#we are not amazon and frankly amazon should not be amazon

[dentos-wife]

I have a different take; I don’t think anyone is a bad person per say if they shop at Hobby Lobby however like those who care more about their finances over other people’s rights (this election) they are also selfish for not considering it when there are easy alternatives to Hobby Lobby or chicken place but okay just don’t fish for sympathy points. I agree be silent about it but if you are willing to change your behavior then you can speak about it and be willing to learn the issue comes down to justifying literally everything and it feels like a knee jerk reaction to what I like to call the morally superior problem

Some things are much easier to stop than others do I raise my brows at how many can’t leave Twitter? Sure but I don’t think it makes them bad people because that’s a super slippery slope too I really think the internet has a judgement problem about being a good person vs a bad one. I also use Amazon still and because I do I look for alternatives in other ways to cut things out of my life.

But here’s where I’m going with this: what about Spotify? They’re just as bad we’ve known this since *Covid* days and it’s probably the easiest thing out of everything to drop with so many alternatives yet every year I see people who like to point out how great they are and patting themselves on the back for never using insert bad corporation here…excited about posting their Spotify wrapped. And it opened my eyes to how some people want to make certain things an exception because they use it and they’re good people.

So it to me poses a big question about if people actually care or if it’s a new way to shove how much better you are than others and show moral superiority over everyone else. And that’s still selfish and goes into this huge issue of judging people but making yourself the exception which helps no one. Frankly I think we should all work together and if people aren’t perfect encourage them instead of shaming them

Kicking a bit of a nest perhaps, but re: Hobby Lobby that knee-jerk ‘you’re not a bad person if you support this business’ response is frustrating to me. It goes straight to assuaging negative feelings instead of focusing on actions.

Like okay, you aren’t a bad person (?) solely for shopping at a store that funds anti-LGBT campaigns. But you are still helping them fund those campaigns by shopping there. They will not have an asterisk in their quarterly sales that says ‘we made more profit, but sadly some of this money is from people who oppose our views’. They will see an increase in sales and easily spin it as more people supporting EVERY part of their business and what it stands for.

I get that it’s not possible or easy to avoid every bad business. I still use Amazon. I still have a Twitter account. I can say I’m using it less and finding alternatives, that I know I should cut them entirely to send a message. But I don’t, haven’t. And I don’t see the benefit in making a public declaration about how I’m not a bad person for it, because by trying to make myself feel better I’m telling everyone else who feels the same way that they don’t need to examine their actions too closely either. It becomes more important to feel good about myself than to take good actions.

Being told ‘you enjoy the convenience of Amazon more than you oppose funding their business and political goals’ would be true for me, objectively. That honesty makes for some guilt, but that’s motivation for me to make better efforts, not just convince myself it’s okay when I do it, actually.

Or tbh if you really feel that guilty about being a ‘bad person’ for shopping somewhere but don’t intend to stop there’s always the option to just…not say anything! You can always keep it to yourself instead of making some hand-wringing confessional out of how you can’t help how much you like chicken sandwiches and hogwarts houses or whatever.

[mayra-quijotescx]

Calling to complain about the length of time it takes to hear back when it's the first full week of January and it hasn't yet been 4 business days since you emailed about an order is fucking deranged. Calm down.

[genericpuff]

holy crap okay so

I'm two episodes into Kaos

normally I keep my expectations pretty minimal because, let's be real, the Internet - and especially Tumblr - has a tendency to severely overhype new series to be way better than they actually are and it often leaves me sitting there like "that's it? that's what people were freaking out over for weeks?? that was just a bunch of cheap ships and tropes that i've seen 123785902380 times before" LMAO

BUT thankfully compared to other series like Hazbin Hotel and The Amazing Digital Circus, I haven't been worn out on excessive fandom exposure prior to watching Kaos, so I didn't really know what to expect going in besides what folks have told me so far - it's a modern-day Greek epic, and it stars Jeff Goldblum as Zeus (which is, unsurprisingly, peak casting).

That said, I'm very pleased to say that so far, the show is absolutely blowing me away. The set designs, characterizations, weaving of all the players into a central narrative led by a very coy narrator, all of it feels both refreshing and respectful to the source material at the same time.

so uh yeah that LO animated TV show... we have reason to believe now that it's gotten picked up by Amazon Prime, at least according to the showrunner's LinkedIn and posting history from February of this year that seems to imply LO may have been picked up by Amazon-

(but still, nothing's really been confirmed because they're being so tight-lipped about this you'd almost think it's because there isn't a show happening at all cough)

But even then, that means at best we still won't see anything of the LO TV show adaption for another 2-3 years, depending on how production goes.

Why am I talking about LO right now? Well it should be obvious - Kaos double-whammied LO by beating it to the punch at its own game.

I mean, just look at the creative choices alone in the design of the Underworld and its rulers, our beloved Hades and Persephone.

And yes, the entire Underworld is color-graded like this, something so simple and yet effective in communicating the nature of the Underworld and what it stands for - a place where the past lives on through the dead, paused in time, devoid of the vibrant color grading found in Olympus - or "Olympia" as its been named in this retelling - which is, by the way, a visual treat to take in every time it's featured.

(and yes, that is S-tier-companion Billie Piper on the left, but I will not tell you who she's playing, you actually really should go into this show as blind as possible for the thrill of figuring out these characters as they're introduced <3)

That's not even getting into the narrative structure of the plot itself or the phenomenal casting and acting, but again, I don't want to spoil too much as the show is quite new, and I want to actually finish watching the show myself before I get more into the details of its story and how it delivers it (I'm very much hoping I will still be singing this show's praises at the end of its 8 episodes, please for the love of god don't jump the shark, I don't think my heart can take that kind of pain again.)

All that's to say though, Kaos is, so far, exactly what us disappointed fans of LO deserve after all these years, and frankly, I feel like whatever is coming for the LO animated TV show is really gonna have to step up to the plate to both live up to the bar that Kaos has set as well as stand on its own without being affiliated as a cheap Amazon knockoff living in its shadow. Sounds a little familiar and a bit ironic, doesn't it?

[spacequokka]

Day 24 | Mistletoe

Pairing: Jisung x Reader Genre: f2l, fluff Rating: PG-13 Summary: Felix lays a trap for you two with a mistletoe. Word Count: 1.8k Warnings: Language, alcohol mentioned

Sometimes you have to be an emotional support human for your resident quokka. The same one sitting in your passenger seat biting his nails as he no doubt counted the cars surrounding Felix’s apartment building.

“Want some water?” You tapped his shoulder with a water bottle. “Bet it tastes better than your fingers.”

For the first time since you pulled up, he looked at you. “Doesn’t it seem like a whole lot more than ‘just a few?’” He turned back to the window. “What if it’s, like, standing room only? I haven’t been to a packed house party since uni and—”

You turned his face towards you and pinched his pretty lips shut. “It’s entirely possible Lixie’s neighbors threw a party too. And it’s a big building.” You let him go and turned the car off. “But if for some reason it’s packed in there, we can either hang out in his bedroom or I can take you home and we can watch a movie or something.” You patted his hand. “No worries, okay? He’ll understand.”

He grimaced. “But then you’ll miss the party!” He glanced at your outfit, a rendition of Santa’s little helper. “You were so proud of it.”

“Yeah, but it's just a Christmas costume.” You shrugged. “I mean, I got to wear it and it’ll be seen regardless. It’s not like I’m in a fashion show.” You shook you head. “Besides that, I won’t ditch you. You’re stuck with me tonight. Unless you finally get laid. Then you’re on your own, bud.”

That did the trick. Jisung’s head fell back against the headrest as he cackled, swiping at you playfully. “You’d abandon me when I needed you most?”

You made a face. “I do not need to guide you through dicking someone down. I know you have a general idea of what to do.” You opened your car door. “I saw that Amazon order of hentai.”

He choked on his spit and scrambled to get out. “You said you didn’t see what was inside!” He pointed. “You lied?”

“I see you’re not denying what it was.” It took everything in you not to cackle as his ears and cheeks flushed red. Together you made your way up two flights of stairs to Felix's door. As you entered the apartment, the sound of laughter and music filled the air, confirming Jisung's fears that it was indeed a packed house. Whoops. His hand wrapped around yours with a tight grip as he looked around for a familiar face. Just as you were about to say something, a loud voice called out your name.

"You made it!" Felix scurried over and pulled you both into a hug. "I was beginning to think you'd cancel on me."

"Oh, please." You pinched his side. "I said I was coming and I keep my word. However," you gave a pointed look around the room, "we didn't expect it to be this crowded."

At least he had the grace to duck his head. "My bad. I sent the invite to Changbin and he invited everyone he could think of. But!" He brightened up again. "Me and Jin made sure to reserve a room for you to chill in. There's a cooler with drinks, wings and pizza, and the PS5 is all set up with charged controllers."

Jisung pulled Felix into another hug, peppering his cheek with kisses. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Felix groaned, feigning disgust as he pulled away until something above your heads caught his attention. "Oh, well I guess it's okay since we're standing under the mistletoe." His expression turned devious as he looked at you. "You should get a kiss, too."

Jisung froze, stock still and unblinking. "Huh?"

You looked up. Yup, that was a mistletoe, alright. You had no doubt Felix was the one to put it there as Hyunjin wouldn't want people crowding the doorway. You looked at Felix, unamused. "You are so fucking corny."

"That is your personal opinion and quite frankly it's shit." He turned back to Jisung. "Come on, kiss her." He nudged Jisung closer. It wasn't until then that you caught the fear in his wide, brown eyes. He hadn't said a word and he had a death grip on your hand. But you couldn't figure out why. He'd just kissed Felix with no problem. Was it because of you? You knew your friendship wasn't on the same level as his with Felix or Hyunjin, but you thought it was at least somewhere near a playful kiss under a mistletoe.

Jisung shifted and avoided your gaze. You weren't going to make him kiss you if he didn't want to. You turned to tell Felix as much but the brat began chanting "kiss" triggering the party-goers to follow suit. “Lixie, you ass.”

It was too late. The chant grew louder and you noticed Jisung’s palm started to sweat. You knew the easiest way out would be leaving the party, but you didn’t want to do that. Part of you was a little jealous that Jisung would hesitate to kiss you. He’d kissed girls before, even fucked them. Before really thinking it through, you grabbed him by the chin and planted a three second kiss on his plush lips. The crowd erupted into cheers and went back to their conversations. Felix, the little bridge troll that he is, skillfully dodged your kick to his ass as he led you two to his room.

“You can be an asshole sometimes.” You mumbled once you were away from other ears.

Felix shrugged, eyes darting over to Jisung before a grin spread across his lips. “Just sometimes, huh?” He winked at Jisung prompting you to turn to him too. Jisung’s cheeks were flushed again and he pressed his fingertips to his lips. You’d watched enough anime with him to know that look and it confused you. Just a few minutes ago you were thinking he’d hate you for kissing him and now he—“Well, I’m gonna go check on the others. Don’t want anyone shitting in the dishwasher.”

And he was gone.

“Who the hell does that?” You asked yourself as you shrugged off your jacket and tossed it into a chair in the corner. You brushed off your skirt before kneeling on the floor and going through the cooler. “What do you want to drink, Sungie? He put both alcoholic and non-alcoholic in here.”

Silence. You bit your lip. If he wasn’t going to say anything about it, neither would you. It happened. Let it go.

“Fine. Here, take a Lime-a-Rita.” You held up the large can.

“Ew. You know I hate those.” He inched closer to look for himself. “Just gimme a Sprite.”

You mocked him under your breath and passed him a can. “So what are we playing first?” And just like that, things went back to normal. You went from game to game, plowing through the food and drinks. Nearly three hours later, he called for a break so you could use the bathroom and when you got back, you heard Felix’s voice through the door.

“Just ask her. She’s not gonna say no.”

“I don’t think she wanted to do it the first time. You put us on the spot.”

“Yeah because you were supposed to make your move.” Felix sighed. “How can things change if you don’t let her know how you feel? As much as you like to pretend, she actually can’t read your mind.”

There was a sigh and the door opened. Felix jumped back. “Oh! Can you not?” He put a hand over his chest. “Between the two of you, I’m gonna fucking die.”

You pushed him out the way. “It isn’t like you don’t deserve it.”

Felix snorted. “Oh, like I haven’t heard that before.” He disappeared down the hall.

You sat next to Jisung on the bed and took a chip from his bag. He licked his lips and swallowed. “So, how much did—”

“What is it you’re supposed to ask me?” You looked at him. “Is it about the kiss?”

His eyes widened for a second and he nodded, eyebrows scrunched together. “Did…did you want to kiss me or did you just do it to get it over with?”

You tilted your head and took another chip. “Both. I could tell you were uncomfortable. I’m sorry for kissing you without asking permission first, though. Thought it was weird you were okay with kissing Lixie but not me.”

He startled like you’d physically shocked him. “No it was different! I always kiss people on the cheek.” He touched his cheeks. “But usually mistletoe kisses are on the lips. And I’ve never—we’ve never, not like that.”

You sipped your soda. “So that’s why you froze up? Because it was something new?” You nodded. That made sense. If he wasn’t sure how you’d react and he’d never done it before, of course he’d overanalyze the situation. “I thought you just didn’t want to kiss me. I considered just leaving the party for a minute.”

He shook his head. “I’d never mind kissing you.” He lowered his voice and touched his lips again. “It was…nice.” His eyes darted over to you. “I—I keep thinking about it. It was kinda short.”

You nearly choked mid-sip. “What do you mean ‘short?’ I thought three seconds were long enough for a peck.”

“Everything happened so fast. Once second you were arguing with Lix then your lips were on mine then you were gone. I just, I really didn’t get to experience it since I was in my head.” He put the bag of chips to the side. “I want to remember the first time I kissed you like that, y’know?”

His words made your chest tingle as butterflies took flight. “I mean, I kissed you but I get what you’re saying.”

His gaze didn’t leave your face as you both sat there in silence. His hand found yours and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Yeah, so…what I wanted to ask was if you’d let me try again? Lemme give you something to remember.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Unless you weren’t into it before, then we totally don’t have to—”

“Ugh, Ji. Come on!”

He startled but thankfully leaned close and brought his lips to yours. His hands rested on your shoulders, holding you in place as if he believed you’d pull away too soon. The kiss was slow and gentle, allowing you to savor every moment of it. Your heart raced as Jisung's lips met yours again and again, a soft and tender connection that sent sparks of warmth through your body. When he finally pulled away, both of you were breathless and wearing matching smiles.

“Better?”

His eyes lit up as he rubbed the tip of his nose against yours. “Impossible to forget. Merry Christmas.”

[thethirdromana]

Dayna's costumes, rated

It's been ages since I did a Blake's 7 costume rating post. Let's fix that!

(Previous editions: Avon, Servalan, Jenna, Blake)

Screengrabs from here (they prefer their images copied, not linked) and record of what Dayna wears when from here.

As seen in Aftermath and Powerplay.

What a strong opener. Dayna is channelling pure Amazon chic here (that is, the warriors, not the rainforest or the exploitative e-commence site). She could have fallen right out of Themyscira. I rather suspect that a flowy white asymmetric tunic is perhaps not the most practical outfit for romping around with a bow and arrow, but who cares, it looks fabulous. 8/10.

As seen in Aftermath and Children of Auron.

It's a perfectly fine jumpsuit in many ways (miraculous, really, that Dayna still looks good even in the world's worst lighting here) but I can't help but think how uncomfortable the bra situation must be, how annoying it must be to go to the loo. And coming straight after the Amazonian tunic, I am ever so worried that her left arm is cold. 3/10.

As seen in Volcano.

Here we see Dayna wearing one of those emergency tourist ponchos, but make it fashion, under which her baby pink romper suit appears to have been shrink-wrapped to her by someone who didn't remember to press all of the air bubbles out first. Everyone else is dressed in sensible fabrics but Dayna looks alarmingly flammable. 3/10.

As seen in Dawn of the Gods.

I struggle to know what to say about this one, because it's objectively not a bad outfit. It's a good colour, the cut is nice, it's flattering... but you know, if I turned up to work in this no one would bat an eyelid and that, frankly, is not what Blake's 7 costumes are for. Where's the drama, where are the absurd sleeves, where's the skintight leather? 6/10.

As seen in the Harvest of Kairos and Moloch.

What is it with 70s BBC sci-fi shows and wanting to dress their gorgeous female leads on a theme by Andy Pandy? I'm going to assume it's for some bizarre Freudian reason that's best not explored further. Doctor Who did it with Sarah Jane Smith, now Blake's 7 does it here with Dayna. Except in Dayna's case it's Andy Pandy plus a little bit of red bra showing at the ill-fitting neckline. Did no one have a safety pin to hand? It feels insulting to make a woman as beautiful as Josette Simon wear this. 0/10.

As seen in City at the Edge of the World.

Ruining my theory that maybe Dayna is just inclined to overheating in her left arm only, this time it's her right arm that has to be cold. This looks fabulous and swashbuckling from the tits up, but the weird buttoning around her waist isn't doing it for me. It looks as if she had a first crack at the outfit from Ultraworld (below) but only had five minutes with the dressing-up box. 5/10.

As seen in Children of Auron.

Taken on its own, this is a great outfit. I love that the costume team keep putting Josette Simon in these rich, deep colours. But I am starting to become uncomfortable with how Dayna keeps being dressed for a fully different climate from everyone else. I don't know if it's a race thing or an eye candy thing but it starts to feel like some kind of a thing, anyway. 8/10 for the outfit itself.

As seen in Rumours of Death.

It's particularly unfortunate that this screengrab includes one of Avon's better outfits, while Dayna looks like she's wearing a hospital shower curtain that's been through the wash too many times. Salami pink is a colour I like less the longer I look at it. And I can't help but think that the middle seam on that jumpsuit must be giving her a dreadful wedgie. 3/10.

As seen in Sarcophagus.

I am conflicted. On the one hand, I think women should get to wear sensible outfits, as Cally is modelling. It's not visible from the photo, but Dayna is also in strappy little sandals that by the end of a long day of fighting oppression would need to contain more blister plasters than feet. On the other hand, friends, I am a mere mortal bisexual woman, and I am not immune to the perfect framing of Josette Simon's magnificent breasts. So, with apologies, 9/10.

As seen in Ultraworld, Terminal, and Rescue.

Yes! I love this one! I adore how it's consistent with Dayna's fashion taste to date, I love the colours, I love that she actually gets two (2!) sleeves, and above all I love the little stripey detail at the wrist. And it actually looks comfortable to wear, for once. 10/10.

As seen in Death-Watch.

Banger after banger! Another great colour, more fabulous sleeves, and this one looks comfortable too. She even gets proper shoes. 9/10.

As seen in Rescue, Power, Traitor, Stardrive, Animals, and Headhunter.

Well, it was nice while it lasted. This isn't a fun outfit, this is a uniform - I'm thinking upmarket motorbike courier? I could see her whizzing between hospital with emergency blood supplies in this. In comparison with the usual Blake's 7 tendency to enormous sleeves or massive shoulders, it's also quite form-fitting, which makes Dayna look small. And she wears this for six episodes. 1/10.

As seen in Traitor.

It's cosplay day on the Liberator! Tarrant has come to work dressed as Avon and Dayna has come to work dressed as Blake. These are not looks that suit either of them. Brown isn't a great colour on Dayna, though I do enjoy that the Blakesque layers of quilted sleeves mean that a) she gets to take up a bit more space, costume-wise, and b) she must be toasty warm. 4/10.

As seen in Assassin, Games, Sand, Gold, Orbit, Warlord, and Blake.

If Dayna has to stick to one outfit for - count 'em - seven whole episodes - then there are worse outfits that it could be. I like how this is a little bit military, a little bit sci-fi, and a little bit sexy, which all feels very appropriate for Dayna. The wide shoulders mimicking epaulettes are a fun choice, I love the gold, but it looks practical too. I'd like this better if it was in a deeper purple since we know rich, deep colours really work on Dayna, but all in all, if you're going to wear one outfit for days on end, we've already seen that it could be a lot worse than this. 7/10.

[hoshiko2000]

So with production for Good Omens Season 3 officially halted, it does look like cancellation may be on the horizon. Because yeah, I really don't think Amazon would 'pause' production on a show this lucrative if there wasn't serious discussions currently going on about 'if' and 'how' it should continue. A production shuffle-up - ie. Neil Gaiman getting booted and new staff being put in charge - is certainly a possibility. But it is important to remember that this will still be a show that is written by him and very intrinsically linked to his brand. And whether fans or studios will still have an appetite for it considering this fact is something that has to be seriously considered.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that as disappointing as it would be, cancelling Good Omens season 3 may be the hard but right decision. And, frankly, if season 2 is anything to go by, we may not be missing out on too much to be honest.

But on a serious note, I do want to use this news as an opportunity to share my own thoughts on the situation, which I will do under the cut (and as is probably obvious, there are trigger warnings for references to SA).

Despite Neil Gaiman's works being a massive part of my content here on this tumblr - and yes, that is something I am very aware of- I've not posted about the sexual assault allegations up until now for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I'm a working adult in my 30s; tumblr is very much a place I come to chill, I'm far too old (and frankly, tired) to get involved in discourse or heated fandom debates (not that those are the correct terms to use to refer to rape allegations but you catch my drift). But the other reason is that these revelations have honestly devasted me, in a way that I'm still processing and doesn't feel like an exaggeration to describe as grief, a feeling I'm sure is echoed by many other people.

Neil Gaiman's works have been a massive part of my adult life, and while I know it sounds like a cliche, they have gotten me through some incredibly difficult times. Coming to terms with the fact that such beautiful, thoughtful, empathetic novels and series have been written by a rapist has been incredibly difficult.

What has also been incredibly difficult to come to terms with is the fact that the incredible queer representation that has drawn so many of us to his television works in recent years was, in hindsight, indisputably a grooming tactic. And yes, grooming is the right word.

The grooming of communities is not something that is often discussed but is absolutely a thing. Predators groom victims to gain access to them, and they groom the people around both the victim and themselves to make it seem unbelievable when the victim later comes forward. And this can happen parasocially too. In the case of Neil Gaiman, he groomed his fanbase by constructing a calculated image as vocal a LGBT ally, drawing in queer fans and creating a smokescreen of apparent empathy and kindness to cast doubt on the future allegations he likely knew would inevitably catch up with him.

I really want to stress - particularly for younger fans - that no one is stupid or somehow culpable for having been fooled by Gaiman, for having supported his works previously, and for continuing to support his works now. I myself have no intention to leave the fandoms I am already a part of, and I genuinely do not believe anyone is under any sort of pressure or obligation to do so. The separation of the art from the artist is a very tricky subject and not something that can ever be done entirely. And if I'm honest I'm not really sure how to navigate this myself, or what this is going to mean for me in the future.

But to get back to the subject of my blog, yes I am planning to continue reposting content related to Good Omens and Dead Boy Detectives. However the latter differs drastically in that the series was not actually written by Neil Gaiman and is effectively an author-approved spin-off of one of his works. Good Omens on the other hand I have more complicated feelings towards, and at this point I am not sure how I feel about future series being made, with or without Gaiman's involvement.

I'm sorry if this post is a rambling mess, it has taken me a lot of time to build up to being able to share my thoughts, and while there is a lot more I could say I will stop here. But on a closing note, let's just be kind to each other. This situation is awful, lets not make it any worse. Give space for the victims, give space for the fans, and give space to people to continue to enjoy fandom spaces without making assumptions about where they stand on these allegations. It is a hard time, but things will get better, and these fandom spaces will continue to be a positive place for people to exist online. Lets keep it that way.

[fantastic-nonsense]

Thanks for the reply. I sort of understand some of the defenses for the classic suit but I think there's the elephant in the room of her wearing a costume that might as well have "US military propaganda" painted on it. And given the criticisms her run by Tom King has gotten, I'm not sure if a return to the classic suit will do her image any good.

I don't think Wonder Woman's costume (regardless of iteration) is inherently "US military propaganda" any more than Superman's is. They both have the same color scheme: red, gold, and blue. She—like Superman, like Captain America, like any other character whose Golden Age era looks and gimmicks were in part conceptualized as acts of US wartime propaganda—has grown to encompass many themes and purposes beyond that original purpose. I think there are aspects of the costume's design that have historically been and generally continue to be explained through a very American lens, but they don't inherently have to be that way.

While Diana's classic costumes have been explained in a variety of ways—including her creating her Wonder Woman suit out of an American flag in the Golden Age and as an Amazonian way of honoring Steve Trevor's mother (Diana Rockwell Trevor) in the post-Crisis universe—there have been plenty of other explanations for certain aspects of her look that aren't related to the American flag. For example, her stars (like Donna's suit, like Cassie's earrings, like Yara's tiara) have also canonically been explained as a symbol of the Amazons' connections to divinity and the overarching presence of Greek mythology in her lore.

I also don't think we should be prioritizing superhero looks based on who's writing them and potentially unfortunate messages that any given writer could send by writing a character who "looks like that." Diana existed 80 years before Tom King and she will last 80 years after him; her look should not be dependent on peoples' issues with a single writer who will likely be gone from the book within the next two years. Besides, any writer can screw up what a character stands for regardless of what costume they're wearing; just ask people who've read John Byrne's Superman and Wonder Woman runs.

Also frankly, her costume isn't going to have any real bearing on whether or not Tom King's run on the title comes off as American propaganda. He does a great job of that all on his own, and the costume isn't going to make any real difference on the scale there.

[chalkbrood]

OK but am the ONLY one who's not mad about the good omens spoiler thing?

Like, as in I think it was the correct and non-queer-baiting thing to do to just make it known. Queer baiting would be what they did in the first season, which is to make me sit and watch them churn through the entire show and then bitch out at the end.

Having a gay relationship in your show is not a "twist" that can be "leaked" or "spoiled", and the fact that Neil Gaiman thinks that it is is very telling. I think it's lovely and frankly it's the only thing that could have convinced me to watch this miserable cash-grab of a sequel.

Some of you are saying "oh I know it's bad but I'm glad I know". Why is it bad? Why should I be mad that I don't have to go into this steeled against the prospect of them backing out a second time? Are we just pretending we weren't going to burn the whole thing to the ground if they didn't kiss? Far be it from me to defend Amazon but I think they got it right on this one.

Roast me in the comments I guess. 🤘

[theartthatleavesthemark]

k so first of all i really loved s2. it felt like s1 but if only neil wrote it instead of neil and terry which...is pretty much what happened. can’t expect any better than that (and i think the spirit of terry posessed neil for some of those jokes which was lovely). regarding crowley and aziraphale...this is what i have been SAYING for a long time honestly queer romances absolutely SHOULD be angsty and slow burn and queer characters SHOULD be dumbasses. and i was genuinely concerned in our world of queer tokenism that the era of well written queer romance was going to be stuck in the land of queerbait from the 2010s. frankly? did i think neil was going to actually do it? no. but he did and it was so well written because he treated it like an actual relationship between two people instead of a token look at us we r so progressive uncomplicated gay romance that has frankly been inundating queer media recently and which is very much not my cup of tea. the thing i think you can always say about neil is that he genuinely believes that relationships should be treated like relationships in writing no matter what the type and that assigning labels (while certainly important in many situations) can cloud what is important in a story by reducing the relationship to it’s apparent definition. he didn’t do that here and it was so great and i am really really impressed and happy. go stream s2! lets convince amazon to pay everyone more to make s3!

[galerymod]

We should all ask ourselves whether we can live our lives differently.

mod

We should all ask ourselves whether we can live our lives differently.

We give up power by using technology that wants nothing more than to distance us from each other, and this technology wants to make us even more dependent on it.

We don't use this application to connect with each other, but to keep us in our bubble of perception and to generate money from our data.

The gif is not right, it is their behaviour towards liberal society, which is based on equality, fraternity and freedom.

We should stay on the applications for as long as possible to generate money for the owners of the applications. Why should we waste our lives without real experiences, or building bonds and trust in the community?

The user is a consumer without really getting any kind of benefit in return if they don't buy something, see an advert or subscribe to something for money.

Nothing can be compared to real life, not even the best-conceived multiverse.

Algorithms always have a specific purpose, and it really has nothing to do with a better world for everyone.

They are business models for making money, preferably unregulated and without limit.

In order to generate power and influence, societies are destroyed by the erosion of solidarity.

Block all social media that is, quite frankly, anti-social, anti-freedom and full of hate, which uses your data to classify you in order to discriminate or discredit you.

Block to win!

mod

Then turn off the light for all the unnecessary applications. Facebook, X, Instagram, PayPal, Amazon, Tesla and co. Just delete them. There are social media and other payment systems. Just buy locally, it generates prosperity in the community.

We don't have to make the high-tech oligarchs even richer, we just have to show them our power as consumers.

They are not beneficial to society, but are dangerous for any liberal social order.

[helloenee]

Matlock (2024) (up to 1x09) 

Kathy Bates as the emotionally broken grandma who has somehow convinced herself and her husband to exact justice by... using a fake identity based on a 90s murder mystery show and infiltrating the law firm that contributed to her daughter's death?

I love Matty’s inappropriate grandma schtick. No one takes her seriously and the times where she does drop the mask, it’s like, oooooh. Matty is ruthless and she is so so aware of gender and age and people’s perceptions of her. But she’s also so vulnerable and she’s just an ordinary lady at the end of the day who decided to pursue this larger-than-life mission because she misses her daughter so much. I think her ordinary-ness makes her story so compelling. Her tricks are just manipulation and deceit and whatever techy tools her grandson gets her from Amazon. Quite frankly she’s always just scraping by by the skin of her teeth 

Matty is indeed very easy to talk to and I know it’s a real part of her - the compassion and empathy that she shows to others. Yet something within her is so broken up and twisted that she’s using that compassion and empathy (and all her wits and IMPROV SKILLS) as tools of her mission. Her and Edwin struggle every episode with this moral quandary - does the end justify the means? Are we in over our heads? Should we just… get a therapist? Let all this go in the past? Properly grieve our daughter instead of this… revenge mission? Matty is the driver of this mission and Edwin and Alfie have been convinced to be part of it. But how messed up is it that you are dragging your own grandson into your grief-striken spiral? Oh, Matty. 

I like that Matty is so good at using kernels of truth to lie. And those kernels of truth reveal so much about her. 

Commentary about women in the workplace - especially from someone with Matty’s life experience. There was a plot point where she lied about having to leave for a doctor’s appointment when it was for Alfie’s play. I forget the details of this story, but I remember being so stricken by Matty’s explanation of her deceit when Olympia confronted her. When Matty was in the workforce, women had to hide their familial obligations so as to not invite doubt about their commitment to work or their competency. It was survival tactic and Matty’s been so ingrained with this practice that she still does so when the workplace is a lot more understanding of family life. This wasn’t the only time Matty brought up the prevalent sexism in the workplace in the past. I like that this series doesn’t forget the life experiences of older women and always always reminds us of the progress that has been made. I think this series always puts such gravity in these moments, and it really touches upon the dignity of work, the self-preservation needed for success. I also just remembered - the casual harrassment that impacted Matty’s choice of specialization - just to avoid the abuser. The lost dreams of women who needed to make these choices.

Matlock is such a good show and it’s quickly becoming a comfort watch. 

Oh! Yes it is such a comforting show. Olympia takes on these cases to exact justice against entities that think they can get away with willful negligence, worker safety, murder, etc. And the good guys (Olympia et al) win. The good guys always win and justice is served (AND profitable). I enjoy all the case-of-the-week plots because it is so satisfying. Yet - here’s the push-pull again which makes this series so good - they’re working at a Big Law Firm whose typical clients are Evil Corporations. The fact that Olympia is helping the little guys is simply an experiment within this profit-driven environment. We hope she succeeds, but at the end of the day, Big Law Firm is the one who may have illegally hidden documents that contributed to Matty’s daughter’s death. So yeah. How much good can you do in this environment? How much of this good can balance out what the other side of the Big Law Firm is doing?

I should catch up with 1x10. I watched a bit - we get a bit more background on Sarah! I was wondering about her background and where her overachiever-ness comes from. Very interesting that she is not from an immigrant Asian family but rather an adoptee.

[aeoki]

Candy House - Electric Utopia: Chapter 3

Characters: Sora, Natsume & Tsumugi Season: Spring

TL Note:

In ancient Greek stories, Gorgon refers to a vicious female monster; any one of three sisters with snakes on their heads instead of hair, who can turn anyone that looks at them into stone. 

The Amazons were a group of female warriors and hunters who were known for their physical agility, strength, archery, riding skills, and the arts of combat in Greek mythology.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< Ten or so minutes later. Inside the ES building – NewDi office. >

Tsumugi: Welcome, Natsume-kun, Sora-kun.

I’m happy to see you’ve come all the way here, but I have some bad news for you two.

Natsume: I did have a feeling it wasn’t something goOD… Shouldn’t you be bringing up the bad news in a more subdued mannER? You make it sound like it’s just gossIP.

All with that smile on your faCE… You’re always like this, SenpAI.

Tsumugi: Well, all I can do in this situation is laugh, really.

I’ll cut to the chase: NewDi is going to be done for.

Sora: Wha? The agency was just established, though!

Tsumugi: Yes, you’re right, but...

Frankly, the agency’s management is in a rather miserable state and we’ll only end up in the red if we continue like this.

At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before NewDi is officially done for.

Sora: Even Sora knew that was coming, but… is it really that bad?

Tsumugi: It is… I did try my best to keep things afloat, but it wasn’t enough.

It’ll be like a post-war clean up, trying to put an end to things while leaving as little damage as possible.

Sora: It sounds like when a game app ends its service~...

Natsume: Not even god or Buddha exists, hUH. Oh, they’re so heartleSS.

Tsumugi: No, no. Actually, a ray of light shone on us this morning.

A miracle happened.

Natsume: Could you not say that in a tone that sounds like you’ve opened a cafe or somethiNG?

Sora: HaHa~♪ Senpai always speaks with the same “colour” no matter what the topic is, so it’s hard to tell whether it’s something good or bad~

Tsumugi: I can’t quite say whether it’s good or bad at this point. It really sounds like some sort of joke.

We received a partnership proposal from a major company this morning.

All of the agency’s problems won’t be solved if we agree to the partnership, but well, at the very least, we should be able to continue our operations normally.

The major company promised us a large amount of funding.

We can use it to pay off the loan we took out to establish the agency as well as for our business funds.

It would make it much easier to manage our funds. If we continue with the partnership, then maybe we can gain even more profits, relieving us of our financial issues.

That’s how the major company spoke. It sounded as if they wanted to help us with our problems.

Natsume: That sounds highly suspicioUS… It might make sense if it was an eccentric individual, but there’s no way a respectable commercial business company would be so charitabLE.

Maybe that company is dealing with some shady things or maybe they’re just scammeRS.

The people who come to help weakened people or organisations aren't messiahs overflowing with good intentions, but swindlers or evil spiriTS.

Tsumugi: Right. I was also suspicious of them… Although it’s not to the same degree as my mother, I also tend to be easily deceived by those sorts of swindlers.

Natsume-kun is clever while Sora-kun has the ability to see the truth no matter what the circumstances are, so I’d like you two to find what’s going on behind this “very convenient offer”.

Sora: So that’s why you called us here? But Sora isn’t very good at handling situations where money is involved~

Tsumugi: Sora-kun, you’re very good at making money in games, aren’t you? I noticed you were earning as much as the national budget in that game where you travel the world on a railroad.

Natsume: Ohh, that’s the game we played during the New Year parTY.

Senpai fell for Sora’s fake tears and said something like “I feel bad for Sora-kun, so I shall become the god of poverty!” before falling to ruIN.

Tsumugi: I–It wasn’t my fault I was tricked! I didn’t think he would go that far for a game! I thought Sora-kun was actually sad…!

Sora: HiHi~♪ It’s your fault for getting tricked! Games aren’t just something you play for fun, you know?

Tsumugi: Aren’t games supposed to be played for fun…?

Natsume: It all depends on how you see iT. In any case, I can’t say anything until I hear the full details of this partnershIP.

Make sure you explain everything from beginning to eND. Knowing you, I bet you’ve already made the unnecessary documents or something, rigHT?

Tsumugi: Ah, yes. I’ll send them to you on “Hallhands”. And sent ♪

Natsume: You’ve gotten used to the app ES forced us to uSE.

Tsumugi: It is convenient. It has all the features an ES idol would need and it’s also free – which is the best thing.

They do say nothing is better than something that’s free, but we need to cut down on as many things as we can right now.

Natsume: I suppoSE. Ugh, idols should be talking about hopes and dreams, but we’ve just been talking about money this whole tiME.

Sora: HuHu~ Master~ don’t you like those sorts of topics?

Natsume: My master says this occasionally, but despite gods being dead and magicians and witches having perished, the concept of money is a type of magic that has still continued to exist to this dAY.

Since we call ourselves modern-day magicians, that’s something we can’t ignoRE.

Tsumugi: I don’t particularly care about that, but have you two downloaded the documents~?

Natsume: Don’t rush mE – I’m reading it right nOW.

Sora: HeHe~ The “colour” of digital info doesn’t change that much, so it’s easy to understand~♪

Natsume: HmM… The major company that offered us the partnership is called “Gorgon CorporatiON”...

Tsumugi: I had difficulty reading it, but is it pronounced “goal-gone”? It sounds like the name of a hitman or some kind of pasta.

Sora: Gorgon[1] is the name of a person that appears in Greek mythology, right?

Natsume: They’re treated more like a monster rather than a persON. Like a witch of sorTS?

Tsumugi: Oh, I’ve heard of that before! Medusa, right? The one that turns you into stone if you look at her!

Sora: Yes ♪ She pops up a lot in video games~

Tsumugi: I see that name in novels too. Her hair is made up of snakes – it sounds rather terrifying.

Natsume: It’s your evolved version, Moppy Four-EyES.

Tsumugi: Hm? I had them confused for the same thing, but aren’t they the same person? Do different countries have different names for them or something?

Natsume: Simply put, I think “Gorgon” is the name of her species while “Medusa” is her own naME.

Sora: It’s like how you’re “human” while your name is “Tsumugi Aoba”, Senpai~♪

Tsumugi: That’s easy to understand! I see~ I thought Medusa was a human with snakes for hair, but she was actually not human, huh.

Natsume: That part is pretty ambiguous, thouGH. It’s a myth from ancient timES. She’s treated like someone who wasn’t human, like the AmazoNS[2].

Sora: That was back when laws and ethics weren’t a concept~

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[luciferfemme]

unrelated to most things but it's so disheartening how often I see things on like Pinterest and the like that are like 50 lazy book ideas to make you big money on Amazon. 103 ways you can do almost nothing to make money selling journals and coloring books. And like-- it's not that I think people should have to WORK for anything frankly we should all just be paid to exist but there's something disheartening about everyone all so desperate to make a quick buck that everyone scrambles to find the easiest way thus flooding the market with bland crap in the hopes of just being able to pay the bills. And it's like-- idk that's just so disheartening that that's the world we live in. And with AI that's only getting worse. I see so many videos on Youtube too that's like how to use AI to make a business so you can make 100k in 3 months and it's like-- as with so many other things in the end you're selling the fantasy (because that's more lucrative than trying to do shit yourself let's be real) and people are SO desperate to not have to suffer another 9 to 5 that they're like I'll try anything. And I have to imagine the vast majority will give up and quit within a few months because at best they might make a few hundred dollars if they're lucky but most probably won't. And it's just like--what if we didn't make the labor market so god awful? There are plenty of people that are happy to work but jesus christ it's so unbearable.

My mother is a gen Xer who was raised to work her ass off. She's worked two jobs since I was a small child and has always loved working-- it's gotten to the point where even she's burnt out from the way she's treated at her work. When even your most loyal workers who will put up with a lot of bullshit they shouldn't can see the writing on the wall and are fed up you know it's time to make a change. I just can't help but feel like something's gotta give. This isn't tenable. And I'm not even talking about a whole total revolution eat the rich whatever --just like in a PRACTICAL sense something has to change.

[pollywiltse]

John André, cut by himself while totally wasted. (Or I guess maybe cut by someone else who was even more of an amateur than he was?) There are other silhouettes of him floating around where he has more upper lip and less double chin - this one, from the Library Company of Philadelphia, for example, or the one on p 172 of the Ronald bio (which he credits to the New York Public Library). (Note that the labels on all those portraits must have been written after the fact because he was Captain André in 1778.)

Oh hey, Winterthur has a ton of silhouettes attributed to him (which frankly look pretty amateur - the LCP and Ronald silhouettes don't so much). (I mean, to people who actually know from silhouettes, I'm sure those also look totally amateur, but at least they're passable. In general his artwork is very clearly that of a talented amateur so there's some stuff where you're like, "that's really surprisingly good, actually" and then other stuff that's "....oof".

We don't talk about his poetry. 18th century poetry makes me start bleeding from various orifices so I am unqualified to talk about his poetry. (Ok, with the short poems my eyes just get a little bloodshot, but I don't go near "The Cow-Chase" because it would look like a murder scene.)

Also he seems to have had general satirical tendencies, not limited to making fun of the Americans. The Hatch bio has a page where he was sketching other British officers and it's all snub noses and stockings sagging around skinny calves - not really a catalog of male beauty here. (Somewhere, John André: "Look, not to be a prick, but if I wanted male beauty, I'd just get a mirror." Fair enough, Major. Fair enough.) There's also the sketch of what Flexner - who refers to it as Hogarthian, though I think Hogarth's satire tended toward morals and André was probably just amused - says is either a church or a court and Hatch says is a church (and which is in the Hatch bio) and the Quebec tavern scene, which I don't like. I think it's badly composed, though that might be because it's in pencil and I can never see what's going on in his pencil drawings because of the way everything has faded.)

Amusingly, it looks like Sue McKechnie may have included him in British Silhouette Artists and Their Work which is I think supposed to be the bible for silhouette artists. (And is nearly $200 on Amazon, but I should check Biblio because The Accomplished Lady was nearly $100 on Amazon but less than half that on Biblio, even including the exorbitant costs of shipping from the UK to the US and even including that I had to do expedited shipping because standard said it would take 21 to 84 days to arrive, presumably because they were taking the book on a leisurely walking tour of the Lake District before they sent it to the US and after all that it wasn't even that much cheaper than expedited.) Also sort of full circle because the reason I even know about the McKechnie book is because I was so taken by the silhouette in the Ronald bio and got interested in silhouettes in general.

[denimbex1986]

'What kind of world would we be living in had Andrew Scott not been cast as Fleabag’s “Hot Priest”? I don’t think any of us can imagine it, and yet, that world genuinely almost existed.

As revealed by Radio Times, “there were calls to remove Scott just days before filming” of Fleabag season 2 was meant to start. Former BBC Director of Comedy Shane Allen, who originally commissioned the series, told Radio Times that, when Amazon co-financed the second season of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s groundbreaking traumatic sitcom, the company’s executives just couldn’t keep their terrible opinions to themselves.

According to Allen, a whole host of Amazon’s American execs showed up at season 2’s readthrough, demanding that Andrew Scott be recast with just four days left to go before filming was due to commence. Apparently, that wasn’t enough, as Allen also mentioned that the suits “[tore] the show apart” in its entirety, too. Interestingly, Allen made a point of mentioning that all the execs were male, making their criticism of Waller-Bridge’s creative choices—including Scott’s casting—all the more egregious given the show was an intimate and personal exploration of a young woman’s grief and relentless self-destructive tendencies.

How could these U.S. execs possibly know what was right for this story? Why couldn’t they just trust the process? There must have been a reason for Amazon to invest in the show in the first place. They must have seen the potential. Executives are not creatives for a reason.

Clearly, not casting Andrew Scott would have been a colossal mistake, and Shane credits Waller-Bridge with standing up for her show and Scott’s casting. “Anyone less effervescently charming and smart than Phoebe would have buckled,” he told the magazine.

Why mess with perfection?

Let’s be honest, Waller-Bridge and the casting directors absolutely knew what they were doing. To this day, Scott’s portrayal of the unnamed Hot Priest remains a firm fan favorite, so much so that Scott himself jokingly pointed out earlier this year during a red carpet interview with Entertainment Weekly that fans still watching and “crying” over Fleabag should go outside and “get some fresh air.” There’s no denying the impact his portrayal had on the series, though. His chemistry with Waller-Bridge and his innate charm and charisma made Fleabag’s Hot Priest hotter than he had any right to be.

Who could the Americans have possibly wanted to replace him with? (I shudder to think). This strange insistence that someone else needed to portray Scott’s character feels like a perfect example of the differences between American and British television, too. As Allen mentioned, when the BBC first commissioned Fleabag, it was funded in such a way that the show was given a lot of creative freedom. As soon as the Americans got involved financially, they tried to strip that creative freedom away and impose their frankly unwarranted opinions on a show that was fundamentally British in nature and execution. Different countries and cultures approach storytelling differently! And that’s okay!

With how in-demand Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been since Fleabag’s roaring success, it’s hard to imagine this ever happening to one of her projects again. Thankfully, she stood up for her story, and the TV landscape was all the better for it.'

[unravelingthepages]

If We Were Villians- a review (read: an explanation for my adoration for this book)

If We Were Villians by M. L Rio is a dark academia book that I will probably always remember fondly. I loved the writing, the characters, and their respective personalities so so much. I definitely found it a 5 star read. Read below to find out more about why I would recommend it to you too :))

(I do have a word of warning- please do not try to compare it to The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I went in with this impression that it's similar and though it has surface level similarities, it is very different. While that impression did not affect my love for this book, it did give me expectations that were not fair to this book and the author's writing. Yes, both are within the realm of dark academia but If We Were Villians is much faster paced and should not be compared to The Secret History which for me atleast was a book to slowly digest and not binge read like I did the former. That being said, I loved and highly recommend reading both!! You can read my review of The Secret History by Donna Tartt here in case you're interested- https://unravelingthepages.wordpress.com/2023/02/18/the-secret-history-reasons-i-loved-it/)

Book blurb

Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail - for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.

As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.

Why you should read it

-I think I had a rather limited understanding of how Shakespeare's plays were meant to be acted until now. But after this book- the way Shakespeare is almost an active character in this book… chef's kiss

“Do you blame Shakespeare for any of it?” The question is so unlikely, so nonsensical coming from such a sensible man, that I can’t suppress a smile. “I blame him for all of it.”

The characters were frankly amazing. I loved how each character was, their personalities were so dynamic and just so real. A large part of it was how Oliver (the narrator and protagonist) describes them and how we get to see them through his lenses.

“For us, everything was a performance.” A small, private smile catches me off guard and I glance down, hoping he won’t see it. “Everything poetic.”

“When did we become such terrible people?” “Maybe we’ve always been terrible.”

The conversations between the characters. They were full of dry humor, pain, hidden meanings and literary references- sometimes all at once! They lived deep in the world of theatre and the author's writing transports you right into the world where pretty words masked tragedies alongside the characters.

“When we first walked through those doors, we did so without knowing that we were now part of some strange fanatic religion where anything could be excused so long as it was offered at the altar of the Muses. Ritual madness, ecstasy, human sacrifice.”

All-in-all, while I do think you need to read this book to understand exactly what I'm talking about, this should give you a brief delve into the world and help you decide whether this is something you would pick up. If it IS something you would pick up, I hope you love it as much as I did!! It's the kind of read that sticks with you as a fond memory of a read you loved and one can get engrossed in during your fifth re-read, just as easily as you had the first time.

If you’re planning on purchasing this read, please consider using the following amazon affiliate link to purchase it. It would be at no extra cost to you and would really help me out, thank you!

purchase this read: https://amzn.to/4a8BhkR

“..I need language to live, like food—lexemes and morphemes and morsels of meaning nourish me with the knowledge that, yes, there is a word for this. Someone else has felt it before.” M.L. Rio, If We Were Villians