#wynn entertainment

[nanami-is-nanamean]

My favorite nanago situation is when the two of them are actually in a long term committed relationship for literal years now but noone ever suspects because nanami acts like gojo personally killed his entire bloodlines, and everyone thinks that gojo is just hopelessly pining with how ridiculous he acts around the man

Shoko is the only one that knows and is very entertained by the water dispenser gossip of her boys "will they or wont they" relationship LMAO

Yaga is constantly on the verge of begging on his knees to shoko to make her stage an intervention and get them to fuck already (little does he know they are already fucking) (nanamis just extra pissed off today because gojos only allowed to fuck him that hard on the weekends and now hes late to work and his ass hurts lmao)

[the-burt-macklin-fbi]

This is so cute?!

Please add tags for creators missed!

[nohr-selphias]

wynne doesnt like how loud the warden and zev are in the tent but on the other hand the absurd amount of unbridled eye fucking that was happening before was driving morrigan up the wall

[callonpeevesie]

spa day in the moving castle

[nationallawreview]

It Takes More than an Algorithm to Prove an Agreement: An Analysis of Gibson v. Cendyn Group

On May 8, 2024, Chief Judge Miranda Du of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada granted defendants’ motion to dismiss with prejudice the complaint in Gibson v. Cendyn Group, LLC, Docket No. 2:23-cv-00140-MMD-DJA, an antitrust case alleging that hotel operators on the Las Vegas Strip used algorithms to inflate room prices in violation of Section One of the Sherman Act. The court’s…

[mintmentos]

So no one wants to talk about that mistake huh

[keycomicbooks]

Spawn #1 (1992) Created by Todd Mcfarlane, 1st Appearances of Spawn, Sam & Twitch & Malebolgia, 1st Cameo Appearance of Jason Wynn, 2nd Title Published by Image Comics

#Spawn #1 (1992) Created by #ToddMcfarlane, 1st Appearances of #Spawn, #SamAndTwitch & #Malebolgia, 1st Cameo Appearance of #JasonWynn, 2nd Title Published by #ImageComics "Questions, Part One" While a strange assailant stalks the city, ripping out human hearts, another otherworldly being arrives. As his mind reels, our tortured hero remembers that he struck a deal with the devil in order to return to his beloved wife - five years after his death. The man who was Al Simmons is no more. He has become Spawn. https://www.rarecomicbooks.fashionablewebs.com/Spawn.html#1 @rarecomicbooks Website Link In Bio Page If Applicable. SAVE ON SHIPPING COST - NOW AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL PICK UP IN DELTONA, FLORIDA #KeyComicBooks #ImageUniverse

[elizadraws]

Bulgarian Music in Studio Ghibli films

”Myth has it that Orpheus was born in what is now Bulgaria. It seemed to be fact, not myth, that his daughters are still singing there”

These words were written by the New York Times in the remote 1963 — the year in which the largest Bulgarian folk ensemble crossed the Iron Curtain to conquer an entire continent with its cosmic art.

The 1975 release of Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, a compilation album of modern arrangements of Bulgarian folk songs, further popularized Bulgarian music, and in 1977, a vinyl record featuring the folk song “Izlel ye Delyo Haydutin” (Eng: Come out rebel Delyo) began its journey aboard the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecrafts.

From this point on popularity from the West spread to the East, and Bulgarian folk music made it to the entertainment industry, including legendary Japanese anime films, like the cult cyberpunk “Ghost in the Shell” or the heartwarming Studio Ghibli features.

In this short article I write about two occasions of Bulgarian music playing in Studio Ghibli’s films.

The record that inspired the creation of “Only Yesterday”

“Only Yesterday” is a 1991 Japanese animated drama film written and directed by Isao Takahata, based on the 1982 manga of the same title by Hotaru Okamoto and Yuko Tone. Set in rural Japan, the film draws parallels with the peasant lifestyle present in Eastern Europe.

The original work is a compilation of short stories about 11-year-old Taeko’s daily life in 1966. Director Takahata had a hard time making it into a movie since the manga, told in the form of a memoir, has no plot to hold a feature. Together with producer Toshio Suzuki, they came up with the solution of bringing the narrator of the story, adult Taeko, into the movie. But there is a curious anecdote about how this idea came to mind.

Taeko picks safflower as the Bulgarian song “Malka moma dvori mete” plays in the background. © Studio Ghibli

In a 2021 interview with students from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, producer Suzuki recounts how a record of Bulgarian songs performed by the children choir “Bodra Smyana”, introduced to him by director Takahata, inspired the creation of the movie. Moved by the cosmic voices of the children, they decided to make “Only Yesterday” a musical. He also recalls what a tiring process it was to acquire the rights to the music, but if you’ve seen the movie, I am sure you will agree that it was worth it; the haunting, beautiful songs with the pastoral images of farmers picking flowers contribute to one of the greatest scenes created in cinema.

Producer Suzuki showing the record that inspired the creation of ”Only Yesterday”. Source: Studio Ghibli’s Twitter

In “Only Yesterday”, we can hear two songs from the album Bulgarian Polyphony I by Philip Koutev Ensemble. The upbeat “Dilmano Dilbero” [Eng. beautiful Dilmana] sets a happy mood as the protagonist gets changed and ready to go on the field. As the scene shifts and Taeko starts narrating a sad story about the girls in the past picking safflower with their bare hands, the song and mood shift as well.

While the first song has a fast rhythm, with lyrics about pepper planting that can also be interpreted figuratively, the second one, “Malka Moma Dvori Mete” [Eng., a little girl sweeps the yard], is a ballad about a young girl who is forced into marriage but has never known true love.

Both compositions sing about life-cycle events like marriage and the regular coming of the harvests, with lyrics perfectly fitting the setting and plot of the movie, which makes me wonder if the filmmakers chose them by chance or if they had someone translate the words.

Bulgarian Cosmic Voices Enchanting Howl

“Howl’s Moving Castle” is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, loosely based on the 1986 novel of the same name by British author Diana Wynne Jones. Set in a fictional kingdom the movie draws inspiration from various places in Europe. One of them being Bulgaria.

The story focuses on a young girl, named Sophie, magically transformed into an old woman, and a self-confident but emotionally unstable young wizard, Howl, living in a magical moving castle.

A sketch of a Star Child. Source: The Art of Howl’s Moving Castle

If you’ve seen the movie, you surely remember the scene when Madame Suliman ambushes Howl and tries to strip him of his magic powers. Star Children encircle him and his companions; their shadows grow big, dark and intimidating. They start dancing and chanting unintelligible magic words and are almost successful in their devilish act.

This scene, together with the music played in the background, have been a favourite of many fans of the film. Some even recount it giving them nightmares when they were children.

Star Children encircle Howl in an attempt to strip him of his magic powers. © Studio Ghibli

It turns out, however, that these aren’t any incantations, but the lyrics of a folk song. In Bulgarian. And a love song! Contrary to popular belief, the lyrics have nothing to do with magic and are actually about a boy taking his sweetheart, Dona, to the market to buy her new clothes. The excerpt used in the movie is very short and a bit altered from the original, but the words used go like this: Trendafilcheto, kalafercheto, Done mamino, translated as “the rose, the costmary, my darling Dona”.

I am planing a follow up article where I will post the translated lyrics together with a brief explanation on how they are related to the movies.

If you want to comment on or add something, I would love to hear!

Source

[vigilskeep]

can you talk about misinterpretations of wynne and zevran's dynamic??? i'm chewing on your analysis

i think it’s a very basic case of people simply taking what is said at face value, in a way that comes up a lot with your classic zevran misinterpretations and uhhh oversimplifications. zevran and wynne’s banters are full of his classic exaggerated flirtations. all of their banters hinge on this joke and they’re very funny. but i’m always mildly stunned when i see people taking that as... zevran actually literally just being horny AGSHSKKSKS

i don’t think people give zevran enough credit for how clever he is at dancing around the other companions. nobody ever really gets one up on him. i can think of one specific instance in banter where i do think something gets under his skin, which i think oghren of all people manages essentially by accident the one time he’s actually not really trying

anyway: wynne opens their first banter with “you must know that murder is wrong, i assume.” it’s very wynne; she makes a judgement and announces it as fact. zevran is slightly stunned by this and also how funny it is: “i’m sorry... are you speaking to me?” with this incredible disbelieving pause because, like, he’s the party assassin. but he’s also playing for time quickly on how to react to this out of nowhere. wynne then explains the simple narrative she’s constructed that joining the party is due to a crisis of conscience on zevran’s part about being an assassin. and zevran immediately jumps into exaggerated agreement, and once he gets a better idea, the first of his flirtations with her, until she gives up in exasperation. it’s an evasion tactic zevran is very, very good at and has been doing to you, the player, since his first appearance on screen. he wants to play on the characters he performs when they’re useful shields, whether it’s the victim or the flirt or what have you. but also always with that ironic air that he’s clearly doing a bit; there’s the charm of letting you in on a private joke, but also he needs everything to be a faintly ridiculous game to him, so he doesn’t have to be affected

zevran keeps this joke up for the full extent of his banters with wynne through the whole game, because he finds it wildly entertaining, of course, and because he has no interest in ever inviting the conversation she wants. he so badly doesn’t want to deal with her asking this that he decides to run this bit into the GROUND, and starts doing it pre-emptively to ward her off even after she stops trying to instigate the conversation. bc wynne may be a good way off the mark, and, ironically for someone wanting zevran to take this seriously, not able to imagine that his life and feelings may be more complex than assumed (absolutely classic spirit behaviour once again), but she is needling at his reasons for leaving the crows, which is the last thing wants to be honest with anyone about

making the assumption that zevran is flirting with wynne out of genuine interest is, to me, the same mistake as thinking zevran when you first meet the warden is flirting out of genuine interest. this is how he knows to stay alive. if he let his guard down, he’d be dead; if he wasn’t charming, he’d be dead; and if he ever stopped to dwell instead of being the “eternal optimist”, always instinctually grasping at one more chance to live another day, he’d be very, very dead. he’s not going to casually discuss vulnerabilities for someone else’s peace of mind and he definitely doesn’t have the kind of insecurity to need to explain himself to people who don’t know him or what they’re talking about. so, rogue evasion abilities activate! it’s time for him to dodge! which is what he spends the entire series of banters doing. but also he’s just still finding it funny throughout. she just gives him so much ammunition. it’s like taking candy from a baby. zevran loves an old and terrible joke repeated for several months solid, they age like wine to him

i also think wynne’s comments are a light jab at how zevran does get read by players. he’s not ashamed of being an assassin. there’s this great line in one of his dialogues with the warden that asks why he shouldn’t continue to do what he’s good at when so few have come by his skills “honestly”, as he believes he has. there’s a tendency to characterise him and characters like him as, ah, the guilt-ridden victim in need of a pure-hearted saviour to show him the light, etc etc, but that’s never been who he is. there’s no ending where he suddenly quits being an assassin lmao

[cornley-amateur-drama-society]

Oh my god, I also was thinking about damsel in distress!Chris when I wrote that last bit a;dlkfja;sdljf

I think that there are two ways it could go down, and by “it” I mean the cast getting him the FUCK out of dodge.

(Under a read more because I am the way I am)

Scenario A (Or, Suck Up and Hope It Works)

This method involves several key cast mates: Vanessa, Sandra, and Jonathan.

I'll start first, though, with why the other's didn't get picked.

Robert is, well, self-explanatory. His blasting the news of his and Celia's affair (and I choose to believe it was an affair, though one that Robert had been misled into thinking that Celia and Raymond were separated) on the radio for the whole nation… Yeah… He's out for this.

Dennis is out because I think that Celia and Raymond would have such strong conflicting feelings about him. On the one hand, they know how poorly Dennis acts on stage when it comes to his lines and cues, and so they see Chris helping him (staying after rehearsals, meeting up on the weekends, etc. back when they were younger and Chris was still at home full-time) as, awfully, a charitable thing that their only son is doing.

Look at him, helping this dreadful actor in a going-nowhere play. It's truly only because of our parenting that Chris could be so kind and patient. ← Raymond and Celia Bean being themselves and hubristic

But on the other hand, they see him as not worth Chris' time and talent. The more their son has to help him, the less time their son can work on his lines. Why does Chris even bother doing this, spending time with the sorry boy?

They see Dennis as both something to pity, but also something that grates against the very cores of their beings.

So, because of that, he's out.

Max is out because I cannot picture him seeing how Chris is treated, the subtle barbs and guilt-tripping, and not lashing out.

I have a headcanon that the Bennett family is very large, and so Max has a lot of cousins that are both close to his age and more like siblings to him. And he saw how one of his favorite cousins was being treated by her fiancé-at-the-time, so's he, uh. Ended it. The engagement. Forcibly.

I think that he's one of those people that is totally chill and go with the flow until they're not.

He would go off on Chris' parents with a very personal tone, and it would quickly get out of hand.

Trevor is the same, except he would be hostile from the moment he stepped foot on their property.

He's seen how Chris acts around his father, he's seen the way that he tenses at the sound of his mother going, “Chris, dear, this is acceptable, but…”

Trevor would be there ready to fight and take Chris out of the house forcibly.

Annie is the same.

Listen. I was stage crew for several years. You don't work backstage and not be ready to throw down at a moment's notice.

Now for the people who do get to go.

I believe in my mind and soul and heart and bones that Vanessa grew up in a similar environment to Chris.

Same middle-class upbringing where appearance is nearly everything, and accomplishments make up for what appearances may lack.

Vanessa's issues with her parents, however, are firmly with the fact that her Nan lived with them throughout Nessa's teenage years.

And Nana Margery was not a woman who lived through the War for nothing. Her words were cruel, coated in a veneer of advice. Her eye was discerning, picking out the slightest misstep, the slightest wrong breath at the wrong moment.

And Vanessa's parents?

Nana Margery was her Dad's Mum. He, though the “man of the house”, couldn't kerb his Mother's tongue.

And Vanessa's Mum was constantly working during this time for the very same reasons Vanessa hated her Nan.

But, Vanessa is an actress. She may have stage fright and trouble with improvising, but she can smile politely and say the right things and butter people up with the best of them.

She not only knows the battlefield to come, but she grew up in it. If she can do anything for Chris, it's this.

Sandra was chosen also due to her acting skills.

She didn't grow up in the same situation, but she knows how to improvise, how to pivot on a pinpoint, how to make a situation work for her (for the most part).

And she's got grit. She knows that Vanessa isn't unconfident, but she also knows that this situation is different from some random critic in the paper or coming up to them on the street.

So Sandra volunteers to go with Vanessa. She will refuse to be cowed by Celia's guilt-tripping comments, Raymond's snide remarks.

And Jonathan. He's chosen because he's so forgettable.

He is the cast's assurance that Chris will get out of Celia and Raymond's house.

While Sandra and Vanessa distract his parents, Jono is grabbing the overnight bag (that turned into an overweeks bag) and getting Chris to pack his things away.

He's getting Chris down the stairs and out the door, which he has Chris open for him.

(You know, given his history and all.)

Jono gets Chris in the car, his rucksack in the boot, and then is rejoining the group nonchalantly.

Oh dear, he'll say, faux worry in his voice.

I apologise for stepping out for so long. I was phoned by my ex, you see, and I have to leave to pick up my daughter from school.

He'll frown slightly, a lemon twist to his mouth, and look apologetically to Celia and Raymond, who are trying to cover their surprise at his presence. They had forgotten that the two women had another person in their party.

He'll shake Raymond's hand, perhaps slightly more firmly than he ought, and give the barest shake to Celia's hand, hating how limp it is. (He's not going to bow over it, fuck that noise.)

Well, we must be off now. I don't want to keep my little girl waiting, and I was these two lovely women's impromptu chauffeur.

And with a light chuckle, the three of them see themselves out, saying No, we insist, Mrs. Bean. Celia, of course. You shouldn't have to worry over seeing us out when Mr. Bean, Raymond, yes, I apologise. You shouldn't worry over seeing us out while Raymond needs you with him. Oh, to one day have a marriage like that.

Light smiles drop the moment they're no longer facing the Beans.

If Max and I ever become like that, hit us with your cars.

Gladly. Gods, that was awful… I nearly lost it on her, how she talked about Chris…

Who is currently in the car, so if you'd like to walk just the slightest bit faster so we can leave, that would be helpful.

Sandra sits up front in the passenger seat. Jonathan drives, and Vanessa is in the back, both of Chris' hands clutching onto hers.

She's doing the same, knuckles turning white. They both have a distance in their eyes, a certain vagueness to their expression, that Sandra and Jonathan just turn on the Satnav and make for Robert and Dennis' flat.

Sandra will get her chance to comfort Chris later.

Once the anger slowly rears its head in his ice-cold veins.

She will get the chance to curse his parents to the Ninth Circle of Hell and back, with Chris smiling quietly next to her. Both of them holding onto their own shite wine coolers because that's all that was in the flat.

(Trevor and Max are on an alcohol run. Dennis and Robert are sitting on either side of Vanessa, their presences grounding her. Jonathan is angrily making biscuits for them to eat. An interesting moment for nearly everyone to find out that he's a stress baker.)

(Annie shows up with takeaway Chinese, enough to feed an army, so that the group has something in their stomachs while they get pissed. If she snips the bags holding the food open a little too aggressively? Well, perhaps traffic was shite.)

(She walked to the restaurant. It's the opposite corner to the Grove-Tyde flat.)

nauseating thought for the day but how bad do you think the fallout would've been for chris if raymond had gotten injured on the set of the pilot (not the pilot)

[fookinhellcurlyyy]

Don't Panic, It's Just Another Monthly McDon't Sighting™ (Stunt Season Isn't Over Yet)

AKA: The Soccer Aid Promo Tour Disguised as Romance (Also, possibly the fake LT3 muse for the GP to pin on lol)

────────

I was debating on sharing this but I can already feel people would start asking about #McDon't in a bit (due to Zara's IGS indicating that she's at the Stereophonics show that L just posted).

I'm expecting at least one interaction per month leading up to Soccer Aid (and honestly, people should too—it might help ease the frustration when something does happen, because at this point, it's inevitable). I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I really believe they’re using this stunt to promote Soccer Aid this year, especially with L and Sam both participating.

Also, I think this is the best time to add this: just yesterday, @delicateperspective found a very curious article from Entertainment Daily which I also further looked into. Here's the one from The Sun:

(NOTE: Might either be related or unrelated—but still, CURIOUS.)

Long-serving celebrity booker Stefania Aleksander has left her full-time role after seven years, having also been mentioned in the BBC investigation into pro Giovanni Pernice’s alleged bullying of dance partner Amanda Abbington.

Stefania has been replaced by long-standing staffer Jasmine Fox and will now be working on ITV’s Soccer Aid.

But BBC sources insisted her departure as celebrity talent executive was not connected to any of these issues.

One told The Sun on Sunday: “Stefania worked on the series for a long time and she came under increasing pressure over the last couple of years.

“There was the fallout over Seann Walsh and Katya Jones being seen kissing, then the bust-up between Giovanni and Amanda, then the Graziano Di Prima and Zara McDermott kicking incident and finally the fallout over Wynne Evans making sexual comments.

A BBC Studios spokesman said: “Stefania remains a pivotal member of the Strictly production team, has already been involved with the upcoming series, and will return to work part-time on the show later in the summer.

“She stepped away from what is a full-time role to spend more time being a new mum and to suggest she has temporarily left Strictly for any other reason is false and unfair.”

TL;DR: Celeb booker Stefania left STRICTLY temporarily to "focus on being a mum" and work with SoccerAid for a bit. She will return to the show (to work part-time) late in the summer—possibly after wrapping up Soccer Aid.

You can see in Stefania's public linked in that she started working as a Celebrity Talent Executive for Soccer Aid 2025, and left BBC's Strictly Come Dancing this month (again, temporarily).

TERM DEFINITION:

(I'm too lazy to put it all together so thanks Google lol But this is basically what they do as per research)

Celebrity talent executives and talent bookers both work in the entertainment industry, but they have slightly different roles:

Celebrity Talent Executives focus on managing relationships with high-profile talent. They often handle negotiations, casting decisions, partnerships, and big-picture planning for events, shows, or campaigns. Their goal is to bring the right celebrity into the right project, aligning both creative and business goals.

Talent Bookers are responsible for securing celebrities or performers for appearances—like talk shows, award shows, festivals, or brand events. They reach out to representatives, coordinate schedules, and finalize logistics to ensure the talent actually shows up and fits the purpose of the event or production.

In short: Talent execs handle strategy and relationships, while bookers handle outreach and scheduling.

────────

I don’t think I need to elaborate on what the possible connection is—you probably already see what I'm getting at.

Bottom line: it's a very solid possible connection.

Take a breath, ignore the headlines (though yes, it’s being closely monitored—and wow, it’s messy lol, they can’t even get their stories or timelines straight), and just keep larrying on. It'll all be over soon.

[lestcat-de-lioncourt]

Thank you so much @rebel-revenant for tagging me so I can share my 9 books I plan to read in 2025, and share with you all a little bit about what kinds of literature interests me, deeply, queerly, and wholeheartedly.

My 9 books of 2025

The Vampire Chronicles hosting Interview With The Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and my beloved Queen of the Damned, out of the book series.

Well, need I explain? I think most of you know what these are about.

I'm going to be unfair and count this as 1 book, but technically, it is 3 books. I'll post my own of this one, I'm so proud of it! I own all these books also, though too.

Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Quin

The world of Earthsea is one of sea and islands: a vast archipelago of hundreds of islands surrounded by mostly uncharted ocean. Earthsea contains no large continents.

Magic is a central part of life in most of Earthsea; the exception being the Kargish lands, where it is forbidden. There are weather workers on ships, fixers who repair boats and buildings, entertainers, and court sorcerers. Magic is an inborn talent which can be refined with training. The most gifted are sent to the school on Roke, where, if their skill and discipline prove sufficient, they can become staff-carrying wizards.

Le Guin has stated that the idea of the Dry Land came from the "Greco-Roman idea of Hades' realm.

Dragons dragons dragons.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

18-year-old Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three sisters living in Market Chipping, a town in the magical kingdom of Ingary, where fairytale tropes are accepted ways of life, including that the eldest of three will never be successful.

As the eldest, Sophie is resigned to a dull future running the family hat shop. Unbeknownst to her, she is able to talk life into objects. When the powerful Witch of the Waste considers her a threat and turns her into an old crone, Sophie leaves the shop and finds work as a cleaning lady for the notorious wizard Howl. She strikes a bargain with Howl's fire demon, Calcifer: if she can break the contract between Howl and Calcifer, then Calcifer will return her to her original youthful form. Part of the contract, however, stipulates that neither Howl nor Calcifer can disclose the main clause, leaving Sophie to figure it out on her own.

Sophie learns that Howl, a rather self-absorbed and fickle but ultimately good-natured person, spreads malicious rumours about himself to avoid work and responsibility. The door to his castle is actually a portal that opens onto four places: Market Chipping, the seaside city of Porthaven, the royal capital of Kingsbury, and Howl's boyhood home in modern day Wales where he was named Howell Jenkins. Howl's apprentice Michael Fisher runs most of the day-to-day affairs of Howl's business, while Howl chases his ever-changing paramours.

Also, you may not know this, but Howl owns his own Welsh Rugby shirt aside from all the other magical clothes he is known to wear, a personal funny of mine I discovered the first time I read it.

Castle In The Air by Diana Wynne Jones

Castle in the Air follows the adventures of Abdullah, a handsome young carpet salesman from Zanzib, who daydreams constantly about being a stolen prince. One day a strange traveler comes to his stand to sell a magic carpet.

The carpet takes them up to Howl's castle, where they meet abducted princesses and plot with them to escape the flying moving castle. Led by Abdullah, they overpower the two Djinn, freeing Hasruel, who banishes his brother. Flower-in-the-Night had by then wished the Genie free, who turned out to be Sophie's husband and little Morgan's father, the topmost-level wizard Howl Pendragon.

House Of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones

When Charmain is caught up in an intense royal search to remedy the kingdom's financial troubles, she encounters Sophie Pendragon, her son Morgan, a beautiful child named Twinkle, and their fire demon Calcifer. One of the messes Twinkle gets Charmain into results in Twinkle climbing onto the roof of the Royal Mansion. She is soon involved in curing the kingdom of its ills and rediscovering the long-lost mystical Elfgift.

Brother to the Sun King: Philippe duc d'Orléans by Nancy Nichols Barker

"In battle, he fought with legendary valour . . . At court, dressed in silks and ribbons, he openly favoured his male lovers . . . Despised but feared by his brother, he was the perpetual loser in a lifelong sibling rivalry . . . "Philippe, brother of Louis XIV, might have been a prince of great renown in the service of the king―had the king only shown him his faith and trust. . . . This is an excellent book. I congratulate the author on a work that is objective and of high quality." Henry, Count of Paris

Robert Sheehan: Disappearing Act

Informed by the author's peripatetic life, Disappearing Act reflects on the absurdity of human behaviour. Sheehan delves deep into his characters' streams of self-talk and self-imposed delusions, exploring the dark impulses that lurk below the shiny surfaces of many outwardly normal lives.

Spooky North Carolina retold by S. E. Schlosser

The spirit of a railroad flagman shines his lantern along the tracks near Maco, where he lost his head in a train accident. The ghost of a girl haunts the grave robbers who stole her corpse to use in a college medical department. And in a swamp outside Smithfield, a grisly mass hanging is re-created on dark nights. All this and much more!

-

And because one of my cats was very cute to this particular book, I'll share another photo as it was near enough for me to just grab:

Blood and Gold by Anne Rice

Once a proud Senator in Imperial Rome, kidnapped and made a blood god by the Druids, Marius becomes the embittered protector of Akasha and Enkil, Queen and King of the vampires, in whom the core of the supernatural race resides. We follow him through his heartbreaking abandonment of the vampire Pandora.

No pressure tags: @heroinecomplication @bitchywillgraham @lestatmonamour @sarcastic-clapping @gnc-lestat @lestatmonamour @xxdrowninglessonsxx @capricornsun-queen @monsterfucker-molloy @lestatbratposting @lestats-groupie @louisdulac @devilsminionworlddomination

[justcallmecappy]

One of the criticisms I've seen DA players have in response to Anders' actions at the Kirkwall Chantry is some degree of, 'his actions forced innocent mages into a war they had no choice whether or not they wanted to be involved in'.

What a lot of these players seem to miss is this: The mages were already involved. They have been involved since childhood, when their magic manifested.

If you are born a mage in Southern Thedas, you are marked. The Templars will find you, or your neighbors who were conditioned by the Chantry to fear magic will turn you in, and you are brought to the Circle where you are at risk of Tranquility, or Annulment, and subjected to a Harrowing. Your children born to you in the Circle will be taken from you to be raised in a Chantry orphanage (like Wynne's child was). You are not allowed to get married, or start a family, or own land. You are not allowed to leave your Circle ever, unless conscripted to fight in the army (like in the Fifth Blight) or fulfilling some whim or need of those in power (like Malcolm Hawke being made to entertain nobles at a party). You might be thrown into the dungeon and left to starve to death, like the mage child Cole (and other mage apprentices of the White Spire) did. You are at risk of physical and sexual abuse, like the mages of the Gallows were.

Innocent mages were already involved. They were already being killed, they were already fighting for their lives for centuries since the inception of Circles, long before Anders' actions.

Also, in the case of the Gallows specifically, Knight-Commander Meredith had already called for the Annulment as early as the beginning/mid of Act 3. The mages' lives were already in danger, even before the Chantry was destroyed.

Anders tried for six years to make people listen and show how magic is not meant to be feared and can be used for good -- by publishing a manifesto, by providing free magical healthcare in Darktown -- to bring people's attention to the plight of mages and change things for the better. It took the imminent threat of his people being slaughtered wholesale for him to resort to what is aptly titled 'The Last Straw'.

If players want to blame anyone for subjecting mages to a conflict they did not want, look no further than the Chantry and their system of exploitation and oppression over the mages. Put blame on the Chantry for forcing mages into lives they did not choose, and asserting methods of culling and control over them, simply for how they were born. It was the Chantry that gave them no choice whether or not they had a say in staying alive or dying.

And if DA players would still say that the mages could have tried for a more "peaceful route" to alleviate their circumstances (despite seeing how Anders' manifesto, his Darktown clinic, and years of trying to negotiate with Elthina failed and Meredith was calling for Annulment anyway): very rarely do the oppressed win change by pandering to the morals of their oppressors.

Innocent mages were already suffering and being murdered in droves, for centuries. Innocent mages were already involved in this struggle, whether they wanted to be or not. And Anders' actions at the Chantry was like a rallying cry: If we're going to die anyway, then I'd rather die trying to take them down than giving them what they want.

(Also, I have not yet gone into detail on what actually started the mage-templar war, which was the Seekers hiding the cure for Tranquility, and Lord Seeker Lambert's decision to dissolve the Nevarran accord and take the Templars hunting for the free mages across the countryside because he decided dead mages were better than free mages -- because that's a whole separate post.)

[citizenscreen]

Vaudevillian and star of the Ziegfeld Follies, Ed Wynn, became the first entertainer to sign a radio contract #OnThisDay in 1922.

[vintagelasvegas]

Construction of Fremont Street Experience, c. November 1994

Photo by Pam G.

Facing a stagnant economy and fearing that mega-resort projects on the Strip would further drain visitors to downtown casinos, Las Vegas City Council and downtown casino execs collaborated to create an attraction downtown which would become Fremont Street Experience (FSE).

Timeline of Fremont Street Experience

'91: Feb., Mirage Resorts chairman Steve Wynn suggests Venice-style canal attraction for Fremont St. Jul., City council forms committee to study downtown revitalization.

'92: Jan., Downtown Progress Association hears redevelopment proposals from three firms, rejects all. Apr., City begins purchasing property for future development use. Jun., Architect Jon Jerde presents plan for Fremont Street Experience.

'93: May, LVCVA approves $8M funding for FSE. Aug., City Council approves tax increase for financing the construction. Nov., City begins procedures to condemn property of owners who refuse to vacate on 400 block of Fremont St.

'94: Mar./Apr., Demolition of south 400 block Fremont St (Block 35, Clark Townsite) for the FSE Parking Garage, the end of a protracted battle which included the City of Las Vegas filing eminent domain actions against property owners.

'94: Sep. 7, Fremont St closed to traffic, and construction begins.

'95: Jul., Construction completed. Inaugurated Dec. 14.

'95: Nov., FSE Parking Garage opens.

2004: The canopy's 2 million incandescent bulbs replaced with 12.5 million LED lamps. The new light show dubbed Viva Vision debuts Jun. 14.

2010: Oct., Temporary zip-line from 4th St to Casino Center begins operating, continues through 2013

2013: Mar., Construction of the 120-foot Slotzilla platform begins; conceived and designed by Contour Entertainment.

2014: Apr. 17, Slotzilla lower zip-line opened. Upper zip-line opens Aug. 31.

2019: The Viva Vision display is rebuilt with 49 million LED lamps, competed Dec. 31. The new canopy can operate in daylight hours.

2020: Mar., Opening of the "Historic sign" on the west side of FSE facing Main St and Plaza Hotel.

Demolition of Fremont & 4th (block 35), 1994. City of Las Vegas acquired the businesses on this block, partly through eminent domain, and demolished everything to make way for the Fremont Street Experience parking garage. Last building standing is Cornet 5-10-15 (401 Fremont). Photo taken from the garage of Fitzgerald’s Hotel & Casino by Roadsidepictures.

Section of scale model of Fremont Street Experience. Photographed Dec. 15, 1994, by Greg Cava. A 22-foot long scale model of Fremont Street Experience was built at the office of Atlandia Design, which supervised the creation of the attraction. Greg Cava Photograph Collection (PH-00399). UNLV Special Collections and Archives.

The “Vegas Vic” sign re-installed at Pioneer Club, December 23, 1994 - Photo by Las Vegas News Bureau. The sign was removed days earlier while the platform was extended from the building and the character’s hat was shortened, to accommodate the construction of the Fremont Street Experience canopy. The “Vegas Vickie” sign at Glitter Gulch casino was also lowered to fit under the canopy. Before the work was done on the two signs, a marriage ceremony was held on Fremont St for Vic and Vickie. Vic’s best man was Vaughn Cannon of YESCO. Guest of honor was Edna Sherrill who had played a “Vegas Vickie” character as a hostess at Pioneer Club in the 60s.

Sources include: Creative thinking needed downtown. Review-Journal, 2/25/91; H. Stutz. Wynn proposes Venice-style downtown project. Review Journal, 5/21/91; J. Gallant. Council, casinos plan revamp panel. Review-Journal, 7/18/91; C. Scarbrough. City, casino execs discuss three themes. Review-Journal, 1/30/92; C. Scarbrough. Megaresort projects threat to downtown. Review-Journal, 1/31/92; C. Scott. “Tourists to pick up most of project tab.” Las Vegas Sun, 4/17/94. S. McKinnon. “Downtown celebrates neon nuptial.” Review Journal, 12/17/94. Chris Jones. A vision of things to come. Review-Journal, 6/9/04; Richard Velotta. Fremont Street Experience adds zip line attraction. Las Vegas Sun, 10/14/2010; Buck Wargo. Planned zipline unmistakably Las Vegas. Review-Journal, 11/28/2012; F. Andrew Taylor. Tourists take flight. Review-Journal, 4/29/2014; Oliver Lovat. How Downtown Las Vegas Came Together in Crisis and Created Transformative Legacies. Pub. on LinkedIn, 2/24/2025.

[mageknife]

oc tag game! tagged by @cacturne @mournmage and @vanilladella in the span of like 10 minutes lmao <3. here are all four of my main worldstate guys

(god he looks awful ingame i promise he's hotter than this)

Name: Laevis Tabris

Alias: “The Red Wolf of Denerim” (Shianni started this after the Blight and it stuck), Hero of Ferelden, Warden-Commander Tabris

Gender: Wolfboy (he/him)

Sexual Orientation: Gay

Age: 21 at the start of Origins

Spoken Language: Trade, just a little bit of Elven

Occupation: Petty thief (former), Fereldan Warden-Commander (allegedly), Zevran's husband (mostly), Friend of Red Jenny (when the mood strikes)

FAVORITE:

Color: Cobalt blue

Entertainment: Having sex, humiliating nobles

Pastime: Target practice, hunting, spending time with his dog/wolf/bear

Food: Venison stew

Drink: Water. Hydration is important for staying on top of his game

HAVE THEY:

Passed university: Never even went near one until Broken Circle

Had sex: At least once a day at this point

Had sex in public: Frequently, he gets off on it

Gotten tattoos: No

Gotten piercings: He has three earrings in his left ear

Gotten scarred: So very much. The biggest one is where he lost his right eye to a werewolf, but he has battle scars all over his body

Had a broken heart: A little, with Alistair, but that's his own fault so he doesn't really count it

ARE THEY:

A cuddler: Not as much as Zevran is, but he won't object

Scared easily: No. The only thing he's really scared of is the Calling

Jealous easily: No. He and Zevran have a physically open relationship and often sleep with other people or share, but he doesn't have any doubt in his mind that they've committed their hearts to each other

Trustworthy: Yes, especially after the Blight. He didn't always follow through before, but after what happened with Alistair, he's less flaky

FAMILY:

Parents/siblings: Cyrion, Soris, and Shianni. He considers Wynne not quite a mother, but maybe an aunt of some kind

Children: Unlikely

Pets: His mabari (Shianni), wolf (Soris), and bear (Cyrion). He always cared for the stray dogs and cats in the alienage and gave them names, but he doesn't consider them his pets. Also Arum and Anders's many cats since they share a house

Name: Arum Hawke

Alias: Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall

Gender: Genderfluid boygirl girlboy (he/she)

Sexual Orientation: Gay

Age: 23 at the start of DA2

Spoken Language: Trade

Occupation: Spirit healer, rebel mage, therapist, abomination

FAVORITE:

Color: Rose pink

Entertainment: Playing cards, hosting dinners

Pastime: Cooking, baking, giving hugs, telling Anders how much he loves him, neglecting his own needs to care for other people

Food: Lemon cake with strawberries and cream, fresh bread with goat cheese, roasted zucchini and peppers

Drink: Hot chocolate mixed with cinnamon whiskey

HAVE THEY:

Passed university: No (apostate)

Had sex: A lot

Had sex in public: No

Gotten tattoos: He got his very prominent face tattoos to make himself look less like his father and it didn't even work

Gotten piercings: Not for a long time, but Zevran pierces his ears when he starts exploring his gender

Gotten scarred: He has some little scars here and there from jumping in front of his allies in fights, but he's a skilled enough healer that most of his wounds haven't scarred

Had a broken heart: Not romantically, but Leandra's death shattered his heart

ARE THEY:

A cuddler: Extremely, he'll give you the best hug you've ever had and not let go

Scared easily: More than he'd admit. He's terrified of not being enough for the people he loves

Jealous easily: Not jealous, but very protective

Trustworthy: The most trustworthy person you'll ever meet

FAMILY:

Parents/siblings: He's a Hawke

Children: Not of his own, but he helps teach and take care of formerly Tranquil children

Pets: The family mabari, Buttercup. He used to have a cat named Lily in Lothering, but Leandra made him get rid of her. Once he and Anders settle down, they take in a stupid number of stray cats (and keep very careful tabs on all of them, and they all have ridiculous names)

Name: Mullein Lavellan

Alias: Inquisitor (unwanted), Herald of Andraste (wanted even less), Ambassador Lavellan

Gender: Effeminate twink (he/him)

Sexual Orientation: Gay

Age: 24 at the start of Inquisition

Spoken Language: Fluent in Trade, Elven, Orlesian, Nevarran, and Antivan; studying Ancient Elven, Tevene, Ancient Tevene, Dwarven, Ander, Rivaini, and Avvar. He's a bit of a language nerd

Occupation: First to Keeper Deshanna Lavellan (formerly), Inquisitor (begrudgingly), Friend of Red Jenny, Imperial Ambassador to the South (post-Veilguard), honorary Shadow Dragon because Mae adores him

FAVORITE:

Color: Pine green

Entertainment: Reading, studying necromancy and history and languages, pranking people with Sera, chess

Pastime: Mostly reading as well, clinging to Dorian like a barnacle

Food: Miso soup

Drink: Green tea or white wine, depending on the day

HAVE THEY:

Passed university: Not in a Circle, but he got an A+ in Dalish mage

Had sex: Plenty, even before Dorian. Much more than one would guess

Had sex in public: He's given more blowjobs in the Hinterlands than would probably be wise

Gotten tattoos: On top of his vallaslin, he gets a lot of tattoos between Trespasser and Veilguard, including but not limited to a vine of ivy up his left arm, a mullein plant on his right shoulder, a willow tree and ornamental leaves on his chest, a skull on his right thigh, a snake on his left thigh going from his knee to his dick (Dorian had feelings about this one when he first saw it), and an assortment of decorative patterns and flowers

Gotten piercings: He has a few ear piercings and nipple piercings, has debated getting more but he hasn't done it

Gotten scarred: Well, he lost his arm to the Anchor, if that counts. He also gets a scar across his nose doing Jenny work at some point

Had a broken heart: Dorian leaving for Tevinter and telling everyone else before him came damn close

ARE THEY:

A cuddler: Yes, but only with Dorian and Sera

Scared easily: Yes, he's been scared his entire life

Jealous easily: Yes, and he desperately wishes he wasn't

Trustworthy: Yes, unless you're Solas

FAMILY:

Parents/siblings: He was the 5th of 9 siblings (8 sisters), they're all dead now though

Children: None

Pets: None

Name: Vervain Mercar

Alias: V (everyone calls him this except Emmrich and Varric), Rook (Varric tried so hard to make it stick but it didn't)

Gender: Faggot (he/him)

Sexual Orientation: Gay

Age: Roughly 34 at the start of Veilguard based on his best estimation, but he doesn't know for sure. He could be anywhere between 33 and 36

Spoken Language: Trade, Tevene, Ancient Tevene. Not a single word of Elven

Occupation: Thief, murderer, various other kinds of criminal, accidental babysitter, renegade mage, Shadow Dragon

FAVORITE:

Color: Blood red

Entertainment: Sex, drugs, alcohol, whatever the Minrathous equivalent of warehouse raves would be

Pastime: Sex, drugs, and alcohol as well. Also reading Tevene poetry, wanton destruction of property, and annoying Tarquin

Food: Anything spicy, the more painful the better

Drink: Whatever hits the best middle ground between strongest and cheapest

HAVE THEY:

Passed university: No, he taught himself magic

Had sex: So, so much

Had sex in public: Probably more than in private

Gotten tattoos: He has a decorative tattoo under his left eye that he got just for aesthetic reasons and a tattoo of a serpent and dragon on his left arm because he's Tevinter and it looks sick as fuck

Gotten piercings: So many. Four on his left ear (one got torn out, so only three now), five on his right ear, right eyebrow, nose, angel bites, two lip piercings, nipples, belly button, dick. He's definitely not stopping there

Gotten scarred: He has a massive lightning scar up the right side of his body and face from a fight against two Venatori magisters that went south, a nick in his left ear from where his old piercing ripped it, and miscellaneous scars all over from the fights he can't stop getting into

Had a broken heart: He told a man he loved him at 19 and then never again until Emmrich, so

ARE THEY:

A cuddler: Yes, he shows his affection physically more than anything else

Scared easily: No. It takes a lot to scare him, and it's only happened once in recent memory, when Neve was taken by Elgar'nan

Jealous easily: Extremely, even though Emmrich promises him that there's nothing to worry about

Trustworthy: He claims that he's not, but he's steadfastly loyal if he cares about you

FAMILY:

Parents/siblings: His parents abandoned him as a child and he doesn't remember them. No biological siblings, but for all intents and purposes Neve is his sister

Children: He definitely should never have any of his own, but he has Manfred, and he always looks out for the younger street kids in Dock Town

Pets: The most fucked-up black cat you've ever seen that he found in a Dock Town alley. Her name is Baklava, she doesn't like him, and he would kill for her

idk who to tag i'm scared . @tytoalbatross and anyone else who wants to do this and hasn't yet