#victoria page icons

[nostalgc]

The Red Shoes, (1948).

[world-of-wales]

ＴＨＥ ＲＯＹＡＬ ＣＨＲＯＮＩＣＬＥＳ : The engagement of Miss Catherine Middleton & Prince William is announced .* :☆ﾟ｡ ･

The Prince of Wales announced the engagement of his eldest son & heir Prince William of Wales to Miss Catherine Middleton on november 16, 2010. They met during their time at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland and had been dating for several years before William got down on one knee during a private holiday in Kenya.

William used his mother, Princess Diana's Ceylon Saaphire ring, to propose as it was important for him that his mother was also a part of this new journey in life. The ring was designed by Garrard by taking inspiration from a brooch commissioned by Prince Albert for his wife Queen Victoria in 1840.

For the photocall at the palace, Cat wore a blue silk wrap by Issa and matching sapphire jewellery. Like any true princess dress, this outfit is so iconic that it became THE dress, it even has its own Wikipedia page.

[topsyturvy-turtely]

✨The Sherlock Holmes Museum✨

221B Baker Street, London

hi turtles! here it comes: the photo post to the sherlock holmes museum. i'll include my favorite pictures & the information i could actually keep in my silly brain (probably none). i'll number the pictures, so you can keep track.

please keep in mind that the place was pretty crowded and i couldn't take pictures of everything in perfect quality/from the perfect perspective.

the entrance (1) looks like this:

i especially loved the little blue sign (2) above and the "policeman" (3) dressed in a victorian policeman outfit - with a sherlock holmes tie 🥹 (i didn't get a picture of that, i thought it'd be weird to take a picture of him)

the living room (4).

there were two comfy looking armchairs, a fireplace (sadly without billy the skull 😔), and in the right corner you see the chemistry set of Holmes. with the violin right next to it.

in general, they tried to create the rooms exactly how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle described them in his books. it was described as small but with two big windows to the west side (was it west?? i can't remember...).

on the left you can see the desk (5), which i think was used by both: Holmes and Watson (not 100% sure about that tho). on the right you see what was hung up on the walls (6) (the guns lol).

on the opposite wall of the fireplace, you see the shooting marks (7), made by Holmes: the intials "VR" stand for "Victoria Regina" (= Queen Victoria) (Holmes' way to say "long live the queen" i guess? this man was fun when bored...)

and i took a picture of the "The Times" page (8) which laid on the desk because... apparently! i was in the musuem on the day Holmes and Watson moved in together (*johnlock heart explodes a little bit*) and you can see the date somewhere on there... (i found it. but i think she lied to us... imo it says july the 5th and i was there on august the 27th (*dramatic voice* UNbelievable! *excessive eye-roll*) (okay maybe i misunderstood her??? idk))

let's move on to Sherlock Holmes' bedroom.

on the bed were laying two boxes (9). one was with... idk random Holmes-stuff (honestly can't remember what she said to that...) and the second was with the iconic deerstalker inside. funfact about the deerstalker: ACD never mentioned this to be a signature feature of our beloved detective. this only became a thing later on. some dude, whose name i can't remember (i warned you about my silly brain), just decided he'll use that in a film production, because it would be much more accessible for the common folk. deerstalkers were mainly used by hunters and the working class. because Sherlock Holmes, who lived in a rather wealthy neighborhood, was a man of the upper class, he would have worn a different kind of hat (10).

this post is part 1 of a series, because apparently you can't upload more than 10 pictures per post (🙄🙄🙄). links for the next parts will be included once all have been uploaded.

-> part 2

-> part 3

keep reading - tag list

tag list! @justanobsessedpan @helloliriels @catlock-holmes @fluffbyday-smutbynight @inevitably-johnlocked @hisfavouritejumper @rhasima @forfucksakejohn @ohlooktheresabee @turbulenttrouble @so-youre-unattached-like-me @totallysilvergirl @peanitbear @train-mossman @loki-lock @smulderscobie @timberva @grace-in-the-wilderness @chinike @jawnn-watson @whatnext2020 @escapingthereality @missdeliadili @kettykika78 @musingsofmyown @7-percent @speedymoviesbyscience @astudyin221b @francj15 @we-r-loonies @mxster-jocale @sherlockcorner @noahspector @our-stars-graveside @jobooksncoffee @baker-street-blog @macgyvershe @myladylyssa @battledress @a-victorian-girl @dreamerofthemeadow @oetkb12 @ohnoesnotagain @mutedsilence @jawnscoffee @raenchaosandcozyadashofmurder @a-victorian-girl @lisbeth-kk @quickslvxrr @safedistancefrombeingsmart

[angelfiresworld]

lil collection of poggy sites just realized how many are graphics sites or some kinda cute aesthetic or both

huuuuuge database of kawaii links super lovers japan buncha buddy icons n away messages sitebuilding graphics resident evil , need i say more ? free icons deviantart :3 fairy dolls maker !! decora lookin page , i think it's a shop ? neither of my translators wanna read it lmao (it's too much images) gloomy bear fansite super cute calendars myspace graphics site an old version of the sanrio japan site hella cute it's got a tutorials page for a lotta stuff layouts , layouts , and more layouts , it's super well archived too power goth girls. gotta love em. love me some lisa frank it's myspace graphics and also the site aesthetic fucks glitter graphics' old web archives lil blinkies maker decaydance records impressionist web gallery stylized letters + numbers sets i don't know victoria but i love her in that way you can love strangers who just do something cool vkei ,,,,, [stimming]

[fakehelper]

CRYSTAL CLEAR ✦ A GIF PACK DIRECTORY & PAGE BY FAKEHELPER

Introducing my first ever gif pack directory and page pack !! You asked and now you shall receive. Based on poll results, here is a theme that allows you to use filters to sort through your gifs, using a header navigation style. I know y'all asked for simple, but ya girl just couldn't do it. I did try a simple version and I hope it's to your liking! If you like my work, feel free to leave a tip in the link below!

FEATURES:

Isotope filters and Search

Information section to place faceclaim info and links

Gradient Blob background that you can edit using the linked generator

Solid or blurred trigger warnings that disappear on hover (optional)

No JavaScript version of the gif pack page only

CREDITS:

Font: Google Fonts (Karla)

Icon Font: Phosphor Icons​

Tumblr Controls: @cyantists

Gradient Blob: Signal Supply

Gifs: All gifs were made by me | Full Packs: Jeff & Victoria

RULES:

Edit as much as you’d like, but don’t use this as a base

Don’t remove parts of this code and use it in your own

Do not redistribute or repost

Don’t remove my credit in any way

Please like/reblog if using

- ̗̀  PREVIEWS & DOWNLOADS ✦ TIP JAR   ̖́-

[official-trainwrecks]

Trainwrecks: The Crew

Starting tomorrow, we'll be taking a closer look at our story's six main characters!

Three character bios will be posted this week and three more next week (ending with Dimitri because his birthday is on August 31st). Each character will have a dedicated bio page on Substack, which will be updated with new art and new information every season. You will also find the characters' Spotify playlists here.

If you hadn't guessed by the logo, the kiddos each have their own respective colors and icons. The banners at the beginning of every chapter will indicate whose POV the narrative follows that week. For reference:

Luna: yellow, star

Duke: red, camera

Victoria: orange, piano

Sebastian: green, guitar

Dimitri: blue, glasses

Jasmine: purple, cross

You can follow this blog or subscribe to the Substack for updates!

[seekdevotion]

*          𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐘𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐒     𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐃          :          mw fcs & personality types maybe ? this looks so good !

first of all : love you sweat ! i will point you towards 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 meaty mw fc list, bc many good points were made. but ! i'll also take this moment to self advocate and some will b repeats ... i would go absolutely feral for ella purnell ( duh ), laura harrier, jessica chastain, avan jogia, ben barnes, zion moreno, cillian murphy, blanca padilla, oscar isaac, margot robbie, tom hardy, alexa demie, riz ahmed, samara weaving, zendaya, tom holland, mimi keene, logan lerman, adelaide kane, victoria pedretti, andrew garfield, penelope cruz, emma mackey, charles melton, bill skarsgard, adam dimarco, medalion rahimi, natasha liu bordizzo, dua lipa, archie renaux, robert pattinson, freida pinto, florence pugh, dev patel, jessica alexander, oliver jackson cohen, halston sage, kiowa gordon, lily james, madelaine petsch, jordan connor, hande ercel, phoebe tonkin, nick robinson, savannah lee smith, emily alyn lynd, henry golding, rachel zegler, josh heuston, paul mescal ( i actually can't talk about it... ), daisy edgar jones, rami malek, lily rose depp, aron piper, adria arjona, olivia cooke, and that's just off the dome... now as for personality or character types ? why don't you go ahead & read more for some that have come to me ;)

any and all of the bunnies of mona awad's bunny - pretentious and beautiful budding literary icons , diehard devotees of "the aesthetic" ( or part of a cult most likely )

local carmy ? brilliant , celebrated , seemingly stuck in devo due to some unfortunate emotional ( or physical ) ties - maybe managing the diner or cheffin' it up at the whaler

ex - sea captain who is now devoted to hunting for treasure - both geocache and pirate style . some townspeople think they've lost the plot but others have noticed they really have a knack for this . obviously , quite the casanova

a well liked ghost therapist . came to town years ago as a ' spiritualist ' / more of a lowkey con artist medium but really came into their own in this environment

the seraphic matchmaker , wholesome , in love w love , just wants everyone to be happy , strikes gold every time to the point it is giving witchcraft , world's best and most in demand bridesmaid as a result !

charming and charismatic town official , great at drawing in a crowd and overseeing all the best local events . old money ( as much as you can be in this town , bc their family has always been here ) so obviously corrupt w very questionable morals

THE barber who does put everything you say in their chair on blast via their town meme page / finsta but customers stay loyal bc the only competition has a much darker reputation ( plot twist : and they were roommates ! )

ofc , new in towns / tourists with shady motives , to keep the locals on their toes

[pochunts]

SHALITA GRANT GIF PACK

— ✰ on the page linked below in the SOURCE LINK, you will find ( FOUR HUNDRED AND FIVE ) hq gifs of SHALITA GRANT sourced from her role as SHERRY CONRAD in season three of YOU (2021). shalita is 34 but was 32 while filming this season. she is of african-american ( unspecified ) descent and identifies as gay, so please cast her accordingly. all gifs were cropped at 245x145 and were made from scratch by feifer for roleplaying purposes only. therefore, i am taking full credit for these.

gifs feature: Chris O’Shea, Penn Badgely, Victoria Pedretti, Shannon Chan-Kent, Travis Van Winkle, Saffron Burrows.

warnings/triggers: Visuals of food, liquids (alcohol), scenes and visuals contexted around nsfw content, visuals of underaged children (faceless), flashes (news van), scenes contexted around a person’s disappearance, scenes contexted around a search party/search party attire (orange vests, colored flags), scenes contexted around the mentions of pregnancy, costumes, scenes contexted around being held hostage, food, blood from being shot in the ear, guns (visuals, firing of), visuals of dried blood.

RULES FOR USAGE:

DO: LIKE or REBLOG if you found these helpful or have any intention of using these.

DO NOT:

add or compile into other sources ( gif hunts, gif sets ).

edit or claim in any way ( redistribute or resize into smaller forms - gif icons. giftangles, etc ).

use to portray the faceclaim in smut rps or real-life celebrity groups.

use these gifs as imagery/visuals for smut writing.

[broadwaydivastournament]

Movie Musical Divas Tournament: Round 2

Dorothy Dandridge (1922-1965) Carmen Jones (1954) as Carmen Jones | Porgy and Bess (1959) as Bess Dubbed by Adele Adison in Porgy and Bess, and Marilyn Horne in Carmen Jones.

"The second Black actress to be nominated for an Oscar. She worked at the Cotton Club, was married to a Nicholas Brother. Ms. Dandridge did not want to take on the stereotypical roles offered to her at the time, which limited her career due to the racism of the film industry. Nonetheless, the roles she did take on remain incredibly iconic." - anonymous

Moira Shearer (1926-2006): The Red Shoes (1948 - Victoria Page) | The Tales of Hoffmann (1951 - Stella/Beauty/Olympia)* Dubbed by Dorothy Bond.

"A dancer and not a singer (Dorothy Bond sang her vocal parts as Olympia in Tales of Hoffmann!), but what a dancer she was! Her films with Powell and Pressburger are all incredible. She's the technicolor ballerina of my dreams and she is not nearly as recognised as she should be. I'm linking my personal favourite of her numbers: Olympia in Tales of Hoffmann! Automata ballets are the coolest." - anonymous

This is Round 2 of the Movie Musical Divas tournament. Additional polls in this round may be found by searching #mmround2, or by clicking the link below. Add your propaganda and support by reblogging this post.

ADDITIONAL PROPAGANDA AND MEDIA UNDER CUT: ALL POLLS HERE

Dorothy Dandridge:

"Dorothy Dandridge is THEEEE iconic musical woman and she DESERVES this." - anonymous

Photos submitted by: @mygreatadventurehasbegun | Video submitted by: anonymous

Moira Shearer:

Photos and video submitted by: anonymous

[characterdesignreferences]

Art by  Frank Victoria

Celebration Month! #100challenges

Presented by CDQ Magazine

This month we are celebrating the 100th session of the community by resharing some of the most iconic artworks from the past! Next month we will start again with our regular posts.

Discover the artists of the Character Design Challenge community and the current Theme of the Month in our Facebook Group! And when you repost your design on our Patreon page, you can also win awesome prizes every month and choose the future themes!

RULES | WINNERS | MAGAZINE | BOOKS

[zahri-melitor]

Newish Comics:

Batman #146: okay so this story is finally actually picking up from where The Gotham War left off, with the same fault lines still in place. This is good actually! I am very soft that Damian's determined to keep believing in Bruce (especially as they're also spending quality time together over in Batman & Robin). Also I'm still enjoying Vandal Savage being annoying (sorry not sorry).

Birds of Prey #8: This comic is being written for queer women who like reading about women and I for one salute the entire team for their (fan)service. Excuse me. Several of those Barda panels and Dinah screaming for Barbara are going on my iconic list immediately.

Blue Beetle #8: Roma quits, Oo’li has a crush on Jaime, Jaime finally finds out Brenda is working for Victoria, and Victoria just gets even more on-page evil. I can't believe this is the last storyline we're getting before this gets cancelled, dammit.

Shazam! #10: I had to stop to howl with laughter about every third panel of this. Do yourself a favour. Read Shazam! Darla’s flying with Hoppy on a Pegasus. Freddy just got his licence and bought the Shaz-van! Also omg the lettering for the dragons!

DC’S Spring Breakout! #1: A mixed bag.

The Harley Quinn and King Shark story certainly happened (and I've read better versions of it).

The Batman and Mr Freeze story was quite predictable but sweet. Hit all the right notes in the space awarded to it.

MegFitz had a World's Finest Teen Titans story it felt, well, very MegFitz. She was writing characters in roles rather than writing the characters. On the upside Garth actually got to be the hero, so that made me happy.

The Metal Men story I honestly couldn't judge on characterisation but it was workmanlike. I was amused by the random Atlantean surfer.

The Katana story however was GOOD and delightfully creepy and just really fun Tatsu writing. Highlight of the issue for me.

The Lex Luthor story was incredibly funny in that Lex is there complaining about the damned aliens and how "The forces against us grow in number by the day" with a picture that includes Kon. I'm pretty sure you don't remember why that's hilariously ironic at this point, Lex, but Kon was very much your own fault here. (Lex also saying to Jason 'having trouble digging yourself out of the grave? Skill issue!)

J'onn story! J'onn getting screwed over again by Batman protocols! (This isn't nice, J'onn had one of the worst protocols of the lot, and all I can think is that this far, FAR milder route of attack is Bruce realising how far the other plan was over the line). But the dual shapeshifter fight scene was quite fun. This was probably my second favourite.

The Superman and Jimmy story was...fine. Why is Manchester Black alive and annoying people? This just felt mostly like lead in to current stories (whatever is happening with Zod and Absolute Power).

The Warlord #46: this week in the Lost World of Skartaris Travis is still hunting Jennifer’s trail when he and Shakira end up in a fight with a dinosaur.

Travis gets knocked around, but Shakira is so badly injured that…Death comes to claim her!

I have never been apart from you, my Champion. I have walked where you walked — drunk the lives you have spilled. I am ever at your side.

Travis then follows Death trying to convince her to return Shakira, into a cavern in hell.

I really like this art for Death?

In any case, Travis negotiates with her to get Shakira back and trades her 10 years of his life.

And Travis and Shakira return to Skartaris. Both alive.

Meanwhile Jennifer arrives at the mysterious tower of the ‘master’ of the hunchbacked man who has been leading her.

[ilovedthestars]

Mal, aspec icon, and also reasons why I love Widdershins in general

So, as a birthday present to myself I recently bought physical copies of all ten currently available volumes of the webcomic Widdershins, and I’m currently rereading all of them from the beginning, and I’m just. Having emotions about it!! This post is part Widdershins propaganda (go read it) and part rambley thought dump on the parts I'm excited about on my reread. (I’ll try to stay away from major spoilers, but read at your own risk.)

A vague bit of context for anyone who knows nothing about Widdershins: Historical fantasy, set mostly in Victorian* England, centered on the fictional English town of Widdershins, which is the location of a magical “anchor” which is a source/amplifier of magic. Magical practitioners are called wizards (regardless of gender—witches also exist but are a very different thing) and the magic system revolves around summoning “spirits” of various emotions, and using/making deals with said spirits to imbue objects with magical properties. The tone is pretty light and adventure-y, and very fun. Every arc jumps back and forth between a few different sets of characters, but their paths all eventually cross.

(*technically slightly pre-Victorian. The ongoing and final installment is set during/around Victoria’s coronation. There’s also flashbacks, visits to other locales, and a Time Travel Episode)

The character I remember getting most attached to when I first read Widdershins, and the one I’m currently having the most emotions about on my reread, is Mal (aka O’Malley). First of all, I completely forgot that he’s canonically ace (and maybe aro)??** His significant relationships throughout his arcs are all close friends with found family vibes—when we first meet them, he and his longtime friend Wolfe have been traveling around Europe together for years, on what money they can earn from Wolfe’s busking (he plays violin) and Mal’s somewhat cheating at cards. Wolfe is an optimistic, calm and gentle person, and he clearly brings out the best in the very grumpy and abrasive Mal. They rely on each other, make sacrifices for each other, and generally have just such a lovely relationship--one thing I find particularly sweet is that it’s shown multiple times that listening to Wolfe’s violin playing helps Mal relax and makes him happy.

Pictured: Mal suggesting that Wolfe pacify a huge spirit of sadness by playing his violin, because "It works for me" 🥺 (In case my image turns out bad, here's a link to the actual comic page--I'm just excited about my physical copies!)

I’ve rambled before about “love as in significance” and how my favorite fictional relationships are ones where two characters are deeply important to each other, in a non-romantic and/or ambiguous way. To me Wolfe and Mal are a perfect example of that kind of deep friendship, effectively a life partnership, with no romance.

(**Widdershins also has multiple gay/lesbian characters, some of whom get romance arcs, and at least one canonically trans person. In Victorian England. There’s also a fair amount of non-white characters. I cannot stress enough how much this is just Not A Thing within the story. I believe the in-universe justification is that random magic ability evened the scales, and things like oppression and colonialism never got as bad as they did in our world. What it works out to is fun escapist adventures where homophobia and racism aren’t obstacles to the diverse cast, which is exactly my type of story. It’s definitely not trying to be historically accurate, but doesn’t get bogged down in modern labels, either.)

Mal also has a really satisfying character arc going on. He can see magical spirits, including the ones around people, and read their emotions—this is not a normal thing within this magical universe, and he mostly considers it a burden/annoyance, as it makes people (especially crowds) overwhelming. It turns out to be a whole thing, which I won’t spoil, but in my reread I just finished book 7, curtain call, which is the conclusion to the first big arc of Widdershins and includes a really cool flashback scene into Mal’s past. He’s got a whole thing going on where he makes some new friends, and eventually decides to stop running away from things. It’s really hard to talk about without spoiling, so I’ll just say that he’s still my favorite character and his arc is very strong.

Pictured: What it looks like when Mal sees spirits, and also another example of him being comforted by his friend's music. (Here's a link to the actual comic page)

Mal (and Wolfe) star in chapters 2 and 5, and feature prominently among a larger rotation of characters in chapters 7 and 9. The various chapters/books rotate through different sets of characters, but they're all lovable and you'll get attached to new characters quickly. Some other really fun characters from various Widdershins stories include:

Harriet “Harry” Barber, a bounty hunter who tracks down magical artifacts with the help of her magic-sniffing dog Gren (who she may or may not have stolen from the police)

Sidney Malik, who is cursed with accidental kleptomania (other people’s things just appear in his pockets, and he feels very bad about it). He got kicked out of wizard university for said kleptomania and is now pursuing his true passion of being a stage magician

Verity Cunningham, inventor slash bounty hunter slash Harry’s former-partner-turned-rival, and the greatest bounty hunter who ever lived, if she says so herself (which she will, loudly)

Lei Feng, who I can’t actually say anything about because all the coolest things about her are spoilers, but trust me she goes through some fun twists (she’s a magician’s assistant/inventor)

Alexa King, a baker with green hair who is going to Widdershins to win a baking competition in the year 2013, and if you’re wondering what this has to do with Victorian England and if it involves time travel shenanigans, yes, yes it does

Harry and Sid are the stars of the first chapter, and they're very close seconds to Mal in terms of my favorite cast members. If I have made this webcomic sound cool enough that you want to try it, please go check out their super fun story.

(P.S. A note about romance, since this post is partially about aspec things and i'm addressing it to my very aro corner of tumblr. Some of the chapters/characters in Widdershins have romance subplots, which never take up too much space in the story and are very well written in my opinion. I am someone who is super picky about romance in books, and I've rooted for every single romantic relationship in the comic--they're very sweet, and all built around two people who get along and are important to each other, as the friendships are. No forced romance or painful amatonormativity here.)

[thenightling]

The other day, on a Universal Monsters page, I was surprised to see LOTS of comments whining about the new monster animatronics for Universal Studios Epic Universe Monster expansion (opening later this year.)

Mostly they were upset that the classic monsters didn't look like their 30s counterparts. I thought they did a good job of reinventing them while paying homage to the originals. Frankenstein's monster still has that (to me) annoying flat head (which is NOT in the novel!) and the face is definitely Karloff.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon looks almost identical to his movie version except with sharp teeth added. And then you get the whining"Gill Man doesn't have teeth!" So? It's a slight change and it works because there are fish with teeth like that.

One person even said the Frankenstein monster looks like he's wearing Goth Rock pants. (Because they're ripped up). That's not even supposed to be the original monster. It's Victoria Frankenstein's creation.

The Wolfman is the 2010 version, which was an Oscar winning practical effect until studio meddling replaced it mostly with CG, the practical version won the movie an Oscar. But the CG replacement insulted Rick Baker so badly that he retired. That was Rick Baker effects. (An American werewolf in London, Thriller...) He's iconic.

And I admit it, the 2010 Wolfman does look better than the original. And I'm glad it's not the 2025 Wolfman (that so far, doesn't look good at all...)

Dracula is a completely new redesign but we barely see him and I don't think he looks bad at all.

And the invisible man is perfect! :-P

I think the people complaining are too invested in their own Nostalgia. They don't consider that sometimes change is good.

They say these look awful but don't consider that we could be subjected to bad Disney-style back-lit projected faces (that no one likes!)

These are gorgeous. They look like real entities. And they have very fast, and very fluid movements.

It's weird when you see "Fans" of Universal monsters dismissing a new incarnation out-of-hand rather than appreciate that there is a new incarnation.

They couldn't possibly make them exactly like the 1930s monsters. Yes, they have the rights to them but some of the effects are really dated. i.e. Frankenstein monster's elevator shoes. Having Dracula never show his fangs (in the first Bela Lugosi Dracula movie). And yes, even The Creature from the Black Lagoon not having teeth.

I've wanted Universal to have year round (not just Halloween) acknowledgement of their monsters for a long time and now they're getting the most advanced animatronics ever made. Can't they be grateful?

It's okay to be critical but they were out-right hating on them at a glance, not even watching the video, just some stills.

[transformers-mosaic]

Transformers: Mosaic - Fragments David Ellis

wada sez: Gather 'round, gather 'round, I have two more lost scripts to show ye. These were shared by David Ellis, who wrote just a single Mosaic to be released: "War Story". Not for lack of trying, though! It's shocking to me that nobody picked up either of these scripts, as they're both remarkably good.

"Hobby Time" (Bumblebee) [2010-09-21]

Panel One Iconic image of Bumblebee's robot mode as seen in the "--ation" trilogy. He's projecting a holomatter image of his holo-driver, the nameless hippy-chick female (and be sure to have her image flicker a bit so make it clear she's a hologram and not an actual human). The look on her face is inert; his is full of concentration.

(Also, leave room for the story's title and credits.)

CAPTION (Bumblebee's narrative): Holograms. CAPTION: For Autobots and Decepticons alike, it's functional.

Panel Two Cut to a view of Bumblebee's vehicle mode driving down the highway with the same holo-female at the wheel. Maybe show another car passing by, to get a sense of the Autobots being seen by others on a regular basis. In fact, would it work for the POV of this panel to be from inside some motorist's car?

CAPTION: It allows us to hide in plain sight on various worlds, without the natives wondering why we "vehicles" are moving around without drivers. CAPTION: Find a native, scan it, make a holo, and take care of business.

Panel Three Ideally, this panel should cover the width of the page. It's several versions of the same holo-female, each with a different outfit and hairstyle. The first could be her hippy-chick outfit as seen in the comics; another could be a Goth look; another could be a businesswoman, and so on. Heck, one could be wildly improbable like an heiress with a classy ballroom gown, or something from a Victoria's Secret store window (if that's not too risque), to show that while Bumblebee is aware of the idea of different looks on the same human, he's still experimenting and doesn't yet grasp the subtleties of fashion.

CAPTION: For me, it's something different. CAPTION: A fascination, for lack of a better word. CAPTION: The others don't notice, but I see so many different humans wearing so many different things. CAPTION: There's a point behind it; I know there is, and I want my holo-driver to blend in.

Panel Four We see Ironhide and Jazz watching Bumblebee as he crouches in a corner of their base, projecting his holo and looking for all the world like a boy caught playing with a doll. They look amused; he looks annoyed that they're teasing him.

CAPTION: The others are on my case about it. CAPTION: Prowl tells me not to waste energy on holomatter unless I'm on a mission. Jazz and Ironhide think it's funny. CAPTION: But they don't get it.

Panel Five Tight closeup of Bumblebee modifying the holo-girl's hairstyle. His face has the concentration of an artist's, as if this practice is fulfilling some inner creative need.

CAPTION: This war with the Decepticons leaves so much destruction and chaos, that it's a nice change of pace just to... CAPTION: ...create. CAPTION: And I find myself wondering...

Panel Six Cut to a police mugshot -- front view and side view, holding a nameplate in each one -- of a woman looking very much like Bumblebee's holo-girl, but she doesn't look much like the happy, idealized image Bumblebee carries around. She has a very weathered expression on her face, as she's not happy with the whole arrest-and-booking procedure; she looks like she's been through some hard living. The name and serial number can be whatever you want to put on there, just make it look like a convincing mugshot.

CAPTION: ...whatever happened to that human I scanned once? CAPTION: What's her life like? Is she anything like the way I imagine her? CAPTION: Maybe I'll find out one day.

END

wada sez: I'll be perfectly honest, David Ellis is clearly a cut above the vast majority of Mosaic writers. There's a few things here which make me roll my eyes—the rubbish title, the way it zeroes in on this one woman from Infiltration, and the twist of "aha, she was a criminal all along!"—but it's technically competent stuff that feels like it's engaging with actual human emotions through a uniquely Transformers lens. It's the idea of an image of a person as a proxy for the person themself; of idealising someone until the image becomes entirely divorced from the truth of that person. This is made more complex by the fact that this is also a form of self-actualization for Bumblebee; the woman he's fixating on forms the basis of an identity he is constructing for himself on Earth. The sentence "boy caught playing with a doll" evokes gender non-conformity to me—but on a much more direct level, I imagine many online Transformers fans would relate to this in the sense that we're all too old to be playing with toys, from a typical perspective. It's a story that invites interpretation and should resonate with people for different reasons, meaningfully building upon a minor beat from the official comics. For me, it's the final panel that really lets the script down—I think the dramatic irony of knowing the truth about the woman takes us out of Bumblebee's perspective without adding much to the story. Surely the tragedy here is that Bumblebee's life is so completely removed from human experience that he will likely never see this person again, and certainly never understand her! This next script is also thoughtful in its own way...

"Last of the Line" (Optimus Prime) [2010-09-21]

NOTE TO ARTIST AND COLORIST: This story takes place in the "Transformers: War for Cybertron" video game continuity. As such, all character designs and backgrounds should be noticeably in keeping with that game's aesthetic, with the exception of the last panel, which is '80s-era Generation One.

Also, except for the last panel, all characters should be in colors other than those we've come to associate with the canon characters. We're dealing with player-controlled character models from Team Deathmatch, explained here as other 'bots who walked off the same assembly lines as the characters we know.

Panel One Splashy panel of War for Cybertron's multiplayer Autobots charging into battle on the "Molten" map. We see a dark blue SPEEDSTER SCOUT (Sideswipe's body), a red INTERCEPTOR JET SCIENTIST (Silverbolt's body), a green DEFENDER SOLDIER (Warpath's body), and – most notably – a gold HEAVY RIG LEADER (Optimus' body).

The Leader is bolstering his teammates with a War Cry ability, so it'd be cool to see the glowing effect around the Autobots (likely via computer coloring).

(Also, leave room for the story's title and credits.)

CAPTION (Optimus Prime's narrative): This war has consumed our entire race. CAPTION: Not just as a collective…

Panel Two Reverse-angle shot of four Decepticons, toward whom the Autobots are charging. Bringing up the read is a CRUSHER SOLDIER (Brawl's body); leaping skyward is a STALKER SCIENTIST (Slipstream's body). Charging out in front are two ENFORCER SCOUTS (Barricade's body), distinguishable only by their differing color schemes. Most of the focus should be on the Enforcer Scouts.

CAPTION: …but as individuals as well. CAPTION: We are born on assembly lines, batches of us, numbering in the hundreds.

Panel Three One Enforcer Scout (#1) transforms into his car mode, while the other (#2), continues firing his EMP shotgun.

CAPTION: Hundreds of the same model… CAPTION: …but each one is distinct. ENFORCER SCOUT #2: Flank 'em if you want, but I like the direct approach!

Panel Four The Heavy Rig Leader cleaves #2 in the face with his Energon Axe, causing #2 to drop his shotgun. #1 can be seen in car mode behind Heavy Rig, peppering him with machine-gun fire.

ENFORCER SCOUT #2: Agk! ENFORCER SCOUT #1: Serves you right! CAPTION: Each one has become a fighter in this war…

Panel Five Splashy panel of the CRUSHER SOLDIER in the Autobots' midst, clubbing Heavy Rig and Speedster Scout with his Energon Hammer while using his Whirlwind ability.

CAPTION: …but some are better soldiers than others.

Panel Six Heavy Rig lies on the craggy magma ground, his armor shredded by Crusher's hammer. It's the instant before the Autobot explodes. Maybe include Crusher's foot in the panel as he walks over Heavy Rig's body.

CAPTION: Very few of us from ANY model line have survived to the present day.

Panel Seven Cut to OPTIMUS PRIME (the real one, not just a Heavy Rig), G1-style, set against an Earth backdrop, perhaps a forest of trees in the Pacific Northwest – as far away from Cybertron's Molten map as one could get.

His posture is contemplative, as if it bothers him how few of his kind have survived.

CAPTION: Hundreds of thousands of lives lost. CAPTION: Individual sparks extinguished. CAPTION: Leaving precious few to carry on the model line, and the Cybertronian race itself. CAPTION: I fear this war will lead to our extinction.

END

David sez: This one is based on the "Transformers: Warfor Cybertron" video game. It occurred to me that in a way all those multiplayer matches with player-created Transformers could actually be in continuity, since they're products of assembly lines. The multiplayer matches represent early skirmishes in the Autobot/Decepticon war, and that's why we haven't seen the countless iterations of the model lines that must have existed. They were blown to smithereenies.

[usernoneexistent]

8th March 1897. The bi-weekly newsletter bringing you the latest news and gossip at Hogwarts for witchcraft and wizardry written by Winona Rosewood - this is the entry for this month's @hp-12monthsofmagic challenge

CELEBRATING WITCH MONTH

This month of March we want to unofficially celebrate the wonderful and wickedly talented witches found within our own school of witchcraft and wizardry, so wizards take a step back while today I will dedicate this week's newsletter to several ladies that I believe deserve the utmost attention. Unfortunately, the small amount I can write is only a small part as they are complex and people should take the time to get to know them.

AN ENTREPRENEUR IN HER OWN RIGHT

This may be my bias as Victoria Summer @whatwouldvalerydo, my dearest and darling friend to place her first but it would be outrageous if I didn't. This sweet and fair Gryffindor has a business mind screw on top. Her perfumes are to die for and I have never smelled so heavenly. I could dedicate a while page to her but I must share it with others.

BRINGING THE FIRE TO HOWARTS

Ema McGiliguddy @kc-and-co entered Hogwarts with fire and style. Literally. This adventerous Slytherin has all eyes on her and certainly the Newspapers have been lying as she is far from the frail girl they make her out to be. I do watch her in anticipation for what may be next on her path of adventure.

A WITCH OF HER OWN MAKING

What goes on behind this inquisitive Ravenclaw's mind is anyone's best guess but Persephone Gould @cursebreakerfarrier is certainly multi talented. A prefect I would love to have and daring in her choice of past time endevours like fencing to name but one.

MORE THAN JUST A STYLE ICON

Despite my past article about her, Carolyn Nyberg @lifeofkaze I do find she certain qualities to be admired. While her beauty is so great that she makes the beautification potion envy there, she is so much more with mind enviable too.

THE ALCHEMIST'S GOLD

Though brief our interaction may be through Delilah Sweets, Violette Durand @cursed-herbalist it was made clear to me that she is going to go far. In spite of her agreeable nature, there is an ambition to create more paths for women in alchemy.

A NEW AND GORGEOUS LIONESS

Io Gordon @drinkyoursoupbitch, Head Girl and the latest addition to our wild Gryffindor brood. She is certainly welcomed with open arms, at the very least from me.

AN ASTRONOMICAL MIND

Now while I don’t have much to do with Héloïse Perrault @the-al-chemist, I heard much about her. This French witch is proving herself of wit and intellect certianly befitting of a Ravenclaw. Her starry mind will certainly bedazzle everyone at Hogwarts.

A SOPHISTICATED POTIONEER

Lastly, I present Adelia Selwyn @thatravenpuffwitch whom I have to admit that I deeply admire her skillful hands as all I can watch with awe and wonder how she can brew potions so perfectly.

[luxxsolaris]

Victoria's Secret Rebrand and the Selkie example

This is something thats been in the works for over a year now- a lot of commentary surrounding the VS rebrand has focused on largely fatphobic and body exclusive critique which is not the perspective I believe should be taken towards criticism of the rebrand. This discussion will focus on the idea of the 'angel', why people are upset with the rebrand and why people SHOULD be able to critique it

The popularity of Victorias Secret has been declining to the point of near irrelevancy in the early 2020s after years and years of criticism for culturally offensive runways, fatphobia, problems with sizing, and pushing their models into severely disordered eating habits in fear of being dropped as ambassadors over half an inch of fat. Things got so bad for the brand that in 2021 they announced plans to change their concept entirely to a more subdued, low-key, neutral collection showcasing their new ambassadors and shifting focus onto the success of these women as opposed to their body type.

The brand of Victorias Secret has been predominantly centred around the fantasy of the angel- women so ethereally beautiful that brings a developed sense of elegance, seduction and glamour to their shows. Part of this desire to rebrand was to escape this idea of the male gaze and this male centred fantasy created by their runway shows in that these women were designed to be the 'perfect' woman oftentimes forgoing the actual opinions of what women wanted to see from the brand. This is where the critique of the new-wave VS collection begins.

Thousands of people have taken to tiktok to spread the entirely fatphobic rhetoric that the reason there has been such little support for VS even into their rebranding because they have abandoned the original idea of the angel.

This mindset that models for VS must adhere to a specific image of femininity is not only disrespectful to the women currently involved as brand ambassadors but to the very Angels they claim to defend as hoards of familiar VS Angels including Adriana Lima, Erin Heatherton and Bridget Malcolm have all come out and discussed the ways in which their modelling careers have affected their eating habits and body image, with Lima commenting (same article) that she would refrain from eating solid foods for nine days prior to a VS runway show.

To wish for Victorias Secret to be this unattainable display of the peak of feminine beauty and sexuality is to push the women involved to unhealthy extremes, damaging their bodies to the extent of chronic exhaustion and missing periods due to extreme weight loss . The push for body inclusivity was a desire to see beautiful women represented by all body types but also a movement to protect the women already involved in the agency and allow them to be and feel healthy and glamorous.

so what happened to the glamour? The recent 'my wings my way' campaign has received a lot of flack for its sense of casualness, embracing a new kind of natural beauty reminiscent of the pages from a 90s magazine as opposed to the high feminine glamour of the 2010s era. Similarly, the new VS collective underwear release has focused on more neutral, subtle styles with a large range of nude colours to appeal to all skin tones almost identical to the Dove body inclusivity campaigns from 2017.

These concepts are both beautiful in design, but the 180 degree turn from the original concept has left fans wondering if the iconic Look of the brand has been entirely abandoned upon its movement to become more inclusive to age and body type. It's a decision that has subsequently prompted more criticism, this time focusing on the ideas of 'why cant my body be glamorous?".

Why did body and age inclusivity mean that the ideas of femininity, glamour and angelic beauty had to be forgotten? Is VS sending the message that plus sized bodies are not sexy? Is this an attempt to cater to 'what women want' without actually acknowledging what women want (again)?

Natural beauty is a wondrous thing, it's something that everyone possesses and that needs to be celebrated- but thats not the point of Victoria's Secret. Brands are allowed to adhere to a certain aesthetic. Brands are allowed to have a target audience based on selling a specific type or style of clothing. Women appreciated VS garments for feeling glamorous and hyper feminine- what needed to change was the ranges of sizes they carried and the way in which the shows were run (and their intrusive in store measuring lets be real) to ensure that all women of all sizes and ages had the opportunity to experience that high feminine fantasy.

That's where Selkie comes into play. For the past two years selfie has presented absolutely phenomenal spring/summer collections at NYFW with models of differing shapes and sizes- and their 2024 collection featuring their first disabled model (whose name I have not been able see featured in any articles on the runway).

Selkie embodies what people wanted to see of a VS rebrand. Maintaining the essence of who the brand is- for VS as a hyperfeminine, classy and sexy underwear brand- and feeling that fantasy within inclusivity. The strive towards appreciating that all bodies are beautiful should not have to sacrifice the aesthetic of the garments and in such sacrificing the core audience who appreciated and anticipated their designs.

Selkie's work proves that all bodies are mystical and goddess-like and ethereal and embody the fantasy that their audience are attracted to. The angel can be fat or disabled or old and still be angelic. The fantasy of the angel is not held in body type or skin colour or age or ability but in the women who feel it. What was needed of VS was to allow women to feel their angelic fantasy instead of marketing it towards a male gaze through an unrealistic standard of the ideal woman. What was needed was allowing their models to feel beautiful instead of pushing themselves on strict food exclusionary diets to obsessively maintain their weight. Victorias secret needed a rebrand in conduct that didn't sacrifice the identity of the brand. Because let's face it, there was nothing wrong with a glitzy thong.