#a real evil go-getter!

[vidavalor]

I think you're the fifth blogger I've seen mention Shax's thing for Crowley... I still can't see it even though I really want to 'cause I think it's hilarious... send help... 🤣🥲😔

I can try lol. Chocolate cake? *slices*

More fun with Shax and Crowley under the cut. We're also going to look at part of Gabriel & Sandalphon's visit to the bookshop in S1 for some bonus fun since it fit in here as it's a parallel scene.

TW: Brief mention of Sandalphon and his homophobia.

For the most part, Shax isn't really in love with Crowley... she's just got a Mr. Brown-level pash on the Crowley that Crowley projects. While Aziraphale hides that he's an angel from the human world so Mr. Brown only believes him to be human, Crowley hides the extent to which he's human and living like one from the demons in Hell. As a result, the demon pursuing him has got exactly one thing correct about Crowley-- that he's hot lol-- but Shax's opinions as to why only partially overlap with ours and Aziraphale's because Shax believes Crowley's big reputation. She doesn't know what we know about him or see him the way we do. Like Mr. Brown with Aziraphale, she exists in part to highlight how insular Crowley & Aziraphale's world of their life together is and how much they have to playact in their respective worlds to keep that secret life they have with one another private and intact.

Shax is a demon who loves being a demon. That's what makes her crazy to us. Most of the other demons we've met are just miserable, even if they're playing along, but Shax is a real go-getter. She's ambitious and she lives to serve their master Satan. She wants to be good at being a demon and she's in love with *Crowley* lol. To us, this seems bananas because ain't no demon ever hated being a demon more than Anthony Jemimah Crowley... but it's proof positive of how decent a job Crowley has been doing at projecting an air of general demonicness for the last six thousand years.

Crowley has been a prince of Hell forever. He's gotten the top jobs-- the stuff of Shax's dreams, really-- and was a particular favorite of Satan, whom Shax worships. He was basically Hell's resident rock star, breezing in every few months to give a demonic presentation and shoot the shit in Lord Beezlebub's office for a half-hour before taking off for Earth again. If you were Shax, spending literally *thousands of years* in that overstuffed, dark, actual hell hole, Crowley showing up must have been like a visit from sexy Santa Claus. Shax is one of those Effort-making demons and most of the demons in Hell are more terrifying than attractive, ok?... even if you find terrifying attractive, like Shax sorta does or at least thinks she ought to.

Who's going to light your fire down there? Hastur? He'd *literally* light you on fire....

We've seen Shax have to deal with misogyny in the workplace (ugh Demon Josh) and you know she never got any of that shit from Crowley. She probably mostly got a "Shaaaaax! How's it hangin'?" from Disco Tony, who was thrilled to have remembered her name this time. Shax was playing it evil demon lady cool on the surface but girl just wants to be first string for the finest demon in Hell and she was swooning internally every time Crowley swooped in to grace Hell with his presence for a hot minute.

There has been suggestion in the series that several demons that we know of from Bible lore are, in Good Omens, all actually Crowley, which furthers this idea of Crowley and his big reputation a bit. The show has actually already done this with a Biblical figure, in that Bildad the Shuite is an actual Biblical character that the show just made be actually the demon Crowley under a different name, so it would make sense that the reason why we haven't seen other famous demons from The Bible in the series are because they're actually Crowley.

One is canon, basically, which is Astaroth/Astoreth, since Crowley was Nanny Astoreth in S1 and I doubt he stole the name from another demon who exists in the GO universe. When Crowley tells Aziraphale he changed his name when they are watching Jesus' crucifixion, Aziraphale first posits two other demons' names and neither of them exist in GO universe to date but both are, lore-wise, powerful: Mephistopheles and Asmodeus. A lot of other great meta has been written about these choices-- in particular, how well Mephistopheles fits Crowley to a tee, which I really, really agree with. You could assume then that the reasons why more audience-known demons like Astoreth and Asmodeus have never shown up in GO-- and we've met the highest-ranking demons already-- is because they actually *have* and they're all just really Crowley.

In demon lore, Astaroth is part of the "evil trinity" with Beezlebub and Lucifer and is a high-ranking demon in Hell... as well as is basically a genderbent serpent goddess with Crowley traits... so safe to say that's one of Crowley's aliases. Crowley has also had his name of "Crowley" for thousands of years by S1 but when he's rolling up in The Bentley in 1.01, Ligur and Hastur clarify what Crowley's "calling himself up here these days", indicating that he might have gone by more names than we might have realized.

Asmodeus, as we all probably know by now, is the demon of lust. A French novel from the 18th century also popularized the idea of Asmodeus as a sort of Cupid, which also goes along with Crowley, who loves love and got genuine joy out of trying to set up Maggie and Nina. So... from Shax's perspective, why *wouldn't* you want Crowley? He's the fine as fuck, Serpent of Eden, legendary prince of fucking lust here lol.

Shax showed up to reclaim his apartment for Hell and you know she expected a scene the likes of which have not been seen on Earth since a post-concert hotel suite occupied by Led Zeppelin lol. She was expecting (fantasizing lol) about having to wade through a rock music blasting, orgiastic drug den to find Asmodeus in his sex dungeon of a bedroom, somewhere in the black silk sheets beneath three playthings.

You know she actually found Crowley, alone, having just finished vacuuming the most fastidiously clean flat this side of Heaven, fully dressed and watching Barefoot Contessa on his massive plasma screen while the only drugs being mixed were special-blend fertilizer for his houseplants. Ina was making Jeffrey red-wine braised short ribs and Crowley didn't say so to Shax, of course, but he's always on the lookout for something his angel might like for dinner. Hang on a second, Shax, gotta save this recipe to my favorites...

At least the black silk sheets were accurate? lol

What probably confuses Shax a little is that she's been meeting up with Crowley and she still wants him and badly, even as it's becoming increasingly clear that he's a bit more complicated than she thought he was. Technically, she should consider him a traitor because of how he betrayed their Master but he's hot, ok, and maybe it's a little sexy to be so bad that you'd defy Satan? (Aziraphale agrees lol.)

Shax has Mr. Brown-level fantasies about where this could go. Crowley was a favorite of Satan's and she can bring him back into the fold. She can heal him. Yeah, this lady demon has gone and got herself one of those 'I can fix him' disaster scenarios. She hates this for her too but she can't help it. He's so sexy. She's been in Hell for a long time. She's sleeping in the bed and showering in the tropical rainforest paradise dream shower of Asmodeus himself, ok?

She's undoubtedly tried to get him to stay. She's so offered for him to live with her in secret and Crowley nearly choked on the air he doesn't need to breathe trying not to laugh at the irony of that one. It's not Shax's fault that he's just not that into her. She's a bad bitch and everything. That's just not his thing. He's just the lonely GI who basically fell asleep during a performance of The Ladies of Camelot. He has always given off the impression that he's into everything there is to sell the whole 'demon of lust' thing but he's really not. Shax doesn't know that, though, because to know that is to know Crowley well and Shax does not.

Does Crowley know that Shax is into him? Yeah, he does.

Shax's thing for him is basically the same thing as when Crowley tries to make a phone call after having taken out the mobile phone network for miles. It's the oh, shit, right, that thing I did that's now fucking up my day in the present... He didn't lead her on specifically as much as he just gave off the vibe in general that he's this debauched, wild, so very wicked demon and, well... if your name is Aziraphale, that's not terribly inaccurate lol... but if it's not, then it's actually not true at all...

...and this is why Shax cannot for the fucking life of her figure out what the deal is with Crowley and this angel.

Yes, Shax is trying to goad Aziraphale into confirming that he has Gabriel in this scene but this scene also comes off as Shax so incredibly done with how jealous she is over this, in her eyes, ridiculous being, and she's bitchy as all fuck about it. There were other ways to crack at Aziraphale than over his relationship with Crowley and she goes at that hard. She calls The Bentley an old piece of junk when she's really clearly calling Aziraphale that and saying that she doesn't know why Crowley hasn't gotten "an upgrade" since, implying that she considers herself just the upgrade Crowley needs. She brings up 1941 via the rumors that she heard "80, 90 years ago" that Crowley and Aziraphale were "an item", which we know are at least partially derived from what happened with Furfur, who his Shax's closest friend and totally has tried to tell her that this thing she has for Crowley is hopeless because he's doing that angel, Shax. (Poor, pining Furfur lol.)

Shax knows somewhere that Furfur is probably correct but she's decided to pretend that it's Furfur's thing for her that could have caused him to misconstrue at least part of it, right, because the demon of lust only having eyes for one being, let alone that being being this angel, is absurd to her (even if she thinks she can tame him lol.)

Aziraphale is an angel, for one thing. The bastards who did this to The Fallen and who cast their Master to Hell. Their sworn, hereditary enemy. It was one thing when maybe the angel was a dalliance. Asmodeus, lonely and bored on Earth, tired of all the sex with the mortals, and so very bad that he could corrupt an angel. That's a little hot, actually, if you're Shax, but it's the fact that that... does not appear to be what this relationship is... that unsettles her.

During S2, Shax learns that Crowley has a permanent invite into and keys to the bookshop and that Aziraphale can drive Crowley's car to an extent that Shax even has to trick him to allow her to enter it. The angel really seems like he might be Crowley's partner, which would mean that this wasn't Crowley fucking an angel on a whim in 1941 but that Hell's wild prince of lust has actually secretly been in a romantic relationship with Aziraphale for at least, to Shax's knowledge, almost a century.

The purported baddest demon that ever demoned, shy of the literal devil, is apparently mad for this fusty angel and Shax just cannot get it, ok?

Crowley is a a broody, black-clad rock star and Aziraphale is this twee little bookselling angel to her. Shax thinks maybe this was all part of Crowley's breakdown or something and she's Mr. Brown so she hasn't given up hope here, not for most of S2, but she's mostly been trying to figure out how to get Crowley's attention and that's the funniest part of her whole pash, imo.

Shax has no idea what Crowley is into. She can't figure this out to save her life.

She has no idea that it's over before it started because she is just not what primes the engine of Crowley's star factory over here. It's not personal. He just doesn't have a shred of sexual interest in her. Gabriel is getting more action from Crowley this season and he tried to murder him lol. Crowley's spent millennia cultivating a persona of a sex god and now he's got to live with it and he's just praying he never finds out anything she's fantasizing about him because he shudders at the thought of whatever she envisions them getting up to.

Look at what Shax is wearing when she comes to Earth to meet with Crowley, for one of the more hilarious things...

In Hell, Shax wears modern clothes. When she comes to Earth to meet Crowley in the year 2023, she wears a vintage-inspired outfit that is spanning the mid-1930s through WW2 in style (the era she knows he was involved with Aziraphale, who is her main point of reference for what attracts Asmodeus over here lol)... and the dress has the biggest damn bow ever seen. You could see that bow from space. It's like she's trying desperately to figure out what turns Crowley on and so far she's come up with well, he drives an old car and he's rolled that angel so he likes... old things... vintage clothes, like the angel's. She's trying to out-bow-tie Aziraphale.

Now that Shax can spend time with Crowley alone and the possibility of seducing him is ever-present (lolololol), she's spending time trying to figure out what turns on the prince of lust. She's trying to get Crowley's demonically lustful attention and she's reduced to bow ties, okay, take pity on her... she's just like I don't know what his deal with these are, exactly, as it seems kind of specific... but he can unwrap me anytime if that's his thing...

Then, there's that she's sitting too close to him on the park bench and raking her eyes over him while he's sprawling on it. He's not sprawling in a way meant to be enticing. He's actually mid-existential crisis here but that's fine by Shax. She likes 'em a little dark.

My favorite, though, is a scene that actually parallels S1 in a hilarious way and that's from the hot water boiler scene in the other meta that prompted the ask here but isn't a bit that I mentioned in that one.

As Crowley goes back into the bookshop (and he'd never been happier to be on the other side of that threshold in his life lol), Shax is then as physically close to him as she's ever been. If you notice, she actually inhales twice. The first is a regular breath-- which demons don't technically need to take but yeah lol-- and her expression is all oh Satan, he smells amazing and then she straight up sniffs the air as he opens the door. Girl is huffing her fill over here for those shower fantasies for months to come lol. Crowley knows it as his eyebrows are in his hair as he's turning back around like he's all did she seriously just *sniff* me? ugh...

Shax knows Crowley saw her (honestly, probably also *heard* her... Shax, love, a little subtlety wouldn't kill you...) so she covers it up by pretending like she smelled Gabriel in the bookshop. You smelled the archangel in there, huh, Shax? When you can't get through the door? When Gabriel is the same species as Aziraphale, whose bookshop this is, so this can't be some kind of angel-scent you're claiming you noticed here? lol This then parallels and adds to this Sandalphon scene in S1:

I know there's some debate about if there's such thing as an angelic or a demonic smell but I've actually always taken it to be that there isn't. It would seem to me that it would be hard for them to blend in on Earth if there was and if the demonic one was something off-putting to humans, at least. I think most of us, though, do believe that the "evil" Sandalphon is smelling in the backroom is Crowley but considering that the comment comes from Sandalphon, who is introduced to us with reference to his smiting of people in Sodom and Gomorrah, it honestly just comes off that Sandalphon is a raging homophobe and I've actually always taken that as the reason why Gabriel is here in this scene in the first place.

Absolutely nothing happens in this scene. It's a routine checkup. What is the Supreme Archangel of Heaven doing there? Why is he blowing so much smoke up Sandalphon's ass the whole time? It's kind of like he saw that Michael or someone had assigned Sandalphon to do a checkup of sorts on Aziraphale-- or Sandalphon had assigned himself-- and Gabriel pretended that he wanted to see in person how "the great Sandalphon" worked so that he could tag along and make sure that Sandalphon didn't bother Aziraphale. We also learn that Aziraphale hasn't seen Sandalphon in a long time and I'd bet that Gabriel is responsible for that. Gabriel's 'whatever, idgaf' response to Aziraphale's Jeffrey Archer books comment is so... Gabriel hadn't the first clue who Jeffrey Archer is or why his books would be evil lol. He could have easily further encouraged Sandalphon's pursuit of the "evil" scent. He didn't because he could care less what Aziraphale does in the backroom of his bookshop. If anything, he's jealous of him for having found a way to have some freedom and privacy. Gabriel is queer-- he is like Aziraphale. He's just closeted in S1. He's looking out for Aziraphale here by using his power to shut down Sandalphon and then "you can't have a war without war omg wow you are a poet!" him out of there as fast as is possible. If there truly was an 'evil'/'demonic' smell, Gabriel should have been able to smell it, too, and he doesn't. If he did, he wouldn't have been able to subtly shut down Sandalphon the way he did.

So, Sandalphon isn't smelling a demon. He's smelling another man. The "evil" is that Sandalphon can smell remnants of another cologne that isn't Aziraphale's in the backroom of Aziraphale's bookshop and Sandalphon is a homophobe, so he's implying that Aziraphale having sex and with a man is 'evil', even if there's no direct evidence here of that, just the implication of it.

This then would mean that Shax can't actually smell Gabriel in the bookshop in S2. Like Sandalphon, she's pretending to have a supernatural sense of scent but she's really just smelling Crowley. While Sandalphon was repulsed by the idea of Aziraphale's bookshop backroom having the scent of a man, Shax is just inhaling that same being's scent because omfg. so. good....

...something she can't stand that she has in common with that bastard angel, Aziraphale, who is actually allowed to breathe Crowley in anytime he wants... it's just ridiculous to her. Why the fuck does that beige bookseller get to have the sex god of Shax's dreams in his bed and she doesn't? What could Crowley possibly find attractive about him? That she doesn't know and can't really figure it out shows how little she really knows Crowley and also how little imagination she really has.

#ineffable husbands #good omens #crowley #aziraphale #good omens 2 #good omens meta #aziracrow #good omens shax #shax good omens #shax #archangel fucking gabriel #sandalphon #mr brown #of brown's world of carpets

[transfem-monarchist-laura-rolla]

getter robo arc!

this is the end. spoilers below

look at takuma's stupid gun

given the number of times this has happened it's a wonder there's any standing armies left in the world, even with the time passed since go. frankly, even if only the og getter robo had happened i'd be kinda shocked about the existence of any real society in japan

this is just cool as hell. i love the weird coral things he draws to indicate prehistoric oceans

if i had read this when i first saw gurren lagann i woulda been so mad. the getter emperor is so cool! in comparison "oh actually we don't need to worry about tearing apart the universe in our eternal quest for power. that constant push for growth and power to defeat ever greater enemies is good actually, we just need to kill everything trying to stop us and never stop expanding" is just not a good way to take what's basically the exact same story

if i ever rewatch it i'm not going to be able to see team gurren as anything other than evil. seeing kittan's sacrifice and shaking my head like "he succumbed to the corruption of the getter. sad!"

the endless evil clones of musashi are so scary! this bit is so good!

the ending is so good. like, i'm sad it never got finished but where would it even go? the getter emperor wins. there's nothing to be done. it's the manifestation of mankind's endless evolution and fighting spirit, the things that make a shonen protagonist a shonen protagonist. both of them are neck deep in that. they aren't about to beat the getter!

i want that hg getter arc so bad. gotta see if there are any good shin getter kits, or an emperor

also shout out to the gettersaurus, it's real cool even if i didn't mention it or post a pic because it didn't get any really good spreads

#getter robo arc #getter robo

[ppoppokari]

@averagetoyakinnie

hi buddy! i hope you don't mind a spontaneous matchup exchange! here's your matchup. i changed the format slightly for this one since it just felt right and you're a special special mootie.

i totally meant to have this up a little sooner but i'm so happy that i got this too you. this was also so fun to do! i just love your personality mate.

wishing you all the best xo

and happy easter! it's an easter gift as well even if you don't celebrate easter xoxoxo

wren xo

~hazbin hotel~ vox

honestly this was such a hard choice to choose between vox and alastor, regardless, this just felt intrinsically right. i want to preface this entire matchup by saying that i was so intrigued by your personality, since i was so charmed by you i assumed that you would be the sweetest person ever, and you are to some extent but i love the unexpected traits like the sly, not quite evil but mischievous personality that you have. and while you and alastor would be a good pairing in theory, i am living for the contained chaos of you and vox.

vox is a real go-getter thanks to that charisma, his extroverted ways is like a dowsing rod that leads him to you, someone who tends to rival his outgoing personality by a fraction. yet you are so complex that it seems that you are nothing alike, it's almost as if you're both hiding your relationship in plain sight whether it be strictly platonic (it was at first) or romantic. however, vox's pride is contagious, in other words, there is no moment where you aren't boasting about your relationship. love is love and he just happens to love you the best.

okay strap in for this part, you had my mind going at 100 miles an hour after you mentioned one small thing that being "i think i'd be a seraphim in heaven". so picture this, the one and only ceo of voxtek wanting to extend his reach and influence, so he takes advantage of anything he could get his hands on, or anyone who would "trust" him enough to see where he is coming from. and what better than finding a way to meet with a seraphim, someone who seems like an eye in the sky. someone who knows everyone traversing heaven, earth and hell.

though his motives were very selfish in nature, which is a given he is a whole ceo, he didn't care he was just going to latch onto a seraphim, gain there trust and leave. but his plans don't seem to be working as of late, but falling in love with you isn't as bad as he thought. in reality you are his perfect match, your cunning and sly ways helped you dance your way into his static riddled heart. to be fair hell is hell, not much really changes and there is definitely not much joy in his life. so why not bring some entertainment into his life by falling in love.

vox didn't expect you to play such an active role in his life, as cheesy as it sounds you were his partner in crime. albeit, your way of creating chaos was very subtle, since you had to maintain some air of sophistication as a seraphim.

in essence, vox adores your mischievous ways, yet your wit and intelligence is totally what makes you a keeper in his eyes. realistically his adoration for you comes from the shocking revelation that during his time as one of the many overlords of hell he was certain that there would never be a soulmate for him. and while he was stewing in his concoction of sarcasm and greed he just had to look to the heavens and he would find his answer.

~runner ups~ alastor & azrael

~final fantasy 7~ aerith

okay, now i will defend this ship with my entire being, let's get this out of the way yes it's unexpected but i don't care. honestly this was the first person i shipped you with and it just makes sense. it's true that some of your traits conflict with parts of aerith's overall good girl nature, this is literally why you both work so well together. there is something that pulls aerith towards you, imagine a ribbon or a piece of string that wraps around her pinkie and connects to yours.

she is all too aware that you have some more selfish tendencies when you look at the grand scheme of things but that to her feels like a point of relation. now, this is purely from aerith's perspective, so her own perception of herself but she is fully aware that she may seem selfish or dances around certain issues but her reason for doing so is out of love. she also has such a bubbly way of responding to you, she's very witty.

it's similar to how she addresses cloud, even if he's so rigid and awkward she still truly enjoys his company and the same thing applies to how she treats you. but lets be honest, she would lowkey prefer to spend time with you rather than cloud. you have this sense of youthfulness that she can't get enough of, it's literally just the whole innocence of falling in love with somebody.

aerith really just thinks you're the greatest thing ever, though she is the sweeter one you're a match made in heaven, she is the mum friend and you are her accompanying dad friend, you totally care about her enough to have her favourite chapstick on standbye. i know i hinted at it but you really just seem to compliment each other even if you seem like opposites at times. aerith wouldn't have it any other way, she is so comforted by the fact that she can say whatever is on her mind. there is so much trust since you've seen each other at your best and worst.

it's actually a bit unexpected, no one expects aerith to be with someone so loud and boisterous but its part of the fun, it goes back to her being so keen on falling in love, falling in love with you is an adventure that she is all too prepared to embark on. she is just so kind and optimistic and though you seem to take care of yourself just fine she really does like showing that she cares whether that be through subtle acts of affections to grand gestures that never fail to make you blush. it truly is just something to cherish that you and aerith have the kindest, most gentle connection ever.

~runner ups~ barret & zack

~alice in borderland~ takeru danma (the hatter)

~runner up~ shuntaro chishiya, mira kano & morizono aguni

so, this one just feels right. you're an interesting character, there is this air of cheeriness to you, however, even though you seem light hearted on the surface you are very self-aware and in touch with reality. this seems pretty on the nose if you know who danma is but he is a huge fan of theatrics and playing a part or playing the main role in the borderlands, he wants to survive and will do anything to get an advantage.

though i doubt you'd be as conniving as him you would still peak his interest. especially since you possessed a diamond card, this was enough to let him know that he should proceed with caution. this is an instance where romance was born despite him desiring an advantage over you while simultaneously keeping you at an arms length. it looked pretty strange, you seemed unassuming to most people, they pretty much overlooked your existence in the borderlands they didn't even think you managed to have a card on you, that somehow you were lucky enough to scrape by without needing one. in short, they would think he is taking it a bit too far by being so on edge. and in some ways that would become very apparent later, he was overreacting.

the whole time, you were actually a little bit too charmed to actually do anything that would pull danma from his pedestal, in a world where it was everyone for themselves danma seemed like safety or what existed of it. though you didn't fully trust him he also seemed so wise, in an unconventional way of course, like it was clear that his morals were askew but he was merely playing the game of the borderlands and this truly charmed you.

he was in denial over the idea that you were more than just a card until he realised that the one with the diamond card seemed to have an ace over his heart. there is so much to you and he loves the fact that being in a relationship with you brings with it it's own mystery. he is an intelligent guy and he loves having conversations where the main goal is to connect the dots so to speak, he wants to figure out what's going on with you as well as what's going on with his heart.

you have this way about you that just kicks his protective nature into overdrive, it's your optimism and your joy at the simple things in life, especially since everything around you guys is death and chaos most of the time. you really are so special to him, he has passed by a lot of people yet none of them really meant anything to him, they were merely pawns to him. and while he did like to lovingly toy with you there is no way that you were anything less than valuable to him.

#matchup exchange #ffvii #hazbin hotel #alice in borderland #other fandom matchups #averagetoyakinnie but they aren't average #final fantasy vii #ff7

[imasloid]

SHINY COLORS FASHION ANALYSIS - L’Antica (アンティーカ) PART TWO

This is PART TWO of the L'Antica fashion analysis thread (had to separate because of picture limit)! For part one, go here.

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Blæc Series | Ruler / Blanc / Ambition / Mask / Rosa (ブライクシリーズ | ルーラーブライク ・ ブライクブラン ・ アンビションブライク ・ ブライクマクス ・ ローザブライク)

The Blæc Series is the fourth L’Antica unit costume and like the “Planetes Series” of illumination STARS, each costume has a different name and unique look. “Blæc” is Old English for “black,” with this costume having an “evil” motif.

Key points include the “evil fantasy” theming and a heavy Gothic and Victorian influence. By far, this costume series is the farthest away from their regular “steampunk” aesthetic, instead focusing on a darker and mysterious side of their unit.

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“Ruler Blæc” is Kogane’s unit costume and positions her as an evil queen who can give personhood to things using rose magic. In context of real unit dynamics, this costume references her as the dependable leader of L’Antica as well as the glue that holds everyone together.

Key points of “Ruler Blæc” include shared elements with Queen Victoria’s royal garb, specifically her dresses. Additionally, this costume has heavy rose theming but little steampunk elements other than small accessories.

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“Blæc Blanc” is Mamimi’s unit costume, depicting her a fallen angel corrupted by Kogane’s magic. In context of real unit dynamics, this costume references her impish, devilish persona who often uses her words to get what she wants or for a situation to go her way.

It also represents her rebellious side, as Mamimi was a clean-cut and normal girl who later acted rebellious and styled herself differently to get attention from others.

Key points of “Blæc Blanc” include many religious elements, as most Britons during the Victorian era were Christian. As she is singing in a Gothic church, she could be spreading false dogma or evil words in favor of the Kogane, the evil empress.

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“Ambition Blæc” is Sakuya’s unit costume and depicts her as a personified hawk who serves as a general of war under Kogane. In context of real unit dynamics, this costume references her charisma, model-like demeanor and the cool planner/go-getter of L’Antica.

Key points of “Ambition Blæc” include many Victorian general garb that shows her prowess and command as a leader of Kogane’s military forces.

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“Blæc Mask” is Mitsumine’s unit costume and depicts her as a personified chest turned jester/clown in a cabinet of curiosities. In context of real unit dynamics, this costume references her eccentric love of subcultures and her desire to entertain and make everyone happy.

Though she is not wearing a mask in this costume, the name still calls back to Mitsumine’s real personality as someone who uses humor or eccentricity to cover up what she’s actually feeling, finding it hard to be honest about herself.

Key points of “Blæc Mask” include clown/jester/pierrot influences as clowns were rising in popularity in the Victorian era as entertainers. In general, her role in this costume series is more lighthearted than the other members which points to her role as moodmaker in this unit.

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“Rosa Blæc” is Kiriko’s unit costume as depicts her as a bisque doll that has come to life under Kogane’s magic, controlled by rose briars. In context of real unit dynamics, this costume references her fantastical state of mind and timid/reserved nature.

Key points of “Rosa Blæc” include typical Gothic Lolita elements, a heavy rose motif, and characteristics of a bisque doll. Other than Victorian porcelain dolls, there’s a heavy Japanese influence in her costume that makes it more modern.

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Le Fond de la Mer (ルフォンドゥ・ラメール)

“Le Fond de la Mer” is L’Antica’s fifth unit costume, translating from French to “the bottom of the sea.” Their cards feature the members singing at the bottom of a sunken city, surrounded by dilapidated buildings and jellyfish.

As stated earlier, the Victorian era was an era of revivialism. One of the main revivals of this time was Neoclassicism, a return to the aesthetics of classical antiquity. From that time, Plato wrote about a fictional kingdom of Atlantis, submerged in the ocean a long time ago.

The city of Atlantis would inspire a future fixation on lost civilizations, especially in the Victorian era. The “lost world” genre began in the late-Victorian era, where authors were inspired by archeologists finding remnants of lost civilizations across the world (e.g. King Solomon's Mines by Sir H. Rider Haggard).

The setting of ���Le Fond de la Mer” is clearly based on Atlantis, as the sunken ruins around them are based on classical architecture. White marble or travertine columns, arches, and domes’ infrastructure and remnants can be seen surrounding the members as they perform underwater.

Additionally, the setting of “Le Fond de la Mer” is also injected with Greco-Roman mythology, featuring large statues of gods like Posiedon/Neptune submerged underwater as well as Kogane rowing a boat like Charon taking souls down the River Styx.

Key points of “Le Fond de la Mer” are its referencing to Atlantis and a general underwater theme as well as Kogane’s costume being completely different from the other four members, signaling her as the center and leader of L’Antica.

“La Fond de la Mer” uses the usual “similar look” method to make the members look united but also to showcase their unique personalities. However, this costume takes this to another level by using the silhouettes, features, & aesthetics from clothes they wear in their daily life.

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Papillonner Féerique (パピロニアフェリーク)

“Papillonner Féerique” is L’Antica’s sixth unit costume, translating from French to “fairy-like fluttering.” Out of all of their costumes, it leans into the macabre of their Gothic aesthetic the most, depicting them as ghosts inhabiting the grounds of a mansion or estate.

Ghosts were a popular phenomenon in the Victorian Era, with “classic” ghost stories originating around this time inspired by Gothic fiction. As stated before, Gothic castles or manor were often a common setting for these stories due to its innate feeling of terror and mystery.

The setting of “Papillonner Féerique” is no different, with the girls haunting a overgrown, abandoned estate. As ghosts, they are tethered to the house as popular oral tradition says that if someone dies in a specific place, they stay there until their spirit is avenged.

Key points of “Papillonner Féerique” include usual Victorian style inspirations in the costume as well as heavy ghost or spirit imagery and symbolism. Notable symbols are the colored gems representing the soul and the white chrysanthemums on their costumes representing death.

Another very important symbol are the butterflies floating around them, sharing their color with their respective gems on their costume. In Victorian symbology, butterflies were an omen of death and often represented a physical manifestation of a departed person’s soul.

(If you wanna know more about butterfly symbology and fashion in the Victorian era, this blog post really helped me a lot putting this section together!)

-

The visuals and descriptions here are kinda scary if you don’t like dolls or creepy things or death so proceed with caution!

In the animation, the girls’ scenes are introduced with an intertitle alluding to how they passed away akin to a silent movie (which originated in the Victorian era!). More details will be shown in their individual sections following this paragraph.

In their unalive state, their bodies are represented by cracked ball-jointed bisque dolls that are positioned in the way that they passed away. After the butterfly (soul) touches the doll, they are reborn into a ghost form with their soul intact, but not with their body.

-

Kogane Tsukioka

Intertitles: “You are cordially invited to the dinner” & “Let’s have a good time together”

Cause of death: Invited to dinner at manor, then poisoned with a spiked drink

Area of haunting: Dining room

Mamimi Tanaka

Intertitles: “Deep forest” & “Lost child”

Cause of death: Ran into forest being chased by something/trying to escape and got lost

Area of haunting: Manor yard/surrounding forest

Sakuya Shirase

Intertitles: “You can’t go back” & “Just like a nectar addict”

Cause of death: Bled out due to blunt force trauma done by someone else

Area of haunting: Manor gates & outdoor corridors

Yuika Mitsumine

Intertitles: “Thank you for coming” & “Please watch your step”

Cause of death: Pushed/fell down stairs without having a light to see

Area of haunting: Manor stairway

Kiriko Yukoku

Intertitles: “Promise to love” & “Stay with us forever”

Cause of death: Willing to pass away and stay in the manor by her own choice (because of love)

Area of haunting: Concert room/chapel

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Encadrement Coupé (アンカードルモンクーペ)

“Encadrement Coupé” is L’antica’s seventh unit costume, translating from French to mean “Cut Frame.” The costumes feature the members fighting in an Colosseum-like arena with giant robot opponents.

As the Victorian era was an era of revivialism, many people were fixated on the myths and aesethics of the Middle Ages, especially Arthurian legends. Britain at the time was enamored by the heroism and chivalry of knights and were the subject of many Victorian paintings (above: Onward by John Gilbert (1890)).

The animation shows L’Antica dueling giant metal suits of armor, reminiscent of the armor worn during the Medieval or Arthurian age of knights.

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GO HERE FOR PART THREE (i hit picture limit)

#shiny colors #scfa #kogane tsukioka #mamimi tanaka #sakuya shirase #yuika mitsumine #kiriko yukoku #l'antica

[misteremberblog]

BTK And Other Infamous Serial Killers: Why Naming These Monsters Gives Them More Power

BTK. The Nightstalker. The Happy Face Killer. These are the names or serial killers whose real names may be forgotten, even as their dark legacies live on.

In the light of the Moscow, Idaho killings and a well-known serial killer, BTK, speaking out on the sympathy that he feels towards the suspected killer, now is an important time to talk about the impact that naming serial killers has.

While Bryan Kohberger was not given the opportunity to become a true serial killer, he shares many similarities and traits with true serial killers such as Dennis Rader, better known as BTK. BTK has even spoken on how he feels sympathetic to how Kohberger must feel in solitary confinement, yet there is a clear difference in how the media has portrayed these individuals. While BTK was allowed to go be a self-given title, Kohberger was never given a title.

This lack in a title may be due to how swiftly Kohberger was caught. In an interview with Aaron Taylor, an individual who lived in Portland, Oregon while the Happy Face Killer was active, he stated, “Maybe these killers are caught sooner so there is not as much time for the media and investigators to characterize the killings with a name.” This could easily be the case. While there is no proof that Kohberger was planning to kill again, if he had, he would have become a textbook serial killer.

But why does the media give these serial killers these names? Why do they use the names the killers want, such as BTK, an acronym for Bind, Torture, Kill? Using these frightening titles makes for better news stories, leading to higher viewer ratings and an increased number of readers. On the flipside, these titles can also lead to increased fear in the public that can sometimes get out of hand.

In an interview with Jared Taylor, a former Washington State University student who attended the university at the same as Kohberger, stated, “These nicknames that are meant to be attention getters end up turning a serious event into a spectacle. Uncovering and arresting a serial killer isn’t an episode of Scooby Doo, its real life, and it affects real people.”

This is something that the media may have thought about when reporting on Kohergers’ arrest. In recent years there has been backlash against media outlets glamorizing serial killers and their crimes. Whether it’s the Netflix drama series Dahmer glamorizing and exaggerating some of Jeffery Dahmer’s actions or their other show Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile casting a more attractive actor such as Zach Efron to play Ted Bundy, these shows both received backlash for their portrayals of serial killers.

Hopefully Kohberger is the beginning of a positive trend, where the news and entertainment industries are respectful of the seriousness and impact that these killers have. Instead of using scary names to spread fear, these industries may begin to focus on simply reporting the facts and portraying events as they happened.

Sources:

Blanco, A., & Hurley, B. (2023, February 2). BTK Killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger. The Independent. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/bryan-kohbergers-idaho-murders-btk-dennis-rader-b2274735.html

Fontaine, K., & Taylor, A. (2023, February 1). Portland During the Happy Face Killer. personal. Fontaine, K., & Taylor, J. (2023, February 2). The Impact of the Media. personal.

#true crime #bryan kohberger #btk killer

[mady871]

LISTEN TO HOW SHE SPEAKS FOR KANTHONY! I AM SO EXCITED FOR S3

FANDOMS EVERYWHERE NEVER LEARN!!!

GRANTED IT WILL NOT BE AS GOOD AS THE BOOK! IT NEVER IS! SO MAKE DUE WITH EITHER WATCHING OR NOT BUT IF YOU DECIDE TO WATCH, THEN THEY MIGHT BE MORE INCLINED TO GET TO YOUR PRECIUS SHIP OF CHOICE!!!

OLD FAN HERE. FROM FANDOM OF OLD, THE FIRST ON THE NET:

HERE ARE MY CONSIDERATIONS:

I might have an idea of where are they going with season three if indeed it’s the last. if not even better, and it’s going to be glorius i think. sad that the actors for daphne/simon have decided not to reprise th role. i read this series years ago and i love all the books and carechters and the ensamble is unbelievable. my favorite is of course Penelope. i wish they had made show Penelope darker, and if she is, IT MAKES SENSE. I LOVE WHISTLEDOWN, but that is just me. show Pen might regret it on screen and want to be better. i wished instead she wouldn’t apologize to anybody. she had her reasons, and they are just as valid if not more then other. don’t canoodle in public and nothing would have hasppened. i think the Bridgerton are some sort of magnets for scandal and despite that they are not goven their due because they are who they are, while everyone else gets threted the same. bottom of the piramid is the Feastherington, and other then false pleasentries, they are threted as such. Penelope stands out, because she rebelled to the shackells not only of being a woman, but being a Featherington. PLUS whistledown, or the real society papers were mostly read by middle to lower class and they were to provide entrteniment to the average commoner.

ITS FUNCTION IS TO MOCK THE TON!

YOU ARE A PART OF THE TON, YOU ARE FAIR GAME. AGAIN BEHAVE WELL AND NOTHING WILL HAPPEN TO YOU.

Don’t try to lie and cheat and make your way to a marriege where your husbund will have to raise someone else’s son. be upfront and marry. why wasn’t Marina upfront with Colin and give him the truth? why didn’t Colin listen to his darling friend Pen. i see Pen here stuck between not two but three sides. Colin, her own family and Whistledown, and Whistledown never betrayed her! lesser evil and all of that. today’s generation in commenting this issue show their naivety. you cannot judge a period piece with your modren criteria. you would need educate yourself on society in the 1810-1820 onwards.

AS A BUSINESS WOMAN, WHO EARNED HER OWN FUNDS, PENELOPE IS An INDIPENDENT, GO-GETTER. which is more then can be said for Eloise in the show, or earlier books!

PENELOPE KNOWS HER WORTH,  and utilises it at he best of her ability to try and limit her parents absolute incapability of managing the estate and the title. the lenght she goes to make sure her sisters are taken care of, i would have not done it. GOODBAY AND GOOD LUCK!

PENELOPE DOESN’T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THE TON AT LARGE.

she only wants someone to love her (WILL ACCEPT ARRANGED RESPECTFUL MARRIAGE AND EVEN LATER SEPERATE LIVES. DOES NOT EXCEPECT COLIN), a house to manage and children of her own. much like a woman of her time. a girl really, that was already put on the shelf the day she debuted.

RIMINDING PEOPLE THAT WATCH THE SHOW BUT NOT REALLY, THAT PENELOPE GAVE THE QUEEN THE DEEPEST, MOST DELICATE OF BOWS EVEN SURPRISING HER OWN MOTHER, WHO LET IT GO. COINCIDENCE, I THUIK NOT. BUT I DO NOT LIKE SHONDA RIMES, SO GOD KNOWS WHAT THAT WOMAN CAME UP WITH! “SHUDDER AS A X-PHILE”

PENELOPE HAS A TEMPER. NOT SOMEONE YOU WANT TO TRIFLE WITH, an i whish for s3 to show it. i want s3 to show that because of eloise/colin, for pen not to have a choice and shun whole of them. protected them long enough at her own expense!

PS: WORST WITLEDOWN VICTIM OF ALL? WHY, pen herself. None shunned, malingned overlooked, ignored, sneered at MORE than our Pen.

SHE REALLY MEANT ALL OF THOSE THINGS SHE WROTE ABOUT HERSELF OF THE DARLING BRINDGERTON CAME TO HER DEFENCE. ELOICE MANTIONED HER FAMILY, NEVER PEN HERSLF.

PENELOPE HAS BEEN LOOKING IN A MIRROR FAR LONGER THEN ANY OTHER CARACHTER.

FOR ME THAT SCENE WITH COLIN WAS SO FITTING, SHE BELIEVES WHAT THE MIRROR REFLECTS, AND HE SHOWS HER AND ONLY THEN SHE REALLY BELIEVES HIM! ONLY FUCKING THEN.

SHE IS NO VILLAIN, EVEN IF SHE WAS, SHE MANAGED NOT TWO BUT I THINK THREE SEASON BEFOR BEING DISCOVERED, AS SHE HAD ALREADY A SEASON UNDER HER BELT ALREADY DESPITE NOT HAVING HER COMING OUT TO THE QUEEN. BEFORE THE BRIDGERTON CAME TO LONDON FOR DAPHNE, BEFORE ELOISE.

MIGHT BE THE ANTI-HEROINE. NO DAMSEL IN DISTRESS I IMAGINE, SHE NEDDED TO BE!!

LASTLY, BEACAUSE IF I WAS IN PEN , IF I WAS IN HER SHOES IT WOULD BLOODY ANNOY ME TO HIGH HEAVENS TO THE POINT OF CALLING FOR STEALING TO THE LOCAL COINSTABULERY, ELOISE RUMMEGING THROUGH PEN STUFF, TURNING UP A BLOODY FLOOR BORD, BOY YOU BETTER RUN, I WOULD HAVE BEATEN YOU WITH IT!

THE UTTER PRIVILEDGE, AND DISRISPECT! THE UTTERMOST ROTTED THING ELOISE COULD HAVBE DONE, AND I SEE NO ONE ASKING WHY ELOISE DIDN’T CAME TO THE CONCLUSION SOONER AND FUCKING ASKED PEN, INSTED OF MAKING SUCH A MESS! IT ANNOYED ME SO MUCH LIKEHOW FUCKING DARE YOU? TO SOMEONELSE’S HOUSE, OH BOY!!!!

PEN IS A KEEN LISTENER, SHE TELLS THE TRUTH. SHE DOES NOT RUMMAGE IN PEOPLE GARBAGE! AND THAT IS WHAT ELOISE DID! IT’S MAYBE EVEN MORE UNFORGIVABLE THAT THE WAY COLIN SPOKE OF HER.

CAUSE YOU JUST KNOW THAT ELOISE IS GOING TO BE FINE, SHE IS A BRIDGERTON! (CAN’T DO NO WRONG!) AND YOU KNOW SHE WILL TELL SOMEONE, I CAN FEEL IT IN MY BONES (PLUS SHONDA RIMES! #ONEOFTHEWORSTSHOWRUNNERSEVER).

COLIN...oh you little summer child, the first three books “open mouth insert footh” lord almighty just thank good you are cute! noting bewtween the ears.forth book for me was oh, colin you utter imbecil, you pillock!!! still knows almost nothing ( insert John snow-kit harrington picture here”. still in the end he got it thank god.

WISTLEDOWN IS THE REASON WHY YOU KANTHONY, SIMON AND DAPHNE AND BENEDICT AND SOPHIE! FUCKING DEAL WITH IT!

Without wistledownn there would be no Bridgerton series! no ships no nothing. maybe it just me that nitece the intricaces but thats kindergarten stuff. READING  comprehension and all of that!

SO PUT THAT IN A PIPE AND FUCKING SMOKE IT!

FINALLY I WANT TO SEE THIS SIDE OF PENELOPE. enough with the sadness and the need to atone for sins were there were none!!! some anger would do her good. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT.

...”feels good TO TAKE BACK WHAT’S YOURS every once in a while...”

#penelope featherington #bridgerton #lady whistledown

[ingenio-academy-if]

Can you give brief summaries of the ROs personalities and their romantic routes please? Thanks!

Hello! thanks for the ask! I am more than happy to provide that information, however, before we start a quick PSA.

I reserve the right to change any of these statements that I'm making in this post. The game is in early development, I am still learning new things about my characters every day! Changes are to be expected.

Are we all good on that? okay? okay.

This ended up not being brief at all...

Zane:

When you were friends Zane was a calm, loyal friend. A bit blunt and doesn't have the habit of smiling at strangers, but he was kind and mischievous.

Now he is simply cold. Angry, Very tense. He will not go out of his way to help you out, and honestly, he'll be mean. It all comes from a place of hurt though... and well, something else too.

His romance route is all about forgiveness. It's going to be a slow burn with some delicious tension once you've broken through the initial hatred he'll feel towards MC at the start of the story. But afterward, it'll be a tender love that the two of you will need to navigate together as plot shenanigans happen.

It will be easier to romance him in the poly with Aimé.

Evander:

Evander is aloof, he makes it very clear that he has absolutely no interest in being here. He doesn't really want to be in this class! But, he can't go against his father. He is a bit socially dense, having a hard time understanding the subtleties that happen in communications with other people. But he loves being right, and you will catch him smugly smiling whenever he is.

His romance will be tension, he obviously wants you but something is holding him back. Goes out of his way to be meaner because he doesn't know how else to push you away. Entering a relationship with him will reveal a childish side of him that he hides from others. And it will help him realize that hey, maybe he shouldn't just give up on himself and those around him.

Aimé:

Aimé's whole theme is love. They love fiercely and hard, they crave softness and understanding. They don't want to be alone yet find themselves somehow isolated in the school. They also don't speak of their past, how they got turned into a vampire, when. They can be pretty airheaded, but they're so so SO polite!

Aimé's romance will be sweet and cute, they will be happy to have you around. There's just one problem. Their fanclub, and well society too since vampires are thought to be evil bloodsuckers but lets focus on the real issue. Actual people will try to stand in the way of your blossoming relationship, and you need to come to terms with the reality that dating an immortal might get... tricky.

Nova:

Nova is a go-getter, a top-grade student, with that you'd think that they're the serious type. But no! They're pretty bubbly, they love interacting with people. But most of all, they love being in charge and they love a good challenge. If your mc gets popular, she might view them as a threat, which will excite her a lot.

Nova's romance route will be a whirlwind romance, you can start it off quickly and she is all-in almost immediately. She will try to treat you well but issues will arise that are connected to dating a werewolf. She will be a jealous and slightly possessive lover.

Kane:

Kane is weird. They are happy to see you before you even know who the hell they are. They treat you like an old friend who they haven't seen in years, a person that's important to them. Yet if asked they dont reveal why that is. Something about them isn't right, they want to get close to you, but for what reason?

Kane's romance can be a whirlwind romance, similar to Nova, you can start it off early and then have all the secrets revealed when you are already in deep with Kane. Or, you can slow it down and learn the truth before being in a relationship with them, but after you've started having serious feelings for them. Kane's route will have many secrets, and suspicious behaviours, you just need to decide if they're worth it.

#ro ask #ro zane #ro evander #ro aimé #ro nova #ro kane #ro info

[rafaelcb]

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND… RAFAEL CRISTIAN BARDALES

it was a sin / the revivalists 🎧

i'm a man / black strobe 🎧

notorious / duran duran 🎧

rafael is … 24k gold cuff links, cigar smoke and whiskey glasses, skyscrapers against the black sky, the hum of a ferrari's engine, spotless soccer cleats leaving the sports complex, an absurd amount of silk ties, the scent of tom ford tuscan leather on a pillowcase, his mother singing in italian while cooking, his father conducting business meetings down the hall and an unmatched intensity in both rivalry and passion.

Rafael is one of those characters that I can say with complete honesty… I don't really have a lot in common with. I'm a thirty-something year-old woman, it's sort of hard to say that you relate to a fifty-something year-old man who grew up on the Amalfi Coast, but that's what has made playing him as fun as it is. … I'm also a lot taller than Mark Consuelos, so sorry Rafael, I can't relate. Still, I mostly chose Mark because a good friend and I thought he was very attractive and I had a burning desire to play an older character with a lot of life behind him… and lot left to live.

That being said, some characters that inspired Rafael would of course be Hiram Lodge from Riverdale, just in terms of the aesthetic, body language, having a head for business, the good things… not so much the evil. (I also quit watching Riverdale, so don't ask me more than that.) Other characters that inspired him would be Elijah Mikaelson as far as how he dresses and his countenance and personality, Edward Lewis from Pretty Woman -- a man who has far, far too much money for his own good and prefers to keep his relationships casual, Robert McAllister from Brothers & Sisters, in terms of still having a good heart, despite the work that he does, and … Gabe Ricci from the Choices novel, Laws of Attraction. Far more than I want to admit.

At the point when Rafael was created in my mind, I had Cage, who was the quintessential small town golden boy who ran away and came crawling back to build a life, and the effervescent go-getter Nari. Both lived within their means and fit into the small town life perfectly, so someone who rolled into town and made it his bitch in twenty years by amassing a fleet of luxury cars, owned a sprawling countryside estate with a wine cellar, and wore nothing without a designer label… hell yeah, sign me up.

Given that Mark himself is Italian and Mexican, I chose to have him be born and raised on the Amalfi Coast to an Italian mother and a Mexican father -- that part, I defintiely borrowed from Mark. His love of lasagna comes from me. Having him live in New York City after moving away from home just made sense to me. A hot shot lawyer should always cut their teeth in one of the most well-known cities in the world. And a lawyer just seemed to make sense … also because I was reading Laws of Attraction at the time, I'm sure. The real estate aspect came along further down the line for him simply because I enjoy looking at houses and wanted to play someone who was a mogul across several fields.

For me, one of the most exciting things to explore with Rafael was his backstory, and how he became who he is in the present day. I think a lot of people are afraid to play characters with any gray moral areas: they want to be either all bad, or all good (mostly the latter). I wanted to delve into the idea of this guy who had the world at his fingertips: gorgeous wife, top of his firm, penthouse apartment overlooking the city… and then he dropped the ball. But it couldn't just be a little bit… it had to be all the way. Rafael had to cheat on his wife and throw his entire life away to start over again. And it isn't as though he's tried to paint himself as perfection since then. I play Rafael as the quiet kind of person that doesn't really divulge a lot about his personal life, but he's also a serial dater, the sort of person with three lovers at once. He's just more honest about it these days.

On the opposite side of his lothario tendencies, it was important to me that Rafael have a shot at redemption. To rebuild himself from the ground up as the person that he wanted to be vs. the person he had been becoming in New York City. Let go a little bit of the morally shaky ground he had been on to build up a new reputation, a better reputation. I fucking love a good redemption arc. The idea of this person coming in on a trajectory similar to the Benefactor in terms of making positive changes in the town fascinated me, too, and over the year and a half since our soft open, having people ask me if he's the Benefactor has made me laugh deviously. He's not. But he started small and built his company and let go of the shame he held onto in the past… he just had to work extremely hard to get there.

Personality-wise, I was inspired by characters who had wealth, who weren't afraid to show that they had wealth, but did not make it their entire personality. Yes, Rafael has nice things. But he doesn't talk about those nice things constantly, unless it's tongue in cheek. Yes, Rafael gives to charity often. But he doesn't talk about doing that, unless asked. Yes, he gets VIP tickets to every Duran Duran concert. … that, he does brag about. I also wanted to play a sort of eternal bachelor who isn't closed off to the idea of love, but absolutely isn't looking for it… and maybe doesn't trust himself after his first marriage. He has close friends, and he has acquaintances, there's very few in between with Rafael. He can be a little tough to figure out; sometimes he forgets to leave the court room in the court room and that's because I like a good, stoic, intense man. And of course, at the heart of it all -- his family. His mother and father who have moved to town; mother who volunteers at the hospital, father who works on the board of his company. The absolute lights of his life, who bring out the 'true' Rafael -- a laughing, smiling man who enjoys a good lasagna and movie night.

He wears Tom Ford cologne and has an entire section of closet that is dedicated to nothing but ties, cuff links and accessories to go with his ... well, entire other sections of his closet filled with designer duds that he wears to work daily. That's because I like men's fashion. He also rolls his sleeves and wears loafers to be casual, because the man cannot be caught looking anything short of perfection. He owns a Ferrari, a Jaguar and a BMW because I really, really like to look at fancy cars, and sorry, but I will always give that to my characters. Oh! And he doesn't like pets. He doesn't think that your rats or shaggy bears are cute, sorry. Something that is both a given and a hidden surprise about Rafael... he plays chess. And he plays damn well. That, I have no inspiration for other than I have never understood the game, but feel like someone with his calculating mind would.

Oh, and watching my dad and my uncles decide that they're of the age to take up golfing… sorry, Rafael. But they've inspired you to golf, too. You're getting good, though.

#merrocktask #all about raf

[stickystarspectrumtroll-ocs]

🎂📰😨😄🎱

🎂 - Do they celebrate their birthday?

Yep! For C.C. all her family and friends are jumping on that and there's a small-to-medium party at her house with cake and party games and whatnot. For Jasper, servants give him a cake and some presents from his parents, maybe some birthdays his parents visit to do something together, take him to a circus or a movie or a play or a musical or something. And each of them will generally take the day to treat themselves to whatever they want to treat themselves to.

📰 - An obituary for your character was found in the local paper this morning. What did it say?

I imagine for either of them, the most likely cause of death would've been dying in battle. Either from a typical superhero-vs-supervillain battle where they just got knocked around a little too much and/or had some real bad luck or just didn't end up quite being up for the task after all, or from a giant entire-world-at-stake movie-level conflict.

I'm sure that kind of thing, for a superhero, would be all over the news, or at least warrant one full article. I wonder, when that happens, do they reveal the superhero's secret identity in it? To more wholly mourn the loss of them? I can imagine that. I can imagine that after saying how Mitochondria died and some words about her being such a great superhero and all, they reveal her civilian name was Carol-Caitlyn Fletcher, she was a student at Superhero Academy (or whatever the school was called), she liked sports and art and aimed to be a professional artist in her civilian life, her friends described her as funny and kind and a go-getter and always wanting to help people, and she's survived by her mom and dad and older sister and younger brother, and then maybe they have her family members say a few words about her.

I thought also about there being an article or obituary for her death as a superhero and a separate, less-looked-at one for her as a civilian, but what would they report for her civilian self's cause of death? Would they just have to make something up? I'm not sure what they would come up with. And it would make me sad, tbh, to think about that. It would feel unfair, for somecreature to have to say she died in a car crash or something, when really she died fighting to save a city or a planet. And for the whole public to mourn her death as a superhero while few people know to mourn the death of her as a person outside of that.

Jasper, well. He's a rather complicated case for this.

No one mourns the wicked, they say.

And he is a villain, after all. He's the one who once drenched half the city in slime, who once turned half the city into cats, who stole priceless artifacts from museums just to juggle them live on TV, who wreaked havoc with robots and ray guns and dastardly inventions of all kinds, who took pleasure in causing mass pandemonium for only his own amusement. I can imagine there being full articles about the deaths of supervillains too, but those would likely be in celebration of them, not to mourn but to rejoice in never having to be subject to their schemes again.

Though I bet they also spend a fair amount of words on Just How Evil those villains were. I hope they make him out to plenty black-hearted and sick-minded, despicable and dastardly. I hope they use plenty of dramatic language to emphasize how much chaos he caused and how he did it purely for his own twisted sense of fun. Jasper would like that, to be remembered that way.

Something else occurs to me too, though.

Dying in a giant movie-level fate-of-the-world-at-stake conflict is almost as much a possibility for him as it is for C.C. But in a situation like that, he'd have temporarily teamed up with the heroes.

Imagine. The public hearing from the press that this dastardly supervillain died helping a team of superheroes save the world. What would that be like?

I imagine C.C. would speak to the press about this. Because the first assumption from everycreature would've been that Count Jokester had had a change of heart and turned around to become a hero, and that wouldn't be the truth, and he wouldn't want to be remembered that way. She'd have to explain to people that he was always exactly the supervillain they all knew him to be, and he never stopped being that, but at the same time, this goodness was always part of him. She knew him as a civilian and he always had human decency about him, however much of troublemaker he was even in civilian life. If he ran into somecreature crying, he'd sit down with them and attempt to comfort them. And he really was instrumental in saving the world. At the same time, the papers quote her saying, "He always intended to go right back to his supervillain schemes once the world was saved. He just needed it to be saved so he could keep having his own kind of fun with it. I did tell him, at one point, that he was great help in this fight, and he wasn't even that bad of a person really, and he could very well turn around and be a good guy full time. He just threw his head back and laughed, and told me, 'Of course I could. But where's the fun in that?'"

Why am I having all these emotions thinking about all this.

Answering this questions for C.C. and Jasper is actually super different than for Maddie T. Like, they're a superhero and supervillain. They're in the public eye. If their deaths were mentioned in the local papers, they'd be something for the whole public to know about. They'd leave a serious mark what with the things that they did with their lives. Something of a legacy. Gosh dang is that something to think about.

😨 - Your character just broke wind in public. Do they try to hide it or own up to it?

C.C. does this pressing-mouth-shut-with-cheeks-puffing-out face, suppressing laughter.

Jasper lets slip a somewhat-reigned-in chuckle/snicker/whatever, then says "Oh, excuse me!" in a very dignified but clearly amused tone.

😄 - What has ever made your character laugh so hard that they almost passed out?

Jasper I feel like has a handful of movie scenes and theater scenes that made him lose his absolute cupcakes when he first saw them and will always hold a special place in his heart and live rent-free in his head. I think also some prank(s) he played at some earlier point in his life went particularly hilariously and made him dang near asphyxiate from laughter and will always be among his fondest memories.

C.C., maybe some joke her dad made once that's now a recurring inside joke within her family? Maybe some ridiculous slapstick-ish incident that happened when she was messing around with her friends?

🎱 - Your character and a talking raccoon walk into a bar…

I mean, C.C. might be concerned about the legality of that considering she's underage. We could just ignore that though, or we could say they just go to like a diner or something instead. In any case in that scenario I imagine the talking raccoon is a fellow superhero I guess. Maybe they want her help with some mission or other, maybe they just. Happened to meet and start talking, I dunno. Oh! Or, alternatively, they're a random person who got turned into a raccoon by somecreature and want her help figuring out a way to turn back and/or stop whoever did that to them and is doing the same to others. Or something. I dunno. Might come back to this.

Jasper I imagine it being a fellow villain. Maybe their backstory is that they were human and got turned raccoon by some chemical spill or failed experiment or something? I dunno. Jasper tries not to tease them too much about it as they seem rather bitter and broody about it. I guess they discuss thir respective villainous plans and junk. Somehow I imagine this raccoon villain is more serious about it and more "today X city tomorrow the world" ish. Maybe the raccoon suggests teaming up at some point. And Jasper does think that sounds like a blast, though he only intends it to be another battle-of-the-day and the raccoon might be thinking bigger than that. If it's explicitly only a take-over-the-world kinda thing, he says he'll pass, and that he respects villains with those sorts of plans but he himself has no intention of doing anything beyond causing some mass chaos and panic to entertain himself. If it's NOT explicitly only a take-over-the-world thing, if it can potentially lead into that if not stopped by anycreature but will start off as just causing a lot of within-city trouble, Jasper happily agrees and they shake hands and get on it.

#oc asks!! #thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #c.c. #jasper

[hadeschan]

item # K21E34

RARE an old carved tiger tooth amulet, carved from real tiger tooth, and the tip of the tooth was broken from the original work. The style of workmanship, and the hand engraving cabalistic writings on the amulet attribute to the school of the Legendary Luang Phor Parn of Wat Bang Hia (Wat Mongkhon Khothawat  or Wat Khlong Dan), the Thailand’s BEST maker of carved tiger tooth amulet. The origin of this hand carving tiger tooth amulet is unknown, possibly work of one of disciples of Luang Phor Parn of Wat Bang Hia, Samut Prakan Province.

…………………………………………………………..

The magic power of tiger tooth would fill you with courage, ambition and energy. You will soon be a natural leader and go-getter, yet it also makes people around you feel sensitive, loving and emotional. You will be very competitive, and you are not afraid of taking up any risk for achieving what you want. You would gain honesty, generosity from friends and passionate from lovers. Tiger tooth is also best for chasing ghost, warding off evil spirits, protection of bad luck, bad omen and unlock the spells.

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BEST FOR: Maha Am-naat, it provides Power of Authority to you, and improve your leadership qualities & skills. It helps make people who work under you follow your lead and encourage them to work hard for you, and it helps you have victory over your troubles. Nang Nieow, a rock-hard skin that is completely impervious to damage with bludgeoning or piercing weapons. Kongkraphan Chatrie (it makes you invulnerable to all weapon attack), Klawklad Plodpai (it helps push you away from all danger), Maha-ut (it stops gun from shooting at you or misses its target), and Metta Maha Niyom (it makes people around you love you, be nice to you, and willing to support you for anything), Wealth Fetching, Maha Larp (it brings lucky wealth), Metta Maha Niyom (it makes people around you love you, be nice to you, and willing to support you for anything), Kaa Kaai Dee (it helps tempt your customers to buy whatever you are selling, and it helps attract new customers and then keep them coming back, Maha Sanay (it helps turn you to Prince Charming in the eyes of women/men). It warns danger coming ahead. And Ponggan Poot-pee pee-saat Kunsai Mondam Sa-niat jan-rai Sat Meepit (it helps ward off evil spirit, demon, bad ghost, bad omen, bad spell, curse, accursedness, black magic, misfortune, doom, and poisonous animals). This amulet helps protect you from manipulators, backstabbers, and toxic people..

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DIMENSION: 4.20 cm long / 1.30 cm wide / 0.80 cm thick

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item # K21E34

Price: price upon request, pls PM and/or email us [email protected]

100% GENUINE WITH 365 DAYS AUTHENTICITY GUARANTEE.

Item location: Hong Kong, SAR

Ships to: Worldwide

Delivery: Estimated 7 days handling time after receipt of cleared payment. Please allow additional time if international delivery is subject to customs processing.

Shipping: FREE Thailandpost International registered mail. International items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges.

Payments: PayPal / Western Union / MoneyGram /maybank2u.com / DBS iBanking / Alipay / Wechat Pay / PromptPay International / Remitly

**************************************

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Edge of Trust by Freya Barker

Arrows Edge MC #6

 This author NEVER lets me down. I know that when I pick up one of her books, I will enjoy every minute of the story she is telling. Great author, great series, and great to see Emme and Honon get their happily ever after.

 What I liked:

* Emme: strong, capable, independent, unapologetically who she is, bartender, artist, tattooed, has great moves, good friend, caring, kind, responsible, rather taken with Honon

* Honon: ex-military, member of Arrows Edge, team player, trustworthy, honest, honorable, good friend, caring, protective, rather taken with Emme

* Malco and Athena: orphaned early in the story, taken in by Emme and Honon along with the MC, suffered more than children their age should have, central to the story – loved the way they were taken in and cared for

* The way the relationship develops between Emme and Honon, their honesty and communication, the way they seem perfect for one another, their respect of and trust for one another

* Getting to see how characters from previous books in this and other related series are doing

* The murder mystery, suspense, and finding out the who, what, and why behind it all

* The supportive care and camaraderie of the Arrows Edge MC and the way they and their families are family

* The plot, pacing, and writing

* The conclusion and lead into the next book that I believe will be Wapi and Lindsey’s story

* All of it really except…

 What I didn’t like: * Who and what I was meant not to like and knowing that the evil people in the story are all too common in real life

* Having to wait for the next book to be published

 Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series/by this author? Definitely

 Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 5 Stars

     BLURB

 Gunpowder and loyalty meets cocktails and ink. I am a laid-back wise guy. A veteran, a friend, a marksman, and a loner. My name is Honon. I may be hesitant to pull the trigger, but am not afraid to fire with the right target in my sights. I am a focused free spirit. A black sheep, a go-getter, a scrapper, and an artist. My name is Emme. I’m single-minded enough to reach my goals, but still moderately flexible when life throws a curveball. We make a reluctant couple—our hesitation evident—but when innocent lives are endangered, and hard-fought trust is challenged, we discover who we can count on. Each other.

#Freya Barker #Arrows Edge MC 6 #Romance #Murder #Romantic Suspense #MC Romance #Mystery #Fiction

[naijastudio]

Phyna Biogaraphy, Early life, Big Brother Naija, Career & Net worth

One of the 7th seasons of BBNaija's "Level Up" roommates is Ijeoma Josephine Otabor, better known as Phyna. Fans are assured that 25-year-old hype woman Phyna is in the house to make a difference by her. Along with other celebs like Elsoswag, she appeared in BBNaija Season 7. Phyna was named the winner of the BBNaija level-up season. Because she is positive, she is adored by her fans. Phyna currently has 57,700 Instagram followers, which is an increasing number. Phyna Wiki Fact Real Name Ijeoma Josephine Otabor Gender: Female Age: 25 years old Birth Date: June 1997 Birth Place: Edo State Nationality: Nigeria Height: 1.75 m Weight: 76 kg Sexual Orientation: Straight Marital Status: Single Wife/Spouse (Name): N/A Children: No Relationship Single Profession: Singer, Hype woman Net Worth N/A                         Phyna BBnaija Early life Phyna was born in Nigeria's Edo State in June 1997. With Ijeoma in her name, we assume that perhaps her mother is from Delta state. She is from Edo State and had her primary, secondary, and tertiary education. She is 25 years old at the moment, and she claims that gossip makes her sick. She said that you were not allowed to spread rumors about someone in her presence and that many people were aware of that. Phyna declared herself impervious to evil. She can dispute with someone for one minute before speaking to them as if nothing had happened since she has a short fuse. Big Brother Naija, Africa's most popular reality TV program, announced the 25-year-old artist as the 'Level Up' season 7 2022 winner (BBNaija 2022). Phyna BBnaija Personal Life BBNaija Phyna claims to be allergic to ill will and to have a short fuse. Phyna's temper was put to the test during a heated argument she had with Amaka, another resident. Amaka allegedly replied by calling Phyna a "rat" after Amaka allegedly called her legs "small." A significant altercation resulted from the BBnaija house's outburst from both groups. The BBNaija season 7 housemate, Phyna, describes herself as a "10" with a nasty temper and emphasizes her intolerance to gossip, saying, "A lot of people know I despise it. To me, you should never spread rumors about someone. Phyna describes herself as a go-getter who never backs down from even the smallest fear of being provoked. She cites its quality as one of her BBNaija house leveling tactics. According to BBNaija Phyna, her life has been a case of "Survival of the fittest. Phyna BBnaija Hobbies Repairing household appliances is one of Big Brother Naija Phyna's numerous skills and interests, and she claims that false people are a big turn-off for her. She declares her abhorrence of rumors. Phyna BBnaija Relationship The 25-year-old Phyna claims that "na Mumu dey love," which is why she doesn't believe in love. While living in the BBnaija house, BBNaija Phyna got into some trouble with Groovy. Briefly said, Phyna from BBnaija is a "rough chick." Phyna Bbnaija Net Worth Since BBNaija is a fast track to a potential global celebrity, it is currently impossible to estimate Phyna's net worth as more information about her activities is not made public. Phyna, who enjoys her career as a singer and hype woman, entered the BBNaija house not only for the money but also to make a difference.   Read the full article

[treadmilltreats]

Money makes you do crazy things

So I read in the paper recently that this North Carolina man won a $10 million lottery prize in 2017.

He now has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the 2020 fatal shooting of his girlfriend.

The News & Observer reported that Michael Todd Hill, 54, of Leland, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced Friday in the killing of his then girlfriend, 23-year-old Keonna Graham of Navassa.

When they say that money is the root of all evil they are not shitting. This man won the lottery. How many of us dream of that? Dream of how that would change our lives? Well, not like this.

But you never know how money or having money will affect you. Sometimes money becomes the end all to be all. With money, you have power and some people don't know how to deal with neither.

Add to the fact that most likely before he had money no 23 year old would probably go out with him. Not hating just stating a fact. Let's be serious, if Hugh Heffner was his age living in Century Village do you honestly think he'd have 4 girlfriends? Let's be real here. No, it's because he has money and power that all these women are at his feet.

Money doesn't buy you happiness. If your fucked up before money, you'll be fucked up with money. If you couldn't deal with life before, money is not the answer to make everything better.

Lots of people realize who their true friends are and go crazy, they can't handle the pressure. They are on a high from getting the money and can't process what comes along with it.

I get it, I grew up poor, real poor and I always wanted a better life. That was one of the things that I found so attractive in my ex husband. He was a go getter, a hustler like me, I knew he was going to go far.

I speak from experience here about money and what it can do to you. I had all the "stuff", fancy cars, lots of toys, big vacations, all that money could buy but I was miserable. To the outside world I had it all, but I cried myself to sleep for years.

Things just fill a hole you have in your heart. It doesn't fix the hole, you actually have to do that and that takes work.

So today my friends remember money doesn't buy happiness, or love or take away the pain you already had. It's a bandage that covers up all the crap that was there from the beginning and sometimes like what happened here when the bandaid gets ripped off, you can't stop the blood and you lose your mind.

You need to be whole with yourself before you wish for money. You need to know that you can handle it because unfortunately we see this all the time. And hopefully this will teach us that money will make you do crazy things and that money definitely doesn't buy you happiness.

"Be the change you want to see"

@TreadmillTreats

[theminecraftbee]

evil x is just. the funniest character on hermitcraft. they’re an evil clone of xisuma with a blatantly evil voice changer. they’re a derp, because they have the misfortune of being xisuma’s evil clone. they build a giant evil shop, name it the “evil emporium”, and put a menacing statue of themselves on it. they insist this is good marketing. this actually works, because the hermits have no self-preservation skills. they have learned social engineering. they hand out their own head as a marketing tactic. they’re trying to be an evil capitalist on a server that currently has at LEAST three of those already. they have evil timelapse music, a fact that is so funny that i will never let this character live it down.

like, they’re trying SO HARD to be evil. they’re trying SO HARD. you can do it evil x. i believe in you. be the evil villain you desire to be, i’m rooting for you.

#hermitcraft #evil xisuma #i love this evil man so much #a real evil go-getter! #one day you'll crack the top five of evil hermitcraft capitalists #you can do it

[theliterateape]

We Killed Jason Todd

By Matt Markman

In 1988 my friends and I killed a kid.

He was just a boy really. We had help it wasn’t just me and my pals. there were adults involved, lots of them. I mean we were young we were just thirteen and really couldn’t comprehend the ramification of our actions, the adults knew what they were doing. I’m painting it to sound way more sinister than it was, and in today’s society, wouldn’t trend on Twitter but maybe in the ’80s, it was probably considered quite ominous.

To set your mind at ease, it was Jason Todd. You know, Batman's sidekick, The Boy Wonder, Robin—well, the second Robin anyways. And I helped kill him.

I was big into comic books but my favorite was, The Dark Knight, The Caped Crusader, The Batman… He donned the best costume, he had all the money and was the most intelligent of all the superheroes. That last trait right there, the fact that he was considered a superhero and he had no actual super powers made him cooler than the other side of the pillow. You know how The Big Bang Theory has convinced the world it’s an Emmy-winning sitcom worth watching? I think it’s the fact that Batman was someone any one of us could actually be. Sure we needed to start with a base coat of genius followed by a splash of handsome billionaire playboy then train overseas in martial arts for several years, but if you had those things you, too, could be a vigilante. You ask me today and I'd stand by the fact that Batman would beat Superman in a fight, say ten out of ten times. This is not debatable because super beings from another planet are not real.

My favorite thing about Batman, though, is his ability to balance out good and evil. He spawned one of the greatest comic book villains and fictional characters ever created, The Joker. They have tried and tried again but in my opinion never got close to the Clown Prince of Crime—maybe Negan from The Walking Dead, he's pretty ruthless. The Joker is what would happen if a stand-up comedian became a criminal mastermind, so basically the plot of the 2019 film Joker.

My love for Joker made sense because growing up I was always more into the bad guys than the good guys. Watching and playing with G.I.Joe, I was always on the side of Cobra Commander, the twins Tomax and Xamot, and Zartan because they were always more glamorous and eye-catching than the boring ass Joes. Just once, I’d like that “knowing is half the battle” part at the end of the cartoon to have been Storm Shadow giving us kids a tip on how to fuck up Shipwreck and his stupid Parrot. Megatron, Skeletor, Shredder, Mumm-ra…

The list goes on, but the antagonists always resonated with me. they had a much better and more intriguing agenda than the good guys did. I know that wasn't the purpose, we were supposed to cheer on the good guys, like the idea of saving the world and all, but the mayhem… It’s like Alfred Pennyworth said, “Some men just want to watch the world burn.” It’s odd because the bad guys in my life were real, the bullies and I didn't like them at all. They tormented me daily unprovoked because I was short and had big ears. Perhaps my love for the dark side stemmed for my desire to be on that side because in real life there was no Superman swooping in to rescue me from the clutches of Lex Luthor. 

There were two sides, and good had a lack of champions looking out for the weaker, smaller good guys. The bad guys in my neighborhood, well, they were real and never really foiled and more importantly, they always got the girl in the end. Fuck the good guys!

My admiration for evildoers achieving their agenda was tested in 1988, Batman was running a four-part series called A Death in the Family. It was your typical Batman arc. Somehow, The Joker was going to get the upper hand on The World’s Greatest Detective only to be bested in the end by Batman. But this time, the third comic decided to do something nobody had never seen in the industry. The writers were going to give the fans the opportunity to decide where they were going to go with the story, only it was an option between two different roads, one quite unconventional. Apparently a few years earlier, one of the writers, Dennis O'Neil, had seen a sketch they did on SNL where Eddie Murphy held up a Lobster—Larry the Lobster—and was asking viewers to decide whether Larry was boiled and eaten or was to be set free. The choices were offered in the form of two phone numbers both costing fifty cents a call. One number was a vote for him to be freed and the other number was a vote for Larry to be murdered, smothered in butter, and devoured by Axel Foley. Ultimately, after nearly 500,000 calls, the people voted for Larry the lovable lobster to be pardoned with a 12,000 call margin. The popularity of this bit intrigued O'Neil and A few years later he decided to implement it in his Death in The Family storyline.

In the third book, The Joker had taken Batman's sidekick, the Boy Wonder, hostage. He’d beaten him bloody with a crowbar leaving a cliffhanger to be wrapped up in the fourth book. The last page of the comic was full page and at the top read in true ’80s Do the Right Thing fashion: “Robin will die because The Joker wants revenge, but you can prevent it with a telephone call!” They even phrased it to steer you down the hero’s path, like you can literally be Batman with one phone call. Underneath the imploring verbiage were two numbers, dial one number; The Joker fails and Robin lives, Batman would once somehow saves the day. However, call this other number and The Joker succeeds and Robin dies. Gruesomely.

Wow! They were going to let the fans decide the fate of Robin, really this was one of my earliest introductions to a reality voting competition type show. In my opinion, it was a bad idea. Robin was always the worst. Go back and read through an adventure or two involving Jason Todd and tell me he wasn't always whiney and bellyaching. He was never going to be iconic or cool like Bruce Wayne or even his predecessor Dick Grayson—the first Robin. See, Dick got pissed off, decided he was tired of being in Batman's shadow, ditched the Robin costume, threw on a black blue and gold costume, moved to another city and became Nightwing. Dick was a go getter, ambitious. Grayson’s Robin was a winner, Todd's Robin was an irritating little bitch; he was not an innocent lobster.

I went to my mother and asked if I could make a call that was going to cost just fifty cents and I would pay her back or she could just take it out of my allowance. She wanted to know what it was for and mostly wanted to confirm it wasn't for an adult sex line, which costs more than fifty cents a minute, but that’s a different story. It was nothing as tawdry as phontercourse, I just wanted to help murder an annoying teenage sidekick. My mother response was “Oh, yeah, that’s fine.”

I think after it was exposed that it wasn't phone sex anything else I said went in one ear and out the other, surely she didn't think I was actually voting for a plucky comic book sidepiece to be murdered by The Joker. So that’s what I did. I cast my vote along with a majority of DC comic book fans that shared my detest for the boy wonder. Ten thousand votes were recorded with a narrow margin going to Robin dying. I think the writers never suspected that fans would go that route.

O’Neal himself voted for Robin’s stay of execution. A man of his word, Batman issue #429 was released and Robin was killed by The Joker in an explosion and we were to blame for it. Sad to say but you give a bunch of comic book nerds the power I think it would go bad every time. That day we were all proud to be The Joker's henchmen. I felt like a soldier at the end of Star Wars cheering madly while The Joker received his metal shouting, “I helped that happen!”

So many shows these days embrace our fascination with the anti-hero with the success of The Sopranos, The Shield, Breaking Bad, hell Narcos had me rooting for Pablo Escobar—Pablo fucking Escobar. I wouldn't say I was a bad person growing up. Quite the contrary, I was a shy nerd with no power to do anything but pick my books up after they were smacked to the ground. What I’m saying is don't give me the power to make important life or death decisions with your franchise because myself and the other dorks will have the bodies of Orko, Snarf, and Jimmy Olson lying in a shallow grave, just tell me what number to dial… or text.

Matt started performing standup comedy in 2004 in Las Vegas and is now a regular at every major comedy club on the Las Vegas strip. He released his first comedy album in 2016 titled Uncut available on iTunes. More about Matt and his upcoming appearances can be found on MattMarkman.com.

#Matt Markman #Matt Markman Comedian #Matt Markman Comedian Las Vegas #Las Vegas Comedians #G.I. Joe #Skeletor #Joker #Batman #Joker kills Robin #Jason Todd

[itsclydebitches]

You know, we’ve been continuing the conversations lately about the group’s inability to practice what they preach, what with Yang’s Raven secret and Ruby’s decision to perpetuate Ozpin’s decisions, but at least those two things are... acknowledged? Sort of. What I mean is, the story clearly thinks the Raven issue isn’t relevant. It absolutely is, but after three whole volumes and a dropped end credits scene, I think it’s pretty clear that RWBY considers it unimportant and has shuffled it off screen. Not worth your time, folks, and that in and of itself is some kind of acknowledgement: you should just let it go. Meanwhile, Ruby’s choices are frustratingly excused with a, “You’re different” speech, but at least an explanation exists, no matter how absurd. A dislike of the explanation doesn’t erase the fact that we got one. It’s still hypocritical, still stupid, still built on rewriting the themes as we go, but at least it’s something. 

You know what hasn’t been dropped from the story and likewise hasn’t been given at least a shoddy excuse? Oscar’s secrets. 

He (along with the rest of the group) lied to Ironwood for weeks/months about Salem and Ozpin

Then he kept the fact that Ironwood had gone off the deep end and tried to murder him quiet

Then Ozpin returned and he announced that he wouldn’t be sharing this crucial piece of info until he felt like it

Then he tops things off by, apparently, learning at some point that he had an insanely powerful weapon at his disposal and just... never brought that up 

I don’t like dragging the farm boy because I love the farm boy, I spent a huge amount of time throughout Volumes 5 and 6 defending him, but he’s suffering big time from the writing flaws lately. Ruby (rightfully) gets most of the heat for lies and secrets because she’s the leader, the show’s main protagonist, and the one who actually speaks them to Ironwood, but Oscar is in his own unique trouble due to being Ozpin’s “better.” At least supposedly. I mean, I personally despise RWBY’s message that the younger generation is inherently superior to the last - “We don’t need adults” and all that - but I don’t think we can deny that such a message exists. Ozpin had his successes off screen, that extraordinary time of peace, yet when the show starts he’s in the process of a downfall. The school is taken over, he’s murdered, and two volumes later he’s literally on his knees, having what little control he retained snatched away. Who replaces him? Oscar. The young, hopeful, bright-eyed child who is now - literally, due to the merge - stepping into Ozpin’s shoes. He’s accepted by the team when Ozpin is not (even if it took way too long). He’s got the wealth of optimism when Ozpin falters. This last volume we saw him straight up go, “No, we’re not doing your escape plan, we’re doing my turn-the-villain plan.” Oscar exists to provide that contrast, the new and improved Ozpin 2.0. The story is essentially saying that Ozpin, the ancient planner, failed spectacularly, but Oscar, the young go-getter, succeeds. Oscar-as-Ozpin will do what Ozpin 1.0 failed to accomplish: helping to defeat Salem by the end of the series. 

... so why is Oscar keeping so many secrets? 

That’s the snag for me. That’s where RWBY’s intended message falls apart. Not because the message was never there in the first place, but because they’re writing it badly. Ozpin’s way of doing things is, according to the show, defined primarily by controlling information. Keeping things close to his chest, as he says in Volume 6. For Oscar to exist as his better, he needs to reject the actions that - again, the story says - are dangerous, hurtful, and bound to fail. We see that a little bit in his willingness to trust Hazel (which, imo, is far too much of an extreme in the opposite direction), but beyond that Oscar is acting exactly like Ozpin. He’s keeping that info close to his chest just in case Ironwood proves to be an enemy. He’s reducing a traumatic event to “a long story” so as not to upset his teammate and cause further distress in an already stressful situation. He’s deciding that there’s a time and a place for revealing Ozpin’s return and that he will wait until such a time works for him. He, apparently, has a wealth of knowledge at his disposal now, from weapons to information about the Relics, that he’s doling out only when he feels the group absolutely needs to know these things. The cane nuke is just the new moment on the train: we need to escape Salem so I’ll reveal that I have the power to do so; we need to avoid the grimm so I’ll reveal that the Relic attracts them. You get this information when I consider it relevant, not before. And as far as we know, the merge isn’t really happening yet. Oscar is no less Oscar than he was at the start of Volume 4, minus a tendency to stand straighter. That’s the lack of acknowledgement. The story isn’t saying that Oscar is getting cagey because evil Ozpin is infecting his soul, it’s positing this as normal development for him as an induvial and... ignoring the problem with that. 

It’s real easy to point to Ruby as the main culprit here and critics (myself included) are absolutely right to. You really can’t do any worse than a whole volume of denouncing secrets, having Ruby parrot Ozpin’s near exact lies, and then try to hand-wave that away with, “But you’re different, Ruby.” RWBY’s moral themes shattered in that moment, but I think, beyond that hugely glaring flaw, there’s something a little subtler going on with Oscar - yet no less frustrating. The story clearly wants us to believe that Oscar is an improvement over Headmaster Ozpin, the new man (boy) who actually puts his trust in others... but who is he putting that trust in? Like the fandom’s worries that the group will eviscerate Jaune (the friend) after insta-forgiving Emerald (the enemy), it doesn’t sit right with me that Oscar is out here keeping major info from his teammates while handing out war intel to the guy torturing him in Salem’s whale. RWBY’s got its ideas of trust and forgiveness backwards and the crew doesn’t appear to realize that any excuses or explanations we might apply to Oscar will always apply to Ozpin too. Like Ruby and Ozpin, there remains a double standard at play between Oscar and Ozpin. You just can’t have this kid keeping so many things to himself now and ignore that this is the exact thing the story said was what made Ozpin the bad guy. Either acknowledge that and fix Oscar’s behavior, or acknowledge that and have the characters realize that Ozpin was right. Because without considering these choices, Oscar doesn’t actually exist as the contrast that I think RT wants him to be and the few nods to their differences - like trusting Hazel - come across as stupid decisions, not improvements. Rather than writing a kid from the next generation who is truly able to do better than the man who came before him, RWBY is writing a kid who is becoming exactly like his elder, with the exception of some incredibly foolish mistakes... all while claiming that he’s different in the way Ruby is different: just because, I guess. 

#rwby #rwde #mymetas