#takes a lot of flame off the new actor

[multicolour-ink]

GameXplain reached out to Nintendo and they have confirmed that Mario and Luigi have new voice actors (note actors plural) in Super Mario Bros Wonder.

However they are not revealing them and instead we have to wait until the end credits.

[dragonoffantasyandreality]

Captain Scarlet and the Singing Squadron - Prologue

Heya guys! ^^

I have been contemplating about starting posting this since a few days ago, so I decided to start today, first of October >:3

This is special to me, since this is a crossover fanfic of Captain Scarlet, with a childhood film called Only "Old Men" are going to Battle, a touching WW2 film about pilots, scripted and directed by legendary actor Leonid Bykov. His characters and story had stuck with me since I was a kid, gave me a lot of laughs and a lot of tears (Recommend a ton of tissues if you get interested watching it XD), and one of the big inspirations of how I write my stories and characters.

I hope, this will give you a lot of fun reading :) Huge Thank you @uniwolfcorn and @etrnlvoid, and my Mom for the support when I was in doubt when I was writing this project. X3

@teapotteringabout @skymaiden32 @knyee @janetm74 @the-original-sineater @thundergeek59 @riallasheng @mariashades @yarol2075 @llamawrites @river-sam2 @coco9728 @hebuiltfive @thalassastra @bassic-ally @pareidoliaonthemove @graverinth

-0-0-0-

The deed was done, and a squadron of fighter jets of the new generation were burst into flames in their hangers.

While the military airport scrambled and the alarms alerted everyone to evacuate, two green holographic circles eerily traveled across the carnage.

Dark shadows rose from the terrible flames, taking the form of the destroyed fighter jets. And the flew into the dim stars of the night. Towards their designated target miles away.

Unbeknownst to the Mysterons; not too far away from a nuclear power plant, a small wind whistled of danger near the edge of a forest, rustling the leaves like night bells.

As the quiet settled, a new sound echoed from within the thousands of birch trees. A whir grew louder, and louder, and louder, as a big figure emerged from the darkness.

Branches snapped from being crushed by the moving wheels and the grass undulating from the strong spinning of the propeller. A cylinder-like metal body with a slightly squashed nose, and a pair of wide rounded wings, wheeled out into the open.

It halted at the edge of the forest, waiting patiently for its ensemble.

Eight similar mighty winged horses of the sky appeared from the woods, stopping in line as their lead, their whirring matched each other like a chorus.

Now they wait, like birds of prey. Waiting for their new enemy to strike. And their eternal song shall be sung in the sky once more!

-0-0-0-

A sharp gasp! His body jumped off the mattress. And a tumble off the bed before he ended up on the carpeted floor with a big ‘THUMP’!

His brain was barely started processing the blossoming pain on his poor back when he heard someone knocking on his door of his quarters.

“Paul? This is Adam. May I come in?” was an old, acquainted voice from the other side.

After sluggishly getting up to sit on his crumpled bed and wiping away any sweat (and tears) from his face, Captain Scarlet mumbled through his hand.

“Come in…”

Captain Blue came in quietly as soon as the door slid open, wearing a worried expression when he approached with a package under his armpit.

“The usual nightmares, bud?” asked his field partner.

Paul nodded wordlessly. His hand slipped off his tired face and quickly his eyes lit up when he noticed the treat.

“Hey, what’s that under your arm, Big Blue?”

Blue’s face turned from worry to a hopeful grin as he handed the said object to him.

“Oh, just your weekly Care Package,” his friend chirped with a wink.

Scarlet immediately smiled, the thoughts of the nightmares banished right away and the tension from his muscles evaporated the moment he took his new support treat.

“Thanks, Adam. I do really need that.”

But before Captain Scarlet could dig into the goodness inside the box, a terrible deep voice suddenly shook the entirety of Cloudbase, echoing loudly:

THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERONS. WE KNOW THAT YOU CAN HEAR US, EARTHMEN. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LIGHT PERIOD, WE WILL DESTROY THE VITALY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT WITH THE DARK SHADOWS OF THE SKY.

The ringing silence followed, leaving the two Spectrum Captains feeling the ominous dread of the message.

“Oh… Gosh darn it…” Was a deadpanned groan from Scarlet.

“Looks like we got to go,” Captain Blue winced.

Captain Scarlet quickly dressed up into his Spectrum uniform and followed his field partner out of his quarters.

He managed to snatch a delicious snack from the care package, planning to eat it whole before arriving at the control center.

What mission does it have in store for the indestructible man of Spectrum?

tbc...

[kenisle]

(free of spoilers until the read more)

i like how deadpool and wolverine was able to work with audiences’ associations of actors + characters.

it’s not something that can really be done with comics, where between changing artists (or just each artist’s evolving style/human inconsistency), so many characters having the same base design (eg how almost all the robins, bruce wayne, and clark kent are just White Guy With Short Black Hair and Strong Jaw), and the same distinctive costume getting passed around to various characters (eg the captains america).

if you want a comic reader to know who a character is, you almost always have to explicitly introduce them, or else it could be damn near anyone under all the layers of ambiguity listed above.

with movies/tv though, aside from a few recasts, actors’ faces aren’t subject to nearly the same degree of variance that a drawn character is, so if an audience member recognizes the actor from a previous film, they automatically know the character on the screen. any explicit introduction of a returning character is for the more casual viewer but usually isn’t necessary as long as the character’s basics are established up front.* the smaller, contained scale of established movie/tv show canon compared to the amorphous behemoth that is comics canon helps a lot as well.

this means reintroductions are short and sweet, if present at all (and in this film can be explained easily by dp’s fellow fanboy enthusiasm when necessary, rather than just the writers blatantly using him as a mouthpiece), and simply the face of a returning actor affords a ton of depth to a character that couldn’t be developed in this installment. it doubles as a way to devote more time to other things in the movie and a way to reward returning viewers.

DP+W SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

*in dp+w, seasoned viewers recognize pyro from X2, but we also get a refresher of his deal, both new (his allegiance in the void) and old (he has fire powers), so while his trajectory is a bit more clear with the wider context from X2, nothing he does is totally out of left field/unsupported by the text in this film.

so, while previous marvel movies have taken advantage of this shortcut to reduce weighing down the runtime with exposition, dp+w also snatched the golden opportunity to play a prank on the audience with it which i adored.

see, while there have been many cases of the same character being recast with different actors during marvel’s long run, very rarely was there one actor who played two DIFFERENT (major)** characters.***

**looking at you, stan lee.

***the only other example i can think of atm is oscar isaac, but he was basically unrecognizable under all the makeup and costume for apocalypse, so this trick wouldn’t have really worked with him anyway. hence “golden opportunity.”

so when chris evans’s cloaked form strode onscreen, audiences (and deadpool) were already well familiar with the cameo game and reasonably assumed he’d be reprising his more recent, more popular marvel role of steve rogers, only for the rug to be pulled out from underneath them at the fateful “flame on!”

not that there weren’t hints, of course (ie evans’s hair its natural brown rather than rogers’s more blond, the uncharacteristic taunt of “dick-for-brains” that even caught dp a little off guard, not to mention the total lack of signs outside the movie that evans and rogers would be returning to the mcu, or the illogic of doing so in a movie about deadpool and wolverine of all things), but the filmmakers know their audience and their expectations very well, resulting in what i found to be a hilarious and effective bait & switch. it was also, in my opinion, a much better direction to take the movie.

instead of nonsensically reviving such a central character that has already been given a complete arc almost as an aside in this movie that had little to do with him in the first place, they brought back a relic of movies left unfinished, remembered fondly but distantly (if at all) under the barrage of newer, flashier franchises. AND they did this knowing the old fantastic four films would soon be replaced (again), so it’s not like this johnny was ever gonna stick around. this was simply a lovely homage — a bid not to forget that we cared for those movies, too, and they’re still important to us even when the story gets rebooted.

instead of doing the same mcu bullshit we’ve grown tired of, they fed another line back to a central thesis of the movie: dying timelines (old, discontinued films) who have lost their anchor being (popular interest, production, etc.) shouldn’t be cut short (forgotten, discarded, disregarded) just because they’re not the prime timeline; there are still people living there (fans and creators caring about them) and value to be found in them.

and they were able to execute it in such an exciting, funny, and memorable way because of this connection between actors and characters that doesn’t exist in comics.

[cipheramnesia]

Trying to crack the "Diverse Slasher" formula for horror movies has been a thing for a while, sometimes riding it as a selling point (usually unsuccessfully), sometimes using at as angle to be edgy, and once in awhile someone comes right out and delivers a good movie with good characters, which is Departing Seniors (2023).

It's sort of the Chucky the Series model - take a good plot, cast more than just white actors, write some characters as queer. It's literally that simple, and time and again movies and other media just can't seem to figure it out. Racism and queerphobia run real deep.

Anyway, Departing Seniors doesn't have any trouble with its range, and it's really above and beyond when it comes to the characterizations. It's pretty common to have stock characters, the bully, the mean girl, the flaming gay, whatever. This movie takes a lot of run time to explore its characters as more than one note, and the consequence of the extra effort pays off in suspense and emotional attachment. It creates a better film, better horror, and even the conclusion feels more cathartic.

It's not perfect, and could be better in some ways, but for me it was a great film, almost an instant favorite. I adored every character by the end of act one, and felt like the writing didn't cheat me or disappoint me by the end. It's not a film with exceptional depth, and more or less wears its themes on its monologs, but just seeing a slasher movie that goes all in on character development and isn't just crammed with white guys (give or take one black person dying in act one) - its refreshing. The humor and emotional engagement was like a little extra treat on top.

I guess some cw for flashing lights, but it is light on gore and light on jump scares, making it a real solid pick for those many of you who hate those specific elements. It's fun, it's new, I hope the director does more.

[onbearfeet]

Bloodstone Manor Location Masterpost

Okay, since the next bit of Monster Mash is gonna have to happen at/near Bloodstone Manor and Ted needs to go for a walk in the woods nearby, where do we think it is? The US and UK are the leading candidates in the fandom, but I need to pick a spot so my characters can get the fuck out of Ohio. My money is on the US, but I'm open to counterpoints.

Things to bear in mind:

1. Ulysses had a British accent. Elsa's accent is posh British. Verussa had an American accent, with some Broadway Mid-Atlantic that could suggest fancy New England OR just putting on airs. It's entirely possible one of the couple moved to be with the other, but that doesn’t settle which side of the ocean it happened on. Elsa's accent could be from a UK childhood OR a UK boarding school OR a choice to emulate her mother and annoy Verussa.

2. The house is old--or at least full of old stuff--but there's something of a history of Europeans bringing their weird-ass shit across the Atlantic and building absolutely batshit mansions in the US. Probably because there's more open space for it here.

3. The establishing shot of the rotunda shows it in hilly or mountainous terrain, with what looks like pine forest around it, and it sits on a parcel that is either big enough or far enough from neighbors that no one expects any outside response to roars, screams, explosions, etc. Either there's no one around to hear it or people REALLY mind their own business.

4. Of the hunters who make it to the funeral, one has a Scottish accent, two have American or Canadian accents, and one has what sounds like a South Korean accent (although apparently the actor was born in Argentina and moved to the US in the 90s, and I'm going off the many Korean-American voices I've heard at work, so "Korean-American" might be a better descriptor). Those are the people with connections to Ulysses and the time, resources, and motivation to show up to wherever this is. That suggests the location is most accessible to these people and not others. (Yes, I know, I've left out Jack's accent, but he was going to travel to wherever Ted was anyway; he had enough motivation that distance alone wasn't going to stop him.) North America has the numbers here; it's more likely that one Scot got on an international flight than that two North Americans did.

5. The guards are wearing "tacticool" BDUs and carrying some kind of zappy sticks or stun batons. The lack of guns is interesting and may indicate a location with stricter gun laws than the US ... or just that Verussa didn't want to accidentally kill her captive and that a lot of monsters are bulletproof anyway. The guards look and move a hell of a lot like an American tactical team and sound vaguely American when they're screaming. Would Verussa import guards, or hire local muscle? My money is on the latter.

6. Ulysses was old as balls. In the comics, he was positively ancient, and the opening narration implies he was old enough to be wearing pre-20th-century clothes in a flashback. He's definitely old enough to have gotten his hands on a nice piece of property in the UK, but also rich enough to have just bought a mountain in the US. He was also around for the last century-plus of history, and that may have affected his choice of headquarters. If the original Bloodstone Manor got bombed out during World War 2, for example, he might have moved to a less bomb-filled location.

7. Corpse Muppet! Verussa found somebody willing to turn her husband's remains into a Cryptkeeper animatronic. I have no idea whether that's a thing in the UK, but there are definitely enough weirdo taxidermists, puppeteers, and general pieces of work here that someone would take Verussa's money to do it. There are even subcultures here that traditionally sit the corpse up at the table for the wake, so it might not even be that weird to the right professional.

8. Flaming Tuba Guy is available for the funeral. Real Flaming Tuba Guy is American and takes his flaming tuba to Burning Man. I have no idea whether the UK is also a likely place to find a dude with a flaming tuba, but I have difficulty imagining a smooth process for getting a combination brass instrument/flamethrower through customs. I don't think there's a lot of international Flaming Tuba action unless private jets get involved. Wherever Flaming Tuba is from, I'm betting that's the jurisdiction where Bloodstone Manor is.

9. Jack makes it to Bloodstone Manor. Now, I've talked before about his being highly motivated and distance not being an obstacle for him, but if we assume he didn't use a magic portal or something (big if, I know), he had to go by land, sea, or air, and that takes time, no matter how motivated he is. Jack is centuries old, has a history of involvement with violence, and speaks with a Mexican accent. Wherever the Manor is, a dude matching that description was able to get there in time without setting off a ton of international alerts. The fact that Jack is as old as he is AND unknown to the hunters despite being a werewolf suggests that he prefers to keep a low profile, and by now he's practiced at it. He wouldn't want to leave a paper trail, especially when he's on a rescue mission that he knows will likely involve killing people. (I know he doesn't WANT to kill anybody, but the odds of him and Ted getting out of there with a zero body count were always slim. And he brought a bomb in his pocket.) Between his money and his accent, Jack would have an easier time moving around undetected in North America; he could reach a North American Manor by car rather than having to smuggle himself on a boat, charter a private plane (with a flight plan!), or go through customs at Heathrow or wherever. Not that he wouldn't risk getting on SHIELD's radar to save Ted, but if the hunt happened soon after Ted's capture, Jack would be more likely to physically reach the Manor in time if it were in North America.

10. Ted! Ted is at the funeral, obviously. In the comics, Ted canonically lives in the Everglades and honestly that's the best place for him. Verussa would have to have Ted transported from Florida to wherever the Manor is. All the logistical problems of moving Jack across an ocean are magnified in moving TED across an ocean. Again, it's much easier to move him within North America, which I'd consider a point in favor of a North American Manor. If the Manor were in the UK, wouldn't Verussa have gone for a victim based closer to home?

11. Sushi. "Let's do sushi; I owe you that." Apparently Jack and Ted have a history with sushi. I have absolutely no idea how common sushi restaurants are in the UK, but on the west coast of North America, you can pretty much throw a stick and hit one. (I know this because I moved last fall, and one of my first priorities in the new place was Find The Good Local Restaurants. Google was like OH, YOU WANT SUSHI?! HERE ARE TWENTY PLACES. Seriously, it's almost as common as pizza, at least in California.) I assume the boys aren't heading into a major urban center for food after their escape, so wherever Bloodstone Manor is, Jack thinks he can find a rural, exurban, or suburban sushi restaurant within a couple hours' travel (close enough that he can go, pick up their order, and make it back to Ted before raw fish goes funky). Sushi restaurants, at least in the western US, tend to be run by East Asian immigrants--part of the larger culture of immigrants starting restaurants within the first or second generation of arriving here. For stupid racist reasons, most East Asian immigration to the US took place after 1965, so there are a lot of sushi restaurants here that were established in or after the 1980s. Sushi restaurants also tend to be more common in coastal regions here, presumably because REALLY fresh ocean fish get more expensive and harder to acquire farther inland. Jack proposing sushi, if he and Ted are sitting on a log in the US, suggests they're somewhere near a coast, in a region with a sizable post-1965 East Asian immigrant population. (BTW, the reason I keep saying "East Asian" instead of "Japanese" is because a LOT of these restaurants in my area are run by Korean families, more rarely Chinese or Vietnamese ones. I've been in exactly one sushi restaurant here that was run by a Japanese family, and it was 40 years old.) Of course, I don't know shit about the takeout culture of the UK; maybe Yorkshire is full of sushi restaurants or something.

Conclusions.

Between the geography, the accents, the material culture, and the logistics, I think the balance of probability suggests that Bloodstone Manor is in North America, most likely the United States. There are multiple hilly or mountainous regions with pine forests near coasts, close enough to centers of East Asian immigration that the boys can reliably get their sushi.

So with all that in mind ...

[shininglynxie]

Alright, the 5yl motion comic's new chapter just came out, and it was absolutely INCREDIBLE! I want to share my thoughts and observations with you because I have a lot of them. I know this isn't exactly a topic I covered here and that most people who follow me would be familiar with, but I absolutely love 5yl, and I really wanna talk about this incredible series!

Spoilers for 5 years later, its 11th chapter specifically, below. Go watch it here first, or read my whole post. Maybe I'll convince you to watch the whole thing.

Sorry for the weird crunchy collage images. I needed more than ten images to illustrate my points, so I had to compromise.

As usual, the motion comic manages to enhance the original comic version with the voice acting and other visual additions. Rob's direction and animation work, his and Crystal's visual effects, Noximation's score and everyone's voice acting under the direction of Xander and Kellen are all amazing and on point, as always!

I like the little changes they did to the intro with this and the last episode, too! It makes me feel like I'm watching a TV series with an evolving plot. Really reminds me of watching Omniverse as a kid with all its altering intros. I absolutely love this detail!

I don't know if that happens in the og chapter, but I like that the fact that Portaler was able to warp from Divinity's hold is emphasized here. Hell, Ben even acknowledges this feat himself in the very next scene. This, along with his ability to create unstable wormholes, as showcased in the previous episode, really showcases why Ben put Portaler in the powerhouse playlist. Which is a really important detail to set up, as this is an alien we've never seen before and don't know what he's truly capable of.

Seeing The Void animated was really cool! I'm not sure how this was done in the original comic, but I love the sheer sense of scale they showcase in the top scene here! It really emphasizes how absolutely massive thus alien is! I also love the twisting effect they gave to his dark matter when it's absorbing Big Ben's arm! It's just like I imagined it!

After watching this episode, I realized that I didn't really remember this scene at all from the time I read this comic. I'm glad I was able to properly appreciate it now, as it's quite a nice scene.

What Future Fenton says here is interesting. Obviously, their goal is to help Ben and Danny take down Divinity to rewrite the awful future they come from. With this outcome resulting in Future Fenton's erasure from existence. According to this plan, their fate is predetermined. Or is it? It just makes me wonder what will happen next. Btw, Rob has been absolutely killing it as Future Fenton! He isn't really a voice actor, and he's pulling off some very clean line deliveries! It must be some solid voice direction on Xander's and Kellen's parts!

I really like the exchange that Lula, GoTro, and Crawnch have here. It's a nice scene for them. I like that they discuss their reasons for being plumbers, have a bit of an argument, and in the end decide to help Ben. I like how this scene showcases their characters.

This scene also gave us some incredible surprises!

Just like with the revamped Albedo's ultimates sequence in episode 8, they decided to give us an unnecessary but very welcome Ben 10-themed surprise with all these omni-chimeras. I'd love to break these designs down, but I fear it would be adding way too much text to an already long post. I might do a breakdown of their designs a separate post later. Omni-chimeras are one of the funnest concepts to come out of 5yl, in my opinion, and this scene is definitely making me want to draw some.

I also wasn't expecting to get such a glimpse into the time Future Fenton came from. It seemed to me that Rob wanted to keep their future ambiguous and shrouded in mystery. I love Vlad's tastefully extra ruler outfit with that elegant black and red color scheme and the flaming ctown. (Also, I like how Divinity's outfit references future events)

Getting all these other crossover cameos in such a substantial way is pretty crazy! Especially crazy is the fact that we got proper non-silhouetted cameos of Rex and his brother Caesar, too! The fans have been asking for this for so long, so it's a little hard to believe that their pleas have finally been answered.

Not pictured here, but I love that we get a look at the complete Orion Knight. From what I remember, either the original description of the incomplete Orion Knight concept art on The Ink Tank's website said something about us, maybe, seeing the complete one someday or it was Rob who said it on a stream once. So, this kinda leaves wondering if it was a tease for the motion comic or something else that's still coming later.

A small yet neat detail I noticed here is that Big Ben shoots a strong sonic blast from his Stick n' Slide leg, which matches that alien's abilities. I'm pretty that wasn't in the original chapter, so it's really cool to see!

Now, Full Stop. It was awesome to finally see this fan-favourite alien in motion comic format. I like Aj Beckles' performance for Full Stop! t gives him a very appropriate cool guy vibe. I like how well his powers were showcased here. Everything he holds truly comes to a complete halt. It's great!

Danny's "nightmare sequence" is what i was excited for the most, and I had every right to be. It was AMAZING! The motion comic brought it to a whole new level!

The transition into it was perfect! The drowning that fades into a jarring awakening. It's so good! But it keeps getting better! The beginning of the sequence was also very well done! That part in the og comic wasn't that great, and I always thought it would be better with proper voice acting, and I was totally right about that! Now, I'm not a Danny Phantom fan, but I assume that there were now heart-to-heart reconciliation scenes between Danny and his dad like here in the actual show. I think the fans might appreciate a scene like that, and it's a very nice and tender one in general. I absolutely loved seeing Ash's nightmare Jack creature animated! The zombie Sam scene was so nicely done, too! It was gross eerie in the best way possible! Paxton's delivery during the Ben part was stellar, too! Also, fun fact, but all the aliens Ben erupts into here are ones that Danny had actually seen Ben had used so far. On the topic of voice acting, it was absolutely on point for this entire scene! It truly elevated it to a whole new level! Can you tell that this is my favourite part? Anyways, moving on.

I don't think this scene was in the original comic. I really like it, though! This is some real funny banter between Vlad and Ben!

I absolutely love how Fury Danny's emergence was handled here. I don't remember if those Orion Squad lines on top were there in the og, but regardless, they really helped establish the insane speed at which Danny was flying here. His sheer new might is conveyed perfectly here! That ending scene was perfect, too! The line delivery was very on point once again! This solidifies it as a perfect spot to end this chapter on for me!

Whew. That was probably the longest I've rambled about anything here so far. I just can't help but gush about this project sometimes. I just love it so much, and The Ink Tank always does such a great job with it and their other projects, too! All in all, after all this, I'm extremely excited for episode 12 and the two final chapters! I know, It's going to be something spectacular!

[freyanistics]

Fiery flames 🔥 (part 1)

Wally (human) x dragon!reader

Part two here

Thousands of years ago dragons ruled the skies. With their terrible fiery breaths and intelligence they were seen as the biggest threat to mankind. But as the years pass and the world changed dragons started to disappear one by one from the war between them and humans. Nowadays they are simply deemed a fantasy in storybooks. But you are still alive. Sure you might have to stick to your human form and adapt to modern life but the large scaly beast was still active inside of you, waiting to break free.

You lived in an apartment complex in the lesser side of the city, where crime was a bit more prominent, your typical robbers and car jackers. No one dared to bother you so you were never worried of waking up with your stuff stolen or getting mugged off the street. The reason you moved here was because it was much more interesting than surrounding yourself around pompous idiots in the white collar district. You also had made a couple of friends in the complex including a young mother with two young children that you babysit every Friday night and an widow who always told nice stories.

It took awhile to adjust to your new mundane life. You missed the times when you were a large liege seizing havoc upon knights and hoarding your prized possessions but that didn’t mean you couldn’t entertain yourself. At night you would fly through the dark skies over the city looking down at the light up buildings just like the old times.

This particular morning you woke up around six am getting up and ready for work at your new job. You was a camera person for this live set children’s show called ‘Welcome Home’. If you had to pick it reminded you a bit of Mister Rogers and Sesame Street. There were live actors that would dress up as these characters and do your typical lessons like being kind to one another and how to count to ten. You didn’t have no opinion on it since you wasn’t the targeted audience. After getting dress and shoving a toast in your mouth you rush out of the building to the train station taking the D train to the uptown area. While riding the train you looked down at your phone scrolling through your feed not paying anyone no mind, even when someone was singing loudly drunk.

After getting to the studio and clocking in you immediately got to work setting up the cameras. The other workers rushed around preparing to record a few episodes while the actors got ready. You’ve met all of them finding them kinda quirky but friendly folks, but your least favorite of them all was Wally. He was a weirdo to say the least. The ‘star’ of the show most would say and for good reason; he was funny, charming, and pretty outgoing to everyone who met him. A lot of the people around here and his fanbase found him attractive as well with his cocoa brown skin and dark blue dyed hair that was always put up in a pompodor. You however didn’t see the hype but then again humans didn’t really get you going, you only dated a handful in the past. On top of all of this he just had a weird vibe that you couldn’t exactly place, maybe because he had a bit of a staring problem that people overlooked.

After thirty minutes everything was put in place as you started to record. You sat there with the other camera people as the actors performed on the set. This particular episode featured Wally, Barnaby, and Howdy teaching kids about counting and adding. Wally was explaining how adding works while looking straight at your camera, but it felt like he was staring at you. There goes that weird feeling again but you quickly shook it off. Afterwards the break bell rings and you all stepped away to eat lunch. You pick up your subway sandwich sitting down between Poppy and Frank diving in hungrily, scarfing it down in less than ten minutes.

“Geez Y/N, you sure can eat!” Barnaby says teasingly from across the table. “That wasn’t even five minutes!”

“What can I say? I’m a growing person.” You respond patting your stomach causing the others to laugh.

“How about about an eating contest?” He challenge raising an eyebrow.

“You’re on big guy.” You smirk as Julie jumps up clapping her hands. “Me and Frank can be the judge!” Frank cuts his eyes over at the rest of you while holding up a book. “Why me? They’re going to just get themselves sick.” He shakes his head.

“Come on Frank, it’ll be fun.” Julie pleads as he sighs putting a bookmark in his book before closing it.

“Can I also judge?” A voice calls as all of you turn to the star of the show himself, Wally. While everyone lights up you couldn’t help a frown appearing. Great. Mister big shot was here.

“Sure Wally!” Julie was saying excitedly as she starts listing stuff they would need. You could feel his eyes boring into the side of your face as you tried not to look over at the blue haired man. Don’t make eye contact to give him any ideas. The bell rings signaling that lunch was over. As everyone disperse to go back to their places you felt a hand on your shoulder looking over to see it was Wally. He was staring at you so intensely that it felt like he was looking into your soul.

“Hello Y/N, how have you been?” He asks in that sickly sweet voice you loathed.

“I’ve been alright Wally.” You said putting your hands on your pockets. You both stared at one another in some type of staring contest. He was shorter than you, probably just above 5’1, so he was looking up at you. You wasn’t intimidated by this kid, in fact you was more annoyed by him than ever. What did he want? You couldn’t help but feel like he was hiding something.

“So did you needed something or did you just wanted to stare at my pretty face?” You said chuckling trying to break the tension. At your comment Wally grins flashing all of his teeth and you could have sworn his pupils got larger.

“I don’t mind either.” He said in a flirtatious tone causing you to double take. Was he…flirting with you? Just as you was about to say something he turns and strolls off casually, hands behind his back as he hummed the Welcome Home theme song.

God he was weird.

(This is a test to see if I can write Wally well! I know it says part one but I’m not sure if I’ll continue, if y’all like it and want more let me know!)

[videogamesincolor]

White supremacy and the unattractiveness of Gaming in (white) Men

So, I was browsing on TikTok, and user (@) derrickthemindfulgamer (who has come across my timeline more than once) was talking about a website called "DEI Detected".

"DEI has been taking our culture for too long already, it is time to push back. Vote with your wallet!"

Effectively, it's a website designed to encourage the white supremacist, the smelly boot of the gaming space to boycott games developed by studios who hire sensitivity consultants, Black, and non-Black devs. Or games centered around (and written by) Black and non-Black identities.

This also includes games that are tweaked or patched for pre-existing issues, or issues that gamers raised a complaint about (if the devs didn't take it upon themselves to amend it without prompting).

His reaction was primarily amusement and bewilderment. Particularly because the intention of the website, designed to financially damage the games through boycotts, could also be used to direct interested parties toward games that aren't about what the website believes should be the standard of games. (The downside of course would be driving traffic to the site and boosting its ad revenue.)

The gaming side of TikTok in general seems to believe that bad actors are working tirelessly to reignite the GG movement (GG 2.0). And to that, I would say, typically the best way to handle that kind of behavior is to just never give it any fuel for its fire. Let them kick up a fit and bitch about people playing and making games that they enjoy.

The issue with that, of course, is that our mainstream gaming media and news outlets thrive on this kind of behavior, and have often encouraged it for the sake of revenue (if they aren't in support of it).

It's very much akin to the behavior that the Democrats displayed when they proactively encouraged Trumpet's campaign for the presidency back in the 2010s (and now in the 2020s), and legacy media fanned the flames.

Right now, there's naught but crickets, so I'm not terribly concerned. But I wouldn't be surprised if it kicks off one day and everyone from Polygon to Kotaku will be fanning the flames, and the bad-faith actors will be reveling in it.

It got me thinking about the news circulating about a poll where an overwhelming majority of people (presumably women) voted that men being gamers, or being heavily invested in gaming at all, was an unattractive trait.

The person doing the polling was (allegedly) a Right-Wing YouTuber (Liz Wheeler). What one considers unattractive about the still predominantly white and male gaming space, and what a Right Winger considers unattractive about men's gaming (at all) is probably night and day.

The whole thing caught fire on Twitter, and there was a lot of memeification and jokes about it. But also bafflement. That, or commenting on exceptions or outright rebuttals. The intention of the poll had successfully started up an online discourse about it, but it has since lost speed.

The thing of it is, even if that poll had been done in good faith and not by a reactionary right winger, the general behaviors in the gaming community, as defined by the DEI Detected website, don't disprove the idea that folk might find that hobby unattractive in men because of those sentiments.

That is to say, there is still a big concentration of men who make gaming their entire personality, who work to push Black and non-Black folks out of the games industry and community spaces altogether.

The sentiment regarding women engaging in the FGC and Esports has not disappeared. Neither has the toxicity women and people of color face for using voice chat in FPS online games or even playing games on Twitch. I think we've just done a better job at making those opinions extremely... unattractive to hold. So now only the most vitriolic (and generally most invisible) online reactionaries feel bold enough to say it for attention.

Gaming, comparatively, has the highest barrier for entry when it comes to establishing a strong enough groundswell where Black and non-Black folks can take place. Even with stories that aren't about constipated white men, exploitative depictions of (cis, white) women, and hyper-violence, they're not the norm.

The so-called hobby of gaming itself is more of a luxury than it is a genuine hobby, and the people who are typically 'othered' in the space (who make a niche of it) are exceptions, not the rule.

It's not enough that said folks and community largely keep to themselves, and have, as the atypically white and entitled gamer cries about, been making games and stories about themselves or particular groups.

The rebuttal "Go make your game, then!" (when faced with criticism of a game someone may have otherwise enjoyed beyond a few aspects) has never been a genuine call to action. Reactionaries have never really wanted the underrepresented to enter the industry or community with their stories.

If anything they're almost reassured that the expenses necessary to pursue game dev and writing for games are extremely high for underrepresented folk.

It's the same kind of energy AO3 stannies exude when someone criticizes the website's numerous issues and offers ideas for improvement. When they say, "Go make your own AO3", they don't really want that. They're reassured by the fact that coding and website building and upkeep (nowadays) are costly and the endeavor is unlikely to happen any time soon. If ever.

So when games like Control, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Banishers of New Eden, Alan Wake 2, Usual June, Fields of Misteria, and other stories featuring white women, Black/Brown actors and characters hit the market - they lose their shit.

No matter the developer - they can't ignore it and just play the games that cater to them. Alan Wake 2 choosing to focus on a Black woman character instead of just two white dudes, is a threat to the status quo they know serves them specifically. So we end up with websites created by men who need their foothold in white supremacy reaffirmed through the financial deficit of games like Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn.

So, in this context, if this makes gaming as a hobby an unattractive preoccupation, I can't say that I blame the person who holds that belief.

But again, that poll, like the DEI website itself, was not made in good faith.

[pluckysidekick]

We’re heading into the home stretch! Good news - we’re getting a 20 second trailer for the finale! Thank you to the CW18 Milwaukee for promoting Nancy Drew while corporate was busy cancelling failed imports and promoting golf.

Now, I know some folks have been spoiled *ahem* by the leaked transcript for 412. I have not and will not be partaking - I like my spoilers vague, and I prefer to watch the episode in whole with actors and sets and special effects and music and all the things. But I did spend some time this weekend thinking about what would happen next - and debating it with @likestosolvethepuzzle (whose latest fic you must read), who encouraged me to post this analysis that I primarily wrote over weekend before the transcript leaked.

So read on if you’re interested in my unspoiled take (well except for the usual BTS photos I’ve hoarded from filming, the trailers, and hints on social media from the fine professionals who made the show).

Rewinding back to Episode 8, Nancy sends Ace on his way with the curse jar to go fishing with his father. He complains, but she tells him to go make “messy” memories with Thom (clearly she’s thinking of how she wished she could have more with Kate). Thom apologizes that the captain canceled, Ace drops the jar which lights up and sets off a little wave, and they get wet but no other harm is done. Ace calls Nancy from the Marina - note the establishing shot is Horseshoe Bay, not the Yacht Club or the Claw, so he’s sitting in the parking lot of a different marina, presumably where the fishing boat is docked.

Ace and Nancy have their phone call, and we now know Nancy goes to erase a sin 26 minutes later. The only think she knows is that she saw flames before Ryan rescued her from Jonas Glass, but she believes she and Ace were responsible for Jane Doe’s death.

A few other tidbits that could be clues or red herrings - when Jane Doe was found charred beyond recognition, it was noted that it was in the woods near the coastline. When the ghost tells Ace that she stayed because he said he didn’t want to leave her, she then says no one had ever talked to her or about her that way before. The ghost is also insistent that no one ask her how she died.

OK. A few weird things. The captain canceling but Ace and Thom still going ahead is weird. Why would the captain allow it? Who’s piloting that sort of large-ish boat? And why did the jar make any kind of blip at all, and yet the wave was small enough they only got wet?

We have BTS of what appears to be Thom in the water:

And we had a video from applebanannapear (Ace’s stand-in) of a marina/boat yard with Florence parked nearby, and he’s standing next to someone who looks like she could be Nancy’s stand-in:

These to me look like scenes of the forgotten events of that night, erased by the Sin Eater.

So what I think could have gone down (speculation ahead):

What if the captain of the fishing boat didn’t cancel and was on the boat with Ace and Thom? And Jane Doe could be the captain? She could be lonely and even flirted with Ace, who we know is also lonely - they may even have a moment.

When Ace drops the curse jar, it actually flames up and breaks, and causes a much bigger commotion - maybe even a whirlpool not unlike the ghost’s whirlwind from 411. Then the boat catches on fire. They all jump or are thrown into the water. Ace is able to fish Thom out, but the captain is lost - she gets caught in the flames before drowning.

Ace and Thom eventually make it back to shore. Ace calls Nancy in a panic. She comes immediately. They fight, but Nancy insists on going to the Black Door. Ace may have dropped the curse jar, but Nancy gave it to him and pushed him to go fishing with his dad. The death was accidental but Ace feels guilty - he’s completely torn up with grief. This is the person who would rather die than let Nancy give Daniel West the list.

Thom’s part - I am less certain (and of course all of this is speculation). He’s a semi-retired cop, so he’d want to call it in. Ace would probably be charged with setting the boat on fire - he did drop the jar that caused the boat to catch on fire. Thom might have even fought with him about the jar when he finds out what Ace is doing, causing it to break.

Nancy takes matters into her own hands and goes to the Black Door - she loves Ace, and feels responsible- she won’t let him suffer. She’s miserable, doing something she never thought she’d do - but she does it for Ace. They may even have an angry almost love confession - but it falls short of triggering the curse, because the Sin Eater only erases the memories of everyone involved. It doesn’t negate the sin itself, and Ace is still alive.

And why is the ghost drawn to Ace? They actually made a connection before she died, and her charred body washed up on shore near the woods. He may have made her feel safe on that boat before the accident. He may have “caught” the curse (as many have theorized), and that’s why he can hear and see and even touch her. And her claim of her hair wrapping around her mouth, feeling cold, and the sky disappearing are consistent with burning and then drowning. And she doesn’t want Ace or Nancy to ask her how she died because it’s too painful, and perhaps because she doesn’t want Ace to suffer with the knowledge.

I believe the Drew Crew will find out what really happened in this episode - Henry Zaga posted photos and reels from Capilano Lake. I believe this is the reservoir location, and they are able to use the poisoned water to help Nancy remember the sin and reverse the memory wipe.

Speaking of Henry, Tristan is certainly back in this episode. He posted from the woods and a few locations. I was leaning toward this being him as well in director Kristin Lehman’s monitor - although it could also be Ace.

So we know from the two stills we got for this episode that we’ll see Ace and Nancy together plenty. But boy Ace does not look happy - he doesn’t want to give up his ghost I suspect. I know we all expect them to break the curse, but from Ace’s POV he and Nancy are separated forever. Cannot wait to see it all unfold (pain and all). Celine, the writer of this episode, reminded us that there will be heartbreak and there will be truth. She also shared a devastating playlist I’ve had on repeat - “Bigger Than the Whole Sky” is killing me. As much as we all want Nace together and loving, I’m expecting a journey through fire here (literally) before we get our HEA next week (cause we will).

I’m super intrigued by how Nancy and Tristan will interact - are they still romantically inclined? Or was Tristan almost biting her as the Sin Eater a mood killer? And what did Nashua mean about them walking the path many times before? Reincarnation seems to be a theme this season. @flythesail and @reviewdiaries have written excellent analyses about what it could mean.

We’ll also get a Spring Festival on the beach (which they filmed in the snow), and the return of Red and Birdie (according to IMDB). I don’t have room to post it, but one of our favorite crew members Sangalicious had an IG story at the time that referred to the festival. Geraldine Chu also posted from the snowy location - looking forward to Birdie and Jesse together again. The beach they filmed at is the same one from the bucket ceremony - is there a supernatural confrontation, or perhaps something between the believers and non-believers of the supernatural?

From the trailer, we see Nancy waking up (perhaps with her memories returning?), and the Crew recoiling in horror in the Yacht Club basement:

We also glimpsed who most of us think is Tristan confronting the figurehead of the Endeavor in the same location (yes I analyzed Henry and Alex’s cheekbones):

Are Tristan and the figurehead connected - and is Nancy too (read @flythesail’s analysis for more on that)?

Finally, I’ve been debating if the Claw baby shower Riley shared a glimpse of is actually in this episode and not the finale as we see George and Nick in the wardrobe from this (412) episode’s stills. Jen Vestuto said it’s not what we think it is - of course we all assume it’s Carson and Jean’s baby since her awkward confession. Could it be Ryan and Red’s instead? Or did she mean it wasn’t for a Nace baby? Is there something timey whimey going on since not that much time has elapsed (or has it?) and it really is in the finale? Is Jean’s unborn child a potential next Sin Eater (yikes!)? We’ll find out soon! See you on the other side.

[scribble-dribble-writes]

I think I understand why we all love Tenoche. Seriously where does Ryan find these gems??

His on screen and off screen presence gives me this feeling that if I approached him he will be accepting of my culture and my roots.

That might be simple, but having lived in another country for a while. Initially and even at times now, I will tend to hide the things I like. I couldn't wear a lot of jewelry like how my people did back home, cause in this new place it was told to be tacky. So I hid a lot of that. My favorite food, dancing to vibrant music, wearing silk or gold ornaments.

But seeing Tenoche uphold people to embrace where they've come from digs deep. I've all of sudden dropped all the other actors I liked, and now feel so comforted admiring this man. I watch his interviews and he's so soft spoken, well aware, culturally sensitive all in all gentleman as he wears Mexican and indigenous jewelry/clothing walks bravely down the red carpet. *heart bursts into flames*

It inspires me to wear silk and go all out to celebrate me, as I am. That feeling, that warmth, I think that's why everyone especially POCs are drawn to him. If you don't share his struggle or relate to what he's taking about, you won't get the hype.

His heart is what sets him apart. He's not afraid to be vulnerable, no nonsense. That's refreshing.

He's setting a new standard, he's the new kind of man this society needs.

[renmackree]

How many movies are in the I was a teenaged Mothman series? If it's been ten years then THERE Has To be a lot, right?

How famous would Derek be?

Alright alright, I'll put a little more into the mothman universe, happy?

based off this ficlet

There were a total of 12 parts to the I Was A Teenaged Mothman series and one more on the way. Stiles could recite them all by heart at this point.

The first one came out before Stiles was born and was actually the first date of Noah and Claudia Stilinski. This one didn't have Derek Hale, it had someone less attractive and was actually a major flop. It still counted though, since it was the first one his mother showed him in the dead of night when he should have been sleeping.

When Stiles was 14 - during the era of Hollywood revival - the studio decided to re-vamp the Teenaged Mothman series with the actual teenage actors. Claudia had bought them tickets right in the middle of the theater and made sure their popcorn was in a collector bucket - just like when she had gone to the movies with Noah.

"The only way to watch these movies is with special popcorn and the center row." She said.

Stiles at first had been hesitant, but his mother used her "I want to do something with you" card and so he had no way of saying no.

And god was he happy he didn't.

17 year old Derek Hale playing Steven Dex was sex on wheels and Stiles wanted to drive him over a cliff. He went back at lest three time with Scott, though Scott didn't exactly get what being a teenaged mothman really was about.

The next movie - I Was a Teenaged Mothman Too - came out the year Claudia got sick. They still sat in the middle row of the theater, still had the collector bucket in Stiles' lap. It was just as terrible and just as wonderful, Derek almost out of the teenaged years, but still looking as good as ever.

Teenaged Mothman in London was a summer release the year Stiles started his sophomore year of High School and the year his mother died. He had bought two tickets for them early but knew that she wasn't going to make it. Noah offered to go with him, but Stiles said it wouldn't be the same.

He still got the collector bucket and sat in the middle of the theater. The only way to watch these movies.

Stiles took a date to Teenaged Mothman Returns, but it didn't feel right. She talked through the movie and asked stupid questions like "Why is he called the teenaged mothman if he's 20 years old?" and "I think Derek Hale is over rated, can we make out instead?"

Senior year marked the release of Teenaged Mothman: A Moth to the Flames. It had been slated to be the last movie of the series, Derek Hale even saying in an interview that he loved the Mothman series, but he was ready to try and do something a little more serious.

Stiles felt a little depressed. He knew the movies were just pulp, but they were the last bit of his mother he felt he had. There was something sad about the idea that he would never again have a Mothman collector bucket to add to the stack.

As if the studio heads leaned down and said "this kid in particular needs more" Mothman and Wolfgirl came out the first semester of his undergrad. He could tell they were trying to introduce a new character to replace Derek, but Wolfgirl (played by the GORGEOUS Erica Reyes) didn't hit the right spot for Stiles. Derek Hale shirtless with wings was the fit.

The next three movies were focus on Wolfgirl (Wolfgirl and Mothman take on Manhattan, Sleepless with a Wolfgirl, Mothman and Wolfgirl Return) but Derek was still slated in them so Stiles went to every single one with his bucket in hand.

His senior year of his undergrad, Mothman Saves the World came out. It was much more superhero than the original ones, but Stiles still loved it. Derek's new costume department really said let's put him in TIGHT clothing.

At the end of the movie, as Stiles watched Mothman throw himself into the fires of Hell to save everyone, he cried. It was the true end of Mothman, there was no way he was going to be able to come back from this. Stiles felt hollow, empty.

He even went online to read through fanfictions where Mothman was saved by the plucky human best friend Erik or Wolfgirl. (Stiles was a firm Sterik [Steven/Erik] shipper, but he could respect WolfMoth writers)

For a few years, nothing came out and all the Wolfgirl movies had been put in production hell. And then, one night, Google told Stiles the next movie was going to come. He was a little sad that Derek wasn't on the big names, but it was still a MothSeries. He bought the popcorn, bought the seats and sat.

Wolfgirl and the Ring of Destiny was campy and silly, but he could tell how hard everyone worked on trying to tiptoe around the fact that Steven Dex was dead. And then the most beautiful fanfiction thing happened. Erik resurrected Steven using the Ring and sacrificing his own eyesight.

Derek Hale returned on screen, wings spread and eyes glowing the bright Red of a full born Moth. Stiles screamed in the theater, celebrating and jumping up and down like no 22 year old should be during a cheesy movie. And for the first time in the HISTORY of Mothman history, Erik and Steven shared a passionate kiss.

Stiles might have gone home and found the filthiest Sterik fics he could.

Now, with the newest movie, Mothman in Love they were going to explore him returning and what that means for him and Erik and Stiles couldn't be more excited.

Well, maybe more excited that Derek Hale was sitting next to him in the theater.

I Was A Teenaged Mothman

TLDR:

Films in order:

I Was A Teenaged Mothman (reboot)

I Was a Teenaged Mothman Too

Teenaged Mothman in London

Teenaged Mothman Returns

Teenaged Mothman: A Moth to the Flames

Mothman and Wolfgirl

Wolfgirl and Mothman take on Manhattan

Sleepless with a Wolfgirl

Mothman and Wolfgirl Return

Mothman Saves the World

Wolfgirl and the Ring of Destiny

Mothman in Love

[devilishlycute]

Curiouser and Curiouser..

˜"*°•.˜"*°• "Cats and rabbits

Would reside in fancy little houses

And be dressed in shoes and hats and trousers

In a world of my own." •°*"˜.•°*"˜

˜"*°•.˜"*°• "All the flowers

Would have very extra special powers

They would sit and talk to me for hours

When I'm lonely in a world of my own" •°*"˜.•°*"˜

How could a trip to Disneyland end so horribly for Y/n L/n?

Easy!

She was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.. So much for a lovely night at the "Happiest Place on Earth".

˜"*°•.˜"*°• "There'd be new birds

Lots of nice and friendly howdy-do birds

Everyone would have a dozen bluebirds

Within that world of my own" •°*"˜.•°*"˜

•°*"˜.•°*"'I could listen to a babbling brook

And hear a song that I could understand

I keep wishing it could be that way

Because my world would be a Wonderland.."˜.•°*"˜•°*"˜

Book: Prologue, Chapter 1

A Rυɳαɯαყ Oɱιɳσυʂ Cαɾɾιαɠҽ

Y/n's POV

"That DINO CO. Blue Slushie was really fucking sticky-"

I grumble to myself as I ran both hands under the faucet letting the water wash away the gunk and sticky feeling from my hands "But man, was it so sweet" I finished with a smile on my face and a quick wave of my hands to flick the droplets away. I felt my phone vibrate and quickly dried my hands off with a towel before reaching into my pocket.

Reading off the screen, I could see that it was (Best friend).

Bestie <3:

Hey! We're waiting for you at the Avengers Area, taking pics w/ my precious boi Loki, HURRY AND GET OVER HERE BEFORE I FAINT!! Xoxo~

Smiling at the message I send back the emoji of a thumbs up, and ready my phone for pictures, making my way over. Luckily the restroom I was in was in Hollywood Land, so I wouldn't have to walk too far.

"I can't believe I'm about to graduate High School for that matter.." I mumble to no one, I check my camera roll to see what I have so far.

So far I have pictures and goofy videos of mostly the mascots then the Actors. I couldn't help but lightly chuckle at how awkwardly I'm posed in almost each picture.

' You'd think the staff members could at least take ONE flattering picture of me.' My thoughts are ripped from me for a split second when I hear a loud scream near my right.

Looking towards the source as pedestrians run past me, coming from the direction of Buena Vista Street, a Black Carriage is barreling towards me! Two dark horses are pulling this Carriage, narrowly missing people and objects. "Oh shi-AH!"

A random person trying to flee pushes past me, falling on my knees, hearing my phone clatter away from me and feeling the solid stone walkway scrape against my palms, the pain didn't really matter since the carriage was only inches from colliding into me.

'Is this it..? Oh god, this is gonna fucking hurt- Mom, Dad, anyone! Please... Help me!!' Not wanting to face this head on, I close my eyes and awaited for impact. The sounds of screams and panic only seem to get louder.. Until they stopped all together, but I never felt the impact.

'. . . huh? Wasn't It about to hit me?' Opening one eye it was dark, soundless, but most of all warm. I didn't feel the cold night air of California anymore. 'So where am I?' A green glow slowly dims the once dark space, revealing where I am.

My eyes soon adjusted to the dim light, I am inside a very elegant and gothic style room with coffins floating above me and a giant mirror that is facing me similarly floating over an altar, a black plume of smoke emits from the altar surrounding the mirror I couldn't help but flinch at how unnaturally cold it got, a wisp of this smoke brushed past my face and I felt a bombardment of emotions:

Wrathful

Prideful

Gluttonous

Lustful

Envious

Slothful

Greediness

Groaning at the splitting headache that was accumulating at the back of my skull, gripping the sides of my head hoping to at least massage the pain.

FWOOSH

Gasping at the flash of green, the black smoke dissipates along with the headache. Looking inside the mirror green flames are flickering and fleeting, I feel the warmth of the room come back, I hadn't noticed that I've gotten closer to the mirror to warm myself again. A deep voice resonates through the mirror causing me to look into the Mirror's glass.

"Ah, my dear esteemed benefactor...

My proud, beautiful flower of Evil."

'That voice... I feel like I've heard it before..' As if it was second nature, my hand moves to glide against the gilded frame of the mirror, I stare deeper into the mirror.

"You truly are the fairest one of all.

O Magic Mirror, thy wisdom I entreat... Reveal unto me the visage I seek..."

'It's the Magic Mirror from Snow White! Am I still in Disneyland, but the Snow White dark ride isn't in California anymore-' The Magic Mirror's flames warp and swirl to show me a Black Carriage heading towards what looks like a Castle, the carriage passes underneath an iron gateway?

A Crest of a Raven shines under the moonlight, I can barely make out the words welded on the arch of the gateway. The image shifts again back to its default Green flames.

"You, whose image the Dark Mirror did beckon forth...

If your heart bids it, take the hand of the one reflected in the mirror."

The flames part and a large pale hand appears, open as if waiting for a partner to grasp it.

'There's no way I'm grabbing anything, I could end up breaking something-' A sharp pang shoots through my head causing my knees to buckle forward. My fingertips brush against something soft and fleshy yet cold, opening my eyes looking down the hand seems to be holding mine tight but tenderly.

'As if this person is holding back their strength, almost knowingly...' The room goes pitch black and the hand disappears along with the lights. For reasons unknown, this made me ... Awfully sad and painfully lonely.

Fwoosh

A ball of now red fire is lit in the center of the Mirror. The green lights around the room relit themselves and a new voice comes through.

"As flame reduces even the stars to ash."

A crystal of ice replaces the flame, the cracks of the ice are clearly heard. The room got cold once more, but this time it was welcomed.

"As Ice seals away time itself."

The ice fades and a whirlwind of leaves burst forth from inside the mirror, the scent of fresh grass and a soft breeze brush past my face.

"As great trees swallow even the sky."

The image again shifts to a void of darkness, but the scent of fire and fresh grass still linger. The chill is still present but its weak, but strong enough for my hands to wrap themselves around my... layered body? Looking down at myself my casual clothes are replaced with soft and very expensive feeling robes?!

'How- WHO undressed and redressed me!??' This has gone from intriguing to down right creepy! Whatever prank this is- has gone on long enough!

"Fear not the power of darkness. Now- Demonstrate your power."

A bright light illuminates and grows brighter by the second, it temporarily blinds me causing me to shrink away from the offending light.

"To me. To them. To yourself.

The hour grows long, and time is scarce."

My hand is grabbed by a familiar touch, its soft and yet still cold like a reptile, blankets over my hand. But I couldn't help but squeeze it anxiously, it surprised me when I felt it grip back reassuringly, its- no His thumb strokes the back of my hand soothingly.

"Keep steady your grip, no matter what may come..."

I feel the hand soon pull me forward gently, but instead of a cold hard surface I am met with what feels like entering a pool that strangely doesn't soak my clothes. A wave of fatigue and drowsiness invades my very body and I am very drained. The adrenaline has finally left my body..

'I feel ... Very tired...' I couldn't help but answer the call of sleep.

🎭ᑭᖇOᒪOGᑌE🎭

ᗯEᒪᑕOᗰE TO TᕼE ᐯIᒪᒪᗩIᑎ'ᔕ ᗯOᖇᒪᗪ

Next Chapter

[ecargmura]

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Episode 11 Review - Another Elf

This episode shows the conclusion of the fight with Aura. It’s overall a happy ending as all the possessed suit of armors finally rest in peace and then Frieren and her party get to stay at the city for a while until they leave, but they did it peacefully. It’s a chill episode overall.

It’s nice to have confirmation that the suit of armor that had the same pendant as Granat’s was his son. It’s nice that the city is at peace and that Frieren, Fern and Stark are able to move around at peace. There were cute and funny moments, especially the part where Stark becomes afraid of the man with the axe to the point that he passed out and Fern had to lift him via floatation magic. Also, I do like that Fern and Stark get new clothes; come to think of it, Frieren hasn’t changed her clothes in eighty years. Does she use magic to preserve the quality of her default outfit? Also, where does she store all those grimoires she gets? That briefcase looks too small to be holding fifty or more books. Most of all, I really liked the insert song as the party spend their remaining time in the city from eating nice meals to praying for the departed souls. The song is called Bliss and it’s sung by milet and composed by Evan Call, the main composer for this anime’s soundtrack; her voice is so lovely. The song itself is so peaceful, like it’s an ending for one chapter and the beginning of another.

The second half of the episode is the party leaving the town but then getting halted by a blizzard. Because the northern lands have harsh weather, they take shelter in a cabin that Frieren had prior knowledge of. This is when they meet the monk Kraft, another elf. It’s honestly surprising to see another elf since Frieren has been the only one we’ve seen so far; I’m not too sure how many elves are remaining since demons had killed a lot in the past, especially the ones in Frieren’s village a millennia ago.

Kraft as a character is quite interesting. As an elf, he is a lot different than Frieren in terms of mindset. He is someone who is religious and does things because he wants his life to be worthy when he eventually does pass away. That’s why he believes in the Goddess. Because he believes that a goddess of creation does exist, he believes in her just so he has someone to praise him for his deeds. While Kraft is the equivalent of a Christian or a Catholic, Frieren is the equivalent of an atheist or an agonistic. I believe in God, but I’m not super religious. I know a bunch of atheists too and they have similar mindsets to Frieren in terms of their beliefs. I do like that spending time with Kraft has caused Frieren to be reminded of Heiter. Since she’s mainly thinking about either Flame or Himmel when necessary, it���s nice to see that even Heiter was someone important to her for her to reminisce about. Kraft calls Frieren “young”, not because of her age, but it’s due to her lack of belief in the goddess. I think it’s nice learning about the religious aspects of this story because it makes it feel like a world of its own.

Oh, if you’ve ever watched SK8 The Infinity, Kraft shares his voice actor with Adam, Takehito Koyasu. Stark shares the same voice actor as Langa, Chiaki Kobayashi. That anime had Koyasu’s character be a bit…eccentric towards Kobayashi’s character, so it’s like an SK8 mini reunion between Adam and Langa in a way (It’s also a bit weird in context if you don’t like Adam). I think that Koyasu did a great job with Kraft. He showed off Kraft’s weirdness but also the composed side of him.

It’s interesting to note that Frieren and her party stayed with Kraft for six months. Even if Fern and Stark don’t like it when they stay at one place for too long, there was no other choice as the blizzard was too strong for them to progress. It’s sad that he didn’t join the party, but I do hope that they’ll meet again some day. I think one little detail from the time they spent with Kraft was that all three of them eventually started praying before eating their meals. The sequences has it that Kraft was the only one who prayed, then it was Stark and Fern, and now Frieren. It’s nice seeing them adapt and adjust to their surroundings and not make the other feel left out. Do you think they’ll meet Kraft again on their travels?

[jamiebamberdaily]

A Year in Review : Jamie's 2023

Welcome to our look back on Jamie’s 2023! It’s been a tough year for the entertainment industry in general, with the SAG-AFTRA strike taking place from July all the way through to November, and we know that this impacted Jamie as he chose to take a stand along with many of his other acting peers. Yet despite this, Jamie has accomplished a lot in this year & it’s time to look back at some of the highlights!

February saw the release of Beyond Paradise on BBC1. Jamie played Archie Hughes, an ex flame of Martha’s who joined forces with her in getting her new business in Shipton Abbott up and running. Unfortunately for Archie, Martha had moved back to Shipton Abbott with her fiance, Humphrey and the two didn’t quite see eye to eye. This was such a fun role for Jamie and a complete joy to watch.

April was an exciting month which saw Jamie celebrating his 50th birthday and as always we marked the occasion with a birthday video which many of you took part in! He also travelled over to Cannes to premiere Cannes Confidential at  the 6th Canneseries Festival alongside co-stars Lucie Lucas and Tamara Marthe.

May saw Jamie treading the boards once again in Uncle Glen’s Menagerie at the Arcola Theatre which we were lucky enough to go and watch. Such an incredible evening of ad-lib comedy and superb acting from an incredible group of actors and comedians. As ever we want to thank Jamie for his time that he spent chatting with us before and after the show too.

In June finally came the UK release of Cannes Confidential on Acorn TV and we LOVED Harry King from the moment we met him. Such a fun, easy watching show and such a complex character in which Jamie got to show off all sides of his talent, from comedy through to some really beautiful emotional moments, especially in scenes with his on-screen daughter Emilie who was played by his real life daughter Ava in a brilliant debut performance. June also saw the release of Trader over in Russia - a project which Jamie filmed alongside his amazing wife Kerry all the way back in 2019! And of course, we cannot forget the epic BSG reunion which took place when Jamie headed over to Phoenix Fan Fusion. #SoSayWeAll

July brought some incredible news as Jamie announced that he was taking part in Kenny Logan’s RWC Challenge - an epic 700 mile cycle & walking challenge from Edinburgh to Paris, all to raise money for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. Throughout July all the way through to October when the challenge took place, Jamie was training hard to ensure that he was ready for the mammoth challenge ahead.

August saw the release of Who Is Erin Carter? on Netflix - a twisty, fast paced thriller from the mind of Strike Back writer, Jack Lothian. Jamie played DI Jim Armstrong, a mysterious figure from Erin’s past. Though he was only in two episodes. We LOVED this character and with the series being left open ended, we really hope we get to see more of Jim in the future.

In September, Jamie attended the National Television Awards alongside his Beyond Paradise cast mates as the show was nominated for Best New Drama (which sadly it didn’t win).

And onto October which was such an important month for Jamie as all the training paid off when he & so many other incredible people including Kenny & Gabby Logan, Ally McCoist, Jason Fox and Jimmy Nesbitt started their gruelling trek on bike and foot from Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh to the Stade de France in Paris. This challenge was hugely life changing for the whole team (as well as a whole lot of fun!) and they smashed their target of raising £555,555 between them for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. We were honoured to be able to cheer them all on for a small part of this journey when we saw them off in York on day 3 and welcomed them back as they ended the day at the beautiful Belvoir Castle. To top off an incredible achievement, Jamie was also asked to become an ambassador for the foundation - a role we know that he will embody so well.

October also saw Jamie joining Cameo, giving fans the opportunity to get a personalised video message from him (which we of course took advantage of also!) and to round off the month, Cannes Confidential aired on French TV, renamed  Cannes Police Criminalle, with the entire show having been dubbed into French by the original cast.

November saw Jamie as a guest on fellow RWC Challenge team mate Archie Curzon’s podcast, The Rig Biz Pod, which was a brilliantly funny interview.

And to round the year off, December gave us announcements of not one but two new projects to look forward to in 2024! Firstly, Heavyweight, starring and produced by Jamie’s Marcella co-star Nicholas Pinnock, will be a gritty London drama focusing on the mental state of a boxer and his cornermen backstage before the fight as the clock ticks down. 

With the strike finally over, Jamie travelled to Bulgaria to film Strangers alongside Sienna Guillory, Emmett J Scanlan and Jon Voight. The project is described as an action thriller and will be released in 2024 on Paramount Plus.

As well as these two exciting announcements, AKA Blackbird, the brainchild of BSG alumni James Callis was finally released as an audiobook! With so many former BSG stars taking part in it, including Jamie and Kerry, it’s definitely not one to be missed.

And there you have it! Despite some difficult times, Jamie really did achieve a lot this year and with 2 projects already to look forward to, we can’t wait to see what else 2024 has in store.

As ever, we would like to thank you for all the support of our page over this past year and wish you all a very happy new year!

Jemma and Sophie. xx

[villainessprefect]

title: The Magic of Movies

summary: How does one get Idia to talk? Vil knows that certain movies can get him going.

ship: IdiaVil

word count: 1,135

note: I dont drop the movie/game title but its p much Silent Hill. anyway I just wanted to try writing this ship lol

Read on AO3

If there is one thing Vil can share with Idia, it's a love for movies. While their reasons for the art differ, it still brings them together.

One enjoys being on stage, being filmed. Vil enjoys becoming someone else and pushing himself to new heights. All eyes are on him, captivated, breathless, mesmerized at what he will do next. For a moment, he becomes someone else. Of course, he also enjoys the history of the industry and those who once stood on the same stage. It's fascinating to learn from seniors and surpass them.

Meanwhile, Idia could care less about the acting scene. He appreciates the actors, the characters that blossom to life as their story is told. Live actions are a little blander in his eyes. Animation is stunning. There's more to explore, unimaginable things that could not be captured in other forms of storytelling. Escaping into another world, and finding comfort in a character, even for a couple of hours helps him get by.

Despite his obvious interest in animation, Vil is still surprised at the variety of films Idia has watched. Whether it be on a whim or following an idol or current interest, he can hold himself with the classics. He's not as lively when speaking of him, but the fact that he knows is enough for Vil. And it's almost shocking to find out that Idia has watched one of his movies. Well, not too shocking, really. Why wouldn't Idia be interested in anything he stars in?

"...I know there's only so much you can pack into a two-hour movie and keeping the main plot is fine, but still?! They change so much! I guess it is better to have two protags instead of one running around since dialogue with one character would be awkward. The portrayal of the other world being parallel to ours is pretty neat. In game, you're usually going back and forth, so this is like a new version that probably got cut. Wouldn't make sense lore-wise, ya know?

"Aside from the obvious fanservice, the movie is still enjoyable to watch IMO. Normies who aren't familiar with the series get a taste while enjoying some cheap horror gimmicks. They'll never get to experience the true atmospheric horror the game can offer. Heh. If they're terrified of that version they wouldn't stand a chance of playing the original games. Ah man, makes me wanna whip out the game now. The second game may be better, but you can't beat the classic that started it all."

Vil keeps quiet as Idia speaks to his heart's content. It's absolutely beautiful seeing his passion ignite over one thing. The usual timid male explodes into a fiery mess when speaking about topics he's well acquainted with. The queen notes the little things about him that change too. How he stands taller, speaks louder, and keeps his eyes on his. There's also the noticeable change in his fiery locks. The blue flames that are barely a wisp seem to burn, shining brighter and even turning to another hue entirely.

Seeing Idia like this makes Vil proud. He knows that he has it in him to be assertive and strong, he's seen it before. All it takes is a little push. If he can fan the flames he can watch them grow right before his very eyes.

Unfortunately, this burst of growth never lasts forever.

Idia blinks, whimpers. He slouches and brings his hands together as his eyes dart around his room.

"S-Sorry. I know you told me to give you a b-brief synopsis of the movie. B-But I just...that series..."

Idia holds his breath. He was more than happy to talk about one of his favorite games being adapted into a movie. There's always a lot to say about them, especially from a gamer's perspective. He just feels bad for rambling and going off-topic. At least he hadn't gotten into the more grotesque aspects of the series. That was a bullet he managed to dodge thanks to a QTE. Someone as interested in beauty as Vil would never be interested in the abnormal and weird.

Then again, Vil did find him beautiful and he was just that.

Vil waves a hand, unbothered by his rant. Carefully, he tests the waters and rests his hand over Idia's. He doesn't flinch, only gulps. Golden eyes try to maintain the focus they once had on his lavender ones.

"I know the main actress in that movie," Vil starts. "She didn't know the game beforehand."

"Of course, casual."

"But. She did play during her free time. She couldn't make it too far into the game but promised she would finish it. She spoke to me about the changes but enjoyed them. The intended audience was not just old fans, but new ones as well. You can imagine that she was one of the latter."

"I d-don't know about acting like you, but...I did like her character."

"Even if there are discrepancies between the original and adaptation, if you watch closely you can still feel the heart of a character."

Idia nods, silently. The realization of his rambles caused him to hold back. Yet, he still has to ask.

"Have you ever played the game?"

"Unfortunately, no. That was a home console game, was it not?"

"Ah, yeah..." Idia isn't surprised. Learning that Vil dabbles in games from time to time is surprising. But that's old news. Now it's picking about what games he plays and what he's willing to play. An actor always on the move would be more interested in handheld games.

"W-Well...I do have a copy of it. Would you..." Idia takes in a breath. "W-Would you like to...W-We can play it whenever you're free! It is a one-player game though, so, uh, if you'd want me to speedrun it just for the story I can a-and fill you in on everything as we go..."

"Hmm..." Vil closes his eyes, thoughtfully. "Perhaps I can give it a go?"

"I can explore areas and- wait, wait wait. You want to play it?!" Idia gasps. "I-I mean, you're free to, of course!"

"What's with that look? Don't think I can handle it?"

"N-No! The early games have difficulty setting options, so even newbies can play. I-It's just a little hard trying to envision you playing a survival horror game." Idia sports a challenging grin. "But can you handle the hell that this game offers? The graphics may be old, but the monsters still hold up. If you get scared of a creature you're free to give up and hide in my arms, fuehehe."

"Oh? You think I would be frightened that easily?" Vil chuckles, amused. He enjoys the challenge presented to him. "I have time to spare. So, let's play, shall we?"

[chaos-is-neutral]

Baldur's Gate 3 Tav/Karlach/Halsin Modern AU

Fire Heart has taken the wrestling world by storm. No one expected Karlach to become famous overnight. Though when you put a big, buff, tall tiefling into black wrestling leather the crowd grows wild. She is an overnight success. Everyone in Baldur's Gate is obsessed with her. It is rumored that the famous Southern Gothic singer Lyria (my Tav) is down bad.

Rumors start speculating that they two are dating when Karlach begins flirting back to some of Lyria's flirtatious comments. They just say it is playful fun and that they have been close friends ever since they met at a movie premiere a while back. These rumors don't stop though as Karlach is seen in the VIP section of Lyria's concerts a few times. The rumors really get going though when Lyria is seen at a wrestling match for the first time ever! Their fans are going crazy. They even have a ship name for them called SouthernHeart.

It stays this way for a few months when Lyria drops a bomb on their Instagram. A new song was coming called Fire Burning Heart that night. Everyone in Baldur's Gate was listening and it was clear to anyone with two ears that this was about Karlach. It is driving people wild, but the two won't say anything. The only thing that Lyria announces is that there will be a special guest in their music video coming in the next few months.

The flirting though continues in the comments of their insta posts. Karlach one day posts this:

And Lyria comments: "Gods if she used that position on me I'd be seeing Kelemvor 🔥🥴" Karlach then responded with "Don't want to kill you yet. I quite enjoy you 💋" This drives the fans wild for weeks. Everyone is looking at their accounts just waiting for them to confirm it. The edits made about them are clear. Lyria watching Karlach wrestle with this heat in their eyes, wanting her on every level. Then Karlach watching them perform with love and longing.

Everyone is waiting for the anticipated music video. There would be a special guest on it and everyone who had been watching knew it would be Karlach. Finally, the video for Fire Burning Heart drops. Everyone in Baldur's Gate is watching. And in the first scene, there is Karlach. The music video follows their love story from the awkward hello at the movie premier to a private date where Lyria proposes. Fans are going fucking insane over this. Both Karlach and Lyria's team has to put out a post saying that they have been in a relationship for over a year now and that they got married last month in a secret wedding off the coast.

SouthernHeart is trending for DAYS. Now they are seen everywhere with each other. Paparazzi taking pictures of the couple and you can see them wearing small gold bands. They post each other on their socials, bragging about their love. Karlach even posts a picture of Lyria after their top surgery saying, "I've never been more in love with them ❤️‍🔥"

Karlach wears an orange bandana around her wrist to remind her of her flaming redhead. Lyria wears Karlach's denim jacket at all their shows. Life is crazy and busy for them, but they never fall out of love. It is clear to everyone they will be one of the few celebrities to last.

A big announcement comes when Lyria will be cast in a rom-com with Baldur's Gate heartthrob and animal lover Halsin. Halsin was the it man. Every woman and man wanted him. No one could resist him, especially in these romance movies. Karlach is so excited for their husband and is posting all about it. It is an amazing time and a big growth for the singer. It doesn't take long though for cheating rumors to surface. Many stories are coming out saying the chemistry between the two actors goes off-set. They are pictured leaving together a lot. Some stories say Karlach is in shambles over this and has flown out to see Lyria to confront them.

Both teams again post that this is not the case and that they are both still madly in love. The rumors become worse when Lyria drops a new song right after the filming finished up called Hazel Sunrise. It is clearly about someone else who has stolen the young singer's heart. Many put it together quick that it is about their co-actor Halsin. Everyone is up in arms in honor of Karlach. Lyria has to turn off comments on their post and Karlach has to beg people to stop being mean to their husband.

Lyria is radio silent. The only thing they post is that there will be a new music video releasing and this song was for the movie they were in. The cheating rumors only amped up when the music video dropped. The chemistry between Halsin and Lyria was undeniable. These two were madly in love and getting hot and heavy. The fans were demanding why Lyria would throw Karlach away like this. They also began turning on Halsin. It was a blood bath for weeks and thankfully none of them ran their social medias anymore.

Karlach kept wrestling, but now there was also a green bandana she wore. Lyria also wore one around their neck when performing. Then Halsin was wearing a necklace with a small gold band on it along with red and orange ribbons in his braids. Fans did not notice these changes though. They were too angry!

Then the bombshell of all bombshells dropped. The week before the movie premiered paparazzi posted photos they had taken during filming of the three on a private beach. In the first one Halsin, Lyria, and Karlach were sitting and laughing. The next one Halsin and Lyria were kissing, looking a little heated. In the next, Lyria had grabbed Karlach by the base of her hair and was kissing her with a fever. Then finally the last one was of Karlach and Halsin kissing while Lyria had a big shit eating "fuck-yeah-these-two-are-mine" grin.

The two hottest people in Baldur's gate had added the third hottest to their relationship. The internet EXPLODED. SouthernHeartThrob was trending. People demanded answers, but again the three were radio silent. That was until the movie premier when they all three showed up together. Halsin in a sage green suit, Lyria in a matching one, and Karlach in a slick black dress with a slit up to her hip and the heart shape made little horns. It was stunning how beautiful they all were.

Halsin was pulled toward an interview where he finally answered everyone's burning questions.

He had met the couple back during his last movie premier where Lyria had a song in it. It was love at first sight for them. They were all constantly talking. There was no denying what was there, especially after Lyria got casted in the movie with him. The three had set down and had a long conversation where they all agreed they wanted each other and loved each other so deeply it hurt.

During all of this he is looking at his partners with so much love. Karlach has her tail wrapped around Lyria's thigh as people snapped their photo. Only to him and Lyria would they understand that meant she was nervous. Lyria though was looking at Karlach like she was the goddess only they could worship. Halsin quickly looks at the interviewers dropping one last bombshell, "Now if you excuse me, I'd like to steal my husband and wife and keep them to myself."