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Okay, so I mostly know Addams Family through like fan & social media content, and I know how dedicated they are to wearing black and being goth/Gothic, but I very much get the feeling that if there was ever a family member that was like "Yeah black is great but I kinda prefer red, it's so pretty, like blood", the rest of the family would totally support them in having a red aesthetic. They'd get red clothes, jewelry with beads/jewels that look like blood drops/blood splatter, and blood-red lipstick; walk into their room after a day of work/school to find everything is red; get gifted things with anatomical hearts, red roses, vampires, lines from the Les Mis song Red and Black, scarlet letters, etc.; have a trip to the hair salon paid for them so they can dye their hair like bright scarlet Ariel red or that burgundy/wine color, etc. There'd be all these family photos with people all in black and then one spot of red, someone so very delighted to have their favorite so supported.

#the addams family #supportive family

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Ninjas don’t wear black. They used to disguise themselves as civilians. Unlike ninjas in movies, the real guys were smart enough to know that wearing a black outfit with a face mask wasn’t the best strategy for blending in. Source

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thank you! honestly I came up with this before there even was a trailer for the Snow White remake. it definitely has a different effect now.

Disney should stop doing remakes, BUT

The temptation of having about an extra hour to expand on the older movies is too tempting to not even think about, so if I was in control of a Snow White remake, here's what I would do:

Spend more time on the prologue, even just a few minutes, to show Snow's positive relationships with her parents, her mother's death, her father's remarriage to the Evil Queen (and say her name - Grimhilde, I think?), and her father's death and Queen Grimhilde's takeover

When the Prince shows up (and say his name - I think it's Florian?), actually explain who he is and give him a reason to be there - is he there because Queen Grimhilde is throwing a ball? Is he here to work on a treaty/trade deal on behalf of his neighboring kingdom?

Establish Prince Florian as a second son or son of the King's younger brother, so that if he theoretically married Snow White, he could become King or Prince Consort, which deepens Grimhilde's anger at Florian's and Snow's meeting

Change Snow's and Florian's first meeting so he doesn't sneak up on her like a creep and send Snow fleeing! She can still be singing I'm Wishing at the well or whatever, but have Florian come up to the well to get water for his horse and himself after their travels or something and have him strike up a conversation and have a proper meet-cute, maybe he compliments her singing.

Hell, if Florian's the neighboring prince, maybe he and Snow actually know each other! Either write them as an established couple and Florian's actually there to officially ask for her hand, or Florian and Snow are old childhood friends with no romance/chemistry between them until now!

When the Huntsman (and say his name!) is sent to take Snow's life, have the ruse be that there's an actual hunting or falconing/hawking trip they're going on. For one thing, nobles would actually do that with their guests as a past time, which means you could have Florian actually be there and notice Snow goes missing even if he can't stop anything and is fooled into thinking she died like everyone else. Two, it makes it harder for the Huntsman to get Snow alone. Three, there are cinematic opportunities in showing an actual hunt or hawking/falconing expedition.

When Snow White finds the dwarves' house, make it so the house looks abandoned and Snow decides to fix it up and start a farm or something in hiding, rather than knowing it's someone's home and deciding if she just cleans up, they'll keep her.

When the audience and/or Snow White actually meets the Dwarves, establish some basic dwarf lore: are they humanoids? Are they fae/fey? Are they somewhat common, rare, or are these the only seven dwarves in existence? Are they brothers/cousins or just seven unrelated dudes? Are the dwarves close to Snow's age, around her father's age, or much older than her, like beyond human aging?

Add a scene where we see Prince Florian either getting a little suspicious of everything or determining that he's going to go find Princess Snow White's body so she can properly be mourned by her people. Queen Grimhilde lets him go because she thinks he'll kill himself falling off a mountain or something because that's how the Huntsman led Queen Grimhilde to believe he "disposed of the body" after "taking Snow's heart".

Give Queen Grimhilde a villain song instead of that dumb washing up song the dwarves have.

Make the lead up to Someday My Prince Will Come involve Snow talking to the Dwarves about her friends and Kingdom and the good things about her life and include Prince Florian so the Dwarves start gently teasing her about her crush/love for him. Alternatively, have Snow talk about her mother and her mother's hopes for her daughter as she was dying (flashback?) that Snow would grow up to be happy and find love.

When Queen Grimhilde finds Snow, don't have it be the dumb decision of Doc directly telling Snow not to let anyone in and then Snow doing it anyway like in the original. Make it so Doc does warn Snow about answering the door for strangers, and Snow listens, but then have her hear a cry for help from the nearby road and have Snow go run and help because someone might be hurt. Of course, it's just Queen Grimhilde in her old lady disguise, but she actively is playing a ruse of being held up by a highwayman or bandit party or her cart or horse having taken damage. She offers Snow that apple as payment for her help.

Because of the earlier stuff, Prince Florian showing up to find Princess Snow White in the casket is explained by the fact that he was actually looking for her, and not just some random guy crashing a funeral. The kiss Florian gives her isn't so much romantic as it is like a goodbye gesture, only it ends up working as true love's kiss.

Instead of heading back to Florian's castle, Florian takes Snow Whilte back to her own kingdom's castle so they can let the people know of Queen Grimhilde's death and so Snow White can be crowned queen.

If the Huntsman is still alive, Snow White pardons him.

Queen Snow White finds the Magic Mirror and she or the Dwarves do something to free the spirit within.

Florian either proposes or starts an official courtship with Queen Snow White.

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Disney should stop doing remakes, BUT

The temptation of having about an extra hour to expand on the older movies is too tempting to not even think about, so if I was in control of a Snow White remake, here's what I would do:

Spend more time on the prologue, even just a few minutes, to show Snow's positive relationships with her parents, her mother's death, her father's remarriage to the Evil Queen (and say her name - Grimhilde, I think?), and her father's death and Queen Grimhilde's takeover

When the Prince shows up (and say his name - I think it's Florian?), actually explain who he is and give him a reason to be there - is he there because Queen Grimhilde is throwing a ball? Is he here to work on a treaty/trade deal on behalf of his neighboring kingdom?

Establish Prince Florian as a second son or son of the King's younger brother, so that if he theoretically married Snow White, he could become King or Prince Consort, which deepens Grimhilde's anger at Florian's and Snow's meeting

Change Snow's and Florian's first meeting so he doesn't sneak up on her like a creep and send Snow fleeing! She can still be singing I'm Wishing at the well or whatever, but have Florian come up to the well to get water for his horse and himself after their travels or something and have him strike up a conversation and have a proper meet-cute, maybe he compliments her singing.

Hell, if Florian's the neighboring prince, maybe he and Snow actually know each other! Either write them as an established couple and Florian's actually there to officially ask for her hand, or Florian and Snow are old childhood friends with no romance/chemistry between them until now!

When the Huntsman (and say his name!) is sent to take Snow's life, have the ruse be that there's an actual hunting or falconing/hawking trip they're going on. For one thing, nobles would actually do that with their guests as a past time, which means you could have Florian actually be there and notice Snow goes missing even if he can't stop anything and is fooled into thinking she died like everyone else. Two, it makes it harder for the Huntsman to get Snow alone. Three, there are cinematic opportunities in showing an actual hunt or hawking/falconing expedition.

When Snow White finds the dwarves' house, make it so the house looks abandoned and Snow decides to fix it up and start a farm or something in hiding, rather than knowing it's someone's home and deciding if she just cleans up, they'll keep her.

When the audience and/or Snow White actually meets the Dwarves, establish some basic dwarf lore: are they humanoids? Are they fae/fey? Are they somewhat common, rare, or are these the only seven dwarves in existence? Are they brothers/cousins or just seven unrelated dudes? Are the dwarves close to Snow's age, around her father's age, or much older than her, like beyond human aging?

Add a scene where we see Prince Florian either getting a little suspicious of everything or determining that he's going to go find Princess Snow White's body so she can properly be mourned by her people. Queen Grimhilde lets him go because she thinks he'll kill himself falling off a mountain or something because that's how the Huntsman led Queen Grimhilde to believe he "disposed of the body" after "taking Snow's heart".

Give Queen Grimhilde a villain song instead of that dumb washing up song the dwarves have.

Make the lead up to Someday My Prince Will Come involve Snow talking to the Dwarves about her friends and Kingdom and the good things about her life and include Prince Florian so the Dwarves start gently teasing her about her crush/love for him. Alternatively, have Snow talk about her mother and her mother's hopes for her daughter as she was dying (flashback?) that Snow would grow up to be happy and find love.

When Queen Grimhilde finds Snow, don't have it be the dumb decision of Doc directly telling Snow not to let anyone in and then Snow doing it anyway like in the original. Make it so Doc does warn Snow about answering the door for strangers, and Snow listens, but then have her hear a cry for help from the nearby road and have Snow go run and help because someone might be hurt. Of course, it's just Queen Grimhilde in her old lady disguise, but she actively is playing a ruse of being held up by a highwayman or bandit party or her cart or horse having taken damage. She offers Snow that apple as payment for her help.

Because of the earlier stuff, Prince Florian showing up to find Princess Snow White in the casket is explained by the fact that he was actually looking for her, and not just some random guy crashing a funeral. The kiss Florian gives her isn't so much romantic as it is like a goodbye gesture, only it ends up working as true love's kiss.

Instead of heading back to Florian's castle, Florian takes Snow Whilte back to her own kingdom's castle so they can let the people know of Queen Grimhilde's death and so Snow White can be crowned queen.

If the Huntsman is still alive, Snow White pardons him.

Queen Snow White finds the Magic Mirror and she or the Dwarves do something to free the spirit within.

Florian either proposes or starts an official courtship with Queen Snow White.

#disney #snow white #disney's snow white #remake #retelling #alternate universe

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Look, I can't draw, but if it hasn't been done, somebody needs to redraw a comic or something of the last conversation between Aragorn and Boromir during Boromir's death scene in Lord of the Rings - you know, the one where Boromir goes "I would have followed you, my brother, my captain, my king" - but Eddie Munson is Boromir and Steve Harrington is Aragorn

#stranger things #lord of the rings #steve harrington #eddie munson #aragorn #boromir #death mention

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Nothing is going to change. Americans love their guns more than they love people and after Sandy Hook we decided that killing over 20 children was acceptable and not outrageous enough to make reasonable restrictions on guns. This is America, a country that has been around for 200 years, a superpower, a 1st world nation, and one of the wealthiest countries on the planet and we refuse to protect our own people. We respect guns more than we respect the lives of people. 

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I don’t know much about the Addams Family other than what I see on social media and in memes and stuff, but they would LOVE The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Gomez and Morticia would adore Jack Skellington & Sally’s relationship. They would definitely be buying all the Nightmare Before Christmas holiday decorations at Hot Topic and throwing them all over their black Christmas tree.

#the nightmare before christmas #the addams family #christmas

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You CANNOT serve from an empty vessel but go off I guess

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Pro Tip: The Way You End a Sentence Matters

Here is a quick and dirty writing tip that will strengthen your writing.

In English, the word at the end of a sentence carries more weight or emphasis than the rest of the sentence. You can use that to your advantage in modifying tone.

Consider:

In the end, what you said didn't matter.

It didn't matter what you said in the end.

In the end, it didn't matter what you said.

Do you pick up the subtle differences in meaning between these three sentences?

The first one feels a little angry, doesn't it? And the third one feels a little softer? There's a gulf of meaning between "what you said didn't matter" (it's not important!) and "it didn't matter what you said" (the end result would've never changed).

Let's try it again:

When her mother died, she couldn't even cry.

She couldn't even cry when her mother died.

That first example seems to kind of side with her, right? Whereas the second example seems to hold a little bit of judgment or accusation? The first phrase kind of seems to suggest that she was so sad she couldn't cry, whereas the second kind of seems to suggest that she's not sad and that's the problem.

The effect is super subtle and very hard to put into words, but you'll feel it when you're reading something. Changing up the order of your sentences to shift the focus can have a huge effect on tone even when the exact same words are used.

In linguistics, this is referred to as "end focus," and it's a nightmare for ESL students because it's so subtle and hard to explain. But a lot goes into it, and it's a tool worth keeping in your pocket if you're a creative writer or someone otherwise trying to create a specific effect with your words :)

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Hey. Minors following me. Internet safety is key!! NEVER include these in your bio/byf:

Medical diagnoses - this is nobody's business but yours. You don't owe anyone an explanation for why you are the way that you are

Trauma - same reason as above

Triggers - people can use these against you! Don't give people tools to hurt you. No one has to know what tags you block. Just block tags to stay safe!

Age - age is okay for adults to include but is iffy when you're a teen. Predators want this information, don't give people more than they need. Just state that you're a minor, that's all that anyone needs to know.

In general: stay safe. If you're not comfortable with every stranger out there having access to this information, you shouldn't post it on the internet.

Play devil's advocate and ask yourself about what would happen if someone searched for your information with intent to hurt you. You do NOT owe anyone an explanation!

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september is coming up so here’s your yearly reminder to leave billie joe armstrong the fuck alone

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Alright folks, since I've had to pull out the "i will not reblog your blatantly manipulative bullshit post" post twice in under twelve hours, let's take a moment to do a critical thinking exercise.

What good does a post that says "reblog this if you're (x) do"?

- It might identify the user as part of a group. (Reblog this post if you're a ____ blog! Reblog this post if you're ____! Reblog this post if you like ____)

- It might identify the user as against a group. (Reblog this post if you're not a ____!)

These posts aren't inherently bad... but frequently, they are manipulative. "if you don't reblog this post I assume you're ____," is manipulative. What if someone wasn't online to see the post? What if tumblr didn't show it to them when they were online? "I want to see all my ____ reblog this post!" Has the same issues.

"I don't care if this post doesn't fit your aesthetic, everyone should reblog this post!" is manipulative and is a direct attack on people having boundaries. It can easily be restated as "I don't care about your boundaries, demonstrate your affiliation with the in-group."

"(Group) must reblog this post," and "(Group) can, should, and will reblog this post," is manipulative and assumes that any person in (group) is inherently a bad person who does (whatever the post is about) and must self flagellate until the poster decides they've demonstrated enough regret for daring to be (group).

Please, I know the current culture is "immediately prove you're not like other (group) or face consequences," but please ask yourself if a post you're about to reblog is manipulative and guilt-inspiring before you reblog it. And if you're not sure? Ask a friend. You don't have to immediately reblog things, especially if a post demands that you do.

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this disability pride month, let's remember:

the conversation around positive disabled representation has as many facets as there are disabilities. (the cure trope isn't inherently evil)

accessibility isn't a one-solution-fits-all thing; sometimes people have conflicting needs. it's better to listen to people than assume you know what they need.

"disability" isn't a blanket term, it's an umbrella term. disabled people aren't a monolith; every person is different and therefore has different needs, experiences, opinions and wants.

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Concerning Juliet’s age

I find a big stumbling block that comes with teaching Romeo and Juliet is explaining Juliet’s age. Juliet is 13 - more precisely, she’s just on the cusp of turning 14. Though it’s not stated explicitly, Romeo is implied to be a teenager just a few years older than her - perhaps 15 or 16. Most people dismiss Juliet’s age by saying “that was normal back then” or “that’s just how it was.” This is fundamentally untrue, and I will explain why.

In Elizabethan England, girls could legally marry at 12 (boys at 14) but only with their father’s permission. However, it was normal for girls to marry after 18 (more commonly in early to mid twenties) and for boys to marry after 21 (more commonly in mid to late twenties). But at 14, a girl could legally marry without papa’s consent. Of course, in doing so she ran the risk of being disowned and left destitute, which is why it was so critical for a young man to obtain the father’s goodwill and permission first. Therein lies the reason why we are repeatedly told that Juliet is about to turn 14 in under 2 weeks. This was a critical turning point in her life.

In modern terms, this would be the equivalent of the law in many countries which states children can marry at 16 with their parents’ permission, or at 18 to whomever they choose - but we see it as pretty weird if someone marries at 16. They’re still a kid, we think to ourselves - why would their parents agree to this?

This is exactly the attitude we should take when we look at Romeo and Juliet’s clandestine marriage. Today it would be like two 16 year olds marrying in secret. This is NOT normal and would NOT have been received without a raised eyebrow from the audience. Modern audiences AND Elizabethan audiences both look at this and think THEY. ARE. KIDS.

Critically, it is also not normal for fathers to force daughters into marriage at this time. Lord Capulet initially makes a point of telling Juliet’s suitor Paris that “my will to her consent is but a part.” He tells Paris he wants to wait a few years before he lets Juliet marry, and informs him to woo her in the meantime. Obtaining the lady’s consent was of CRITICAL importance. It’s why so many of Shakespeare’s plays have such dazzling, well-matched lovers in them, and why men who try to force daughters to marry against their will seldom prosper. You had to let the lady make her own choice. Why?

Put simply, for her health. It was considered a scientific fact that a woman’s health was largely, if not solely, dependant on her womb. Once she reached menarche in her teenage years, it was important to see her fitted with a compatible sexual partner. (For aristocratic girls, who were healthier and enjoyed better diets, menarche generally occurred in the early teens rather than the later teens, as was more normal at the time). The womb was thought to need heat, pleasure, and conception if the woman was to flourish. Catholics might consider virginity a fit state for women, but the reformed English church thought it was borderline unhealthy - sex and marriage was sometimes even prescribed as a medical treatment. A neglected wife or widow could become sick from lack of (pleasurable) sex. Marrying an unfit sexual partner or an older man threatened to put a girl’s health at risk. An unsatisfied woman, made ill by her womb as a result - was a threat to the family unit and the stability of society as a whole. A satisfying sex life with a good husband meant a womb that had the heat it needed to thrive, and by extension a happy and healthy woman.

In Shakespeare’s plays, sexual compatibility between lovers manifests on the stage in wordplay. In Much Ado About Nothing, sparks fly as Benedick and Beatrice quarrel and banter, in comparison to the silence that pervades the relationship between Hero and Claudio, which sours very quickly. Compare to R+J - Lord Capulet tells Paris to woo Juliet, but the two do not communicate. But when Romeo and Juliet meet, their first speech takes the form of a sonnet. They might be young and foolish, but they are in love. Their speech betrays it.

Juliet, on the cusp of 14, would have been recognised as a girl who had reached a legal and biological turning point. Her sexual awakening was upon her, though she cares very little about marriage until she meets the man she loves. They talk, and he wins her wholehearted, unambiguous and enthusiastic consent - all excellent grounds for a relationship, if only she weren’t so young.

When Tybalt dies and Romeo is banished, Lord Capulet undergoes a monstrous change from doting father to tyrannical patriarch. Juilet’s consent has to take a back seat to the issue of securing the Capulet house. He needs to win back the prince’s favour and stabilise his family after the murder of his nephew. Juliet’s marriage to Paris is the best way to make that happen. Fathers didn’t ordinarily throw their daughters around the room to make them marry. Among the nobility, it was sometimes a sad fact that girls were simply expected to agree with their fathers’ choices. They might be coerced with threats of being disowned. But for the VAST majority of people in England - basically everyone non-aristocratic - the idea of forcing a daughter that young to marry would have been received with disgust. And even among the nobility it was only used as a last resort, when the welfare of the family was at stake. Note that aristocratic boys were often in the same position, and would also be coerced into advantageous marriages for the good of the family.

tl;dr:

Q. Was it normal for girls to marry at 13?

A. Hell no!

Q. Was it legal for girls to marry at 13?

A. Not without dad’s consent - Friar Lawrence performs this dodgy ceremony only because he believes it might bring peace between the houses.

Q. Was it normal for fathers to force girls into marriage?

A. Not at this time in England. In noble families, daughters were expected to conform to their parents wishes, but a girl’s consent was encouraged, and the importance of compatibility was recognised.

Q. How should we explain Juliet’s age in modern terms?

A. A modern Juliet would be a 17 year old girl who’s close to turning 18. We all agree that girls should marry whomever they love, but not at 17, right? We’d say she’s still a kid and needs to wait a bit before rushing into this marriage. We acknowledge that she’d be experiencing her sexual awakening, but marrying at this age is odd - she’s still a child and legally neither her nor Romeo should be marrying without parental permission.

Q. Would Elizabethans have seen Juliet as a child?

A. YES. The force of this tragedy comes from the youth of the lovers. The Montagues and Capulets have created such a hateful, violent and dangerous world for their kids to grow up in that the pangs of teenage passion are enough to destroy the future of their houses. Something as simple as two kids falling in love is enough to lead to tragedy. That is the crux of the story and it should not be glossed over - Shakespeare made Juliet 13 going on 14 for a reason. 

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Anti-revenge narrative this, anti-revenge narrative that, I personally think that Inigo Montoya had the right idea when he stabbed Count Rugen in the gut and said "I want my father back, you son of a bitch"

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I fucking hate texas I hate that abortions are more restricted than the guns that cause preventable mass shootings at schools and churches and Walmart and and and and it just goes on like this… it’s “protect the children” “what about the children” until the children are murdered in their elementary school and then it all “thoughts and prayers” “there’s nothing we can do” “don’t bring up gun control now it’s disrespectful to the victims” but I bet all 14 children and that 1 teacher would still be alive if we had any sort of gun laws