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pllat30 · 2 months

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Pilot Rewatch

A warning that my posts may contain spoilers for FIRST time watchers!!

I'm going to be sharing my original thoughts during the first time watching this when I was 17, and my current thoughts rewatching at 30. Some things have changed a lot for over the years lol

I'd also like to add that I may talk about characters being attractive or whatever, but I'm most likely talking about the ACTORS. **For example, Ezra, when I first watched PLL I fell in love with him. Of course, now things have changed with how I feel about the character, but I still find the actor, Ian Harding, incredibly attractive. So if it seems like I'm complimenting Ezra in my current thoughts, I'm talking about Ian.

The Barn Scene:

Right off the bat, the song, DONTTRUSTME by 3OH!3 throws so much nostalgia in my face!! I loved that song so much when it came out!!

Do they really only have the one glass of alcohol they're passing around? Why not a whole bottle?

I know the girls seem really cringy a lot of times but really, that's how a lot of teens are lol so cringe. I definitely was!

First Watch: Hmm. What was Spencer doing awake first??

Rewatch: My poor baby Spencer! :(

Present time, Aria moved back:

I fell in love with Aria's style right away! And her storyline with the secret between her and her dad, Bryon, got me hooked for sure.

Even now, I find it hard to see a teen girl going into a bar alone and ordering food. Unless it's more of a bar and grill?? I'm not sure.

First watch: Ezra is so cute! Just a regular guy thinking he found a cute girl his age. He seems so sweet.

Rewatch: OMG noooo Aria! RED FLAG! He even mentioned writing a BOOK!! OMG!

DANG girl! Aria, you used to just kissing guys who you JUST MET???

Hanna, Mona, and Spencer at the Mall:

I did not like Hanna, Spencer, and Mona at all at in this scene. They seemed so bitchy and snobby. I could not relate to them at all at 17. Now I see awkwardness between Hanna and Spencer, they used to be so close and now they're not. I get that now whenever I run into people I went to school with lol still think Mona is a bitch.

First Watch: OMG Hanna is going to get caught! I can't watch! Rewatch: OMG Hanna your mom is going to hook up with that pervy detective now! I mean I'm not blaming you but damn it's going to suck for you!

Back to School with Aria:

Bryon and Aria are so tense in their scenes together talking about his stupid affair. With a student... I don't fail to see the irony. I actually love how that is written.

I love Emily and Aria's friendship. And I totally get falling out of touch with people.

Oh no... the new teacher... LMAO

Yuck, how Hanna and Mona walk into the classroom. Aria is shocked lol

First Watch: NO FUCKING WAY!! THE GUY FROM THE BAR IS HER TEACHER!! THATS HOT!

Rewatch: EW... OOOH OMG! Mona is at her desk kinda looking away and down like she's discreetly TEXTING under her desk! OHOHOHO!

Emily's House:

OMG I still hate Emily's mom, Pam. At least in the early parts of the show.

Not going to lie I almost forgot about Maya lol I wish her character lasted longer. Just meeting someone and hanging out in their room is wild to me now lol but at 17, totally normal lol but still a little awkward at first.

Spencer's House:

I HATE MELISSA SO MUCH!! ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL!! This is when I started liking Spencer, I felt so bad for her. She's such a hard worker.

First Watch: Oooh who is the hot British guy?? He deserves someone better than bitch Melissa. He's seems so sweet with Spencer. They should get together.

Rewatch: UGH, Wren is still so cute but... UGH I can't remember how exactly he ties into everything with the endgame. But now realizing that he's older and with Spencer's sister, he turned into a creeper.

Aria and Ezra alone in classroom:

First Watch: OMG Aria and Mr. Fitz is so sad. They like each other but can't be together!

Rewatch: Ezra should have stuck with saying he can't be involved with her, wtf!?!

Emily and Maya kiss:

First Watch: Aww, Emily and Maya are cute together. I don't get why Emily can't just come out and tell people.

Rewatch: This is so sad. I know why Emily doesn't want anyone to know, but still.

Spencer's house:

First Watch: I would love a hot British guy to rub my shoulders. So jealous.

Rewatch: I mean I would still love that, but not as a minor with an older guy who is dating and having sex with my older sister!! Get away from her Wren!

Bryon and Ella:

Like, IDK how Ella didn't just stop Bryon right there and ask him WTF is going on. He's acting so suspicious!

Spencer's room:

God I feel so bad for Spencer. I would have been so PISSED with someone moving into my space that I made! I wouldn't have been surprised if she just set the damn thing on fire lmao. WHO THE HELL DID SPENCER SEE IN ALSON'S BEDROOM WINDOW?? I STILL DON'T KNOW!!

FLASHBACKS:

ALI is such a bitch, how were the girls friends with her to begin with?? WTF!

Hanna's House:

OMG that detective is such a perv. He knew walking up to Hanna's door what was going to happen with Ashley making a deal,or at least hoped for it. That pervy grin he has walking inside... I forget exactly what the detective's connections are with Alison and A and everything... but he's sus.

I feel bad for Hanna, I had problems with my body and weight as a teen too... You don't need your father Hanna!! He's a little bitch.

OMG EWW the detective making out with Ashley right in front of Hanna, GROSS that Ashley knows Hanna is right there... WTF

Finding Alison's Body... This song… Suggestions by Orella Has Orchestra. It hits me RIGHT in the feels!!

LOL the recasting of some of the characters seen at the funeral.

First Watch: OMG Ezra and Aria are so cute! He stops her and they kiss again! Maybe things will work out.

Rewatch: Aria, STEP AWAY from Ezra!!!... EZRA!!! STOP!! POLICE!

"Popular in life and death." I love Spencer Quotes lol

OOOH the phone text notification!!

I'm still here bitches!!!

I was very entertained watching this again. I started to remember some things that are connected. I look forward to continuing watching and seeing what else I can catch! I love foreshadowing!

#pll rewatch #pretty little liars #pll #pllreview #plltheories #liars #whoisa #biga #ubera #aria montgomery #spencer hastings #hanna marin #emily fields #alison dilaurentis #ezra fitz #pllparents #2010s #nostolgic

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stormyoceans · 12 days

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hey girl, I'm happy to hear that you're feeling better! 👊 listen, it's cold in my country right now and I want to keep warm. Tell me your fav european GL(not Asian, pls, I'm tired of it) when you're able to write long posts. You can take your time. The cold weather is forecast to last until May 20 😪

hello, anon!!!!

im sorry to hear the cold weather is gonna last so long in your country, i hope you're keeping warm and drinking lots of tea or other hot beverage of choice!!!!!

i can definitely give you some recs for wlw shows, although i need to give two little disclaimers first:

i actually know of only one european wlw show, so i hope it's okay if i expanded this list to include western shows in general ;;;;;;;;

networks and streaming platforms are my mortal enemies because they love cancelling sapphic shows after one or two seasons (AND FUCK THEM ALL FOR THAT TBH), but if i didn't put those series on the list, this would be very short and i also think we would be missing out on some great television, so im adding their status to let you know what to expect before getting into it

OKAY AND NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADO LET'S GET INTO IT

a league of their own (comedy drama - 1 season - cancelled)

based on the 1992 film of the same name with new characters and storylines, the series, set in 1943, is about the formation of the rockford peaches, a women's team in the nascent all-american girls professional baseball league.

one of my favorites on this list and im so upset it got cancelled AMAZON PRIME YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES

anne+ (drama - 2 seasons + a movie - complete)

the one actual european wlw show of the list, this is a dutch drama series that follows the main character, anne, as she tries to navigate her early twenties as a young lesbian. upon bumping into her ex-girlfriend one day, anne reflects on how her past relationships have contributed to who she has become.

honestly for being from a smaller indie production this is such a relatable, engaging, and well-done series, i definitely recommend it!!!!

dickinson (historical comedy drama - 3 seasons - complete)

based on the life of emily dickinson, the series focuses on her relationships with her family, her friends, her society, and on her long-term romantic relationship with her childhood best friend and sister in law, sue.

another big favorite of mine, it's fun, wild, has an unique modern twist, and both hailee steinfeld and ella hunt are incredible

first kill (fantasy drama - 1 season - cancelled)

the series focus on the relationship between teenage vampire juliette fairmont, who needs to make her first kill in order to enter adulthood and take her place among her powerful family of legacy vampires, and calliope burns, who belongs to a monster-hunting family and needs to slay her first monster in order to gain her family's approval and officially become a hunter herself.

look, i know there are a lot of mixed reviews on this show, but personally i enjoyed it a lot. it's good, campy fun, and a breath of fresh air from the hetero love stories that pervade the genre

gentleman jack (historical drama - 2 seasons - cancelled)

based on the collected diaries of anne lister, which contain over four million words and are written in secret code, documenting a lifetime of lesbian relationships. the series starts in 1832, when anne leaves hastings brokenhearted and heads to halifax, to restore her uncle's estate that she has inherited. while restoring the estate, she finds that the family land has a coal mine that it's being stolen by two brothers and develops a relationship with a woman named ann walker.

genuinely SO UPSET about this one being cancelled, it was such a gorgeous show with the most delightful english humor and complex relationships WHY PEOPLE CAN'T RECOGNIZE QUALITY TELEVISION

gypsy (psychological thriller - 1 season - cancelled)

the series follows jean holloway, a therapist who seems to have it all, but who secretly obsesses over the people her patients talk about in their sessions. this leads her to seek out sydney, one of her patient's ex-girlfriend, with whom she starts developing a romantic relationship under a secret identity.

i wasn't sure whether to rec this or not because i have very mixed feelings about it like the concept is very intriguing to me but the execution wasn't the best imho. it's still a solid show tho, and naomi watts is. well, naomi watts

the haunting of bly manor (horror - 1 series - complete)

loosely based on the novella the turn of the screw by henry james, the series follows dani clayton, a young american woman hired as an au pair for the children of the wealthy wingrave family in england. after arriving at the bly estate, she begins to see apparitions that proceed to haunt the premises.

i personally LOVE all of mike flanagan's series, and this one is no exception, however (unpopular opinion) i do find the second half of it kinda lacking. it's still a fantastic show tho, and i adore victoria pedretti

killing eve (thriller - 4 seasons - complete [but at what cost])

the series follows eve polastri, a british intelligence investigator tasked with capturing an assassin named villanelle. as the chase progresses, the two develop a mutual obsession.

once again i wasn't sure whether to rec this or not because while the first two seasons of this show are honestly some of my all time favorite, and the third season is still acceptable, the last one is honestly one of the biggest disappointment i've ever experienced in television. still, i think it's a staple of wlw shows in the last decade so i had to include it

warrior nun (fantasy drama - 2 seasons - cancelled, but we should be getting a revival as a trilogy of feature films. hopefully)

the story follows ava silva, a a 19-year-old orphan who wakes up in a morgue with a new lease on life and a divine artifact embedded in her back. she discovers she is now part of the ancient order of the cruciform sword that has been tasked with fighting demons on earth, and powerful forces representing both heaven and hell want to find and control her.

when i tell you i was so skeptical when i started this show but it's honestly SO GOOD, it really has it all: talented cast, beautifully-written three-dimensional characters and relationships of all varieties, gorgeous cinematography, amazing fight scene choreography.......THEY BETTER DELIVER THOSE MOVIES OR IM GONNA BE SO UPSET

AND NOW LET ME ADD SOME SHOWS WITH WLW RELATIONSHIPS IN A BIGGER ENSEMBLE CAST

sense8 (scifi drama - 2 seasons - complete)

the story follows eight strangers as they discover that they form a cluster of "sensates": human beings who are mentally and emotionally linked, can sense and communicate with one another, and can share their knowledge, language and skills.

i don't think i could say something about this show that hasn't already been said tbh. it's wonderfully queer and explores issues related to identity, sexuality, gender, and politics. it's honestly a must watch.

the wilds (drama - 2 seasons - cancelled)

the series revolves around a group of teenage girls who are left stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes on the way to the dawn of eve program, a young women's empowerment retreat. while the girls try to survive, they are unaware that they're actually the subjects of a social experiment.

AMAZON PRIME YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES PT. 2 STOP CANCELLING MY FAVORITE SHOWS 😭

yellowjackets (horror - 2 seasons - on going)

in 1996, a new jersey high school girls' soccer team travels to seattle for a national tournament. while flying over canada, their plane crashes deep in the wilderness, and the surviving team members are left stranded for nineteen months. the series follows both their attempts to stay alive in 1996 and the lives of the survivors 25 years later, in 2021, as the events of their ordeal continue to affect them many years after their rescue.

i. freaking. LOVE. this show!!!!!!!! but it also comes with a mile long list of trigger warnings, including cannibalism, SA, abuse, animal killing, etc. maybe it's silly to point this out considering the genre of the show, but still. just be safe if you do decide to watch it!!!!!!

and this is pretty much it!!!! this is obviously not a comprehensive list, im aware i left out some popular shows and other ones that feature sapphic relationships between side characters, but these are my personal favorites and they also feel like the series where the wlw part of the story is fairly front and center, at least imho ;;;;;;;;

#OH GOD THIS GOT SO LONG IM SORRY #i do hope you can find something that you like in this!!!!!#and thank your for trusting me with this question!!!!!!#hope you're having a wonderful day all cozied up and warm in your house!!!!!! 💜#wlw shows #show recs #long post #m: ask

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dopscratch · 7 months

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FNAF MOVIE THOUGHTS BECAUSE I CANT SLEEP

non spoiler version: solid 8/10, beautiful animatronics, glorious set, wished for a bit more horror/tension but overall it was entertaining and enjoyable and surreally awesome to see

(spoilers below)

for my rating,

scares were very lacking, the only time i jumped was when i heard matpat, and there werent any moments that made me feel uneasy. i think my standards got sent sky high after watching battington so much though hahah. i feel like making the lighting darker/more desaturated at some points and a few more moments of quiet tension and good ambient sounds could have fixed this, though overall this doesn't bother me TOO much and i still enjoyed the movie immensely, still, point docked.

spring bonnie looked amazing and he did NOT get enough screen time, point docked (this also refers to the lacking buildup for his reveal and the fact that afton doesnt even wear the spring bonnie head most of the time)

no phone guy :(

overall though i loved this movie and there were so many points where i was sitting there pointing at the screen excitedly slamming my armrest. it wasn't perfect, surely not the best movie ever made, but it was a solid and entertaining start that made me happy and i hope to see more.

anyway, now for other thoughts

for most forms of media i hate it when there are lore inaccuracies between adaptations but for fnaf it works so well? like with the games and the books and even the eras of games you have various continuities and they're all different and unique but also contain similar themes and motifs and you can use some to infer things about the others and i absolutley love it

like right now the movies makin me think about if game mike ever had to do some of williams dirty work?? has game mike ever made a misjudgement or rash desicion when confronted with something suggesting child abduction (or maybe to extend it more, bullying/abuse?)

also if movie mike & his family are actually related to the henry emily equivalent?? like we have garrett who like charlotte gets captured and killed by afton at a DIFFERENT point in time than the missing children's incident and afton presumably went out of his way to go get him too- you cant convince me afton came across the schmidts by chance and the way he LOOKED at mike reading his name like he was ANALYZING HIM dang i could feel that stare it was crazy. i feel like there has to be more significance to this. a father who takes a death in the family poorly?? a kid abducted before the missing children's incident? sounds familiar... (also i just really like mike in all of fnaf and the way he was characterized in this movie was so interesting and i am probably just desperately telling myself this because i really dont wanna see him sidelined for vanessa, who i always found as a sort of mid character)

does movie william have multiple kids or just one? if the schmidts are the emily parallels (which is. just my speculation and hopes.) and theres multiple kids maybe movie afton only has 1 child??

parallels parallels galore too!! like how vanessa being aftons daughter rationalizes her appearance in the movie a lot so she's still that reluctant follower without all that crazy ai business! mike's negligence leading to guilt over something bad happening to his lil bro! abby nearly getting stuffed into the possibly circus baby suit!! its just so wild to me

expect more speculation from me because I am goin nuts over this movie. so many unanswered questions and so many ways to take this and apply it to concepts in other facets of the franchise. love all of this new material and how its going back to the roots of just old supernatural stuff, ghosts in grimy old machines business. i just love the simplicity of it and the many ways it can be executed

#fnaf movie #five nights at freddy's movie #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #fnaf movie spoilers #rancid ramble

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kolbisneat · 2 years

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MONTHLY MEDIA: August 2022

Ugh summer is drawing to a close and it all went by too quickly. Like it does every year. But here’s how I spent my time when I wasn’t making the most of this fleeting weather.

……….FILM……….

Prey (2022) Really great! Though my stress levels max out whenever there’s a best bud dog friend so I’d like to watch it again now knowing how it all plays out. Really smart setups and payoffs and everything felt earned. Just a joy to watch.

High Fidelity (2000) At first I was worried that John Cusack’s character was going to be celebrated but then a customer pretty swiftly takes him and his buds down a peg and I realized: the movie knows these dudes are awful. Funny in a way I wasn’t expecting and still disappointing that Laura ends up back with him.

……….TELEVISION……….

The Bachelorette (Episode 19.05 to 19.08) I wish there were more opportunities for the leads to hang out and discuss what’s going on, but I get that it’s already so crammed full of stuff. While only 31, Gabby is a perfect example of why casting some sliiiiiightly older leads would be great for the series.

The Handmaid’s Tale (Episode 1.01 to 1.10) This is an exercise is sitting with sadness. It just...constantly feels so bleak. Though I will give that the small moments of rebellion feel that much bigger in contrast to the suffocating bummer of the world. Everyone in Gilead loses but it just takes longer for some to realize it. Oof.

Stranger Things (Episode 4.01 to 4.09) I wasn’t planning on returning to this series but after enough suggestions to check it out, I gave it a go. Pretty good! I was also warned about the Russian subplot and while I didn’t find it to drag too much, it was a reminder of just how many characters and different threads are going on. Wild that they mostly pulled it off and I’m now interested in the final season.

……….READING……….

Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski (Page 112 of 315) Really insightful read into the psychology of sex and arousal and intimacy. It’s assuming the reader is a cis woman BUT I’m learning so much and the research applies to all bodies and orientations. I know I’m only a third of the way into it but I can’t recommend it enough.

Devil House by John Darnielle (Abandoned) Great title, great cover, and not at all representative of the contents inside. Not to say it’s not well-written or engaging. I tried to shift gears but I really wanted a good (maybe even a slightly pulpy) horror and the story is...not that. If you’re into following the creative process of a true-crime author, this is for you.

Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu Collector’s Edition (Complete) I haven’t read much of Ito’s horror work but you can see it every once in a while in this collection. It also makes me realize how much comedy plays a role in horror as this book is also very funny in a way that doesn’t make it feel like a comedy. Like the humour just stems from life and not from jokes and gags, if that makes sense?

Chew Volume 1: Taster’s Choice by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Complete) So gross. I mean it’s a really creative setting and premise, but each issue had something that made me go “ew”. Maybe that’s the point? Very 90s gross-out and too-cool vibes.

……….AUDIO……….

Renaissance by Beyoncé (2022) Hey whaddya know, it’s really good.

……….GAMING……….

Oz: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) This month the group dug into the library system, tried to find books relating to cults, and discovered the mayor of Munchkin is involved! Political intrigue followed and you can read all about it over here.

Neverland: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The Mof1 group took a detour, found a very large crocodile, and decided to pull a Magic School Bus and explore the inner workings of this reptile. So far they’ve found the ear canal, lungs, and a stomach acid lake full of magic items and half-digested pirates! We have fun.

And that’s it. As always, I welcome recommendations and happy Wednesday!

#Monthly Media #Kolbisneat #Andrew Kolb

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staytheword · 1 year

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Hii! How are you?

You are my favorite fic writer, and your writing is amazing (+ all the synonyms and better words to say 'best writer ever')!

I was wondering... Do you have any favorite authors or books that inspire you?

Hope you're doing well 💗🖤

hiiiii 💕 I'm good, what about you?

That is so nice of you to say 😭 This made me smile so much, that is unbelievably kind, thank you, thank you. 🥺 I'm very touched, there are so many fantastic writers out there, thank you for giving time to what I write 😭

As a student of English lit my list of favorite authors is waaaay too long, but I'll try to keep this short 🙈 One of my favorite authors is V.E. Schwab, she wrote the Darker Shade of Magic series and The Invisible Life of Addie Larue. She's a really fun writer, her imagination is insane, and I absolutely adore the way she writes. She has those sentences, oh my god... I have to pause and repeat them in my head, they're THAT good. I admire her a lot, in my delusion I hope one day I can write as well as she does, she's definitely someone I look up to writing wise. She inspires me a lot. She writes darker universes, flawed characters, about life and death, magic, the past... Her books are fascinating to me. If you're into fantasy series and magic, I really recommend A Darker Shade of Magic ❤️

For more recent fiction I also love Stephanie Garber and her Caraval series, it's lighter, so much fun, a real love letter to fairytales. She's absolutely magical in her descriptions and universe, and she's SUCH a sweet human being. A good YA duology I read was We Hunt the Flame. I am a big fan of the Six of Crows duology too (I like S&B as well, but my heart is very very very very soft for the Crows I love them so much).

I love reading Ruth Ware, I don't really relate to her characters but her plots are AMAZING. For thrilles, Paula Hawkins! Most people know The Girl on the Train but I actually preferred her second book, Into the Water. I have to read her newest. Who else... Emily Henry is really fun for romance (especially People We Meet on Vacation). For a class I read Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi and it really made an impression on me. I am a BIG horror fan and I usually, in my personal projects, only write ghost and horror stories so I definitely love those (Stephen King is a must, Joe Hill too).

Some of my favorite books include Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palaniuk, The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, every single book by James Sallis, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, Kurt Vonnegut is always good too, I also really like Eric Emmanuel Schmidt for French literature! And if I had to chose a favorite French Canadian writer it would be Patrick Sénécal. He is wild.

Since I study "older" literature I also have favorites in that category that might seem more obvious, but they still inspire me. The Brontë sisters are incredible, Jane Austen, Ann Radcliffe, they are great women writers who have really captivating female characters! Toni Morrison is amazing, and I really recommend her. Sheridan Le Fanu is a great Gothic writer. The Yellow Wallpaper is one of my favorite pieces of writing ever, with Poe's The Black Cat. Mary Shelley, Thomas Hardy, Elizabeth Gaskell...

I read a lot of manga recently too! Chainsaw Man is so much fun, Demon Slayer broke me into a million pieces (in a good way), Spy x Family is SO fun as well...

I think everything I read and see (I love movies and tv) inspires me. I'm really challenging myself with fanfiction because I usually write much darker stuff, so it's been really fun! I'm channeling my inner romance lover. I love authors who write with their heart, who own their concepts, who push themselves. I love it when the emotion is so raw you can feel it on the page. If things are too superficial I just can't get into it. Anything with angst and drama and complexity and flaws is what really gets me. I love to be challenged when I read!

SORRY for this long answer. I could talk about books all day. If you ever want to discuss more please do not hesitate I will be happy too! <3

#ask #this is so longa sifhaosfasf sorry #DO NOT ASK ME ABOUT BOOKS...... LMAO #(i'm joking please do)

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not-your-bro · 1 year

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Asking for until dawn for the questions is obvious but I am genuinely curious

hey, nothing wrong with the obvious choice!

❤Favorite character: imagine if i got real ooc and didn't say josh LOL. nah, it's gotta be him. not just my favorite UD character but probably my Character of All Time. i love a self-loathing, self-destructive, become-the-villain type, and he ticks all those boxes. extra points for masking his vulnerabilities with charisma and humor. MWAH. what a chef's-kiss of a character.

👿Least favorite character: ashley. i love & respect that people fuck with her for her dark streak, and i think that makes her more interesting than she otherwise would be, but i don't really see why she's like that. many of the UD characters act in sort of...hate-able ways, but it's stated - or i can infer - what internal/external issues lead them to behave that way. with ash i'm like idk girl, kinda just seems like you're mean sometimes! more power to her, but not for me.

💐Comfort character: i know this is gonna come as a big surprise but........it's josh. guy's lived in my head rent-free for 7 years and i don't think he's ever moving out.

😍Character you have the biggest crush on: i'm past the age of having crushes on these characters, but in 2015-16, my ass was not immune to josh. his outdoors look, with the vest and the beanie - it's a good one.

🤝Character you relate to the most: chris. maybe i'm projecting lmao but his class clown vibe screams 'compensating for extreme social anxiety' to me, and that's something i relate to, especially in group situations.

🔥Character you think is overrated: i don't feel too strongly about this now, but if you asked me years ago, i would've said mike. some of the mike love at the height of the fandom went hand-in-hand with emily hate, and i didn't like that he seemed to skirt criticism just because he was funny.

🧨Character you love to hate: mike again. do i love to hate him? do i hate to love him? my relationship with him is complex and unknowable, even to myself. what i do know is that i derive great pleasure from shoving his fingers in that bear trap.

🙈Character you always forget exists: matt. nice guy, but his lack of screen time dooms him to being forgettable, and he honestly doesn't seem like he knows anyone that well. personally, i'd prefer if matt was Some Hot Guy emily found so she wouldn't have to show up alone, and that last-minute addition to the group is partly why josh sends them on a wild bag chase.

🐰Favorite non-human character: i don't have much choice besides handigo here, but thankfully handigo fucking rules. i love that hannah's association with the butterfly is not just an obvious nod to the butterfly effect but a symbol/foreshadowing of her later transformation. i love how brutally she destroys everyone, that her inclusion means UD is still a revenge story, but not the revenge story you thought it would be at the beginning. i don't think any piece of hannah is still in there - i think she's just a monster running on the fumes of residual emotions she doesn't even comprehend - but i don't think that makes her any less rad.

❤️‍🩹Character who deserved better: josh. while i can appreciate that the game is sympathetic towards him, it's simply not a good look to make him the only person who can't survive (in human form). i get that not being able to control his fate is The Point, but it's not worth feeding into the tired, bleak message that horror has a history of sending to those who are mentally ill.

(ask game here)

#thank you anon!! and sorry it's so long LMAO #asks #anonymous #ask game #until dawn

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adanseydivorce · 1 year

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top 5 characters with your zodiac sign (stolen from you), top 5 wlw pjo/hoo ships, top 5 tropes that you love and top 5 that you hate

5 characters with my zodiac sign I could only think of three canon Taurus chars I love so the last two I counted headcanons for, and neither of those characters has a canon birth date

canon taureans

•Hope Mikaelson (TVDu) ((I do see the arguments Ares sun fits her better but I think Taurus sun with other fire placements also fits her quite nicely and again I don’t have a lot of favorite characters with my sign let me have this lol)•Dan Wilds (Aftg) and we share a birthday!

•Emily Fields (technically in the Pll books she’s a Taurus and going off her show bday she’s a Scorpio but I do think that Taurus sun fits show Emily better overall too and Ik when we discussed this you agreed with me :))

And then two characters I’ve always seen as Taurus are Blue Sargent (Trc) and Marina Andrieski (The Magicians)

Top 5 wlw pjo/hoo ships

Pipeyna

Pipabeth

Reynabeth

Rueguard

this could be one of a couple ships depending on my mood but I’m going with Thalia x Zoe rn because it’s very underrated imo

Top 5 tropes I love (didn’t want to agonize over ranking these so bullet points again) •enemies to friends to lovers or any iteration on these things (lovers to enemies, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, reluctant allies to friends to lovers etc.) •doppelgängers, shadow selves and dynamics between a hero and their shadow selves can be a romance can be enemies etc. •anything to do with parallel worlds •the overachiever girl from a seemingly perfect (and this mean different things) background who struggles to fulfill familial expectations, is actually very unhinged at times and has some sort of spiral where she ends up off her original path at least for a while, and part of the subtext is usually about her repressed sapphic ness a la Spencer Hastings / Annie Edison / Julia Wicker

•the mean girl character who is originally set against the protagonist but as the story progresses she’s shown to be sympathetic and layered in her own right, and her relationship with the protagonist is allowed to develop into at least respect maybe friendship that’s usually pretty homoerotic. honorable mention to this specific flavor of opposites attract dynamics that’s like ‘on the surface we could not be more different but we can relate/connect/are actually more similar than anyone else when it comes to very specific things that aren’t obvious. And not really a trope which is why I didn’t include them but I love fantasy stories about witches and/or vampires. Also I can’t lie I do love a magical school setting. Codependent relationships in general. Sister stories!!! LOVE those. Bottle episodes and bottle episode adjacent episodes my beloved!! I have a lot of favorite tropes actually Top 5 tropes I hate

insta love I have exceptions and these exceptions are like, reincarnation stories such as dosab where there’s a reason for it and Rue x Jules because they simply had the range/chemistry. But usually I hate it. Also combining this with any fated/pre-destined/other forces or people are always telling the audience this pairing is meant to be without doing the work of showing/developing the relationship to be appealing/seem to work well together

mystical pregnancy, most pregnancy and baby story arcs in general

media concerned with parental/familial issues where all the mothers are demonized while the fathers get to be complicated parents like tm tended to do. Something I found refreshing about watching pll was that it was a total reverse of this with all the fathers being irredeemable monsters and the mothers being more complex

I ranted about this recently re: the va show but I really dislike when a fantasy work has this aspect of metaphorical bigotry as a theme and the characters who voice said bigotry are usually poc

Ik this is solely a fic thing but fucking hate abo lol

Thank you! (Ask me too 5 of anything)

#s speaks #pll #pjo #hoo #legacies #va #the magicians #trc #community #euphoria #dosab #just tagging whatever fandoms I specifically mentioned in the post I was alluding to / referring to others too

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pagesandpothos · 2 months

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March Reading Recap

I have read so many great books this year and March really added to those numbers. Here's what I read in March and what I thought about each:

Evocation by S.T. Gibson 🌈 I read early thanks to NetGalley. This is an incredible start to a series filled with great, diverse, and layered characters. The growth of all three characters and their relationship throughout the novel was fantastic! Please take a look at my full review.

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

Listen For The Life by Amy Tintera One of the best thrillers that I've read in ages! It's smart, darkly funny, and even emotional at times. It's also a well-crafted, well-paced mystery with many shocking twists and turns. Please take a look at my full review.

🌕🌕🌕🌕

Lord of Eternal Night by Ben Alderson 🌈 Beauty and the Beast, but make it gay. Honestly, I had a blast reading this. It gave me exactly what I want from the romantasy genre. It's fun, smutty, queer, and has an interesting mystery plot that kept me turning the pages long after my bedtime.

🌕🌕🌕🌗

Murder Road by Simone St. James Another great paranormal thriller by Simone St. James. I enjoyed that it was set in the 1990s and I really liked the urban legend style plot.

🌕🌕🌕🌕

Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro I normally don't DNF books (I'm very stubborn) but I could not get into this and it was putting me into a reading slump, so I gave up at around the 50% mark. I liked the anti-colonialist and feminist messages, but the romances and sex scenes in this were not for me.

No Rating - DNF

Whisper Wells by Ali Woods 🌈 An ARC I read through BookSirens. This is an independently published Achillean romantasy that releases on April 3rd. It's a cozy fantasy romance about a Fae and a Human/Shifter who fall in love and journey into dangerous woods to search for a loved one. It's cute and very spicy! Please take a look at my full review.

🌕🌕🌕🌕

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett Sometimes you start a book and within a few pages, you just know that it will be a 5-star read. That was my experience with Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries. I loved it from the opening chapters and my love only grew as I continued. Emily is a very relatable character to me with her social struggles and single-minded fixation on her research. Bambleby, her exact opposite, is charming and funny. Both main characters and their relationship (and everything about this book) are completely endearing! This is a new all-time favorite!

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson I read The Haunting of Hill House a few months ago and loved it, so I decided to grab this and give it a go. I think this is now my favorite Shirley Jackson novel! It's incredible, eerie, and so layered. This is one I will definitely be rereading!

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌔

The Little Prince I never read this as a kid but I'm very glad I decided to finally pick it up. It's lovely and surprisingly emotional.

🌕🌕🌕🌕

How did I do with my reading goals?

I read two new Book of the Month books (Listen For The Lie & Murder Road).

I read every day in March and read a total of 2620 pages.

I continued one series ("Shades of Magic") that I’m in the middle of (I've not yet finished this, so it will be in April's recap).

Most of the books (75%) that I read this month were over 300 pages.

I read one classic (We Have Always Lived In The Castle).

I finished two books (Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries & Murder Road) from my 2024 Priority TBR!

Note: 🌈 notes books with major queer themes, characters, or relationships. I read a lot of queer books and I want to highlight these for anyone else who wants to find more diverse books.

#books #monthly recap

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17-08-66 · 8 months

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The lost boys star and Michael's playlists

Note: these songs aren't all the same genre I just felt like they fit star and Michael for some reason, even worse! Some of these are well after the 80s by about 23 years. I'm not sure if the opinions in brackets even match there personalities.

Warning: use of the word steroids

Star's playlist:

Jefferson airplane-alice (star had a huge crush on one of the band members grace slick when she was like 12-13)

Bernadette carroll-laughing on the outside (she loves the sound of the Bernadette's voice as it rises and falls)

Cults-bad things (she thinks Madeline follin is so beautiful)

Toyah-it's a mystery (loves the lyrics makes her feel like a main character)

Plastic Bertrand-ca plane pour moi (loves how upbeat it is makes her feel like she could conquer the world)

Kate Bush-running up that hill (loves Kate bushes style and tries to add elements of it into her own wardrobe)

Baccara-Yes sir I can boogie (makes her want to go to a disco and dance until dawn)

The the-this is the day (the song gives her chills every time she hears it, she feels it's such a beautiful reflection of hopelessness and despair)

Orchestral manoeuvres in the dark-electricity (it makes her feel so care free it's something she twirls around the room to)

Japan-ghosts (she feels she can relate to it, it reminds her that she can't see any good in her future but when Michael comes along maybe she still has a chance?)

Cults-always forever (she loves the way they made Madeline follin's voice sound in this song)

The mission-severina (she enjoys how hauntingly beautiful the word severina is cast out)

Michael's playlist:

I think most of these would be his dad's old records that he gave to Michael when he left for Santa Carla.

The Beatles-come together (listening to this song always mellowed him out when his parents were getting a divorce)

shocking blue-send me a postcard (he loves the power and passion in Mariska's voice)

Charlie feathers-I can't hardly stand it (he find the reverb on the vocals extremely satisfying)

Three dog night-one (would always listen to this song with his dad when he took him out for the day)

The move-blackberry way (he favours Trevor Burton's bass playing over any other)

Pink Floyd-see Emily play (reminds him of his ex Emily the first girl he was ever in love with who was wonderful but went down a bad path)

Death-keep on knocking (one of his favourites to jump around, with some of his more wild freinds)

Pavement-harness your hopes (enjoys the first 24 seconds of the song more than anything)

Golden dawn-starvation (found it in a yard sale when he was 11 for a dime)

The Ramones-surf city (the first time he saw it he thought the beach boys on steroids and leather jackets cool!)

The animals-don't let me be misunderstood (thinks Eric burden has such a soulful voice)

The searchers-love potion number 9 (on his 9th birthday his parent gave him a mixed cassette tape and this was on it he played it constantly for 2 weeks, drove Sam mad)

#the lost boys star and Michael's playlists #the lost boys star and Michael headcanons

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lybeuh · 3 years

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Sims 4 Legacy Challenge

a challenge by @chellplays (revisited by @lybeuh)

This is a twelve generation challenge for all of the marriage candidates from concernedape’s stardew valley.

Usual rules apply, meaning no cheats that give you an unfair advantage. Your sims do not have to look or be named after the characters in each generation. do whatever you like!

Generation 1: Abigail:

You were raised with humble upbringings. Your dad ran a general store, while your mom was best at complaining about your “alternative lifestyle.” You left home looking to start a life free of rules and parents, and with 20 000 simoleons in your pocket, you settled down in a new city.

traits: music lover, adventurous, geek . aspiration: the curator. career: tech guru, esport gamer branch

goals:

⦁ max out the rock climbing skill ⦁ reach at least level 5 of the video game skill. ⦁ reach at least level 5 in any musical instrument. ⦁ complete the frog collection. ⦁ climb the top of the mountain in Mt. Komorebi ⦁ have one “quirky” trait, appearance-wise (e.g. unnatural hair color). ⦁ have two best friends, and marry one of them. ⦁ own a cat named david jr. ⦁ have at least two children.

Generation 2: Emily:

You’re just working at the bar to make ends meet… but your real passion is tailoring. You make your clothes from scratch.

traits: cheerful, vegetarian, good. aspiration: freelance botanist. career: barista.

goals:

⦁ max out the knitting skill. ⦁ complete the knitted clothes colection. ⦁ must live in the same house as your sibling. ⦁ make a best friend with a sim who lives in another city/world. ⦁ grow your own garden. you like your meals organic. ⦁ decorate your house with clothing racks. you love fashion. ⦁ develop max affinity with another sim in both the green and pink bars, have two or more children with them, then “ask just to be friends.” ⦁ never marry.

Generation 3: Sam:

You are an outgoing, friendly sim who is brimming with youthful energy. You play guitar and drums, and want to start a band as soon as you have enough songs together. However, you do have a habit of starting ambitious projects and not finishing them.

traits: music lover, outgoing, ambitious. aspiration: musical genius. career: entertainer, musician branch.

goals:

⦁ have a job as a part-time retail employee as a teen. ⦁ reach level 10 of the entertainer career. ⦁ max out the guitar skill. ⦁ reach at least level 5 in the video game skill. ⦁ must not be the youngest child. live with your younger sibling(s) until they are old enough to move out. have a good relationship with them. ⦁ have a strained relationship with your father (if not applicable, with any one parent). ⦁ become best friends with two other entertainers. ⦁ be married twice, and have one child with each spouse.

Generation 4: Sebastian:

You are a rebellious loner who lives in your parents’ basement. You tend to get deeply absorbed in computer games, comic books, and sci-fi novels, and will sometimes spend great lengths of time pursuing these hobbies alone in your room. You can be a bit unfriendly to people you don’t know.

traits: loner, geek, bookworm. aspiration: computer whiz. career: freelance programmer.

goals:

⦁ reach the top of the freelance programmer career. ⦁ reach level 5 of the keyboard (piano) skill. ⦁ reach level 5 of the video gaming skill. ⦁ max out the programming skill. ⦁ have a negative relationship with your half-sibling and step-parent. ⦁ live in the basement of your parents’ house. ⦁ only have one child, with whom you have a strained relationship. ⦁ eventually let your relationship with your spouse deteriorate and subsequently get a divorce.

Generation 5: Penny:

You live with your mom in a little trailer. while your mom is out carousing at the bar, you quietly tends to your chores in the dim, stuffy room you are forced to call home. you are shy and modest, without any grand ambitions for life other than settling in and starting a family. You likes to cook (although your skills are questionable) and read books from the local library.

traits: family-oriented, bookworm, neat. aspiration: big happy family career: none.

goals:

⦁ live with your mother (if not applicable, any one parent), with whom you have a negative relationship. ⦁ you must cook for your parent and clean the house every day. ⦁ live in a trailer-esque house. you are by no means wealthy. ⦁ reach level 5 of the cooking skill. ⦁ both you and your parent may not have jobs ⦁ marry the first person you fall in love with. ⦁ your spouse is the only one who may bring in any income, while you are a stay at home mom. ⦁ own a luxury pool at some point in your life.

Generation 6: Harvey:

You’re a little old for a bachelor, but you have a kind heart and a respected position in the community. You live in a small apartment, but spend most of your time working. There’s a sense of sadness about you.

traits: genius, foodie, good. aspiration: successful lineage. career: doctor.

goals:

⦁ never date throughout your teens or young adulthood. focus on your career instead. get married only as an adult. ⦁ reach the top of the doctor career. ⦁ you love planes and decorate your house with plane related items ⦁ own a coffee machine. drink coffee as much as possible. ⦁ go jogging at least three times a week. ⦁ set up a reading garden in your backyard. ⦁ live in an apartment until you marry ⦁ have at least two children. having spent most of your life single, you want to have a comfortably sized family asap.

Generation 7: Haley:

Being wealthy and popular throughout high school has made you a little conceited and self-centered. You have a tendency to judge people for superficial reasons. But is it too late for you to discover a deeper meaning to life? Is there a fun, open-minded young person hidden within that shell?

traits: materialistic, snob, outgoing. aspiration: fabulously wealthy. career: none (only get one after you are married).

goals:

⦁ become enemies with your one of your sibling as a teenager. ⦁ max out the photography skill. ⦁ you may only get a career after you are married, and you must follow the same career path as your spouse. they opened your mind and inspired you to have interests beyond shopping. ⦁ earn at least three points in charisma, so you may donate to online charities after you are married. ⦁ bake a cake for every birthday that comes around. ⦁ grow a flower garden. ⦁ become friends with your sibling(s) again after you are married.

Generation 8: Elliot:

You live alone in a cabin. You are a writer who dreams of one day writing a magnificent novel. You are a sentimental “romantic” with a tendency to go off onto flowery, poetic tangents. When you can afford it, you enjoy a strong beverage at the bar.

traits: romantic, bookworm, loner. aspiration: bestselling author. career: writer, author branch.

goals:

⦁ reach the top of the author career. ⦁ live in a cabin-esque house near the beach ⦁ max out the writing skill. ⦁ reach level 5 of the piano skill. ⦁ reach level 5 of the cooking skill. ⦁ own a small garden. ⦁ specialize in romance books and poetry. later, you may also specialize in sci fi or mystery novels. ⦁ write love emails to your love interest at least once a week. ⦁ go to a bar at least once a week

Generation 9: Leah:

You love to spend time outside, foraging for a wild meal or simply enjoying the gifts of the season. You’re a talented artist with a large portfolio of work… Yet you’re too nervous to display it to the public.

traits: art lover, loves outdoors, foodie. aspiration: painter extraordinaire. career: none (painter, later on).

goals:

⦁ max out the painting skill, and paint at least 5 masterpieces. ⦁ date only one person in your young adulthood and have a child with them, but never marry. your partner is unsupportive of your artistic lifestyle and encourages you to “get a real job.” whether you choose to get a traditional career, that is not as a painter, is up to you. ⦁ eventually marry the love of your life as an adult: someone who is supportive of your art. if you did choose a career, quit and take up a career as a painter. ⦁ have at least one child with your new spouse. ⦁ harvest wild fruits, vegetables, etc. on weekends. ⦁ grow an excellent apple tree. ⦁ attend a flea market and sell your art.

Generation 10: Maru:

You acquired a passion for creating gadgets at a young age. When you aren’t in your room, fiddling with tools and machinery, you sometime do odd jobs at the local hospital.

traits: ambitious, outgoing, geek. aspiration: nerd brain. career: astronaut, space ranger branch.

goals:

⦁ reach level 10 of the athlete career track. ⦁ max out the handiness skill. ⦁ max out the logic skill. ⦁ have a negative relationship with your half-sibling. ⦁ upgrade at least five objects. ⦁ own a rocket ship. ⦁ your sim’s partner must be friends with your father (if not applicable, with either parent) before you can become engaged. ⦁ eventually, your relationship with your spouse becomes strained and you break up. you die as soon as your eldest child is a young adult.

Generation 11: Alex:

You love sports. You are quite arrogant and brag to everyone that you are going to be a professional athlete. Is your cockiness just a facade to mask your crushing self-doubt? Are you using your sports dream to fill the void left by the disappearance of your parents?

traits: bro, active, dog lover. aspiration: bodybuilder. career: athlete, professional athlete branch.

goals:

⦁ reach level 10 of the athlete career track. ⦁ max out the athletic skill. ⦁ become enemies with your father, but have had a very close relationship with your mother. ⦁ begin dating in your teens and go on at least three dates with three different people. ⦁ do not marry until you are in the later stages of young adulthood. you’re marrying your soulmate, someone who stuck with you despite your arrogance. ⦁ own a dog named dusty.

Generation 12: Shane:

You are often rude and unhappy, and suffer from depression and alcohol dependence. However, your attitude starts to change towards your spouse. After work you frequently spend your evenings at the bar. If you could reset your life maybe you’d start a chicken farm. Only free-range eggs of course.

traits: lazy, gloomy, cat lover. aspiration: friend of the animal. career: retail employee.

goals:

⦁ go to the bar after work every day. ⦁ get pizza delivered at least once a week ⦁ only get married as an adult. ⦁ after marriage, quit your job as a retail employee and choose a different career path. you’ve been encouraged by your spouse to give up alcohol. ⦁ after marriage, start a small garden. ⦁ have a maximum of two children. ⦁ max out the pet trainig skill ⦁ adopt a cat named charlie. ⦁ adopt one dog and train them all tricks

#stardew valley #stardew #sims #sim #sims 4 #sims 4 challenge #sims 4 legacy #game #twitch #youtube #sims 4 generations #challenge #legacy #ts4 #ts4 challenge #ts4 legacy #sv

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james-joyces-right-eyeball · 3 years

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Absolute Favorite Books I’d Recommend to Anyone

This is a list of my top-tier favorite books that I would recommend/talk about endlessly to pretty much anyone (in no particular order). I know people probably don’t care but I just like talking about books I love so here we are.

Beloved - Toni Morrison

~ Based off the real story of Margaret Garner, a slave woman who escaped slavery and when captured killed her child in order to prevent them from ever being enslaved again, Beloved tells the story of a mother named Sethe, born in slavery who eventually escaped and is haunted by the figurative demons of her trauma and the literal (arguably) ghost of her dead daughter, who she herself killed. It is an excellent exploration of the horrors of slavery and of the haunting legacy of the institution for those who were subjected to it.

Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

~ If you’ve been on Tumblr for a while, you probably know what Lolita is. The story of the predatory Humbert Humbert who lusts after, rapes, and kidnaps the “nymphet” Dolores Haze. An excellent construction of how predators, unreliable narrators in their own right, hide behind fabrications, almost-believable excuses, and pretty words to make their actions seem maybe not so bad. In the words of the book itself, “You can always count on a murderer for a fancy prose style.”

Ulysses - James Joyce

~ Notoriously one of the most difficult books in the English language, Ulysses lifts its structure from Homer’s Odyssey to tell the story of a common man, Leopold Bloom, as he goes about his day. Yes, this book takes place over the course of only one day. We follow Bloom as well as Joyce’s literary counterpart Stephen Daedalus through their thoughts and actions, gathering details of their lives previous throughout. It’s a book that, in my own words, “is life”. It is sad, funny, strange, vulgar, disgusting, beautiful, revelatory, sensual, and nonsensical all at once. Joyce aimed to create a reflection of life through his stream-of-consciousness style which some people might find confusing, but I personally find absolutely beautiful and honest and realistic. The prose is also gorgeous, but that could be applied to everything Joyce wrote.

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

~ The classic gothic book that tells the tale of Heathcliff and his ultimately destructive love of Catherine Earnshaw, whose eventual marriage to someone else and the general mistreatment of him by her family drives Heathcliff insane and he spends the rest of his life trying to take revenge by abusing and torturing the next Earnshaw and Linton (the family into which Catherine marries) generations. If I’m being honest, I like this book mostly because of how wild and dark it is, but the writing is also genius and beautiful. I think the book also carries an interesting view of the destructive nature of revenge, overzealous love, and othering.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith

~ A coming-of-age story at the turn of the century that tells the story of Francie Nolan, a young bookish girl growing up in a lower class family in New York City. It tells about her father’s struggles with alcoholism as well as her mother’s struggles to deal with that and at the same time raise Francie and her brother. Francie is confronted with a strange, uncertain world as a young girl, but tries to face it with bravery throughout childhood

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

~ Another coming-of-age story, this time about four young sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March. You are probably familiar with this book already; it’s had more movie adaptations then I can possibly remember off the top of my head. It’s the story of four sisters as they try to navigate growing up, love, and loss during the mid to late 1800s.

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

~ A novel that tells the story of Celie, a young black woman who is raped and then married young to a man who will go on to use and abuse her, through her letters to God. Throughout the novel she meets Shug Avery, a woman with whom she eventually falls in love and begins a relationship with. Through this and her eventual freedom from her abusive husband, she is able to gain at last her own sense of self and take back control over her life, a life no longer ruled by the abusive men around her.

The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison

~ The tragic story of young black girl Pecola Breedlove, who wants nothing more than to have blonde hair and blue eyes just like the women she sees in the movies. Both a deconstruction of the whiteness of beauty standards as well as how these standards can utterly destroy vulnerable young girls, it is also an exploration of the people who allow these sorts of things to happen, including Pecola’s mother and father. The Bluest Eye, I think, showcases one of the aspects of Toni Morrison that I like the most, that I aspire to the most: her ability to enter the minds of all people, even people who you might despise at first. Her characters, especially Cholly in The Bluest Eye, are ones you might not entirely sympathize with, but they will always be ones you understand.

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

~ Based off of the author’s own experiences as a young college student, The Bell Jar tells the story of Esther Greenwood, whose depression over her place as a woman in a patriarchal society as well as her inability to choose a life path for herself leads to a suicide attempt and a subsequent stay in a mental hospital. A very nuanced portrayal of mental illness, especially anxiety and depression, The Bell Jar is an extremely moving and relatable story for me and clearly is as well for others. It is a classic for a reason.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

~ A memoir of Angelou’s childhood, this book tells the story of her experiences living as a black girl in the south with her grandmother and brother as well as her later years living with her mother. It also tells of how she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend when she was around eight or nine, and how she struggled to live with that and find her voice, both literally and figuratively. A wonderful book about overcoming struggles and the power of words and literature in such times.

Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison

~ Ellison’s novel tells the story of a young black man, never getting a name in the text, and his feelings of invisibility and his struggles to find a place in society to belong. His struggles only lead him further into despair, until he decides to “become invisible” as people seem not to see him as a person anyway. Invisible Man is an exploration of American mid-century racism and the isolation it causes to those subjected to it. Not only that, but it is surprisingly relevant to our times now, especially on the subject of police violence. (Personal anecdote: When I first read this book, when I got to the aforementioned police violence part it was right in the middle of the BLM resurgence last summer and I cried for a good twenty minutes while reading that chapter over how nothing had changed and it still hurts me to think about it. Embarrassingly, my dad walked in on me while I was crying, and I had to quickly explain it away.)

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce

~ The title basically says it all lol. This book tells of the coming-of-age of Stephen Daedalus (the same one from the later-written Ulysses). His sensitive childhood, his awkward and lustful adolescence, his feelings of Irish nationality and Catholic guilt, and his struggles to fully realize himself, both as an artist and a human being. It is a very hopeful story, and one that I love mostly because I relate so much to Stephen Daedalus as an artist and as a person.

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

~ A magical-realist intergenerational family drama, Marquez’s book traces the various lives and loves of the Buendia family over the course of (you guessed it!) one hundred years. A beautifully written, at times extremely emotionally moving and chilling masterpiece, Marquez in a way retells the history of Colombia, of its colonization and exploitation.

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

~ A classic Russian novel of society and love, Tolstoy tells the story of Anna Karenina, married, wealthy woman with a child she adores. However, she falls in love with another man, Count Vronsky, and comes to a tragic end for her love. The parallel story of the novel is that of Konstantin Levin, a wealthy landowner who also struggles to find fulfillment in his life and understand his place in society.

The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner

~ A novel that features an entire family of unreliable narrators, The Sound and the Fury details the fall of a once-prominent southern Compson family and always-present place of the past. There are four different narratives: Benjy Compson, a mentally disabled man who is unsure of his surroundings and of time and only knows that he misses his older sister Caddy; Quintin Compson, the eldest son and a Harvard man both obsessed with his sister retaining her “purity” and the fact that she failed to do so and had a baby out of wedlock, going as far to claim it is his baby in an attempt to preserve something of the family reputation; Jason Compson, who is the caretaker of Caddy’s daughter and believes her to be going down her mother’s “sinful” path; and Dilsey, the black maid of the Compson’s who unlike the people she cares for is not weighed down by their history. The narratives take place in different time periods and is in a stream-of-consciousness style. It’s a deeply dark and disturbing novel about the haunting nature of the past, a common theme in Faulkner’s work (see Absalom, Absalom! for more of this).

Song of Solomon - Toni Morrison

~ It is the story of Milkman Dead, a young black man growing up in the south and his relationship with his very complicated family. To say anymore would be to spoil the novel, but I will say that it is an excellent book about family, self-fulfillment in a world that tries to deny you that, and, like The Bluest Eye, exhibits Morrison’s excellent character work.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Tennessee Williams

~ A play which takes place on the patriarch of a family’s birthday in the oppressive heat of the midsummer south, Williams’ play explores lies, secrets, and how repression only results in anger, frustration, and sadness. It’s a tragic but brilliant play that I think was very ahead of its time. If you’ve read it (or do read it) then you know what I mean.

Giovanni’s Room - James Baldwin

~ This book tells the story of a young man and his love of another man named Giovanni while he is in Paris. It is a book about love, queer guilt, and has what I would call an ambiguous ending. There is uncertainty at the end, but there does seem to be some kind of acceptance. It is a bit of a coming-out story, but more than that it is a story of personal acceptance and at the same time a sad, tragic love story.

HERmione - H.D.

~ An underrated modernist masterpiece, HERmione is a somewhat fictionalized account of the author, Hilda Doolittle’s, experience as a young aspiring poet dating another poet (in real life Ezra Pound in this book named George Lowndes) who is a threat to her both physically and emotionally. It explores her own mental state, as she considers herself a failure and falls in love with a woman for the first time (Fayne Rabb in the book, Frances Gregg in real life).

To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf

~ People think about going to a lighthouse. They do not. A couple years and a war passes then they do. That may seem like a boring plot, and you may be right. However, To the Lighthouse is not much about plot. It is more about the inner lives of its characters, a family and their friends, on two different occasions of their lives: one before WWI and one after WWI. Woolf explores in this novel the trauma that results from such a massive loss of life and security. Not only that, she also explores the nature of art (especially in female artists) in the character of Lily Briscoe and her struggles to complete a painting. It’s a short novel, but it contains so much about life, love, and loss within these few pages.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers

~ A southern gothic novel about isolation and loneliness in a small town. Every character has something to separate them from wider society, and often find solace and companionship in a deaf man, John Singer, who himself experiences a loneliness that they cannot understand. There are various forms of social isolation explored in this novel: by race, disability, age, gender, etc. A wonderful, heart-wrenching book about loneliness and the depths it can potentially drag people to.

The Waste Land - T.S. Eliot

~ A modernist masterpiece of a poem, Eliot describes feeling emptiness and isolation. The brilliance of it can only be shown by an excerpt:

“Your arms full, and your hair wet, I could not Speak, and my eyes failed, I was neither Living nor dead, and I knew nothing, Looking into the heart of light, the silence.”

“The river’s tent is broken: the last fingers of leaf Clutch and sink into the wet bank. The wind Crosses the brown land, unheard. The nymphs are departed. Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song. The river bears no empty bottles, sandwich papers, Silk handkerchiefs, cardboard boxes, cigarette ends Or other testimony of summer nights. The nymphs are departed. And their friends, the loitering heirs of city directors; Departed, have left no addresses. By the waters of Leman I sat down and wept . . . Sweet Thames, run softly till I end my song, Sweet Thames, run softly, for I speak not loud or long. But at my back in a cold blast I hear The rattle of the bones, and chuckle spread from ear to ear. “

(My personal favorite line from this poem is, “I will show you fear in a handful of dust.”)

The Trial - Franz Kafka

~ The protagonist of the novel, Josef K., wakes up one morning to find that he has been placed under arrest for reasons that are kept from him. Kafka creates throughout the novel a scathing satire of bureaucracy, as K. tries to find out more about his case, more about his trial, but only becomes more confused as he digs deeper. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the world he lives in, and the more tries to explain it the further the more that proves to be the case. An excellently constructed novel and a great one to read if you would like to be depressed about the state of the world because, though Kafka’s work is a satire, like a lot of his other work, it manages to strike a strangely real note.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead - Tom Stoppard

~ An absurdist play that is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet from the perspective of minor characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who in the broad overview of the original play, do not matter. Throughout the play, they question their existence and the purpose of it and through that Stoppard dissects not only the absurdity of life, but how fiction and theater reflect that absurdity inadvertently.

As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner

~ The novel details the journey the Bundren family makes after the death of the family matriarch, Addie, to bury her. Each chapter offers a different narrative from the family members and those who surround them, revealing some ulterior motives to them “going to town” to bury Addie. The patriarch Anse desires a pair of false teeth, and the daughter Dewey Dell is pregnant and needs an abortion, as there is no way for her or her family to support it. It’s about the powerlessness of people in the impoverished south. The Bundrens are constantly subject to forces beyond their control, struggles which would be easily solved if they had the money to spare for it. There is more to the book, but that is my favorite reading of it, that of class. Faulkner’s ability to create distinct voices for every one of his characters shines through here.

And, last but not least:

The Collected Poems - Sylvia Plath

~ All the poems Plath wrote during her tragically short lifetime. The best way to demonstrate or summarize the book’s brilliance is just to show you. This is her poem “Edge”, which appears in the book:

“The woman is perfected. Her dead Body wears the smile of accomplishment, The illusion of a Greek necessity Flows in the scrolls of her toga, Her bare Feet seem to be saying: We have come so far, it is over. Each dead child coiled, a white serpent, One at each little Pitcher of milk, now empty. She has folded Them back into her body as petals Of a rose close when the garden Stiffens and odors bleed From the sweet, deep throats of the night flower. The moon has nothing to be sad about, Staring from her hood of bone. She is used to this sort of thing. Her blacks crackle and drag.”

HOPE YOU ENJOYED! HAPPY READING TO ALL!

#dark academia #books and literature #toni morrison #james joyce #tennessee williams #virginia woolf #william faulkner #sylvia plath #plays #poetry #can you tell i like southern and modernist lit lol?

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afterglowlws · 4 years

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I know that despite Supergirl ending next season, a lot of us will probably still stick around for a long time. But over time we will find new interests to latch on to, so I thought it would be a good idea to highlight some sapphic ships/shows that are actually very respectful to their LGBT audience. A lot of these shows are fighting for more seasons, so check them out! They’re full of amazing cast and crew who do a lot for the community!

Motherland: Fort Salem: This show is about witches, and the gender reversal of female witches being drafted to the war upon turning 18. It encourages challenging gender roles, open and fluid sexuality, female empowerment through sexuality, and so much more. The best part is that Raelle and Scylla are the main couple and get amazing screen time! So much of the story revolves around their relationship.

Atypical: This show revolves around Sam, an autistic teen, and his family. Sam has an older sister named Casey who loves to give him a hard time. She starts out getting a boyfriend in season 1, but by season 2 she meets her new best friend Izzie and starts to question everything. By season 3, they’re a couple! It’s an amazing slow burn. They have one more season coming out on Netflix in 2021.

Teenage Bounty Hunters: This show centers around a set of twins named Sterling and Blair who go to an elite southern (and religious) high school. They find themselves taking up the unlikely career of bounty hunting. As if juggling all that wasn’t enough, Sterling finds herself catching feelings for her ex-frenemy April. They must now navigate that journey in a place that they don’t feel will be very accepting, so lots of angst ensues!

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: If you’ve seen The Arrow then you know Sara Lances long and tragic backstory. She now leads a team of time traveling superhero’s called the Legends. The show starts out more serious, but over time becomes really silly, fun, and crazy. Sara becomes captain of the time ship and proceeds to hook up with random women throughout history. Until season 3 when she meets Ava, who becomes her girlfriend. They’re the main couple and you get to see a real and natural progression of their relationship.

Legacies: This series is the spin-off of The Originals, which is the spinoff of The Vampire Diaries (you shouldn’t really be confused if you didn’t watch those first though). It revolves around the children of TO and TVD characters, they go to a school for the supernatural and each week there is always a new monster for them to fight. One of the main characters, Josie, is bisexual. The show kicks off showing drama between Josie and her ex girlfriend Penelope. Penelope did leave the show, but last season they teased a possible romance between Josie and Jade (a new character).

Wynonna Earp: This show is about Wynonna and Waverly, the grandchildren of the famous gunslinger Wyatt Earp. You don’t have to be a history buff or even into the Wild West type genre to fall in love with this show. Waverly starts out with a boyfriend, but one visit from a ginger cop (Nicole) has her questioning everything. They become the main (and at times only) couple on the show, and it’s actually the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen. The actresses are both queer in real life and the cast is made up of amazing actors and crew members who love the LGBT community. So out of all shows to support, this is the one!! They’re fighting for a fifth season! #FiveForWynonna

Riverdale: I don’t think I have to explain that Riverdale is essentially just a bunch of oversexualized and traumatized high schoolers who very much need therapy. It’s a shitshow at this point. But one of the main couples, Cheryl and Toni, are actually very cute. The actresses are best friends in real life so it translates really well on screen. Their journey starts in season 2.

The Bold Type: This show revolves around a trio of best friends Kat, Sutton, and Jane who all work for a womens magazine. You get to see very strong and empowered women navigate their way through love, life, and their careers. Kat meets Adena, and quickly realizes she likes women. So she must go on a journey of realization and acceptance that is very relatable for a lot of WLW audiences, as both women are WOC.

Killing Eve: If you aren’t watching this already, watch it now!! The show revolves around a cat and mouse game between two women, Villanelle and Eve. Villanelle is a psychopathic Russian assassin with a tragic backstory. And Eve works for British Intelligence and lives a seemingly, nauseatingly boring life married to a bland white man. But the catch? She’s into female assassins. Both V & E become weirdly obsessed with each other very quickly, and it turns Eve’s entire life upside down as she starts to realize her feelings for Villanelle. Their relationship is so intoxicating to watch.

Euphoria: This show is not for the weak of heart. I can’t explain much without giving huge spoilers, but it tackles a lot of super heavy issues so read up on the trigger warnings first, especially if you’re sensitive to things like pedophilia, rape, drugs, bullying, etc. The main character Rue develops feelings for her new best friend Jules, and a lot of drama follows. The end of the season left it very unclear as to whether they will be endgame or not. So be warned with this one.

Dickinson: This show is about the famous poet Emily Dickinson, so it’s set in the 1800’s. It shows Emily’s struggle of dealing with a patriarchal world where she is not allowed to be herself. She fell in love with her best friend Sue, who is supposed to marry her brother out of necessity. It’s heart wrenching to watch Emily and Sue navigate that situation, so get your tissues ready! And beware it’s possible they won’t be endgame, as it is set in a very unacepting time period. But I could be very wrong. It’s been renewed for a season 2, so we’ll see!

If you want everything Supergirl would never give us.. Killing Eve, Wynonna Earp, and Motherland Fort Salem are exactly what you’re looking for. It’s full of cast and crew who embrace the community and give amazing representation. This list just highlights the ones I’m currently into so please add on more if you know of any!!

#supercorp #supergirl #kara x lena #kara danvers #lena luthor #lgbtq #lgbt pride #lgbt #wlw #otp #kara zor el #wlw mood

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j-reau · 3 years

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SO YOU WANT TO KNOW JENNIFER JAREAU? PT. 1

[I’m sorry I took forever to answer this because I kept saying I was going to come back and finish it so for now you get part one.]

The reality is, Criminal Minds is 15 seasons of television. And in this show that means roughly 15 years of these character’s lives. A LOT happens. But at the same time, this is a pretty old show and it’s a CBS procedural. It’s designed to be digestible even if you don’t follow the main plots. Unlike some other procedurals, it tends to have more of a serialized (week to week) plot going through in terms of the characters’ individual developments and the occasional bigger arc. But that said, when I say an episode is a “good JJ episode” that may mean it’s an episode where she has a good scene or two. It may mean it’s an episode where she has a defining character moment. It does not necessarily mean she will be the entire focus of the episode. The character development in a show like CM is slow and really, really built over time. And the moments you’ll see me piece together on my blog and talk about as important moments for JJ, may often feel like blips on the radar of an episode. Do not expect a 2019, golden age of TV, stop your heart kind of plot and drama. It’s just not that kind of show. It’ll do that now and then, but not all the time.

So without further ado, I plan to break this episode list up into three subsections: *** means the episode is a must watch to know JJ’s plot and development. This will be saved for Major JJ episodes. ** is for episodes that are JJ focused or have good JJ content but may be simply a good emotional episode, and are not required in order to follow plot moments. Lastly, * means that the episode is just one that I love. It may be another character’s big arc. It may be a mystery I just think is great, or an episode that is considered classic CM. So start at the top. If you don’t have a lot of time at all, stick with the three stars. If you want a full JJ adventure, do three and two. If you want a little bonus stuff because you’re having fun and you like the other characters too, do the three stars, two stars, and ones.

SEASON 1

*1x01: Extreme Aggressor - JJ isn’t even in this episode. But it’s the pilot. It gives you the backstory and establishes the team. ***1x02: Compulsion - While not extremely plot relevant as most of my other three start episodes, this is in fact JJ’s first episode. So especially if you’re not going to watch 1x01, give this one a go. [JJ is not an incredibly important character in season 1. So she’s not in much of it. But with that said, I’d suggest bopping around and watching a few random episodes just to get a feel for the team/vibe/etc] **1x14: Riding the Lightning - JJ is so awesome in this episode. It’s also considered a CM classic so def watch it. It’s not on my must watch list because rules say it’s not plot relevant to JJ’s story specifically but I’d still call it a must watch. *1x21: Secrets and Lies - not plot relevant but it does have some delightful JJ and Garcia friendship scenes and we love them here. *1x22: Fisher King Pt 1 - Finale. Not relevant to JJ beyond the fact that it’s the season finale. I will likely put most finales and season premieres on this list because they tend to include the big, team wide, more personal cases.

SEASON 2

*2x01: Fisher King Pt 2 - like I said, all finales and premieres. This one is a two parter. **2x06: Boogeyman - a CM Classic. Elle Fanning guest stars. JJ has some great moments with kids because that’s her thing. Not plot relevant. ***2x07: North Mammon - Not SUPER plot relevant but this is the first time JJ really gets an episode of her own, that’s her arc and feels like her case. It’s a good look into her character and provides some insight into who she is. Also it’s a wild case straight out of a CW show. *2x09: The Last Word - not important for JJ but it is Emily Prentiss’s intro episode and we just love Emily in this house and she’s a very important character in JJ’s life. *2x12: Profiler, Profiled - again like most early season episode, not JJ centric. This is a Morgan centric episode and is really a CM classic. Goes into Morgan’s backstory and is heartbreaking and well done. If you’ve gotten this far and find yourself into him, watch this. ***2x14-2x15: The Big Game/Revelations - This is a two parter with a case that goes in CM fandom history books. It also features some important plot stuff for JJ and some real heartbreaking trauma for the team. ***2x18: Joneses - JJ has some romance related stuff in this episode that is p important for her arc and life in general. **2x21: Open Season - Not super plot heavy but a good JJ episode with good scenes a decent case. Does a lot to show what JJ does in her part of the job. AND features Criminal Minds iconic girls at the bar scene.

SEASON 3

**3x01: Doubt - I left out the season 2 finale so take it or leave it but the Season 3 premiere is good fun. Has some good JJ emotions in it. *3x02: Name in Blood - Not JJ relevant but a good Emily episode and a case that weirdly becomes relevant in a JJ/Emily episode WAY THE FRICK in season 14 or something. **3x04: Children of the Dark - No big plot things just a great JJ and Emily episode of them being great together acting like moms. **3x05: Seven Seconds - No big plot things again but a good perspective of the extent of what JJ’s side of the work deals with. *3x09: Penelope - HUGE episode, very important. For the team, For JJ, for Garcia. Watch it. [Also maybe watch the last 5 minutes of the episode before it] **3x15: Higher Power - Not that big plot wise but always assume if a plot description/case has suicide in it that it’ll have good JJ content. ***3x18: In Heat - JJ and Will stuff. You need it to know who JJ is. *3x20: Lo-Fi - it’s a finale so it goes on the list.

SEASON 4

*4x01: Mayhem - again it’s a premiere so it goes on the list *4x03: Minimal Loss - not JJ related but a good CM classic, guest starring Luke Perry and a great Prentiss episode - JJ goes on Maternity leave / AJ goes on Maternity leave mid season 4 so there’s a big gap in JJ content But she has her baby i 4x11 if you want to see it. She returns in 4x14 *4x17: Demonology - no JJ but a huge backstory ep for Emily. Really pretty, really good. I highly recommend. **4x23: Amplification: Not hugely plot important but a good JJ episode. Deals with her getting used to being both a mother and an agent. *4x24-4x25: To Hell / And Back - Very disturbing season finale. Not JJ focused but a CM classic.

#jennifer jareau #criminal minds

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dahlia-coccinea · 3 years

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You have said that you thought that “some critics overstate the concept of childhood in the story” and that Catherine and Heathcliff are not eternal children. What do you think about the concept of “childhood” in Wuthering Heights? In many ways this is a novel that is so preoccupied with childhood and attachments made in childhood, despite the main characters not being children for most of the book. Is there a distinction to be made between the actual depiction of the childhood of the main characters and the nostalgic conception of their childhood they later have?

I have read a review of the book that said that 5-year-old Hareton’s interaction with Nelly in Chapter 11 is unrealistic and reveals that Emily Bronte didn’t really know children unlike Anne Bronte who worked as a governess. I personally think that she was talented in depicting childhood rivalries, friendships and woes, Chapter 7 of Wuthering Heights is the proof of that.

This is a pretty big topic so I think I’m just going to ramble and explore the topic and see where it leads so I apologize in advance if this is unreadable hah.

For reference, this stems from this conversation, in which I mentioned how Catherine and her daughter both proudly view themselves as mature women and you mentioned how easy it is to forget that Catherine does try to take on difficult, grownup, responsibilities in planning how removing Heathcliff and herself from Hindley's dysfunctional household.

As I said I do think the concept of childhood has a big impact on the story and it is easy to remember moments such as Catherine’s utterance of how she wishes she was a girl again, and her appearance as a child ghost feels not without significant meaning. Many critics have fixated on this and have led them to make a few assumptions. There have been connections made with Freudian child psychology, pathology, and narcissism, or sometimes is developed into theories around Heathcliff and Catherine’s relationship and them having a twin soul in part because of their childhood bond and likeness. Still, I think these narratives give too much weight to the symbolism of childhood in the novel by not mentioning the moments that Catherine and Heathcliff display a grown-up understanding of things, or have wishes and desires that aren’t infantile or nostalgic.

Catherine is typically the character associated with childhood and childishness. Catherine’s anxiety about her choice between Edgar and Heathcliff is partially associated with her distress at life beyond her childhood and while that could be pathological as some critics state, including Marielle Seichepine in her essay Childhood and Innocence in Wuthering Heights. She argued this shows her narcissism and demonstrates Freud’s ideas on the "perversity of the infant.” I’ve written a long post about why I disagree with her here, so to save time I won’t repeat all of that.

Another reason why I think Catherine is sometimes viewed this way is because she dies at 19, which many people today consider to practically be a child. For all of Heathcliff’s longing to return to happier memories during his youth, or returning to their old shared bed, or being spurred to commit revenge against Hindley for disrupting his childhood and trajectory in life, he is still an adult during much of the novel so it seems he is saved from some of this speculation and psychoanalysis. Which may or may not be right. I think a problem with a lot of these theories is that they seem to forget that Emily never knew of Freud, as he was born some 8 years after her death. While an interesting lens to read the book through and I’m glad there are essays on it, I think Catherine’s situation says much more about spiritually, society, and the human experience and is not an overt psychoanalytical case study (I feel like it sounds like I hate Freud, I really don’t lol I just think he’s over/incorrectly used a lot).

Also, like many other proposed narratives, the theories that conclude they both wish to return to their childhood often assume Heathcliff doesn't care about the world or education, that they just want to be dirty children running around the moors forever, etc. All while ignoring that by their teens they both aren't ignorant of how the world works, or injustice of it, and also how they both view the other as the person they would like to marry and to escape from the home that is no longer welcoming to them. J. Hillis Miller, and a few other critics I can’t remember, fall into this trap. Miller’s take was something about their boundaries being blurred by their shared spaces, and childhood, and that all their later struggles are to claim that shared space again. While he believes they are strongly platonic, others make similar suggestions, like their mystical union is reminiscent of a "primordial androgynous being.” I’ve mentioned part of this argument before, but I didn’t mention how it is common that these arguments overstate the importance of childhood and Catherine’s and Heathcliff’s supposed fixation on it. (This is all a lot of ground to cover so sorry if this is hard to follow.)

Now there are few reasons I think childhood is important in the book, and I think can be representative of a number of things. One of the reasons WH is so interesting is because so many metaphors and symbols can be explored in multiple ways. Understood in a very simplistic and broad way it does nicely lend to the imagery of wildness, freedom, and being in a natural rather than materialistic state. It also speaks more plainly of the angst most people feel when surrendering childhood freedoms to adult responsibility and of being introduced into a world that is unfair and tragic. I’ve also thought their moving from childhood to adulthood with their coinciding loss and separation, feels similar to awakening to a vast existential dread that causes the loss of meaning and proceeds to force the characters into chaos.

I think it is also important to the plot that Catherine and Heathcliff's relationship begins early on - it makes more sense that they are unable to view their past, present, or future, without the other since they’re in each other’s earliest memories. It also helps prevent a more cliche "love at first sight" plot and leaves less room to believe it is based on anything superficial.

Something that I find interesting is it seems to be somewhat contested as to how to reconcile the fact their childhood isn’t particularly happy yet they seem to desire to return to it. I don’t remember reading anyone who tries to really tackle this. Catherine and Heathcliff have only a brief time after Hindley leaves and Mr. Earnshaw is still alive that their lives are relatively peaceful. But I don’t think anyone could consider even that part of their childhood as ideal, nor do they specifically mention that time, apart from in Catherine’s diary when she says her father was back because Hindley is a terrible substitute.

I certainly don’t see the story as an ode to childhood as I've seen some critics suggest. Partially because Cathy and Hareton are able to grow up and live the life that Catherine and Heathcliff would have wanted, and also because of how telling it is that Catherine is trapped as a child ghost until she’s reunited with Heathcliff. If the book was an ode to childhood the shepherd boy should have seen two children on the moors and not Heathcliff and "a woman."

You mention how some have accused Emily of not understanding children - I think that’s kind of a funny claim. I think her writing, despite the poeticism, is concerned with humanity and in that way is relatable and the emotions very intelligible - still the characters' actions and language could never be mistaken as striving for hyper-realism. Also, she grew up with siblings and knew family friends, and servants who had children so I don’t think the way little Hareton or whoever, is written has to do with her not understanding children. I don’t think any of the sisters were maternal, so perhaps that changes their writing or what others would expect from them.

#wuthering heights #emily brontë #thoughts #i'm totally forgetting points i wanted to make but i think this has gone on long enough lol

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