#which means DIE Joan

[oeuvrinarydurian]

This letter—-it is the torment of my existence in “Striker”. It’s like Joan was taken over by a pod person.

“Dear Miss Thursday, Contained herein are materials that I ask you bring to the attention of your father. To my lasting regret we parted on poor terms. The fault was mine entirely.”

[thewertsearch]

pipefan413: Oh my, no. I am not actually your friend, dear. pipefan413: I am his mother! Hoo hoo hoo. fedorafreak: another of @ pipefan413's legendary pranks? pl clarify.

Oddly heartwarming to learn that Dad really did have a reputation as a prankster, which means it wasn’t just an act for John’s benefit. Either it started out as an act, and slowly became genuine, or he was always into pranks for real.

pipefan413: No, I am just an old woman looking for her son.

She doesn't even know. :(

This poor woman. Brought back to life, just so she can live through the death of her child.

pipefan413: You remind me of him so. Would you mind terribly if I talked to you for a little while? pipefan413: I am fearing the worst for my son, while my grandson has gone off to do great things. I've caught myself feeling a bit lonely, hoo. fedorafreak: can imagine no greater pleasure. fedorafreak: though, eyelids heavy. fedorafreak: getting dark; feeling in extremities, fading.

If only Nanna could heal beam him from here.

It just occurred to me that Fedorafreak isn’t guaranteed to make God Tier, even if he does die on his Quest Bed. This type of revival requires your Dream Self, and it’s very possible that it needs to be awakened, too. This seems unlikely, in Fedorafreak's case - but I live in hope.

pipefan413: Why don't you just lie there and rest? I will tell you a story. fedorafreak: @ pipefan413's kindly mother: ty pipefan413: It is a fairy tale about a young sister and brother who were raised by a wicked witch!

Now this is an endgame conversation, if I’ve ever seen one.

Nanna and Grandpa. Joan Egbert and Hass 'The Flame' Harley. Who were they, and how did they become what they are now? What's the true story behind the oldest Guardians of all?

pipefan413: The witch in truth was a world famous baking baroness. Her cruelty made life miserable for the two children, who did not have their father anymore to protect them.

Crocker – I looked her up – was the fictional brainchild of Bruce Barton, a Washburn-Crosby advertising executive who would later become a republican politician. I could probably extrapolate a lot of her Homestuck self’s personality from those details alone, and the fact that Grandpa fled from her custody fills in the rest of the blanks.

She was a terrible, terrible mother, and we know Grandpa left - so why didn't Nanna?

[nerd-at-sea5]

the naming section explanation of gtn will forever make me laugh my ass off.

‘you should have the trick of the “us” sound by now. if you don’t, it’s fine, nobody cares, it’s a random name in a novel about bonermancy.’

‘“crux” as in “cross”, which is funny in multiple ways.’

‘DIE-ass. i’m sorry, i couldn’t come up with anything better.’

‘and it’s not even accurate! it should be Badtwin and Lessbadtwin’ (rlly just all of corona and ianthe’s sections)

‘as in, i wish naberius would TURN into a bat and fly out the window’ as well as ‘naberius is one of the demon princes of hell. will this mean anything significant later on?? (No.)’

jeannemary being remedies of joan of arc <3

‘i might as well have called jeannmary and isaac “Don’tgetattched” and “Deadsoon.”’

‘“sex” as in “you’d have to be weird to want this with harrow.”’ + all of sextus + cam’s

‘a case of a women you want t exist who really doesn’t. in this essay i will’ THIS FUCKING ONE!!!

‘“Johnny Quickdeath” would’ve also been a good pick.’

[nimzay1dstar]

James Baldwin’s Advice on Writing

Reflecting on what motivates great writers to write — an enduring question also addressed beautifully by George Orwell, David Foster Wallace, Italo Calvino, and William Faulkner — Baldwin sides with Bukowski and argues that the supreme animating force of the writer is the irrepressible impossibility of not-writing:

Something that irritates you and won’t let you go. That’s the anguish of it. Do this book, or die. You have to go through that. Talent is insignificant. I know a lot of talented ruins. Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck, but most of all, endurance.

Endurance, indeed, is perhaps the sole common denominator among successful authors. Any aspiring writer, he admonishes, should have no illusion about the endurance required but should want to write anyway. A generation after Jack Kerouac considered the vital difference between talent and genius, Baldwin notes:

If you are going to be a writer there is nothing I can say to stop you; if you’re not going to be a writer nothing I can say will help you. What you really need at the beginning is somebody to let you know that the effort is real.

In a sentiment reminiscent of Joan Didion’s observation that she writes in order to gain better access to her own mind, Baldwin speaks to the consciousness-clarifying function of the creative impulse:

When you’re writing, you’re trying to find out something which you don’t know. The whole language of writing for me is finding out what you don’t want to know, what you don’t want to find out. But something forces you to anyway.

Echoing Hemingway’s abiding wisdom on the crucial art of revision, he adds:

Rewriting [is] very painful. You know it’s finished when you can’t do anything more to it, though it’s never exactly the way you want it… The hardest thing in the world is simplicity. And the most fearful thing, too. You have to strip yourself of all your disguises, some of which you didn’t know you had. You want to write a sentence as clean as a bone. That is the goal.

(Decades later, Zadie Smith would observe in her ten rules of writing: “Resign yourself to the lifelong sadness that comes from never ­being satisfied.”) Baldwin offers:

When you’ve finished a novel, it means, “The train stops here, you have to get off here.” You never get the book you wanted, you settle for the book you get. I’ve always felt that when a book ended there was something I didn’t see, and usually when I remark the discovery it’s too late to do anything about it.

Baldwin shares his work habits:

I start working when everyone has gone to bed. I’ve had to do that ever since I was young — I had to wait until the kids were asleep. And then I was working at various jobs during the day. I’ve always had to write at night. But now that I’m established I do it because I’m alone at night.

Source

[beerok23]

2024 FIC Roundup

In response to those of you who tagged me (@pookasluagh @captainblou and @missunderstoodlyrics) here is my AO3 author interview.

What fandoms do you write in? At the moment, only for Good Omens! But in the past I've written for Friends, The Pretender and Alias.

How many words have you published in 2024? So far, 186,754 words. I'll soon have a new Christmas fic to post that will definitely increase the count to more than 200k.

What is your greatest achievement this year? Starting to write for this fandom. When I started reading canon post S2 fix-it fics at the end of 2023 I didn't know that I would fall in love with AUs. Today I'm sure that this is a fandom that can express the best AU - if only for the fact that canon is 'fantasy' and AU are 'realistic'. I've changed my style from AE to BE and I'm trying to strengthen my writing. It's not always easy, but I've found beta readers who are so helpful in the process. I can't thank them enough.

What are your favorite top three fics you wrote this year? I've only posted two long fics, which are obviously the favorite I wrote: The Tadfield Holiday (A human ‘The Holiday’ AU) Runaway Groom (A human ‘Runaway Bride’ AU)

But as I mentioned, I'll soon post my Xmas fic 🎄🎁

What was your biggest pit of despair moment? I don't think I ever got desperate, but sometimes it's not easy being a non-native speaker. And the thing I've struggled with the most? Smut scenes 😁 What have you learned? Go with the flow. When the flow hits, just go with it. I'm saying this after writing almost 40k words in less than three weeks.

Did you beta any fics? Actually, I am! I'm not a useful beta when it comes to language, but I'm the best cheeleader 😁😁😁

What three fics have you read this year that you love? Only three? Impossible. I've read hundreds of them. I always read fics and most of all I re-read my faves. So here's a few.

and salt the Earth behind you by @sunrisesinthesuburbs The love and respect I have for this author is immeasurable. Just RUN read EVERYTHING she writes. Of course her Borrowed Words is a masterpiece, but I have a special place in my heart for Profiler Aziraphale and CI Crowley.

Overboard by @joanofart5 I write film-inspired AUs, and Joan did the same with this little gem. It's based on the 1980's romcom 'Overboard' and it's funny, and lovely and makes you FEEL all the right feelings.

Find the Light by @klikandtuna Oh, what an extremely talented author 💛 You've got Headmaster!Aziraphale and Rockstar!Crowley all cuddled up in an awesomely fluff story. Wonderful ❤

The New Road (is an old friend) by @missunderstoodlyrics Pastor!Aziraphale meets SingleDad!Crowley and his daughter Mira. Pining ensured and angst that made me die a little (a sweet death, mind you). Still one of my personal faves by this incredibly talented author.

I'll tell you who's in charge by @captainblou is still my fave of them. But even in other fics, Blou has this wonderful way with words and smut scenes and writing badass Crowley who's actually the sweetest creature. And the way they write about trans characters is the best in the fandom.

When Hell Freezes Over by @hermiola She has a WIP (subscribe, it's hilarious) and she's recently finished her Pretty Woman AU "Take a Little Love From Me", but I discovered her with this two-chapters one shot featuring a charming Peter-Vincent-inspired!Crowley and journalist!Aziraphale. I'm so glad we are collaborating, because your writing truly inspires me 💙💙💙

But oh there are so many others fellow authors: @bellisima-writes ("The Last Angel" is one of the more complex well-thought plots I've ever read), @feraltuxedo (If "All lines are open" was a book, I would have consummated its pages by now), @fellshish (My gosh, how many times I've read "Trial & error"?), @lyricalkris ("The Devil Built a Chapel" killed me 💚💛).

What ideas are percolating for next year? One too many. That's why I'll probably stop writing for a bit. I mean, there might be another movie-inspired AU project in the work, but...We'll see 💜

Who do you want to thank? My three besties, @pookasluagh, @somewhere-in-wales and @ineffablerainstorm. You know everything already 💚💛❤💜🧡🤍 And also, all the writers who make this fandom the precious, peaceful place it is. We've been through a lot this year. But we get them back together in less than a month.

And I can't wait.

[krys-kros]

All the fucking Rabbit craziness (bare with me)

All the rabbit symbolism and it makes my brain connect to things that people say that aren't even connected.

I forgot where I saw it because for the life of me there's YJ content anywhere I go, but it mentioned something called Rabbit Starvation. It's the syndrome when you can die from a stomach full of rabbits because rabbits don't contain a lot of nutrition so it's protein poisoning, essentially.

There are many ways to starve and Shauna starves in practically all of them. She starves for the hunt, she starves for Jackie. She has so many rabbits because rabbits are never enough. She killed the rabbit because it invaded her garden and it gave her a taste of who she was the butcher and it wasn't enough. She fed the rabbit to her family because that's what she does, she's a provider but if she feeds it to them enough it's poisoning them.

But then Jackie is also the rabbit. We think of rabbits and we think of Jackie. Shauna consumes Jackie in any way she can over and over again and it's never enough. Consuming Jackie in the wilderness wasn't enough. Jackie probably died thinking she wasn't enough. The constant consumption will kill Shauna but she can't help it, she needs more. Her succumbing to the urges again, to butcher, to fall into the wilderness again, started when she fed her family the rabbit and introduced them to her starvation but also to the wilderness.

And, and, and. So I got really into etymology of Yellowjackets characters. I left that post in the drafts somewhere but I learned a lot of neat things.

First off, Jackie and Shauna are names that originated from the same place. It's the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yochanan) and it's where we got names like John/Ivan/Sean/Shawn/Jack/Joan/Shauna, this name is fucking everywhere. They have the same fucking name in different origins, which goes to show how connected these two are. But theeen,

Jackie is a nickname. At least, we can assume it's a nickname and her actual name is Jacqueline. Jacqueline is not part of the same family tree as John/Ivan/Shawn etc., it's from the family tree of Jacques/James/Jacob (originating as Ya'aqov). It means "holder of the heel" because Jacob in the bible was the younger brother. It essentially means coming in second. Jacqueline, whoever she really is, is second to Jackie, who Jackie wants to be because it makes her even closer to Shauna.

Jacqueline also means supplanter, someone who takes over. Pre-crash it was her taking over Shauna's life, or at least, what she thought was taking over her life. Post-crash, then we see how Jackie actually takes over Shauna's life.

Lmao, so why did I go on the tangent about etymology. Because as far as I could search, Sadecki is Polish in origin and it means...

Garden.

So, essentially. This is Jackie invading the Sadeckis.

I got that gif from a post from @vanpalmr and it kickstarted this entire ramble so thanks for that.

(Also, complete side note, but Jeff/Jeffrey means foreigner...like he's the outsider, it's so fucking funny)

[radfem-rage]

im new to this politics stuff and im listening to both sides so I can makeand you seem to be well versed in this

so whats your opinion on trans people and their rights

im willing to learn

Yo! I’m all for trans people having human rights, they’re human just like me, and no TERF wants to take their human rights away.

However, the thing is that trans people already have human rights. So their “trans rights are human rights” is pure and utter manipulation. They do not fight for human rights.

What they want right now are privileges and complete and utter obedience from sane folks. They want to make it illegal for people to refuse to affirm the feelings of the mentally ill and have you fined for it too if you try. They cannot accept the truth and basic biological facts and try to cancel free speech.

Trans “women” want to continue to invade lesbian only meetings and force their girldick in everyone’s face, the same happens to gay men who want to date other men. They have “manginas” forced into their face, but do not deal with this shit as much as lesbians. Men always get respected after all, even if they put on a dress.

Male privilege never leaves. Men continue to invade women’s sports and are praised for it. They win in beauty pageants with their typical “I feel like a girl and nobody sees me like one” sob story. They invade women’s restrooms and nothing is done because “women get raped anyway so let’s make it even easier.” PCOS and pregnancy support groups are full of men who jerk off to our stories and we are now forced to use gender neutral language in these groups for problems ONLY WOMEN experience. Female sex erasure happens all the time. Last year trans people got a woman’s history museum in Denmark (Køn) turned into a gender museum.

Every female badass in history (for example Joan of Arc) is getting transed, any woman who was gnc and wore pants in order to be seen as fully human and not be stuck as a pregnant housewife indefinitely is now a man apparently. Trans people think only men can be badasses and women who were not gnc were completely fine with their oppression. Insulting.

Rapists now have their pronouns respected in court, which means women are forced to call their attacker “she” and “her” in court or face consequences. The absolute disrespect trans people have for women astounds me every day.

So… what do I think of these people? The assholes that are erasing women’s rights and tell me to k*ll myself because I refuse to clap along like handmaidens? Not much good. They happily piss all over women’s rights and are the biggest threat to it in the 21th century. I do not want them to die, but I do not like them, they’re all sexist misogynists.

I do have a lot of sympathy for detransitioners, like women who foolishly believed they could escape misogyny by slapping he/him pronouns on themselves. Thank you for your question! ✌🏻

[moonshynecybin]

YESSSSSSS you see the visionnnn

Like I love oxleybom for their deep love of the sport and knowledge of the culture and explaining all the technicalities and how they perceive the narrative. but sometimes I remember these are middle aged men longing for the glory days of the 80s and the utter shambles they would be in for not anticipating this. Mat having been in the paddock all these years, visited vale in his club tax evasion flat (def stocked w poppers) absolutely tearrrringgg his proverbial hair out that he was so blind. 

I think they would rise to the occasion in spinning this into their motorbike yarns but you just knowwwwwww that would be a mindfuck for them.  

Part of their journey recontextulising vale/Marc rivalry has to be a fraught realisation that they’ve labelled the only two (known) gay people in MotoGP grinning assassins & they have to release an emergency statement that they don’t think all gay people at killers, just these two, and that they support gay killer same sex love too ❤️

just the comedy of the sporting world reeeeeling from rosquez announcement is my fave campy bedtime delusion (homophobia doesn’t exist.) like MotoGP accounts overcompensating w the rainbowwashing, Insta captions like“Hi Gay 😃 Joan Mir says the Honda RC213V's Unrideable! Speaks on new contract extension for 2 years” 

i just think it would be really funny in the sense that. okay so as a journalist you are kind of being paid to explain this sport to people in a way that captures their interest. this can be done on the technical side (rules, tires, machinery, braking) ORRRR the human side (narrative, character, plot). a good journalist can usually balance these factors and write about them in such a way that a layman can access them and be. well entertained ! it’s an entertainment game here. so when we look at how these prevailing narratives are made in sport, we often have to take a look at what the journos report on and how they do it. of course as fans we can draw out own conclusions from the words directly out of these athletes mouths, but it’s the reporters who ask the questions that create those narratives, and then work to shape them into something cohesive. stories are allowed to live and allowed to die through the press corp writ large. it’s on them.

all this to SAY. that if the largest plot line between the two biggest stars in motogp that stretches back almost a DECADE in one of the most absurdly hypermasculine sports in the WORLD was suddenly revealed to be a torrid gay DIVORCE. i don’t know if these guys would know how to ACT. i mean i suspect their status as content peddlers would immediately become VERY apparent but watching them have to. essentially reshape their perceptions around these events as something that is NOT entirely based in sporting challenges/professional competition but also as something deeply personal that happened to these guys’ RELATIONSHIP (which paddock pass pod gets at in their 2015 restrospective but doesn’t like. commit to, bc they are primarily dealing with the sporting side. like they are like WOW marc and vale only seem concerned with each other not the championship. weird.) would be interesting ! so often the rosquez divorce is talked about as something that happened entirely on the track and. well i don’t get the sense marc and vale really entirely feel that way AT ALL

[actual-changeling]

Bro just think about Michael and Joan of Arc in the good omens universe.

Michael was one of Joan’s (or Jehanne, as she was called in life) guides, and trained her in the ways of war and divine Justice from the time she was thirteen. Michael was sent to earth and watched this young peasant girl grow up, eventually leading the French towards victory over the English like she was always meant to.

But then, at the age of eighteen, she’s captured and imprisoned by the English, and Michael has to stand by because “it’s all a part of the great plan”. It doesn’t matter how much Jehanne prays or suffers at the hands of her captors, Michael can’t disobey orders.

Then, Jehanne dies. She dies in the worst way a human can die, being burnt alive. Michael can only watch in horror as the girl they raised and trained is burnt to ashes as a part of the Great Plan. She was only nineteen. There will be nothing left of her by the times the flames are put out.

When Gabriel announces how Aziraphale will die, Michael offers to deliver the holy water to hell, white knuckling the pitcher as they descend down the staircase and hear the distant screams of their protégée and surrogate daughter echoing through their mind.

I know absolutely NOTHING about anything bible or christianity related so this is a shot of delicious angst and knowledge all at once, thank you!

And ooooh Michael volunteering to deliver the holy water because even though they cannot openly admit it, even just seeing a large pillar of flames is a punch in the gut. They go through hell's corridors with their head held high and their eye's straight ahead, quietly praying that they won't walk past any hell fire on the way.

We don't know anything about where/if the humans are in heaven, but angels are probably not allowed to interact with them even now, and Michael wouldn't even if they could.

Jehanne is there, somewhere, and there is nothing Michael could say to her except an apology that means nothing in the face of her suffering.

Oh lord, my brain is currently speedrunning an AU in which Dagon and Michael are both send to earth when Michael is there to raise Jehanne, and it's not six thousand years of pining but still a good few centuries worth.

Michael dreams of licking flames and ashes, and Dagon dreams of burning wings and melting grace, and there is an intimacy in sharing nightmares that gives them an understanding of each other no one else will ever have.

[weclassybouquetfun]

The most committed DYNASTY stan. Or maybe just a Joan Collins/Alexis Colby stan.

2002:

2023:

-The Emmys were pushed from September to January due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The WGA have luckily struck a deal, but the actors are still out. The AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA have been hammering the negotiations out over the last several days and while some feel they are close to a deal, others are saying the strike could go until January. Which would certainly mean no Emmys ceremony and no opportunity for the TED LASSO cast to reunite.

Will this be the last image we see of the cast together?

You're on your morning commute and there's Hannah Waddingham trying to get you to honk. What would you do?

What have some of the TED LASSO alums been up to?

-Newlywed Tom "O'Brien" Hendryk and TED LASSO's production designer Paul Cripps attended the screening of Cristo Fernandez's film SISTERS

at the Raindance Film Festival.

Kola and Billy turned up, too.

-Maximilian Osinski went to Nick Mohammed's performance

-Moe Hashim working on the gladiator series THOSE ABOUT TO DIE.

"New look, who's dis?"

-"New headshot, who's dis?"

If there's one thing Hannah's going to do, it's uplift people.

Billy and Kola were recently at the launch party for Reiss Atelier.

Issac and Colin's engagement dinner- real.

Kola has partnered with an Alzheimer's research organization and has gone public about his father's struggle with vascular dementia.

-If you've listened to both installments of Brendan Hunt's appearance on Brett Goldstein's podcast then you know he had a shaky childhood due to his home life. He channels that in an one man show about his complicated relationship with his late mother and their love for The Beatles.

Brendan and his longtime partner got engaged a few months back, but the wedding is on hold as they are expecting their second child.

Also on Baby #2 is Ellie Taylor (Sassy).

-Speaking of babies; Baby! Moe Jeudy Lamour and Baby! Tom Hendryk

-Get you a man who can do it all. English Prof/King/Ken

Recording artist?? What are you doing in the booth, sir?

[givekennyabreak]

Hi, it's not hate, it is constructive criticism. Your OCs lack nuance and complexity. They have hardly any flaws. They are like paper cut outs. They just exist as fix its to the plot. They have inner knowledge of the supernatural nobody else does, they punch people who deserve it, they are brave when everyone else isn't, they stand up for others etc. This sounds wonderful at first but when you mix them with other characters who are flawed and realistic, who make mistakes and are scared, your character just becomes annoying because they don't have depth. They look like pick me Mary Sues. Yes, make them have visions, be kind, brave etc but make them make mistakes and show fear sometimes. It's about balance. Having them apologise for being briefly mean to another character is not character development if they just go back to being the Joan of Arc of From. All your OCs follow the same pattern of being perfect and special, the Chosen Ones. It's boring and you refuse to make them better.

Hello! Have you read what you just wrote?

They're characters. They don't need to be realistic.

Tabitha has knowledge of the supernatural as well. So does Elgin. So does Victor.

Bug doesn't have any visions. They see ghosts, that's it. They've had since they were a kid.

They're not scared as a result of pissing themselves the first night they got in Fromville, hiding in a hole while their friends, who tried to kill them in a ritual, scream in agony at night. It's a trauma response - they do stupid shit, and they almost die not once or twice, because their brain gets all muddled (you'd know that if you actually read the pieces I've written for them, and if you were in the server, which I'm pretty sure you're not).

And yeah, Ben is a Mary Sue, for all I care. He's a great guy, kind, helpful, and very dumb. Fuck me for having fun and creating some silly dude, right? Even though he has no special powers or anything, huh.

[trickstersaint]

Screaminggg saint person I just read your apple taste in the throat as sin poem and I love it so I have a childhood experience to share bc I think the vague themes will make you writhe

So! Ever since I was a child I thought The Fruit™ was a fig! And I felt probably the same way you did whenever you ate an apple as when i ate fig newton's bc of this at like 6🤷 tasty but also [grows up in the church].

Anyway, that one lil story in the bible with the fig tree where jesus is having a very human moment and got caught in 4k withering the tree out of hanger then covered his ass with bravado+temple talk had stuck with little me from this, so to ramble: the life and death that goes into a figs growth and how even in paradise there was hunger, how it exists even among the divine, and that you have to give yourself whole to it like a fig wasp (it will kill you in the end) (or do you choose to die for it) (was there ever really a choice or is it nature to find something bigger than yourself and sacrifice your life for it) and that religion only lives on bc we do but who is to separate the temple from the tree thats barren that will outlast us like a legacy to all we could've been if not withered before its fruiting season? And what of the tiny wasps when the time comes to pollinate but the tree is gone, what of the next generation that burrowed their way out of the fig/divine and what life cycle is there to choose after? Were you born into it all or is it only where your mother died? andandand?? Screams I hope this gives you inspo for more writing or that you at least enjoyed the vibes of me being insane abt figs and what it means to take of the forbidden fruit and the withering of the fig tree lol

Also princess Diana and Gerard as a saint has been rattling around in my brain and I'm going nuts plz elaborate on what they mean to you I'm dying to hear ur thoughts in depth on that

my friend is also really into the fig tree story... beginning to think that raised-christian people only have a few preset bible concepts that they come preloaded with obsessions around. the two genders... fig and apple... anyway saying that even in paradise there was hunger is crazy. i need to write more about adam and eve they drive me insane. y'all ever think about this line from an article about adam and eve that i was reading for a research project a year ago and only posted on my main account where almost none of you guys would have seen it

she is trying desperately to encase herself within the divine framework... jack katz "The Social Psychology of Adam and Eve" save me. save me... anyway...

mmmm on princess diana and gerard way as saints. i find it interesting the way that people idolize her both as an icon of kindness and charity and also as a martyr; for the people who are really caught up in the image of her, i feel like it's absolutely as much about the fact that she died as it is about the good things that she did. not to say that people make her a christ figure lmao but if you REALLY wanted to get into it you could draw some parallels between the way that people talk about jesus interacting with the lepers and diana shaking the hand of someone with aids. and then to take this figure that you are idolizing for their selflessness and good works and to say that she was murdered is like. very evocative of martyrdom i think. these are not personal beliefs of mine i just find it very interesting to look at how people talk about her. personally i think the cultural obsessions around figures like princess diana and marilyn monroe, especially because they're women, are only ever going to grow parasocial and focus around the image or the idea of a person rather than fostering an interest in a historical figure. which. i mean. hey. me and saint sebastian for real :|

um. and then to further implicate myself in this social phenomenon. i am a freak about gerard way and i am not to be trusted around images of them in joan of arc armor or a cheerleader dress. liable to burst into tears or start speaking in tongues i think. i've been too transgender and too into my chemical romance for too long to be anything near normal about that particular person. seeing them in the joan of arc costume made me feel so crazyinsane about religion for so long that i sat down and wrote that first saints quiz. um. and you know actually i do have a poem about the way that it makes me feel so you can just go read that before i say something that's going to make me sound like i have a genuine religious fixation on that guy with like. a wife and kids. see also: trickstersaint poem "there's this feeling i get that i can't describe".

[halfagone]

I really like your mlb x dp mentor au, And I was wondering how Marinette and Adrian would react if Danny brought any past ghost miraculous users to help teach them.

(Continuation of this prompt. Use the tag "dp x mlb" on that post for more of this AU)

That's a very good point! I believe Miraculous Ladybug even had a moment where Joan of Arc (which was a previous user of the Ladybug Miraculous in this universe) briefly appeared, so theoretically this would make even more sense.

I'd have to think some more about who other possible Ladybug and Black Cat holders could be, but it would be super interesting to explore past holders who not only could help them grow as heroes but as people underneath the mask.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I can imagine it going a little something like this:

---

"You can do that?" Chat Noir gasped as he leaned forward, looking like his eyes might pop out of his skull. "You can just call any ghost to you any time you want?"

"Well not really? I'd have to ask if they're even willing to teach you guys, but otherwise just ringing them up works for me," Danny explained with a casual shrug.

"Can all ghosts do that?" Ladybug asked with an inquisitive tilt of her head.

"Not all of us, no," Danny shook his head. "I'm a more... special case, I guess? I have a very complicated relationship with death, so it comes with some... perks, if you will."

"What do you mean by compli-" Chat Noir began to ask, but he's thankfully interrupted by Ladybug, who asked, "Do all Miraculous Holders come back as ghosts when they die?"

Wow. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Answer Chat Noir's question and Danny could reveal a potentially devastating secret. Answer Ladybug's question and he would give these kids nightmares for days. Lovely...

Her question, however, was a little unexpected. Danny wondered what fears might rest on her mind to ask something so- loaded.

"That's complicated too," Danny admitted with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head. "For the most part it depends on how they died, but otherwise..." How could Danny say this in a way that would scar them the least? "Sometimes only the memory of a person will remain."

The two stared at him with obvious confusion. Maybe Danny shouldn't have been so cryptic. You'd think he'd have learned that from all of Clockwork's visits.

"I mean, you're public figures," Danny began, "your face is plastered everywhere! Even if you died peacefully, without any regrets or unfinished business, your name could live on far longer than you do. And that creates spirits of their own."

"It won't be you," Danny tacked on. "It will never be you. Just what people perceived you as. And sometimes that's worse than whatever afterlife death could have given you."

Ladybug looked frightened, pensive with this news. Danny could already imagine her mind firing at a million miles per hour, trying to find a way to work around this. She had always been the type to over-plan these things where and when she could.

Danny risked a glance at Chat Noir. If Ladybug had looked scared, then Chat Noir looked downright terrified. He looked paler than a sheet ghost, eyes vacant as he stared down at the streets below.

Danny wondered what kind of ghosts haunted him.

[novankenn]

The TA -- Joan(Jaune) Arc

Original Artwork Inspired Post.

(Artwork created/owned by @pilot-boi, No rights Claimed/Implied by the author of this story)

Joan(Jaune) was able to escort Ruby to the auditorium, without any issues. Seconds after arriving a rather impressively busted blond made a b-line to them. Joan(Jaune) figured it was "Boob-zilla", Ruby's sister, and no... she was not upset that ANOTHER blond won the genetic lottery with a good set of tits. No. Not jealous at all.

After introductions, and once again getting the "Isn't that a girl's name?" question, Joan(Jaune) bid Yang and Ruby a good night. Minutes later there was a commotion around the pair. Joan(Jaune) looked and sighed. It appeared that the "Meanie" had decided to make a follow-up... strafing run?

Joan(Jaune) was even less enthused about being here when she heard the "Meanie" speak...

"Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try out clothes and talk about cute boys like tall, blond and... scraggly over there!"

Yep. She should have gone to Argus. Rolling her eyes, she walked away. She had very much at this point decided that the world was filled with idiots, and morons. How could NO ONE see she was a girl? So what if she didn't have the sweater melons the rest of her family sported. She had the complete package of hips and ass to die for!

Joan(Jaune) stopped at the large bay windows of the expansive room, and considered her reflection. She twisted about, striking a couple poses, trying to find her best side, and then gave up. Who was she kidding. When it came to the classic Arc woman... she didn't measure up. Stuffing her hands into the pocket of her hoodie she scuffed her feet along the floor, as she made her way towards the stage.

Sitting down on the steps, she slouched and waited. Aunt Glynda had told her to wait near the staging of the auditorium, if she wasn't at the bullheads to pick her up. Knowing better than to not listen to Aunt Glynda, Joan(Jaune) followed the instructions to the letter. There was one thing Joan(Jaune), all her sisters and cousins knew. If Mom or Aunt Glynda said to do something. You did it... lest you face the "glare"

Joan(Jaune) sat with utter disinterest through the speech. She wasn't here to study, how to hit things. She was hear to be an intern and figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Though if she was to listen to her mom's plan... was to get knocked up and have babies. Only one problem with that easily followable plan. She needed to find someone who even had the remotest interest for getting into her panties. Which considering her current, and perpetual single status, didn't look possible.

Once everything was said and done, Aunt Glynda came to collect her. While the victims, as Joan(Jaune) preferred to think of them, all got ready for Beacon's day one sleep-over, she followed her Aunt to her new home away from home.

"The room to the left is yours." Aunt Glynda informed Joan(Jaune). "You affects have all arrived so while initiation is happening, you can unpack, and get better settled."

"So what am I supposed to do here?" Joan(Jaune) asked.

"What do you mean sweetie? You're here to assist me in my classes."

"You teach teenagers how to beat each other up, Auntie." Joan(Jaune) pointed out. "How am I supposed to assist you in that?"

"You will be assisting me with various administrative tasks, in regard to my classes, and my workload as Deputy Headmistress."

"So I'm going to be your secretary? or is the term receptionist?" Joan(Jaune) tilted her head, pursing her lips as if thinking deeply. "Executive Assistant?"

"Joan(Jaune) do be a brat." Glynda chuckled. "You're my assistant, end of discussion."

"But Brat is my specialty!" Joan(Jaune) fake pouted,

"I'm sure it is. Now I'm ordering take out from the cafeteria. Anything special you would like for your first night here?"

"Bacon Double Cheese Burger with fries and gravy?"

"You should eat better." Glynda admonished.

"Why?" Joan(Jaune) asked. "You think if I start eating salads I'll suddenly get a growth spurt and have some good sized boobs?"

"You still on that Joan(Jaune)?"

"Duh. You, mom, my sisters... all of you, have bazongas worthy of legend... and what do I have?" Joan(Jaune) grabbed the front of her shirt and squeezed her chest. "I'm the president of the itty-bitty-titty club!"

"Joan(Jaune) enough. Get dressed for the night. I'll place your order and then we can sit down and watch some movies."

"Grimm-oids and Grimm-oids 2 Aftershocks?"

"You and your taste in films." Glynda rolled her eyes, before shooting her niece a warm smile. "Of course."

"Yes!" Joan(Jaune) cheered, as she spun about and made her way to her new room. "Finally this place is looking up!"

"What would you like to drink Joan(Jaune)?"

"Cola!" came the reply. "Can I get a box of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Crunch?"

"Why would you want that garbage?"

"I don't know? Let's see, I think it tastes good, especially dry, and oh yeah! Hot red-head on the box!" Joan(Jaune) replied, "Plus I need like fifteen more tops to get the pink version of my hoodie!"

"I'll ask. Anything else?"

"Nope."

Glynda shook her head, but was smiling and chuckling. She had missed spending time with Joan(Jaune) and her sisters. These last few years had been rough, and it was nice to have some family close by again. Opening the cafeteria after hours app, Glynda put in her order. Once it was confirmed, she went to her own room to get changed.

Thirty minutes later she and Joan(Jaune) were cuddled up on Glynda's couch. Watching a horrible, but entertaining creature-feature-comedy-horror movie. Food wrappers and beverage containers cluttered the coffee table. While in Joan(Jaune)'s lap was an open box of cereal which she was eating like popcorn.

(A/N - I think that's enough leeching off of @pilot-boi's artwork. This may get another post or two... If I can figure out what I was trying to do with it. Anyway hope you enjoyed. If you like the artwork, drop by the artist's Tumblr and give them a like. TTYL)

[hannahwatcheshorror]

HOUSE OF WAX (1953)

This classic horror has more of a cohesive story that is incredibly strong from start to finish than its 2005 remake of the same name. A very captivating story with really rather stunning wax sculptures (again, especially compared to the 2005 remake by the same name). The acting is lovely, the music is grand, and I found myself pleasantly surprised by the twist (I gasped out loud, alone). Truly a fun and compelling watch!

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

The wax figures in this movie are top notch, I mean, hotdog! I’m looking at these and I’m not sitting here thinking that the prop guys just coated a mannequin in wax, they actually did the damn thing and made ART. I feel like I can usually tell in horror movies when they use a body double instead of just the actor pretending to be dead but these wax figures pretending to be the dead bodies pretending to be wax sculptures… I’m getting ahead of myself, we aren’t there yet. Right now, they are just wax sculptures. Or are they? Yes they are. (For now.)

We find out our resident artist Jarrod von Mustache is not very well liked by his financier (which, if you don’t like art, don’t fund art), so even after Jarrod and his Mustache show how passionate they are about the sculptures, moneybags burns down the studio and all the wax folk. My heart ACHED when everything was burning (That and I will never understand risking someone's life for money). When Jarrod said he would rather die than say goodbye to his art (or his mustache) he meant it, or at least that someone would die, because big boss took a trip down an elevator shaft.

Suddenly a man with a suspiciously burn-scarred face is running around murdering folks (and these folks just happen to disappear from the morgue, but who cares, right?) but it’s not Jarrod because he still has his mustache and is crippled now. Mystery! Sue is our brunette babe who Jarrod sees a muse in (yikes) so thus begins the hunt. Sue spots the murderer and deftly avoids him twice! Even realizes that her friend with the annoying laugh is in the House of Wax as Joan of Arc. Sue is smart! She also knocks off Jarrod's incredibly realistic mask of his own face to reveal the burn scars! (Phantom of the Opera vibes like crazy but not as romantic.)

It was Jarrod all along! He had help from his little art henchmen, but he had a super realistic wax mask on. What a clever twist. I gasped so loudly when she shattered his mask off. I really had no idea it was him after they had shown his face being untouched previously! Now one of the little art henchmen begs the cops to stop Jarrod in a scene that I think really shows off how much alcoholism is a disease but I digress. Next is lots of fighting and the police are actually really helpful. I feel like if the movie happened in any other time period the police would sit around and not be that helpful because of protocol but these guys just rushed right in which is what Sue needed at that exact moment or else she was going to become a candle.

[sabrinatvband]

I'm starting a transfem media criticism site and I'm looking for contributors.

I'm starting a transfem media criticism site [tentative name NEET Ozma] that will probably go live at the beginning of November. Why? Because I've noticed that very few websites have transfem people in editorial, and it's also not common for transfem people to be staff writers.

I'm hoping this site can be a place for transfem people to publish some of their first pieces, things that aren't "notable" enough for bigger sites, and stuff that's maybe too personal for non-transfem editorial to pick over.

Before I continue, I should probably establish my cred. I'm not a big deal or anything, but you can see my portfolio on Muck Rack here. I also have a personal website that I update every week. Of course, once NEET Ozma goes live I'll be moving most of my "effort posting" there.

The editorial focus of NEET Ozma is going to be pretty broad; as long as it's about a movie, comic, videogame, etc, it's fair game. Things about media in more broad terms [comics business, physical media, etc] are also fine. Articles don't need to have some kind of trans-related angle. Articles that aren't about media [queer community discourse] aren't the focus of the site. One more thing; I'm not interested in pitches about the wizard books.

A goal of the site is that I want every post, aside from monthly round-up posts, to be a substantial feature, at least 1,500~ words long.

To provide an idea of what I'm looking for, here's some of what I've written for NEET Ozma's November and December: -Ranma 1/2: Ranma's Declaration of Womanhood piece -Thoughts on The Craft -Orcs Must Die 3 review -Destroy All Humans 2 review

And here are a few pieces that have already been published that will be re-run on NEET Ozma: -Extreme Strong Female Characters and the Transfem Gender Callus -The Genre Comics Graveyard -A Survey of Every Joan Jett Song Part 1

Articles don't have to be about things that are new, and they don't have to be about things that are popular. Please send pitches about weird PS2 games, forgotten horror movies, and misunderstood comic runs. Whatever you care about.

NEET Ozma will be volunteer driven, at least in the beginning. Everyone who writes for the site will own all of their own work, which means it can be republished later on a personal site, or sold in a collection of essays, etc.

If you want to pitch, please include a link to previous work you've done. It can be a review on Letterboxd, an effort post on Tumblr or Cohost, an article you've written for a different website. Even detailed threads on twitter or Bluesky are ok, as long as I can see that you're good at writing.

The website is going to use WordPress, so you'll eventually need a WordPress account so that you can use the site's system.

I've had some confusion about this on Bluesky [btw here's a corresponding thread on Bluesky], but you can send samples of your work and a pitch at the same time; you don't need to wait for me to ask for pitches. Send pitches and samples over DM.