#Benedict really is such a cool character and I really really love the way this design was developed

[triangle-strategy-notes]

Benedict concept art! Translation notes under the cut, text versions of the captions in the alt text.

I ended up having some mix-ups with the words "Benedict" and "Utility" because Benedict's name and the word that was eventually translated as "Utility" are really similar. "Utility" is ベネフィット, and the characters are pronounced phonetically as "Be ne fu ~i tto" (i.e. a direct Japanese spelling of the English word "benefit"). Benedict is ベネディクト, and the characters are phonetically pronounced as "Be ne de ~i ku to". There's a solid chance I made some mistakes throughout the pages on which word I was supposed to use, but they're both referring to Benedict either way.

On a related note, there was one place (the note about the gun being able to fold) where I made "utility" lowercase. Japanese doesn't have capital letters, so that was just sort of a guess at what version of the word they meant.

"The neck muscles are hidden" was one that I couldn't make sense of. I'm sure there was something about neck/muscles, but the sentence (as far as I can tell) is something like "Hudan muscles of the neck," so I'm not really sure what it's supposed to say in its entirety. I'm going with the idea that Hudan was a slightly-off phonetic spelling of "hidden," but I might be completely wrong.

The word for "squeaky clean" was lit. defined as an onomatopoeia for scrubbing (ゴシゴシ or "gon gon"). I couldn't think of a good English equivalent that sounded nice within the sentence, so I went with "squeaky clean" instead, since I think that was essentially the meaning they were going for.

"Looks like father..." might have had some nuance that I didn't manage to get down. The word for father was probably something more like "the father of this household" but it wasn't super clear. The overall meaning I took away from it was, "Serenoa looks like the Wolffort family father," but that wasn't really the wording they used, so I decided to just leave it vague.

There's some text in the tiny little box at the bottom of the expressions page that I wrote as "From the setting." The actual text seemed to be shorthand for something, and I wasn't exactly sure what the intention was. It might have meant "this is a style that fits within the setting [of Norzelia]," or it might have meant something more like, "this was from the original setting up of Benedict's character." There's also just a chance it meant something entirely different--I feel pretty unsure about this one.

#triangle strategy #triangle strategy artbook #ts artbook character ref sheets #benedict pascal #erador ballentine #symon wolffort #benedict with a gun........ #also. dang. can't tell you how much the name stuff messed me up. #I kept going 'oh huh wonder why they didn't give him a codename' #'must have really liked the name benedict I guess' #don't know if I'm out of practice or what but this one was a doozy! #edit: WAIT I forgot to add a tag about that Benedict crying note #I am shaking Naoki Ikushima's hand vigorously #Benedict really is such a cool character and I really really love the way this design was developed

[victimsofyaoipoll]

Round 3

Propaganda Under Cut

Joan Watson

How were BBC Sherlock shippers so rancid about a WOMAN who wasnt even in the SAME SHOW?????

Martin Freeman of BBC Sherlock insulted Elementary and specifically Lucy Liu in the press. He straight up called Lucy Liu a "dog" in an interview APPARENTLY as a joke, because calling female actors ugly is hilarious. Benedict Cumberbatch was more measured about it, but he still said he was cynical about Elementary because it would lose the "male friendship" dynamic, which of course Johnlock shippers used against Joan Watson fans. Even the lead BBC Sherlock actors got in on the yaoi victimization of Joan Watson... 😔

she wasn't even in the same SHOW as the yaoi I've been convinced she deserves to win the entire poll. I was a Johnlocker but I did watch the first season of Elementary and it was fine????? It was totally okay????? Especially in hindsight given how hard Sherlock season four flopped. Also Lucy Liu is a queen and deserved zero vitriol for *checks notes* playing a character???? A fucking fictional character???????? Oh my god we were all SO mean to this show and we (or at least I) thought it was like The Good Fight™️, like we were defending BBC Sherlock against copyright infringement and straightwashing and Jonny Lee Miller's bizarre scarf, (it wasn't a good scarf I do stand by that) but then Elementary didn't make Holmes and Watson a couple either???? And also it didn't insult its audience constantly etc etc we've all seen the Hbomberguy Sherlock is Garbage video. This is really long sorry hashtag justice for Joan Watson

Nyota Uhura

She's Spock's canon partner in AOS, and I get it because they're not a great couple, but she gets villianized in fic so much. They constantly make her an asshole (which totally has nothing to do with her being black /sarcasm) and abusive just for the crime of dating a man headcanoned as gay. And I mean, I think Spock is gay and her being a love interest was unnecessary but still! She's cool!

Oh my god so in the Star Trek reboot she’s Spock’s girlfriend and the fandom has no idea what to do with her??? Like she is ALWAYS either such a bitch or like the mom friend? And there is so much more to her character than that? But they always break down her character AND find a quick and easy way to break up her and Spock. I’m not even mad at that but at least treat their relationship with some weight instead of just being like ‘it never mattered’. People can love multiple people throughout the course of their lives. You know that right? Just because you loved someone before doesn’t make your new love any less special. And even headcanoning Spock as gay… you realize he doesn’t need to be attracted to Uhura for their relationship to have mattered, right? Even if he confused friendship for romantic attraction, him feeling such strong friendship and openly expressing it is so monumental for him!!! 

she's dating Spock, who people ship with Kirk, so fans have decided that it's horrible writing and "really, they're just defending her, the movies turned her into just a love interests," which is not at all true. The movies do so much more for her to the point that the fans who have only seen the movies think that the main characters are Kirk, Spock, and Uhura instead of the Kirk, Spock, McCoy of the original series. Also having a black women being shown as being desired and loved in mainstream media, particularly by one of the most popular characters of all time, is a good thing, not making her "just a love interest"

#round 3 #poll #joan watson #cbs elementary #elementary #nyota uhura #star trek #star trek aos

[fayes-fics]

Stand & Deliver

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

Summary: Roleplaying highwayman with Benedict

Warnings: 18+ smut, minors DNI, consenting-non-consent (CNC) play, gunplay, gags, handjob, dirty talk, exhibitionism, a touch of breathplay, slightly rough vaginal sex. Staged robbery, fake threats, husband and wife very much in love roleplaying. Kinda romantic too tbh.

Word Count: 2.1k

Authors Note: Soo, to get my smut muse going, I played a drabble roulette wheel game. I got Regency + Benedict + Roleplay… and instantly Highwayman popped into my head. So uh yeah, sorry. This isn’t a drabble. Dedicated to @eleanor-bradstreet. Enjoy! <3

The oak bark is rough against your shoulder blades as he presses you bodily into the tree trunk. A cooling breeze rustles the leaves and ruffles the tendrils of hair around your ears, almost a balm against your flushed skin. 

“Please, sir, please do not,” you plead, playing up. 

His hand, gloved in black leather, is grasping the golden locket you wear long around your neck, his knuckles resting on your cleavage as he does so, sending your thoughts haywire and your chest heaving under his touch.

“It was a gift from my beloved husband,” you add breathily, pointedly, for his benefit.

His eyes flash, framed by a simple black mask, slipping effortlessly into the role he has assigned himself. “Oh really, and where is he now?” his voice low, leaning in and running his nose up the column of your neck, inhaling deeply as you turn your head, biting your lip, fighting to conceal the very real gallop of desire in your veins. “Not here to defend his fair lady?” he adds mockingly.

This is a game—your husband, one Benedict Bridgerton, roleplaying highway robber. Swinging out of your carriage on this country lane near your cottage, paying your footmen handsomely to look the other way while he stages a late-night ‘robbery’, brandishing his empty duelling pistol as he hauls you from said vehicle and holds you ‘hostage’.

“It would appear not,” you reply with a faux tremor in your voice.

“Well, more’s the pity, pretty one,” he sighs, then scrapes his teeth along the edge of your jaw. “This trinket, while nice, is not nearly enough to make this robbery worthwhile,”

“But sir,” you protest weakly, “it is all I have to give you.”

He chuckles darkly, and the hand drops the locket, smears heavily down your dress, and lewdly cups between your legs through the cloth, making you gasp and squirm on his fingers.

“Oh, I do not think that is at all true….,” he rumbles, smirking deadly as he rocks his middle finger expertly over your throbbing clit, making you whimper,  “....do you?”

“Please, sir, no, take my locket, not me…” you pant, very much lying through your teeth now. You know he can feel your heat and dampness through the gauzy layer, your underwear discarded in the carriage before this charade so much as began.

“And what, pray tell me, would stop me from taking both?” his question with a touch of menace that is entirely believable as he continues to tease your swollen bud.

You glance apprehensively over at your footmen, steadfastly averting their gaze as they stand with the moonlit carriage about thirty feet away. His smirk grows wider, but that is all your husband, not the highwayman. 

“Oh please, wife, have we not fucked in our carriage countless times?” he whispers, breaking character.

“Yes, but that is unseen,” you hiss as he raises a sardonic eyebrow. “Well, mostly.” you modify.

“It’s certainly not unheard,” he huffs bemused.

“Hush, husband. Alright. Get back to being a dastardly highwayman, please,” you pout theatrically.

He takes a half-step backwards, his face morphing into sharp contours as he pulls the unloaded duelling pistol from the front of his britches. Slowly, he drags the cold metal barrel down your breastbone until it catches against the top of your locket, the metal tinking together. Your inhale is ragged, the sheer thrill coursing through your body of being held at ‘gunpoint’.

“Sir, please, no, do not,” you implore louder, ramping up your distress, your hands scrambling over the rough tree near your hips, digging your nails into its sharp grooves.

The hand not holding the gun clamps over your mouth, the leather glove creaking slightly around his flexed fingers. 

“Shhhh,” he warns, pressing into you again so you can feel something else in his britches that is steely but by no means cold. “This will be much more pleasant for you if you stay quiet and do as you are told.”

Something hot and molten bursts behind your ribs. This. He always knows exactly how to make you weak at the knees.

“Please don't hurt me,” your mewl muffled under his palm.

“If you behave, pretty thing, I will let you go unharmed,” he avows, the hand clamped over your mouth, slipping to trace the swell of your breast. “Can you do that for me?”

You nod with pleading eyes to affirm as an entirely wicked lopsided grin claims his face.

“Good girl.”

He drags the gun up over your collarbone until it is pressed to the underside of your chin.

“Undo my britches,” he orders with a sinister tone. 

You inhale sharply as if horrified, even as you feel something trickle down your inner thigh. Reaching forward with trembling fingers, you do as bidden, pulling open the buttons of his trousers until the front of them relents. As ever, he is without undergarments, and his cock stands proud of his body.

“Take me in hand,” he adds gruffly.

You obediently wrap your fingers around his cock, hot and rigid, and pump with your fist as he growls, the gun barrel pressing into your skin as his hand squeezes your breast in syncopated rhythm with your hand. Even though he is partially obscured behind his simple black masquerade mask, you can still see every expression on his handsome face as you do his bidding, a slight growl under his breath with each stroke you make.

“What will you do now, sir?” you ask, biting your lip, acting up as if afraid but aching for him to be inside you.

The gun withdraws as he grabs your dress with both hands, rapidly tugging up the hem, the sound of delicate silk tearing as he does so. He bats your hand away from his cock and hauls your right leg over his arm. Before you can so much as take a calming breath, he is nudging your folds, the sound of metal hitting the ground as he drops the gun and grasps your left hip in an almost painful hold. 

You cry out as he thrusts up and fills you swiftly. It’s an overwhelming sensation heightened by the night chill swirling around your thighs and the sight, over your husband's shoulder, of the footman stock still and unwatching as you fuck right there against a tree.

Your foot curls around the back of his thigh where he holds it up, and you moan as he starts to move. It’s not gentle, snapping his hips harshly and oiling you down to spear his cock to your hilt with each stroke, causing that good ache, the one that pulls like a string between your hips from the inside, so utterly spellbinding in its intensity. 

The bark scratches into your skin as he takes you without mercy; all you can do is cling on. His wool jacket is soft under your fingernails where you scratch down his back,  wrapping your arms tight around him, playing as if fighting him even as the truth couldn't be more the opposite. Craving this and him, uncaring of the audience you have. 

His gloved hand is back around your throat as he snarls in your ear. “Don't bother trying to call for help; no one is coming to rescue you from me, pretty one,”

“Please…,” you murmur, pretending to be upset when you are the opposite; you want to bite him, leave marks on him for how thoroughly he is fucking you.

When he changes angle, your eyes roll, and you hiss at the sensation. Cursing quietly under your breath as he preens, so very proud he can do this to you. 

“What is in your locket, pretty thing?” He gusts in your ear.

“It is a lock of my husband's hair,” you respond, attempting defiant but mostly breathless, wanton.

“How devoted you are. But tell me, does he fuck you like this?” He growls, sucking your earlobe, hoisting you higher so your feet almost leave the ground.

“Only you can fuck me like this,” you respond, intentionally vague.

“That is right. Do not forget it. You are mine,” the lines blurring between Benedict and the highwayman he plays so effortlessly. His possessive talk never extends beyond your intimacy, but his ferocity and heat in the moment never fail to leave you in floods, in no doubt about his primal desires.

He places one hand high above your head on the tree trunk as leverage to curl himself into and around you. The fingers of his other hand insinuate between your bodies, snagging your clit between his knuckles and squeezing roughly, making you cry out.

“Do not fight it; how much you want to come for me,” he growls. “You want to come screaming, don’t you?”

When you don’t respond, too busy gasping, he halts, speared deep. Your pulsing clit is left bereft as he grabs your chin instead, forcing his gloved fingers between your lips. The taste of your own desire tart on the supple leather.

“I asked you a question…,” the tone dripping with jeopardy as he holds down your tongue, your breaths loud and harsh over his fingers, “you must answer me, pretty thing, or the next thing in your mouth will be my gun.”

Your mind stutters a curse, so enrapt, enthralled, undone. 

“Yes,” you garble, your speech impeded by his hold on your tongue. Feeling desperate, wanting, needing relief.

“Yes, what?” he raises a chilling eyebrow.

“Yes sir, I want to come,” you reply, trying your best to enunciate. The fingers slip from your mouth, glistening in the moonlight, and wrap around your throat, just enough to notch your arousal higher, a little pressure on your windpipe as he starts to move again, withdrawing slowly and surging back in fast, your body going limp under his assault.

“Good girl. Come on then, I want to hear it, to feel it,” he snarls.

At this point, you are at his mercy, his pelvis aligning with yours to stimulate without needing his fingers between your legs. You wrap yourself tight around him, not wanting to be parted for an inch, the rough wool of his trousers abraiding the sensitive skin of your inner thighs, the scent of his body, soap with an undercurrent that is all him, is strong; your senses of smell heightening with his grip on your throat.

You start to babble his real name, the roleplay falling away for you both as you greedily chase release. Knowing you are giving your staff an audience and not caring one jot. You hope they experience passion like this—all-consuming, intoxicating, almost addictive. He is groaning with each thrust now, and you can see small beads of sweat forming around the edge of his mask as he increases in speed and intensity. There are a few moments where you are skating the edge, your whole body tense, awaiting the moment you break. 

With a few whispered words and his hand relinquishing its grip, you are tumbling, the sudden rush of unrestricted air filling your lungs and pulsing around your head, open-mouthed, teeth hooked on his neck as your cunt pulsates hard around him, clenching in waves that mirror the tension and slack in your muscles. Needing his arms to hold you upright. In the blissful state that follows, you feel him take a few artless moves, then still, his jaw locked tight, gritted teeth as he finds his shuddering release deep inside you.

He slumps around you as you gingerly find your footing again, your mind returning from a fuzzy floating world high above the country lane you are on. Your hands squirrel under his jacket and draw soothing patterns on his shirt back as his breathing returns to normal.

One hand sinking into his luscious hair, you untie the mask; it falls away from his cheekbones to reveal the handsome face you know so well.

“Welcome back, husband,” you murmur playfully, “I had such an adventure this evening you would not believe.”

He huffs a bemused laugh and rearranges both of your clothing back to a semi-decent state, scooping his pistol from the ground. 

“You and your adventures, dear wife,” his responding tone light as he picks you up bridal style and sweeps back towards the nearby carriage. “Why not tell me all about it on the journey home, hmm? You must be exhausted from your eventful day,” he hums sympathetically into your ear as he settles onto the seat and bangs upon the roof with his fist. The carriage jerks to life as he pulls you further into his lap, wrapping you in a warm embrace, his treasured locket nestled safely against your chest.

“Well, there was this highwayman…”

Benedict taglist: @makaylan @foreverlonginguniverse @iboopedyournose @colettebronte @aintnuthinbutahounddog @severewobblerlightdragon @margofiore @writergirl-2001 @heeyyyou @enichole445 @enchantedbytomandhenry @ambitionspassionscoffee @chaoticcalzoneranchsports @nikaprincessofkattegat @baebee35 @crowleysqueenofhell @bridgertontess @fiction-is-life @lilacbeesworld @angels17324 @broooookiecrisp @queen-of-the-misfit-toys @eleanor-bradstreet @divaanya @musicismyoxygen84 @benedictspaintbrush @miindfucked @sorryallonsy @lilithseve @cayt0123 @hottytoddyhistory @truly-dionysus @fictionalmenloversblog @zinzysstuff @malpalgalz @panhoeofmanyfandoms @kinokomoonshine @causeimissu @delehosies @Mlovesbridgerton @m-rae23 @last-sheep @kmc1989 @desert-fern @starkeylover @corpseoftrees-queenn @jeanfreau

#benedict bridgerton fanfiction #benedict bridgerton smut #benedict bridgerton #benedict bridgerton x reader #benedict bridgerton x female reader #benedict bridgerton x you #benedict bridgerton x y/n #benedict bridgerton imagine #bridgerton fanfiction #bridgerton #bridgerton smut #bridgerton imagine #bridgerton x reader #bridgerton x female reader

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

sconc middle names but me and cori are stupidt

last night me and cori got slap-happy and made a list of characters’ middle names so happy birthday sonic enjoy. tw catholicism jokes bc when we get slap happy we end up on that train

Sonic: His middle name is actually not Maurice. He won’t tell anyone what it is but it isn’t Maurice. Not in the “noooo it’s totally not ;)” way he legit doesnt know where anyone got that misconception from

Metal Sonic: His middle name IS Maurice. That’s where people got that misconception from

Tails: When he and sonic were filling out paperwork to make sure he legally existed Tails realized he didn’t know his middle name and could reasonably put “Tails.” Instead he put “Terminator”

rouge, losing it: oh my god are you serious tails: i was like five and thought it was cool sonic: you were right 

Knuckles: He literally doesn’t care so once again when filling out paperwork he’s like.

knuckles: so i guess my last name would be my tribe shadow: the knuckles tribe? knuckles: yeah shadow: so you’re putting down knuckles knuckles knuckles: yeah probably shadow: so what’s your middle name? knuckles: well take a fucking guess buddy

Amy: Also picked her own name. Debated between “Amy” and “Rosy” for a while before sticking with “Amy Rose”– rose for the pretty flower she loves and its symbolism, “Amy” because it means “much loved” and she’s desperate for affection. and then she well. picked a middle name that sounded cool

shadow: oh my god tell me your middle name isn’t “terminator” too amy: oh my gosh no amy: amy: it’s velociraptor shadow: oh my god amy: JURASSIC PARK JUST CAME OUT I WAS HYPED

Shadow: We had two (2) options: #1.) It’s something extremely Catholic like Clementinus. It doesn’t fit his brand so he just doesn’t tell anyone. also he can’t pronounce it. #2.) It’s like a deep, guttural screech/roar. Everyone assumes it was Black Doom’s name for him but no that was Gerald’s idea actually

Rouge: Francisca. Shadow was like “oh something really catholic as well” “actually my family were very much not catholic that’s just a funny coincidence.”

Omega: Terminator. Stole the idea from Tails

Cream:

Blaze: She has like 48 middle names cause she’s royalty and they’re like that

Silver: “In the future we don’t have middle names. We ate them for sustenance.”

Vector: ALSO something extremely Catholic like Benedict or someshit

Espio: “A ninja’s secret name is to stay absolutely secret. It is the key to their identity. Their soul. None shall know of it.” He picked his own middle name and it was SasuNaru and he’s embarrassed about it.

Charmy: Vector named him so it is also EXTREMELY Catholic. Charmy cannot remember it. “It’s VALENTINE, Charmy!! It’s literally one of the easiest Saints to remember!! Saint VALENTINE!!” “look i made a necklace out of gummy worms :D”

Mighty: it’s something like super normal like Evan or Thomas

Ray: Sunshine :D

Fang: It’s actually Nack. whudda think

Bean: And similar to Fang, it’s ACTUALLY “Dynamite.” Did he name himself? You’ll never know.

Bark: Something super Russian like Vladimir

Big: Big has no middle name he has no last name he is too powerful for all of us

Tikal:

Tikal: yeah we didn’t have middle or surnames in my time. Closest was just “oh that’s Pachacamac’s kid.” Tails: Okay but you need a middle name for paperwork so pick something Tikal: Termi-- Knuckles: No. Tikal: Okay. Lesbian

Jet: Tony. you know why

Marine: It’s just literally “Australian”

Sticks: “Classified.” Everyone is like “oh geez Sticks ok” and don’t realize her middle name is literally Classified

Surge: When she got to pick hers she picked Azula for obvious reasons

Kit: He picked “Surge.”

Belle: Periwinkle

Sage: Ann Ima. believe it or not, that is also. Catholic™

Tekno: Terminator

#sth #sonic squad #mine

[221b-alovestory]

Random thoughts-

Is it just me or Mary Morstan had potential to be such a good villain ,as both John and Sherlock loved her in their own way and fighting against that kinda person would have been their toughest battle ever,another Moriarty level enemy.

Mary WANTED to kill Sherlock, out of jealousy or to protect her secret( I guess it was both). God knows why writers took a sudden U turn there. She threatened him again,boasted about her shooting skills to Sherlock. Ofcourse she would have shot him again if John wasn't present there. Episode was going so well and then BAM the white washing began and it made no sense whatsoever.

"she saved me John" "because you chose her" "she called the ambulance". No Sherlock ,she didn't want to save you. You said so yourself in your mind palace(Molly - "you are going to die"), your heart stopped fgs. She was a danger to John according to you. Actually only JW s reaction looked reasonable(atleast initially). What happened that makers suddenly turned our detective into a marriage councellor post that incident ?? The story no longer was about two friends fighting crime together, it was all about Mary and how great she was. That conversation with John at Christmas was when I hated her the most- "ohh now you want to talk ,after months of silence" ( sherlock is inviting her for Christmas now,at his house with Mycroft right there completely oblivious, yeah right). Now I would have been so excited about this of this was villain Mary talking.

It all seemed like makers started her off as another love interest, turned her into a villain and got confused towards the end. Her death sequence was one of the most poorly shot scenes of the series according to me. CAM, Culverton and Eurus didn't do anything for me tbh, their was no build up there and it was pretty boring. But Mary s graph would have been so cool as a villain, a wasted opportunity really. Also I wanted to see more of Irene Adler and Janine (loved her character btw).

My point is this series was riding high initially only and only because of its leads. Benedict and Martin, their extraordinary acting ability. Their chemistry took the show to another level.

Two of them against the rest of the world became two against each other. Chemistry went downhill and so did the show. Makers really f*cked up big time just to whitewash one character. You had a whole literature ready for you by ACD and you managed this!!!

#johnlock #sherlock holmes #john watson #mary morstan #sherlock meta #random thoughts

[d-criss-news]

‘Glee’ alum Darren Criss ready for National Christmas Tree Lighting ahead of Wolf Trap

His breakthrough role arrived on Fox’s “Glee” before winning an Emmy Award on FX’s “American Crime Story.”

This week, actor and singer Darren Criss performs live at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on The Ellipse outside the White House on Thursday night.

“This is my first year doing this particular event,” Criss told WTOP. “I’ve been lucky enough in my career to have done a number of things for the Bidens. That is a low-key humble brag. They haven’t decided to kick me off the invite list yet, but there’s still room! I could really biff it at the White House.”

He joins a star-studded lineup of Mickey Guyton, Dionne Warwick, Joe Walsh, Ledisi and St. Vincent.

“It’s a pretty cool list, man,” Criss said. “I just saw the list and I don’t know who printed the ad mat, but there’s no world in my mind where I would ever appropriately be anywhere higher or before the likes of St. Vincent, Renee Rapp. … When your name is with the likes of Joe Walsh, Dionne Warwick and many more, you can’t help but just have a huge wave of imposter syndrome.”

After that, “A Very Darren Crissmas” hits The Barns at Wolf Trap in Virginia on Saturday and Sunday.

“We’re just going from town to town spreading holiday cheer, man,” Criss said. “A lot of people put out holiday albums … just playing the very well-known songs. … My main goal in life is not necessarily as a performer but more like a curator. … If I had it my way, my Christmas album would have been 100 songs that no one’s ever heard of, but because I’m not a fool, I toe the line between familiar stuff but I do it in an unfamiliar way.”

Born in San Francisco in 1987, Criss grew up in loving “Star Wars,” “Transformers” and The Beatles. He pursued the arts as a theater major at the University of Michigan, performing in “Pride & Prejudice” and “A Few Good Men” before founding StarKid Productions to produce his own shows. That included the Harry Potter production “A Very Potter Musical,” which actually landed songs on the Billboard charts.

After appearing on the ABC series “Eastwick,” Criss’ big break came on Fox’s “Glee” (2010-2015), playing transfer student Blaine Anderson, who eventually married Kurt Hummel. Criss started out singing Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” and ended by writing the Emmy-nominated song “This Time” for the series finale.

“‘Glee’ was incredibly popular and progressive,” Criss said. “I lucked out and won the golden ticket because when I joined that show, it already had a significant degree of attention where one of the most popular characters was Kurt, somebody who was making waves … in the queer dialogue amongst popular culture, the conversation of gay teens and representation of queer people on mainstream, linear, network television.”

He reunited with Ryan Murphy to play the killer Andrew Cunanan in “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace” (2017), beating out Antonio Banderas, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeff Daniels, John Legend and Jesse Plemons to win the Emmy for Best Actor in a Limited Series.

“Actors wait a whole lifetime for parts like that,” Criss said. “This horrible thing happened because of a guy who happened to kind of look like me and be kind of my age and ethnicity. … Twenty years later, how do we make sure those tragedies don’t end up as these horrible things? To bring light to a darkness by illuminating the things around those tragedies, the other themes that led to how and why these things happened.”

On stage, his Broadway roles include replacing Daniel Radcliffe in “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying” (2012), replacing Neil Patrick Harris in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (2015) and joining Sam Rockwell and Laurence Fishburne in the revival of David Mamet’s play “American Buffalo” (2022).

“I’ve really gotten to check a lot of boxes in what I believe to still be the earlier part of life and career, boxes that I really did always dream of and worked hard to get to,” Criss said. “Now onto Christmas baby!”

#darren criss #jason fraley #beyond the fame with jason fraley #national christmas tree lighting #avdc 2023 @ vienna #avdc 2023 #glee #hedwig and the angry inch #hatai #american buffalo #broadway #acs versace #nov 2023

[missmaywemeetagain]

Dear Miss Madisyn,

What makes Elementary superior to the Cumberbatch Sherlock for you?

a fellow television enthusiast...

norah

PS X-Files was my first grown up appointment TV show....

My Darlin' Dearest Norah,

I want to preface this by saying I do like BBC Sherlock because I know there are some pretty intense camps out there on both sides and I don't want anyone coming for me lol. I definitely think there is room for both in the canon. I will also say it has been quite a while since I watched the BBC version, so make of that what you will...

However, I prefer Elementary for a few reasons:

One, while I think the highly stylistic "movie" sort of quality to the BBC version is interesting, it gives Sherlock this sort of superhero-esque quality that makes him so "other" it's hard to relate to him in any way. Like I think he's cool in an objective way, but I don't really like him much or find him very redeemable. And the attitude around him is kind of like, "Well, that's just Sherlock! He's just a brilliant asshole!" and it just...stays that way.

(Now don't get me wrong, I love all the actors in both versions for a multitude of different reasons! But the writing lends itself to highly different interpretations from an actor's perspective.)

I prefer the realism of Elementary more. I absolutely love the characterization of both Sherlock and Joan. They feel like dynamic, flawed but redeemable characters who are fleshed out in most every way. They learn and grow and change in crucial ways throughout the series. Sherlock's behavior and neurodivergency are explained but not used as cop-outs or excuses for his not-so-nice treatment of people. He faces very real consequences in his relationships because of it and because of his drug addiction, but the key difference is that he figures out he wants to do better, especially for the people he comes to care deeply for. He tries, in his weird Sherlock way, to connect, because he starts to realize that yes, he is brilliant, but his actions affect others, and that being totally alone is not all it's cracked up to be. And Joan is very much her own person who struggles with her own issues and relationships with people and with the direction she wants her life to go. She (unwillingly at first) learns these new things about how to look at the world and how to help people in a different way, and she doesn't take a backseat to Sherlock. After the first season, she becomes a true partner to him, not a sidekick, and I really appreciate that.

Part of it is there is just more time over 7 traditional seasons to explore character arc, versus the wonky "we put seasons out whenever it works for us" way of BBC. The nuances are much more developed over time in a more natural way for Elementary.

Not to mention that the gender-bending in Elementary is just *chef's kiss*. They did it so well, you'd hardly know it was any other way!

Back to character, I just think Johnny Lee Miller knocked that role completely out of the park. He was absolutely stunning in playing those subtle changes and emotional moments and showing Sherlock's growth over time. He was multi-dimensional and it made his growth heartbreaking and lovely. He should've won a million Emmy's for that performance. And honestly, as much as I like Benedict (and I do), I truly think Johnny is the better actor overall (side note--if you ever get a chance, watch both versions of the Frankenstein production that they did together for the National Theatre in London, where they switch roles, both playing the monster and Dr. F for different performances. It's brilliant! But I do think Johnny is much better as the monster. 😊) And Lucy Liu is just a badass and I love her, too, and the chemistry between them is just awesome. They play those comic moments so well, too.

And I'm not gonna lie, I'm 100% a Sherlock x Joan shipper, and the writing in Elementary was fantastic in this way, because it left it open enough for the audience to decide for themselves what kind of love we were dealing with there. But the shippy moments were soooo good, imo. You named a bee after me? We're just two people who love each other... Come ON. Beautiful. Fabulous. Fantastic. And the ending? I wept.

I also think Elementary dealt with the addiction piece much much much better. The realism of going to AA, dealing with the fallout of relationships, relapses, the ongoing challenge of always being an addict was just so much more poignant without being a crutch. Similar thoughts about how the neurodivergency and PTSD were handled.

Anyway, I could probably go on, but this is long enough already! TL;DR: I just think Elementary is better in all the ways: writing, acting, arcs, relationships...LOL

Thanks for the ask, my dearest!!

#might be time for a rewatch... #i love them so much #i really do #sherlock holmes #joan watson #joanlock #elementary cbs #not elvis related lol #ask #answered

[eternal-moss]

I am sending the greekified names here because replies are weird

Mondstadt - if we go by literal translation Σεληνούπολη or Φεγγαρούπολη (latter feels really cute and nice and home-y). But for the funny version that is closer to what the english (well german ig) Μονστάδια (female because cities are mostly female named)

Now for characters

Albedo - Αλβίδος (I think literally his name means like whitening right? That in greek- Λεύκανση- is a female noun, so I guess White it is, Λευκός)

Amber - (literal Κεχριμπαρία) Αμβήρα (? I prefer the literal translation)

Barbara - Βαρβάρα (an actual name used here actually)

Bennett - Βενέτης/Βενέτιος (suuper rare name)

Diluc - Διλούκης but i will be calling him Λουκάς (for literal name I think Diluc means dawn right? so uhhh listen, Αυγή is a female name without a male equivalent so I would go for the next best thing, Ανατόλης (male version of sunrise and east, which i think is an actual name, but it is super rare) which can be nicknamed as Τόλης!

Diona - Διόνα/Διόνη. But she shall be renamed as Δανάη by me because i like the name.

Eula - Her name is Ευλογία. In my heart.

Fischl - Φισλ, because that's the name she got from a character in a book. Her real name is Αμαλία.

Jean - Ιωάννα.

Kaeya - Κάεγιος. Next question

Klee - Κλειώ I think. I this this is how it is spelt. If we go by literal translation, Τριφυλλίτσα? I think this would be super cute. Then we can go a step further and take how that sounds and name her Φιλίτσα (etymologically very different but it sounds similar)

Lisa - Ελίζα from Ελισάβετ.

Mika - Μιχαήλ

Mona - Μοναχή; I doubt this is a name but at this point if Παρθένα is an actual name that is used, why wouldn't Μοναχή belong to a very obscure saint?

Now for each of the potential etymology origins of her name (taken from her wiki)

English name "Mona," which is derived from Gaelic "muadh" (noble). - Ευγενία

Northern European name, an alternative form of "Monica." - Μόνικα

Old English "mona" (moon), which possibly stemmed from her career as an astrologer. - Σεληνία, or hell if you are willing to go several layers of abstraction Άρτεμης/Άρτεμις (I have seen both spellings being used, with the latter being more archaic)

From "Mona Lisa" with the first element derived from Italian "madonna," which means "my lady." - Κυρία. If you wanna be a little funny about it make it Κυριακή (Dominica) (KYRIAKI MENTION!!!! LET'S GO)

Noelle - Νωέλλη (Έλλη as a nickname, cute). For etymology, this means Christmas. Christmas (Χριστούγεννα) is not a name here. So I guess the closest would be Χριστίνα.

Razor - Ραζόρης. For a name with a similar meaning uhhh Ξυράφης LOL. But based on the vibes of the meaning of his name I am naming him Αλέξανδρος. My thought process is Razor - blade - fighting - fighting men - alexandros (lowkey what the name means)

Rosaria - Ροζαλία

Sucrose - Σακχαρόζη (lol, the literal translation). But for a close name that has a similar name I would go for Ζαχαρία.

Thank you for sitting through my insane thesis

Kye I literally love this so much….. You literally have a Galaxy Brain TM

Aaa both names for Mondstadt are super cute, I was unaware of Φεγγάρι meaning moon until now, (I only knew σελήνη bc of Greek mythology-)

Also yeah Albedo literally just means White. Bro is pallid. Making him Λευκός would be pretty similar to Diluc’s Λουκάς, I wonder what the ship name would end up being lol-

There’s nothing much I can think of to say about Κεχριμπαρία, although I find it funny how many more syllables it has compared to Amber.

I guessed that Barbara was probably Greek in origin, but it’s cool that Βενέτης/Βενέτιος exists in Greek as well, I hadn’t expected that :0 apparently the online etymology for ‘Bennett’ says it comes from Benedict/ the Old English word beonet (bent grass???) but that sounds a bit bullshitt-y when Βενέτης is right there and way more similar.

I really like all the names you came up with for Diluc, and I guess that’s where Anatolia must have come from! I like when places to the east of a country get given names to do with the sun rising in the morning, the word ‘Orient’ in English now has (understandably) bad connotations due to colonialism, but it came from Latin ‘orior/oriri’ (lit to rise) to do with the sun rising from the east. Ανατόλης being an actual name is super cool, it sounds really pretty :o

Haha I hc Diona as Welsh for literally no reason, and in my brain she’s Dian- Δανάη sounds really cool as well, like a regal name

Ευλογία. You are literally Galaxy brained that’s so gorgeous. ‘Eula’ just makes me think of Euler (which I know is actually pronounced like ‘oiler’ or something, but the UK most people just say it like ‘eula’. So I can’t help but associate her with Maths now fml). Ευλογία is actually so beautiful, it feels also like it could be thematically related to her character? I don’t know enough about Eula lore (still not a Eula Hager orz) but I think it could be a ~deep~ name for her.

Haha apparently Φισλ means ‘whistle’, but I think it the job as being a transliteration. Apparently Fischl literally just means fish or fishy or little fish (I don’t know about German diminutives but someone said it is) so if anything it’s less silly than the German lmao. Giving Poisson vibes. Imagine if Fischl’s outfit was not based around ravens but fish instead… beta Kokomi lmao-

Ιωάννα is nice, it seems a little more feminine than ‘Jean’, but I still like the vibes it gives off, it suits her a lot I think!

Κάεγιος made me realise that the true Latin equivalent would probably be something like ‘Caius/Gaius’ but I think if I was ever going to write it, I’d keep their names as close as possible.

Τριφυλλίτσα IS SO CUTEE AAA. I think it’s cuter than both the English and German omg. I hadn’t thought of doing a literal translation of her name for the Latin, her story quest uses ‘trifolium’, but there’s also ‘cytsium’ but lets be real neither of those sound that great lmao. Φιλίτσα is actually so cute as well auuu. I can just imagine Albedo/Alice saying it TwT

I didn’t know that Eliza/Ελίζα and Elizabeth/Ελισάβετ existed in Greek, that’s pretty cool. Lisa is one of the words I don’t really have to change for the Latin versions, bc she’s at least semi-implied to be Italian anyway

Μιχαήλ makes a lot of sense, and it makes me think of Mello/Mihael Keehl from Death note-

The whole section on Mona is so interesting I didn’t know any of it. I’m guessing that ‘Monica’ also might be derived from moon/mon, but I had never thought about that before, ‘Mona’ is perfect for an astronomer! Σεληνία/Άρτεμης are pretty cool, but I was wondering, is ‘Artemis’ still a name that the younger generations use? Bc I thought it was something that older women tended to be called.

I did not know about the ‘Mona’ of Mona Lisa being from Madonna, that’s really cool. I think we should call her Κυριακή for the lols though, it would be funny-

Νωέλλη/Έλλη is so cute omg…. Naming her Χριστίνα reminds me of how people were saying ‘Barbara’ is like the Mondstadt version of ‘Christina’, named after Barbatos instead of Jesus Christ.

Ραζόρης sounds cute, but I like the idea of Αλέξανδρος. If we wanted to put him through more layers we could make it the Arabic equivalent Iskandar which would be funny (bro is literally Iskandar Puteri)

Ροζαλία is nice, it would be cute to keep Razor as Ραζόρης and have them be kind of similar, I forgot that Rosalie is a kind of a name in English. And also Rosaria keeps the religious connotations (or the weird Mondstadt Pseudo-Christianity at least) by sounding like ‘rosary’.

Omg yeah I internally refer to Sucrose as Sacarosa (the Spanish ver of her name) bc ‘sucrose’ is really weird for an English first name lmao. Although it does fit her (she is a weird girl after all /pos), and she does seem like the person to name herself after a disaccharide lmao. Σακχαρόζη is cute, but Ζαχαρία sounds a bit more natural I think.

I LOVED THIS TSYM FOR SENDING ITTT. Sorry it took me a while to respond, it was quite late at night when I received it, so I waited to dissect it the next day :3 thank you again, your insight into Greek stuff is so cool and I always love to hear it

#Languages tag #Mondstadt tag #Greek tag #Genshin impact #For a really horrible moment I thought it all got deleted 😥 #mossy rambles

[myfairkatiecat]

Kate Wetherall, Katherine Pulitzer, and your Keefe boy :)

Aaaaaahh yes yes yes these are really good ones ahdkdhsnbdjshssj

Kate Wetherall:

Ok so. The reason I say she works best as a part of a dynamic is because while she’s awesome on her own, she is MOST compelling with the rest of the mysterious Benedict society!!!the four of them together are so special to me

Also I’m a Kate apologist, she’s never done anything wrong and I stand by it :)

(And yeah if you see the way I write Kate you may see me projecting. It might have something to do with me being in sixth grade when I first read the books and going “omg we have the same name!!!”)

Katherine Pulitzer:

Look I relate to this girl SO MUCH you don’t even understand 😭

And the fandom has a tendency to villainize her or make her seem problematic simply for being complex, which… is a problem I’ve been seeing a lot of lately, actually.

I love her SO MUCH. She’s kinda scary but also she’s me

AND FINALLY

Keefe Sencen:

Once again flattered by your interest in hearing me talk abut my interests that you don’t share 🥹

Okay look. I LOVE KEEFE. And I initially colored in “they’ve never done anything wrong” cause I have tendency to be a Keefe apologist, but if I’m being real here he’s definitely done stuff wrong 😭 @phtalogreenpoison has heard me talk about his character in detail and knows EXACTLY what I’m talking about.

Why the tiny scribble on “too much screen time”? Well…….it’s technically true. He does get too much screen time, and for not being the MC, he’s started getting a lot of his POV in Sophie’s story. However, I EAT IT UP cause I’m a pretty standard basic Keefe girlie. So while I understand the side of the fandom that’s beginning to want more of some other characters, and I think that’s soooo valid, I also am totally eating up all the Keefe screen time. SO EXCITED for the Keefe book that’s coming out this fall. I love this boy. So much.

Also would I marry him irl?? uhhhhhhh if Sophie didn’t exist then YES he’s mine. But I’m a girl’s girl and he belongs to Sophie <3 they’re so cute together, too!!

Somebody is gonna come at me for saying he’s deeper than he seems cause we actually get quite a bit of insight into his character depth, but I think even what we do see doesn’t fully cover it. Keefe is more open with his friends than he’s ever been with anyone else… but he definitely has a LOT of defense mechanisms in place, which is why he has that cool-kid-doesn’t-care-doesn’t-work-only-flirts vibe going on in the first book, and the first time we REALLY get slapped in the face with “haha you knew he had a facade but here have a GUT PUNCH” is the quote in the beginning of book three when Sophie suggests they stop by Keefe’s house and he just sorta looks down and says “I…don’t bring friends home.”

Like. We knew his parents sucked. But something about seeing him vulnerable like that. Ahdkfhdjshdjdshs

I think the mischief making and flirting is also a real aspect of his personality, but a lot of the sorta bad-boy-ish reputation he’s got going on at school in the beginning books is a front to cover his ✨issues✨ and I don’t think we even see the full depth of how much the reveal of his mother as a villain and her constant attempts to make him “embrace the change” and have a “legacy” tied to her evil thoughts impact him. We know it’s hard for him and we totally see that, but even in Keefe’s POV he avoids thinking about it, and… honestly it’s up to us fanfic writers to really delve into that angst. Shannon sorta tells us it sucks for him, but doesn’t really show us (not fully, at least) cause Sophie is the main character, not him.

And do I project my issues on him? …maybe a little…his particular brand of the “using humor to cover up my problems” trope hits very close to home for me. I deflect with humor in the exact same flippant way, and just like with Keefe, sometimes it works and sometimes it gets me in trouble with my friends when I need to be serious.

(Yes I want to carry Keefe in a hand a like a tiny dog. Not elaborating.)

Wasn’t sure whether or not to say he gets done dirty by the fans. Historically, this fandom is head over heels in love with him, but right now there’s been a bit of a turn towards combating Fitz hate (another character that often gets pitted against Keefe unjustly bc of shipping discourse) with Keefe hate and saying he’s problematic when he’s really just complex.

So yeah I’m not normal about Keefe at all, if you couldn’t tell.

I managed to talk for a very long time about him

You can tell where the brain bees are buzzing rn can’t you

#kotlc #tmbs #keeper of the lost cities #the mysterious benedict society #newsies #kate wetherall #katherine pulitzer #keefe sencen

[nobodysdaydreams]

ATTENTION TMBS FANDOM!

Specifically @itsgoghtime for opening these floodgates and @myfairkatiecat because I just found you the perfect birthday present!

Thanks to Gogh, I discovered this fun app that gives you colors based on your name (post here). Well. I started playing around with TMBS character names, including variations of their names, and discovered a lot of cool and funny stuff (reblogs of this post are in coming, so I apologize in advance. I can only post 30 pictures per post).

But guys... nothing will top this. Nothing. I started with the Benedict brothers and... just please...

...if you do nothing else this evening, look at the difference between "Mr. Curtain" and "Dr. Curtain".

Nicholas Benedict:

Nicholas / Benedict / Nicholas Benedict:

Nicky / Mr. Benedict:

Sorry some of the names got cut off at the end, but I love Nicholas' and the way his first and last names blend together. Also his "Mr. Benedict" palette? The way the "Nicky" one has blues/purples in it and Nathaniel is the one who gave him the nickname? Perfect, no notes, 10/10.

Nathaniel Benedict | Ledroptha Curtain:

Nathaniel / Benedict / Nathaniel Benedict:

Ledroptha / Curtain / Ledroptha Curtain:

L.D. / Curtain / L.D. Curtain:

Mr. Curtain / Dr. Curtain / Dr. L.D. Curtain:

The man of a thousand names himself. The fandom's biggest tagging nightmare, dissected under a microscope. And suddenly all becomes clear. The differences between the first two trios, the one for Nathaniel vs. Ledroptha is clear. The light purples and pinks in Nathaniel drive home the parallels between him and Constance and the switch in color palettes perfectly fits his character. The third palette that looks at the "L.D." shows that the abbreviation cannot stand on it's own with that lime green, but when paired with Curtain, it fits the character really well.

And finally, what you all came here to see. The most glorious part of the post. I'm sorry you had to scroll down to see it, but it's worth it is it not? Look at those beautiful pastels. The lavenders, the baby blues. That's old man Curtain for sure (it does fit how he manipulates people. I think it actually might suit him in some ways). But show Curtain would never stand for it. And thus we have Dr. Curtain. An improvement, but not perfection. But then... "Dr. L.D. Curtain". That's it. Right there. As if the character himself picked it out. Nothing can top that. And yet I will be making more reblogs. Sorry for being annoying, but we have more fun to get through. This one gets 1000/10. Excellent choices, and a clear visual of the character and his name choices all the way through.

#I hope this finds its target audience #nicholas benedict #tmbs #mbs #the mysterious benedict society #mysterious benedict society #mbs disney #tmbs disney #nathaniel benedict #ledroptha curtain #ld curtain

[o-uncle-newt]

Cabin Pressure Advent Day 7: Gdansk

GDAAAAAANSK!

Obviously I love Gdansk- who doesn't? It's basically perfect. While I encourage new listeners who are listening cold to start with Douz, if they need one episode to tempt them in, I always have them try Gdansk. Works every time.

I kind of had to turn my brain off before listening to this one, because I've heard it so many times that it doesn't really register in my head anymore as a thing in and of itself as opposed to "funny thing that I like and listen to when I need a non-pharmaceutical antidepressant." And it is really, really good at that. Passenger Derby is basically my favorite thing on the show from a pure comedy perspective, and the whole thing is just hilarious.

But the episode is also able to seamlessly integrate the humor and the human relationships together, and that's something where I think S2 is a clear improvement on S1. Some of it is clearly a purposeful shift as the characters get to know each other better, but I also think that JF just got better at writing it- which makes a lot of sense. Regardless, it just works beautifully, in part because it narrows in on one highly specific relationship that's about to get permanently deepened- Douglas and Martin. (Incidentally, Roger Allam is always great but I do want to call out Benedict Cumberbatch's performance in this episode as being absolutely stellar, and it should be played for all of the "he only knows how to play one character and it hasn't been cool since 2015" people out there to prove them wrong. He's SO FUNNY while also making you feel bad for him AND kinda annoyed with him for being such an idiot. Kudos.)

In certain ways, Gdansk is more like Limerick than it is, say, Ipswich. In Ipswich, sure, there's the question of who's the alpha dog, but fundamentally the episode centers around the situation of needing to renew their certifications and how they deal with that, and it's through that medium that the question of who the alpha dog is (not that we had any doubt) is resolved. Here, there isn't really a plot, just a bunch of linked scenes on the same flight with an A plot and a B plot that end up coinciding through the Disney character game and the strudel/cheesecake bet- which make it clear that the A plot is the Martin-Douglas relationship plot because it's their actions in the flight deck that impact the B plot of Madame S-B and her unreasonable and paranoid demands. And it's super, super impressive that JF was able to do such a great job of putting all the moving pieces together, even more smoothly than his previous not-really-a-plot episode, Fitton.

But anyway, back to Martin and Douglas. It's done so well, because even though the broadcast order was switched so that Helsinki was in between, the ending of Fitton HAD to be addressed. And I love how it gives all the betting, and Douglas messing with Martin, stakes- unlike in S1 when Douglas did it just to fuck with him and show him who's really boss, here it's because Douglas is genuinely hurting and angry about something that Martin finds funny even though to him, it's painful. Douglas needs to get some of his own back- and to get that joke of Martin's back- which leads to a continually escalating series of bets. Martin, in turn, is cherishing the one thing that gives him something over Douglas- which he really needs, given how demoralizing it is to be in a position that he knows he didn't truly earn and that he's not a paid pilot. In the end, Martin doesn't give up the story, but he gives up an even bigger piece of leverage- and that puts Douglas far enough on top that he feels able to be magnanimous again in helping Martin out with the game so he can beat Carolyn. He's not at a point where he'll do it for nothing, but in exchange for that bit of pride that Martin's embarrassing admission gives him back, he will.

(It's also worth noting that Douglas is actively in divorce proceedings at this point, which Martin doesn't know and Douglas chooses not to share- perhaps to keep that one bit of pride, that Martin doesn't know that the wife Douglas bought brown sauce for was having an affair the whole time. When Douglas does share that in Limerick, it's in exchange for a different piece of vulnerability from Martin.)

Ughhhhh, emotional stakes and character work, so GOOD!

Just a top tier episode. Could literally listen to it at any time and in any place.

#cabin pressure #cabin pressure advent #cabin pressure advent 2023 #gdansk #john finnemore

[scorpionoesit]

What are you all time favourite books, or fanfics? Because you’re writing style is so cool—honestly Vagabonds has the best plot and pacing I’ve ever read in fan-fiction—and it inspires me a lot, so I want to find out what inspires you <3

Beta: *shakes aggressively* RAVEN CYCLE!

Uhhh, I dunno, I read a bunch of junk as a kid. A lot of sci-fi and fantasy. I loved Mysterious Benedict Society, that was probably my favorite book series as a kid. I think I read the prequel book like three separate times.

Ooo! 39 Clues was a favorite!

I dunno, most of these are, like, middle school level reading (even if I did read them in high school, shut up).

I did read (but did not finish) Lunar Chronicles. (I swear, I've started the series twice and just keep dying half way through). That inspired a couple things in Vagabonds.

Another inspiration was the web series Worm, which is part of the Parahumans universe. Really good web series, pretty dark, very complex and intricate characters. (Again, didn't finish it, because I have commitment issues.)

If you just wanna just dig through my bookmarks, that's probably a better idea. Don't judge me. I don't really do romance, if that's what you were hoping for, you won't really find much. Uhhh, lot's of fandoms? Assorted treats? Take your pick if you dare.

#scorpio chat #Ali~beta found their PR manager hat #So now you get asks answered after [insert atrocious amount of time]

[space-spring]

9 and 12 for the Triangle Strategy asks!

9. Most difficult battle?

This is probably kind of funny but the one I always seem to struggle with the most is actually the very first one where you fight Travis and Trish. On a new game+ round, you don't get to use any of the units you normally do, and you're generally just really restricted in what you can use and how you can set things up, so you're forced to be smart with accessories and Quietus points (or at least I'm forced to be smart about accessories and Quietus points, I'm pretty sure there's probably just a better way to position the units haha).

But I think as far as interesting designs that were made deliberately to be difficult haha, the last level of the Morality run is the one where I really felt like I had to work on a smarter strategy because the Rosellan NPCs kept dying on the bridge. I think I ended up grinding up Corentin and spamming his ice wall and frozen shield moves, but it took me a while to get to that point.

12. Were there any core units or synergy you enjoyed?

Of the core units + their interactions, I really really love Anna and Benedict (but I could go on about any of them tbh, they're all so neat). I love the relationship between them, and Anna and Benedict themselves are just so dang cool. They're so emotionally repressed!!!! But they love each other so much!!!!!!! I think a ton about Anna's "fallen in battle" voiceline ("Father...") and the way she talks about him during her character stories ("If I ever want for a father, I know where to find him") and how, despite this, she never once calls him "Father" where he can really actually hear it, and Benedict never actually refers to her as his daughter. I am, as usual, really really normal about this

#triangle strategy #asks

[sporkberries]

Do you have any Huntress/Helena Bertinelli issue or comic run recs? 👉👈 you have infected me with helena brainrot (positive)

So There are a two ways I can answer this question, the way i did previously with just the comics I'd recommend to get started or a full timeline for her- This time ill go with the full timeline. If you just wanna dip your metaphorical toes in the water check out this post, if you want to read her story from start to finish this is the post for you.

FIRST SOME CONTEXT ON HELENA BERTINELLI'S CHARACTER CREATION. Pre Crisis on Infinite Earth's there was a character known as Helena Wayne, she was the daughter of Earth Two's Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle and was The Huntress. She was fairly popular but the whole uhh massive crisis event erased her from continuity. The problem was people still wanted Huntress she was a recognizable name and also just people liked her so Helena Bertinelli was created. Despite sharing a first name and a superhero name Helena B and Helena W are INCREDIBLY different characters in personality and just.. in like every conceivable way. Alrighty now lets get started, Helena Bertinelli makes her first ever appearance in The Huntress(1989) I really like this comic run. It's pretty intense dealing with both CSA as well as SA but i think it does it pretty respectfully and well. Overall I really like this comic, that being said the art is a bit... rough, so i understand not wanting to read it. The Huntress(1989) 'era' of Helena ends with Justice League International Special 2, which btw if anyone has an actual good scan of this please let me know because my scan is ASS Then we got Detective comics #652-653 which has Helena's new costume and a team up with B-Man himself. Now its time for Robin III: Cry Of the Huntress- This is the first Helena and Tim team up!! I love them so much they r so silly so I consider this book required reading, also Helena has an awful mullet it's amazing Helena also has another story with Tim around this time in Benedictions which is a three part story in Dc Showcase 1994 # 5, Robin(1993) #6 , Showcase #6. Azrael is also running around as Batman during this so thats fun and quirky(i like azbat okay)

Next is Dixon's Helena with Huntress(1994) ERMM this is a comic that exists. It has some panels I like but i don't think its required reading it's uhh... Dixon!! and WOagh no wayyy another tim team up its almost like they are siblings bffs 5ever this is crazy Detective Comics #685-686 and Robin #17 also sidenote i like Lynx's 90's design a lot sighh Next is a string of complicated and long story lines. With Batman Contagion, Batman Legacy, Batman Catacylsm, and Batman No Man's Land. Also she gets her best outfit here yayyy :). Now parsing through all this stuff I don't really care that much about Batman: Legacy and I'm not gonna lie to you and say I've read Contagion in it's entirety because I haven't. Just know that Gotham gets hit by a mutated ebola virus and it sucks and is bad for everybody sjdkfbasdkg. Also again cool new Helena outfit top ten epic moments. Before all the No Man's Land stuff there is Birds Of Prey: ManHunt and Nightwing/Huntress. I do not like the latter and have no strong opinion on the former other than it's the start of a long line of Babs treating Helena like shit. ManHunt does have Dinah and Helena interactions though so :) yippeee Almost forgot this but Read Detective Comics #703 its a really cute Helena and Tim story read it right now thank you XOXOOXO I consider Cataclysm and No Man's Land, No Man's Land especially, CRITICAL HELENA READING. HELENA IS SO GOOD IN NML OH MY GOD. Cataclysm is kinda the set up to No Man's Land and also has a cool Helena/Steph teamup in Blunt Trauma. But No Man's Land is where the really juicy stuff is. I'm not really gonna say what specific issues Helena shows up in because you should really read all of or most of No Man's Land as its not only an important Helena story but THE MOST IMPORTANT Gotham story(in modern times anyway). I read the 5 trades but I've heard good things about the Omnibus as well. If you need further help with No Mans Land and how to read it just shoot me an ask or smth. READ NO MAN'S LAND Okay now after NML Huntres Joins the Justice Leauge of America in JLA #16. I have not read all of Helena's JLA stuff so i cant really comment on it I'm a failure sorry... NOW FOR THE RUCKA STUFF GREG RUCKA LOVE OF MY LIFE!!!!! So First check out Batman Chronicles #15, it's not all Helena but it does have a Helena story which is her first meeting with The Question so erm go read that !!! Now time for one of my fave huntress stories, Batman/Huntress: Cry For Blood. THIS STORY IS SO FUCKING GOOD. It does retcon Helena's previous backstory which i have mixed opinions on but the new backstory is far from bad and also its just soosososo good i love greg rucka so much go read it right fucking now. Now I have bad news for you gamers. We have the Hush storyline wherein Jim Lee introduced the dreaded Helena Ab Window. Hush is generally pretty good but that outfit is uhhh an outfit!! she starts showing up in Batman #609 Generally speaking I do like this storyline so I would recommend the whole thing. Helena regularly starts appearing as a main character in Birds Of Prey at issue 56. Birds Of Prey IS a mixed bag but most of Helena's appearances from here on are in there so... Be prepared for a healthy dose of sexism though. Outside of BOP check out The Question: Pipelines which is a story in Detective Comics 854-864 written by love of my life Rucka of course. Helena is not in the whole thing but its a good story and her and Renee are a great Duo so I recommend it. While your out it also check out both issues of The Question: Convergence. Also written by Rucka and featuring Helena, its good :). Now I did leave some shit out like Battle for the Cowl but thats because I dont like battle for the cowl and also I don't think Helena is very central in those stories so TA DAA here is my list enjoy anon sorry for any spelling errors Tutorial on how i read comics safely

#this whole list is all post crisis/new earth btw #tw csa mention #long post #helena bertinelli #dc #huntress #reading guide #spork says stuff

[kelbunny]

Roland for the character ask? and Cordelia if you feel up to it!

already did Roland, but here's Cordelia!

how much I like their personality

I love her so much! I've talked about it before, but I love how she goes from tiny meek princess to one who's willing to take risks if it means avenging her family. I hecking love the scene where she asks for aid from Avlora sm (and honestly every other scene between her and Avlora. It's just— so good.

how much I like their design/aesthetics

I adore how delicate her design feels, especially when she later pushes the boundaries of the damsel in distress trope, as it contrasts nicely with her sharper tongue.

I also really like all the flower details she has. Like the little gold flowers on the front of her dress and the flower theme her weapons have. I like flowers a lot.

how interesting I think they are

One of the most interesting characters in TriStrat, I love her growth as I mentioned prior. And I really like how they did the damsel in distress trope with her. Maybe I'm not consuming the right media, but so often it feels like one of two extremes with damsels, either they do nothing to the point of being a non-character or are so cool and kick butt that they don't get damseled, or the damseling lasts 0.2 seconds. Whereas Cordelia feels like a nice middle ground, she's still damseled yes, but she's working fight and learn about her situation, even if she lacks the physical strength to fight in that way. I love how Avlora refers to her a a warrior in the scene where Cordelia requests her aid. Like yes! We love warriors in the non traditional sense.

how well-written I think they are(if applicable)

Outside of the main 3 (Roland, Benedict, and Frederica) she's one of the most well written characters in the game. I've talked about her arc already, and honestly my only complaint is I wish she got more screentime.

how much I like their mechanics in-game

She's my favorite of the healers in the game, mostly due to Above and Beyond being more bseful than Miraculous Light imo, mostly due to the ability to stack Above and Beyond.

I also like how even though her spells are more expensive than Geela's, it's also quicker for her to generate tp, which makes it nice for firing off Above and Beyond to my frontliners.

if I think they are a Good Person(tm)

Yes. She definitely has a naivete at the beginning, but even as she matures, she does retain her kind and gentle nature.

#triangle strategy #triangle strategy spoilers #Cordelia glenbrook #Kelbunn answers #I need more Cordelia scenes #Idc who's she's interacting with I just want to see her.

[filmfunction16]

Wes Andersons adaptation of Dahl Short Stories!

Wes Anderson, the American filmmaker and director recently released 4 new short films on Netflix as of September 27, 2023. Each short film containing rotating cast of actors taking on multiple roles. And many familiar actors we've seen from his previous works such as The Grand Budapest Hotel and Life Aquatic! And the a new editions Benedict Cumberbatch! I personally love how Wes Anderson use of rotating actors, It adds a sense of familiarity to his films, and makes it easier to recognize his film and film style. I've been in love with Wes Anderson's film since the beginning. Ever since I watch The Grand Budapest Hotel, when I was sick in early 2018. I've been in love with his style, since I feel like it really applies to the artistic of me. Outside of school, I love to dress with pastel colours, and unique fashion statements. While I feel has been greatly inspired by Wes Anderson movies especially MoonRise Kingdom. His style reminds me of my GodAunt, who practically raised me back in Ottawa. Her style and colours are very similar to Wes Andersons manner, and even the way she talks is in a very chic and intellectual manner. Which I feel like copies that of many of his characters such as Mr. Gustave. However, enough of the past, let's get into Wes Andersons new short films inspired by Dahl previous works.

The most popular short film which is perhaps The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar, is an adaptation of Dahl novels, which Wes Anderson brought to life and one day hopes to make a full length film, depicting the adventures of Henry Sugar. I personally will LOVE, a full length film, of the short film. I feel like it has the potential to be a very interesting story. Once the main introduction it can go into Henry travelling the world, from casino to casino. Along with those who help him with his adventure. As well as the sense of mystery surrounding Henry real identity. On top of that i'll love to see, a rein-action of the detective work from The Grand Budpest Hotel.

There is also The Rat Cather, which tells a hilarious and quirky story of 3 men trying to catch a mice who's been reeking havoc in their area. Although it was personally not one of my favourite short films. I felt like the ending was kinda misinterpreted. However, I feel like it has a deep meaning that I just haven't full understood. But Im looking forward to truly uncovering the meaning of the Rat Cather, it reminds me of a fable that you would read as a child, that would teach you a lesson that you would carry for life.

As well as The Swan, which reminds me a bit about his early works Moon Rise Kingdom. It tells the story of a little boy who is relentlessly pursued by two bullies and must fight them off using his intelligence. I like how the dialogue was said completely by his older self, which gave a false sense of security. However out of all the short films, I feel like it was the most visually pleasing. And has the most beautiful meaning out of all. The visuals kept me completely entertained! I absolutely loved the main character (the boy), I loved his cool and collectedness. I think what made me love this short film more was the fact that I would loved adopt that nonchalant personality. And careless about how others view and see me.

And Finally Poison which is probably the saddest of all 4 short films, a man is awaken when he finds a poisonous snake in his bed, and tries to make it out of his bed safely, however there is an unexpected twist which questions the actuality of Harry's reality! It's also the only other short films out of the 4 that has a open ending. I personally love open ending, because I love to think about all the possibilities. I'm a huge movie fan, and these opening ending allow me to think about the other possibilities and how differently the story could go if the ending was fixed. As well as be able to draw inspiration from other moments in media to determine an ending. Anyways, y'all should definitely check out these short films, and comment your thoughts about them!

xoxo

~filmfunction

#wes anderson #short film #novels #film #adaptation #book adaptation #movies #benedict cumberbatch #poetry #art