscilla (or in some cases, they already are married) before Priscilla uncovered a chest full of evidence revealing that Captain Gore was not merely a sea captain, but the infamous Pirate known as Black Bart. With his secret revealed and Priscilla horrified, Captain Gore disposed of her; varying methods include locked in a trunk and thrown down a well which was then sealed.

If any of you are familiar with the story of how Crump and Gracey were told they had to turn off their special effects at night as the cleaning crew were too frightened to clean their studio space, only to amp it up to scare out the crew entirely, the Gore and Priscilla story was still on the notes at that time. It's likely that the diorama they rigged up to scare the poor cleaners was that of Gore and Priscilla themselves!

So where's the Mariner in the mansion now?

Unfortunately? He isn't. The Sea Captain's plot was discarded in favor of a less structured approach to the Mansion, one more like we have today - not dedicated to any one ghost, but many. And the Mariner himself didn't actually make the cut. The Disneyland Mansion has no sign of him; the Disney World Mansion is a little different.

The Sea Captain, or the Mariner, appears in a painting in the loading area of the attraction, and in fact it's been suggested that the Mariner's appearance was lifted right from some of the earliest concept sketches of Captain Gore. With the addition of the interactive queue outside the WDW mansion, he's more accredited the name of "Captain Culpeper Clyne" (who's allergic to dirt so he's pickled in brine!) or the man in the crypt that's sprung a leak.

Oh, and Captain Gore's design might also have been the inspiration for the infamous Auctioneer in Pirates of the Caribbean (ride).

Prior to the 2006-2007 refurbishment, the Mariner was one of the paintings with eyes that would follow the Guests as they passed by in their Doombuggies; now, however, his portrait doesn't do anything, it just looms over the Guests as they board**. There were also rumors that his story could be found in the Columbia Harbor House across the street, but I have yet to find those rumors confirmed (and I've looked, believe me.)

And why did you make me read all this, Dani?

Because with all this in mind, at least for me, it's nice to see the Mariner in particular - as opposed to a different more marketable spirit, like one the Hitchhiking Ghosts who would seem more obvious - be the Helpful Spook who follows our protagonist. To me, it seems like a little nod that maybe, just maybe, the people who made this movie really knew their Mansion history!

Or it could be a coincidence.

Whatever the case, I'm just really thrilled to see that a spook arguably attached to one of the very first ideas of the Haunted Mansion, who gets no real appearance in the original HM and arguably less and less in the WDW HM, get a little bit of the spotlight in the 2023 movie.

*No relation to Alastair Crump or Edward/William Gracey; the "Master Gracey" character was named after Yale, and I strongly suspect that Alastair Crump was named so as a reference to Mr. Rolly Crump. That makes the Gracey Mansion and the Crump Mansions both direct references to two of the earliest brains on the inimitable Haunted Mansion!

**A similar portrait was April-December; she was recently restored to the Disneyland Mansion as a changing portrait, but in WDW her eyes would also follow guests. Like all the eye-following portraits, she was dismissed in the refurbishment, but she's a prominent painting in the movie; she is the hidden door to the seance room - in fact, the way to open the door is by using the eye-holes as a handle! Clever little referencing there, I think.

Also if you like Haunted Mansion history and just about any tangent you can think of, I encourage you to check out the Long-Forgotten Haunted Mansion blog a little bit more. They know their stuff over there!