#oh judy

[absolute-hooligan]

Fun fact: I found out David tennant has a podcast with a guest that cycles out each episode (it’s very good, you should go listen) and one of them has Neil in it!

You can yell at me if this is old news now but this little bit about “have a nice doomsday” and episode threes cold open is so… agh, I love it

(hearing about Neil’s writing process in general is also incredibly neat)

[godlessondheimite]

“write strong women.” write cunty women. write women who cheat. write women who abuse substances. write women who cover up crimes and frame people for murder. write women who are snotty and belittling. write women who like musical theater, cabaret, and christian rock.

[hotvintagepoll]

obviously your hands are extremely full with impending scrunglers and other tournament ideas but i keep thinking about the concept of hot vintage power couple tourney (pairs known for multiple productions together, not necessarily as romantic partners. think powell and loy vs abbott and costello.) but not sure how viable that would be

This is a great idea, please remind me of it later because it would be fun to do!

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

Sometimes you just have to listen to the live version of a song and feel like you're ascending to godhood...

[applesaucesims]

Not too long after Louis, it was his twin sisters' birthday. Emma had spent all morning in the kitchen, baking sweet treats for the party, and soon, bit by bit, all immediate family arrived to celebrate.

With a cuddle and a kiss, it was time to send Ruby and Dorothy off to be yet another year older. Although, to Emma and Niall, it felt like they were only just born yesterday.

In toddlerhood, just as when they were younger, Emma still insisted on dressing the girls in matching dresses at all times, with Ruby wearing green and Dorothy wearing the same in red. This was not going to change any time soon, for as long as she had any say in dressing them.

Their personalities were only just developing, but it became clearer than before that Dorothy was a much more energetic child than her sister, even more so than she was as a baby. Meanwhile, Ruby's tendency to seek the protection of her parents and to stick near her younger sister was manifesting more now as well. Either way, their bond as twins was still as strong as ever, that much was clear.

[eesttm]

Don't touch me.

[simplegenius042]

Late Music Monday and Partners-In-Law Meme

Tagged by @imogenkol

Tagging @socially-awkward-skeleton @aceghosts @noodlecupcakes @direwombat @voidika @la-grosse-patate @inafieldofdaisies @cassietrn @adelaidedrubman @shellibisshe @josephseedismyfather @icecutioner @derelictheretic @shallow-gravy @strangefable @rhettsabbott @josephslittledeputy @cloudofbutterflies92 @skoll-sun-eater @carlosoliveiraa @g0dspeeed @wrathfulrook @afarcryfrommymain @strafethesesinners @turbo-virgins @raresvtm @softtidesworld @starsandskies @ladyoriza @florbelles @minilev @yokobai @thewanderer-000 @omen-speaker @justasmolbard @alypink and @sledge-in-space + anyone who'd like to join.

Late Music Monday, songs for characters from The UnTitledverse, The Silver Chronicles and Life, Despair & Monsters. Not in that order though. Partners-In-Law Meme for my V, Judy and River. Songs and template below the cut:

Welp, here I go rambling about the parallels of Silva and Paul once more. Alright so, I think by now we've mostly gotten well-aware that Silva (and Paul) have not had good experiences in regards to religion. Most certainly due to the fact they were both born in a cult that abides by puritanism and fascist beliefs, which, by the time of Paul's birth, also gained a militaristic mindset with the introduction of the Enforcers when Adam took charge as their Prophet. The Congregation of Adam's Guard, on surface level, preaches and demands virtue and righteousness from its followers, to effectively become morally pure under their Prophet's watching eyes, especially if they wanted to see Paradise after the world falls to the Collapse when all seven Frozen Omens melt. To not adhere to or display any other qualities other than their "norm" was punished with extreme force, and by the time Adam came into charge, with death. Which explains why under the surface of the cult's message, is a foundation rooted in colonialism and xenophobia, tied up in a bow of hypocrisy that is used to justify all kinds of depraved and heinous actions the Congregation and their Prophet allows. Silva and Paul are both victims of the Congregations persecutions and discrimination. Both had been under the God-fearing foot of the Congregation, with Paul being amongst the segregated Tumultites and Silva enduring under Adam Omar's terror. Both Silva and Paul eventually reject the Congregation, (a) because the Congregation wants them dead, (b) long-term wise, especially under Adam's tyranny, the Congregation and the society it has built through fearmongering cannot survive the inevitable collapse from the insufficient resources that protects them from the environment and the spark of rebellion due to the less fortunate citizens living under the pressure of becoming "pure" and (c) the Congregation sucks. Silva and Paul instead adopt the Tumultite community's values and beliefs, especially of their first revolutionary leader, Jannah, who Paul especially aspires to be like. Finally, Paul and Silva, once in the modern world, while not believers in the predominant religions (especially in America), do not hold any ill-thought towards such groups; Silva rather admires some of the lessons spoken and wishes she could have the same comfort that their God gives to others, meanwhile Paul is only hostile to people who hide behind God to harm and oppress others... otherwise he's pretty agnostic to the whole thing. One things clear though; their experiences with the Congregation had irreversibly shattered their perceptions of being able to seek any kind of comfort under any deity, especially with the associated pain that haunts them to this day. The song below can fit either one of Silva or Paul or even both.

"First things first I'ma say all the words inside my head I'm fired up and tired of the way that things have been, oh-ooh The way that things have been, oh-ooh

Second things second Don't you tell me what you think that I could be I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea, oh-ooh The master of my sea, oh-ooh

I was broken from a young age Taking my sulking to the masses Writing my poems for the few That look at me, took to me, shook to me, feeling me Singing from heartache, from the pain Taking my message from the veins Speaking my lesson from the brain Seeing the beauty through the...

Pain! You made me a, you made me a believer, believer Pain! You break me down, you build me up, believer, believer Pain! Oh, let the bullets fly, oh, let them rain My life, my love, my drive, it came from... Pain! You made me a, you made me a believer, believer

Third things third Send a prayer to the ones up above All the hate that you've heard has turned your spirit to a dove, oh-ooh Your spirit up above, oh-ooh

I was choking in the crowd Building my rain up in the cloud Falling like ashes to the ground Hoping my feelings, they would drown But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing Inhibited, limited till it broke open And rained down It rained down like...

Pain! You made me a, you made me a believer, believer Pain! You break me down, you build me up, believer, believer Pain! Oh, let the bullets fly, oh, let them rain My life, my love, my drive, it came from... Pain! You made me a, you made me a believer, believer

Last things last By the grace of the fire and the flames You're the face of the future, the blood in my veins, oh-ooh The blood in my veins, oh-ooh

But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing Inhibited, limited till it broke open And rained down It rained down like...

Pain! You made me a, you made me a believer, believer Pain! You break me down, you build me up, believer, believer Pain! Oh, let the bullets fly, oh, let them rain My life, my love, my drive, it came from... Pain! You made me a, you made me a believer, believer!

Eden "Evie" Bloodleech, formerly known as Evie Jackson, was picked up and became an experiment for Sir Enigma Malvolio. Unfortunately, she survived the process and became one of his rare human successes, which was a mindset that was further encouraged by her apparent likeness for her "rebirth" and led him to continue his absurd quest to evolve humans to a level he sees as perfect for them, allowing Evie to officially join the Ruins of the Midnight Rise as both a valuable member and a prized success story. He sent her out in his stead for diplomatic purposes, allowing her to use her abilities to charm potential investors and allies to further his illicit research. Eventually she was sent back to her original universe in my An Invite To Wine And Dine WIP (set in The Invitation) to infiltrate the Alexander Family in order to dethrone Dracula and take the three families he held control under her wing... or rather tendril. And... she's rather a show-off (byproduct of being one of Malvolio's rare favorites I guess):

"There's only two types of people in the world The ones that entertain, and the ones that observe Well, baby, I'm a put-on-a-show kinda girl Don't like the backseat, gotta be first (Oh, oh) I'm like the ringleader, I call the shots (Call the shots) I'm like a firecracker, I make it hot

When I put on a show I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins Spotlight on me and I'm ready to break I'm like a performer, the dance floor is my stage Better be ready, hope that you feel the same

All eyes on me in the center of the ring Just like a circus When I crack that whip, everybody gon' trip Just like a circus Don't stand there watching me, follow me Show me what you can do Everybody let go, we make a dance floor Just like a circus."

And finally, a I'm sure I've used before, but am gonna do it again because "I'm So Sorry" not only slaps, but fits the main antagonist of The UnTitledverse's first saga, Edward Carmine, quite well, if you squint. He's a menace to society and should not be in charge of any leadership roles, even as a CEO. Edward's the type of man to burn all his bridges and blame a child he manipulated for it. Diabolical man that just won't get the hint and stay dead. Extremely petty and arrogant, as antagonists like him should be. By far, amongst one of my favourite antagonist OCs (though that's probably because he's one of the first ones to be developed). Listen below:

"About time for anyone telling you off for all your deeds No sign the roaring thunder stopped in cold to read (No time) I get mine and make no excuses Waste of precious breath (No time) The sun shines on everyone Everyone, love yourself to death

So you gotta fire up, you gotta let go You'll never be loved till you've made your own You gotta face up, you gotta get yours You never know the top till you get too low

A son of a stepfather A son of a, I'm so sorry A son of a stepfather A son of a, I'm so sorry

No lies and no deceiving, man is what he loves I keep tryin' to conceive that death is from above (No time) I get mine and make no excuses Waste of precious breath (No time) The sun shines on everyone Everyone, love yourself to death

So you gotta fire up, you gotta let go You'll never be loved till you've made your own You gotta face up, you gotta get yours You never know the top till you get too low

A son of a stepfather A son of a, I'm so sorry A son of a stepfather A son of a, I'm so sorry

Life isn't always what you think it'd be Turn your head for one second and the tables turn And I know, I know that I did you wrong But will you trust me when I say that I'll make it up to you Somehow? Somehow?"

And lastly, a Partners-In-Law meme for my V (actual name Min-Ji "Vasilisa" Choi), her new partner Judy Álvarez and her amicable ex River Ward. [Note: I'm assuming affection refers to their feelings for their mutual partner. Also I never romanced River and am just taking taking whatever information I can recall or from the internet in regards to his preferences and sexuality and the information I've found (especially the wiki compared to everything else) is quite conflicting so I'm going with Bi-curious]:

[the-realdracula]

Haven’t seen many talk about this variant cover for the upcoming Justice Society of America #12 by Todd Nauck, so it’s nice to see that the young JSA and the lost children haven’t been completely forgotten yet 😭🤞

[wherearetherobots]

Girlfriend's jacket

[hamueltobin]

obsessed with this clip. why did he say that

[morkshark]

bad boys designs !!

[hayaku14]

i just thought of kaishin hugging and i almost cried

[vanmarkus]

KAITLIN OLSON AND JUDY REYES IN THE SAME SHOW SHUT THE FRONT DOOR

[secrettastemakerland]

Wildehopps movie night where Nick puts on a cheesy romcom and Judy teases him for picking something like that and he just looks at her like: ‘woman I’m trying to tell you something here’

YES OMG CHEESY FLIRTY ROMANTIC NICK ILY THE NICK OF ALL TIME (ofc he comes second to pining nick bc I love that version too but just More 🙈)

THIS REMINDS ME OF THIS FIC I REALLY LIKE but reverse bc nick is stupid <3

[onbearfeet]

Queerwolf By Night: Queercoding, Media Literacy, and Werewolf By Night (part 3)

Lovely to have you back for this, the final part of our examination of WBN being queer as fuck. If you missed the earlier presentations in Media Studies and Writing Hacks With Kat, Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here.

We've gone through the Hays Code AND the AIDS crisis so far, and that's a lot, so could I interest you in a cup of coffee brewed over a campfire?

Thanks, Ted. You're a peach.

So let's look at the final scene of WBN through a queer lens. There's a needle drop, color is restored to the world, and we see Jack waking up in the woods to drink coffee, grunt at Ted, and eventually decide that sushi should happen.

(Side note: I have a whole rant about queercoding and sushi, but I cut it, so here's a gif of Aziraphale gayly eating sushi in Good Omens, which you should watch.)

Okay, enough queer angels. Time for more queer monsters.

First things first: this scene is SO DOMESTIC, y'all. They're literally playing house in the woods, in that Ted has built Jack an adorable little house and brewed his morning coffee. The camp is littered with little domestic touches like the French press and the guitar. It's a homey, if slightly eclectic, vibe. (Where did Ted find a payphone?)

There is no explanation for these objects being there, afaik; Ted and Jack both have presumably come from some distance away, involuntarily in Ted's case, so there's no reason Ted would know the location of a well-stocked camp to put an unconscious Jack down in if Jack even set one up. Presumably the camp is Ted's work, but there's never an explanation for where he got any items other than the robe and the phonograph. (I'm particularly curious about the flower mug, personally.) Yet the objects are not remarked upon, and the entire scene is played as if this is a relatively normal morning for the two of them.

In fact, most of the mechanics of the scene are effectively those of a morning-after scene, perhaps a morning after characters fall into bed for the first time. Jack wakes up groaning, crawls out of bed to see where he is, and finds his partner has laid out something like breakfast for him and is prepared to discuss the events of the night before whenever Jack is ready.

And speaking of that discussion, we once again have displays of queercoded masculinity: Jack and Ted being physically affectionate, playful banter, and emotional vulnerability when Jack asks about Elsa. You know the drill by now. The camera pans up as "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" swells and fades out.

Wait.

Rainbow?

Let's talk about music in this film.

Michael Giacchino is primarily known as a composer of film music. WBN is his directorial debut. I guarantee you've heard his music before, because it's basically in every summer blockbuster franchise. If you can't get John Williams, Danny Elfman, or Hans Zimmer (all of whom are getting long in the tooth), you get Giacchino and he turns in a fucking SCORE.

Now, I am not a music person. Not at all. But even my musically illiterate ass knows that traditional film scoring derives a lot from classical music, especially Romantic composers like Beethoven. And that means LEITMOTIFS, baby!

(I learned about leitmotifs from Bugs Bunny and Star Wars. Do not be impressed.)

A leitmotif is a short musical phrase that can be used to signify a character, object, or theme in a larger work of music. For a very basic example of this, look up the Force theme from Star Wars and watch a supercut of all the times it was used to indicate that someone was using the Force. Or just watch this Sideways video about why the music in Rise of Skywalker was ass:

Anyhoo. The point of leitmotifs is to give an audience a feeling without necessarily tipping them off to exactly WHY they're having that feeling. And Giacchino LOVES his leitmotifs.

So when he uses someone else's music, he's extremely aware of the emotions that can come attached to that music. It's literally what he does.

There are two pieces of music used in WBN that Giacchino didn't write: a late 1930s recording of Vera Lynn singing "Wishing Will Make It So" and Judy Garland singing "Over The Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz. Let's start with Vera Lynn.

Vera Lynn was an English singer most associated with big band music before and during WWII. During the war, she was known as "the Forces' sweetheart", both for her efforts to entertain the troops and for the fact that she was kind of every British fighting man's waifu. What Betty Grable's legs were to American GIs, Vera Lynn's voice was to British servicemen. She's best known for the song "We'll Meet Again", which is about exactly what it sounds like. She was a nice lady, by all accounts, and there is a ferry boat named after her now.

A Vera Lynn song about childhood and wishing is what Verussa plays in the labyrinth, apparently to annoy Elsa, who switches it off (even though that's going to inform everyone of where she is). For the purposes of queercoding, Vera Lynn is mom and apple pie, or possibly mum and fish and chips, and above all she is safe, compulsory heterosexuality. The Forces' sweetheart.

Judy Garland, on the other hand, is a queer icon.

I can't overstate what a Big Deal Judy Garland and Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz are in queer culture. The themes of the story, including acceptance of the unusual and embrace of a found family (along with the sapphic elements of some of the books), resonated so deeply with queer people that for several decades, "are you a friend of Dorothy?" was code for "are you gay?" The US Navy actually launched an investigation to find the mysterious "Dorothy" who was supposedly the ringleader of all the gay sailors.

And then there's the song itself, with its theme of longing for a faraway, more colorful place where those who don't fit in at home are loved for who they are. It's, uh, pretty resonant with the queer experience.

So I now draw your attention to the phonograph. Gramophone. Record player. Whatever it's called.

In WBN, we first see the player set up in the labyrinth, presumably by Verussa or at her orders. It's playing a Vera Lynn song about childhood and wishing, which apparently annoys Elsa so much that she switches it off, thus alerting Jack to her location.

The next appearance of the player is in the camp, where it's now playing "Over the Rainbow" beside Jack as he wakes up. Ted has presumably stolen it; there's no other candidate for that, and we already saw him swipe a murder robe for Jack, so why not a record player too?

In other words, Verussa Enthusiastic Heterosexuality Bloodstone sets up the Compulsory Heterosexuality Machine, after which Elsa Ally-Coded Bloodstone turns it off in disgust, and Ted swipes it and turns it gay for Jack's benefit.

That's the coding. That's BARELY subtext. I really don't know what else to tell you. This essay started with my making an offhand joke to bluemoonperegrine about Ted and Jack being "literally friends of Dorothy" and then realizing nobody else in the conversation had noticed this stuff.

So what do we do about all this? Is WBN queer? Does all the Wolfstone stuff pale in comparison to the glory of Russallis? Am I trying to start a ship war in a fandom so small it probably wouldn't fill up Vera Lynn's namesake ferry boat?

Jack, you can answer this for me.

Nope. Not trying to start anything. I happily read Wolfstone, and technically have written some. I love all three WBN leads and am happy to enjoy them in any configuration (although my personal preference is group napping in a puppy pile, because these characters deserve naps).

I just figured it was worth documenting all this so people who haven't had the benefit of my very strange education would be better equipped to recognize (and ideally enjoy) old-style queercoding when they see it.

Wait a minute. You promised writing hacks. It's in the series title and everything.

Shit, you caught me.

Obviously, queercoding isn't a universal tool. There are plenty of storytelling contexts in which it's much better to make characters explicitly queer. Representation matters, and all that.

But sometimes you won't have time for explicit confirmation (like when your story takes place overnight and nobody really has time to play tonsil hockey). Sometimes you won't be able to include it due to outside constraints (like Disney being Disney).

And sometimes, you'll remember that there are plenty of people who can't or won't pick up explicitly queer media. Homophobic parents who won't let their kids watch Love, Simon ... but who WILL let them read your YA novel about unicorns or whatever where there are two female unicorns who are, uh, life partners. Grumpy uncles who refuse to acknowledge their nephew's boyfriend until they notice that, hey, they kinda act like Finn and Poe from that Star War. And so on. Sometimes, coded rep is the best rep you can get ... and so it's useful to have. A good toolbox has ALL the tools.

So if you're building characters for your story and don't or can't have specific queer goals, throw in a little coding. Put a rainbow T-shirt on a kid. Let two boys hold hands or have literally any feelings. Let a girl say a girl is pretty. Look up some of the older symbols for queer love and have someone growing lavender in their garden, or use newer queer symbols and have a character crack an egg in a key scene. Have a character who's content without a romantic or sexual relationship, and has an arc about something else, because aces and aros exist too.

There's a whole universe of coding out there. Go add some layers to your work.

Or better yet--see if they're there already. You might surprise yourself.

Sometimes the monster has a familiar face.

[metalkitty21]

Investigations 2 thoughts

Finished Investigations 2 last night! (Forgot to do this so here we are a day late) OH. MY. GOD. I genuinely think it is one, of not my favourite ace attorney game. It's so bloody good. Returning characters are just as good as they were, somehow the cameos are even better. AND THE NEW CHARACTERS??? (I'll get to them) Wooooo boy.

Case rankings are: Turnabout for the Ages (AAI2-5) A Turnabout Forsaken (AAI2-4) Turnabout Legacy (AAI2-3) Turnabout Trigger (AAI2-1) The Captive Turnabout (AA2-2)

Detailed spoilers undercut! All characters (apart from Sebastian) will use the official names!

Captive Turnabout was far from a weak case, although I do think it is the weakness due to having a couple weak characters compared to Turnabout Trigger where it has fewer character who are all very good and strong. Knight being the victim was a very good choice, and so was the introduction of Fender, Seb, and Gavelle. Laguarde isn't the weakest villain, I'd still say it's Knight, but I personally enjoyed Knight's character a lot more than Laguarde, despite her larger role in the whole over arcing story. I think the case is weaken by Carcerato and Sahwit. Carcerato isn't the most memorable character nor is he that impactful. While Sahwit's return was definitely fun, he didn't particularly add much to the case.

Turnabout Trigger is an incredible introduction case. All of its new characters (Tabby, Knight, Wang) are all great for their own reason and the story of the case itself is also great. I like how we refer back to the first game about the solving of the Yatagarasu and how it doesn't feel disconnected completely from the first game. Tabby is a fun and silly character who I wasn't expected to actually get tied into the plot itself. Wang is a great set up for everything that happens with him in case five and both size of him are very enjoyable. Knight, while still the weakest villain of the game, I don't feel like it harms the case too much as his character makes up for his weaker motive compared to the others in the game. Seeing De Killer is also extremely fun, especially considering his later appearances as well.

If I was ranking this on which case gave me the most emotional gut punches this case wins by a landslide and CASE 5 EXISTS. Turnabout Legacy is an emotional rollercoaster of a case. Slipping back and forth between the Edgeworths is super fun as you go in with insight from the past/future which makes the case really fun to piece together with all but one amazing characters and the return of my king TYRELL BADD ALL PRAISE THE TALL DETECTIVE MAN. Eddie is just has fun here, if not more so when he's younger. Him eating the paper is a fun gag and getting to see the development of his and Judy's relationship is so enjoyable to me there are lovers. As previously said, all the characters (minus one) are great. Judy is adorable, pretty, and a minor villain which I think aa needs more of. Samson is a loveable dork despite how little he has appearance wise. Gusto is a fuck of a man but a great villain, and getting to see Badd and Manfred in the past is great and I could ask for nothing else. The photos Eddie has, as well as him having both Gregory's hat and coat, AS WELL as every time Gregory mentions Miles in the past tears me to shreds and I'm so confident this games hates me.

Turnabout Forsaken once again BROKE. ME. Not only do you have Kay being a sweetheart because SHE REMEMBERS NOTHING, you have the heart break of Franzy's and Gumshoe's reactions, as well as the heart wrench of Seb's reaction to his father. WHO IS A MASSIVE BASTARD. Excelsius is an amazing villain, and both his breakdown and sprite work make him so much better. While the case itself isn't necessarily complex, you still have that struggle against a powerful figure without it being drawn out like what happened with Alba. Gavèlle in this case is FANTASTIC, but she somehow only manages to get better thanks to case 5. Seeing Ema once again is amazing, same with Lotta. The scene with Kay getting her memories back is so heartwarming and also gut wrenching this game needs to leave my guts alone.

YET SOMEHOW CASE FIVE ENDS UP EVEN BETTER??? It has a grand total of two kidnappings, and 3 murders to solve, AS WELL AS CONNECTING BACK TO EVERY OTHER CASE IN THE FUCKING GAME. Lang finally making his appearance again big time with the death of his president and the backstory reveal except SIKE THE PRESIDENT'S BEEN DEAD FOR 12 YEARS HAHAHAH SOLVE HIS MURDER NOW. Shaun is a loveable little brat and only gets better when Mama Bear Gavèlle shows up to scold him for being disrespectful and the spirit of her hugging him is everything to me. The conclusion of Sebastian's story is GLORIOUS and once again is boosted by amazing sprite work. Speaking of sprite work SIMEON FUCKING SAINT BEING THE BIG BAD. YOU GOT YOUR FULBRIGHT MOMEMT @cactours ARE YOU HAPPY. Ahem. Simeon was a character I had very much enjoyed solely from case two. I made the link of him being Gusto's son the second you find Knight's things and see the PH on his ring, but didn't except him to be behind EVERYTHING. His switch up is amazing, his sprites are all brilliant, him mimicking Edgeworth, his breakdown, his father I mean Kanis coming to rescue him when De Killer comes to kill him is also incredibly sweet. Also death by hot air balloon is a new one. Very creative Simmy 10/10.