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mostlysignssomeportents · 8 months

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"Efficiency" left the Big Three vulnerable to smart UAW tactics

Tomorrow (September 22), I'm (virtually) presenting at the DIG Festival in Modena, Italy. Tomorrow night, I'll be in person at LA's Book Soup for the launch of Justin C Key's "The World Wasn’t Ready for You." On September 27, I'll be at Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles with Brian Merchant for a joint launch for my new book The Internet Con and his new book, Blood in the Machine.

It's been 143 days since the WGA went on strike against the Hollywood studios. While early tactical leaks from the studios had studio execs chortling and twirling their mustaches about writers caving once they started losing their homes, the strikers aren't wavering – they're still out there, pounding the picket lines, every weekday:

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/09/how-hollywood-writers-make-ends-meet-100-days-into-the-writers-guild-strike.html

The studios obviously need writers. That gleeful, anonymous studio exec who got such an obvious erotic charge at the thought of workers being rendered homeless as punishment for challenging his corporate power completely misread the room, and his comments didn't demoralize the writers. Instead, they inspired the actors to go on strike, too.

But how have the writers stayed out since May Day? How have the actors stayed out for 69 days since their strike started on Bastille Day? We can thank the studios for that! As it turns out, the studios have devoted so much energy to rendering creative workers as precarious as possible, hiring as little as they can getting away with and using punishing overtime as a substitute for adequate staffing that they've eliminated all the workers who can't survive on side-hustles and savings for six or seven months at a time.

But even for those layoff-hardened workers, long strikes are brutal, and of course, all the affiliated trades, from costumers to grips, are feeling the pain. The strike fund only goes so far, and non-striking, affected workers don't even get that. That's why I've been donating regularly to the Entertainment Community Fund, which helps all affected workers out with cash transfers (I just gave them another $500):

https://secure2.convio.net/afa/site/Donation2?df_id=8117&8117.donation=form1&mfc_pref=T

As hot labor summer is revealed as a turning point – not just a season – long strikes will become the norm. Bosses still don't believe in worker power, and until they get their minds right, they're going to keep on trying to starve their workforces back inside. To get a sense of how long workers will have to hold out, just consider the Warrior Met strike, where Alabama coal-miners stayed out for 23 months:

https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/warrior-met-strike-union/

As Kim Kelly explained to Adam Conover in the latest Factually podcast, the Alabama coal strikers didn't get anywhere near the attention that the Hollywood strikers have enjoyed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvyMHf7Yg0Q

(To learn more about the untold story of worker organizing, from prison unions to the key role that people of color and women played in labor history, check out Kelly's book, "Fight Like Hell," now in paperback:)

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fight-Like-Hell/Kim-Kelly/9781982171063

Which brings me to the UAW strike. This is an historic strike, the first time that the UAW has struck all of the Big Three automakers at once. Past autoworkers' strikes have marked turning points for all American workers. The 1945/46 GM strike established employers' duty to cover worker pensions, health care, and cost of living allowances. The GM strike created the American middle-class:

https://prospect.org/labor/2023-09-18-uaw-strikes-built-american-middle-class/

The Big Three are fighting for all the marbles here. They are refusing to allow unions to organize EV factories. Given that no more internal combustion cars will be in production in just a few short years, that's tantamount to eliminating auto unions altogether. The automakers are flush with cash, including billions in public subsidies from multiple bailouts, along with billions more from greedflation price-gouging. A long siege is inevitable, as the decimillionaires running these companies earn their pay by starving out their workers:

https://www.businessinsider.com/general-motors-ceo-mary-barra-salary-auto-workers-strike-uaw-2023-9

The UAW knows this, of course, and their new leadership – helmed by the union's radical president Shawn Fain – has a plan. UAW workers are engaged in tactical striking, shutting down key parts of the supply chain on a rolling basis, making the 90-day strike fund stretch much farther:

https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2023-09-18-labors-militant-creativity/

In this project, they are greatly aided by Big Car's own relentless pursuit of profit. The automakers – like every monopolized, financialized sector – have stripped all the buffers and slack out of their operations. Inventory on hand is kept to a bare minimum. Inputs are sourced from the cheapest bidder, and they're brought to the factory by the lowest-cost option. Resiliency – spare parts, backup machinery – is forever at war with profits, and profits have won and won and won, leaving auto production in a brittle, and easily shattered state.

This is especially true for staffing. Automakers are violently allergic to hiring workers, because new workers get benefits and workplace protection. Instead, the car companies routinely offer "voluntary" overtime to their existing workforce. By refusing this overtime, workers can kneecap production, without striking.

Enter "Eight and Skate," a campaign among UAW workers to clock out after their eight hour shift. As Keith Brower Brown writes for Labor Notes, the UAW organizers are telling workers that "It’s crossing an unofficial picket line to work overtime. It’s helping out the company":

https://labornotes.org/2023/09/work-extra-during-strike-auto-workers-say-eight-and-skate

Eight and Skate has already started to work; the Buffalo Ford plant can no longer run its normal weekend shifts because workers are refusing to put in voluntary overtime. Of course, bosses will strike back: the next step will be forced overtime, which will lead to the unsafe conditions that unionized workers are contractually obliged to call paid work-stoppages over, shutting down operations without touching the strike fund.

What's more, car bosses can't just halt safety stoppages or change the rules on overtime; per the UAW's last contract, bosses are required to bargain on changes to overtime rules:

https://uaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Working-Without-Contract-FAQ-FINAL-2.pdf

Car bosses have become lazily dependent on overtime. At GM's "highly profitable" SUV factory in Arlington, TX, normal production runs a six-days, 24 hours per day. Workers typically work five eight-hour days and nine hours on Saturdays. That's been the status quo for 11 years, but when bosses circulated the usual overtime signup sheet last week, every worker wrote "a big fat NO" next to their names.

Writing for The American Prospect, David Dayen points out that this overtime addiction puts a new complexion on the much-hyped workerpocalypse that EVs will supposedly bring about. EVs are much simpler to build than conventional cars, the argument goes, so a US transition to EVs will throw many autoworkers out of work:

https://prospect.org/labor/2023-09-20-big-threes-labor-shortages-uaw/

But the reality is that most autoworkers are doing one and a half jobs already. Reducing the "workforce" by a third could leave all these workers with their existing jobs, and the 40-hour workweek that their forebears fought for at GM inn 1945/46. Add to that the additional workers needed to make batteries, build and maintain charging infrastructure, and so on, and there's no reason to think that EVs will weaken autoworker power.

And as Dayen points out, this overtime addiction isn't limited to cars. It's also endemic to the entertainment industry, where writers' "mini rooms" and other forms of chronic understaffing are used to keep workforces at a skeleton crew, even when the overtime costs more than hiring new workers.

Bosses call themselves job creators, but they have a relentless drive to destroy jobs. If there's one thing bosses hate, it's paying workers – hence all the hype about AI and automation. The stories about looming AI-driven mass unemployment are fairy tales, but they're tailor made for financiers who get alarming, life-threatening priapism at the though of firing us all and replacing us with shell-scripts:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/09/autocomplete-worshippers/#the-real-ai-was-the-corporations-that-we-fought-along-the-way

This is why Republican "workerism" rings so hollow. Trump's GOP talks a big game about protecting "workers" (by which they mean anglo men) from immigrants and "woke captialism," but they have nothing to say about protecting workers from bosses and bankers who see every dime a worker gets as misappropriated from their dividend.

Unsurprisingly, conservative message-discipline sucks. As Luke Savage writes in Jacobin, for every mealymouthed Josh Hawley mouthing talking points that "support workers" by blaming China and Joe Biden for the Big Three's greed, there's a Tim Scott, saying the quiet part aloud:

https://jacobin.com/2023/09/republicans-uaw-strike-hawley-trump-scott/

Quoth Senator Scott: "I think Ronald Reagan gave us a great example when federal employees decided they were going to strike. He said, you strike, you’re fired. Simple concept to me. To the extent that we can use that once again, absolutely":

https://twitter.com/American_Bridge/status/1704136706574741988

The GOP's workerism is a tissue-thin fake. They can never and will never support real worker power. That creates an opportunity for Biden and Democrats to seize:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/18/co-determination/#now-make-me-do-it

Reversing two generations of anti-worker politics is a marathon, not a sprint. The strikes are going to run for months, even years. Every worker will be called upon to support their striking siblings, every day. We can do it. Solidarity now. Solidarity forever.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/21/eight-and-skate/#strike-to-rule

#pluralistic #strikes #uaw #labor #automakers #big three #big car #eight and skate #work to rule #tactics

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greenwitchcrafts · 9 months

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September 2023 witch guide

Full moon: September 29th

New moon: September 14th

Sabbats: Mabon September 23rd

September Harvest Moon

Also known as: Autumn moon, falling leaves moon, song moon, leaves turning moon, moon of brown leaves, yellow leaf moon, wine moon & Full corn moon

Element: Earth

Zodiac: Virgon& Libra

Animal spirits: Trooping Faeries

Deities: Brigid, Ceres, Ch'ang-o, Demeter, Freya, Isis & Vesta

Animals: Jackal & snake

Birds: Ibis & sparrow

Trees: Bay, hawthorn, hazel & larch

Herbs/plants: Copal, fennel, rye, skullcap, valerian, wheat & witch hazel

Flowers: Lily & Narcissus

Scents: Bergamot, gardenia, mastic & storax

Stones: Bloodstone, chrysolite, citrine, olivine, peridot & sapphire

Colors: Browns, dark blue, greens & yellows ( Earth tones)

Energy: Balance of light & dark, dietary matters, employment, health, intellectual pursuits, prosperity, psychism, rest, spirituality, success & work environments. Also cleaning & straightening mentally, physically & spiritually.

Technically, the Harvest Moon is the Full Moon closest to the September equinox around September 21st. The Harvest Moon is the only Full Moon name determined by the equinox rather than a month. Most years, it’s in September, but around every three years, it falls in October.

In September, the Full Moon is the Corn Moon from the Native American tribes harvesting their corn. It can also be the Harvest Moon, which corresponds with the Anglo-Saxon name, while Celtic and Old English names are Wine Moon, Song Moon, and Barley Moon.

Mabon

Also known as: Autumn Equinox, Cornucopia, Witch's Thanksgiving & Alban Elved

Season: Fall

Symbols: Acorns, apples, autumn leaves, berries, corn, cornucopia (horn of plenty), dried seeds, gourds, grains, grapes, ivy, pine cones, pomegranates, vines, wheat, white roses & wine

Colors: Blue brown, drk red, deep gold, gold, indigo, lead green, maroon, orange, red, russet, violet & yellow

Oils/incense: Apple, apple blossom, benzoin, black pepper, hay/straw, myrrh, passion flower, patchouli, pine, red poppy & sage

Animals: Dog, goose, hawk, swan, swallow & wolf

Stones: Agate, amethyst, carnelian, lapis lazuli, sapphire, yellow Agate & yellow topaz

Foods: Apples, blackberries, blackberry wine, bread, carrots, cider, corn, cornbread, grapes, heather wine, nuts, onions, pomegranates, potatoes, squash, vegetables, wheat & winw

Herbs/plants: Acorn, benzoin, cedar, corn, cypress, ferns, grains, hazel, hops, ivy, myrrh, oak, pine, sage, sassafras, Salomon's seal, thistle, tobacco & wheat

Flowers: Aster, heather, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, mum,passion flower& rose

Goddesses: Danu, Epona, Modron, Morrigan, Muses, Pomona, Persephone, Sophia & Sura

Gods: Esus, Green Man, Hermes, Mabon, Mannanan, Toth & Thor

Issues, Intentions & Powers: Accomplishment, agriculture, balance, goals, gratitude & grounding

Spellworks: Balance, harmony, protection, prosperity, security & self confidence

Related festivals:

• Sukkot- is a Torah-commanded holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals (Hebrew: שלוש רגלים, shalosh regalim) on which those Israelites who could were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. In addition to its harvest roots, the holiday also holds spiritual importance with regard to its abandonment of materialism to focus on nationhood, spirituality, and hospitality, this principle underlying the construction of a temporary, almost nomadic, structure of a sukkah.

• Mid-Autumn festival- also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Similar holidays are celebrated by other cultures in East & Southeast Asia. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture; its popularity is on par with that of Chinese New Year. The history of the Mid-Autumn Festival dates back over 3,000 years. The festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night, corresponding to mid-September to early October of the Gregorian calendar. On this day, the Chinese believe that the Moon is at its brightest and fullest size, coinciding with harvest time in the middle of Autumn.

• Thanksgiving- This is a secular holiday which is similar to the cell of Mabon; A day to give thanks for the food & blessings of the previous year. The American Thanksgiving is the last Thursday of November while the Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated in October

• Festival of Dionysus- There were several festivals that honored Dionysus, the God of wine. It was a time of fun, games, feasting & drinking wine.

Activities:

•Scatter offerings in a harvested fields, Offer libations to trees

• Decorate your home and/or altar space for fall

• Bake bread

• Perform a ritual to restore balance and harmony to your life

• Cleanse your home of negative energies

• Pick apples

• Have a dinner or feast with your family and/or friends

• Set intentions for the upcoming year

• Purge what is no longer serving you

•Take a walk in the woods

• Enjoy a pumpkin spice latte

• Donate to your local food bank

• Gather dried herbs, plants, seeds & pods

• Learn something new

• Make wine

• Brew an apple cinnamon simmer pot

• Create an outdoor Mabon altar

•Adorn burial sites with leaves, acorns, & pinecones to honor those who have passed over & visit their graves

Many cultures see the second harvest (after the first harvest Lammas) and equinox as a time for giving thanks. This time of year is when farmers know how well their summer crops did, and how well fed their animals have become. This determines whether you and your family would have enough food for the winter. That is why people used to give thanks around this time, thanks for their crops, and animals, and food.

The name Mabon comes from the Welsh God, who was the son of the Earth Mother Goddess. However, there is evidence that the name was adopted in the 1970s, and the holiday was not originally a Celtic celebration.

Some believe Night and day are of equal legth and the God's energy & strength are nearly gone . The Goddess begins to mourn the loss she knows is coming, but knows he will return when he reborn at Yule.

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Wikipedia

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Mabon: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Autumn Equinox Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials

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tteokdoroki · 1 year

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𑊡˚+₊🍼✦ — be better, rookie + katsuki bakugou.

૮ ͈>◡< ͈ა warnings — fluff + sfw, gn!reader, pro hero!bakugou, he’s all scarred up so…manga spoilers? reader looks up to and has a huge crush on bakugou, small age gap sort of implied !! wrote this in an hour so sorry for any typos !! not beta read <3

happy new year everyone!! first little ficlet of 2023!! thank you all for sticking by me this last year, i hope this next one is full of positive vibes for you all 🫶🏾☁️

aside from christmas, the new year has always been a time where crime was at its peak – whether it be pitpockets sneaking through crowds at Japan’s famed festivals or cruel individuals breaking into quaint little family homes while the occupants are out for the fireworks; crime always rears it ugly head during the dawn of a new year. for pro-heroes, working the patrol on new years eve is almost as bad as it gets, no one wanting to stick around for long hours amongst rowdy groups of fans, pranksters, and evil-doers amongst other archetypes of the general public. getting stuck with the new years patrol was prfobably the closet thing to bad luck, but this time around, you didn’t mind.

“what? got no plans for the new year, rookie?’

from your place crouched on a roof above the warm glow of the festivals below, you spare a glance up at your patrol partner for the evening and wet the swell of your lower lip, as if to warm it up from the onslaught of cold air drifting over it. “uh, n-no, not this year dynamight,” you stammer out, unsure as to why – is it because you’re cold? or because you’re spending the last day of the year working with a living legend? “all my friends are busy – not that i have many, and um…i kinda need the extra wages? so i volunteered for the patrol this year…”

his sturdy and intimidating presence looming over you while you hug your knees to your chest only serves to make you ramble on about the finer details you’re sure the older, more explosive hero could careless about. it all just…flies out of you, admitting your truth to someone you’ve admired for so long. katsuki bakugou was just shy of twenty-three when he started his own agency, shooting through the ranks for not only his zero casualties, zero failures work in the hero field but because of his brash, take-no-shit approach to life and obviously soul-damaging goodlooks. the first time you’d met the great and powerful dynamight, you were just a little ways away from completing your final year in the hero course at U.A, he’d come in for one of those alumni talks along with a few of his other succeszsful classmates from the iconic class 1-A. you remember nothing else from that day aside from bakugou’s words.

‘havin’ a flashy quirk ain’t worth shit if yer not willin’ to push yourself past what you already know,’ he’d said, commanding your attention as you listened on with baited breath. ‘believe in what you can do, but don’t ever get comfortable, knowin’ that you can always be somethin’ more.’

now, seven, about to be eight years on – you still hold his words close to your heart, using it as motivation to strive to become a better hero…even if you are just a sidekick for now. you’re pulled from your thoughts when bakugou lets out a grunt while he flops down to sit next you, hot-blood red and silver-moon grey eyes focused on the buzzing celebrations below, his nose tucked into the collar of his winter-costume to keep warm. “got no partner t’kiss when the clock strikes twelve, hah?” there’s not an ounce of care for how scandalous his question might be hidden in the blonde’s voice, in fact, he smirks from under his collar ( you can tell by the way his eyes crinkle ) when you squeak in response.

“n-no! nothing like that,” your voice shakes and rises in pitch as you vehemently deny katsuki’s claims – only making him laugh a little more, the timbre sound bristling right through you like the chill of an icy winter’s breeze. “i’m not dating anyone. i don’t really have the time to, i’ve just been focusing on becoming a good pro-hero…being the best i can be.”

bakugou knows those words like the back of his scarred hands, he knows the loneliness that comes with them too. they’re what’s gotten him this far, what got his face fucked up and his life hanging in the balance on multiple occasions. he knows them well, he wonders if you’re the same too.

“s-so…uh, dynamight–”

‘bakugou…bakugou’s fine,”

“bakugou,” you correct yourself quickly, daring to look at the man, your idol. “d-do you have any plans for new years eve tonight?”

your nervous squeals remind the aging blonde of someone he used to know, someone he’ll never dmit that he’s fond of, and bakugou decides then and there, that he likes you. this meek little rookie. he shakes his head. “don’ really care for this time’a year,” he explains simply. “but a couple of my old…friends are expecting me at a party by midnight.”

there’s a beat of silence, pocketed by your brief and meek sigh. “i-it’s almost midnight, sir.”

katsuki bakugou’s had a hard time accepting a lot of his feelings, not knowing when or why he should care…but tonight, he finds that he does. if he leaves now, with almost a few minutes to spare before the dawn of a new age, this rooke, the one that he hardly knows and only just met…will be alone. “s’bakugou to you, rookie.” and for some reason, his aching and turbulent soul just can’t handle that. “and i know, didn’t say i was goin’ to the stupid party, did i?”

the countdown below beings, with only a minute to go before another gruellling year will be upon you– your heartbeat is louder than the simmering excitement beneath you, the echoes of blood rushing through your ears deafening the anticipating crowd below. you want this next year to count, you want all of your hard work to mean something, you want the man that lead you here to know how much you owe him – so your body moves without thinking, racing ahead of the sixty-second timer that the whole world is running on as jumbled words tumble from your lips and you latch onto the dynamight’s right arm, desperatly, tearily.

“t-thank you!” you blurt out quickly, before you can even stop yourself. forty-five seconds left on the clock. “for everything, for being my hero, for going on when others can’t. for being the reason that i want to do better next year, b-be better!” you expect katsuki to recoil, to shove you off and when he doesn’t, you keep going. “even when the years would hurt you, you’ve never stopped. s-so thank you dynamight, f-for everything.”

the pro hero hates the way he almost gets choked up, nearly hates the way you remind him so much of the person who drives him to become better too. he blinks back the water lining his mismatched eyes, coughing to cover up the emotion in his voice. “did that idiot–” less than thirty seconds now. better, kacchan, be better. “did deku put you up to this?’

bakugou’s heart seizes in his chest when he realises – you’re just good, a little like deku, but good in your own way, in your own time. it makes sense why the number one had chosen you to be his sidekick. ten seconds. “no,” you whisper so sweetly, almost too quiet to be heard underneath the shouts of ‘five, four three two–!’ “that was all me. t-thank you, bakugou.”

one.

the smile you give him is bright, further illuminated by the pops of colour from fireworks in the sky.

you’re pretty, both inside and out, showing katsuki an appreciation he’s only ever felt once, before.

speaking again, you give his arm a squeeze. “happy new year, bakugou.”

“happy new year,” katsuki parrots, constarstingly soft to his rough, bumped and bruised exterior. here’s to being better, rookie.”

#bakugou x reader #bakugou x you #bakugou fluff #bakugou drabbles #bakugou imagines #bakugou fic #bakugo x reader #bakugo fluff #bakugou fanfic #bnha x reader #bnha fluff #✧ ₊˚੭ — writing #tteokdoroki #✧ ₊˚💭੭ — aali just posted

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bones4thecats · 6 months

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2023 Thanksgiving Special; RoR

A/N: Second part of my 2023 Thanksgiving Special, this one features Record of Ragnarok characters. There are no humans here, it's only Gods in this edition. Anyways, look out for my Creepypasta and Slashers pieces coming out here soon!

Spending Thanksgiving With Them

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・

💪 Heracles preferred to not spend Thanksgiving with his family most of time

💪 As his adoptive father would get into arguments with either the servants or with Hera about who knows what

💪 But this year, you really wanted to meet the rest of the family, you had only met Ares and Hades so far

💪 Heracles held your hand as the festivity rang through the ears of every other god present

💪 He was thankful that his family seemed to welcome you and tried keeping the bickering down because they didn’t want to ruin his happiness

💪 But be warned, next year, expect more and more yelling

💪 You’re family now, get used to it

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・

⚔️ Nope on the nope rope, he did not want you coming over that day

⚔️ The amount of yelling that Zeus and Hera do is quite impressive, many wonder how their voices have lasted every year

⚔️ Ares was stubborn, and I mean that

⚔️ So it took both you, Hermes, and Heracles’ opposing opinions to get him to allow you to join the Greek God family

⚔️ When you arrived, Zeus and Hera greeted you, you had met Zeus previously, but you didn’t know him to well

⚔️ Expect slight bickering from the husband and wife

⚔️ But, as long as your Ares was there, you two could power through

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・

🌩️ Thor was quite enthusiastic about having you over for Thanksgiving

🌩️ It wasn’t every century that he had an S/O, so this was a big deal to him!

🌩️ You had met Odin’s birds and Loki beforehand, due to their nature of spooking you no matter the place

🌩️ Thor stood by your side everywhere you went, and whenever he was needed somewhere, he dragged you along

🌩️ You weren’t exactly used to the layout of Asgard all that well

🌩️ When you guys sat down to eat, he made sure Loki didn’t lace it like he had done years ago

🌩️ This god also had to slap Loki’s hands away from stealing food off of both of your plates

🌩️ Sneaky little rat god

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・

👻 This poor little thing

👻 You were the closest thing to family he had, well, you and Buddha, but you mainly

👻 So, when he had heard about Thanksgiving from Buddha, he had asked you if you guys could make the traditional meals and spend the day together

👻 You complied and spent the day making turkey, cranberry sauce, everything

👻 Zerofuku loved making desserts with you, decorating was his favorite thing to do

👻 Placing the whip cream on top of the pumpkin pie was fun, especially when he drew a little face into the sweet dish

👻 You invited Buddha over, as Zerofuku wanted his favorite god, besides you, to spend time with

👻 Let’s just say, after eating and everything, the three of you passed out together on the pillow fort and blankets you had made together

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anonymousewrites · 7 months

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Clan of Three Halloween Special 2023

Father Figure! Mandalorian/Din Djarin x Teen! Reader

“Why don’t you have to dress up to blend in?” grumbled (Y/N), hands on their hips.

Mando sighed as he put Grogu down in the ship and closed the hatch. “Because these people don’t know what a Mandalorian is, and they’re having a festival where they dress up in masks and costumes. I fit in. You don’t.”

“What I’m dressing up as, again?” asked (Y/N) as they picked up the bundled outfit.

“Some sort of hunter spirit. That’s what the lord’s wife told me it was,” said Mando.

(Y/N) nodded and stepped around behind a wall to change quickly while reviewing the details of the job. “What exactly is the point of our job here?”

“We need funds, and since we have a good track record, Bo-Katan and the Armorer sent us on a job since a neighboring planet reached out,” said Mando. “There was an attempted assassination of one of their lords, so his wife hired us to hunt down the suspect. His puck tracked him to this festival.”

“That’s a lot of area to cover,” said (Y/N). “Let’s just find him quickly.”

“Can’t you use your Force-powers to track him down?” asked Mando, waving a hand in the way they usually did.

(Y/N) stepped out, dressed in costume. “Yeah, that’s not really how that works. And don’t ask me how it does since I don’t really know either. I just go with whatever my gut tells me and that seems to be it.”

Mando stared at (Y/N) in the costume. It was just a dark orange cloak slung around their shoulders, but the helmet-mask on their head was what shook Mando. It reminded him of a Mandalorian helmet, and as (Y/N) stared at him from behind the visor, he remembered just how deep their connection to Mandalore went. Mandalore the Great themself had chosen (Y/N), guided them, advised them.

And although Mando would never force (Y/N) to permanently wear the helmet as the people of his Covert did, he had thought about them wearing more Mandalorian armor in the way Bo-Katan did, not always covering their face but clearly a member of the clan. His clan. Din (Y/N).

Mando smiled beneath his helmet at (Y/N) looking so Mandalorian. That was his kid, ready to fight for Mandalore just as usual, closer to wearing their armor. Honestly, Mando thought they should be given armor already since they were clearly more than an apprentice, but he wouldn’t argue with the Armor. (Though, seriously, (Y/N) had wielded the Darksaber, had visions of Mandalore the Great, and defeated Moff Gideon to protect Mandalore. What more did anyone want? His kid was incredible).

“Are we ready to go, Dad?” asked (Y/N), making sure their beskar dagger and blaster were accessible.

Mando nodded, stopping his train of thought. (Y/N) would always be something of an anomaly, and he knew that. But they were his kid. That was the important part. “Come on. We should finish this job quickly before the assassin causes any trouble during the festivities.”

“I could sneak up on them and grab them before they see your shiny armor coming,” said (Y/N) brightly.

“No, I take point.” Mando was still strict on that. “You’re there if he runs.”

(Y/N) scowled beneath their helmet. “I fought Moff Gideon. Why do I have to play backup?”

“Because you still run into danger without thinking,” said Mando matter-of-factly.

(Y/N) shrugged. He wasn’t wrong. (Y/N)’s instincts just threw them into battle faster than their brain could think (at least, that was their interpretation of what Mando would call plain old recklessness).

Mando’s visor blinked to alert him as he approached the puck tracking the would-be assassin. He wore a grey tunic and mask to blend in, but once Mando found his target, they didn’t escape his sight. That being said, he had lost sight of (Y/N). He really needed to put a tracker on his kid.

Mando stepped out of the shadows and approached the assassin. The man turned into an alley, and Mando followed him. The moment he stepped foot into the alleyway, the assassin pivoted and drew a blaster.

“Don’t move or I shoot,” warned the assassin. He knew he was being hunted.

Mando really didn’t care. His beskar could take a hit, so although he dodged the first shot the assassin launched at him, he wasn’t afraid to get close. He fired a grappling dart from his gauntlet and pulled the assassin towards him, punching at the man. The assassin, however, was skilled at fighting, and the moment he was tugged towards Mando, he flicked out a dagger and cut himself loose. He evaded the attack and stabbed down at Mando’s arm, and Mando twisted to avoid it. When the assassin pivoted and effortlessly moved the blade towards the split in Mando’s armor between plates, Mando stepped back. He grabbed for his own blaster, raised it, and—

A blur of umber orange landed on the assassin.

The man grunted and fell to the ground before rolling away to his feet. (Y/N) was on their feet in the same instant, and when the assassin grabbed for his blaster, (Y/N) threw out a hand. It flew through the air, and in the moment the assassin stared in surprise, (Y/N) threw their dagger, and it landed in his dominant arm. He cried out at the sudden pain, and the moment of distraction was all Mando needed to grab him and punch him squarely, knocking him out. He let the assassin’s body fall to the dirt before looking at (Y/N).

They could tell he was giving them a dad look from behind the helmet. They shrugged.

“I let you take point. Then I decided to intervene,” they said.

Mando sighed. (Y/N) was going to kill him with stress.

(Y/N) put down the case of payment in the ship and grinned. “Bo-Katan and the Armorer will be happy.”

“Yes,” agreed Mando, picking up Grogu and letting him pat his helmet to say hello after leaving him for the job.

(Y/N) waved at their brother before pulling off the cloak and then the helmet of their costume. They shook their head and let their hair fall messily around them face. They grinned at him. “And I’m glad we’re back out on jobs together. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Mandalore needs the rebuilding and everything, but I don’t think I’m much cut out for the politics of it all.”

And yet you gave Mandalore guidance when it needed it most and were chosen by one of the greatest Mandalorians of all time for…something, thought Mando. For being so bright at times, (Y/N) really didn’t seem to understand how special they were.

“As long as you stay alive, you’ll do fine,” said Mando.

“Death has to try harder than it has to get me,” said (Y/N), grinning and leaning into their dad.

Mando put an arm around them and held them for a moment. “Please don’t tempt death. I don’t want to lose you.”

(Y/N) paused and looked up at him. “You won’t lose me. We’re family, remember?”

Mando smiled beneath his helmet. (Y/N) was a good Mandalorian now and would become an even greater one in the future. But above all of that, he liked them being his kid the most. “This is the Way.”

“This is the Way.”

Taglist:

@im-making-an-effort

@gr33n-d00dles

@alexpangender

@painstakingly-juno

@treehouse-mouse

@theurbannoodle

@pedropascalsidechick

@dmitrytherat

@dilfsaremyfavourite

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tendaysoftenzo · 9 months

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TEN DAYS OF TENZO: TENZOVEMBER EDITION (TWENTY-TWENTY-TREE)

Once again, we've been so grateful for the beautiful submissions featuring our favourite helper. We're back again for 2023!

We invite you all to share your fantastic Tenzo (aka Yamato) content from November 1st to 10th, 2023. There are prompts for each day, but if you think of something else for Tenzo and want to share it, the more the merrier! Hosted by @keepyourpantsongohan, @sloaners and @ohayohimawari.

(Art above courtesy of the wonderful @sloaners, planet by CONG on pngtree.)

Submission

All content formats are welcome! Art, fic, graphics, podcasts, AMVs, an interpretive dance shown through claymation. As long as it fits the vibe, go for it! Tag @tendaysoftenzo and use ‘#tendaysoftenzo’ as one of your first five tags on tumblr if you’d like us to see and share your work.

Prompts

Day 1, November 1st: Yamato's Ghost Stories | O Captain My Captain

Day 2, November 2nd: Hidden in the Leaves | Jurassic Bark

Day 3, November 3rd: Tenzo's No Good Very Bad Hair Day | E.T.T. (Extra Terrestrial Tenzo)

Day 4, November 4th: Tenzo of the Kingdom | Festivals

Day 5, November 5th: Kakashi | Tree-Hugger

Day 6, November 6th: (Not) My Circus, (Not) My Genin | Roots

Day 7, November 7th: Flour Power (Tenzo's Cookbook) | Nuts

Day 8, November 8th: That 90s Tenzo (Decades AU) | Babygirl

Day 9, November 9th: Tenzo's Med Ninja Check-Up | Naps

Day 10, November 10th: Tenzo’s Quarter Birthday* | Free Day

(*What’s a quarter birthday? Since we’re hosting this event in the fall, we are celebrating Tenzo’s birthday three months later! Like a half-birthday, but sillier.)

For more notes about prompts/submissions, please check our FAQ.

Rules

Both gen and pairing content are cool! Keep it reasonable and healthy.

Reader/self-inserts are not generally in the spirit of this character-focused event.

NSFW entries are allowed, provided they are clearly marked and under a cut. It goes without saying, but you must be 18+ if you are submitting NSFW content! Add warnings to any entry where necessary. Crop images and link externally as needed.

We won’t be accepting adult/minor or sensei/student romance of any kind, including ones where the characters are aged up. Depictions of rape/dub-con, incest, or explicit underage are not permitted and will not be considered as submissions. As always, we want to keep this event as inclusive of everyone’s comfort zones as possible. In the spirit of that, we hope you will create works that celebrate Tenzo!

If you have any questions, feel free to send us an ask! Have fun creating!

#yamato #tenzo #tenzou #tendaysoftenzo #ten days of tenzo #naruto events #announcements #art by sloane #planet by CONG on pngtree #thank u to everyone who submitted prompts! <3 #and to everyone who was asking for more tdot #a big tree hug sent ur way #mod gohan

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silvereyedowl · 9 months

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What We Know About Series 14

Doctor Who series 14 is coming up next year. This is a roundup of advance information and leaks about the season and the preceding Christmas special. Sources are at the very bottom below the cut.

CAST

Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. Unlike his predecessors, this Doctor changes his outfit a lot.

Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. Like her actress, Ruby is a native of Manchester.

Returning characters:

Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart, head of UNIT.

Bonnie Langford as former companion Mel Bush.

Villains:

Jinkx Monsoon as a villain favouring piano-themed attire, described as "the Doctor's most powerful enemy yet". Not everyone survives the encounter...

Indira Varma as the Duchess. RTD: "a whole new audience will be hiding behind the settee when the Duchess unleashes her terror." Varma previously played Suzie Costello on 2 episodes of Torchwood.

Other characters:

Aneurin Barnard as Roger ap Gwilliam.

Jonathan Groff as a "mysterious key" character.

Lenny Rush as Morris, in time for the Doctor's "greatest nightmare". RTD: "But what secrets does he hold? What's secreted in the Segway?! And will his terrifying probabilities be proved true..?"

Jack Forsyth-Noble as Will.

Gemma Arrowsmith and Mary Malone will appear in the Christmas special, while Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy and Billy Brayshaw will appear in separate episodes.

Also announced to be appearing: Sophie Ablett, Anita Dobson, Michelle Greenidge, Bhav Joshi, Millie Kent, Eilidh Loan, Pete MacHale, Miles Yekinni, Hemi Yeroham. Dobson previously appeared in the audio play "Blood of the Daleks".

EPISODES

There will be a Christmas special in December 2023, followed by an eight-episode season. (The BBC posted that the season would air in spring, but then removed the information.) Russell T Davies is the showrunner.

A guest star from 2005 returned for the special.

Episode 1's title was coincidentally spoken aloud in a third-season episode of Star Trek: Picard. It includes the words roar, Glastonbury, and conquistador.

Episode 2 contains the words Liverpool, legions, and non-diegetic. Scene 10 begins "INT. CANTEEN. DAY."

RTD thinks episode 4 is one of the best things he's ever written. The line "I once went to the top of the Shard" was cut from it.

The script for episode 7 begins with the line "INT. COFFEE BAR, USA — DAY, 1947".

Episode 8 will contain the words kingdom, gold, and Tigella. Scene 73, featuring the Doctor and Ruby in the TARDIS while "enemies are being fought", was the last scene filmed for the season.

There's a 1960s episode, featuring the Doctor and Ruby in snazzy period outfits.

The episode guest-starring both Varma and Groff will be set in the Regency era. "Dress to impress, and beware the Duchess."

CREATOR RAMBLINGS

According to RTD, we will be "staggered" by the 2023 festive season surprises.

There are monsters which are "impossible to describe" without referencing Fourth and Seventh Doctor adventures.

RTD promises that there are "plans still unfurling" which have yet to be made public.

Production designer Philip Sims said he was excited about "designing a new Dalek".

Davies has hinted that the blue doors Michelle Greenidge and Anita Dobson were photographed with are significant.

Script editor Scott Handcock mentioned filming which required nine babies, as well as Ncuti and Millie.

Monsoon's first day on set "teams her with an unexpected name from the Tom Baker era".

Anita Dobson has said she's playing Ruby's neighbour, whose name is either Mrs. Flood or Blood.

RTD used a potato emoji while commenting on publicity photos from the Regency episode (Sontarans?). Davies was also very coy about the identity of Groff's character.

RTD mentioned one episode having gone through three titles with no decision having yet been made. Another episode had "sixpence" in the title for a while, until the coin was cut.

RTD teased a famous guest star appearing in a scene with a giant statue head in the finale.

While writing about the final days of filming, RTD said that "Yasmin Finney wrapped a few days ago".

OTHER

Filming began on December 7, 2022 and wrapped on July 14, 2023.

Block One was directed by Dylan Holmes Williams. Block Two was directed by Mark Tonderai. It included the Christmas special. Block Three was directed by Julie Anne Robinson. It contains "two wildly different episodes, by two different writers". Block Four was directed by Ben Chessell. Block Five was directed by Jamie Donoghue.

Posters of the Doctor and Ruby.

Fifteen will be getting a brand-new sonic screwdriver.

Leaks and sources below the cut!

LEAKS

Michelle Greenidge appears to be playing Ruby Sunday's mother. Since Greenidge and Millie Gibson are different ethnicities, she is presumably an adoptive, foster, or step mother.

Campaign posters for the "Albion Party", with Roger ap Gwilliam as the "Space Saviour", were spotted on location filming.

Jinkx Monsoon is in the '60s episode.

Millie Kent is playing Valerie, and Sophie Ablett is Marti Bridges.

Mel Bush will be appearing in the season finale.

Reports from finale location filming, albeit second-hand, of someone on set saying, "This is where the Daleks come in".

According to his CV, Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy will be playing Carson in an episode directed by Julie Anne Robinson.

Davina McCall may be the returning 2005 guest star. She will apparently host a genealogy show on which Ruby appears, and will be crushed by a falling Christmas tree.

RUMOURS

UNIT may be getting its own spinoff. (SOURCE)

The DWM production journal has led some fans to theorize Steven Moffat will be returning as a writer.

SOURCES

Doctor Who filming begins with new director

Doctor Who filming in Penarth as Doctor and companion costumes revealed

Doctor Who filming at Capitol Shopping Center in Cardiff

Doctor Who filming with new monster at Swansea Bay Campus

Doctor Who filming in Newport with UNIT, Space Saviour and companion

Doctor Who filming in Swansea: new monster details

Doctor Who filming with Aneurin Barnard at Cardiff City Stadium

Doctor Who filming with Millie Gibson on a moving train from Cardiff

Doctor Who filming at Loudoun Square flats

Doctor Who Filming in Bristol With Millie Gibson, Michelle Greenidge and Anita Dobson

Doctor Who filming in Pembrokeshire with Millie Gibson

Doctor Who filming: new photos of Millie Gibson in Pembrokeshire

Photos snapped of Millie Gibson filming Doctor Who

Doctor Who filming: Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson in Pembrokeshire

Doctor Who filming in Bristol with Millie Gibson and Anita Dobson

Russell T Davies talks “exciting” Doctor Who scenes as programme films in Bristol

Doctor Who filming with Ncuti Gatwa at two venues in Cardiff

Doctor Who filming: Block Three begins

Doctor Who filming: clue found for secret location filming

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson film 1960s Doctor Who scenes

Doctor Who films in Bristol with Ncuti Gatwa and Jinkx Monsoon

Doctor Who filming in Cardiff with Beatles connection

New Doctor Who photos of Jonathan Groff alongside Nucti Gatwa and Millie Gibson

Doctor Who filming at Margam Park

Doctor Who films more scenes with a Beatles connection

Doctor Who films in Cardiff theatre

Doctor Who films in Cardiff with Ncuti Gatwa and Bonnie Langford

Michelle Greenidge films Doctor Who in Cardiff

Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson and Bonnie Langford film Doctor Who in Cardiff

Millie Gibson and Ncuti Gatwa film Doctor Who at Cardiff City Hall

Doctor Who films scooter stunt on Cardiff streets

Bonnie Langford and Ncuti Gatwa film Doctor Who scenes on a scooter

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson film Doctor Who in Barry

#doctor who #series 14 #dw series 14 #doctor who series 14 #fifteenth doctor #ruby sunday #information #information roundup #ncuti gatwa #millie gibson #jemma redgrave #kate stewart #mel bush #bonnie langford #jinkx monsoon #indira varma #aneurin barnard #lenny rush #russell t davies

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maskyish · 6 months

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Re:vale LIVE 2023 WINTER FESTIVAL!! - After Talk (Part 3)

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3

Please note: I am NOT a professional and my level of JP is very, very basic. I do this for practice and to share with other fans for fun. Please take my translations with a grain of salt as there may be mistakes. If you see any, please let me know and I can correct them. If anyone else has this card and wants to translate this at any time then please feel free to do so!

Momo: Yuki, did you grab a drink?

Yuki: I got one.

Momo: It seems like the staff got the memo too!

Momo: So now, once again we’d like to thank you for coming to our live today!

Momo: Thanks to all the fans and the staff, we were able to have the happiest time!

Momo: I feel lonely thinking about the seasonal stages coming to an end, but IDOLiSH7, TRIGGER, and ZOOL were all able to have such great performances!

Yuki: I agree. We were able to enjoy ourselves because of how much thought went into the stage productions for all the seasons. Thank you for supporting us until the end.

Yuki: So, let’s have a toast with everyone who’s watching this special video.

Momo: Yeah! Let’s cheers!

Re:vale: To Re:vale!

Momo: *Gulp*....! Momorin is always the best after a live! It makes my whole body feel all bubbly….!

Yuki: Fufu, you really do seem to enjoy it. As they say, a drink after finishing a show is extra special.

Momo: You get it! Just like rice and stuff! Everything just tastes so much better!

Yuki: Now I’m getting hungry since you started talking about food.

Momo: Ahaha! Then before Yuki’s stomach starts growling, let’s get to the topic of our next segment!

Yuki: Our topic is….. “In honor of the New Year, if you could be a god, what kind of god would you like to be?”

Momo: OH, what a good question! I mean, we’ve been planning to build a Re:vale shrine on the roof of our building! (1)

Yuki: To worship the God of Entertainment.

Yuki: Oh, but we’re not becoming gods.

Momo: Right! We’d just be the worshippers!

Momo: If we were to become gods……. Oh, Yuki! Since we’re talking about it, should we just say it at the same time?

Yuki: Sure. Have you picked an answer?

Momo: Yeah. So then, on three. One….Two….Three!

Momo: God of Happiness!

Yuki: God of Omniscience and Omnipotence.

Momo: Ah…. It’s very Yuki-ish!

Yuki: Fufu. Yours, too. I knew you would say that.

Momo: Ahahah! We’ve been exposed! That’s how it is, but if I could, I’d like to be a god that makes everyone who worships him happy!

Momo: Even if you were having a bad day, if you relied on Momo-sama then everything could be resolved! I could instantly bring a smile to your face!

Yuki: I think you already make people happy enough even without needing to become a god.

Yuki: Everyone smiles just by looking at you, Momo.

Momo: Yuki…..!!

Momo: You’re like a genius who can make me happy with a single word!

Yuki: Fufu. Thank you.

Yuki: I couldn’t really think of anything on the spur of the moment, so I just randomly picked something that felt strong.

Momo: But being omniscient and omnipotent is so cool, it has that Yuki vibe!

Momo: To be honest, even your face alone gives a sense of being all-knowing and all-powerful.

Yuki: My…. face?

Momo: Even just seeing your handsome face makes me happy! All my troubles will be completely blown away!

Momo: Actually, it’d be really dangerous if someone with this face also had the power of a god.

Yuki: Power, huh…. If something like that existed, I would use all the power I had to make Momo even happier.

Momo: Could you make me happier than I already am?!

Yuki: Yup. All the lights would turn green whenever you get to a stoplight, and the rain showers would stop only where you walk.

Yuki: And you would always get an extra drink from vending machines. (2)

Momo: Ahaha! That really is the best! I’d pray for something like that every day!

Momo: And if I became a god, I’d control the temperature of the world to make it easier for Yuki to live!

Yuki: That’s the God of Happiness for me.

Momo: Even as a god, is that kind of favoritism okay?!

Yuki: It’s fine, isn’t it? I’d be a god for Momo, and Momo would be a god for me.

Yuki: It feels like Re:vale.

Momo: That’s true. So to summarize, we’d be a God of Happiness and a God of Omnipotence and Omniscience with favorites!

Yuki: Thanks for watching this far. We hope you enjoyed it.

Momo: From now on, we’ll continue to bring you the happiest times!

Momo: We look forward to seeing you all again!

Yuki: See you later.

~End of RabbiTv.~

TL Notes:

It’s been mentioned in a few side stories that Re:vale wants to build a shrine on the rooftop of Okazaki Agency because their fame makes it hard for them to do their shrine visits, so it’s been an ongoing saga with Re:vale and New Years lol (For example, I know the End of Year Stories in 2019 and 2020 both have mentions of their planned shrine.)

Yuki literally says here “And you would always win the vending machine roulette.” In Japan, some vending machines have a “roulette” feature that is sort of similar to a slot machine and if you win you can win an extra drink.

#idolish7 translation #idolish7 #i7 #re:vale #revale momo #revale yuki #rabbitv

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bluelockhalloweek · 9 months

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Blue Lock Halloweek 2023 Prompts are here—can’t wait to see what y’all create!

👻 Reblog with your favorites prompts & share with your Blue Lock crew!

👻 Find the event on Twitter @/BllkHalloweek

👻 See below for more info, typed-out prompts, & prompt examples if you need clarification or inspiration

👻 Feel free to mix and match, and take prompts as literally or as tangentially as you want!

👻 Work doesn’t have to be specifically Fall / Halloween themed as long as it fits a prompt. (If you’re writing a superhero fic for “Mask,” don’t feel like you have to stick a 🎃 in a corner unless you want to.)

👻 Work can be as lighthearted, scary, or spicy as you want as long as you follow the updated guidelines!

👻 Thank you to everyone who submitted prompts, & credit to the anons who suggested The Witching Hour & Mischief Night! A lot of suggestions were already on my longer list or were very similar, or might be better saved for next year. If your favorite isn't on the list, the “Free Prompt” finale is your day!

👻 Find event Archive of Our Own here!

👻 The event is on Tumblr, Twitter, and AO3, so share your contribution on all three!

Blue Lock Halloweek (+ 2!): October 23 - October 31, 2023

Monday 23: Pumpkin spice + Do you believe in magic?

Tuesday 24: Masks + Heartbeat

Wednesday 25: Things that go bump in the night + Festival

Thursday 26: Firelight + Dark Waters

Friday 27: Paranoia + The Witching Hour

Saturday 28: Monster’s Ball + Hunter’s Moon (actual full moon date & name!)

Sunday 29: Angels & Demons + Castle

Monday 30: Spirit + Movie / Mischief Night (actual night)

Tuesday 31 🎃: Sweet Tooth / Sucker + Free Prompt!

Now for Prompt Examples + Explanations

I’ve had people ask for prompt examples in past events I’ve hosted and this event is open to any language, so here you go! These are the quick brainstorming notes (now expanded with links & definitions) I took while narrowing down the list to be sure the final prompts were unique enough / without toooo much overlap, and covered enough areas. Only some of maaaany interpretations—go wild!

Your host is a fic-writer with ADHD, so…you’ve been warned.

Day 1:

Pumpkin Spice: Cozy Autumn vibes. Putting up Halloween decorations, carving Jack-o-lanterns, coffee / tea shop, pumpkin patch, scented candles, baking, fall sangria, sweaters and beanies and flannels, momijigari (Autumn Hanami 🌸, basically) / admiring gorgeous fall foliage, fresh hot apple cider in an orchard. Itoshi Bros and their love of turtle/mock-neck sweaters. Pumpkin Farmer Aiku and Karasu scarecrow!

Do you believe in magic?: Revealing their magical powers for the first time. Crystal ball, tarot. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc. AU. Non-literal magic in relationships (feeling understood, chemistry, humor matching up perfectly, etc). Wands, spells, magical objects, magical creatures, etc.. Making a wish. Alexis "The Magician" Ness.

Day 2:

Masks: Costumes, super heroes, putting up a front, acting like something you’re not, classic masked Halloween meet-cute, secret / concealed identities, spies, ninja and samurai and assassins (Karasu and Otoyaaa!) Niko hiding his eyes / face.

Heartbeat: Racing heart from excitement, fright, romance, spice. No heartbeat like undead, zombie or vampire, etc.. Skip a beat, beat faster, beat slower (calm and comfort). Chigiri on the run from zombies, zombie Lorenzo!

Day 3:

Things that go bump in the night: unexplained (scary or otherwise) noises in the night, whispers or voices, ghosts and other supernatural entities, haunted house / place, anything scary, …spicy. Spooky Owl outside Rin’s window.

Festival: String lights illuminating festival stalls, costumes, traditional attire (Aryu looking stylish!), food and drink, games, Isagi devouring fried fair food. Fall Music festival. Mid-Autumn Festival (with all the pretty lanterns and mooncakes 🥮), Harvest / Fall Fests in general. Bobbing for apples, caramel / candy apples, carnival rides and games, Ferris wheel. Oktoberfest; Kaiser and/or any Bastard München player in Lederhosen—please, I’m begging!! Fun house / haunted house. Day of the Dead festivities.

Day 4:

Firelight: Cauldrons, brewing potions. Candles, rituals, bonfires. Autumn camping trip, s’mores, spooky firelight shadows outside the tent, got lost on a hiking trip & have to make a fire to keep warm! Torches, candles, lanterns lighting the way in a definitely not-haunted place. Hell, your favorite circle (Dante’s Inferno) 😈

Dark Waters: merpeople, sirens, sea monsters, kraken, pirates (Kurona and Raichi, Bachira 🐬!), sharks, shipwreck, ghost ships, stranded on a deserted island, haunted lakes, lake spirits, Autumn fishing trip, swamp monsters, bogs and marshes, willowisps, alligators, snakes. Loch Ness Monster

(Fire and water, light and dark)

Day 5:

Paranoia: Fear and suspicion, feeling like someone’s watching and you just can’t shake it (...Ego and his cameras), feeling like you’re losing your mind, etc.. Doesn’t have to be all bad! Maybe there was a misunderstanding before a fun surprise.

The Witching hour: Wiki / dictionary. Depending on whom you ask, the hour is either midnight or 3am - 4am. Supernatural entities / practitioners of dark arts are the most active and powerful. These entities might feel compelled / drawn out into the world. Magic and danger, inexplicable happenings! Humans ought to be at home and safely tucked in bed at this late hour, or else... Fun fact, the Orionid meteor shower peaks juuust before this event starts (in my hemisphere, at least) but continue until November, and the best time to view meteor showers is generally around the witching hour (after midnight / 3-4am). Can also mean the time in which people get up to no good or questionable stuff.

Day 6:

Monster’s Ball: Monsters, creatures. Bachiraaa. Halloween party, masquerade, nightlife (going out in costume—or not—to bars and clubs). Reo buying a round. Literal ⚽ ball (Lil Isagi trick-or-treating in Noa’s kit), Halloween Practice (like in high school or college when your coach let you have a fun practice in costume before a holiday—absolute chaos and so fun!). Whatever chaos and debauchery y’all can imagine. Just follow the event guidelines and tag accordingly! Green eyed monster (jealousy), Cinderella’s Ball (Sae and Shidou!)

Hunter’s Moon: The date of the actual full Hunter’s Moon—lucky us! Sometimes called the Blood Moon. Full moon, werewolves, moonlight, on the hunt or being hunted, spells and rituals, Tsukimi / moon viewing + Tsukimi dango 🎑, moon myths and gods. Celestial things, Kurona and Isagi planetary hotline / astronauts, aliens.

(Monster vs Hunter day, ha)

Day 7:

Angels and Demons: Demon and priest, hell, listening to the angel or the devil on your shoulder (making a questionable decision because it’s tempting), devilish fun or spells, sin, temptation, a deal with the devil. Ohhh, Sae and Shidou, your night has come! 😈

Castle: fairytales, knights, vampires, dungeons, Royalty (King Barou, Emperor Kaiser!). Also super Sae and Shidou.

Day 8:

Spirit: ghosts, haunted houses, GhostBusters, spirit entities like yokai, Ghost Adventures. Gagamaru as a friendly Yokai! Shaman. Possession, possessed or cursed objects. JJK. Ouija board game! Monk Igaguri.

Movie Night: Watching a scary (or not scary) movie, series, anime, etc. So many movie/show Alternate Universes. Sendou living his Hollywood dreams. Barbie please!!! Nagi nodding off halfway through. The guys as a character from their favorite movie listed in the Egoist Bible.

Mischief Night: Wiki page. The night before Halloween for hijinks, pranks, scaring each other! Toilet papering Ego’s house. Can be more sinister, too.

Day 9: Halloween!

Sweet tooth / sucker: Trick-or-Treating, candy corn, so much candy, caramel corn, vampires or anything with fangs, bite, ‘sucker’ like 🍭 or vampires, or…

Free day / AU (alternate universe) Palooza!:

Whatever Halloween stuff you want that doesn’t quite fit a prompt! Just listing some of the things I would draw (if I could) or write (if i had time):

Video game au for Hiori! Pokemon! Ego as a gangly cowboy, ⚽️ bolo tie and all. Barou as the "Cowardly" Lion in the Wizard of Oz. And finally, artists, if you're reading this, please, please consider Noel Noa (of the 🇫🇷 French National 🥖 Team!!) dressed as Bonjour Man from Life Lessons with Uramichi Onii-san (clip, manga cap). Please Omg. This image has literally been haunting me since starting this event and the manga/anime (even the dub!) is soooo funny. And technically, Bonjour Man is a cursed spirit sooo 👻

Okay, that's it. Hope y'all have fun. Please reblog and spread the word 🧡🖤

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ariadnaltos · 1 year

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ND Stevenson interview about She-Ra and animation in Celsius 232 (2022)

This post is a transcribe of second interview/talk made to ND Stevenson during the Celsius 232, a multimedia festival about fantasy, scifi and horror genres celebrated in Avilés, a city in the North of Spain. The interview was about She-Ra and The Princesses Of Power. There was another interview about his comics that I attended, but I couldn't find recordings of that one. In this interview ND talked about topics such as Catra's choices, toxic relationships, Nimona's film adaptation and Lumberjanes' TV adaptation. He also answered questions from the public.

Click on Keep reading to read the whole interview!

youtube

Thanks to Comic Astur for recording the interview. They have another interviews during Celsius 232 in their channel, both to Spanish and non-Spanish authors. So check it out!

First of all, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! This post is being released on Christmas day in Spain, so I think it's a good moment to make a gift to the SPOP fandom. 🎁🎄

I don't do professional trancribes, I just want to share this interview. I love Celsius 232 and hearing ND Stevenson in person was a great experience. I want to share this with international fans. The interview is in a mix of Spanish and English, so I'll translate the Spanish parts (and also use some of Diego's translations that you can hear in the video) and I'll transcribe everything in English. I'll also add some notes here and there about the interview.

The auditorium opened some minutes before the beggining of the talk. It was almost full. There were some cosplayers of She-Ra, Adora, Catra and even one cosplayed as Finn, Adora and Catra's post-canon child. There was also a baby cosplayed as She-Ra (baby She-Ra!!). Some people brought with them pride flags because of the series nature. 🏳‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ When ND Stevenson entered the auditorium everyone started clapping.

In the scenario, as you can see in the video, there were three people. ND Stevenson (center), Jorge Iván Argiz (left, interviewer) and Diego García (right, interpreter). Jorge Iván did the questions while Diego translated everything to ND and then to the public.

The interviewer started the talk remembering that ND Stevenson will come back to Celsius next year, for Celsius 2023, and he also claimed the importance of animation. Then, he asked his first question:

Interviewer: When you make a comic you have full control. You have a blank paper or a screen. You have your pen and you can do wathever you want. However, when doing an animation film, even if it has a main creative, it's a hugely collective work. How it was your first experience? How it was entering the animation industry and realizing that it's a huge teamwork effort?

ND Stevenson: Getting into animation was actually kind of an accident for me. I didn't plan to go in that direction. When I started out writing comics I thought of myself as an artist first before I was a writer. And so getting hired as a writer in animation was kind of a surprise for me. And I wasn't sure if it was something I was going to stay with. But my first job was amazing. It was working for Craig McCracken who did Powerpuff Girls and a lot of other stuff that defined my childhood and other people's childhoods. It was a very cool job to work with him.

Thinking of myself as a writer... it took me a while to accept that. But also, the collaboration of animation was what made me fall in love with animation. I also had always loved animation as a kid. Sneaking into my parents room where the TV was, when they were out of the house, to watch Teen Titans, which was my favorite show. To be behind the scenes, to be able to share this world that we were building together with the rest of the crew, that was... I immediately became addicted to that.

To write a comic it is all you. And unexpected things still happen but it all comes from your own brain, you own hands. With animation, everybody has a little piece of that world. And so, I would look over people's shoulders and ask to be in meetings that I wasn't technically a part of, just because I wanted to know everything and see everything. And so that is what made me fall in love with animation and that's what eventually lead me to make She-Ra.

Interviewer: Now we're going to talk about She-Ra. She-Ra as a character already existed, created as a base for a series of toys. I think that it started in 1985 and it was a show with near a hundred episodes. She-Ras was a twin sister to He-Man and she had a similar story to him, it was kind of complementary. But you made something completely new with this character and this universe. This seems wonderful to me. The first example already appears in the tittle [of the show]. The original series was called She-Ra Princess of Power. But here we're talking about She-Ra and The Princesses of Power. This collaborative spirit that you liked a lot when making animation shows was translated to the animation series. I imagine that this was the first decision [that you made], to bring a more complete arc for characters and to create not just one, but multiple princesses of power.

ND Stevenson: Yeah, the show ended up being- it was about teamwork. It's not just what the show was about, it's also the way in which we made it. It was a show that was made under a lot of pressure, not just because of She-Ra, but because we didn't have the biggest budget and we didn't have the longest timeline for making it. And so it was really something that if we were going to pull it off, we had to rely on each other to do it. And so that was something that really brought us together.

But that show, taking it from being- I hadn't watched the show myself [before], the original show from the 80s [when I was] growing up. But I loved it when I watched it [as an adult]. I had a lot of love in my heart for that show. Trying to pay that off and take that so it could appeal to new fans as well and still make old fans happy was always the line to find and walk. Taking it from one princess of power to an entire team of princesses who are very powerful and making it more about that, about the group instead about the one individual. That was something that was very important for us to do. Because it was so personal for us, with how the show was being made, because we were so close to each other. It was important to show that aspect of friendship and teamwork, and relationships in general. And love in every form. That was our inspiration behind that aspect of the show.

Interviewer: I would like to know if from the beggining it was always clear that the series was going to have that format and that number of seasons. The first season was a presentation of the princesses, almost one per episode. For me the series starts having more pace when each episode develops these stories that connect with each other. I would like to know if the series was already thought like that or if after season one you still had freedom to make changes.

ND Stevenson: The production of the show was actually pretty unsual in animation. The show had already been greenlit for 26 episodes before I was even hired for the show. They just bought the rights to She-Ra and they knew that Netflix had already ordered the first season. They also knew that they wanted to do 52 episodes total. So when I was hired it was my job to pitch that second season. And so, when I pitched the show, I'm kind of a wordy person, so my pitch was supposed to be like 20 minutes and it was like over an hour [in the end]. And I was lucky that the people I was pitching to were receptive and interested, but I pitched all 52 episodes. That is part of why it was so long, because I wanted to have this conception of it.

Some things stayed the same and some things changed over time, but we had certain ideas that stayed the whole time. For example, an early idea was that Catra was going to get a promotion at the end of every season and move further up the ranks. And also she was going to betray somebody in each season. That really ended up in the show. She just keeps kind of working her way up the ranks and eventually decides that she's out of there, going back to Adora. That was something that stayed true over time, but there were some things that we found along the way. A lot of things were really unexpected. At the very least, it was very helpful to have those broad strokes figured out from the beggining. I'm glad they didn't just cut me off after 20 minutes of talking cause that would be embarrasing *laughs*.

Interviewer: One of the best things that has happened to YA narrative is the shift from just entertainment and fun spirit to topics that were forbidden before. This change probably happened because of the new young people creating new stuff for young audiences. Some of this topics are abuse, bullying, mental health... She-Ra is about some of these topics, toxic relationships are very present in the show. There are multiple cases. It has been talked a lot about the relationship between Adora and Catra, but the relationship between Catra and Scorpia is also another perfect example of a toxic relationship. Something that someone denies, although everybody is warning them. I would like to know more about these messages that can make the audience think about their own relationships. Tell us about it.

ND Stevenson: I'm of the believe that it's important just not to see representation of good behaviour and role models that we can model ourselves on. But is also, I think, a good thing to see representation of characters making the wrong choices and doing the wrong thing. And Catra is defined by that. This was [something that] the crew [asked about as well]. People would come and they'd be like: "so, you told me that she's gonna join the good guys again, right? She'll be OK? When is that going to happen?" And people started to stop believing me that it was going to happen.

AJ, who voices the character, I would [tell her] "We have a big run for you today, Catra is going to do something new, but I promise that she's going to be OK in the end". And she'll be like: "yeah, sure, you say that every time". But I think that's why [Catra] was very beloved among the crew and by me. She's a character who kind of consistently always makes the wrong choices. And it can be so frustrating. Because you'll yell at her at just be like: "OMG, you know you don't want that, why can't you just do the right thing?". And that, I think, in it's own way can be something that also tells us how to make decisions ourselves. So when you see somebody who we sometimes want to scream [at], sometimes we're compelled to do things that make us a bad friend or bad people. And it's important, I think, to know the consequences of those wrong decisions.

Catra is someone who expresses those things and my hope is that it is cathartic in it's own way, but it's also a little bit of a cautionary tell. She ends up alone at the end, without any friends. And that's the consequences of her actions. But then it's also something that it's- you know, there's nothing you can't come back from. There are things that if you work, if you make yourself vulnerable and open yourself up and try to make amends for your mistakes, it is possible to come back. That was something that was very important for us to show. It's my believe that it's important to see characters, specially female characters, making those bad decisions. We found it cathartic, and I hope that it was cathartic for others as well.

Interviewer: Now two short questions about the animation. First, it is traditional animation, or at least it looks like it, with some touches of CG here and there. I wanted to know if it was a conscious decision so the show would look like it was intended, or if it was because of the low budget and short production time which you said you had.

The second question is about the aesthetic of the ancient buildings. It makes me think about an illustrator called Roger Dean. I don't know if it's by chance or if it was an inspiration for this aesthetic.

*a fly 🪰 flies near the interviewer and he tries to hit it*

ND Stevenson: We had an option on pursuing 3D animation as well. It was something that was done at this studio I was at, at DreamWorks, pretty often. But it was also for an epic... There's a fly!! 🪰

*the interviewer and translator agree and everybody laughs* There's a fly in my... flying over and over... 🪰

Yeah, for epic action scifi fantasy it is harder, it's more expensive to do CG animation. And you have fewer resources. One thing that happens is that the characters can't go to many places because every room and setting has to be build in three dimensions. My friends who are writers working on shows in 3D have limitations of what they can use. They have a set number of characters and a set number of locations, which is true in hand-drawn as well, but less so. You don't have to design the whole thing if you'll only going to see it from one angle.

So that was a lot of the reason of just what was posible with the show. But also, I thought it was important because She-Ra was one of the last shows in the 80s animated in the US, before everything moved overseas to be animated in South Korea and Canada, France and Ireland. It felt important to stay true to the original and the hand-drawn look of the original.

As for Roger Dean, that was definitely one of my inspirations. You have very sharp eye! That very epic... The science fiction illustrations of the 70s and 80s that you would see on the cover of a paperback... That is how I wanted the world to feel. But populated by characters who felt a bit newer. As a kid, I always loved this covers because you would see these floating rocks or the sky with dozens of planets and moons. I wanted to capture that feeling. It always sparked my imagination to see those illsutrations and I wanted to capture that in the show.

Interviewer: Before starting with the questions of the public I have to ask about the adaptation of Nimona into a film, as well as Lumberjanes' TV adaptation. Tell us a little bit about both projects.

ND Stevenson: You're gonna see the Nimona movie early next year, I think february or march. *big applause from the public* So get excited because I just saw the newest cut and it has a lot of the animation. I've seen the board drawings for a while, but I started to get the animation and it is completely surreal to see really dumb drawings that I made as a teenager like, suddenly being executed in three dimensions and it's gorgeous and the style is amazing. So I'm very excited for everyone to see it.

And Lumberjanes is still in the development period. This is a little more standard. I said that She-Ra was unsual in the animation industry and part of that is that the development happened very very quickly. Less than a year. For most animated projects it takes longer than that. So on Lumberjanes we are still on the development phase. We haven't launched into the actual production of the show yet. It's still on the writing and creating the look of the show, finding a studio and everything like that. I think that I'll hopefully have more news about it soon for you. And I think that it's going to be also really cool. So... yeah. *applause*

Interviewer: Great. (To the public) Any questions?

#1 audience question: 1) I heard some rumors that you had trouble with Netflix because the series did not have as much advertisement as they wanted, the low-budget... That was the case? 2) Would you be interested to start working for other platforms like Amazon?

ND Stevenson: Something that not many people know it's that I actually haven't worked for Netflix. I created She-Ra as the show that you saw on Netflix, but I made it at DreamWorks. DreamWorks is it's own animation studio and they had a deal with Netflix that Netflix would stream the shows that DreamWorks was producing. So that was the deal. That's different now. They still do co-productions with DreamWorks, but they [Netflix] created their own animation studio after a year or so after I started working on She-Ra. So actually I didn't have much interaction with Netflix at all. I didn't get notes from them. I didn't know my executives there personally... Actually, I did, but... One of my executives was actually a good friend of mine. But I didn't actually have meetings with Netflix in any way.

If there's rumors about being trouble with Netflix it's certainly not in any kind of working relationship way. They are pretty mysteryous, they guard their algorithm pretty closely. But yeah, that was my experience with Netflix. For me it was very positive. I can't speak any more to what their reaction towards the show was because we were in different places. Hope that answers that.

I'm not currently working with Amazon, but that's something that is definitely... it's pretty common in animation to kind of move around from studio to studio. So it's definitely posible.

#2 audience question: I'm almost 30 so I'm a bit old for the She-Ra target audience, but me and my friend loved it because there is a lot of queer representation. For me and my friend that is very important. I was wondering how it felt because we're more of less of the same age, so we've grown up with similar cartoons and there was nothing that showed you what queer means. We didn't really see ourselves in mainstream shows. I was wondering how it felt to put for the queer community out there this clear representation.

ND Stevenson: It was obviously pretty important for me in a personal level. But another thing that I don't know if that many people know it's that when I got the job I wasn't out yet as gay. So it was certainly not something... Honestly, the show is probably responsible for making me way gayer, just working on it. *everybody laughs*

But it was something very important to me, just in the world of the show, you know? For me, it's always queer characters, they're always on the front of what I make, even before I was out. But also it's something that is defined by the show itself, what makes the world feel more alive. So I felt that having very fluid gender expression was an important par of the show. Because honestly, the original show has fairly fluid gender. He-Man wears pink and purple in his clothes and then wears a furry diaper when he transforms as He-Man. All the characters are wearing tights and belly shirts and men and women, there're not non-binary people in the original show, but it makes sense for us that there would be. So there's something for me that made the world feel more alive. And again, rainbows and drag queen princesses were such a big part of the original that it just makes sense to [have them] and it made our world feel bigger and more expansive. So that was a lot of my thinking behind it, and sometimes it was an easy sell I think. We were pleasantly surprised that the studio would be very receptive for Bow to have two dads. And Double Trouble, we were very excited about that and very supportive of hiring a non-binary voice actor.

And then there were other things that were a harder sell. I got on the phone with a lot of different people for the Adora and Catra relatioship and had to pitch it a bunch of different times to different people. Got a few notes at first. And then, you know, appealed it, and then the noes turned into yeses. And I still didn't believed it until I was actually watching the final season on Netflix. I didn't believed it'd really happen. But it did so, yeah, that was really cool.

*when the interpreter was translating this answer by ND he tried to hit the fly 🪰 and everybody laughed and applaud, it was really funny*

Interviewer: (To the public) One last question with a short answer?

#3 audience question: In the series there's a lot of characters. I wanted to ask who do you relate to the most?

ND Stevenson: I think all the characters have little bits of me and the rest of the crew. I think almost every character is sort of- there's someone on the crew who identified with them really strongly and that person became more expert on the character. So we have someone who strongly identified with Entrapta, or Tecnia as you said... (Tecnia is the name of Entrapta in the Spanish dub <3) I forget they have different names sometimes. Which is a great name, Tecnia is a great name! *public laughs* But yeah. Almost all of the characters had some counterpart among the crew.

For me, I think that I sort of related the most to a tie between Adora, Catra and Glimmer. One of the things I struggled with on the show was that I was very young when I was hired and I'd never been a manager before. And I mostly just worked on my own stuff and so, having to suddenly become a leader was a thing that I found very difficult and very scary. Like, I really really wanted to do a good job. I wanted everyone on the crew to be taken care of. And it was very difficult and terrifying. That's something that I think all three of those characters deal with in different ways.

Glimmer unexpectedly becomes the new queen. Adora changes sides and suddenly has to deal with all the guilt of having been on the bad guys side before. And Catra has this drive and this ambition, but she also starts to fall apart the higher up the ladder she moves.

I put a lot of those feelings into the characters. With Glimmer there's an episode where she can't go on missions anymore with Bow and Adora because she needs to stay and go to meetings, which was like my everyday. Everyone's going to do something fun and I have to be in a meeting, I can't hang out with [other crew members]. Like Adora in the episode where they play D&D and she keeps just being like: "no no NO, we're all gonna die and everything is gonna go wrong" and she's trying to anticipate every possible way it could go wrong. That was a lot of like, you know, having to conceptualize and keep consistent a story that was going to be told in such a long period of time, with such a large crew of people. That was how my brain felt a lot of the time. A lot of these feelings were poured into she show through the characters. Those are the characters that I think I have the strongest connection to.

(ND is, in fact, wordy, so it wasn't a short answer LOL)

Interviewer: There are big threats and the world needs to be saved a lot of times, and at the same time what you're woried the most is if the characters will recover their friendship... What's going to happen next? Someone will pay attention to Scorpia? *everybody laughs* This shows us something that happens in our lifes as well, that a big event can change you as much as an event that may seem small. This series also shows us that being different is cool, being the same as everyone else can be pretty boring. Being different can be even desirable. ND said that at the beggining he started working with someone who changed his life and who gave him a show such as The Powerpuff Girls, and I anticipate to him that right now, very very soon, there will be people that will say "I'm working for ND Stevenson, who changed my life thanks to She-Ra and his other works". To make easier our wait for the next year [Celsius 2023], when he comes back to Avilés, we're gonna say goodbye to him with a very very strong applause.

*all the public applauses, ND does a heart shape with his hands 🫶 He also thanked the Celsius 232 organizers and the public for coming*

This interview was done on Friday 22nd, july 2022. ND Stevenson made another talk/interview the day before. After that one talk I went to the signing and got my copy of Nimona signed. He was really nice and we could talk with him a little bit. He seemed really happy to visit this event in Spain and I'm really excited to see him next year. At that time the Nimona movie will be out, so I'm sure that we'll be able to know more about it and his future projects!

Photo with ND Stevenson during the book signing on Thursday. My boyfriend and I went together. We both love Stevenson's stories. <3

Thanks to ND Stevenson for coming to Spain and to Celsius 232!! I've been going every year to this event since 2018 and they always have great authors and the festival is really nice. I've learned a lot of stuff thanks to this festival and with talks like this one that ND made. The event is mostly about books and literature, but as you can see other forms of media are in Celsius 232 as well.

That's all! Thank you so much for reading this whole thing. I hope that it was interesting. <3

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the---hermit · 5 months

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A lovely festive card from a friend and random notes.

19|12|2023

I am back after being very ill again. This time I got the flu, and to make things worse my panic disorder kicked me once again and it was bad. I am starting to feel a bit better now, but I am still very weak and my stomach isn't at its best yet. I spent a couple of hellish days, and decided to skip class this week. I confident I will be fully recovered for Friday when I'll have to speak in the seminar, but until that day I am not leaving my house and I am taking things slowly. This of course means that my nice study plan is totally fucked. I am so beyond schedul and I am not in shape to get caught with it, so I will simply have to sit down and make a whole other plan. I am starting to slowly getting back into doing some work during the day, but I have not enough mental energy to power through the book I have to study. So this week I will try to stay productive as much as I can but minding what my body allows me to do. I will study less hours during the day, do lighter stuff, and stop whenever I feel like I need to lie down, or move around depending on what my body is asking me. This morning for example I got about an hourish of work done, I was very happy with myself but then I simply had to accept that I needed to lie down, and I did so. I am fighting with the guilt of not sticking to plans and feeling overwhelmed with everything I have to do, and I am trying my best. The other thing I am struggling with at the moment is food, not in a concerning way, but more in the sense that right now I feel like I lost the joy of eating and having a good meal and that is impacting my mood so bad. First a couple of weeks ago I went to the dentist and struggled so much with pain in my mouth for a while, and now due to my stomach being affected by the flu, eating has just become something I have to do and I despise feeling like this. I want to sit at my table and be happy about what I am going to eat, I want to look forward to my meals and I have yet to figure out how to get back there. Maybe I just have a bit of a scare since in the past two or three years I often had my anxiety and panic symptoms strongly linked to my stomach and I am now scared that I'll get back into that stupid place in which eating was anxiety inducing for me. I just hope that will get better soon and that I will be able to enjoy the amazing food my family will make during the holidays.

calm hobbit winter activities and productivity:

read first thing in the morning (I managed to read ten pages which is such a big win after these awful days)

wrote notes for the second chapeter of Nature, Human Nature and Human Difference by Justin Smith

updated my reading journal

started watching cabinet of curiosities (in the past few years I have been terrible at watching new series, but this morning when I had to lie down after studying I felt like watching something new could be a good way to keep my brain a bit active. I watched the first two episodes and loved the first one. The second one fell very flat for me but I am exctied to see more of it, it definitely has the gothic horror vibes I adore)

started reviewing my men theories and power practices notes and added a few additional informations here and there

practiced my presentation for Friday

📖: Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree

#i know today's long post was a bit of negativity train and it's not the energy i love to put out in the world #but these have been a few bad days and i am not going to pretend they were fun #writing things down always helps a bit to declutter my mind and since I haven't been able to journal anymore this is my only daily journal #it works tho #anyway i am getting better now friday was the absolute worse and anything is better than that #plus the holidays are near and no matter how much i'll have to do I will take a week off #studyblr #studyinspo #journal #journaling #studying #productivity #calm hobbit winter #knife gang #mine #the---hermit #student life #uniblr #university

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mostlysignssomeportents · 8 months

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Biden should support the UAW

On September 22, I'm (virtually) presenting at the DIG Festival in Modena, Italy. That night, I'll be in person at LA's Book Soup for the launch of Justin C Key's "The World Wasn’t Ready for You." On September 27, I'll be at Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles with Brian Merchant for a joint launch for my new book The Internet Con and his new book, Blood in the Machine.

The UAW are on strike against the Big Three automakers. Biden should be roaring his full-throated support for the strike. Doing so would be both just and shrewd. But instead, the White House is waffling…and if recent history is any indication, they might actually come out against the strike.

The Biden administration is a mix of appointees from the party's left Sanders/Warren wing, and the corporatist, "Third Way" wing associated with Clinton and Obama, which has been ascendant since the Reagan years. The neoliberal wing presided over NAFTA, the foreclosure crisis, charter schools and the bailout for the bankers – but not the people. They voted for the war in Iraq, supported NSA mass-surveillance, failed to use their majorities to codify abortion rights, and waved through mega-merger after mega-merger.

By contrast, the left wing of the party has consistently fought monopoly, war, spying, privatized education and elite impunity – but forever in the shadow of the triangulation wing, who hate the left far more than they hate Republicans. But with the Sanders campaign, the party's left became a force that the party could no longer ignore.

That led to the Biden administration's chimeric approach to key personnel. On the one hand, you have key positions being filled by ghouls who cheered on mass foreclosures under Obama:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/06/personnel-are-policy/#janice-eberly

And on the other, you have shrewd tacticians who are revolutionizing labor law enforcement in America, delivering real, material benefits for American workers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/06/goons-ginks-and-company-finks/#if-blood-be-the-price-of-your-cursed-wealth

Progressives in the Biden administration have often delivered the goods, but they're all-too-often hamstrung by the corporate cheerleaders the party's right wing secured – think of Lina Khan losing her bid to block the Microsoft/Activision merger thanks to a Biden-appointed, big-money-loving judge:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/14/making-good-trouble/#the-peoples-champion

These self-immolating own-goals are especially visible when it comes to strikes. The Biden admin intervened to clobber railway workers, who were fighting some of the country's cruelest, most reckless monopolists, whose greed threatens the nation:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/11/dinah-wont-you-blow/#ecp

The White House didn't have the power to block the Teamsters threat of an historic strike against UPS, but it publicly sided with UPS bosses, fretting about "the economy" while the workers were trying to win a living wage and air conditioning for the roasting ovens they spend all day in.

Now, with the UAW on strike against the monopolistic auto-makers – who received repeated billions in public funds, gave their top execs massive raises, shipped jobs offshore, and used public money to lobby against transit and decarbonization – Biden is sitting on the sidelines, failing to champion the workers' cause.

Writing in his newsletter, labor reporter Hamilton Nolan makes the case that the White House should – must! – stand behind the autoworkers:

https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/whose-fault-is-it?

Nolan points out that workers who strike without the support of the government have historically lost their battles. When workers win labor fights, it's typically by first winning political ones, dragging the government to the table to back them. Biden's failure to support workers isn't "neutral" – it's siding with the bosses.

Today, union support is at historic highs not seen in generations. The hot labor summer wasn't a moment, it was a turning point. Backing labor isn't just the moral thing to do, it's also the right political move:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/14/prop-22-never-again/#norms-code-laws-markets

Biden is already partway there. He rejected the Clinton/Obama position that workers would have to vote for Democrats because "we are your only choice." Maybe he did that out of personal conviction, but it's also no longer politically possible for Democrats to turn out worker votes while screwing over workers.

The faux-populism of the Republicans' Trump wing has killed that strategy. As Naomi Klein writes in her new book Doppelganger, Steve Bannon's tactical genius is to zero in on the areas where Democrats have failed key blocks and offer faux-populist promises to deliver for those voters:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/05/not-that-naomi/#if-the-naomi-be-klein-youre-doing-just-fine

When Democrats fail to bat for workers, they don't just lose worker votes – they send voters to the Republicans. As Nolan writes, "working people know that the class war is real. They are living it. Make the Democratic Party the party that is theirs! Stop equivocating! Draw a line in the sand and stand on the right side of it and make that your message!"

The GOP and Democrats are "sorting themselves around the issue of inequality, because inequality is the issue that defines our time, and that fuels all the other issues that people perceive as a decline in the quality of their own lives." If the Democrats have a future, they need to be on the right side of that issue.

Biden should have allowed a railroad strike. He should have cheered the Teamsters. He should be on the side of the autoworkers. These aren't "isolated squabbles," they're "critical battles in the larger class war." Every union victory transfers funds from the ruling class to the working class, and erodes the power of the wealthy to corrupt our politics.

When Democrats have held legislative majorities, they've refused to use them to strengthen labor law to address inequality and the corruption it engenders. Striking workers are achieving the gains that Democrats couldn't or wouldn't take for themselves. As Nolan writes:

Democratic politicians should be sending the unions thank you notes when they undertake these hard strikes, because the unions are doing the work that the Democrats have failed to accomplish with legislation for the past half fucking century. Say thank you! Say you support the workers! They are striking because the one party that was responsible for ensuring that the rich didn’t take all the money away from the middle class has thoroughly and completely failed to do so.

Republican's can't win elections by fighting on the class war. Democrats should acknowledge that this is the defining issue of our day and lean into it.

Whose fault is a strike at the railroads, or at UPS, or in Hollywood, or at the auto companies? It is the fault of the greedy fuckers who took all the workers’ money for years and years. It is the fault of the executives and investors and corporate boards that treated the people who do the work like shit. When the workers, at great personal risk, strike to take back a measure of what is theirs, they are the right side. There is no winning the class war without accepting this premise.

Autoworkers' strikes have been rare for a half-century, but in their heyday, they Got Shit Done. Writing in The American Prospect, Harold Meyerson tells the tale of the 1945/46 GM strike:

https://prospect.org/labor/2023-09-18-uaw-strikes-built-american-middle-class/

In that strike, the UAW made history: they didn't just demand higher wages for workers, but they also demanded that GM finance these wages with lower profits, not higher prices. This demand was so popular that Harry Truman – hardly a socialist! – stepped in and demanded that GM turn over its books so he could determine whether they could afford to pay a living wage without hiking prices.

Truman released the figures proving that higher wages didn't have to come with higher prices. GM caved. Workers got their raise. Truman touched the "third rail of American capitalism" – co-determination, the idea that workers should have a say in how their employers ran their businesses.

Co-determination is common in other countries – notably Germany – but American capitalists are violently allergic to the idea. The GM strike of 45/6 didn't lead to co-determination, but it did effectively create the American middle-class. The UAW's contract included cost-of-living allowances, wage hikes that tracked gains in national productivity, health care and a defined-benefits pension.

These provisions were quickly replicated in contracts with other automakers, and then across the entire manufacturing sector. Non-union employers were pressured to match them in order to attract talent. The UAW strike of 45/6 set in motion the entire period of postwar prosperity.

As Meyerson points out, today's press coverage of the UAW strike of 2023 is full of hand-wringing about what a work-stoppage will do to the economy. This is short-sighted indeed: when the UAW prevails against the automakers, they will rescue both the economy and the Democratic party from the neo-feudal Gilded Age the country's ultrawealthy are creating around us:

https://doctorow.medium.com/the-end-of-the-road-to-serfdom-bfad6f3b35a9?sk=207d6afdb89b0351b92233cc3318ab94

There's a name for a political strategy that seeks to win votes by making voters' lives better – it's called "deliverism." It's the one thing the Trump Republican's won't and can't do – they can talk about bringing back jobs or making life better for American workers, but all they can deliver is cruelty to disfavored minorities and tax-breaks for the ultra-rich:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/10/thanks-obama/#triangulation

Deliverism is how the Democrats can win the commanding majorities to deliver the major transformations America and the world need to address the climate emergency and dismantle our new oligarchy. Letting the party's right wing dominate turns the Democrats into caffeine-free Republicans.

When the Dems allowed the Child Tax Credit to lapse – because Joe Manchin insisted that poor people would spend the money on drugs – they killed a program that had done more to lift Americans out of poverty than anything else. Today, American poverty is skyrocketing:

https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/4206837-poverty-made-an-alarming-jump-congress-could-have-stopped-it/

Four million children have fallen back into poverty since the Dems allowed the Child Tax Credit to lapse. The rate of child poverty in America has doubled over the past year.

The triangulators on the party's right insist that they are the adults in the room, realists who don't let sentiment interfere with good politics. They're lying. You don't get working parents to vote Democrat by letting their children starve.

America's workers can defeat its oligarchs. They did it before. Biden says he's a union man. It's time for him to prove it. He should be on TV every night, pounding a podium and demanding that the Big Three give in to their workers. If he doesn't, he's handing the country to Trump.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/18/co-determination/#now-make-me-do-it

#pluralistic #uaw #bidenomics #strikes #united autoworkers #labor #unions #union strong #evs #now make me do it #deliverism #democrats #hamilton nolan

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greenwitchcrafts · 6 months

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December 2023 witch guide

Full moon: December 26th

New moon: December 12th

Sabbats: Yule December 21st-January 1st

December Cold Moon

Known as: Drift Clearing Moon, Frost Exploding Tree Moon, Moon of the Popping Trees, Hoar Frost Moon, Snow Moon, Winter, Aerra Geola, Maker Moon, Heilagmanoth, Long Night's Moon, Oak Moon, Wintermonat, Moon of the Long Night, Little Spirit Moon, Wolf Moon & When the Deer Shed Their Antlers Moon

Element: Fire

Zodiac: Sagittarius & Capricorn

Nature spirits: Snow, Storm, & Winter Tree faeries

Deities: Athena, Fates, Hades, Hathor, Hecate, Ixchel, Minerva, Neith, Norns, Osiris & Persephone

Animals: Bear, deer, horse & mouse

Birds: Robin, rook & snowy owl

Trees: Fir, Holly & Pine

Herbs: Bay, cedar, chamomile, cinnamon, English ivy, evergreen, fir, frankincense, holly, mistletoe, myrrh, pine & sage

Flowers: Christmas catus, holly & poinsettia

Scents: Cedar, cinnamon, frankincense, ginger, lilac, myrrh, nutmeg, patchouli, pine, rose geranium, rosemary, saffron, violet & wintergreen

Stones: Bloodstone, blue topaz, cat's eye, garnet, jacinth, obsidian, peridot, turquoise, zircon, ruby & serpentine

Colors: Black, blood red, gold, green, red, silver, black & white

Energy: Alchemy, darkness, endurance, death & re-birth, higher education, publications, reaching out to others, religion, spiritual paths, travel & truth

Today, December’s full Moon is most commonly known as the Cold Moon—a Mohawk name that conveys the frigid conditions of this time of year, when cold weather truly begins to grip us.

This full Moon has also been called the Long Night Moon (Mohican), as it rises during the “longest” nights of the year, near the December winter solstice. This name is doubly fitting because December’s full Moon shines above the horizon for a more extended period than most full Moons.

In Europe, ancient pagans called the December full Moon the “Moon Before Yule,” in honor of the Yuletide festival celebrating the return of the sun heralded by winter solstice.

Yule

Also known as: Alban, Arthan & Winter Solstice

Season: Winter

Symbols: Baskets of clove studded fruit, Christmas catus, decorated evergreen trees, evergreen boughs, gifts, gold pillar candles, hung mistletoe, poinsettias, wreaths & Yule logs/small Yule log with three candles

Colors: Gold, green, orange, red, silver, white &yellow

Oils/incense: Bayberry, cedar, cinnamon, frankincense. Myrrh & pine

Animals: Bear, boar, deer (stag), pig, squirrel & tiger

Birds: Eagle, goose, kingfisher, lapwing, owl robin & wren

Stones: Bloodstone, garnet, ruby, alexandrite, blue topaz, cat's eye, citrine, clear quartz, diamond, emerald, green tourmaline, jet, kunzite & pearl

Foods: Caraway cakes, cookies, eggnog, fruits, ginger tea, nuts, pork, spiced cider, turkey, wassail & lamb's wool (ale, sugar, nutmeg & roasted apples)

Herbs/plants: Bay, bayberry, birch, blessed thistle, cedar, chestnut, cinnamon, evergreens, fir, frankincense, ginger, holly, ivy, juniper, mistletoe, moss, myrrh, oak, pine, rosemary, sage, valerian & yellow cedar

Flowers: Chamomile, poinsettia & yarrow

Goddesses: Alcyone, Aphrodite, Ameratasu, Bona Dea, Brighid, Cailleach Bheur, Demeter, Diana, Fortuna, Frau Holle, Frau Perchta, Frigga, Gaia, Hel, Great Mother, Idunn, Isis, Ishtar, Kolyada, La Befana, Maat & Tiamat

Gods: Apollo, Attis, Balder, Bragi, Dionysus, Divine Child, Green Man, Helios, Holly King, Horned one, Horus, Janus, Lord of Misrule, Lugh, Mabon, Marduk, Mithras, Odin, Ra, Saturn & Surya

Issues Intentions & Powers: Darkness, divination, light, messages/omens, purification, rebirth/renewal & transformation

Spellwork: Earth magick, happiness, harmony, love & peace

Activities:

• Set up & decorate a Yule altar

• Clean, organize & cleanse before decorating your home

• Make witch's balls to hang on your tree (protective & pretty!)

• Decorate & bless & Yule tree

• Stay awake until dawn to observe the cycles of nature

• Give gifts tomyour family & friends

• Donate your time or helpful items to charity

• Go caroling

• Hang mistletoe in your doorways

• Make Wassail

• Prepare a Yule Log

• Host a Yule feast

• Craft your own decorative wreath

• Decorate your house with Yule colored candles

• Welcome the Sun

• Go on nature walks & leave offerings to nature

• Meditate & reflect on the passing year

“Yule” comes from Old English geol, which shares a history with the equivalent word from Old Norse, jól. Both these words referred to a midwinter festival centered around the winter solstice, which traditionally marked the halfway point of the winter season. After the solstice—the shortest day of the year—the days again begin to grow longer, so it’s thought that Yule was a celebration of the re-appearance of the Sun &the fertile land’s rebirth.

The celebration of Yule is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. Ancient people were hunters & spent most of their time outdoors. The seasons & weather played a significant part in their lives. The customs and traditions associated with it vary widely.

Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the heathen Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht ("Mothers' Night")

Some believe it marks the rebirth of the Sun (the God) from the Earth (the Goddess) & the cold days of winter will soon begin to wane. The Goddess is seen in her virgin Maiden aspect

In towns and cities throughout Sweden during the Christmas season, large goats are constructed out of straw. It is thought that the tradition originated in ancient times, perhaps as a tribute to the god Thor, who was said to ride in a chariot pulled by goats. In Sweden the goat came to be associated with the Christmas celebration, and the Yule goat is now considered by many to be a companion or counterpart to Santa Claus.

Related festivals:

Christmas- An annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ as the son of God, primarily observed on December 25th

Hanukkah- A Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem & subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE.

Hanukkah is observed for eight nights & days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar. The festival is observed by lighting the candles of a candelabrum with nine branches, commonly called a menorah or hanukkiah.

Kwanzaa- An annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1st, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the sixth day. It was created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West & Southeast Africa. Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966.

A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge & the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance & finally, a feast of faith (Karamu Ya Imani).

Saturnalia-

is an ancient Roman festival and holiday in honour of the god Saturn, held on 17 December of the Julian calendar & later expanded with festivities through to 23 December. The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, in the Roman Forum & a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying & a carnival atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms: gambling was permitted & masters provided table service for their slaves as it was seen as a time of liberty for both slaves and freedmen alike.

A common custom was the election of a "King of the Saturnalia", who gave orders to people, which were followed & presided over the merrymaking. The gifts exchanged were usually gag gifts or small figurines made of wax or pottery known as sigillaria. The poet Catullus called it "the best of days".

Other celebrations:

Feast of Epona-

Eponalia is the feast day of Gaulish Goddess Epona, the Divine Mare & in the time of the Roman Empire it was celebrated on December 18th.

Epona is known to be one of a very few Gaulish deities whose names were spread to the rest of the Roman Empire. This seems to have happened because Roman cavalry units stationed in Gaul followed Her & adopted her as their Patroness. This may have started because many of the cavalry troops were conscripted from Gaul as they were superb horsemen. From Gaul the Romans took Epona with them including to Rome where She was given her own feast day on the 18 December. They worshipped her as Epona Augusta or Epona Regina & invoked her on behalf of the Emperor. She even had a shrine in the barracks of the Imperial Bodyguard.

Hunting of the Wren-

A traditional custom carried out on the Isle of Man on the 26 December, St. Stephen's Day. It consists of groups of people going around villages and towns singing and dancing a traditional song and dance around a decorated wren pole.

The earliest and most common folklore story accounting for the origin of hunt the wren tells of a fairy/enchantress/witch whose beauty lures the men of the Isle of Man to harm, for which she is chased and is changed into the form of a wren. It is therefore in punishment for her actions that the wren is hunted on St. Stephen's Day

Sources:

Farmersalmanac.com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Llewellyn's 2023 magical almanac: practical magic for everyday living

Wikipedia

Encyclopedia Britannica

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cablestwisted · 5 months

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The 2023 Fireworks - Ministry of Joy Retrospective

So this is a fun one... Aaand a good two months overdue, my apologies! I've been super caught up with life and it's taken over my ability to create, but I hope to be making more things in the new year.

The 2023 Fireworks were fascinating in many regards and I do hope to make a post hoping to cover some of the theories surrounding its lore, as while it wasn't as lore heavy as other years the implications and reinforcement of existing theories and lore points has me really intrigued. More and more I've been focusing on the lore of the entire park and I really should write more about it but for now this is just about the X-Sector segment of the 2023 fireworks!

Some Backstory

The Ministry of Joy truly had their claws in the 2023 season, because the 2023 fireworks had some truly fascinating lore tidbits about them that were a continuation from the Smiler Takeover event earlier in the season. The shadowy organisation, formerly lurking in the wings, has let themselves be a little more at the forefront in The Smiler's tenth year of operation.

I do adore the new lore additions despite being quiet on them. Far from being too gaudy as I initially feared, it really showed the sinister side of the Ministry while still keeping it quite lighthearted. But my opinion isn't what we're here for!

Wait, was that not The Smiler?

"Welcome advocates to the laughter laboratory! It's time to receive your daily dose of Ministry of Joy approved happiness. A whizzing, spinning, topsy turvy, rib-tickling test drive of your funny bone to make your senses soar!"

The 2023 Fireworks' X-Sector segment was run by the Ministry of Joy, rather than The Smiler! It's something we've seen before to an extent - with the 2022 Festival of Thrills Fireworks' Smiler segment being presented by the Ministry despite using The Smiler's music taste, but this year the music was hugely associated with the different facets of the MoJ.

It seems we're in a bit of a Thrills arc at the moment. Festival of Thrills has been going on for the past 2 years as a continuation of the Powers of the Towers arc that's currently ongoing, and over the course of the events we've seen a lot of new lore implementations and confirmations of fanon. It's certainly an interesting direction and I love the new emphasis on the groups of the park. If we're doing group things, Towers.. Can we bring Galactica as a whole and specifically the Galactanauts back? Rita's racing team maybe?

It's all Festival of Thrills, All the Way Down

The three segments of the X-Sector section of the Fireworks for 2023 was likely based on the three shows of Festival of Thrills.

youtube

Celebration of Happiness

youtube

The Fear Lab

youtube

and Meet The Ministry!

Overall the songs of the sections fit this theory very well. From celebratory and maybe a bit cheesy, straight into thrilling and dark, and finally to mysterious and a bit wacky. It encompasses the themes and motifs of the Ministry of Joy coherently, but also touches on the three shows specifically very nicely!

But it's not just that, there is.. Even more to this rabbit hole of a segment and I won't be able to commentate on all of it today so I'll leave it at just a few more points. This is a far cry from where we were even just four years ago, sitting on lore that hadn't been explored for far too long, and now we're even deeper into the veritable warren of untouched lore potential.

So.. About That Narrator.

This is a bit of a weird one and I'll admit that immediately. He speaks.. Strangely. It's as though he's upturning the ends of every word, creating an almost "uncanny valley" way of speaking, that speaks [no pun intended] to the nature of the Ministry of Joy. It's compelling, a jarring contrast to the narrator of the Katanga Canyon segment that came before it.

It sounds like this person is the voice of a Ministry of Joy announcement, maybe a start of day announcement, or something done intermittently within the facility to remind Advocates to Smile. Always. Certainly it's not the first evidence we'd have of this, looking back at Festival of Thrills.

It's nice to have some more information about life within the Ministry of Joy's main facility. I talked more about it in a post about Festival of Thrills in general, but I do need to talk even more about it because the entire event is again just.. Such a rabbit hole and I'm honoured to have been able to go so many times. Sidenote, I apologise for linking so many of my videos, but I did a lot of lore documentation work during the event that I'm super proud of and it's all on my youtube channel and some of it is very compelling, like the whole spider thing. I will write about that soon I promise.

All Good Things Must Come To An End..

This likely won't be the last post about the 2023 Fireworks nor indeed about the Ministry of Joy lore from the past year or so. There's a lot to cover, and while I've been covering a lot of it in my videos I definitely need to put more stock into writing down what I'm thinking and amending previous theories with current knowledge. Maintaining the Masterpost is a lot of work and it takes me many many hours every time I alter anything within it or even just add a new post. That said.. Happy holidays. I hope you have a good one, and I wish you all the best possible time.

Also.. There might be a meme video before the end of the year. Or several. You've been warned.

#alton towers #the smiler #the ministry of joy #another one for the masterpost #Youtube

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