Jensen & Danneel | Crossroads 6

@samanthajferris: And that’s a wrap on #crossroads6. Thanks Brighton, for having us. And thank you to the fans, the staff, and @starfuryevents for having us over for a great weekend. Love these people ❤️ @Juliemcniven @JensenAckles @DanneelHarris @LeahCairns @RuthieConnell @Mark_Sheppard #spn 🇬🇧 (x)

Love when my favorite actors are unproblematic. Makes me feel superior in a way

Dean Winchester x Reader - Prompt Response - "I hate you." "You have a weird way of showing that."

Summary: You and Dean refuse to speak to one another after an argument and Sam has finally had enough.

A/N: Prompt from @creativepromptsforwriting (#941). I loved writing this but I always love it when it comes to Dean. 😊 And of course, I couldn't resist when it came to Sam in the end. Brothers, gotta love 'em. ;)

Thank you to my beta @rieleatiel for her services. You rock, girl!

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female!Reader; Dean Winchester x Female!Huntress!Reader

Please do not do any of the above. Thank you for your understanding.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Warnings: mentions of implied sex

Word Count: 1449

Taglist: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187

Dean Taglist: @heartlessdelusions; @nancymcl; @brightlilith

Jensen Taglist: @samanddeaninatrenchcoat

"I hate you." "You have a weird way of showing that."

Soldier Boy version | Beau version | Jenny version | Jason version | Tom version | CJ version | Rachel version | Anael version | SDV Leah version | Alec version

Dean snuck a glance at you only to quickly look away when you looked up from your lore book. In return, you snuck a peek at him but pretended you were looking at something else when he lifted his head from one of the hunter’s journals he’d found in storage. 

Sam had watched this infuriating dance happen at least twelve times by now and it was getting on his last nerve. At first, he thought it was hopeful. Then heartbreaking. Now it was just damn aggravating, more so because he knew his older brother was being his usual stubborn self. All he needed to do was come out and apologize already, and Dean knew that yet still refused to budge an inch.

You and Dean had gotten into an argument during the last hunt. He’d been upset that you had taken on three vamps by yourself—something you had done back in your high school days, along with killing other creepy things that slithered out of the dark. You were perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, which you had proven multiple times, and you knew when to ask for help. Dean didn’t want to hear it, claiming you could have been killed had he and Sam not been close by. You both dug in your heels no matter what Sam said, and you two were still at an impasse, giving each other the silent treatment. Still, that didn’t stop the longing glances Dean gave you when you weren’t looking, or the sad looks you gave him when he was none the wiser. It was driving Sam nuts. He had never met two people who were so stubborn—aside from his parents, of course—and now that he thought about it, stubborn or not, you and Dean were well-suited for one another.

“You know,” Sam broke the silence. “At some point, you two are going to have to talk to each other again.”

Dean shot him a surreptitious glare. You had no problem offering a withering glare of your own.

“Look,” Sam continued. “Y/N is right, she can take care of herself and if she needs our help, she’ll say something.” At your triumphant smile, Dean’s gaze darkened.

“No one asked you to butt in, Sammy,” he warned.

Sam nearly rolled his eyes. “If I don’t, this won’t get resolved because you both are too hard-headed to make the first move. Y/N,” Your eyes darted over to him. “My idiot brother won’t say it but the reason he got upset is because he’s scared.”

Dean’s free hand clenched into a fist and he gave a subtle shake of his head. Sam ignored him and continued, “He’s scared something is going to happen to you and he won’t be there to stop it. That’s why he freaked out that night. He’s not trying to tell you what to do or be a controlling jerk. He just wants you to be safe, that’s all.”

You bit your lip and turned your attention to Dean, who suddenly seemed very interested in the book in his lap. “Is that true?”

After a moment, he ground out, “Yeah. It’s true.”

You stood up, letting the book in your own lap fall to the ground with a heavy thud, and made your way over to Dean. You ripped the book out of his hands, tossed it to the floor, ignored Sam’s irritation at your carelessness with such old tomes, and crawled into Dean’s lap, his hands instantly coming around you to support you. You wrapped your arms around his neck and leaned down to kiss him. You felt him immediately begin to relax under your touch and only when his lips were completely pliant and moving with yours did you pull back, staring into his green eyes.

“Why couldn’t you just tell me that?”

He slid his hand up your back and to your hair, tenderly rubbing the strands between his fingers. “I don’t know. I just… That vamp had you in a hold and it scared the crap out of me when I couldn’t reach you fast enough. What if he had gotten more of a drop on you? What if—”

You gently placed your fingers against his lips, stopping him from finishing that question. “He didn’t. I killed my first vamp at 12, took out my first nest when I was 16. Hunting’s in my blood just as much as it is yours. I know what I’m doing.” You ran your fingers through his hair reassuringly, scratching at his scalp, and watched him lean into the touch. “But if you want, we can talk about it. We’ll come up with a plan that makes you feel better and works for both of us. Okay?”

He gave you a dopey smile that melted your heart. The magic touch had worked; the tension from before had finally lifted. “Okay, baby. Sounds good to me.”

You kissed him again, this time with a little more passion. “You know what else sounds good?” You murmured to his lips when you both needed a breath.

Those green eyes you loved so much immediately lit with an all-too familiar fire. “Do tell.”

You leaned in and whispered your plan into his ear, making sure Sam wouldn’t overhear. By the time you pulled back, he was grinning like crazy. Clearing his throat, he helped you off of his lap and back onto your feet as you both turned to face Sam, a mischievous smirk fighting its way onto your face. You knew that would get him going.

“Actually, I just remembered I left the…stove on in the kitchen. And Y/N here has to go call Jody to…give her an update on the case and how it’s going.”

Sam gave you both a look; he wasn’t buying it. You turned and gave the same look to Dean. He really hadn’t come up with anything better than that? “I hate you.”

“You have a weird way of showing that,” he teased, subtly rubbing up against you and smirking. This man was so lucky you loved him.

You shook your head and looked away, your cheeks growing hot. The bastard was turning you on even more and he knew it. It’d been almost two weeks, the longest you’d gone without since — well, since meeting him.

Sam was the one to clear his throat this time. “Whatever. Happy you both are talking to one another again. Now, go do what you’re going to do but just not in front of me, please. Okay? And you’re welcome.”

Dean shot Sam a look but he was too happy to care what Sam was intimating about his being the one who settled things between the two of you. He gave his younger brother a wide smile. “If you need us, we’ll be…” He trailed off, gesturing to the hallway that led to the rooms.

“Oh my God,” you muttered in embarrassment as you grabbed his hand and pulled him after you.

“Oh, hey!” Sam yelled. “Keep out of my room this time, Dean. I mean it!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean called back.

You had just turned the corner when Dean immediately had you up against the wall, kissing you passionately and picking you up, prompting you to wrap your legs around his waist. When you pulled back for air, your brow furrowed in confusion at seeing Dean move past his door. “Dean,” you panted. “Where are you going? You just passed your room.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled.

“Okay, then where are you taking me?”

His smirk was so wicked you knew what the answer was before he said it. “Sammy’s room.”

“Dean, are you kidding me? No!”

“Relax, we won’t be in there long.”

“You know how upset he was last time and he just said—”

Dean came to a stop and kissed the crap out of you, effectively silencing you. You may have been a little dazed when he finally let you get some air. “He’s got the better bed and I want the very best for you, baby.” He then gave you a salacious smirk and leaned in. “Plus I know how much you love that headboard.”

He waggled his eyebrows at you as certain memories replayed in your mind. You were able to hold onto that headboard for a long time, it held you up well, and same for Dean…oh shit. Sorry, Sam.

“What are you waiting for?” You bit out impatiently, slipping your tongue into his mouth and swallowing his chuckle. As he walked you into Sam’s room, shutting and locking the door behind him, you made a mental note to later google the hell out of this headboard and find one for Dean’s bed.

A/N: Please let me know what you think. 😊

Celebrities

Week Ending January 29th, 2024

Ryan Gosling +2

Walker Scobell +2

David Tennant +2

Toby Stephens

Jim Henson

Margot Robbie +6

Michael Sheen +2

Leah Jeffries

Cary Elwes

Pedro Pascal -8

Jacob Elordi +2

Greta Gerwig

Neil Gaiman -3

Hugh Dancy

Virginia Kull

ND Stevenson

Mads Mikkelsen +1

Renee Rapp -4

Jensen Ackles

Zendaya

The number in italics indicates how many spots a name moved up or down from the previous week. Bolded names weren’t on the list last week.

Do the Howard pony lengths vary?

Oh my god yes. Thank you for this ask, I’ve been dying to talk about this and never got around to making a post on my own.

Here are some examples of different lengths we’ve seen, just including first covers and principals:

Pictured: Vicki Manser (2019, West End); Jennifer Caldwell (2019, UK Tour); Chelsea Dawson (2021, Aus Tour); Mallory Maedke (2021, Broadway); Tsemaye Bob-Egbe (2022, West End); Aryn Bohannon (2022, Boleyn Tour)

I mean. SO much variation there. Vicki and Jen’s are both very short and very thinned out nearer the end, with Vicki in particular having some layering. Chelsea’s initial wig was very short and curled but also much fuller. Mallory and Tsemaye both have a middle ground in terms of length, but Tsemaye had the killer braids. And Aryn’s is very, very long and very full.

They’ve definitely been shifting towards the longer, fuller ponytails across the board, but there’s still variance in length/fullness/layering. Here’s most of the current Howard wigs:

Pictured: Koko Basigara (22-23 WE), Rachel Rawlinson (21-23 WE), Leah Vassell (22-23 WE), Lou Henry (23-24 UKT); Shakira Simpson (23-24 UKT), Zoe Jensen (22-23 Bway), Holli' Conway (22-23 Bway), Aubrey Matalon (22-23 Bway); Courtney Mack (23 Aragon Tour); Erin Palmer Ramirez (22-23 Aragon Tour), Aline Mayagoitia (22-23 Boleyn Tour), Aryn Bohannon (22-23 Boleyn Tour); Tay Pearlstein (22-23 Boleyn Tour), Sarah McFarlane (Breakaway 5.0), Artemis Chrisoulakis (Bliss 5.0), Jillian Worthing (Bliss 5.0)

West End still has the most variance. Rachel has a very short wig, more in the line of Jennifer Caldwell’s alt wig, which I suspect is partially for versatility since she also uses it for Parr. UKT is more standardized in length but all the Howards are new so all their wigs were presumably made together. NCL generally has fairly short ponytails, at least relative to current UK/US mainland productions! Many of them seem to have been reused a few times now too. US leans towards longer ponys, but of course there's still variation in length. See: Holli' vs Aryn.

I almost got for about WIO, almost. I’ve been swamped with work but I cannot wait to see the next chapter and what you have for us! Last I heard, Jensen’s about to be fucked up, so hold onto your butts

Leah, Thanks for all your amazing work. You are truly talented and such a gem. We love and support you 🥰

Have a great night!!

I still working on chapter 11. I have a lunch to go to today but this afternoon I’ve set aside some time to work on it. I’m not sure when it’ll be out this week but I’m hoping for Wednesday xxx

Anytime someone calls me talented I wanna cry.

“It’s impossible to be in love with all the six queens’

The Six queens in question:

Megan Gilbert, Ashleigh Weir, Holly Musgrave, Oliver Wickham, Annabel Marlow, Shimali De Silva, Renee Lamb, Christina Modestou, Natalie Paris, Genesis Lynea, Aimie Atkinson, Izuka Hoyle, Jaye’J Richards-Noel, Millie O’Connell, Alexia McIntosh, Maiya Quansah-Breed, Grace Mouat, Vicki Manser, Courtney Stapleton, Adrianna Hicks, Andrea Macaseat, Abby Mueller, Brittney Mack, Samantha Pauly, Anna Uzele, Mallory Maedke, Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert, Courtney Mack, Shantel Cribbs, Courtney Bowman, Sophie Isaacs, Danielle Steers, Zara Macintosh, Cherelle Jay, Hana Stewart, Collette Guitart, Candace Furbert, Hazel Karooma-Brooker, Caitlin Tipping, Sophie Golden, Alicia Corrales-Connor, Viquichele Cross, Bryony Duncan, Natalie Pilkington, Lori McLare, Amy Bridges, Lauren Drew, Maddison Bulleyment, Lauren Byrne, Shekinah McFarlane, Jodie Steele, Athena Collins, Cassandra Lee, Jennifer Caldwell, Harriet Watson, Jasmine Shen, Kelly Sweeney, Jessica Niles, Georgia Carr, Amelia Walker, Liv Alexander, Elizabeth Walker, Maddison Firth, Laura Blair, Chloe Zuel, Kala Gare, Loren Hunter, Kiana Daniele, Courtney Monsma, Vidya Makan, Ella Burns, Karis Oka, Shannen Alyce-Quan, Jade Marvin, Lucy Aiston, Gabriella Stylianou-Burns, Scarlet Gabriel, Rebecca Wickes, Megan Leung, Sophie Rose Middleton, Abbi Hodgson, Kara Ami Mcraenor, Emily Harrigan, Gabrielle Smith, Melissa Ford, Kaylah Attard, Fia Houston-Hamilton, Rhiannon Bacchus, Rhiannon Doyle, Carly Mercedes Dyer, Elena Gyasi, Keirsten Hodgens, Artemis Chrisoulakis, Ellie Sharpe, Sadie Hurst, Melinda Porto, L’Oreal Roache, Wesley Carpenter, Maya Christian, Brianna Mooney, Meghan Dawson, Marilyn Caserta, Ashlee Waldbauer, Adrianna Glover, Alize Ke’Aloha Cruz, Kristina Walz, Amy Di Bartolomeo, Amanda Lindgren, Claudia Kariuki, Dionne Ward-Anderson, Tsemaye Bob-Egbe, Meesha Turner, Paisley Billings, Danielle Rose, Roxanne Couch, Esme Rothero, Rachel Rawlinson, Lauren Irving, Danielle Mendoza, Shelby Griswold, Kennedy Carstens, Abigail Sparrow, Jarynn Whitney, Madeline Fansler, Channing Weir, Princess Victomé, Sunayna Smith, Chloë Hart, Casey Al-Shaqsy, Aiesha Pease, Jaina Brock-Patel, Alana Robinson, Grace Melville, Leesa Tulley, Harriet Caplan-Dean, Khaila Wilcoxon, Storm Lever, Jasmine Forsberg, Olivia Donalson, Didi Romero, Gabriela Carrillo, Cassie Silva, Kelly Denice Taylor, Erin Ramirez, Kelsee Kimmel, Phoenix Mendoza, Chelsea Dawson, Chiara Assetta, Cristina D’Agostino, Joy Woods, Bre Jackson, Keri Rene Fuller, Brennyn Lark, Ayla Ciccone-Burton, Holli’ Conway, Brianna Javis, Gabbi Mack, Casey Esbin, Ellie Wyman, Sasha Renae Brown, Nicole Lamb, Aja Simone Baitey, Willow Dougherty, Kayla McSorely, Emily Rose Lyons, Chelsea Wargo, Hannah Taylor, Jessie Bodner, Jasmine Hackett, Janice Rijssel, Lucia Valentino, Elena Breschi, Meg Dixon-Brasil, Sarah McFarlane, Reca Oakley, Gerianne Perez, Zan Berube, Amina Faye, Terica Marie, Aline Mayagoitia, Sydney Parra, Jana Larell Glover, Taylor Pearlstein, Aryn Bohannon, Cecilia Snow, Rhianne Louise McCaulsky, Baylie Carson, Koko Basigara, Monique Ashe Palmer, Leah Vassell, Hailee Kaleem Wright, Leandra Ellis Gaston, Bella Coppola, Nasia Thomas, Zoe Jensen, Taylor Iman Jones, Aubrey Matalon, Kristina Leopold, Rae Davenport, Gianna Grosso, Kathryn Kilger, Bethany McDonald, Jillian Worthing, Haley Izurieta, Jasmine Smith, Lois Ellise Reeves, Alyssa Giannetti, Eden Holmes, Jaelle Laguerre, Kate Zulauf, Lee ARumSoul, Son Seungyeon Kim Ji Woo, Sophiya Pae, Park Hye-na, Park Ga-Ram, Kim Ji Sun, Choi Hyun-sun, Kim Ryeo Won, Heo Sol-ji, Yoo Ju-hye, Hong Ji Hee, Nicole Louise Lewis, Laura Dawn Pyatt, Erin Caldwell, Kenedy Small, Lou Henry, Aoife Haakenson, Ellie Jane Grant, Izi Maxwell, Tamara Morgan, Shakira Simpson, Fiorella Bamba, Lucinda Wilson, Caitlyn De Kuyper, Amanda Lee, Gabriella Boumford, Audrey Fisher, Brooke Aneece, Jaz Robinson, Julia Pulo, Maggie Lacasse, Krystal Hernández, Elysia Cruz, Lauren Mariasoosay, Julia McLellan, Darcy Stewart, Hailey Lewis

Peta Jensen August Ames Brooklyn Chase  Romi Rain Victoria June

Violet Myers

Armani Black

Katie morgan

Josephine jackson

Tru kait

Charly Summer

Simon kitty

Vanna Bardot

Scarlett Alexis

Victoria voxxx

Victoria june

Melody Marks

Dylan ryder

Ester Ana

Yanet garcia

Leah Gotti best

Anissa Kate

Ella knox

Scarlett Alexis

samantha saint ASHELY ADAMS

Jojo kiss vivian taylor

Madison ivy

JASMINA VEGA

Anya ivy

Jessa rohodes

Jessa rhodes

Kelsi monroe

Foxi di

London keyes

Horny Ana, anna rose

Viktória beatizen

Ella reese

Ariana marine

Keisha Grey

Jamie Michelin

Vanna bardot Lexi Stone

GIA PAIGE

Rissa may

Britney Amber

KATRINA JADE LuckyPlucky1

krissy lynn

AMY REID

Maddy may

Jasmine wilde

Nikole nash

Sisi rose

Rae lil black

Mia Melano

Kylie page

Jean van jean

Jaye summer

KEISHA GREY

Rissa may

Abigail Mack

Kaylani lei

Patty michova

Agatha Vega

Jessa Rhodes

KATANA KOMBAT

Riley evens

Dillion carter

FREYA PARKER

Performance Stats: 2022 (mainland edition)

Alright, it’s (no longer) that time of year again! Summary of all 2022 calendar year performances stats!! - This was a CRAZY year full of cross-production covers + emergency cover chaos so very fun to write up. It also made it a bit of a challenge with organization. If an actor was primarily with one production but served as an emergency cover for another, I listed them with their primary or initial production. - Yearly disclaimer that some errors and/or disparities could exist. - And as always, if you repost/use these stats anywhere, please credit me @sixcostumerefs (or six.costume.refs on Insta) And as always....a shoutout to Dionne Ward-Anderson, who featured in the largest number of performances this year, at a whopping 353 shows! Runner up is Andrea Macasaet at 327 shows, with Brittney Mack a very close third with 322! Most performing Aragon was Phoenix Jackson Mendoza (270), Seymour was Claudia Kariuki (293), Howard was Samantha Pauly (314.5), and Parr was Meesha Turner (267.5, but Alana Robinson was at 267). 2021-22 West End Amy di Bartolomeo: 242 performances Amanda Lindgren 255 performances Tsemaye Bob-Egbe: 233 performances Meesha Turner: 267.5 performances Paisley Billings: 114.5 performances (55 A, 44.5 C, 14 P) 2022-23 West End Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky: 81 performances Baylie Carson: 78 performances Koko Basigara: 65 performances Monique Ashe-Palmer: 14 performances (7 A, 1 B, 6 C) Leah Vassell: 40 performances (20 S, 1 C, 19 P) 2021-22 UK Tour Lauren Drew: 71 performances Maddison Bulleyment: 62 performances Caitlin Tipping: 68 performances Shekinah McFarlane: 60 performances Vicki Manser: 63 performances Elena Gyasi: 66 performances (61 regular prior to cast change + 5 emergency cover post-CC) Cassy Lee: 22 performances (8 A, 14 C) Cherelle Jay: 7 performances (1 B, 1 S, 2 C, 3 P) 2022-23 UK Tour Chloe Hart: 269 performances Casey Al-Shaqsy: 252 performances total (249 on UKT + 3 as E/C for WE) Aiesha Pease: 7 performances Jessica Niles: 237-245 performances total (19-27 performances with Breakaway 2.0, 218 performances with UKT) Jaina Brock-Patel: 110 performances Rebecca Wickes: 72 performances Alana M Robinson: 267 performances Harriet Caplan-Dean: 72 performances (10 A, 9 B, 13 S, 7 C, 18 H, 15 P) Grace Melville: 153 performances total w/ 151 performances on UKT (55 A, 4 B, 91 C with 60 of those performances as T/R, 1 P) + 2 as E/C for WE (2 C) Leesa Tulley: 186 performances (1 A, 35 B, 11 S, 137 H with 57 of those performances as T/R, 2 P) 2021-22 Broadway (+ Aug replacements) Adrianna Hicks: 202 performances Bre Jackson: 123 performances (two of these were half shows) Andrea Macasaet: 327 performances Abby Mueller: 117 performances Keri Rene Fuller: 183 performances (59 as T/R, 1 as early debut, the rest as principal) Brittney Mack: 322 performances Samantha Pauly: 314.5 performances Anna Uzele: 97 performances Joy Woods: 146 performances Brennyn Lark: 85 performances Mallory Maedke: 67.5 performances (16.5 A, 47 S, 4 H) Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert: 95 performances (39 A, 26 B, 30 C; two A were half-shows) Courtney Mack: 99.5 performances (25 B, 57.5 H, 17 P) Keirsten Hodgens: 107 performances total. 104 on Bway + 3 as emergency cover for Aragon Tour (Bway was 33 S, 25 C, 46 P; Tour was 3 C). Ayla Ciccone-Burton: 20 performances total. 12 pre-CC + 8 post-CC (pre-CC was 2 B, 3 C, 7 P; post-CC was 2 B, 3 C, 3 P) Holli’ Conway: 18 performances total. 9 pre-CC + 9 post-CC (pre-CC 3 C, 6 H; post-CC 5 A, 4 H) Hana Stewart: 2 performances (1 A, 1 P) 2022-23 Broadway Hailee Kaleem Wright: 27 performances Leandra Ellis-Gaston: 30 performances Bella Coppola: 30 performances Nasia Thomas: 29 performances Zoe Jensen: 19 performances Taylor Iman Jones: 29 performances Kristina Leopold: 2 performances (all as S) Aubrey Matalon: 9 performances (all as H) Aragon Tour Khaila Wilcoxon: 258 performances Storm Lever: 267 performances Jasmine Forsberg: 267 performances Olivia Donalson: 263 performances Didi Romero: 261 performances Gabriela Francesca Carrillo: 257 performances Cassie Silva: 41 performances total. 4 with Broadway + 37 with Aragon Tour (Broadway 3 B, 1 H; Aragon Tour 10 B, 13 C, 14 H) Kelly Denice Taylor: 29 performances total. 3 with Boy + 26 with Aragon Tour (Bway 3 S; Aragon Tour was 12 A, 7 S, 7 C) Kelsey Kimmel: 43 performances (16 A, 12 S, 15 P) Erin Ramirez: 34 performances (9 B, 11 H, 14 P) Boleyn Tour Gerianne Perez: 95 performances Zan Berube: 96 performances Amina Faye: 89 performances Terica Marie: 93 performances Aline Mayagoitia: 91 performances Sydney Parra: 96 performances Cecilia Snow: 18 performances (4 A, 11 S, 3 C) Tay Pearlstein: 13 performances (5 B, 7 H, 1 P) Jana Larell Glover: 20 performances (5 A, 8 C, 7 P) Aryn Bohannon: 13 performances (3 B, 4 S, 6 H) Australia Tour Phoenix Jackson Mendoza: 270 performances Kala Gare: 283 performances Loren Hunter: 291 performances Kiana Daniele: 269 performances Chelsea Dawson: 267 performances Video Makan: 254.5 performances Karis Oka: 137 performances (13 A, 28 B, 1 S, 26 C, 38 H, 31 P) Shannen Alyce Quan: 86 performances (9 A, 14 B, 30 S, 2 C, 6 H, 25 P) Chiara Assetta: 93 performances (29.5 A, 3 B, 3 S, 32 C, 18 H, 6.5 P) Cristina D’Agostino: 7 performances (all as P) Madeline Fansler: performances (with Breakaway 3.0: . 16 with Aus Tour: 7 A, 4 S, 5 P) Actors who primarily continued with their initial productions: Claudia Kariuki: 293 performances - 231 pre-CC - 62 post-CC Dionne Ward-Anderson: 353 performances - 269 pre-CC - 84 post-CC Roxanne Couch: 178 performances - Totalling 1 A, 5 B, 61 S, 13 H, 98 P - 122 pre-CC (1 A, 5 B, 61 S, 13 H, 42 P; two of the P were half performances) - 56 post-CC as principal Parr Rachel Rawlinson: 166 performances - Totalling 44 A, 13 B, 51 S, 29 C, 16 H, 13 P - 142 pre-CC (40 A, 12 B, 37 S, 29 C, 13 H, 11 P; 1 C + 1 S were mid-show swing-ons) - 24 post-CC (4 A, 1 B, 14 S, 3 H, 2 P) Esme Rothero: 153 performances - Totalling 19 A, 32 B, 19 S, 16 C, 27 H, 40 P - 129 pre-CC (17 A, 31 B, 19 S, 16 C, 19 H, 27 P) - 24 post-CC (2 A, 1 B, 8 H, 13 P) Danielle Rose: 192 performances - 152 pre-CC (6 A, 51 B, 4 S, 3 C, 87 H, 1 P) - 40 post-CC (15 B, 21 H, 4 P) Jennifer Caldwell: 289 performances total - Totalling 296 as B, 11 H, 3 P - 21 pre-CC as alt (7 B, 11 H, 3 P) - 287 post-CC as principal Boleyn - 2 as E/C Boleyn for West End Natalie Pilkington: 142 performances total - Totalling 8 A, 3 B, 65 S, 12 C, 2 H, 52 P - 130 performances with 22-23 UKT (2 A, 3 B, 64 S, 12 C, 1 H, 48 P) - 3 performances w 21-22 UKT (1 A, 1 H, 1 P) - 9 performances as E/C for WE (5 A, 1 S, 3 P) Standby swings: Harriet Watson: 78 performances total - Totalling 2 A, 19 B, 21 S, 14 C, 6 H, 14 P - 42 performances as alt for the 21-22 UKT (10 B, 11 S, 4 C, 5 H, 12 P) - 3 performances as E/C on the UKT (3 C) - 17 performances as E/C for the WE (6 B, 6 S, 2 C, 1 P) - 6 performances as standby swing for 21-22 WE (2 B, 3 S, 1 H) - 10 performances as standby swing for 22-23 WE (2 A, 1 B, 1 S, 5 C, 1 P) Marilyn Caserta: 5-7 performances total - all as Aragon - 2-4 Bliss 3.0 (all as A) - 3 Bway (all E/C as A) Emergency Covers Courtney Bowman: 1 performance (WE)

@samanthajferris: And that’s a wrap on #crossroads6. Thanks Brighton, for having us. And thank you to the fans, the staff, and @starfuryevents for having us over for a great weekend. Love these people . @Juliemcniven @JensenAckles @DanneelHarris @LeahCairns @RuthieConnell @Mark_Sheppard #spn 

It was (mostly) quiet on the Nancy Drew set this week. Could it be it that much of what they filmed was super spoilery? Friday especially was quiet with many ppl (Maddison, Leah, Riley, Michael Sangalang) enjoying offset activities. As always, I hope for a Nace-centric scene being shot (closed set would be even better!)!!

UPDATE: Of course right after I posted this blog there was a fab set photo posted by Maddison featuring an adorable Tunji and Leah. Love Tunji’s expression at Leah’s antics, it’s so Nick and George.

There were a few more tidbits throughout the week, especially from the crew, so as promised I’m sharing them here in case you missed them.

Our favorite DP Nick Thomas shared some more beautiful photos from the (you guessed it) woods set this week in his stories. This one in particular gives a glimpse of some of the cast if you squint real hard (bottom right corner).

AD Michael Sangalang and Steadicam operator Shaoyun Wang each posted set pics hinting at a university setting. George’s school, perhaps? And yes, I looked up Clifton University and couldn’t find one in Vancouver or Maine so have concluded it’s a fictitious name (I know, I’m obsessive). Pretty sure this is for Ep. 5.

Everyone’s favorite ND director, Larry Teng, is in town to prep for directing Episode 6 (he’s also directing Ep. 8). He gave the first of what I hope is many hints and BTS content on Twitter. Here’s hoping he’s talking about the big curse breaking episode!

On the cast front, we saw Maddison with gorgeous new highlights, and Kennedy (the best show lead ever) sharing fan art and giving us a glimpse of an Ep. 5 fit (I’m thinking this brown cardigan and matching scarf go under the blazer we saw in last Friday’s woodsy shenanigans). Kennedy’s dad posted a cute family pic, and Kennedy shared another musical hint about the state of Nace from Leah in the form of singer Jensen McRae, and then fangirled when Jensen responded. Celebrities, they’re fans, too!

I have to mention Leah Lewis’s appearance at Disney’s D23 on Friday and the announcement that she is STARRING in Pixar’s Elemental! She’s plays a fiery character named Ember, so apt. So happy for her, well deserved!!

On the ND fan fic front, I’m not publishing a new chapter of The Space Between this week. I am usually ahead 1-2 chapters but I managed to catch up and needed a little more time to get Chapter 7 right. It’s in a great place now (hint - Nancy and Ace are testing a loophole with the curse and it’s 🔥), so look for it next week. Chapter 1-6 are up if you haven’t read it or need to catch up.

In the meantime, I HIGHLY recommend LikesToSolveThePuzzle’s latest VERY NSFW chapter of The Interrogation Game. It’s insanely hot, takes place on a plane where Nancy and Ace are NOT happy with each other 🥵, and features a cameo from Tamura. I won’t say anymore but I promise it’s worth the read!!

Bye for now and thanks for reading! Let me know your favorite fanfic so I can feature it here in future!

playlist concept: missing your toxic girl best friend who you hate but might have been slightly in love with

ohh there's alot going on here there's layers. i already have a lot of homoerotic friendship songs in my collection, of course (im not an amateur) but not many re: toxicity and hatred and resentment. i did try my best to convey everything tho!

immune - jensen mcrae dress up in you - belle and sebastian old friend - mitski leah - seeing double supercut - lorde tangerine - glass animals πάτσι - παιδί τραύμα ft. sophie lies doll parts - hole hot & heavy - lucy dacus jane cum - japanese breakfast my dearest friend and enemy - tamino

listen here!

send me a concept and get a playlist!

Reservas FC

Lista actualizada: (23.08.23)

Aaron Taylor Johnson por Thistle

Adria Arjona por Winter

Alex Høgh Andersen por Boss

Ana de Armas por Rapunzel

Anya Chalotra por cactus

Brat Pitt por Wipper

Charlie Hunnam por Monks

Daisy Edgar-Jones por Muse

Drew Starkey por Bellatrix

Elizabeth Olsen por Morticia

Emilia Clarke por Sunfyre

Freddie Highmore por Leah

Gal Gadot por Artemisa

Guy Pearce por Leay

Henry Cavil por Mist

Jeffrey Dean Morgan por Lego

Jensen Ackles por Hunter

Jess Bush por Eowyn

Katheryn Winnick por Cate

Kim Tae Hyung por Moon

Kristine Froseth por Dana

Lana del Rey por Morticia

Lana Parrilla por VD

Lily Collins por Mist

Margot Robbie por Freddy

Nina Dobrev por Queen

Pedro Pascal por Reckless

Phoebe Tonkin por Nina

Sophie Skelton por Hostess

Sydney Sweeney por Bellatrix

Taron Egerton por Kattar

Tom Hardy por Leviatán

Travis Fimmel por Arsénico

Victoria Pedretti por Rapunzel

Zoe Saldana por coffe

Soldier Boy x Reader - Prompt Response - "I hate you." "You have a weird way of showing that."

Summary: You're pissed that he put himself at risk yet again.

A/N: Prompt from @creativepromptsforwriting (#941). This was too much fun to play with. Soldier Boy is something, that's for sure lol. Hope this is alright.

Thank you to my beta @rieleatiel for her services. You rock, girl!

Pairing: Soldier Boy x Female!Reader; Soldier Boy x Female!Supe!Reader

Warnings: mentions of violence; mentions of sex; implied sex; Soldier Boy being himself; language (I guess?)

Word Count: 1881

Please do not do any of the above. Thank you for your understanding.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Taglist: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187

SB Taglist: @heartlessdelusions; @nancymcl; @brightlilith

Jensen Taglist: @samanddeaninatrenchcoat

"I hate you." "You have a weird way of showing that."

Beau version | Dean version | Jenny version | Jason version | Tom version | CJ version | Rachel version | Anael version | SDV Leah version | Alec version

You stormed into the suite you and Soldier Boy shared in Vought Tower. The supe strolled in after you, a scowl on his face as he shut the door behind him.

You waved around your hand and suddenly, a glass flew out of the cabinet, landing on the counter. A bottle of the finest whiskey you owned made its way from the bar as ice cubes from the fridge settled softly into the glass. Once the whiskey was poured and the bottle was safely settled beside it, you held out your hand and the drink slowly fit itself into your palm. You took a sip, letting the liquid travel down to the pit of your stomach, and relished the fire it stoked; it was a fire that had already started during your mission.

“Got one of those for me, doll?”

You scoffed and walked away from the kitchen—away from him. “You’ve got working limbs. Use them and make it yourself.” You didn’t need to turn around to know that that response pissed him off. Well, too damn bad; you were pissed as well.

You headed into the bedroom and, heaving a deep breath, you began to take off your gear. Soldier Boy came in behind you, but you refused to turn around.

“Come on, you’re making a big deal over nothing.”

“Nothing?” You spun on your heel, glaring at him. “You could have been killed, Ben!”

He was glaring right back at you. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t. I did what I had to do to take that fascist fuck down.” 

You let out a frustrated huff as you slammed your gloves down onto the dresser next to you. “You are the most stubborn, pig-headed jackass I’ve ever met! You just refuse to hear what I’m saying to you!”

Hands grabbed onto your hips and spun you around, bringing you face to face with a very turned on Ben. Of course. You knew he loved it when you would get angry since he could “fuck it right out of you,” as he’d once told you when you’d asked why he enjoyed riling you up so much. “Best fucking ride I get to take,” were his exact words. He’d given you a salacious grin and then that deep laugh when you’d smacked his bare shoulder. The action didn’t, and wouldn’t, hurt him in the slightest; in fact, he’d pulled you closer and you had taken the opportunity to run your fingers through his sweaty locks.

Ben leaned in to kiss you, thinking things were about to pop off once again (he was pretty sure he’d never seen you this pissed off before and he wanted to skip the yelling altogether, get right to the fun part), but you prevented him from doing so. The impatient frown you’d expected was in place and you cupped his cheeks to meet his eyes. He knew this was a sign that you wanted him to really listen to you.

“Ben, you can’t keep doing things like this,” you told him in a softer tone but laced with as much firmness as before. “You’re not invincible, you know that.”

His lips lifted up into a smirk. “Pretty damn close, though.”

You let out a sigh of frustration and decided you’d had enough. A bluish white haze came over your vision and you saw Ben’s eyes widen as your palms began to glow. You showed him your perspective of the day’s events: how you’d watched the missile launched by the townspeople, heading straight towards the building he was in; how you’d been unable to stop it but still slowed it down enough so that more people could get out of there; how everyone had been clear except him and the asshole dictator and their regime that he’d been ordered to kill; how you’d screamed for him to get clear because you couldn’t hold it back much longer; how you’d finally collapsed because you had no juice left, only able to helplessly watch as the weapon slammed into the building. You let him feel your heartbreak, your grief, your pain from thinking he was dead. And then you shared with him the massive relief you felt once he managed to dig his way out, dirty but unscathed nonetheless—and then your anger once he told you he’d heard you yell for him but he had to take down the dictator. He chose to stay inside, knowing he could very well die, and he was okay with that. He simply snorted at the idea that he should run for cover, for safety, and that enraged you.

You ended this viewing with memories you swore you’d never show him (but would if that’s what it took to get your point across). You both watched as you first met—your apparent disgust towards him; your perception of him changing over time; the first time you’d let him into your bed, how you two grew closer; the look on his face when you demanded exclusivity or you’d walk after you’d found him with a receptionist from the 28th floor willingly on her knees; the contentment you felt being partners with him both inside the job and out of it; your worry for him each time he separated from you on a mission; the threats you’d made to Stan Edgar if he ever tried to have another Nicaragua happen again and the hell you’d unleash if he did; the tenderness you watched him with as he slept after having more nightmares; your compassion for him the one time he’d mentioned his father to you; the enjoyment of spending time with him watching things from the past and watching him laugh or enthusiastically tell you about that time, and finally, the kicker — the love you’d started to feel for him. You moved your hands away, the glow disappearing as did your haze, and you turned away from him. You hadn’t meant to show him that last part or let him in that deeply. You had been waiting for the right time, which you were pretty sure would be never, but when your emotions ran high like they did today, it was harder to keep everything behind the wall you usually kept in place.

Instead, you quietly cleared your throat and decided to act as if he hadn’t just heard those last thoughts. “You get it now? How dangerous that was? How dangerous it is every time you do some stupid crap like that?”

He gripped your chin and forced you to meet his gaze again. 

“Ben, you can’t keep—”

He cut you off by leaning in and kissing you. Instead of turning it dirty like he usually did or ramping it up, he pulled back after a minute and stared into your eyes. “I do, too, you know,” he murmured.

You were afraid to ask. Still, you had to know. “Yeah?”

He ran his thumb tenderly over your bottom lip. “Yeah.” You studied him as he studied you in return. For once, you didn’t see any hint of amusement, bullshit, or even lust. He was telling you the truth.

You lifted a hand to run your fingers through his hair, which made him shut his eyes halfway; you knew he liked it when you did that. “Then you can’t keep doing things like this.” You wrapped your arms around his neck and he lowered his forehead onto yours. “I thought you were dead today,” you let out in a broken whisper. He had really scared the shit out of you… You had been beyond devastated for those few minutes.

“I’m right here in front of you, sweetheart,” he reassured you, giving you a sweet smile that you only saw when it was just the two of you. 

“But what if—”

“I’ll be more careful from now on,” he promised, kissing you once more. He then grinned wolfishly. “So, do those magic hands of yours work both ways?”   

You knew they did but you’d never told him that. He’d only seen you use them to insert images sometimes into your targets to paralyze them or make them vulnerable, but you’d never actually used them on him before. “They can,” you answered carefully. “But I don’t usually do that. I don’t like reading someone’s thoughts without their consent.”

“So all this time we’ve been rolling around, you’ve never once tuned in?”

“No,” you insisted, offended and moving away from him. “I can only imagine the jizz-soaked apocalyptic ride through unforgettable hell that would be. There probably isn’t enough alcohol in the world to try and wipe those memories from my mind.”

He caught your wrist and gently placed your hand against his bearded cheek. “Read mine now.”

“Ben,” you pleaded. “Please don’t make—”

“Trust me.” He leaned in closer. “Read ‘em.”

You weren’t sure you wouldn’t be retching after this. He’d literally just learned you loved him and he implied he felt the same, so if he showed you the highlights of his glory days, you swore you’d nut punch him after you got sick and then force him to relive your own highlights and how much you very much still enjoyed those from time to time. Usually, of course, when you were alone in the shower.

You took a deep breath and opened the connection. You were suddenly flooded with images of your greatest hits: him going to town on you and being merciless, making you cry out his name in passion; the furniture you’d broken during your escapades and the walls you’d cracked, even one floor you’d broken through (right into the middle of a table being used for a board meeting but that didn’t stop either of you—if anything, Ben enjoyed everyone watching him give it to you and making you almost feral in chasing your high); you taking charge and putting him on his back, your eyes having a bluish white glow as you smirked wickedly down at him before taking what was yours and truthfully had been yours since you’d said you wanted him all to yourself. You could hear your cries and moans echoing in your ears along with his grunts and yells and dirty talk you both loved. You could hear other sounds too—sounds that made your cheeks warm—and you could feel the lust and heat rising within you as that same bluish white haze settled upon your vision.

You suddenly broke the connection. His brow furrowed in confusion before you growled out, “Suit off. Now.”

His typical smirk returned as he began to undo his chest plate.

“Not fast enough.” You waved your hand and Ben’s suit undid itself at the same time yours did. The shield planted itself in the corner where it usually sat while the clothes situated themselves beside it. Both of you were stark naked but that wasn’t enough. You flicked a finger and Ben was immediately shoved back onto the bed, right where you wanted him. You clambered up on top of him and positioned yourself, his hands on your hips to help you, when you leaned down to look into his eyes.

“I hate you.”

His grin was wide, knowing you definitely didn’t mean it. “You have a weird way of showing that.”

You snorted and kissed him, taking what you now knew was undoubtedly yours.

A/N: Please let me know what you think. 😊

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers

Gabriel Knight: Sins of The Fathers is a classic point-and-click adventure game, written and designed by Jane Jensen. It was first released in 1993 by Sierra as both studio and publisher. In 2014 it got a remake led by Jensen and her development studio Pinkerton Road.

It’s a mystery-horror story, featuring a failed writer and used bookstore owner named Gabriel Knight in New Orleans. He gets interested in “The Voodoo murders”, a series of killings with a Voodoo aspect and decides to solve them. And soon he gets entangled in a complex plot involving cults, a conspiracy and his own family heritage as a “Schattenjäger”.

The gameplay is fairly typical of early 90s point-and-clicks, complete with having to choose between verb commands and all. There is even a score of points you get, including for optional actions. There is as you might expect a fair bit of pixel-hunting, there is no indication when your cursor is over a hotspot. Although the puzzles are mostly sensible. There are some unwinnable states, but way less than is typical of earlier Sierra titles. From reading online, I think it’s only in the final chapter where you really can easily screw yourself. Which again is much better than most earlier Sierra titles, which often seemed to be striving for arcane ways to fuck over the player.

So it’s fairly reasonable by Sierra standards, but the original game is still frustrating at times. I actually started playing the original, but after a few chapters/days I decided to switch over to the remake. And that was solely because of the pixel-hunting. The remake fixes it by having a “highlight all interactable hotspots by pressing the spacebar” feature which is common in modern adventure games, and it is common for a reason. It makes the experience of playing the game so much more less frustrating by removing the pixel-hunting. The remake also has other improvements. The remakes simplified the verb commands, so clicking on a thing brings up a menu with what you can do with the thing. And there is even a built-in hint system, so you don’t even have to go to UHS if you get stuck.

So if you have less patience for the faults of early 90s adventure game design, the remake is definitely the way to go.

It’s a bit of a pity, because I do prefer the presentation of the original. The pixel art is excellently made and at this point look charmingly retro rather than aged. This kind of pixel artstyle is so often used in modern adventure games like the Blackwell games that the original Gabriel Knight don’t even look old at this point.

The remake’s graphics in comparison has lost some of the charm and atmosphere of the original. Not to be too harsh on the remake, which actually looks good overall. The 2d backgrounds are gorgeously detailed. And I appreciate the overall aesthetic which feels inspired by mid to late 00s adventure games that I have a soft spot for, like Lost Horizon. But like Lost Horizon, the 3d character models are the weakest point of the game’s aesthetic. They look kinda rough yet don’t have the charm of the original’s sprites.

The remake also by necessity replaced the voice actors, which is a shame, because the original had great voice casting. It had an unusually starry cast for a video game in 1993. Tim Curry as Gabriel (doing a charming but dubious Louisana accent), Mark Hamill as Gabriel’s cop friend detective Mosely, a pre-fame Leah Remini as Gabriel’s shop assistant Grace and Michael Dorn as Dr. John. And the stars actually deliver, especially as Curry and Hamill are not just live-action movie actors but have extensive voice acting experience. Also I must single out Virginia Capers as the narrator for praise. She does most of the game’s descriptions and she is great at it and makes this game stand out.

The voice cast of the remake lack all these starry names. They are fine, but its obviously a step-down. After playing both the original and the remake, it’s obvious that most of the remake’s actors just imitate the original voice performances. They are good at doing it, but it naturally makes their performances seem like just shadows of the original.

The music is still great though. Robert Holmes did the music for both the original and the remake, and both soundtracks are great. Holmes did some great music for the original, and those tunes are still great in the remake.

So the remake is a mixed bag compared to the original. The gameplay is better than the original, while the presentation is inferior. I have played this game twice for that reason, first finishing the remake and then finishing my playthrough of the original.

The story is basically the same in both games, right down to the majority of the dialogue. And I think it is pretty great. It’s well-written, unfolding a complex mystery plot in a way that keeps up the suspense. The story just plain appeals to my aesthetic preferences, I love occult detectives investigating gory murders with a supernatural connection.

While there is humour, it’s primarily a dark and serious story. And that probably made it stand out in the adventure game genre of the time. Like the majority of previous titles from both Sierra and Lucasarts were primarily humorous. There were exceptions like Loom and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis but King’s Quest and Monkey Island did set the tone in 1993. Gabriel Knight however was a serious thriller, and had voice acting from major names. I can see why this game made such an impact, there was almost nothing like it. And you can see its influence in later adventure games like Broken Sword.

I have mixed feelings about Gabriel as a character. He walks a very fine line with how he is written, as this womanizer who is ultimately a loveable rogue, hiding a heart of gold beneath a bastard exterior. There is a character development arc to Gabriel, as he genuinely falls in love with Malia Gedde and strives to uphold his family legacy of being a heroic “schattenjäger” who battles supernatural evil. And he is called out on his womanizing and sexist ways during that process. Gabriel’s arc is ultimately this fantasy of the handsome bad boy womanizer falling in love and becoming a better person.

But there is a fine line between writing a bad boy and a creep, and the writing does step over it with his dialogue with Grace. He makes repeated flirty comments to her, despite she being his employee and her voicing her disgust repeatedly. It’s basically verbal sexual harassment. And it’s something the game expects us to be okay with, because it writes Gabriel as never crossing the line of (physical) sexual consent and because Grace is a strong woman who throws Gabriel’s shit back at him and is mostly annoyed at it.

I didn’t hate Gabriel and even enjoyed most of his writing. I get the intent with him and most of the writing for him works to fulfil that. But his banter with Grace is a major misjudgement, redeemed by Grace being such a great and likeable character.

On the subject of problematic things, I’m also a bit dubious about what the game is trying to say regarding race and colonialism. I think it tries to be more progressive than earlier stories dealing with these tropes, but ends up affirming the racism of such stories in a serious way. But it’s difficult to talk about without spoilers, and I think this game does such a good job of slowly revealing its mystery plot that you should experience it for yourself. I’m going to put some spoilery story thoughts beneath a read-more.

Ultimately I enjoyed the game a lot. You should play it, especially if you love a good occult horror murder mystery and point-and-click adventure games. If you have a high enough tolerance for old adventure game nonsense like pixel-hunting to see the game’s good side, you should play the original. The great pixel art and voice acting of the original are probably the best way to enjoy the story. The remake’s presentation is not bad however, just inferior to the original, and there are some massive gameplay improvements that makes it the far more user-friendly version.

Spoilery thoughts beneath the cut

Again, I have to reiterate how much I loved GK1’s story. An occult detective, bookshops and libraries, evil cults, supernatural evil, conspiracies, gory murders. There is even a German castle with hidden rooms and an adventure to an African temple with living mummy/zombies that rip your heart out. I love this shit, especially as part of a well-written mystery plot as GK1 is.

The racial themes are uncomfortable at best though. The villains is a voodoo cult basically, who practices human sacrifice and organized crime. It’s a portrayal of black religious practices of African origin like Vodun and voodoo as evil and “savage”. Like there is no other word for it, the cult practices human and animal sacrifice and has wild half-naked dances wearing animal skins and masks around bonfires. The leaders of the cult, Malia Gedde and Dr John are black, and they are the only black characters of any importance. The association of them also doing organized crime is icing on the cake. The cult is also portrayed as a conspiracy that controls New Orleans, including the police. So there are elements of the “reverse colonialization” fantasy going on, where those subjugated by European colonialism have used supernatural means to in turn control Europeans.

And the cult is literally fuelled by revenge for the African slave trade, at least partially. Not just because voodoo has partial African origins, but because the leading force is the loa Tetelo. She is the vengeful evil spirit of an enslaved black woman who died three hundred years ago. She once led the voodoo cult and murdered the slavers on the slave ship that brought her to America. Tetelo has regularly possessed her female descendants ever since and now possesses Malia during the cult’s rituals.

Tetelo descendants the Gedde family have immense magical power due to Tetelo taking a magical talisman from Günter that was the source of the Ritter family’s magical power. They have used this magical power to become rich and influential. So the story is very much a case of reverse colonialism. Grace even suggests in the original game’s ending that the Geddes caused the slave revolt in Haiti, which is so tasteless that it reminds me of the animated Anastasia and its portrayal of the Russian revolution.

The cult does try to sacrifice a damsel in distress in the game’s finale of course. She is not white at least, but the Japanese-American Grace Nakimura. But still, the game’s story is a full-on dive into pop cultural tropes about evil non-white cults.

Still, I don’t think Jane Jensen intended to write a racist text. Like the game does discuss racism. Malia mentions she is ostracized because of her skin color and the story acknowledges the evil of slavery. The game sympathizes with both Tetelo and Malia, who are not portrayed as entirely evil. Tetelo’s anger at being enslaved is portrayed as understandable and as a human being, she is said to have been a sympathetic woman who truly loved Gabriel’s ancestor Günter. It’s only when she became a vengeful loa that she became irredeemably evil.

Malia is portrayed as an ultimately reluctant villain, who only becomes evil when she is possessed by Tetelo and who when she is herself, truly loves Gabriel (the relationship between Gabriel/Malia and Günter/Tetelo deliberately mirror each other). The voodoo cult in the present also chooses serious criminals as victims for their sacrifices, possibly implied to be because of Malia’s benign influence. Grace suggest in the game’s ending that the true horror were those many generations of young women in the Gedde family who were forced to live under Tetelo’s overbearing influence.

The white hero fighting against the evil “pagan” cult is an old story in popular horror and adventure fiction. And I think Jensen wanted to tell that kind of story, have fun with pop fiction tropes about human sacrifice and voodoo. But she wanted to tell it with more nuance about race and more sympathy for the black characters than that genre is known for.

But I don’t think it really works. Like the intent is clearly there, but the black characters are still antagonists at best. Malia is sympathetic, but she must still commit suicide in the end to stop the evil of the Gedde line from going on. Her second in command Dr John becomes just a big scary black man. And Tetelo might have been human once, but becomes just a purely evil spirit that must be destroyed. There is not enough subversion of the evil non-white cult story for it to truly matter.

There is a theme of ancestry and heritage, the game’s subtitle is literally Sins of the Fathers. Both Gabriel and Malia have heritages that decide their fate. AndGabriel’s white german heritage enables him to become a hero, Malia’s black African heritage makes her into a villain and destroys her. So no, this game is still racist, even if it tries not to be.