#warriors is what made me become an artist and writer and it was my first hyperfixation | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

girl4music · 6 months

Text

MY TOP 10 FAVOURITE EPISODES OF ‘XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS’ AND WHY I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

(CONTAINS A LOT OF SPOILERS)

'Xena: Warrior Princess’ is a very influential, inspiring and impactful TV show for me. It is my favourite piece of art/entertainment of all-time and it is the backbone and foundation behind my entire philosophy as a human being on this planet. All the show is great, but it’s the episodes that have given me deep life lessons and helped me understand more about myself and the world around me that matter the most to me. I will give a lengthy explanation as to why each one of these specific favourite episodes in my TOP 10 mean so much to me or what it is about them it’s taught me that has made me a better and more evolved version of myself. There is 134 episodes all in all. From most favourite to least favourite, here are my TOP 10 most favourite episodes of 'Xena: Warrior Princess’ and why I love them so much.

1. S03E12: THE BITTER SUITE

‘The Bitter Suite’ is a musical episode. It combines my love for music and drama into one excellently written, produced, directed and composed episode of the show. But that’s not entirely the reason why it makes the very top of my list, although that’s a huge factor. ‘The Rift’ (as Xenites call it) between Xena and Gabrielle all throughout Season 3 is dealt with and put to rest in this episode. The writers use Yin and Yang and the polarities of love/hate, good/evil and peace/war to represent the importance of friendship, honesty, forgiveness and the ability to put someone you love and care about over yourself in their time of need despite whatever animosity you feel towards them due to past circumstances and situations that broke your heart. They use Yin and Yang several times in the show to give such strong and substantial messages, however, this time takes the winning spot for me. The friendship between Xena and Gabrielle is put to the ultimate test when they fall into this dimension of reality called ‘Illusia’. In this strange, whimsical and colourful place everything is designed to be expressed in song and theatrics. It’s such a clever, artistic and extremely thought-provoking episode. There is a lot it taught me that I unconsciously crafted into my own philosophy of life throughout the years. Also, it was the very first episode I ever saw of the show. They were airing Season 3 in the United Kingdom when I came across it at 5 years old in 1997. Its lessons have remained with me since then but I definitely understand it a lot better now I am a grown adult. If there was ever any episode that you should watch of Xena to introduce you to it… and you really don’t care about spoilers… make it this one. I promise you… you won’t regret it.

2. S03E14: FORGIVEN

‘Forgiven’ deals with the themes of forgiveness and redemption. As you may know, the entire concept to the show is about a Warrior Princess named Xena who fights for the good of mankind to redeem herself from her past sins and be forgiven by the world of which she caused immense damage and pain to. So redemption and forgiveness are the biggest and most reiterated themes and overall messages in the show. But never more so prominent and profound than in this episode. We meet a young girl named Tara that reminds Xena of how she used to be before she became an evil warlord. Lost and confused, hanging around the wrong people, doesn’t understand the difference between right and wrong. She picks a fight with Gabrielle to show Xena she’d make a better sidekick. Initially this girl really pissed me off. I thought she was very arrogant and well out of her league to think that she could replace Gabrielle in Xena’s life. But like Gabrielle, I warmed up to her when she crumbled down in tears and confessed that she hates the way she is and wants to change herself. Become a good person. Just as Gabrielle does in the episode, I judged her too quickly. She had a story that hit me hard due to the way I treated people in my own life. It was a real wake up call to me at the time. One I really needed cause gods know I couldn’t be reached otherwise. I was so far beyond real help.

There’s a line in the episode that has really stuck with me throughout the years and still is something I remind myself of even now as often as possible.

XENA: “You are what you do. You can recreate yourself every second of your life.”

3. S01E22: CALLISTO

‘Callisto’ is about a new character we meet late in Season 1. This character becomes the main antagonist of 'Xena: Warrior Princess’ and my favourite character besides the main two leads in the entire show. In the episode before it, ‘The Greater Good’, Xena gets shot in the neck with a poisoned dart and it is revealed to us in this episode who it was that targeted her. Now I don’t just want to talk about the character but also the actress that portrays her as well because that is a massive reason why this episode stands out so much to me over others in Season 1. Hudson Leick plays Callisto and delivers such a remarkable acting performance that gives her character layers and layers of depth, expression and personality. She’s easily on-par with the leads, if not better. I love watching her perform. She’s fantastic!

Excerpt taken from my character study thesis; Section 4: A dark heart is shadowed until the light shines in.

[The introduction of the character Callisto to the show adds a much heavier layer to what is already an overwhelming story of redemption, vengeance, love, forgiveness and balance, which are to me, the main themes in the show that are reiterated repeatedly as it progresses in writing, production and direction. Callisto becomes the main villain in the show, but she isn’t your run-of-the-mill evil villain. Oh, no, no, no. I like to think of Callisto as more of an antagonist than a villain. She has an extremely complicated storyline of her own that inexplicably ties in with Xena’s because Xena murdered her family, or so that’s what she adamantly believes. It’s hard to explain or understand just how much this character is an integral reason for Xena’s reformation from being an evil warlord to a heroine for good, and how the consequences of her dark past have really screwed Callisto up and turned her into, for lack of a better word, a psychopath who is absolutely bent on destroying everything that makes Xena who she is. Starting with her reputation, and eventually escalating to the people she loves and cares about in all the world. This character is so crucial to ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’, that there is never any way to stop her even when she dies. She’s that dedicated to ruining Xena and Gabrielle’s lives. Callisto doesn’t just want to kill Xena. She wants to kill her soul because that is what Xena has done to her. It’s hard to think of Callisto as any kind of villain because you develop such sympathy for her throughout all her appearances in the show. She’s so messed up in the head that you just don’t think of her as an evil person, just an extremely depressed and misunderstood one. What happens to her, in the end, is something that needed to happen, and I was unbelievably happy did. She did terrible things, but she needed the opportunity to be saved and forgiven as Xena did, and fortunately, the show’s producers gave her the ending she deserved.

This leads me on to what happens when Callisto meets Xena face to face for the first time in the late Season 1 episode, titled ‘Callisto’, and how Gabrielle plays a part in stopping Xena from crumbling down in guilt and regret and letting her go because of it once they captured her. Xena doesn’t blame Callisto for how she ended up, knowing that it was her own fault she became that way in the first place. Even if she didn’t mean for her family to be killed in the fire her own men started against her orders all those years ago in ‘Cirra’, Callisto’s hometown, she still felt solely responsible for the consequences that followed.

There is a very important scene, which I call ‘The Promise’ scene, from this episode where Gabrielle asks Xena to promise her that if anything happened to her in their travels together, that she would not turn away from her path of atonement, and rampage like a raving blood-lusted lunatic the way Callisto was. You see for the first time Xena’s vulnerability and struggle with sensitivity. She was finding it so difficult to cry in front of Gabrielle. She tries to send her off to bed before she could see the tears streaming down her face, but Gabrielle wasn’t having it. She made sure she promised her, and that she was sincere with the words. She sees the tears and tries to brush them away from her face. Xena immediately turns away from her and tells her to go to bed, but she doesn’t move. Gabrielle just sits there by her side sharing her pain and accepting her for who she is now, which I find extremely powerful and beautiful. Xena has probably never encountered acceptance like that in her life before, or she wasn’t paying enough attention to see it. The fact that Gabrielle refuses to leave her must have thrown her off. She left herself unguarded for the very first time in her life in front of this young woman. As the flickering flames danced before them, illuminating their faces, we see the Warrior Princess’ walls down for the very first time. The Bard had succeeded in bringing out her sensitive side, if only just for a moment. This would be the beginning of a transformation so intense, it would completely change Xena’s personality and mindset forevermore. Love and forgiveness would be her saving grace, and the beautiful soul sat across from her would be the reason why it happened at all.]

Furthermore, in this episode we also meet Joxer, who becomes the main comic relief in the entire show and gave Gabrielle the chance to be taken seriously as a character instead of the “irritating blonde”, as she’s so often called by other characters in the show, much to my distaste. So because of the introduction of two incredible recurring characters, especially Callisto, this episode ranks high on my list.

4. S05E02: CHAKRAM

‘Chakram’ goes back to the Yin and Yang representation of the show. They use it as the main plotline of the episode in that there is a Light and Dark chakram and the plot was to retrieve the chakram of Light from the temple of the Tao because Xena has always had the Dark chakram and it broke earlier in the show. It’s one of the many episodes in the entire show where the character Ares: The God Of War represents Xena’s Dark side and Gabrielle Xena’s Light side. But this time with a little bit of a twist, as it is Gabrielle that directs Xena back to her Dark side again due to Xena having lost her sense-of-self and the memories of who she was in her past after the both of them were crucified at the end of Season 4 and were brought back to life again through another new character in the show, Eli, at the start of Season 5. This episode means a lot to me because it really clarifies how important it is to have balance in your life and in yourself. A balance of Light and Dark to really understand both and be whole with everything you are as a soul. All that makes you you.

There is a really great scene in the episode, that’s probably my favourite scene, where Xena is praying to some kind of deity, most likely the ‘One God’ of Eli’s religion. It is never revealed who or what exactly she’s praying to but Gabrielle notices and is concerned about her because Xena won’t defend herself when she is attacked anymore, nor does she remember anything violent or negative about herself and her past. Xena questions her whether they’re doing the right thing in restoring her darkness and how that could even be a good thing to do. Gabrielle replies in such a way that is very philosophical and wise that you don’t hear from her in quite awhile in the show. She says “I think it’s vital. I know that sounds strange, coming from me. I think you have to know the darkest part of yourself to be whole.” Xena exclaims back “But this way, I harm no one!” Gabrielle counters “But Xena, what about the people who harm others? Xena, you have this balance of lightness and darkness. Without both of those, the very best in you is defenceless.“ That scene and that dialogue helped me to realize something amazing about myself and the way I look at everything negative I do as something that takes away from who I am as a soul. But really it’s just giving the way to the rise of something much more positive and helping me to understand myself better and recognize the importance of polarity and the teachings of Yin and Yang. It’s a meaningful and motivating episode to me because it represents what I call ‘The Grey Area’ in the best way that I could never explain myself.

Also, Xena gets a cool new and improved chakram with the Yin-Yang design when she neutralises the Light and Dark chakrams together, which brings her back to her former self again, so that was awesome too. I love the way they did this episode so much. I especially love that both lead characters evolved because of the need to be there for each other. The need to protect and defend one another. That’s precisely what their relationship is fundamentally about and they hit it on the nail with this episode. Who said Season 5 didn’t show the love between them? Look deeper. The love is there, it’s just not in the way that you expect. It’s in the themes represented. It’s in the fundamental message that someone that cares about you has to put aside what scares them about you and do what’s best for you.

5. S02E15: A DAY IN THE LIFE

‘A Day In The Life’ is a comedy episode that centers around Xena and Gabrielle’s average day of fighting for the innocent. Now while this episode is highly regarded in the fanbase because of the hilarious things Xena and Gabrielle do to each other to affectionately aggravate one another that drives them both crazy like a squabbling old married couple, it’s also got a very inspiring moral to it at the same time. That you do not need to make yourself the victim in thinking of yourself as unworthy or unappealing to the one you love, and that you have your own strength to fight your own battles and don’t necessarily need someone to defend or protect you all the time. You see, in this episode you are introduced to a couple, Minya and Hower, that fall into somewhat of an estranged relationship when Hower falls in love with Xena as soon as he meets her. Hower is the first person of the couple you get to know, but when you meet Minya, you find out she’s a big fan of the Warrior Princess, but begins to view her with disgust and jealousy when she realizes her boyfriend is attracted to her. Xena and Gabrielle, while occupied with their own married couple problems, have to sort this out and make it clear to Hower that he has no chance with Xena. Xena gives some advice to Minya on how to handle men and she becomes this strong, independent and extremely confident woman that knocks a warlord to his feet that impresses Hower and she no longer feels victimised by him or anyone else. This ignites the flame in their relationship again and Xena and Gabrielle learn to overcome their own differences in the meanwhile because of being inspired to by them.

Furthermore, Xena, the brilliant strategic thinker she is, finds a way to kill two birds with one stone by stopping both an army and defeating a giant. There is this cute little moment in the middle of the episode where she tells Gabrielle that by defeating the giant Gareth, she will be repaying an old friend back from having to fight against him for ‘The Greater Good’, which ultimately led to his death. I thought that was very endearing. It’s a great episode. Funny, yet has a lot of substance to it. At least to me it does. It’s definitely my favourite comedy episode in the entire show and it is another great introductory episode to come to know the comedy and campy side of Xena because Xena isn’t dramatic and serious all the time and that’s part of its charm as a 90’s show.

6. S04E07: LOCKED UP AND TIED DOWN

‘Locked Up And Tied Down’ has Xena dealing with the justification for her regretful past. She is convicted and tried for a murder she committed to a young woman years ago, that has only just seemed to follow her up now. I thought that was quite weird at first, but it’s explained why later on. The build-up of the episode has her boarding a boat shackled in chains and leaving a grief-stricken Gabrielle behind to carry out her sentence: life imprisonment on Shark Island. Gabrielle follows her, of course, and tries to free her while masquerading as the new healer for the prisoners. It is here the sudden event of Xena’s conviction begins to make sense, as Gabrielle discovers that the person Xena, apparently, murdered, is the one who condemned her. It’s an episode where the empathetic ways of Gabrielle transform someone into finding their power and peace again, the way she has done for Xena.

Meanwhile, the opposite is happening to Xena. She feels an immense amount of contempt in herself for all the horrible things she’s done. She’s so disgusted with herself, that she takes accountability for any kind of punishment or chore any of the prisoners are given while on Shark Island, along with her own. For me, that was an extremely painful thing to watch. My hero literally just giving up everything, including Gabrielle, because she hated herself. It was awful to watch how she just let the guards order and push her around like that and have all authority over her. But as painful and awful as it was to watch, it made me understand that forgiving yourself isn’t easy when your past sins follow you around and weigh you down when you’re trying to climb back up in your life. It’s not justice to just feel remorse for what you’ve done. You have to pay for those sins and accept the consequences of the pain and damage you’ve caused to others. You don’t get a free pass just because you believe you’ve repented for your sins. Others make that decision for you. Which means redemption is not earned and can’t be. It’s decided by others. It’s not a nice lesson to learn, but it is an important and realistic one. What’s more is you need to stop seeing yourself as a victim, because nobody is going to have mercy on you if you’ve done wrong. You have to own up to your crimes and deal with the consequences of your own actions. It’s a very dark, twisted and dramatic episode, but that’s just the kind of TV that I love to watch. That’s why this episode is one of my absolute favourites. This show is not afraid to tell the truth of the darkness of its themes or let the leads off for doing questionable things, unlike 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys’, and because of it, it is far superior to it in writing, directing and acting.

7. S06E02: THE HAUNTING OF AMPHIPOLIS

‘The Haunting Of Amphipolis’ sees Xena, Gabrielle and the newly reformed daughter of Xena, Eve, go back to Xena’s hometown after over 25 years to find that something has gone terribly wrong. Xena’s mother, Cyrene, is dead and the entire town has been wrecked and abandoned. There is a great evil that has permeated it and wreaked havoc that turned it into a hell hole of death, torture, pain, grief and just outright carnage. 'Xena: Warrior Princess’ finally gets a HORROR story. My favourite producer, Sam Raimi, who executive produces the show along with Rob Tapert, had a lot to do with this episode and you can tell because it’s his sort of episode. His creative area of expertise. Horror, just without the comedy, although there is some well-hidden dark humour in there that only an enthusiast of the original Evil Dead film series will pick up. And I am somewhat of a fan.

Okay, so I’m cheating a bit here. This episode isn’t really all that inspiring or really teaches you anything of any importance whatsoever. It’s just… I love horror basically, and I was waiting for Xena to have some sort of episode where they show blood, guts and gore since it’s done every other genre known to man. If you read my writing about my favourite art/entertainment, you would know what I’m like with begging creators to incorporate versatility. It’s a big drawing card for me when it comes to art/entertainment. There’s not much else to say. There’s a lot of weirdness, disturbing and creepy crap that goes on in it that is right up my alley. It makes my TOP 10 because it’s just something that I enjoy watching and suits my passions for TV media in general. It’s my niche. There’s no moral or message of significance. Honestly, I am just a sick person who loves watching sick stuff. So there you have it. It is an acquired taste and not for the faint-hearted, so I probably wouldn’t recommend watching this one if you do not like or are not familiar with horror. It’s a great one to watch for Halloween though, which I’m sure was the intent behind creating and airing it.

Oh, and Xena finally teaches Gabrielle ‘The Pinch’. One of Xena’s trademarks in her “I have many skills” repertoire. Or at least she teaches her how to take ‘The Pinch’ off. Good enough for me. Xena teaches her everything she knows in the end anyway.

8. S01E24: IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?

‘Is There A Doctor In The House?’ finds our heroines, Xena and Gabrielle, in the middle of an ongoing civil war between the Mitoans and the Thessalians. They end up bumping into a friendly face in the name of Ephiny, an Amazon in Gabrielle’s tribe, who is extremely pregnant and about ready to have her baby. They capture a Mitoan commander and take refuge in a Thessalian temple where the wounded, sick and dying are being treated. This episode is very upsetting. To cut to the chase: SPOILER ALERT! Gabrielle dies. Not only do you get to see Xena’s impressive demonstrations of medical aid, surgery and respiratory reparation, but you also come to see the incredible influence Gabrielle has had on her life throughout Season 1. Xena showcases such vulnerability, compassion and even fear while begging and pleading for Gabrielle to wake up. She absolutely crumbles down in emotion the likes you’ve never seen from her in the show thus far, and you realize that this adventurous and naive young woman she helped on to the back of her horse, Argo, not too long ago, has had an unbelievable effect on her mindset and personality. She has fallen completely in love with her and her ways of empathy and understanding of ‘The Greater Good’ and she just can’t let her go peacefully. She demands for her to return to the land of the living, screaming “Don’t leave me! DON’T LEAVE ME!”. Through much persistence and determination Xena’s remarkable medical and healing skills somehow miraculously bring her back to life again. Don’t ask me how, she just does it, and Xena claims it’s entirely Gabrielle’s doing. I disagree. I think it was Xena that achieved that feat because her love for Gabrielle guided her efforts. Their relationship reaches even greater heights. At least from Xena’s point of view it does.

Elsewhere in the episode, before that dramatic and climactic ending, that I also thought was a great addition to the theme, we go back to Ephiny and watch her talk with the Mitoan general named Marmax, who the Amazon has been put in his care. Ephiny has developed a hatred for the Mitoans because they killed her husband, but is able to tolerate Marmax because she wanted him to understand something about hatred. That the war has to end somewhere for their children’s sake. She challenges him by asking “Is bloodshed all you want them to know?” and the scene cuts out. I thought that was very powerful and it made me appreciate the episode all the more. This episode inspired me a lot and makes it on my TOP 10 because of it.

9. S02E20: THE PRICE

‘The Price’ is an episode about understanding what it means to be human and the price you pay if you’re ignorant to the truth because you’re blinded by hatred and anger. Xena and Gabrielle stumble into dangerous waters and come across The Horde. Xena remembers this barbaric tribe from when they annihilated her army sometime after the Battle of Corinth. She doesn’t have any understanding or knowledge on them other than what she knows from her past when she was the Destroyer of Nations, and claims they have no will other than to kill everything and anything they come into awareness with. They pick up a wounded soldier in their canoe and bring him into the Athenian Army battlement camp while the war still rages on. Xena becomes ruthless whenever she has an army around her and something to hate and direct her anger at and Gabrielle never likes or accepts it. While Xena is taking command of the Athenian Army to try to destroy The Horde by any means she can, Gabrielle is tending to the wounded in an old armoury unit where there are no doctors or healers and she takes the initiative to be the lead nurse to care for those who are dying and need help. This is where you come to see that Xena cannot stay on the right path for herself and would easily just as go back to her dark days if not for Gabrielle’s hold on her guilty conscience. Gabrielle argues with Xena that maybe The Horde want something and if they had it, they would leave them alone. Or maybe they could find common ground if they learn to understand their ways first. Gabrielle finds the answer when Xena captures one of them and she’s ladling water right next to the tied up Horde. He was breathlessly repeating “Kaltaka”, which is what all the dying Horde chant endlessly on the battlefield. She previously believed it was the name of their god and it was the clue she needed. It translated to water. They just wanted water because the Athenians poisoned the rivers. They didn’t want to fight anymore, they were just desperate for a way to keep themselves alive. Gabrielle defies Xena and goes out into the battlefield to feed the dying Horde weaponless and The Horde crowd around her but don’t hurt her. They notice she was just trying to help. Through this act of kindness towards the opposing side Xena comes to her senses and realizes she’s wrong about them. She goes back to the captured Horde and experiments with her newfound theory that maybe they have a code of conduct that is in common with her own. A Warrior’s Code. She understands him and releases him. Then she goes out to fight The Horde Leader who is the one causing all the trouble for the tribe and defeats him. As she’s walking away with her back turned to the entire Horde tribe, they raise their bows and arrows and Gabrielle screams out “LOOK OUT!”. They don’t target Xena. They target The Horde Leader who was screaming in anguish at being defeated. Xena was now their leader by defeating their previous leader. That was their Warrior’s Code. No real difference to the Amazons, an indigenous tribe they knew so well and wore just as much war paint.

The message is self-explanatory: Don’t judge a person by their race, religion, language, culture, colour, sexuality, gender, or by what you ignorantly think you know about them without getting to know or understand them. You risk losing your humanity.

10. S01E02: CHARIOTS OF WAR

‘Chariots Of War’ is about compliance and expectations from relationships that affects our choices and perceptions of reality. Xena gets herself caught up in a situation where she’s trying to stop these two warlords ravaging a settlement where a community of villagers were trying to build a new home for themselves and Xena takes an arrow to the chest and faints. A single father takes her into his home and cares for her because she saved his young son from being crushed by the newly built settlement that one of the warlords pulled down. While injured, Xena learns of this family’s plight and tries to put it right for them, promising not to use violence to do it, obeying the wishes of the one who took her in who does not want another war. She becomes very affectionate with the father and his family and finds it a struggle to leave them because of it.

Meanwhile, Gabrielle meets one of the warlords in the inn she takes refuge in because a smelly and disgusting drunk keeps hitting on her. She tells a lie that she already has a boyfriend and he is with them in the inn. To prove it, a bold as brass Bard walks right up to this warlord and complete stranger and kisses him on the mouth and requests that he pretends he knows her to keep away from the horny drunks. They start a conversation about what they do and the warlord, who’s name is Sphaerus, tells her that he works for his father, but he makes him do things he doesn’t like and doesn’t want to do and this insightful conversation between them happens that I really love and relate to myself…

GABRIELLE: “My mother always wanted me to get married and have kids. And I remember telling her that I’d always be grateful for the way that she raised me, but she couldn’t expect me to pay for that with my future.”

SPHAERUS: “That’s very insightful.”

GABRIELLE: “It’s a gift. Well, anyway, I came to a point in my life when I had to make a choice and I thought about who I really was, and I made it.”

I’ve written an entire article about this that was inspired by this episode and this is a piece of that article where I explain the moral to the episode because, for me, that’s part of the reason why this episode is so damn brilliant and one of the best.

[The moral to this episode is about what is expected of us to comply to by our family, our employment, our sociality and our romantic relationships and trying to apply it to who we are, how we choose to view reality and how we live by our own perceptions. I tend to think the more we empathise with the people that love or care about us and that we love and care about, the better our relationships become. The reason why I think this is because you can only walk a mile in someone’s shoes once you have begun to understand them… But that doesn’t mean you should take on their beliefs… their perceptions… or their lifestyle. You have your own to live by, and that’s how it should be. What you believe in and what lifestyle you choose to live by is what is your truth. And no one should take that away from you. Not even those closest to you.]

Another reason I love it is because the writer, Josh Becker, did something very clever with it in setting up the idea of Xena and Gabrielle being each other’s Yin and Yang before they even realize that for themselves. And he does it by using none other than their MALE COUNTERPARTS and LOVE INTERESTS. It is ingenious writing and something you will only pick up on with multiple rewatches of the show.

—————————————————————————–

That’s my TOP 10 favourite episodes of 'Xena: Warrior Princess’. It’s probably not the list that you were expecting since Gabrielle is my favourite character. You would think I would go with Gabrielle-centric episodes. But when it’s your favourite show, you don’t necessarily care about how much screen-time your favourite character has or hasn’t. What you care about is how well your favourite character is integrated into each episode and there is a lot of episodes that are extremely well written in character representation and development so it’s not a factor.

I’ve already written a hell of a lot so I’ll just end it briefly. Thank you for reading. I hope you check the show out for yourselves if you haven’t seen it and come to love it as much as I do. And if you’ve already watched the show all the way through once or more, what is your TOP 10 favourite episodes? Feel free to express why as I have done. I’d love to know how this show has impacted you the way it has impacted me.

Thank you.

- Girl4Music

#xena warrior princess #top 10 favourite episodes #xena #lucy lawless #gabrielle #renee o'connor #the bitter suite #forgiven #callisto #chakram #a day in the life #locked up and tied down #the haunting of amphipolis #is there a doctor in the house #the price #chariots of war

19 notes · View notes

jessequinones · 5 months

Text

Writing Lesson: It’s okay to make mistakes.

I know as a writer I make mistakes, in fact, I’m certain if you go through this text you’ll find grammar and punctuation errors and that's ok. This text isn’t a book or a peer review essay. It’s a conversation from me to you about mistakes in writing.

When I was young, learning how to write, I created this.

***

2010, Wildcats: Civil War

“What are you saying?” A black tom said to a brown tom with anger in his voice.

Before he was finish Shadow walk away wan Deathclan was about to leave but what Whiteheart said next made Shadow froze in his tracks. “I know I can beat you.”

“Is that so?” Shadow said as he was turning around and was slowly walking back toward Whiteheart.

“That is correct.”

“Well then….let’s have a little battle right here and now then.”

Whiteheart could not say no, or back down now. He walks right it in this battle.

***

Yeah...it’s not good but the point is, even though I was a terrible writer, I never stole my writings. All of my terrible stories were original and that’s what I want to talk to you about today.

The word plagiarism has been going around the internet for the last few days and I noticed when people who plagiarised other’s works get caught they tend to say they don’t feel comfortable with their own writings and thought it was a good idea to steal. Assuming they’re genuine, let me say it’s okay if your writing isn’t good, that’s how we learn.

You write a bad sentence or a paragraph which doesn’t make sense, and someone will point it out. You’ll learn over time not to make the same mistakes and grow as a writer. Just copying from someone else won’t help you learn because you’re no longer making mistakes, you’re just copying.

I always hated the saying you gotta keep practising your craft to get better because there were a few times when I thought I couldn’t improve. I kept practicing but I kept making the same mistakes and didn’t know how to get better. For those types of situations, I find it best to ask someone whose more experience how to overcome your hurdle and let me be the first to say there are plenty of people in your craft who’ll be willing to help.

As for writing, here’s a trick I did to help me create stories. For practice, I took a book, like the Warrior series for an example, and copied their words. Before you say that’s plagiarism, first things first, I never published the stories I was copying, and secondly, I was figuring out how the Erin Hunters were creating their stories.

When artists learn how to draw for the first time, they copy someone else’s art style and maybe even do trace works until they become confident in their ability to create their own. I was still trying to learn what my writing style was, and I wanted to figure out how someone else created theirs. Over time I started to get an understanding of how sentence structure was made. I understood foreshadowing, and I understood when and where to add descriptions. I would start looking at lines in the books after I wrote them and be like...I could improve this. I started to see things I didn’t think were necessary for the story and after a while, I told myself I was ready to write my own Warriors fanfic.

Learning from someone else, being inspired by another. These are all things that’ll help you grow as a writer but you still got to do the work yourself. You can’t say you created something original if 90% of it was stolen, you’re only hurting yourself.

If you’re a new writer and have questions, even if you think they’re very basic, please feel free to ask me. I’m not the best writer. In fact, I don’t really know how to create informative writing, which is why I’m practising now, but I do know a few things and am always willing to help someone if I have the time and don’t forget. Keep trying and keep writing, your writing is better than you give it credit for.

#writing #writeblr #books #writers of tumblr #writing community #warriors #erin hunter warriors #writing lessons #authors community

12 notes · View notes

yamearts · 9 months

Note

Hey, read your recent post. I'm also a law student, raised on tumblr and obsessed with fictional couples and want to share my experience if it helps. I wasn't an artist, but a writer. I understand your reservations about law. I was the same, until I discovered a branch that really interests me as law is more then arguing in a court as I'm sure you know. However when I feel down I still escape back to the comforting arms of fandoms. It's okay. I also wonder whether I would be some place else as nowadays with internet artists have a lot more options. But also don't forget the field is changing so dynamically, especially with AI. Try to find where your studies and your passions could interact, perhaps intellectual property? Helping artists to protect their creations because you can experience better what they feel? Idk..m first and foremost, take carebof yourself and remember this safe space is always going to be there for us, we just cannot stay in it permanently as time is ruthless. The bliss is not coming back just because we're struggling and unhappy with our current challenging studies... let it be your peace. But don't let it become your life as imo in he long run it'll do you no good, especially after you worked so hard. Hang in there!

Thank you so much for sending me this. Hearing and learning from someone elses experience is very welcome! It’s comforting to hear that there are other fellow ex-tumblr warriors who are now facing the big world. And yes, i have thought about combining law and my creative interestes but i don’t see it happening. You are right tho, time is ruthless and i can’t be stuck in the past.

Law is just a big no for me. I feel like i’ve been pressured into it from the beginning. I always had a dream of going to this big and very prominent art school after high school, i was even working on my portfolio. And then just the “big girl” mindset hit including the need to be successful for my parents and grandparents as an only child. Now it feels too late to change anything, i’m going to graduate in a year and i know where i’m probably going to work. The thought of this makes me want to throw up or even worse... I think turning 23 made me go into existential crisis, as my childhood and freedom are fading away, i realize i will never experience life like it was, i lose people, hobbies and interests because i don’t have the time or energy anymore. Doesn’t help that all i hear around me is adults saying “this is how it’s going to be”. I crave my childhood/teenage days and this has made me turn back to anime (especially Naruto) and reopen this tumblr account. I don’t know, maybe i’m just depressed and need to cope somehow.

Btw, you actually don’t know how much you sending this ask means to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you, i will remember your words.

2 notes · View notes

geminirose22 · 1 year

Text

Let’s Talk about a little thing called fan-fiction.

You know, the type of story you write using already famous characters? You can rewrite the ending, add in new characters, change the outcome of the story, or even adapt the characters into another story. The possibilities are endless to what you can write. That's what I like about it.

I have been writing fan-fictions for about five years now. At first, I used to do them just for me, just for fun. But then one day, I decided that if I want to become a professional writer, I should take the time to publish what I write. Even though I do not profit from fan-fiction, I receive something much more valuable than money for sharing my work: people can see what makes my creativity unique, I am able to express with my style of writing, and whenever I see reviews or feedback, I figure out ways I can improve my writing and think outside the box for new ideas. Even the greatest writers have room for improvement.

But one thing I really have found out in writing my fan-fiction is that sometimes, it can be helpful in developing your original characters.

There are many ways you can do this:

Research various genres to figure out which one suits your character based on various characteristics you may already have determined (Ex. appearance, personality, goals, talents/skills, etc.)

Rewatch a movie/show, or read a book that might have inspired you to create your original character, then brainstorm how you might incorporate them into a fan-fiction with some of the characters from that story.

Using what you already have determined about your original character, choose a particular story that intrigues you, and rewrite the story as a fan-fiction in which you add your original character, and then it is up to you to determine how the story and your character's development is impacted by what happens in the story, or what you think should have happened.

The way I did mine was in a manner of doing the last one. You see, I have always loved creating fantasy characters. Talking magical horses, warrior princesses with special powers, guardians of magical artifacts, etc. But then one day, I watched Star Wars. My favorite parts of the franchise are the Original trilogy, the Prequel trilogy, and of course Clone Wars and the Bad Batch, and as much as I like how it was originally written, once I saw the prequel trilogy, I really thought the character Anakin Skywalker deserved a happier ending. So, I got to thinking: why don't I rewrite the story myself? Thus, I began writing fan-fictions.

As a writer, though, creativity cannot be rushed, as ideas are like seeds: they need time, care, and nurturing in order to grow. I wasn't sure how I would rewrite a happy ending for Anakin, so I did some research by reading other fan-fictions, and it turned out a lot of other fans agreed that Anakin deserved a happier ending. Like any aspiring artist, I wanted to be fresh, original, standing out from the crowd. So, I started to think about how much I like fantasy stories, and I liked sci-fi too, so... why not challenge myself and combine them both?

I had heard some folks say that sci-fi and fantasy can never mix, but I decided to take that as a challenge. Thus, I took some original characters I already had, made a few minor adjustments to help them fit in a little better with the Star Wars universe, and soon, I created my very first fan-fiction: Legend of the Jedi Princess: Enchanted Jedi Rise.

(Also available on Wattpad. GeminiRose22)

Over the years, I have challenged myself in rewriting the story, as well as incorporating my original ideas to help my characters, the home worlds I have created for them, and my writing skills develop. And I am proud to say that it is thanks to these people who wrote these stories that inspired me to write my own stories that I have been able to learn and grow as an author, and someday I hope my characters and their original stories will be able to inspire and entertain readers everywhere.

#fanfiction writer #star wars au #star wars fanfiction #creative writing #writing tips #writing advice #writers #writing #wattpad author #wattpad writer #wattpad story #fanfiction.net #ffn.net #ffn

4 notes · View notes

madfantasy · 3 years

Note

Dearest Mani, you are always in my heart and prayers! You're incredibly talented as an artist and a writer (I think you could write a good autobiography, I find your writing both heartbreaking and fascinating), and so strong and persistent! I dreamed of becoming an artist as a kid, but wasn't allowed to study drawing, but when I became a teen nobody could prevent me from learning... but I was too hesitant... with too low self-esteem... so I never learned, alas. Be blessed, my darling!

Oh dear Bianca, thank you so much, bless your heart🫂💛

I always fear when I share about my life that I be a burden.. I have to apologise

I'm sorry you had that experience, I understand at times people think of art as not a rewarding path and maybe discourage people from it, but if its your dream, its yours and it is in you, and you're never late to start if the dream still dwells within the space of your pleased mild unconsciousness and the results shouldn't matter most of the time, the more you do it, the more it be obvious what you can and can't do, and what you want and don't want to do in the vast fields of art~

I honestly have never considered art as something I'd go with, I actually was a mathmatic wiz and enjoyed solving these equations like chewing on sour candy, my mouth frothing at the thought of getting more... and wrestling, its still my second goal..

Art was something I did out of necessity; I wasn't allowed to express much, it was similar to the life style of military (the irony here is my last name means warrior, and alot of distant family were inrolled, including my guardians) it was a life line mechanism your body forcesyou to do, to breath. I didn't think of it, I didn't plan it, I didn't consider it Art, so I always feel because I didn't seek it as art or have sought to learn it properly or have in my possession a sealed certificate of learning it, i can't call myself an artist! (But that continuesly was proven wrong as I became more and more involved in it)

And the amount of resistance I got towards me drawing equalled me stubbornly drawing even more. It was as if I was involved in the dark arts, which it was to my family, my teachers, my peers— everyone. It was a reason for them to crush me, but it didn't crush the urge to draw non stop.

I remember as a kid they let me cuz its child's play, and was aware of all those adults saying to my guardians, oh Mani's art is amazing but you know what to do when they grow up. They beat the freak out of me every time they caught me doing it. So my choices became draw while they are asleep ( or my own sleep time under the covers) or at work. Second place is at school, I was taking every pause possibility to draw like I'm possessed to, while decently acing school. I mean I literally did my homework and everything at school so I don't have to do anything home but draw.

Inevitably I was found out at school, even tho I was and still a very quiet shy kid, and I try to hide my art anyway possible whilst drawing. Evey time the consequences were either of those two: utter humiliation, or a praise with guilt.

They praised me saying its amazing but I can't do that, and to please stop it. Or just being silently fascinated by it and taking it without telling me its good so they "won't encourage me"

The humiliation was me pointed out as what not to do to the whole class, and telling me I'm going to hell when I die and be forced to try and make those creations I made come to life, seeing that I could not, be tortured with alot of graphically disturbing description of fire and burns. First when I was 7 years old. I remember standing too in a line in front of the whole school at queue as the "shameful" students line, watching some of my peers cry and me just standing there just struggling not to laugh. Cuz idk

Other time peers snatching my art from me and running around with it and calling me names, and such, and it takes a bit more than rough housing by me to get it back. Often school calling home and getting my share of beating from there too.

I remember the biggest humiliation I got is by a freaking art teacher snatching my mouths stocked folder thanks to the stupidity of a peer I didn't even allow to share my art with leaving it wide open for the teacher to see. They took it, questioned my classmates as to how the frk nobody reported my art to the admin or whatever. And if they were okay with the horrors I make. They were heh.

But didn't stop the admin from basicly spreading that and assuming that i am crazy and need psychological help. Which made more hard beatings at home hearing that in the phone call they made.

I eventually fell out from school because of continuing decline financial situation and my mental stability. The cycle didn't end, guardians never stopped killing me over it, destroying my art, threatening, the whole work— till I got commissioned for the very first time. Like only few years ago. They let off seeing now it brings money..

Till this day they don't know what I draw thanks to switching digitally nd speaking English. Also they don't have the health to go around snooping in my stuff anymore right around the time too

The bottom line is, I don't know how everything just fell into place, into being an artist rather than it being a choice to make.. still carrying those shackles of always get those flashes of being hurt by it, regretting posting and drawing always and feeling its never good enough or not being something acceptable or sought-after. But on the flip side, it's the embodiment of freedom, it's the most accomplished, happy, fulfilled, humaaaaann I ever be while practising it.

What you love and will be will happen no matter what and how long...

I'm sorry for more sad dibble about my life..

I am happy today; I just wore like passes as a boy trouble maker here and my guardians were laughing and hyping me to go out on the streets and make some trouble. The exact intention hehe. And I wanted to share but can't do that publicly but posted on my ko-fi hehe

Leaving u with sev wip , and all my love 💛🌟

#ask #mybianca112 #my art #severus snape #drawing journey #nonbinary pride #personal

83 notes · View notes

k00257586 · 3 years

Text

Pendleton Ward

Pendleton Ward is an American animator, screenwriter, producer, and voice actor who works for Cartoon Network Studios, Frederator Studios and Netflix Animation. He created the Emmy Award-winning series Adventure Time, the Internet series Bravest Warriors, and the adult animated interview series The Midnight Gospel. Ward is a graduate of the CalArts (California Institue of theArts) Animation Program. Ward became interested in animation at an early age, inspired by his mother, who is an artist and worked with animators. He started drawing flipbooks in first grade. Ward attended CalArts, where he became friends with J. G. Quintel and Alex Hirsch. They later worked on The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack together. Eric Homan, vice president of Frederator Studios, offered Ward a job at the studios after watching one of his films at the annual CalArts animation screenings. Ward created two shorts called The Bravest Warriors and the Adventure Time animated short. The Adventure Time short was made in 2006 and went on to become an internet phenomenon in 2007, with over a million views by November of that year. Ward initially pitched Adventure Time to Nickelodeon but was rejected. It also took some time before Cartoon Network decided to pick it up. Sometime during the fifth season of Adventure Time, Ward abruptly stepped down from running the show, explaining it was negatively affecting his "quality of life". In the October 2, 2014 edition of the Rolling Stone magazine, Ward stated "I quit because it was driving me nuts". However, he continued to work as one of the show's writers and storyboard artists until the end of season six, and still served as an executive producer up until the series finale. Now Ward had stopped writing episode outlines at the beginning of season 7 but still looked over them and provided input. Now Ward works on an adult animated Netflix original show called The Midnight Gospel, about a guy called Clancy who is a space-caster who uses a multiverse simulator to interview beings living in other worlds.

For this project, I thought there was no better artist than Pendleton Ward to look at. Especially since he has worked as one of my greatest influences for this project which is Adventure Time. When I began this project Adventure Time was one of the first story items I picked. I think this show teaches a lot of lessons to children or to anyone who watches it. Adventure time is a very uplifting happy cosy show to watch. When looking at what it teaches to its viewers I saw bravery, loyalty, doing the right thing, acceptance and tolerance which you may not see directly but let me explain.

Adventure Time takes place on post-apocalyptic Earth where mutations occurred in humans. Everyone has these mutations, so everyone looks different. The entire population is a mix of different shapes, sizes, and colours. The things are, these mutations are not seen as mutations, really, because the people in Adventure Time don't know of a world where anyone was uniform. In the show, people are generally accepted how they are, no matter what "flaws" they may have.

In our time, this can be related to social judgements or prejudices of any kind. These can be based on race, ethnicity, religion, economic status, and more. The acceptance promoted in Adventure Time teaches kids how to accept others around them, no matter if they have qualities that make them different.

Here are the ceramic works I have made influenced by Wards work:

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendleton_Ward

https://time.com/66262/adventure-time-season-six-preview/

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/adventure-time-the-trippiest-show-on-television-84180/

https://twitter.com/catsuka/status/1108123185613078528

https://www.rotoscopers.com/2015/11/10/adventure-time-movie-will-happen-when-pendleton-ward-finds-a-premise/

https://www.sacurrent.com/ArtSlut/archives/2019/12/20/netflix-announces-new-animated-series-from-adventure-time-creator-and-san-antonio-native-pendleton-ward

#art school #art project #art research #art project research #adventure time #land of ooo #pendleton ward #the midnight gospel #the marvelous misadventures of flapjack #story project #story #cartoon network #frederator studios

62 notes · View notes

snowdunk · 2 years

Text

Sonic as a medium, not just a fan fiction

I have been mentally dabbling with this theory for awhile now, but as I continue to read and write more stories as Sonic Fan Fiction, I am coming to find that the scope and vastness of both the Sonic lore (and a lot of that from the comics) and that of what AUs people create using the characters/settings we have in Sonic, I have reached a conclusion that Sonic is becoming more of a medium of story telling rather than just a Fan Fiction category.

Let me first break down what I see as general Fan Fiction. Stories written that use characters and settings from media done by fans and not meant to be in the cannon are just fan fiction. Sonic has many of these stories, and the series is no exception. But! What how does Sonic differ from Fan Fiction writers like Kingdom Heart or Pokemon? There are two elements that separate Sonic from just having typical general Fan Fiction: character creation and writing culture.

Sonic fans have always had a craving to make their own OCs that use Sonic Mobian styles to fit into the Sonic World. Because OC creation ahs become so common in the space, and now that cringe culture is over and fursonas are so common, Sonic OCs are more accepted and understood as valid than before. Another element we see with that is authors and artists creating their own headcannons or AU version of cannon Sonic characters. We all know the ones with Sonic being bi or gay or having adhd, we see the ones of Shadow being a robot or the ones of Silver being a goofy twink, and we can accept these easily into a story or art. I saw one today of Rouge being meaner than usual. Rouge isn't mean in the cannon of Sonic nowadays, but I saw that comic and said "yeah, okay I can see that and want to see more and can already build upon how I think other character would interact with her in that new headcannon." In this way, I think we shift cannon characters into customizable entities like OCs are.

So where am I going with that? Well, that last line was where I found my spark: "customizable entities." I think that the over abundance of writing and stylization of Sonic lore has made Sonic into archetypes and story starters rather than just characters that you can write about in Fan Fiction. We now have the Amy, who is a pretty, pink and young hedgehog who is driven and might have a complicated crush on another character. We now have the Shadow, a dark, brooding science experiment that hates fun but might have a pure center of gold if you dig. The variety and mass of Sonic characters allows for so many archetypes writers can use as a medium of moving the story along based on the characters used. How does a story with Amy, Shadow, and Sonic look? What about one with Rouge, Espio, and Metal Sonic? See how these characters become the tipping off points for full stories? Adding AUs into the mix makes it even more wild.

But this is what I mean when I say the writing culture we have in Sonic Fan Fics helps create this space where it isn't just "fan written stories that have Sonic characters in it." We have author written stories using archetype characters that then build the world within the text. The author in Sonic fan fiction need not spend time writing the description of the setting or exact or deep descriptions of characters, we can just say "Knuckles and Vector in Station Square" and we all go "ahh, yes, I can see it exactly as you do, now where do we go from here?" That is how we use Sonic as a medium to communicate our story, but then it puts our writing at the forefront since how we manipulate the established setting and characters makes the fuller picture.

Think of it another way, in Dungeons & Dragons, they have classes: bard, warrior, wizard, monk, etc. In Sonic, we have base characters from cannon: Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Amy, Blaze, etc. In D&D, you pick a class and then you build the character stats and deeper personality from it. Same thing with Sonic! I can pick Knuckles, already have the understanding he is strong, gullible, and lonely. From there, I add my own flair and how I want him to interact with other story characters. Let's say I want him to have a crush on Sonic, easy! And because the Sonic fandom has so much written work of Sonuckles and the cannon has so many interactions with them, the reader can instantly see it as plausible and is ready to move on with the work without struggling. Similar to how in D&D, I can be a wizard, have spells I normally cast, but then say that I am an undercover agent of the Dark Arts and am running from my old clan because I want to be a good guy! I am using the archetype and its abilities, but adding my own twist on it. The reader doesn't get lost in my creativity because they are already so comfortable with the source material and "rules of the game" so to speak on how Sonic works.

Think about all the different ways Sonic has reinvented its own too: Sonic Boom, Classic Sonic/Modern Sonic, Shadow the Hedgehog's multiple story routes. Sonic in cannon has established itself as a flexible medium to put greater stories over the character tropes it has within. It has motived us to write so many ways and so many stories that shift the narrative, and I do not think a lot of other series have been able to do that. I could not see Mario or Harry Potter having as malleable characters as Sonic does. Even if you put Harry Potter in a coffee shop AU, they level of believability and freedom to manipulate cannon is limited. I could not read that and not just think "yeah that is Harry running a coffee shop, weird" but with Sonic it can be "oh wow that brooding, grumpy type runs a cafe named after a dead loved one and a spunky roller skater who likes to annoy him might have a crush on him?" And I bet you already pictured who it was and are ready to read on because the veil of cannon vs fannon is gone with Sonic now, Sonic is the medium of my writing, not shoved into spaces it might not fit.

Just a working theory. Please let me know if you have anymore thoughts!

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #fan fiction #sonic fanfic #shadow the hedgehog #sonic fanfiction #sonic au #sth

9 notes · View notes

galemalio · 4 years

Text

Mindful Consumption of Hazbin Hotel’s vodoo Content

There is no such thing as Voodoo; it is a silly lie invented by you whites to injure us. —William Seabrook, The Magic Island

(Article and Study Link Sources will be in the reblogs because Tumblr doesn’t let linked posts appear)

First of all, I’m not writing this as a Vodou practitioner. Or as a Creole POC. I’m simply an outsider making an effort to educate herself for mindful consumption of Hazbin Hotel content and avoid perpetuating misrepresentation of a religion.

(Image: Alastor with Vodou symbols and Vodou-inspired symbols behind him)

The portrayed dark magic of Hazbin Hotel’s Alastor is heavily themed with Hollywood Voodoo or the misrepresentation of Vodou in film. This can also apply with Dr. Facilier in “The Princess and the Frog.” Both characters are from New Orleans [18], [19] where Louisiana Vodou Vaudou is practiced. Both are therefore assumed to practice an evil version of said religion.

During my consumption of Hazbin Hotel content, someone once pointed out the worrying factor of Alastor’s magic abilities identified as Hollywood Voodoo.

According to my research, Hollywood Voodoo is a film outlet of “Imagined Voodoo” or the age-old White anxieties on Black people.

What Is Vodou?

(Photo taken from Huffpost)

Haitian Vodou is a religion of African descendants brought as slaves to the French colony of Haiti. It combines west and west central African religions with Native American and European cultural and religious elements.[1]

It is also known as Vodoo, Vodoun, Vudu and Vudun. But to avoid confusion, the term “Vodou” will be used consistently throughout this post when referring to the religion.

Slaves from Haiti are brought to New Orleans where it infused with its dominant religion, Catholicism. The Vodou-Catholicism hybrid religion is sometimes referred to as New Orleans Vodou.[2]

(Photo provided by Cheryl Gerber)

All Vodou rituals are healing rituals. It's focused on the celebration of ancestral spirits (Lwa or Loa) through feasting, singing and ecstatic dance rituals to heal ailments and restore social bonds.[1]

Vodou practitioners believe of the visible world connected to the invisible world that can be transitioned to through Death. In the invisible world, the Lwa watch over and inspire us. The Lwa can be archetypes of human personalities such as Ogun the Warrior or predecessors. There is also the Bondye or their version of the supreme God who is loving but distant from individual human concerns. [3]

But despite this, a majority of foreigners synonimize “voodoo” with Haitian “black magic” or “sorcery.”[4]

What is Imagined Voodoo?

A Harvard study termed "Imagined Voodoo" to refer to the imagined religion and magical system of the American brain linked by the following White anxieties:

Black uprising

Black fetishization

Intermarriages that could lead to the dissolution of the White race

All under the guise of history or harmless entertainment, it negatively affects Black religiosity and in general, Black subjects. Unless we arm ourselves with information to prevent its perpetuation through us.

Alastor’s Themes and Voodoo Stereotypes

Stereotypes are often used in stories to save time on informing the audience through widely held and fixed oversimplified assumptions. The following Voodoo stereotypes are present in Alastor’s character traits and themes.

His Roots

According to Alastor’s Wikia page, he is part Creole.[20] In New Orleans, the term can refer to many kinds of people. In early history, "Creole" is a term for:

A slave born in the New World[5]

A free Person of Color[5]

People of Mixed Heritage[5]

Later on, White French and Spanish people residing in New Orleans adopted the term to differentiate themselves from Americans whom they found greedy and ambitious.[5]

A Creole person can be White, a POC or of mixed race from different places such as Haiti and Louisiana.

The team behind Hazbin Hotel may have made Alastor part Creole in order to avoid religion appropriation. However, Vodou is not an exclusive religion. [6] (EDIT: Vodou is an exclusive religion.) And even if they want to represent mixed Creole people, pairing Alastor with Hollywood Voodoo may not be a good way to do it.

Vodou practitioners today are targets of hate crime, especially in Haiti (sacred mapou trees are regular targets of vandalism and arson, worshippers risk harassment and violence, with lynchings not unheard of).[7] If the media continues to portray Vodou as evil, it may have a role in perpetuating the hate.

(Image of a Vodou ceremony from a video of The Guardian)

Depicted As Evil Magic

In America and Caribbean, Vodou was first practiced by slaves of African descent. Their religion was dismissed as superstition, their priests as witch doctors and their God and Lwa were denounced as evil. [3]

“They were treated as cattle. As animals to be bought and sold; worth nothing more than a cow. Often less,” anthropologist Ira Lowenthal stated.[7]

“Vodou is the response to that. Vodou says ‘no, I’m not a cow. Cows cannot dance, cows do not sing. Cows cannot become God. Not only am I a human being – I’m considerably more human than you. Watch me create divinity in this world you have given me that is so ugly and so hard. Watch me become God in front of your eyes.’”[7]

During the Haitian Revolution, many of the slaves were Voodooists and some of their military leaders were priests who inspired and organized them to fight for freedom. The imagery and vocabulary of Vodou became threatening to European and American colonies and was then brutally repressed. [3]

(Image from Lisapo Ya Kama)

Years later, Hollywood Voodoo is rooted in racism and acts as an outlet for White anxiety of Black vengeance. One example is the movie, “The Skeleton Key” where Black hoodoo practitioners (who had been lynched) stole the bodies and identities of White people for years.

For Alastor to continue using Hollywood Voodoo themed magic may continue the misinformation of Vodou by inspiring baseless fear and horror.

Voodoo Dolls and Pins

Voodoo dolls are universally associated with Hollywood voodoo and therefore, Vodou. But voodoo dolls are unheard of in the original Haitian Vodou.

In reality, they were inspired from the "poppet" of European witchcraft after an American writer heard Vodou is a witchcraft [8]. This American writer is most likely Victor Hugo Halperin where voodoo dolls first appeared in White Zombie (1932) [9].

Dolls are used in Vodou but only to represent Lwa and Bondye, sometimes the dolls are nailed on graves and altars, in order for the practitioners to communicate with them. The dolls also act as lucky charms and are not used to curse or cause harm with pins. [10], [21]

Cannibalism

(Screenshot of Alastor the Deer Demon eating a deer)

On February 13, 1864, 4 men and 4 women were executed for abducting, murdering and cannibalizing a 12-year-old girl by Fabre Geffrad, Haiti's reformist president, who wished to make an example out of the 8 killers labelled as vodouists and leave the backwardness of its African past and its folk religion. With Haiti claiming their independence, the Westerns' view on Vodou was proof that the "black republic '' cannot claim to be civilized.[11]

No transcripts of the trial survive. The most detailed account of the crime was written by Sir Spenser St John, the British charge d'affaires in Port-au-Prince -the place nearby the village where the murder happened. It was his account that defined Haiti as a place where ritual murder and cannibalism were common and often goes unpunished.[11]

(An artist’s engraving of the 8 “voodoo” practitioners found guilty of the murder and cannibalism of the 12-year-old Claircine from the Smithsonian Magazine.)

However, there was no other information supporting St. John's claim that cannibalism is a norm for 19th century Haiti. The only two reports of cannibalism provided was from a French priest in 1870s and a white Dominican ten years later. Both have no evidence and both are suspected from their claim that they have penetrated secret ceremonies wearing blackface -if they have been undetected. However, they have influenced Victorian writers who have never visited Haiti.[11]

In the 19th century, American Jesuit missionary, Joseph W. Williams claims that sexual arousal from voodoo "orgies" causes devolution to lower animal states that causes them to cannibalize in an act of sexualized violence.[1]

In Joseph Murphy's psychoanalysis, Imagined Voodoo allows White people to project their most disturbing desires onto a cultural Other.[13]

"The erotic and ecstatic elements in African-derived religions are selected and transformed into images of unrestraint and become vehicles for white sexual and aggressive fantasies... What is ‘dark’ and ‘black’ within the white psyche is projected onto what is ‘dark’ and ‘black’ in the social environment."[13]

Because of the accusations of cannibalism, Vodou is seen as savage. Alastor is hinted to be cannibalistic (as seen by a speed drawing of him, a deer demon, eating a deer).[12] To continue to associate cannibalism with voodoo practice may continue the harm of misinformation.

Vodou Symbols

When Alastor uses magic, Vodou symbols or veves would sometimes appear.

In Vodou, different veves are used depending on the lwa or spirits the practitioners desired to invoke.

(Veve image from Catherine Beyer)

Damballah-Wedo is believed by the Vodou practitioners as the Sky Father and primordial creator of all life. He is depicted as a snake or serpent and is seen as a loving father of the world whose presence brings peace and harmony. [23]

(Veve image from Catherine Beyer)

A part of a veve in the screenshot is from the veve for Papa Legba -the gatekeeper of the spirt world. He is associated with the sun and is seen as a life-giver that transfers the power of Bondye to the living world. Rituals are started by praying to Legba to open the gates so that they can connect to the other lwas. [23]

The veve above is the veve of Ayizan. Ayizan is the lwa of commerce and herbal healing. She is associated with love and Vodou rites of initiation. Ayizan is believed to be the first archetypal mambo (priestess) and the protector of religious ceremonies.[14]

(Veve Image from ErzulieRedEyesArtAndSpirit)

The veve above is taken from the veve of Papa Loko. He is believed to be the first Vodou priest. His name has nothing to do with the American (EDIT: Spanish) slang word "loco" meaning crazy. Papa Loko is a revered knowledgeable spirit who offers spiritual guidance to those seeking formal initiation into Vodou.[15]

Met Kalfou is the master of the Crossroads. He is the crossroads where magic manifests regardless of which lwa is using magic for. He allows it to travel without judgement.[16]

Met Kalfou is often mistaken as some kind of demon or evil. He is believed to be the force through which all magic flows, be it good or ill. Met Kalfou is also the spirit of luck. As a manifestation of crossroads, he can see multiple outcomes of a situation. [16]

Santa Muerte is believed to be the personification of death itself.[17]

Using veves to portray evil when it incorrectly relates to what they symbolize can result in misinformation. Even if only parts of the veve are taken to be used to portray malice, it doesn’t change the fact that they still came from sacred symbols.

Is Alastor a Hoodoo Practitioner?

(Photo: Image of Hoodoo Candles from Wikipedia)

Hoodoo is based heavily on folk magic. It is not a religion. Although their beliefs have elements of African and European religions. Its tradition emphasizes on personal magical power with the intention to improve daily lives. Its a combination of African practices and beliefs and American Indian botanical knowledge and European folklore. It’s heavily practiced in the Southern US.[22]

Unlike Vodou, they have no designated priests or priestesses and no difference between initiates and laity. Hoodoo spells are commonly accompanied with Biblical text but are not performed in Jesus’ name. It uses tools, spells, formulas, methods, techniques. Tools can be herbs, roots, minerals, animal parts and personal possessions.[22]

Alastor MAYBE a hodoo practitioner. But there are possible problems of associating an occult of a minority as a tool of evil. It might be best if Alastor is only depicted using deer-radio-themed dark magic instead.

In Short...

Misrepresentation of Vodou has its roots on White fear of Black retribution as well as White “othering” and projecting of taboo concepts such as fetishization and cannibalism. This results in stigmatization of Black topics and Vodou practitioners. The continuation of Hollywood Voodoo plays a role in perpetuating its misrepresentation. However, informing ourselves may stop the perpetuation in us.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin alastor #hollywood voodoo #vodou #voodoo #hollywood racism #lynching tw #racism tw

1K notes · View notes

multiverseforger · 3 years

Text

Edit

In November 2013, Marvel Comics announced that Kamala Khan, a teenage American Muslim from Jersey City, New Jersey, would take over the comic book series Ms. Marvel beginning in February 2014. The series, written by G. Willow Wilson and drawn by Adrian Alphona, marked the first time a Muslim character headlined a book at Marvel Comics.[2] However, Noelene Clark of the Los Angeles Times noted that Khan is not the first Muslim character in comic books, which include Simon Baz, Dust and M.[3] The conception of Kamala Khan came about during a conversation between Marvel editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker. Amanat said, "I was telling him [Wacker] some crazy anecdote about my childhood, growing up as a Muslim American. He found it hilarious." The pair then told Wilson about the concept and Wilson became eager to jump aboard the project.[4] Amanat said that the series came from a "desire to explore the Muslim-American diaspora from an authentic perspective."[5]

Artist Jamie McKelvie based Khan's design on his redesign of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel and on Dave Cockrum's design of the original Ms. Marvel.[6] Amanat requested that the design "reflected the Captain Marvel legacy, and also her story and her background."[7] Amanat stated that Khan's costume was influenced by the shalwar kameez. They wanted the costume to represent her cultural identity, but did not want her to wear a hijab,[8] because the majority of teenage Pakistani-American girls do not wear one.[9] Amanat also stated that they wanted the character to look "less like a sex siren" to appeal to a more vocal female readership.[8]

Marvel knew that they wanted a young Muslim girl, but stated that she could be from any place of origin and have any background. Wilson initially considered making her an Arab girl from Dearborn, Michigan but ultimately chose to create a Desi girl from Jersey City.[10] Jersey City, which sits across the Hudson River from Manhattan, has been referred to as New York City's "Sixth borough".[11][12][13] It therefore forms an important part of Khan's identity and the narrative journey of her character since most of Marvel Comics' stories are set in Manhattan. Wilson explains, "A huge aspect of Ms. Marvel is being a 'second string hero' in the 'second string city' and having to struggle out of the pathos and emotion that can give a person."[14]

The series not only explores Khan's conflicts with supervillains but also explores conflicts with Khan's home and religious duties. Wilson, a convert to Islam, said "This is not evangelism. It was really important for me to portray Kamala as someone who is struggling with her faith." Wilson continued, "Her brother is extremely conservative, her mom is paranoid that she's going to touch a boy and get pregnant, and her father wants her to concentrate on her studies and become a doctor."[4] Amanat added,

As much as Islam is a part of Kamala's identity, this book isn't preaching about religion or the Islamic faith in particular. It's about what happens when you struggle with the labels imposed on you, and how that forms your sense of self. It's a struggle we've all faced in one form or another, and isn't just particular to Kamala because she's Muslim. Her religion is just one aspect of the many ways she defines herself.[2]

First appearance of Kamala Khan from Captain Marvel #14 (August 2013) by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Scott Hepburn

In the series, Khan takes the name Ms. Marvel from Carol Danvers, who now goes by the alias Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel writer Kelly Sue DeConnick revealed that Khan actually made a brief appearance in Captain Marvel #14 (August 2013) saying, "Kamala is in the background of a scene in Captain Marvel 14 ... She is very deliberately placed in a position where she sees Carol protecting civilians from Yon-Rogg."[15] According to Wilson, Khan idolizes Carol so when Khan acquires superhuman abilities, she emulates Danvers.[14] "Captain Marvel represents an ideal that Kamala pines for. She's strong, beautiful and doesn't have any of the baggage of being Pakistani and 'different,'"[4] Wilson explained. "Khan is a big comic book fan and after she discovers her superhuman power – being a polymorph and able to lengthen her arms and legs and change her shape – she takes on the name of Ms. Marvel," Amanat elaborated.[16] Khan is one of several characters who discover that they have Inhuman heritage following the "Inhumanity" storyline, in which the Terrigen Mists are released throughout the world and activate dormant Inhuman cells.[17]

In the series' first story arc, Khan faces off against Mr. Edison / the Inventor, an amalgam of man and bird. Wilson created the Inventor to be Khan's first arch rival in order to mirror Khan's own complexity. Wilson characterizes the Inventor, and the overall visual look of the opening story arc as "kooky and almost Miyazaki-esque at times", owing to the art style of illustrator Adrian Alphona, which balances the drama of the threats which Khan faces with the humor of Alphona's "tongue in cheek sight gags." During the storyline, Khan also teams-up with the X-Man Wolverine against the Inventor. Because Wolverine is dealing with the loss of his healing factor during this time, Khan is placed in the position of having to shoulder much of the responsibilities, as Wilson felt this was a role reversal that would subvert reader expectations that Wolverine would take the lead in such a team-up.[18]

At the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International, writer Dan Slott announced that Khan would team-up with Spider-Man beginning in The Amazing Spider-Man #7 (October 2014) during the "Spider-Verse" storyline. Slott characterized Khan "the closest character to classic Peter Parker,"[19] explaining, "She's a teenage superhero, juggling her life, making mistakes, trying to do everything right."[20]

Beginning in June 2015, Ms. Marvel tied into the "Secret Wars" crossover event with the "Last Days" storyline, which details Khan's account of the end of the Marvel Universe. Wilson explained, "In the 'Last Days' story arc, Kamala has to grapple with the end of everything she knows, and discover what it means to be a hero when your whole world is on the line."[21] In the storyline, Khan rushes to deal with the threat in Manhattan. However, Wilson revealed, "She will face a very personal enemy as the chaos in Manhattan spills over into Jersey City, and she will be forced to make some very difficult choices. There will also be a very special guest appearance by a superhero Kamala—and the fans—have been waiting to meet for a long time."[22]

In March 2015, Marvel announced that Khan will join the Avengers in All-New All-Different Avengers FCBD (May 2015) by writer Mark Waid and artists Adam Kubert and Mahmud Asrar, which takes place in the aftermath of "Secret Wars".[23] A second volume of Ms. Marvel starring Khan by Wilson, Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa is also debuted following "Secret Wars" as part of Marvel's All-New, All-Different Marvel initiative.[24] Amanat said,

By the time this new launch comes around, it will have been almost two years since the premiere of Ms. Marvel—and boy, has Kamala Khan been through a lot since then. She's been slowly coming into her own, dealing with the challenges of navigating adulthood and being a super hero. But her training is over now and it's time for the big leagues; the question is can she handle it? ... As much as Kamala has a right to be there—it's still a bit of a culture shock. Dreaming of being an Avenger and then suddenly being one is a lot to take on for someone of her age. So, she'll be a little awestruck, a little overly ambitious.[25]

In March 2016, Marvel announced that Ms. Marvel would tie into the "Civil War II" storyline by releasing a promotional image illustrating a rift between Khan and Danvers.[26] "While "Civil War II" may have initiated this rift, we've known for some time that Kamala would eventually need to separate herself from her idols. Her journey centers around self-discovery and identity, and a part of that exploration includes separating yourself from those you put on pedestals. The rift between Carol and Kamala doesn't really have to do with right and wrong. It has to do with growing up and realizing that you perceive the world differently from even the ones you love," Amanat elaborated.[27]

In July, Marvel announced that Khan will join the Champions, a team of teenage superheroes who split off from the Avengers following the conclusion of "Civil War II". The team, featured in a series by writer Mark Waid and artist Humberto Ramos, consists of Khan, Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Nova (Sam Alexander), Hulk (Amadeus Cho), Viv Vision, and a teenage version of Cyclops. Waid said, "The first three are the kids who quit the Avengers proper. That was an easy get. Those three, in and of themselves, form a nice little subteam. Their dynamic is great. They all show up in each other's books, and even though they have their arguments and stress points, clearly they're good together."[28]

In August, Khan made an appearance in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #10 by writers Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare. In the issue, Khan acts as a mentor to Moon Girl (Lunella Lafayette) who is also a young Inhuman that suddenly came into her powers. Amanat stated that Khan sees much of herself in Lafayette and by teaching her, Khan learns much about herself.[27]

In November, Marvel announced that Khan will join a new incarnation of the Secret Warriors in a series by writer Matthew Rosenberg and artist Javier Garron that debuted in May 2017. The team, formed in the wake of the "Inhumans vs X-Men" storyline, also includes Quake, Karnak, Moon Girl, and Devil Dinosaur. Rosenberg stated that there is some conflict and friction amongst the team members explaining, "Ms. Marvel and Quake are really fighting for the soul of the team in a lot of ways, while Moon Girl will continue to really do her own thing. They will all be tested and challenged, they are superheroes after all, but they are going to do things their way."[29]

In March 2017, Marvel announced that Khan would team-up with Danvers in a one-shot issue of the limited anthology series, Generations by Wilson and Paolo Villanelle. Wilson stated that the issue would explore Danvers' and Khan's mentor–student relationship, but "at its heart, [it] is about growing up, and a big part of growing up is discovering that your idols have feet of clay – and forgiving them for their flaws as you gain an adult understanding of your own."[30]

In December, Ms. Marvel began the "Teenage Wasteland" story arc, as part of the Marvel Legacy relaunch. Wilson said, "Since the events of 'Civil War II', there's been friction between Kamala and her mentor, Captain Marvel. In this arc, we're exploring how complicated legacies can be when they're passed from generation to generation ... She's questioning a lot about herself and her mission. Her friends end up stepping into some very important—and unexpected—roles. So in a sense, the arc is really about a bunch of chronically under-estimated teenagers who pull together to fight evil."[31]

Ms. Marvel #31, the 50th issue of Ms. Marvel featuring Khan was released in June 2018. To mark the occasion, Marvel brought in additional collaborators for the issue including writers: G. Willow Wilson, Saladin Ahmed, Rainbow Rowell, and Hasan Minhaj; and artists: Nico Leon, Bob Quinn, Gustavo Duarte, and Elmo Bondoc.[32]

Beginning in March 2019, Khan headlined a new series titled, The Magnificent Ms. Marvel, written by Ahmed and illustrated by Minkyu Jung. Wilson stated that she had been planning her departure from the series for over a year, stating that she originally anticipated that the series would only last for ten issues and was excited by the fact that she had written 60 issues. Ahmed said the new series will have much wider scope, "while still maintaining that intimate tone that people have loved about it."[33]

In July 2020, Marvel announced that Khan would star in an original graphic novel, published in conjunction with Scholastic and aimed at younger readers. The book will be written by author Nadia Shammas. An illustrator has not yet been named.[34

25 notes · View notes

disneytva · 4 years

Photo

‘The Owl House’: It’s a Hoot!

You would never think that the dark art of 15th century Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch would serve as the inspiration for a children’s cartoon. Well, thanks to Dana Terrace and her wild imagination, the strange creatures conjured by the European painter have found their way in the new Disney Channel series The Owl House. The show, which debuts in January, and is already in production of its second season, follows the adventures of a young teenage girl named Luz who decides to pursue her dreams of becoming a witch after she stumbles into a strange realm, inhabited by feisty witch Eda and her tiny warrior friend King.

Terrace, a former director on DuckTales and storyboard artist on Gravity Falls, recalls starting to collect her notes and images and putting together her pitch for the story back in 2015. Then, she finally began pitching her story about a young girl who becomes a witch’s apprentice only a few months after she started directing DuckTales.

“Many of the characters have barely changed since then,” recalls Terrace. “I knew I wanted an older witch mentor figure and a young optimistic girl who was the main character, who learns and grows throughout the show. There’s also this trickster little jerk character named King (voiced by Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch).”

The setting for The Owl House changed a little bit since its early days. Terrace says for a brief time, she was toying with the idea of the whole show being set after the young character dies, so that the Owl House is all set in the afterlife. What really had a clear impact on her work is the work of artists such as Bosch, John Bauer, Remedios Varos and the puppetry of Jim Henson.

Real-Life Models

In addition to the crazy creatures of Bosch and religious illuminated manuscripts, Terrace found inspiration in some of the familiar elements in her life as well. “I have always wanted to tell a story about a rough-around-the-edges mother figure, based off of my aunt, nana and mother who raised me,” she recalls.

Terrace says the show’s central character Luz evolved from late-night conversations she used to have with her former roommate roommate and close college friend. “We were both dorks together,” she recalls. “We tried to cut our own hair and it never worked out. We didn’t have many friends. So, in a way, Luz bubbled out of our conversations. When I told her that I was going to base the main character on her, she said, ‘Yes , but you’ll have to make her Dominican.’ So that’s what happened. Luz now also works on the show as a storyboard artist and consultant, and I get to work with my best friend every day.”

As a young girl, Terrace used sneak into the living room to watch cartoons and copy what she liked in her flip books. Her love for shows such as The Simpsons, Pokémon, The PowerPuff Girls and Studio Ghibli movies finally lead her to study animation at School of Visual Arts in New York and make her way out to L.A. to pursue a career in the animation business. Her first big break happened when someone discovered her art blog and sent her a storyboarding test, which led to her landing a job at Gravity Falls and opened other doors as well.

During her big pitch to Disney, Terrace says she was a bit worried to mention Bosch and his odd, evil creatures, but to her surprise, one of the executive’s response was, “Heck, yeah!” “They have been nothing more than enthusiastic and helpful from day one,” she notes.

After spending a good year writing and making the pilot, Terrace began building her production team in 2018. Art director Ricky Cometa and supervising producer Stephen Sandoval also joined the Disney TV Animation production. At capacity, the show has about 50 staffers as part of its pre-production crew, and an overall count of 120 including the overseas teams at Sunwoo, Rough Draft and Sugarcube in Korea. We’ve been very fortunate to work with all of them,” says Terrace. “They’ve made the show really, really spark.”

The Owl House has attracted a top-notch list of vocal talent as well, including Wendie Malick as Eda, Hirsch as King and Sarah-Nicole Robles as Luz. Among the guest star lineup for the show’s first season are Matthew Rhys, Isabella Rossellini, Tati Gabrielle, Issac Ryan Brown, Mae Whitman, Bumper Robinson and Parvesh Cheena. Terrace points out that having a sterling class led by Malick has been a real treat. “Our witch could have been a very hard character to cast, because we wanted to have sass and energy, and Wendie was absolutely perfect. She came in with all her talent and experience, and my first instinct was ‘You don’t need any direction. Do whatever you want to do because you are amazing!”

She also mentions that she knew Alex Hirsch was going to end up playing the little sidekick King. “I used to hear him pitch when I worked on Gravity Falls. I knew that he can bring a lot to the characters he plays. He would also give me some helpful advice about running his own show and working at Disney.”

Art director Ricky Cometa (Steven Universe, Costume Quest) says he was swept away by Terrace’s wild ideas and spectacular imagery, things that were not usually seen in children’s animation. “The second she came in and said, ‘I want you to read this show bible. The first thing that caught my eye was ‘Bosch and the demon world?’ I very much needed help to figure out what this world looks like. We had this blank canvas and there was a lot of religious iconography. I knew we were going to push the boundaries. I mean we are doing the demon realm on the Disney Channel? You bet I’m in!”

Cometa points out that it was clear that they needed to balance the darker aspects of the witch’s world with the more light-hearted and fun components of Luz’s comical adventures. “At first, I wasn’t sure how dark we could have made the world this world that Luz jumps into initially. We had to make clear decisions about when the story needed to be scary— when do we highlight the darker moments versus when the story is lighthearted and welcoming. It was all about finding that right balance of warmth and spookiness.”

Terrace agrees. “If we made everything super scary and spooky — which is something I’m not afraid of, scaring my audience — but if we made everything the same color, then the scary parts and the day-to-day light-hearted parts wouldn’t have popped. We needed that contrast for writing purposes.”

Amazingly enough, Terrace is only the fourth woman to solely create and run an animated series for Disney — following in the footsteps of Sue Rose (Pepper Ann), Chris Nee (Doc McStuffins) and Daron Nefcy (Star vs. The Forces of Evil). She says one of her biggest challenges on the show was going through the learning process to run a writer’s room, which includes four other writers and a writer’s assistant. “Before this show I had always written and drawn my own comics and cartoons, but this was the first time I had written scripts professionally. Learning the process of writing scripts and learning to run a writers’ room was probably the biggest challenge for me. Luckily, I was with a team of talented writers, and we all kind of learned together. Most of that team has carried on to the second season, and we’re very excited to keep writing together.

As the show begins its run on Disney Channel, Terrace says that ultimately she hopes audiences will be entertained by Luz’s world and her off-the-wall adventures. “There are so many different kinds of animated shows out there and so many traditional and streaming services, that I don’t think it’s possible to have a gigantic blowout hit anymore. At the end of the day, no matter how much stuff is out there, stories with interesting core characters and relatable, understandable stories will shine through.”

#The Owl House #Owl House #Dana Terrace #Disney Channel #Ricky Cometa

1K notes · View notes

yourwannabekpopidol · 3 years

Text

Project 15

Apprenticeship Program Name: Radio Campbuzz Project Name: RJ for Rangdhonu and script writer for shows Program Date: Fall 2017 – Fall 2018 Program Description: I joined this program when Kashfia Ma’am was the advisor for the program. She assigned me to a RJ position for a weekly show called, “Rangdhonu”. And I had to write the script for the show as well. What I had to do was be a host for the show and the show is about pop culture and entertainment. So we had to talk about any new update on Hollywood and Bollywood. Program Justification: What the show provided was to let the students know about any pop culture and to let them enjoy some entertainment before going back to class. There were other shows but this show made me realize how fun it is to be a RJ. Due to this show, I was even awarded the best RJ in Radio Campbuzz of Spring 2018. Program Name: Rangdhonu. Program Time: Every Wednesday from 12 pm to 1 pm.

Picture 1: This is me before the show of Rangdhonu at the station.

Picture 2: This is the poster that declared that Nabeela apu and I were the host of the show, Rangdhonu, on social media.

Picture 3: This was the award and the certificate of me winning the best RJ.

Script for the 5th Rangdhonu show: Written by: Wangkhem Thonglen

Link 1

Sonam Kapoor ties the knot! Celebrity marriages are always the talk of the town, especially when it is the much-awaited wedding of one of Bollywood's most beloved stars, Sonam Kapoor. In an event of grand celebrations, Sonam Kapoor has finally tied the knot last Tuesday, May 8, with her long-time boyfriend Anand Ahuja. For those who don't know, Anand Ahuja is a businessman who has founded his own fashion brand named Bhane. His Delhi-based business has made him quite successful despite his young age, and fans know him well for always being addressed fondly in Sonam's online posts. The couple is active on social media, and has never failed to win hearts through their messages of adoration and love. Radio Cambuzz wishes the couple a happy conjugal life!

SaRa May 12 marked the grand opening of SaRa's first showroom in Mirpur. The fashion house made a huge statement with endorsements from stars like Sara Zaker, Oyshee, Shahtaj, Pritom, Xefer, Azim, Doyel and many others. They were present during the opening, along with the owner S.M Khaled.

RABINDRA FESTIVALS AROUND THE COUNTRY The celebration of 157th birth anniversary of Tagore in Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka. Artistes performed in a programme by Jayita Rabindra Sangeet Shomillon Porishod in Mymensingh. Artistes did a cultural show in Rabindra Mela, Channel i premises, Dhaka. Artistes from Bangladesh and India performed in Rabindra Festival in Shelaidah Kuthibari, Kushtia. Also Sirajganj.

30 years of BAMBA - More than just bands After a break of almost four years, Bangladesh Musical Bands Association, better known as BAMBA, recently arranged a mega concert, 'BAMBA Live Chapter 1', in Dhaka. The turnout was huge, with the spacious hall room of the International Convention Centre, Bashundhara, filled to the brim with fans eager to get a glimpse of their favorite bands and listen to their all-time hits. 11 of the 27 bands under the umbrella of BAMBA, including Warfaze, Miles, Shunno, Aurthohin, Nemesis, Vikings, Feedback, Dalchhut, Maq O' Dhaka, Pentagon and Arbovirus performed at the concert. Star Showbiz recently invited BAMBA to participate at a roundtable discussion at The Daily Star Centre. Hamin Ahmed, President of BAMBA; Sheikh Monirul Alam Tipu, General Secretary; Fuad Naser Babu, Vice President; Maqsoodul Haque (Mac), Executive Committee Member; Mohammad Ali Shumon, Treasurer; and Doza Alan, CEO, SkyTracker Limited, took part in the roundtable discussion. It was facilitated by Star Showbiz Editor Rafi Hossain. The discussion focused on BAMBA's current activities and the way forward in the face of the challenges confronting our music industry.

Link 2

Zoe Saldana on the Hollywood Walk of Fame After smashing success as the alien warrior Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy films and more recently, Avengers: Infinity War, Zoe Saldana is on a path to eternal stardom, literally. She joins the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin and her co-actor Chris Pratt, by receiving her very own star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Zoe Saldana took to Instagram to express her gratitude, saying she is blessed and honored to be a part of the history of Hollywood. “May this open more doors for Latinx and all other under-represented community!” she further stated. Zoe Saldana has also appeared in James Cameron's 2009 film Avatar and the recent Star Trek trilogy. Being a constant presence in blockbuster sci-fi and fantasy films, Zoe Saldana is expected to become a top name in this specific genre quite soon. 2018 71st Cannes Film Festival From Tuesday May 8th til Saturday May 19th. Australian actress Cate Blanchett has been named as the President of the Jury. Asghar Farhadi's psychological thriller Everybody Knows, starring Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and Ricardo Darín, opened the festival and competes in the Main Competition section The Han Solo spinoff Solo: A Star Wars Story touched down Tuesday at the Cannes Film Festival, bringing its cast and a full-sized Chewbacca to the French Riviera extravaganza. Director Ron Howard, wearing a hat that read “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” introduced his cast before the film’s international premiere at Cannes. Sonam Kapoor wows at the red carpet of Cannes Film Festival 2018. Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan once again stole the show as she walked the prestigious red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, this time in a stunning ultra-violet, blue and red gown that reflected the metamorphosis of a butterfly. History was made at this year's 71st Cannes Film Festival on Saturday as 82 women, representing the limited number of women filmmakers selected over its more than seven-decade history, made a symbolic walk up the red carpet. The stars, filmmakers and other professionals ascended the steps of the Palais des Festivals at the Cannes Film Festival, protesting for the solidarity of the women in the industry who are struggling for a voice, equal pay, as well as a safer work place. The five female members of this year's Cannes jury-- Cate Blanchett, Kristen Stewart, Ava DuVernay, Lea Seydoux and Burundian singer Khadja Nin, along with Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek and Marion Cotillard were among the group of women.

Link 3 Mim Mantasha Superstar in the making Winning the country's biggest pageant is not an ordinary feat. Mim Mantasha has won not just a crown, but also the hearts of millions. Awaiting a new journey, the Lux Channel i Superstar 2018 winner shares her story with The Daily Star. A final year student of Fine Arts at Jahangirnagar University, Mim has always been a creative and curious soul. She was an avid follower of the contest for a long time. This year, she finally took the decision to compete. Taking part in the competition was certainly not a cakewalk. “We went through vigorous training sessions. We did yoga in the mornings,” explains Mim. Before the task rounds, the contestants went through fifteen days of training for ramp walk, acting, dancing, and many other skills. The photo shoots, acting, and improvisation rounds were Mim's favourite tasks in the competition. “I was nervous but in a scene, I got to convince people through my acting that my child was lost. I enjoyed it,” Mim smiles, adding that the competition was an overall memorable experience. Although she is highly enthusiastic about working in the media, she wants to take more preparations before doing so. She is now Lux Bangladesh's brand ambassador and has also won the opportunity to work on television and feature film projects of Impress Telefilm. Before hitting the silver screen, Mim wants to explore the world of television. Being a painter at heart, Mim also wants to continue painting and have her own exhibition in the future. Further to this, she intends to work for children who need special care. “I am in a fortunate position and it is our duty to take care of those in need.” says Mim. With great intentions, we hope Mim Mantasha excels at every step of her future endevours.

Link 4

Avengers Infinity War Review The plot itself is pretty simple. There are six stones that possess mystic powers and he/she who possesses all the stones is by default the most powerful being in the universe. Our Marvel superheroes must forget their own conflicts and join forces against Thanos to restore the fate of the universe and its inhabitants. Of course, watch the movie to know how things pan out. Avengers: Infinity War is the movie of movies, and let me tell you why. Most, if not all, the characters of the MCU are present in this film and bring their own flavour into the mix. Thor is mourning the loss of his home and hammer, Stark feels he needs to take a break from saving the world, Captain America is still out to bring justice the right way, and Hulk has no control over himself. I don't know what formula the Russo brothers have applied in their direction but I watched in awe how all the characters blended to deliver multiple storylines within a movie. Yes, I have also compared this movie to a mega three-hour episode of your daily soap opera. Avengers: Infinity War is the comprehensive Marvel movie; it is the beginning of an end. It lifts you, it hits you, and leaves you with a cliffhanger extraordinaire. See it to believe it and it'll still be unbelievable. By next weekend, Infinity War will top $1.78 billion and could sit around $1.8 billion, ensuring Marvel's year-to-date tally exceeds $3.1 billion by next Sunday.

Deadpool 2 Marketing Right off the bat, you see how Deadpool has scratched out the 20th Century Fox logo and put “TBD,” which is a sly allusion to the ongoing Disney/Fox (and Comcast?) merger drama. The content of the letter is exactly what you might expect from the Merc with a Mouth. Pop culture references, silly puns, bad language, and Ryan Reynolds bashing. Then, at the bottom, instead of the #ThanosDemandsYourSilence, we get #WadeWilsonDemandsYourSisterSorryStupidAutoCorrectSilence. See, you guys, it’s funny! And not at all trying too hard. Kidding aside, the marketing for “Deadpool 2” has been pretty top notch, but perhaps not as great as the first film. Recently, the film premiered a music video for the soundtrack featuring Celine Dion singing an over-the-top ballad while a high-heel-wearing Deadpool does an interpretive dance around the diva. It’s ridiculous and fun. And also, the most recent trailer seems to have struck a chord with fans, who are coming down off their ‘Infinity War’ high.

Link 5

Top 10 Hollywood Box Office Weekend 1. Avengers: Infinity War - $62,078,047 (Total Grossing – $548,090,150) 2. Life of the Party - $17,886,075 (New) 3. Breaking In - $17,630,285 (New) 4. Overboard - $9,864,415 5. A Quiet Place - $6,455,396 (Total Grossing - $169,608,030) 6. I Feel Pretty - $3,805,437 7. Rampage - $3,462,442 (Total Grossing - $89,827,105) 8. Tully - $2,248,945 9. Black Panther - $2,077,207 (Total Grossing - $696,331,818) 10. RBG - $1,188,186

Billboard’s top 10 Hits 1. This Is America – Childish Gambino (New) 2. Nice For What – Drake (Last Week: 1) 3. God’s Plan – Drake 4. Psycho – Post Malone Featuring Ty Dolla $ign (Last Week: 2) 5. Meant To Be – Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line 6. The Middle – Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey 7. Look Alive – BlocBoy JB Featuring Drake 8. Never Be The Same – Camila Cabello 9. Perfect – Ed Sheeran (Last Week: 12) 10. No Tears Left To Cry – Ariana Grande Learning and reflections: This program made me realize the inner potential I had to be so extrovert and be a good host. I learned what to do or say after getting stuck during a live session. I have improved my speaking skills and the flow of a RJ host on how to talk and say because they have a different tone when it comes to a live session. I have taken all these skills from this program and I even got selected and did a short commercial video for Spice FM Radio. I also learned how to write a script for a radio show.

2 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

What We Do in the Shadows Season 3: Harvey Guillén Wants Buffy to Train Guillermo

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains spoilers for What We Do in the Shadows season 3 episode 3.

Things have changed for the Staten Island vampires on What We Do in the Shadows season 3 as they step into positions of power. This may not make much of a difference for Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), whose new job as secretary of the Vampiric Council, is much like his fake job, at a cubicle in an office. But Laszlo (Matt Berry) may spend a little more in the potting shed. His love Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), is running the council, along with Nandor (Kayvan Novak), who’s familiar, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), has been promoted to the position of bodyguard. It was easier than killing him.

Based on the 2014 feature film by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, What We Do in the Shadows follows four vampires, who have been roommates for longer than anyone cares to remember, as they cope with life in the modern world. Which is not held up on the shoulders of four horses.

Nandor the Relentless was a fierce and terrible Ottoman warrior, known for pillaging villages and turning the Euphrates red with blood. Guillermo worked at Panera Bread. The bond that ties vampire to familiar is a strange one. The pay isn’t great, the hours are daunting, and they don’t get employee-of-the-month plaques. The only real incentive is the promise of everlasting life as a ravenous bloodsucking fiend, and there is something of a hiring freeze at the moment.

British Iranian actor and voice artist Kayvan Novak co-created and starred in the British prank show, Fonejacker, and also can be seen alongside Matt Damon and George Clooney in Syriana, as well as the films Cuban Fury and the Walt Disney live action remake of Cruella. He plays three different characters in Men in Black: International. Harvey Guillén acted in the movies The Internship and in Netflix’s Truth or Dare, and his TV works include The Magicians, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. He earned a GLAAD Media Award his role in the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Me What to Do” episode of Raising Hope, and made LGBTQ+ Latinx history by becoming the first queer Latinx actor to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Critics’ Choice Award for his role as Guillermo de la Cruz. Starting Sept. 2, Guillén will also host After the Shadows, a new talk show following and discussing What We Do in the Shadows.

Novak and Guillén hovered over Den of Geek to speak about Nandor and Guillermo’s new job descriptions, as well as old habits, cloaks of many voices, and Van Helsing DNA.

Den of Geek: I wanted to congratulate you on your characters’ new duties. Is it more fun running vampires or running from them?

Kayvan Novak: Has Nandor run from a vampire? I guess I have. I think they’re equally as exhilarating and frightening.

Harvey Guillén: I would say fighting the vampires is exciting with all the combat when that opportunity comes up. Yeah.

Guillermo took out the entire local vampire command, but couldn’t stake a vampire council docent. Is Guillermo getting soft?

Guillén: I don’t think he’s getting soft. I think the only reason that he even put himself in that scenario is because he knew that his old housemates, because remember he moved out of the house, his old housemates were in danger. I think at the end of the day we forget that he had mostly only humans in the house. And you know, what separates us from everything else in the world is that humans are driven by emotion and have a conscience and have a heart. So he couldn’t live with himself, if he knew that they were set up by the Vampiric Council to be eliminated at this theater. That’s the only reason he goes and saves his chosen family. Even though they’re total assholes to him, he is still loyal at the end of the day. He’s still loyal to these four vampires, especially Nandor. I think that he’s not getting soft. He’s just starting to see what’s important to him and what’s worth fighting for.

Did the “Cloak of Duplication” episode come up because you were already doing the impressions?

Novak: I guess the writers had an idea. They had a sense that I was a bit of a mimic and I liked doing impersonations. And I think they decided to kind of craft an episode around that. I was slightly apprehensive of the number of impressions that they thought I could do considering I had to do all of my castmates who, although I could do impressions of some of them, I’d never done it to their faces. So it was a new challenge. Not only to learn very quickly how to impersonate them with their help, because they helped me along the way, and they told me how to deliver some of the lines. But then having to do that in front of them, it took some concentration.

Whose voice was the easiest?

Novak: I guess the easiest, or the one that I had done was Colin Robinson. Because he’s got a very specific [voice]. It’s kind of the closest to mine in a way. And the rhythms of it, very specific. Nadja’s voice and Kristen [Schaal]’s voice, I couldn’t actually do. I can only kind of do their physicality. So, the voices you hear are not my voice. They’re the voices of the actual actors. Guillermo’s voice, Guillermo’s delivery, that took a minute to kind of get into that groove. And then Matt Berry, Laszlo’s character, I’d never really tried an impression of him. And it was really more the physicality that I got into to deliver those lines in that rhythm, that really was the key in. Because you’re always trying to find the key in.

Harvey, what was it like hearing Guillermo come out of Novak’s throat?

Guillén: It was great. Because I’ve seen Kayvan do impersonations of everyone, he’s a master. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do me in a full scene. Like he would make a good joke or mimic me and say, “Yeah, yeah, now my friend,” and he does like a caricature of my voice, which is always fun, but yeah, “you’re my best buddy,” that’s like an ongoing joke on set that he always does. But to really kind of do it and kind of really capture Guillermo’s inflections and the volume where he placed him. I was like, oh my gosh, this is great. I was in awe. Like I was like, this is great. I had to do a double take, like that’s not me. That’s wait. That’s not me. Okay.

Blade, Buffy, the Frog brothers, and now Guillermo. Guillermo is the descendant of the greatest Slayer of all slayers. Is this nepotism?

Guillén: I don’t know if it’s nepotism because I don’t think he’s gotten anything handed to him. And he’s worked really hard for everything he has, and even now being the descendant of Van Helsing, it’s still not easy. Now, it comes with another wagon full of problems and choices to be made and predicaments that he now has with his housemates. But I would love to see some of those legendary slayers and chosen ones make an appearance and guide him, maybe help him out. Maybe Buffy pops in and says, I’ll show you how it’s done. That’d be great. Or Blade comes back, Wesley Snipes comes back. We’ve already had him. Who knows? But yeah, I would love to see someone show him the ropes or take them under their wing or, he’s learning by trial and error. And I think so far he’s doing okay. So maybe he’s a self-made Slayer in his own way.

When Nandor and Nadja were introducing themselves to the rogue vampires, you are each soloing, but hitting the beats at the same time. Can you just walk me through the rehearsal of the timing?

Novak: I think to really nail a scene like that, we’re both kind of focused on the direction of, I think Yana Gorskaya directed that scene. And that was just a case of us kind of working together, but also allowing her to kind of pull us through the scene to make sure that we hit those marks perfectly. It took some practice, took a few takes, took rehearsal, but you always know you’re going to get it. And you know that if you’ve got to get something that’s a bit of a challenge to get to, you want to be in the right company. And, and thankfully, we are because we’re in each other’s company.

Harvey, when you interject objections and you break and you look at the camera, they’re like hi-hat taps, are these scripted or are you doing it strictly on an intuitive basis?

Guillén: No, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it scripted for Guillermo that he looks at the camera. I think we do, as we do a rehearsal and we have our DP and our director follow us through rehearsal and whatever feels organic in the moment, there has to be an organic beat. Right? So, if it’s, most of the time it is Guillermo, because he’s the only human in the room, aside from the camera crew. And so, when he looks at the camera crew, it’s like, oh God, you’re going to film this, aren’t you? And the camera catches that moment. And it zooms into it. It’s like, you’re not, oh no, it’s incriminating. And so, as you connect with another human. Did you hear what he said? Or did you, I can’t believe they’re talking like this because who are you going to connect with the vampires who live in their own world of lust and pleasure and feeding. They don’t care, they’re immortal, but the humans in the room are like, we can go to jail at any moment for a lot of these things. I can get in trouble myself.

So, most of the time, when Guillermo looks at the camera, it’s either out of fear or it’s either like I’m smarter than them and you see that, right? So it’s like you saw that, right? But he can never say it. So he can’t verbally say what he’s feeling. So, their face does it all for you to the camera.

Did Guillermo and Nandor meet at Panera Bread?

Guillén: We talked about this. I think the idea that, if he was working at Panera Bread, it must have been shortly after high school or something. And somewhere along the lines, he must’ve met Nandor, he must’ve come in when Panera was closing and maybe tried to feast on him? Maybe, I don’t know. The backstory I gave myself was, he convinced Nandor not to feast on him and kill him, but to service him in return to become a vampire. That’s the backstory I gave myself. But Kayvan, what do you think?

Novak: I think whatever happened there’s CCTV footage of it-

Guillén: Somewhere. Yeah.

Novak: And I think that would be the best way of revisiting that because, if they didn’t have a documentary crew following them, then they’re relying on kind of just, incidental cameras, capturing stuff. I think it would be cool.

Guillén: I think that’s cool. Yeah.

Nandor is 758 years old, and going through an eternal life crisis. Is he becoming too Americanized or does Nadja have a point about there not being anything more to existence than just slaughter?

Novak: It’s a funny one because he’s been around so long, you’re supposed to eventually just blend into your environment and be taken over by and become an American or become a Staten Islander. And for some reason they live in such an insular world that they resisted this. But now for some reason, whether it be an emotional light that’s gone off in his head, he’s decided that no, he wants to humanize himself more and, yeah, be more like the people that he kills, almost. The world that he feeds off. He wants to be part of that. And I think, Nadja, she’s the cynic she’s like, stop dreaming. Stop. You know, there’s always that person that’s like, yeah, you could do that. But there’s lots of people that want to do that too, you know? And you’re like, oh, you’re right. I better not waste my time chasing pipe dreams. There’s always that person in the room and that person, for Nandor, is Nadja.

What’s it like to act against Nadja’s doll?

Guillén: Such a diva. Yeah. Difficult. Late to set. She always has to be carried. I don’t know if it’s in her rider, but the doll has to be carried by two, like men-

Novak: Dressed in green.

Guillén: Dressed in green. Yeah.

Novak: I actually did have to do a couple of scenes where there’s a montage sequence with me and the doll and we actually got onto some really funny stuff. I was teaching her sword fighting, a bit of a spoiler, but it’s very quick. I don’t know if it made it in but I was teaching her sword fighting and then I was like, well, we might as well have a sword fight. And then she disarms me and then she chases after me and I run. But I don’t know if that made it in the cut. I just decided that would have been a funny thing to do. To be disarmed by this doll. I think Nandor has a soft spot for the doll. Obviously, it’s a cool bit of special effects that’s for sure. It’s awesome.

What will you be getting Colin Robinson for his hundredth birthday?

Novak: A new contract. You know, his management team has been slacking.

I was talking with Mark Proksch about the physical comedy and Harvey, yours is particularly perilous. What’s the choreography prep like and making those fight scenes hit their funny marks?

Guillén: Well, I think physical comedy is just as good as you know, anything we do, so I mean, a lot of us do physical comedy in the show, but you never see Guillermo really in motion to do physical comedy most of the time it’s because he’s always so put together. So even with the combat and fighting, the note that Jermaine gave me for the finale was, Harvey doesn’t know he’s been at this. All right. So he doesn’t know what’s happening. So it was more of an idea that his face is like “what’s happening?,” But his hands were coordinated and bad-ass, and that’s the way I’ve been playing him. And now that he’s coming into his own, now he’s more relaxed into his own power of Van Helsing. But it’s also funny. It’s just funny to see someone who’s like a baby duck, like learning to walk for the first time. It’s like he’s trying. And you know, so that physical comedy comes in hand.

Kayvan, can you tell me what it was like working against Aida Turturro and learning to love after, after 37 wives?

Novak: Aida was a riot, from day one. She was a fan of the show, which is always wonderful and incredibly flattering. She was so into the show, she was so into the world and into us as performers. And I think that just, she had so much fun when she was there and we had some intimate scenes. The first time you see us, she’s on her back and I’m on top of her. And that’s quite an introduction. But she just went with it, you know? And it was just a lot of fun, a lot of fun with her and yeah, we just spoke to her today actually, and she was singing the show’s praises again. And she’s genuinely so excited. She’s not keeping her cool or trying not to be a fangirl about it. She was just super enthusiastic to be there. And you feed off that. You love that.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

What We Do in the Shadows airs Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. on FX.

The post What We Do in the Shadows Season 3: Harvey Guillén Wants Buffy to Train Guillermo appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3niKJN3

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

3 notes · View notes

some-lists · 4 years

Text

All the Disney Princesses Ranked From Worst to Best.

(Sorry, no Vanellope.)

14. Merida

I know Merida has really badass archery skills. She’s also outspoken, strong willed, and clever. But she’s still my least favorite princess. I just didn’t like her. Maybe it’s the fact that she wanted to change her mom. And she actually went through with it. Of course, she didn’t actually know what was going to happen, and the journey brought them closer together. She grew as a character and that’s good. But just seeing her disrespect her mother, especially publicly in front of all the clans, is hard to watch. It doesn’t help that I thought Brave was one of Pixar’s weaker movies and essentially Brother Bear all over again.

13. Anna

Not gonna lie. I hate Anna. She’s so damn pushy and combative. I know, it’s all her parents’ fault. All of it. But still. She doesn’t listen to Elsa at all. She pushes and pushes triggering Elsa’s ice outbursts, which become more visible as they build along with her anxiety. Every uncontrolled “accident” Elsa has in the first film is because Anna didn’t listen to her. Of course, she also didn’t listen to Elsa’s warning about marrying Hans either. She foolishly left the kingdom in the hands of an outsider, someone she didn’t even know.

She definitely shows improvement in the second film. She becomes more sensitive towards Elsa’s feelings and her powers. She’s also very loyal and brave, risking her life for Elsa, yet again. She’s still very clingy and desperate for people’s love. It manifests in her fear of losing Elsa and Kristoff. I do not like her humor or awkwardness. I don’t find them relatable, but rather annoying. But I do appreciate that those insecurities are real and that’s what makes her more relatable. Her relationships with the other characters, especially Olaf, is what saves her from being last on my list.

12. Tiana

There’s nothing wrong Tiana. I think she’s great. She’s hardworking, determined, and a realist. Those are great qualities that I’m glad Disney decided to focus on too. The downside of this is that she comes across as rather boring. The film relies on other more colorful characters to bring the personality and charm. I think that’s a shame. She also suffers from starring in a weaker film.

11. Aurora

I like Aurora. What little we see of her anyway. We can tell by the way she interacts with the fairies, woodland creatures, and Prince Philip that she’s smart, sweet, shy, kind, cautious. She’s a dreamer, but not foolish. It’s too bad we didn’t get to see more of her.

10. Snow White

Snow White, in my opinion, does not get the respect she deserves. Was she stupid to take that apple from the very obviously evil hag? Yes, she was. But people have forgotten all about the really great qualities she possessed too. When she walked into the dwarfs’ cottage, it was a disgusting, unlivable nightmare. The dwarfs were pigs. They didn’t clean their home or themselves. They bickered all the time. Snow White changed all of that. She created order where there was disorder. And she didn’t do it alone. She delegated chores to each of the animals and made sure they did them right. That’s some managerial skills! She got a bunch of unruly little men to wash, sleep at a decent time, and behave. That’s authority. Those are some real life skills I wish I had more of. Yes, she cooked, cleaned, and sewed, but Snow White wasn’t a servant. She was in charge.

9. Cinderella

Like Snow White, Cinderella has gotten a bad rap over time, but I will defend Cinderella anytime anywhere. Those who say she “needed a prince to save her” lack compassion and are completely missing the point. Cinderella was a young woman who was abused by what family she had left. At a young age she experienced loss, grief, then neglect and emotional abuse. But Cinderella was resilient. That abuse didn’t stop her and it didn’t change her. She could’ve become mean, bitter, and jealous. She could’ve continued the cycle of abuse like her stepsisters. But Cinderella didn’t allow their mistreatment to define her. She remained kind, empathetic, patient, humble, and hardworking. She also didn’t allow herself to become a victim. She didn’t mope or give up on herself. When the ball was announced, she worked hard and believed she would go. When she got help from the fairy godmother, she accepted it and rocked that ball gown. She didn’t go to the ball to be rescued. She went because she wanted to, and she did. Moral of the story is do not let others’ treatment of you determine who you are or what you’re worth. Cinderella had awesome inner strength.

8. Ariel

I will admit that as an adult, Ariel’s appeal fades. She made really bad choices and sacrificing her voice for a boy is a terrible message to sell to kids. But for a 5 year old girl, only two things mattered. She was a mermaid and she could sing. The Little Mermaid kick started Disney’s renaissance and set a new precedent for its movies. Unlike previous princesses, Ariel was the first princess full of life, passion, and adventure. She had an exciting and lovable personality and a Broadway singing voice. Credit goes to Jodi Benson for bringing Ariel to life and the writers for getting the world to fall in love with her. She made a huge impression (hello, mermaid craziness everywhere!), even if she was a total idiot teenager.

7. Jasmine

What’s great about Jasmine is she can see through people’s BS and she doesn’t put up with it. She isn’t impressed by the superficial suitors that come her way. She stands up to Jafar. She catches on pretty immediately that Prince Ali is actually Aladdin. She sings like Lea Salonga, Disney and Broadway legend, and she has a pet tiger. What’s not to love?

6. Pocahontas

Pocahontas was the first Disney princess to not go after her dreams, but instead chose family, community, duty, loyalty. That’s incredibly mature and selfless. She taught a racist, arrogant, ignorant man to love and respect others different from him. She followed her intuition, was one nature, and dove off cliffs. The only minus is falling for John Smith over Kokoam. I don’t know what she was thinking!

5. Moana

Moana is not qualified for her mission. She has no experience and no skills required for sailing across the sea, finding Maui, and defeating a lava monster. But it’s her purpose. She was chosen. So she sets out and figures it out along the way. That’s an inspiring example. It’s not until the end that we find out why she was chosen. She sees Te Ka for who she truly is. Te Fiti. The image above is one of the most powerful moments in all of Disney’s films.

4. Rapunzel

Similar to Cinderella, Rapunzel has been abused throughout her childhood. IMO, Rapunzel had it worse because she believed Mother Gothel was her mother. Their relationship was nonstop manipulation, infantilization, and gaslighting. But Rapunzel was brave enough to go after what she wanted and smart enough to find a way to do it. On top of that, she was creative and artistic, incredibly strong from years of hauling Mother Gothel up the tower, and had magical hair with healing powers. In the end, she does what we didn’t get to see in Cinderella. She stands up for herself and confronts her abuser. She’s a real survivor and victor.

3. Belle

I love Belle because she is a true introvert and a true individual. She’s not very social, doesn’t gossip, doesn’t fawn over Gaston, doesn’t follow the townsfolk’s way of life. She literally just does her own thing. For that, she’s misunderstood and judged by the village. I think that’s very relatable. But she’s also intelligent, curious, adventurous, honorable (she keeps her promise to stay with the Beast), and stands up to the Beast when he’s out of line. She’s the only one that truly challenges the Beast and he grows because of it. And she saves him.

2. Mulan

Similar to Belle, Mulan is a bit of an outcast, because she’s individualistic in a society that values conformity. She’s socially awkward, clumsy, but brave. That bravery saves her father and all of China. She’s a true badass warrior.

1. Elsa

Elsa is technically not a princess, but a queen. She still counts and she tops my list. Out of all the Disney princesses, she is the most real and fully developed. She’s beautiful, kind, brave, strong, but also very flawed. Many people have identified with Elsa in different ways because her flaws are so real and so relatable. The LGBTQ community has adopted her as a symbol of their own. For me personally, I see a mental health issue. I think she’s a highly sensitive person with anxiety. Her ice powers are a beautiful symbol for that anxiety and the struggle over her mental health. Her journey to accept herself for who she is, to embrace herself for who she is, and to find her place in a world that deems her different is truly beautiful and empowering.

#disney #disney princesses #disney ariel #little mermaid #beauty and the beast #aurora #sleeping beauty #cinderella #snow white #jasmine #pocahontas #disney mulan #princess tiana #rapunzel #merida #pixar brave #frozen #queen elsa #disney moana

20 notes · View notes

lemonlightproductions · 3 years

Note

So question to all this Artist in LL what made you knew that you wanted to become an artist?

Ana: ive always kind of drawn and my progress to becoming a more serious artist was gradual. it started a little bit with making fan pokemon when i was like 11 but the REAAAAL big push was when i was 12 and i wanted to make a warrior cats fanfiction and i drew out aaaallll the ocs and a fuckton of art for that. i had a bunch of warriors youtubers i admired and i had no clue WHAT digital art was until then, and kind of just saved up money for a tablet and the rest is history.

Dani: i wanted to become an artist so i could draw furry pokemon art

Kikyo: i wanted to be an artist ever since i saw the joy my siblings had when they see the mini comics i made, that was when i was like 10-11 y/o. its been a slow build but 15 years later, self-taught and still growing, here me is xD

Lizzy: Idk I felt like it I was sitting there watching art videos on YouTube when I was like 15 and thought to myself “wow I wish I could do that!” And so I asked for a crappy $25 drawing tablet for my birthday! I started heavily doing Undertale and Toontown art and now this is where I’ve ended up! So TLDR, if you want to learn how to draw, do it! Nothings stopping you!

Loke: idk i've just always been drawing horses and bc i can't focus without using my hands i would always draw in class whenever the teacher wasn't watching me, so i got a lot of practice that way. i've recently picked up watercolours bc i wanted to make personal holiday cards for friends, and i'm having a lot of fun with it! tl;dr i just like doing something visual that also keeps my hands busy, whether it's art, sewing or something else

Tex: For lemoned light?? I just liked helping with artwork

Lore: I was doodling the second I first ever picked up a crayon, and just never stopped. I had fits and starts in terms of improvement, naturally, and only really took it seriously in my later teen years. But I dunno that it was ever much of a decision so much as it was a desire to try and capture the movies in my head visually.

Tobin: i think the moment i knew i wanted to become an artist was funnily enough when I started at LLP and was working professionally on a team and collaborating with other artists. it made me realize that it's what I wanted to keep doing for as long as I could.

Katreal: To be honest, I kinda never really decided I wanted to be an artist, because I don't really consider myself one. Even leaving off skill-level discussions, identity-wise, I identify more as a writer than an artist. I just. Draw sometimes. For over 15 years off and on as ideas and or motivation hits. And that adds up to some level of skill eventually. Lemonlight actually helped a lot by giving me consistent assignments to do haha.

#qna 2020 #ask #drmetalwarrior

7 notes · View notes

jstmymagination · 3 years

Text

I love the BDB novels and after re-reading some of my favorites this story came to mind. Actually it’s been stuck in my head for a while now so I decided to put it on paper. this is what happens when I’m bored Disclaimer: I am not a professional writer and this is in no way related to the Wardens work so there will be PLENTY of grammatical errors😁 enjoy.

The Scribe Virgins Private Sanctuary

“You can’t let the warrior take him” you have witnessed what goes on at those “training camps” he is just a mere babe. I made a vow with Bloodletter and I intend on honoring it. The child will be trained to be a fighter and protector, he will not be just any soldier. You don’t believe that to be true, for surely if you did I wouldn’t be able to see the sorrow in your eyes every time you look upon your son. Young one you would be wise to guard your tongue with me as you are under MY protection. I know the value you hold but I will not tolerate disobedience. My male young came into the world with a piece of me that I can not take back this you well know. Even at this young age, he is much stronger than any opponent that may dare to cross his path and this includes his sire the Bloodletter. Over time he will become what he is meant to be... Pea looked up without hesitation and asked what’s that? a “Brother”

Pea looked back down at the 2 twin babes they were identical in every way same dark hair with a slight wave at the tips, same diamond eyes that sorta changed color when either of them became frustrated, and the same special glow from their mahmen. I hope that you are correct.

I have made up my mind... I will take my leave from your sanctuary when you deliver the baby Vishous to the Bloodletter. I have been hidden away here long enough and like your babes, I too can take care of myself. Many years have passed since the war has started and I would like to move on. I know now that I am alone and I would like to start life anew.

The Scribe Virgin slowly turned to face the young woman that stood before her. “And what of your duty, to the race and your people?” What will you do when it is time for you to take your place? After a moment Pea simply stated on my honor as the Daughter, only child, and last surviving member of Sir Danger son of Danger highest Princeps of the last founding family. When it is time to take my place I will...without quarrel. So be it then on your honor I will grant you leave. They both knew that she only asked out of respect because if she wanted to go, there is nothing the Scribe Virgin could have done to stop her. Pea was growing stronger and confident by the minute thanks to the Scribe Virgins father. He seemed to have taken a liking to the female. On the evening he delivered her to the Scribe Virgin she couldn’t help but ask him why? Why her? and his response was “she is but one half of the whole”

Present Day Caldwell New York Havers Clinic

Yes ma’am Mrs. Sherman the young looks well. As he moved the instrument around to get a better look at the babe growing in her belly. Havers has been in practice for so long that his Q & A segments with patients were always patterned the same. As long as he didn’t hear any dangerous words he kept the appointments moving along smoothly.

And how has your appetite been now that you moved into your second trimester?? No more nausea... good Any concerns? .... good

We have a while before we can determine the baby's sex as you know these things take time. Seeing as how vampires are pregnant for nearly a year the babies develop all organs at a much slower pace. Well, Mr. & Mrs. Sherman keep up the good work and we will see you back here in 6 weeks. Julie my nurse will take care of you from here. Havers pushed his glasses up on his nose finished his charting and quickly removed himself from the room. After checking in with the nurses' station he went to the next patient which was pre trans male with a broken leg. He never understood the fascination young people had with ATVs and dirt bikes. Why would anyone want to get on a motorized 2 wheeler and ride through the woods? One slight move in the wrong direction and a person instantly became air-born. Anyway, this was his workday one patient after another. Havers is the race's only physician in the Caldwell area, and because of this, his patient load is three times as large. The patients normally start arriving at sundown, they would check in with his nurse Julie then wait to be seen. For the most part, his evenings went pretty smoothly, Julie kept him on a tight schedule. He started the evening by doing his rounds at the clinic. This included following up with any patient that he felt the need to keep overnight. After that he started taking his scheduled appointments for the evening, these could range anywhere from a prenatal appointment to a pre-trans physical. He was normally with a patient for no more than ten minutes then it was on to the next one. However lately he was having an influx of attacked patients come in that needed emergency medical attention. For the past month, Havers was in the OR at least twice per week. Due to the nature of the injury, each time the surgeries were getting more and more invasive. When this happens then his appointments are pushed back or either rescheduled which is something he or Julie liked doing. Particularly because his patients already have a two months wait to be seen in the first place. This is why he recently started doing home visits, mainly for his elderly patients. He didn’t want them to take any chances coming into the office for an appointment and then not being able to be seen because of an emergency. So during his scheduled “lunch break” he would leave the clinic to make his house calls. Havers enjoyed this change in his schedule because it allowed him to leave for a little bit so he could breathe some different air.

Black Dagger Brotherhood Mansion

Lassiter!! I am not watching The Bold and the Beautiful, I don’t care how many times Brooke kisses another man or Ridge falls in love with the new girl. Those two always end up back together. You are correct my dear comrade, Lassiter said to Vishous but isn’t all the drama worth it?! The back and forth, love/ hate... that is what makes us tune in every day. Vishous threw him a sideye and said no it’s what makes YOU tune in. Okay V. Shouldn’t you be getting some R&R for your shift tonight? Shouldn’t you be up top tending to things?? Lassiter sporting a wide grin... shot back yeah I should be but they don’t have WiFi and Roku sticks up there so alas I’m here with you. Just as the theme music was starting....V poured a glass of goose and then walked out. Lassiter smirked and thought to himself sometimes it’s the small victories.

After leaving Lassiter... V passed through the kitchen where the doggen was prepping for the first meal. Looks like someone put in a request for Fritz’s famous French Toast casserole with Maple pecan topping. if V had to guess he would say Rhage that male was born with one heck of an appetite. Not to mention he has the inner beast so it’s kinda like he’s eating for 2? Anyway, the smell of it is always amazing something about pecans, vanilla beans, and maple.. you just can’t go wrong. Once he got down into the tunnel he decided to swing by the MD office suites Jane his Shellen had been in surgery alongside the brotherhood's other private surgeon Manny, who also happened to be V’s twin sister Payne’s Hellren, for 5 hours.

As protectors of the race, they were always in constant battle, and sometimes things got pretty nasty in the field. Last evening one of the recruits got into a nasty pack of evil vampires and although he survived he was shot in his top right femur, his stomach, and took a nasty blade to ribs. The surgery was a success because let’s face it his Shellen and her colleague are pretty godman amazing at what they do.

“Jane”, yes she says as she looks up from her charting with a smile. I stopped by on my way to the pit to see what’s doing? Nothing much Yogi is stable and after he awakes we will have a Chosen come to feed him. V loved to hear his Shellen speak with authority it was the biggest turn-on for him, actually thinking back he heard her voice before he even saw her face. She had been his surgeon when he got shot in the chest and landed in a human hospital, he knew she was meant to be his from the very first moment he heard her voice. After catching up with Jane and kissing her good day. V finally landed in the Pit.. the home he shared with best friend Butch and his wife Marissa. Butch’s bonding scent was thick in the air which only meant one thing. He and Marissa have either just started and we’re close to finishing their mid-morning sexcapade. A male Vampire bonding scent is meant to be a warning to other male vampires that this female is spoken for. After checking the security system at his control center, V checked the time which was after 2 pm he could get in a few more hours of sleep before it was time to start the day.

Que is a full-time manager at the TOP HE4VY boutique in the downtown fashion district of Caldwell. Since he was able to dress, he’s been known for his style and edgy fashion sense. Que took a liking to fashion more than anything else because it allowed him to express his artistic side. So naturally, when the word got out that an exclusive boutique-like Top Heavy was coming to Caldwell he was the first to apply. The interview went nothing like he expected, first of all, he met with the owner, Pea, at Starbucks!... of course she Insisted on him ordering a drink. He ordered Venti Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino with soy milk and whip cream. And she ordered a grande Chai Tea Latte soy no water extra hot. Que remembered everything about their first meeting because Pea had been so easy to talk too and homegirl was dressed to perfection. Lavender Chanel cashmere v neck sweater paired with fitted distressed BKE denim jeans, lavender Louboutins, and of course the ensemble was topped off with a lavender Birkin bag. Not to mention she was a full-figured woman... Pea had the kind of breast that every woman wanted to fill her bra and every man wanted to feel in his bed. She also had been blessed with hips, thighs, and just enough booty to fill in the back pockets of her fitted jeans. He loved everything about her. After she hired him then he recommended Samantha the first-generation full-time college student. Samantha only worked part-time hours due to her school schedule. She picked up shifts between her classes and on weekends. Pea was always very careful not to give her too many hours because she wanted Samantha to know that school was the priority. She also told her if you ever need anything don’t hesitate to ask. They both knew that when Pea said anything she was referring to money but she respected Samantha enough not to come right out and say it. The three of them had a great work relationship and became friends immediately. They looked up to Pea like a big sister and she embraced it. They became them on little family, so naturally, when she called Que at 7 am and asked if he would mind opening up the boutique in her place this morning, he didn’t give it a second thought. Thank you for shopping with us today Que said to the young lady that purchased the last black moto leather jacket. Nice commission off of that one he thought. $2500 jacket and I get 15% of the sale, I will take it. And when will you be getting in the matching boots for these the young lady asked? I will have to get with my boss and she can call you when they come in? Perfect... May I have your number? Que asked The lady answered quickly... I will just stop back by some time next week no rush. She took the new jacket and left the store. Shortly after that Pea came into work, this was late in the day for her. She normally was an early bird.

Hi guys, how has business been today? Not bad, both Que and Samantha answered in unison. Good, thanks for an opening for me I woke up with a migraine this morning and I couldn’t shake darn thing. If you guys want we can go out for drinks after work or lunch can be on me today... your choice. Both agreed to lunch on the next shift. Samantha was bogged down with term papers that were coming due and Que had already made plans after work. I see we sold the moto jacket I’m happy about that... I thought that thing was gonna be here forever. The lady that purchased also asked about the matching biker boots? Do you think we can get those? I have to check with the manufacturer. We might as well bring the lime green monster out of the stock room and put it on display in the front window. Maybe someone will buy the hideous thing. Samantha went to the back stock room and pick up the lime green and black moto jacket. The colors on the things were so loud that they all referred to it as the Incredible Hulk jacket. Every month her manufacturer sent a “hot item” to all of the buyers as a preview of the next season's trends. When Pea unboxed it her first thoughts were no one on this earth is going to want to purchase a lime green and black rhinestone-studded leather moto jacket. So she just kept it hung up in the back of the stock room. Are you sure you want to hang this in our window? Que asked before he took it from Samantha. Yes, you never know that jacket could be perfect for someone. Later that evening after Pea closed the boutique she headed down to the Nells Social Lounge. It was located off of Trade street which was only minutes from her shop. She liked going to this place for 3 reasons 1. the age limit was 30 and up so she didn’t have to worry about hanging out with children 2. the atmosphere was 90’s ...the music was always a mix of R&B and hip hop..not this new school mess that's streaming everywhere you turn now. And 3. They have the best-fried chicken sandwich In Caldwell. Always hot And crispy with just the right amount of seasoning. It was served on 2 pieces of “light bread” as the owner called it covered with Duke's mayo... a piece of iceberg lettuce and thinly sliced tomato. Just thinking about it made Peas mouth water.

Jace, the bouncer/doorman greeted her as she walked in. Jace had to be about 6ft 4in with a deep voice and muscular build. His eyes were dark brown almost black even and he sported a thick beard, like cotton but he always kept it neatly groomed. Same with his hair which was also long and thick, and always kept in a ponytail braided to the back. He was always polite when Pea was around but you could tell from the look on his face that he wasn’t with the bullshit. Hey young lady... we haven’t seen you in a while. I know... I’ve been trying to keep up with work you know that fashion & time stops for no one. Pea slowly walked into the bar she waved hello to Nell the owner & bartender. I will have Peach Crown in the rocks. Sure thing and would you like for me to put in an order of the usual for ya as well? Yes ma’am. While she was sipping her drink the DJ played The Dream ft. Fabulous - Shawty is a 10. This was his not-so-subtle way of flirting. And just like the clockwork, he arrived on her right side. When are you going to let me take you out? Well hello, you too... I’m sorry. I’m just not ready to date yet. Man, this guy must have done a number on your heart. I promise if you give me a chance I will take better care of it and you too. I am completely flattered but make no mistake I can take of myself. I’ve been doing it for quite some time now. How about this, when if ever I get back around to dating ...DJ AK you will be the first to know. He hesitantly accepted Pea's letdown and slowly retreated to his DJ booth. The sad part is that she could sense he was a great guy with a lot of potentials. Pea had made a habit of NOT using her senses to peek into anyone’s thoughts she always that the whole thing was just too damn intrusive however the guy had been so persistent and a total gentleman so she became curious. Honestly, the only reason she turned him down was for his protection and safety. Even though she looked and played the part of a human well. She knew that there was so much more to her that he could not find out.

After two more drinks, Pea paid the check took her chicken sandwich, and headed home. When she moved to Caldwell instantly she felt at home so the first thing she did was locate a realtor to help her find a fixer-upper on the nice side of town. Pea arrived at her home on Wallace avenue she hit the garage opener pulled her Bentley Bentayga inside and then hit the button again to close the door. Pea got out went up the stairs to the door that let her into her kitchen. After she let herself in the house then changed into her comfy spandex tights and over Sized T-shirt. Then she put the tv on to Food Network, sat down in her favorite chair with her chicken sandwich. There was a Kitchen marathon running which was a perfect way to close out the day.

Tonight I want everyone in pairs of three, it seems that our enemies are traveling in packs now. We will need to do the same. Thorment the has already released the schedules we will patrol starting with the center of town then work our way towards the outskirts. Don’t attempt to a fucking hero if you come across something that looks suspicious. Radio it in and wait on backup. After a couple of other points were made the meeting was over. Lassiter sat in on the meetings it was an unspoken duty of his. He knew that his role was to run point guard between everyone on duty. And with him spotting Devina he needed to be on his toes. He had been trying to locate her ever since the night he saw her in that wedding gown hovering over the bridge. First of all how tacky was the whole act... a wedding dress. Devina in white... Gimmie a fucking break. And after last night's disaster, he felt like she was toying with him. Yogi had been out of training for some time so he knew the proper protocol. He said that everything happens so quickly .. it was like the enemy could read his thoughts. He was in pretty bad shape by the time his help arrived. For some reason, he was in Lassiter's blind spot which again was odd because seeing all and knowing all was kinda his thing. By the time Zadist and Phury made it to him, he has suffered a gunshot and a stabbing. Good thing Manny has the RV in the field full time now because he was able to begin working on Yogi immediately. Lassiter rode in the RV back to the compound and waited on Yogi to come out of surgery before he went to his private sanctuary. He needed to recharge his battery so to speak and he also wanted to check on things up top. Lassiter was by no means hard-ass but he knew the importance of showing his face. Upon arriving he entered his room and headed straight for the shower. After shampooing his hair and scrubbing himself clean he emerges from the shower in his favorite pink feathered robe. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of how was going to assist the brotherhood with defeating Devina. He walked over to the stack of journals left to him by his predecessor and picked up the story of Charm. He didn’t particularly care for reading all of this stuff because it was all quite boring and repetitive. Also, let’s face it for the first few journals all the stories ended the same way. The war began and the Omega army wiped out entire first families. Either 1 survived to tell the story or none survived in which case the journal was incomplete ... This part of the job was just downright depressing but it was the history of the brotherhood and how it all came to be. Lassiter thought to himself... what I wouldn’t give for this to be a movie or even a soap opera that way I can just tune it every day. He tossed the journal back on top of the stack and wouldn’t you know it.. the journal didn’t land evenly which cause them all to fall over on the floor. Great!! Another mess for me to clean up. He walked over to the mess and started picking them up and restacking them. When he got down to the bottom of the pile there was a small piece of paper with an address written on it 311 Redd Ave/Fashion District..... Now, why would the Scribe Virgin have this address tucked away? He looked down at the 3 remaining books he had left to stack and wondered which one the address fell out of? Oh well finding this address is worth a trip to the city.... but first, he would need to pay a visit to Brother Vishous to get some plastic capital. After all, angels didn’t need to carry cash around. Lassiter touched back down to the mansion as the sun was setting, time to find the big guy. He knocked on the door to the pit before he entered. Vishous was sitting behind his command center reviewing security footage. Hello.. you are just the man I was looking for. Vishous responded without looking up from the screen, I can assure you that I am most certainly NOT the man you are looking for. Oh come on, I need a favor. Vishous looked up from the screen, you need a favor from me? Yes, that’s correct, I Lassiter need a favor fro you Vishous. If I grant you this “favor” what's in it for me? I will owe you one, one great big-ass favor. Anything of my choice. Lassiter nodded his head as long as it’s within my power ask and it will be yours. Vishous said deal.

Lassiter materialized downtown a few blocks from REDD AVE. This was the entrance into the fashion district a bunch of boutiques and stores that thrived on Haute fashion. This is a place where it was normal to walk past a guy dressed in designer from head to toe. Tom Ford is not just a label but a way of life for this block. Anyway, a few of the shops he approached didn’t have anything that interested him, he could tell just by looking through the windows. He walked to the end of the block then crossed over onto REDD Ave. halfway down the block, Lassiter spotted THE most stunning piece of clothing he had ever seen. It was a half lime green and half black leather MOTO Jacket!! The jacket was accented with black and lime green zippers that were completely covered in black and lime green rhinestone. He immediately looked at the name of the store which was Top He4vy. A store with this kind of unique fashion is something he needed to remember.. and well, well, well what do ya know the address plate on the building is 311 Redd Ave.

Hello, Welcome to Top He4vy Boutique!! I’m Que let me know if I can be of assistance with anything. He was greeted by a tall slender guy earlier ’20s. Muscular build very neat clean face I guess he would be considered a pretty boy. He puts you in the mind of a young man that might have pledged in one of those fraternities that have a STROLL!! Hi! I saw this masterpiece of a jacket in the window. Sure, let me grab that for you... you know you can’t go wrong with a good leather moto jacket. Que removed the jacket from the model and handed it to Lassiter while leading him over to one of the floating mirrors in the store. Looks good on you...

You know we have the matching boots as well. Would you like to see them? Sure... just then the door to the boutique opened again and 2 young ladies entered one blond and one strawberry blond. Both carrying several bags all designer of course. Welcome to Too Heavy Boutique, I’m Que let me know if you need anything. Sir let me grab those boots from the back for you... what size did you need? 11 D if you have it. Que went to the back of the store where the overstock was he stuck his head inside of Peas’ office to see if she was done with the conference call that she had been on with the distributor. He threw up his hand to wave and grab her attention. Pea responded I’m off the call, what’s up? You will never guess... there is a guy out here who is interested in buying the lime green Moto?! Que was trying to hold back the giggles... I think he may be in some kinda band... he has ALOT piercing and black/ blond hair. Very retro 80’s vibe. Well in that case let me take a peek at him.

They did this sort of thing a lot whenever someone eccentric and unique came into the store they both would service them. Just so they could gab about it later. Que found the boots in his size and then they both headed back out to the sales floor. The gentleman’s back was to the both of them as he was still admiring himself in the mirror. Excuse me sir here is that 11D for you and I would also like to introduce you to our store manager. Lassiter turned around to take the shoe and went completely into shock. Standing beside the young sales associate was a whole new set of problems.

Pea was completely dumbfounded as she reached out to shake his hand. She knew exactly what he was and by the looks on his face, he had to know about her. They both were not the humans that they appeared to be. Hi! She said in a shaky voice so I see you like the Moto jacket trying to keep a smile on her face. Lassiter cleared his throat and responded yes.... yes I do. Que broke up the awkward moment by inserting the boots. Before he could say anything one of the young ladies began pointing at a dress that was hanging too high for her to reach. Que why don’t you go help them out and I will finish up here. Sure thing.

Lassiter took the boots and headed over to one of the benches. Do you want to go first or should I? You go Pea responded. Okay very well then, my name is Lassiter and I’m a guardian of sorts. Of sorts?! Pea responded Yea ma’am... I may not carry out my tasks in the traditional sense but I am known for getting the job done. How did you find me? Pea asked. I didn’t, this address was in the book left to me by my predecessor. Um huh... so when you say left to you. Does that mean your predecessor is no longer around? I wouldn’t say that she’s always around but she is not on shall we say “ on duty” anymore. Pea saw Que looking back over in their direction so she quickly smiled and nodded toward the boots “ how’s the fit?”

Lassiter looked down and said good I will take them both. Perfect, let’s get you checked out. Que, he’s gonna take them both may you start ringing him up. After Lassiter removes the jacket and boots and fixed his clothes he walked over to the register. Que rang him up... he handed over the black Amex that V gave him along with the matching fake id. Thank you for shopping with us today Mr. Logan and please come back. Lassiter said thank you and headed towards the exit. Satisfied with his sale Que walked back to 2 young ladies. Aah Que I’m going to head over to Starbucks my latte is cold... do you want anything? No, I’m good. Hold down the fort.

Lassiter was already out of the store and waiting on Pea off to the side of the building. They casually walked toward Starbucks as if it were an accident that they bumped into each other again. Okay, I have questions Lassiter stated... Shoot... who are you?! And why are you in downtown Caldwell? Why was this address in a journal left to me? How long have you been here? And am I supposed to be helping you or should you help me? I’m so confused right now. With a giggle, Pea turned and said wow you weren’t kidding with the questions. As they approached Starbucks Pea stopped and turned to Lassiter “Before I start answering all your questions I have two questions for you .. who are you? where is Wrath? I am sorta a friend of Wraths. I mean the King. Wrath is the King and he is at home with Queen Beth and their son LW. Great!! Then to answer your questions I am no one of importance, I’ve been in Caldwell about a year now, and your predecessor left my address in that book so that I can help you. She started walking up towards the Starbucks entrance and Lassiter grabbed the door as they entered she asked him...do you have a cellphone, I will text you my home address and you can meet me there tonight around 8:30 pm. Lassiter gave her his number she pulled out her iPhone 12 Pro Max and sent him the address. taking out his phone to confirm 7912 Wallace Ave... Lassiter couldn’t help himself... oh you live in the snazzy part of town huh. Pea just laughed it off and said but of course. Pea got in line and Lassiter exited the building.

7 pm rolled around and Pea decided to go ahead and lock up the store for the evening. Que had done well for the day commission wise and so he was okay with it. Pea decided that since she was having company over that she would cook a meal for her guest. No doubt he would be full of questions for her and she needed to ready to answer them. Her specialty was southern food. A few decades ago she spent time traveling the south more specifically the Low Country and she just fell completely in love with the food. So the menu tonight would be Fried chicken, collard greens with smoked neckbones, mac n cheese, white pepper gravy, and white rice and cornbread muffins served with warm cane patch syrup.

She hadn’t had much of an appetite lately and her body was becoming achier. so she figured since soaking in her deep pool style tub wasn’t working as well as it once did maybe she should just do more. Because if she was being honest with herself... her schedule had become quite routine... home..work....maybe Nells lounge for drinks....and that’s it. Day in day out same thing over and over. Pea arrived home ready to cook. She took out the pots and pans, put on some of the soul music stations, and got to work in the kitchen. She did enjoy cooking there was something very cathartic about it. After everything was simmering and the fried chicken was in the oven warming Pea went downstairs to her basement bedroom and took a quick shower threw on pair of Nike tights and oversized T-shirts and headed back upstairs to await her guest. 8:30 pm on the dot Lassiter materialized on the Wallace block a few houses down from where Pea lived. He was only familiar with this side of town because the brothers Darius & Thorment both lived somewhere over in this area some time ago. He approached her house white with black shutters you could tell it had complete renovation done. The farmhouse look was nice and something you didn’t see in the city all the time. When he got on the porch he could smell the fried chicken he hit the doorbell and Pea answered right away. Hey, come on in. Did you cook? Yea I threw a little something together for us to snack on. Lassiter shrugged out of his jacket and laid it on the arm of the sofa. Pea walked into the kitchen and begin the lay the food out Buffett style Lassiter's eyes grew Bigger with each entree. Shall we eat first and then talk or vice versa? Grabbing a plate Lassiter said EAT. FIRST. Pea made a plate and knew she would have to force the food down because her appetite has been completely crap lately. After they ate dinner Lassiter took a deep breath rubbed his stomach and said I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve been chosen to be the protector over the king and the brotherhood but I think I’m losing ground. Our soldiers are being placed in harm's way and this new threat to them is a real bit— beast. She has so much hate in her soul and so much control over the evil. How can I fortify these guys so that they can compete because what they have now is not enough? I need to find her weakness so that I can take her out. How do you know the evil is her? The Destroyer prophecy came to light the Omega is no more And Devina assisted with his destruction. Devina? Yes, she is The Omega’s little sister. Lassiter took a swallow of sweet tea and ran his fingers through his hair. and that’s the just of it. Pea sat for a moment then got up and begin to clear the dishes. Listen, I’m willing to help educate you about your new role and possibly find a weakness for Devina. Because one thing is for sure... the only thing that combats darkness and evil is goodness and light. I have only 2 conditions 1. We train from a neutral location because I can’t have my identity be compromised and 2. No matter what we find out after 3 weeks, I get to leave and come back to normal life. Deal? Lassiter held out his hand and said deal. We will train at the brotherhood mansion it’s secure and neutral. Brotherhood mansion? Yup everyone resides there, they have plenty of room. Okay, and what will you tell them when they ask who am I? With a smirk Lassiter responded with his best southern accent: why, You’ll be my cousin Peanut from down south. Okay... so then you pick me up here tomorrow at 8 pm. I will need to make arrangements at the store.

Pea went into the store the next day good thing she had both Samantha and Que on the schedule. She told them that she had a family emergency come up and that would be out of the office for the next few weeks. They both were responsible and she trusted them to run things accordingly. Once she got home she soaked in her tub for a good long hour trying to soothe her muscles as much as could but it wasn’t helping. So she went ahead did something she never had done before which was take ibuprofen. Hopefully, that would make the muscle aches more manageable, she got packed up for the three weeks in a big rolling suitcase, a smaller duffel bag, and her purse. At 7:58 she looked out the window and Black Cadillac Escalade ESV pulled into her driveway. The passenger side door swung open and Lassiter hopped out. Nice wheels... They aren’t mine. I caught a ride with a friend Are these all your bags? Yes.. too much? I wasn’t sure what to bring... haven’t ever done this before. You are good. Pea made sure everything was locked up tight and followed Lassiter to the SUV. While he put her bags in the back she went to the opened back door on the passenger side. How are ya? A big guy said with a thick Southie accent. I’m doing well and yourself. I’m good so you just moved here from down south? Yes, the Myrtle Beach area, and this guy here is your cousin. Yes, sir... don’t let this city scare you okay. It’s a great place to live but you have to be on your P’s & Q’s. No pun intended ...Yes sir. Butch give her a break she is not that fragile. As they pulled off slowly Pea had a gut feeling that this wasn’t going to be as easy as she had planned. After a 30 minute ride and going through a series of what had to be gates due to the stop and going Pea assumed. The windows all had those shades that came up and covered them. So she couldn’t see where she was. Lassiter turned around from the front seat and said we’re here. He hopped out and then opened her door. The brother butch went around the back grabbed Peas bags. The male was HUGE ... Pea remembered studying about the brotherhood ... they were bred to be elite, the biggest and strongest of the race. Follow me Lassiter said... let’s go inside. The word mansion didn’t do this place justice it was more like a 2 hotels and palace wrapped into one big place. We walked to the double doors and butch looked up to what Pea assumed to be was the camera because the doors opened then we entered a large vestibule where Butch repeated the same Process and then another set of doors were opened by a butler. He immediately took Peas bags from butch and said madam I will place these in your guest room. Pea dropped her head and said thank you. And as she crossed over the threshold into the foyer her joints were on fire. She knew this was a mistake. So who all lives here? before Lassiter could answer Butch started running off names. My brothers Vishous by the way he likes to be called V his sister Payne, Zadist, his twin brother Phury, Rhage, Tohrment, John Matthew, Qhuinn & Blaylock, Zcor and his crew all our Shellens and young. The Rev may stop by and oh yea the king & queen Wrath and Beth and their son.

King and Queen?! As in King Wrath son of Wrath?! Holy shit!

Pea felt like the wind had been knocked out of her... how on earth was she going to make it in this house for three weeks around so many male vampires not to mention the king himself. Come on into the game room you might as well meet everyone now. Pea slowly followed Lassiter into room where she spotted Vishous & Payne first. They both resembled their mahmen. Butch started the introductions as Pea waved hello. She was introduced to Manny Payne’s husband John Matthew, Quinn, Blaylock, Layla, and the twins. The Queen stuck her head and with cutest little fellow on her hip... he truly was the spitting image of his father. Hi Lassiters cousin correct? Yes my name is Peanut but I go by Pea Well Pea welcome to our home any family of Lassiters is family to us as well. Feel free to help yourself to anything and if you need any help don’t hesitate to reach out. This little fellow wants a snack.

Here let me show you where you will be sleeping..Lassiter escorted Pea down a hall that had enough priceless paintings and collectibles, that it could have held it on at any museum. The room that Pea would be staying in was located in the middle of hall. When Lassiter opened the door Pea went completely speechless. The room was decorated like something straight out the Biltmore mansion. Big dramatic curtains the went from the ceiling to the floor, fabric wall paper, chandelier lighting, more expensive paintings, deep custom walk in closet, bathroom with tub big enough for a few people to soak in. At least I will be comfortable, Pea thought to herself. She went and sat on the edge of the bed her joints stiffened and her stomach growled. She used the restroom washed her hands and face then clamped down on her all her instincts and walked into the hall. Lassiter went ahead and setup in sitting room off from the library. He had what appeared to be volumes of the scribe virgins journals. They chronicled the battles and enemies to the brotherhood. Starting with the first warrior. this is where I think we should start? Before Pea could answer her stomach blurred out a loud roar... I didn’t eat lunch today... can we grab something quick? Sure I will have the doggen make you something... what would you like? I can do something small maybe like a smoothie with fruit berries banana and beets..lots of beets.. Beets? Lassiter said making a yuck face First of all beets are good for you and if you roast them they get sweeter. And a turkey sandwich. The sandwich was just a decoy. She hoped the smoothie would get her though the evening.

As they began to comb through the volumes... Pea started to reminisce about the time she had spent with Annalise and her newborn twins. At that time Pea was completely lost and the world she thought she knew was snatched from under her yet again. Her young life been a constant moving circus. From pillar to post she sometimes slept in a bed and other times she found shelter in screened porch. She never kept the same ghaurdian for a long period of time because it just wasn’t safe for either of them. Sometimes she was awaken in the dead of night and was told we have to move now. There was no time to pack anything or say goodbyes to people that had been generous enough to open up their homes to her. So by the time was a teenager she really was looking and yearning for a mother figure and a home . Just her luck that she would land in the hands of a women that was all business. Even though she had two young of her own it was obvious that she had no kindness or affection to spare when it came to Pea.

The Scribe Virgin had made it clear from the very beginning that Pea was there for her protection and tutelage. Starting from her first day in the sanctuary Pea began reading the journals and committing the most important parts to memory. The information all be it very interesting just did not appeal to Pea whatsoever. But since she was in the care of the Scribe she committed all her time to studying the history so that if the Scribe ever needed her expertise on any subject she would be able to supply an answer. Now after all this time her training was finally going to be useful.

Havers had made it very clear that he was not to be disturbed for at least an hour after he made his last rounds. He blocked the same time out on his weekly schedule concurrently. This was the time he did his transfusions it had been years since he had taken a vein and although the transfusions didn’t supply everything he needed. He was able to survive and He just couldn’t bare the thought of having to take blood from another women. Wether she be of noble blood or not. He felt it would be betrayal to his dearest Evangeline. Havers still remembered the way she smelled it was like fresh cinnamon n Apple spice. Her hair was black and thick like cotton with soft coiled curls throughout she always wore it down because she knew that was the way he liked it. Her smile was warm and inviting like sunshine and her eyes were the color of chocolate brown. She was everything that he could have imagined and then some. Like most marriages of high born their mating was arranged at birth. When her father found out that Havers would be attending medical school. He immediately put her on a path to become a nurse so that they would have something in common. Evangeline attend Rutgers night classes of course graduated in the top 10 percentile of her class. From her first day at his clinic, they were a natural team he admired her drive focus and dedication. She had the ability to communicate with patients on a more personable level. Whereas his approach was very clinical and direct. The knocking at door became louder then the intercom went off. Code blue paging doctor havers code blue in the ER reception area. Havers stopped his infusion pulled down his sleeves and put in his lab jacket and took off. This was the third attack in the past two weeks the patients were coming in more mangled than ever. He knew that he should reach out to the brotherhood about this since there was a pattern forming. But per his last encounter with them nothing had changed he knew he wasn’t on their list of favorite people and vice versa. Maybe he would contact his sister Marissa she was the shellen of the brother Butch He could let her know what’s going on and then she could relay the message. The only problem with that was it had been two years since they last spoke. When she upstaged him at the meeting with families of glymera. Honestly he couldn’t blame her for the way she treated him after all it had been him who started the whole thing by putting her out of their family home just before sunrise. The only way to start mending fences is to put in a phone call which is exactly what he intended to do afterwards. The preservation and safety of the race was more Important than a disagreement between siblings.

After he finished his third surgery he walked back to his office looked up the number to A SafePlace and put the call in. He was prepared to leave a message for his sister to call him back but instead she answered the phone on the second ring. Hello, this is Marissa Greetings Sister Mine, how fair thee this evening? Marissa couldn’t believe the voice coming out of the receiver It had belonged to her brother which she hadn’t spoken to in what felt like forever.

Ahh...I am well brother mine to what do I owe this pleasure? I have a number of cases that are involving brutality. All patients have come in near death their bodies near drained of blood. I’m sure that your husband and his brothers are very busy but if you could bring this to his attention. I would be completely grateful. Marissa took detailed notes and agreed to speak to Butch. She hadn’t realized how much she missed her brother until she heard his voice. She tried to keep on the line but he said he had patients that needed his attention. After Marissa hung up she sat at her desk for minute taking in the fact that her brother reached out to her. The issue of course was very urgent but the fact that Havers had taken his time to dial her up and deliver the information first hand literally had blown Marissa mind. Havers could have sent an email or one of his nurses could have called and left a message. But instead he choose to call her. This gave Marissa hope.. hope that maybe they could mend fences. She really did miss her brother. After a moment had passed Marissa snapped to attention and dialed you her Hellrens number. Hey baby... what’s doing? I just received a call from my bro- I mean Havers... he asked me to inform you about series of cases that have just now started coming to the ER. Marissa provided her Hellren with the same details that had been given to her. Butch told her that he will pass the information along to Tohrement as that was the chain of command. Marissa is there anything else that you want to share with me baby? No, no that’s all he said , why do you ask? Because I can hear something different in your voice. Well it just been such a long time since I’ve heard my bro- I mean Havers... well my brothers voice. That’s all.. Butch listened to Marissa take a deep breath and then said listen I will get this information over to the higher ups and then I’m meeting you for lunch. Marissa politely accepted the invitation and told Butch she loved him and then ended the call. Butch got up from the bar in the great room and made his way upstairs to Wrath’s study ... he knew that Tohr would be in there working with Wrath. It was almost time for 2nd meal and since he was taking Marissa lunch... he wanted to deliver the message and get moving immediately after.

Butch took to the stairs two at a time and when he reached the top he continued a slow jog until he reach Wrath’s office. The door was open which was a good sign maybe he could get in and out without many questions. He gave a light tap on the outside of door as he passed through both of the massive brothers looked up at and greeted him. Sup Butch.. hey I just got a call from Marissa. You will never guessed who contacted her today... Tohr looked at Butch and said.. I despise guessing games, while Wrath said is this really necessary? Not in the least Butch replied. Apparently Havers wanted to give us a heads up on some patients that he recently treated in the ER. He noticing a pattern of mangled body parts or the bodies being nearly drained of blood. Wrath lifted his wrap around shades and rubbed his eyes while Tohr got up and started walking towards the window. Do we know how many people have been effected by this? Havers did not say.. Butch please thank Marissa for me and see if Havers would be open to us possibly speaking with one of the victims. Tohr I will need you to handle this first hand... I would like to assist if possible Butch spoke up. Very well Wrath agreed.. I will give the brothers a briefing on this at the close of shift meeting. I’m going to meet Marissa for lunch you mind if we meet later. No problem.. hit up when you return. Butch went back downstairs and the door to head over to A Safe Place to meet up with his Shellen for lunch. He didn’t like the way she sounded over the phone and all his instincts told him that she needed him now. Marissa was standing outside as Butch pulled the ESV up the driveway... she greeted him with a loving smile. Hi baby you ready for lunch, yes but if we could talk for a moment. Butch put the truck in park and turned to give Marissa his full attention. I miss my brother. He is my baby brother and today is the first day I have spoken to him in two years. I know this shouldn’t cause me worry but it does. Would I offend you if I were to call him? Marissa you are right he is your family and so he is my family, please call him if that is what it takes to make you feel better. A lot of time has passed since your last encounter with him, maybe he has soften a bit by now. Marissa reached over the console and kissed her hellren and said I love you more and more each minute of each hour of each day.

Back in his private lab Havers tried to start the transfusion process again Hopefully this time he will be able to complete it with no distractions. In the very beginning he was excited about the possibility of vampires being able to live off of intravenous blood transfusions. It would mean wonders for so many people. Not having to rely on another the sustain a healthy balance blood diet. But alas in all the years of trials he just hadn’t come across the right combination to call the is process a success. When he rolled up his jacket sleeve there were needle sticks and track marks up and down his arms. If one didn’t know any better they would swear he was using drugs. The fact of the matter was he could only use a spot once. After that the spot became very tender and developed a dark purple bruise under the skin that healed at an extremely slow pace. He figured this had to a side effect from the transfusion. After a very careful observation he located a spot on left forearm, inserted the needle and began the IV pump. Evangeline my dearest I miss you so much. How does one heart heal after experiencing pure love and friendship. I miss you everyday my shellen, I miss the life we made with each other plus the little life that grew inside of you. With tears in his eyes Havers reached over to his computer pulled up his playlist and selected How Came You Mend A Broken Heart By Al Green. This is what his life had become memories, sorrow, sadness, patients and transfusions. Over lunch Marissa shared Havers story with Butch. Havers wasn’t always a pencil pushing buttoned up robotic nerd. He was once considered to be the life of the party. He had a great sense of humor and was very skilled in basketball. Butch had a hard time believing that one but whatever. However once he lost his shellen and child he became a different person. Butch remembered how Tohr was when he came back after he lost Wellsie. He wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on anyone. Butch suggested in a round about way ... maybe it’s time for your brother to move on. To be honest Marissa had thought about herself a time or two but how do you tell that to a grieving widower? After he dropped Marissa back off to

1 note · View note