#and it’s still a good satisfying ending bc of how the story was set up and progressed
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more stories should have the guts to kill their main character
#not author. stories#don’t ask me to elaborate on this idk how#i’m thinking about gladiator and pan’s labyrinth#something something characters being right and doing good and defeating the evil but it costs them their life#and it’s still a good satisfying ending bc of how the story was set up and progressed#not because the author wanted a big shock at the end#it still feels natural and true to the story#said story should also have a strong supporting cast and developed world so it feels like the story can go on without the mc#that the story goes beyond just the main character#something something that night vale quote death is only the end if you assume the story is about you#but don’t ask me to elaborate on this idk how
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LIKE AN UNKNOWN SIGN
pairing: charles leclerc x singer!reader
summary: sometimes, hidden love without sign is just unknown
req: Maybe a smau for Charles Leclerc x Reader but he’s with Alexandra and everyone wants them to like get tgt and she like posts stuff that’s like telling him to break up with her and at the end he breaks up with Alex and they end up tgt
face claim: olivia rodrigo
warning: complicated relationship, complicated storyline, charles being nonchalant abt his feelings, slipping out on ig story as usual (not him), cliffhanger ending
a/n: it's been going on for a way too complicated, and actually i'm not too satisfied with this. but i will make a part two of it.
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yourusername
liked by charles_leclerc, lailahasanovic, and 520,143 others
yourusername 🥦🌱⛳🍵☘️
👤: nbcsnl
view comments...
username damn green looks good on you
astonmartinf1 😌☘️
username oh no aston martin commented, does this mean...
⤷ username nah don't
username your performance was good omg wish i was there😭😭
tatemcrae wish you were here
tatemcrae miss you real bad
⤷ yourusername miss you too baby<3☹️☹️
username okay laila i can tell, but charles i don't know
⤷ username laila and mick are her friends, she definitely know charles and vice versa 🤷🏼♀️
⤷ username but still bcs it's quite sus
lailahasanovic that fur coat is top tier i want it
⤷ yourusername same honestly😭
username poor alex she deserves better☹️
username he should've be with her fr i mean HIS INTERVIEW???
⤷ username he's a fan alright, and so do we
⤷ username DON'T U UNDERSTAND HIS FEELINGS FOR HER IS NOT JUST A FAN THEIR WITH IDOL SORT OF RELATIONSHIP
⤷ username y/n belong to charles. period
username i'm hoping that she's aware with these comments and ended up making a crazy songs about alex and building a tons of gossips around the paddock. it's gonna be so much fun oml
louispartridge grinch
⤷ yourusername elf
scuderiaferrari 🥴❤️
⤷ username ok fuck now ferrari commented i know it's complicated
yourusername added to their story!
caption: he ain't wrong, this kinda looks like a grinch. thanks louispartridge for the reminder.
replying to: yourusername 's story
still with louis?
replying to: charles_leclerc
you know there's nothing between us
and how about you and alex? are you still with her or something?
seen
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yourusername
liked by charles_leclerc and 781,290 others
yourusername i only speak truth 🗣️
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bradmondo slaying natural look as usual
⤷ username i thought it was brad pitt for a sec💀💀
username new album when?
username new song when
username she's so stunning
username mother slayed as always
florencepugh i miss our kitchen fight😔
⤷ yourusername sameeee😭😭
louispartridge you forgot your sunny
⤷ yourusername i already edit it on photoshop
⤷ username omg louisy/n interaction is real😍
⤷ username IT'S JUST A SINGLE (1) INTERACTION AND YOU SAID THEY'RE TOGETHER????
⤷ username say that to yourself shipping y/n and charles
⤷ username you see how charles is here now huh
⤷ username what she just a random selebgram
⤷ username WDYM RANDOM SELEBGRAM??????????
lancestroll hey come get your man he won't answer my call after last night
⤷ username what last night
⤷ carlossainz55 lancestroll you know she has a private account right?
⤷ landonorris nothing happened last night, everyone goodbye
⤷ username that's not a proper goodbye and you know it lando
⤷ username something happened and twitter are still cold...
⤷ yourusername 😐
⤷ landonorris how about we set up a barbeque party?
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yourusername
liked by charles_leclerc, carmenmmundt and 470,511 others
yourusername babysitter for hire
view comments...
username i know but we need a break up song rn
username tell me she's in love and hiding it (she's bad at hiding her feelings)
liked by charles_leclerc
username but tbh i don't believe if her album is about love. and if it is, some songs are definitely about her prev break up
username can y'all just enjoy her content?
username petition for taylorswift to invite her to be in eras tour
isahernaez mi linda hermanita😍🥰
sabrinacarpenter can't believe you bought the american girl
⤷ yourusername should've bought the british girl then
⤷ sabrinacarpenter monaco girl
comment has been deleted
⤷ username what the fuck i'm heading to twitter rn
username what is this sabrina and y/n???????? having a conv without starting a war??
username SABRINA AND Y/N NATION WHAT ARE WE FEELING NOW?
irisapatow the bff cupcake is true but there's no me, so i claim it as a false
⤷ yourusername no u no probs 😎
⤷ irisapatow 🖕🏻
username after she release sour, i think it's time to do sweet yourusername?
⤷ yourusername i'll do bitter instead.
username charles with alex, there ain't no way
⤷ rachelzegler please take the truth
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yourusername and vogue
vogue aspiring singer y/n l/n is sharing her thoughts about her newest single, ‘all-american bitch’ and about her rumoured love triangle between the formula one driver, charles leclerc, and enola holmes actor, louis partridge.
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iamrebeccad pretty baby 🤩
⤷ username now rebecca's here, is this not enough for yall to think that charles is with her rn
⤷ username c'mon that is innocent, she just supporting her💀
username YESSSSS VOGUE NOTICED‼️‼️🗣️🔥
username mother is back photoshooting y'all
username charles break up with alex challenge
username pls just be with charles
username wdym she's great with louis
username MY LIFE HAS BEEN RESTORED
username Y/N AND CHARLES Y/N AND CHARLES Y/N AND CHARLES Y/N AND CHARLES Y/N AND CHARLES
username she's literally so stunning omg
charlottesiine 👑
⤷ yourusername no u 👸🏻
⤷ username mothers interacting
⤷ username green light from cha everybody
⤷ username she literally said like, "just get him girl"
sabrinacarpenter added to their story!
caption: what a (real) american bitch should look like:
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charles_leclerc and meta
liked by charles_leclerc, zuck, and 148,790 others
meta charles_leclerc and our camera glasses is going out karting in los angeles🥳🏁
view comments...
username literally 🤓
username akshually ☝️🤓
username he is not maxplaining so relax
carlossainz55 you see the early comments? AJAJAJAJAJAJA
⤷ charles_leclerc i tried my best and you just be like this? what is this kind of teammate
yourusername hello you standard office worker
meta pretty nerdy✨
username NOT YN SAYING HE LOOK NERDY TOO😭😭
username but he looks so good in it tho
username y/n 🤝 carlos = saying he looks nerdy without saying he looks like it
username girl wym is that🫵🏻😭
username who's p1?
⤷ landonorris a W meta worker
⤷ charles_leclerc lie
⤷ landonorris no no don't try, because i'm there too
⤷ yourusername beaten by a morker
⤷ charles_leclerc it's not him, and what is a morker
⤷ yourusername meta worker🤓
f1wagsupdate
f1wagsupdate charles rumoured (second) girlfriend, y/n, is seen leaving a local cafe in los angeles yesterday with a mysterious man with a tan hoodie and a sunglasses. sources said that she is keeping her relationship strict with privacy.
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username she's off with louis and now she's with another man?? why is she so childish?
username how old is she why is she looks so damn short?
username bet it's louis they're reconciling
⤷ username keep dreaming girly i'll wake u up
username nonono it's charles i know
username GOD WHY IS IT ALWAYS THEM BOTH PLS GUESS FOR ANOTHER
username for the love of god she hasn't breaking up with louis yet pls stop
username god forbid her to have a male friend
username they WERE friend PLEASEEEE😭😭
username literally manifesting that it'll be charles
username but if it's charles, what abt louis? will he get his own sad album?
⤷ username i think it's charles who will get the song/album
username get over it guys she's literally a child
username she's mature enough to stay with one especially when it's THE louis partridge
username idc with the rumours but she looks good with her fits
⤷ yncloset slayed as always
username no but shush do you realize charles' partnership with meta is also in la
⤷ username SHUT UP DON'T MAKE ME THINK ABT IT🫵🏼😭😭😭
⤷ username wait yeah but idc i don't want to trace the line
joris__trouche added to their story!
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yourusername is added to their story!
caption: what the fucks happening
#✶!#charles leclerc x you#charles leclerc x reader#charles leclerc fluff#charles leclerc imagine#charles leclerc fic#charles leclerc#f1 x you#f1 imagines#f1 x reader#f1 imagine
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If you had free control of Bramblestar’s final fate how would you want it to end?
Personally for me, he realizes how he’s acted and steps down immediately finally realizing how much pain he’s caused so many cats to endure especially Squirrelflight. She lets him step down and they divorce, he tries to apologize and while she does see his change she won’t forgive him he’s done to much to just be let off bc he said sorry. She’s made Squirrelstar, Plumstone her deputy, Bramble dies soon after maybe giving up his last life willingly so she can move on. He only ever got to the point of analyzing his actions by cats like Sparkpelt, Jayfeather, Tigerheartstar, Spotfur and many more speaking up to try and stop his continued reign.
I feel like... if he just has a sudden realization that his behavior has been Bad, it wouldn't be satisfying. There's no reason that an abusive person in a position of power would just suddenly POOF! Realize that he was bad all along, you get me?
Ideally: I want him to be deposed as leader. I want ThunderClan to call out his behavior for what it is and realize that his power has been misused; so he should not have it.
and THEN I want him to have the realization that he is responsible for this.
Did you read Squirrelflight's Hope? If you did, did you catch how the narrative seemed to be set up like a journey for Squilf to realize that her actions affect others?
That was a bad super edition (in part) because that is NOT what Squilf needs to learn. She ONLY does things out of love and justice, but because the SE decides that Squilf's takeaway needs to be confronting her own actions, it ends up downplaying the fact that there is a primary abuser in their relationship.
"We were both wrong" is not an okay conclusion for a story that contains domestic abuse.
But this sort of story could work for Deposed Leader Brambleclaw. I want him to leave ThunderClan completely for a while, honestly, and go for a wander.
In the meanwhile, Squirrelflight moves on. Since, canon unfortunately is SO dedicated to Bramblesquirrel it would have to be addressed... so I'd like Bramble to leave for a while, she vows to wait for him, but then realizes that she's happier without him.
If I had FREE reign and was able to promote the Gay Agenda in the Harper-Collins office I would also impose Daisysquirrel on them like a tyrant gone mad with power, btw.
When he finally comes back, they part on sad but knowing terms; he is not good for her. They still have to share ThunderClan, it's the home of both of their families... but they never share a nest again.
#For my rewrite as you know they break up in Po3: Cruel Season and never get back together after that#This is assuming that I was like... let loose on the books from this-moment-foward like Bingbong the Pigeon#Warrior Cats Analysis#Squirrelflight#Bramblestar#domestic abuse#toxic relationship#abuse
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wait you HATED sweet pool omg. its my least fave out of the n+c releases ive read so far mainly for how flat the characters felt to me and how clumsy a lot of the plot felt but i rlly loved the aesthetic/general vibe it had so thats rlly interesting to me,if ur up for it id love to know what didnt click for u ^_^
when i judge how bad a VN is with my brother (avid VN reader as well) we use Sweet Pool as a basically "zero" on the scale of professional, large VNs.
Sweet Pool's writing was WEIRD. I can do some weird, thats fine. Weird ass-birth stillborn meatslugs? ... okay, ill... look past that. ok i wont lie, the constant ass-birth was hard for me. i really did try to not judge it on that but like, there was almost constant buttbirth going on. ive made peace with this by now, kinda making a link to myself about the connections of it to being an unintentional trans narrative in many ways and all but like. it was WEIRD. and kinda hard to read. it didnt strike me as horror, it struck me as "weird fetish i have to sit through. oh my god is he licking tha- PUT IT DOWN Z-DAWG. Ok christ."
The characters were also weird. I laughed out loud in surprise at how stupid the "i saved you from being raped <3 SO I CAN RAPE YOU, PSYCH!" scene was. like wtf was that??????
(I hope you werent planning on USING that butthole, mister!)
i did not enjoy the art style, i think its the ugliest N+C art style yet and since. not my thing. many angles and proportions look weird. the CGs looked stiff and uninspired. it NEVER grew on me. no shade to people who liked it or the artist it just.. wasnt my thing. not unbearable but just. not. as good as it could have been and def took away from the experience.
i didnt like any of the endings. it wasnt scary it was weird. the pacing was weird. for being a BL, it had very little love just... wtf. and im so sad abt what they did to mikoto bc i liked him before uuuUuUuUu yandere plot twwwwist. bleh.... dollar store keisuke! they would FORCE the true end so you maybe go, "maybe the true end is satisfying and good an-" no. its not. fuck yoU!
sweet pool was painful. i dont know how else to put my experience. i 100%d it because i 100% everything when i can, and i was literally pushing through like a hiker in a snow storm to finish it. every 3 seconds was secondhand embarrassment. the "jerking off in the classroom" scene comes to mind. i got up and took a break for that one because it was just unbearable. idk how anyone could slap one out to this vn. im not sure if anyone ever has. which makes the sex weird. actually, i dont think there was a single consensual ero scene unless u count the true end fusion scene.
(proof god does not love us)
the aesthetic/vibe was... ehhh... not super unique IMO. school setting immediately put me off, a more gritty and cool toned, dark palate made things interesting but, its still a "weird thing happens in high school" story. kinda bored to death of HS settings in VNs.
i did like the protag tho! he was interesting and it was nice having a chronically ill protag even if it was just a plot device to make him be able to miss school while going on a... dark apartment birth marathon.
sweet pool felt like a bizarre, amateur fanfiction for a fetish i dont have.
the soundtrack is very memorable as well as the opening pre-game sequence, i liked the concept of the choice button meanings, but they were very rough in actual use.
this is my favorite CG i appreciate the aquarium set up instead of a fish bowl (though he could do better...)
(shame about them turning into meat popcorn tho...)
i liked the iguana lol
i didnt care about these guys so much i dont even remember their names most of the time. except zenya. i liked him cus hes so cute and batshit crazy and has intersex swag.
(does this shade match my festering flesheye?)
all in all?
i give sweet pool a 2/10 butt babies.
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CONS:
no shortage of buttbirth stuff
seems to have lost the "love" in "BL".
some characters arent even original... FROM THEIR OWN STUDIO.
boring, hard to follow story
character focus on a character who has no personality. this guy is the gijinka of the hair that gathers at the drain of your shower.
designs that just are not very memorable or unique, without the personality to work with
story has routes but none of them were thought much of, should have just been a kinetic
confusing choice buttons
WAY too many choices for a VN with 3 candidates. makes 100%ing a drag.
predictable story
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PROS:
no shortage of buttbirth stuff, i mean, if youre into that
a soundtrack that makes up for the lack of good ero because this OST FUCKS
still a better love story than twilight
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note: i read it in offical ENG, so i was no doubt getting a lower quality version. i dont think the original text would have helped getting it more than a single grade higher.
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top 5 memories!!
these are mostly abt my friends from my fc bc they make playing this game so much more fun and awesome (long post warning)
#1 so there's this guy in western coerthas whom you can challenge to a fight named alaimbert of the spiked butt. funny guy with a lot of butt jokes. one day i was leveling samurai and thought eh why not fight mr spiky butt? then i ate shit and died. and like. the moment i died i got a dm from a stranger. this player named "yuyu nekomata" was... asking me to join her fc?
fellas i have no idea how fc recruitments work. i don't know how this girl found me. so i thought. that this person. saw me get buttspiked to death. for no fucking reason, just being a shit gamer. and thought "yeah i want THAT guy to be in my fc, i gotta ask him to join right now"
i fucking lost it dude i laughed so hard i was fully crying. and then i said yes, ofc. best decision i ever made fr. also since i mentioned going to level my gatherers yuyu gave me like 10 sideritis cookies and i still have 6 in my inventory www
#2 i started playing in na actually, in coeurl, crystal bc dreamer was there and i wanted to meet him ingame haha. but the ping was horrendous and i could never avoid aoes. i started to suspect if orange aoes weren't actually unavoidable. i could only get through the hall of the novice "avoid aoes" training by using sprint (it has a 60 second cooldown!) and praying. and i thought man, i want to try raiding in the future, there's no way i can raid if i have to sprint out of every aoe. so i packed my bags and moved out to jp. basically just picked a dc and world at random? the english speaking jp server is elemental (literally every other indonesian ffxiv player is in elemental fml) but i went to mana instead. it's good out here though since mana has an active raiding scene and the queues are super fast :]
anyway the actual memory was when i remade my character and restarted arr and i went out into the world and aggro'd a monster AND I COULD STEP OUT OF THEIR AOE WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO avoiding damage has never felt so fucking good
#3 at a time when i couldn't play ffxiv, around after i finished base hvw but not the patches, i watched jocat's ffxiv stream vods on youtube. i kept watching until the last available video, when he'd finished the rak'tika section then detoured to do all the role quests. that was around endwalker's release so the guy was too busy streaming to upload the old vods. since twitch vods were only available for 2 weeks i skipped ahead and watched edw instead of waiting for more shb. i followed his streams to the very end, then went ahead and purchased ffxiv to finish shadowbringers on my own
i hadn't planned to play endwalker, for reasons. i finished 5.0, then i did the only thing left i wanted to do: the twinning. i wanted to jam out to a long fall, haha. and i did! it was a very fun run. i hadn't done alexander and omega yet so alex to me is a twinning boss first and foremost. the unlock quest's cutscene where we hear the message from the doomed timeline was so touching that i teared up. i felt satisfied. i was done with ffxiv! yay!
the story of why i decided to continue playing... is for someday in the future :)
#4 and so i did continue to play, and even finish endwalker. really though, the twinning wasn't the only thing i wanted to do. i wanted to try raiding, remember? and so i got to level 90, my first time at level cap, excitedly went to labyrinthos to try the pandaemonium raids, and
my item level is too low. noooooo!
i had no idea how to get gear. what the hell is a tomestone? why do i need so many of them?? i asked around to the raiders in our fc for tips. they told me some stuff about how to farm tomestones but i thought mannn that's gonna take so long though. so i went to the marketboard and bought the then-bis rinascita gear.
one of the guys i asked, koi, saw me at the sharlayan marketboard and went OH NO. i'd just bought the sabatons when he stopped me. koi told me, "this was supposed to be a surprise, but i'll say it so you don't waste your gil. actually yuyu has bought all the gear for you! please come to the fc house to receive it."
i was.. floored. i'd joined the fc while in the middle of playing shadowbringers, so it wasn't too long ago. i hadn't talked with anyone much, only saying hi when i see them pop in or out of the game. since i was too busy doing endwalker msq i couldn't play with the other members either (though we did go into the aitiascope and the mothercrystal together, it was such a blast). but they still gave me a ton of gear and raid food and gil for materia. man even now thinking about it i get choked up. these people are the nicest and i love them so much.
the time when i would have to stop playing ffxiv again was approaching, but i swore i would first clear at least the first savage trial of abyssos when it came out, to show my friends how much i appreciated their help. i'm still holding onto this promise now.
#5 savage is hard. oh my god is it hard. i have to admit to giving up because my internet connection is very unstable, i get a lot of lags and disconnects, and devour is an extremely unforgiving mechanic with lag. i only went back to high-end content with golbez. his trial is extremely attractive for me to prog because the mechanics are mostly forgiving and easy to learn. the only one that has me by the throat is void comet rain (void stardust? idk i learned this from jp resources so) since that one is unforgiving with lag lol. and it took me a good while to prog this trial. i gave up again when 6.5 released with a new extreme, zeromus, and went for that one instead. actually getting to see enrage for the first time ever was very motivating, but i just... i like golbez a lot. i want to clear the voidcast dais extreme first, as it was the new goal i'd set after p5s broke me. so i tried again! and
i did it baybeeee hahahaha! we were a "learn from the beginning" party that was supposed to go on for only 1 meal. but at the 30 minute mark we got to like 7% and i was the only one left alive and i was like no, no we can't stop here LET ME SOLO HIM! LET ME SOLO GOLBEZ I'M A WARRIOR I CAN DO THIS IN NORMAL MODE SURELY EXTREME IS NO DIFF(explodes to void meteor)
we put it to a vote if we want to continue progging, and everyone unanimously agreed. so one final pull! in which i fucking died to void comet rain like a chump! but we ended up clearing well before enrage!! yaaaayyy!!! i got my first ever endwalker extreme clear, and also somehow the weapon coffer despite being the only one (probably) who messed up. sorry everyone ;p all the luck goes to the most undeserving in the party! now i just need to farm the mount and the golbez minion from the lunar subterrane and i will have my full golbez regalia. this is my current goal www
anyway since we're already here have a bonus sweet memory, last christmas one of the fc members, kou, gave us all drawings of our wols! look at the gang all here /;w;)/
answer correctly or else i will have to write more smut to set things right
talking about the other fc members under the cut www
from the left that's koi, one of our serious raiders. the guy is such a troll, he taught me by force to play better bc when someone else dares take the tanking role from him he will run off alone and aggro everything in sight, cuz fuck you. he did also accompany me progging both p5s and golbez and taught me a lot about tanking and communicating in pf :]
second is yuyu, our most wonderful guild leader! she's sweet and kind and loves to shower the rest of us with gil from her billionaire coffers. she's the best. beside her is hoshi, who is a pretty cool person but she's been taking breaks a lot. she's our healer for treasure map runs and it's always hilarious w her there
the bunnyboy is skyler, our most chill and cool guy B) he's a vtuber on tiktok i think? he maintains our main discord server and is usually the one organizing fc events with yuyu. also the sage main who always takes the job to heal the rest of us tank-dps mains www
lastly beside tart that's kou! i hadn't met her a lot at the start and that was because she has a very serious raiding static. she did the omega protocol ultimate, THE hardest fight in ffxiv, on patch. it was nuts. she was in that dimensional rift 24/7 lmao. she's also an artist and always has the best glams and has gotten into gposing too, a real ffxiv renaissance man. kou does old extreme/savage content for fun and often gifts the rest of us special crafted weapons that glow. like the tsukuyomi sword, my beloved
there are other members but that's all for now! thanks if you're reading this far hahah
#tart the wol#long post#i would usually put something this long under a cut but i need you all to vote
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Nerd Alert News: Spencer Lord Is a Gamer at Heart
Spencer Lord fills us in on his return to The CW’s “Family Law”
Originally from Kamloops, BC, the talented actor grew up on the baseball field without a thought about an acting career. Shortly after he earned his degree in mechanical engineering with the memory of a school production of “Kiss Me Kate” stored in the back of his mind. The acting bug finally caught him and he discovered the feeling of freedom and joy on the stage, quit his job, and pursued acting full-time. Known for roles in The CW’s “Riverdale,” ABC’s “The Good Doctor,” leads in several TV movies, and now he returns to his role as the firefighting love interest of Jewel Staite’s character in The CW’s “Family Law.”
A gamer at heart, Spencer loved his Starcraft, Counterstrike, and World of Warcraft. These days he doesn’t even have a game console in fear that he’d never leave the house! Get to know Spencer Lord and be sure to catch him in “Family Law.”
Colleen Bement: Thank you so much for taking time out for the interview. Let’s dive into your role in “Family Law.” What was the experience like on set? What was your audition like?
Spencer Lord: I auditioned for the show while I was in Victoria B.C. standing in on a movie that a friend was making. Lucky for me I had another friend in town who helped me tape, and we just had fun putting it together in her hotel room. That’s the beauty of self-taped auditions, which is what we almost exclusively see these days… we can work with our friends who help bring out what makes us the best actors: ourselves.
And once I got started on the show it was much more of the same. Jewel is a generous scene partner. She and the whole crew bring a level of relaxation to the set that brings out everyone’s best work.
CB: Tell us about your character, Aiden Walsh on “Family Law,” and, do you happen to have any qualities in common with Aiden?
SL: He’s a kind man, a firefighter whose job as a first responder means he helps others in a way most of us can’t imagine. In a lot of ways, he represents the kind of person I try to be, which was sort of my way into him as a character. I think, as actors, before we start to explore the people we play we need to find the thing that bridges us to them. With Aiden it was simply that he wants to help people, and Abby presents a pretty unique, driven, attractive person who needs a shoulder to lean on. To me, it seemed like Aiden meeting his kryptonite.
CB: I’m a sucker for rom-coms, so can you tell me about your movie “Mixed Baggage?”
SL: A couple of stress cases meet on an airplane, immediately click, and my character misses his chance to stay in touch. They mix up their identical luggage and they happen upon a pretty sweet deal: gotta find each other to return their things so, whoopsie, we get to meet again.
The best part about working on a movie like that is always the people you spend those few weeks with. Everyone’s in the trenches together, working to accomplish a goal on tight timelines and with a limited budget. It’s always surprising and satisfying when you see the end result, knowing how hard everyone worked.
CB: I see that you grew up playing Starcraft, Counterstrike, and World of Warcraft. The fact that you don’t have a console because you’d never leave the house is hilarious and understandable. Do you ever get a chance to play anymore?
SL: Oh man… gaming is dangerous for me. Maybe it’s my ADHD. Maybe I was supposed to be a professional gamer. But once I start a new story I can’t stop. I actually just finished Tears of the Kingdom (because for some reason a Switch doesn’t really count as a console for me) and it was one of the best games I’ve played. Still got a soft spot for Final Fantasy VII and a good first-person shooter, though.
CB: Growing up, sports were a big part of your life and you never saw an acting career on your radar. Fill us in on how you ended up being an actor.
SL: I dunno, at some point you just go: Man, I’m not sure I’ll ever really be happy if I continue doing this thing I’m doing. For me, when I was around 23 or 24, that meant figuring out what lit me up inside. That was never really posed to me as a priority when I was growing up. Nobody asked, what do you love, how do you feel when you’re doing this or that… It was always, “What are you good at? Maybe do that.” So when I thought about it I remembered being on stage in high school and how exhilarating it was, so I quit my job and started taking acting classes. It’s a funny thing when you go from having a secure career with pretty solid earning potential to working in a restaurant and living paycheck to paycheck, but you’re happier. For me, that was a very eye-opening realization. Do what you love.
CB: I read that you have suffered at times with pretty heavy social anxiety. Do you have any advice for people who also struggle?
SL: This is a tough one. I’m sure it’s different for everyone because everyone’s anxieties are unique. A few years ago – because of the isolation of the pandemic among other things – I started to feel awkward, and horribly anxious in social situations. Particularly when meeting new people, but surprisingly when I was spending time with old friends and even family, I would feel intensely self-conscious to the point where I hardly felt like myself at all. What I felt like I had to do was force myself into those situations I found to be the most stressful. Slowly, gradually, the circumstances led to less anxiety and I felt more like myself. So as cliche as I feel saying face your fears, I think that’s a pretty powerful way to help yourself through something like this. That, and don’t feel bad or guilty about leaning on those close to you.
Speed Round:
Favorite Gas Station Snack: chocolate milk
Latest TV Show you’ve binge-watched: The Fall of the House of Usher. Beautifully shot, such tight writing, flawlessly acted. *chef’s kiss*
Movie you watch over and over: Braveheart
Favorite book: The Goldfinch
Marvel or DC: MCU for sure, but I like the DC characters more
Favorite country you’ve visited: Not such a well-traveled guy, but I love me some New York
Dawn or Dusk? Dawn
Pie or cake? Cake
What’s your dream car? Late 60s Mustang fastback
Camping: Tent or camper: Tent! Waking up, unzipping the tent, and looking out over the mountains is my favorite
Who inspires you? Anyone who is kind to those who owe them nothing
Source
#heartland#spencer lord#gaming#other projects#family law#mixed baggage#mental health#ADHD#tears of the kingdom#final fantasy#interview#nerd alert news
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omg omg
Im truly so speechless I don't even know where to begin. Number Four Was Always You was the most thoughtful and well-organized and clearly so well-loved (as the writer for their piece) fic. I haven't been so blown away by a fic in a very long time. Your character descriptions were so quintessentially accurate and truthful to the characters and their actors' portrayal of them! So many times while reading, I found myself smiling or nodding along and thinking, "yep, that definitely would've happened." I hope you know how well you wrote their voices and captured the spirit of the show, as well as it's storytelling. Please believe my complete sincerity when I say that THIS is my canon season four. Period. If you ever chose to dive back into this world, I'll be there every step of the way. (Honestly, I could read how the rest of their lives played out from your perspective!!) Bravo, my friend! And THANK YOU for putting this out in the world for us.
Oh wait!!!! I HAVE TO FANGIRL OVER CHAPTER TEN. The whole story was amazing and had me literally smiling to myself constantly, and chapter 10 was the perrrrrfect ending omg. But my absolute favorite scene was Ted's confession!!!!! I giggled out loud and just smiled for a solid 15 seconds before I could keep reading. You clever thing, you!!! You'd set us up so well with Ted's multiple plans for himself throughout the fic and following through storytelling-wise with each one. So when I tell you how UNPREPARED I was for his sudden confession, but how PERFECT AND WILDLY ROMANTIC IT WAS omggggg I'm still giddy about it the next day. Gahhhhh just perfect. You've got a new fan for life! I'll ready anything you write for this lovely ted lasso fandom of ours!
IM LITERALLY SOBBING THANK YOU SO MUCH season 4 was about ted and trent falling in love we all know it <3 i'm truly so flattered tha tmy characterisation and character arcs were so satisfying to read, i can't say thank you enough it was so fun to write and the fact that it resonated so much;;;; pls, y'all are too nice to me. i really loved writing that fic, i'm glad that the epilogue was good too omggg, they're SO romantic in their own little weird way!!! the romance just WORKS for them bc they're with each other, it's less about the setting and the setup and more about how obsessed they are <3 i hope you also enjoy the rambling headcanon post i wrote about the propsal scene that i just posted (that's how all my plot documents look before i make them make sense by writing the fic hahaha) and i have a few other ted lasso fics in the works!! they're coming!!!!
#ask#tedtrent#ted lasso#daesmilewings#honestly i can't put into words how blown away i am at the reception to this fic#you guys are making me feel SO good about my writing i love oyu all#number four was always you
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my first impressions of gmmtv 2024 pt. 2 shows (and judging them by how likely I'd tune in to watch them)
Us The Series - i am not really familiar with the main leads but from what I've seen their chemistry is really good. The film style is giving artsy and indie but the production quality seems high. The plot looks interesting to me, it's the only one that really speaks to me. I have faith that the actual show will be amazing! It is the only gl drama of Pt. 2 😭 but at least it will be a good one! 1000/10 will definetely watch!
Ossan's Love Thailand - this is only so high bc I love earthmix. The plot is interesting and I love that earth plays a more loser like character hahaha. I know it's a remake and I want to watch the og before the remake, but where can I watch the original?? 10/10 will watch
Hide & Sis - a family/mystery drama where women are the main protagonists? Count me in. 10/10 will watch.
Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist - markohm finally get their own series!! I know many wanted a heavier theme but I'm still satisfied with a cute one! And Jimmy plays the love rival?? It's a last twilight reunion hahaha. 10/10 will watch
The Ex - Morning - I've never watch a KristSingto BL before even though they're one of the og's. 😅 Plotwise this might be the most interesting bc it's about rekindling a relationship. I plan to watch sotus before the new series comes out. 10/10 would watch
Break Up Service - This show is going to be so funny I just know it. Tbh I don't think I've watched a straight gmmtv drama before but this one got me hooked! 9/10 would watch
The Heart Killers - we got the mafia comedy that we wished for. Problem is that I really love firstkhao but I've never been interested in joongdunk (or their series) at all. I'll still watch ofc, and maybe this influences me to get into joongdunk. also first is a tattoo artist in this one 👀 8/10
Revamp The Undead Story - it's gay vampires with bounprem. I am interested. I am also interested in how bounprem are doing in gmmtv. Hopefully they get promoted well. 7/10 would watch
Thame - Po: Heart That Skip a Beat - I don't know any of the actors and the plot didn't immediately catch me. But the leads to look cute together so I'll probably watch. 7/10 would watch
Every other series, I am too tired and too lazy to think and rank them lol. But they're not sing special imo. Leap day has a kinda interesting plot but I don't think that makes me want to watch the series. I am afraid that it will be boring and or the actors won't deliver. Perfect 10 liners is kinda disappointing. I like forcebook so I might tune in to see more of them together. But why are they in a uni setting again after a show like only friends?? The other pairs seem fine, but tbh I would have preferred just one couple (and that has to be forcebook) i tend to overlook dramas with a big ensemble cast. Friendship forever might be the biggest disappointment of the year. They should've just made the show gay. Tbh when I first watched the trailer the subs weren't working and till the end I thought maybe they'll turn this into a gl always though the series then I opened twitter /tumblr and my optimism flew out the window. The dark dice - I love gemini but the plot is something that I've seen in multiple dramas and rn I have enough of survival games. Sorry buddy, I'll probably won't watch. Leap day was kinda hard to understand for me but whatever. Scarlet heart Thailand made tu tontawan look so pretty. But I snooze. What's even the plot? And too much men, even though I like some of them.
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thoughts on bg3
overall, i had a lot of fun and would recommend to anyone interested! very ambitious game, and i'm amazed it exists tbh. there are so many really, really great aspects of it. however, i'm also glad to be done with it, bc i started to have less and less fun with it at the last part. which is an unfortunate place to have the worst part of the game. i really wish it wrapped up in a more satisfying way, because i became really attached to the characters and the incredibly detailed world. a shame it had to be rushed toward the end of development. it's incredible, though could have been more still.
i'm spending some time trying to figure out what i liked about the game, so this may or may not be updated as thoughts come to me. there will be spoilers all the way thru the end of the game so here's your spoiler warning
i think while people unfamiliar with dnd can play and still have a good time, it probably will feel overwhelming and there will likely be things you won't understand unless someone explains it to you. i can't even really call the tutorial a bad one as much as it's barely there. but i do know plenty of people with zero dnd experience still having fun and simply enjoying learning on the go!
on the other hand, being someone who plays dnd, once you figure out the interface it's a pretty smooth experience. there are some things that are a little different to accommodate how the game works (e.g. second-story work reduces your fall dmg rather than increasing your climbing speed, since the game doesn't really count climbing as distance), but those are pretty quick to learn. seems to me that the devs thought people who didn't play dnd wouldn't be all that intersted in bg3, but a ci'd be curious to see how many bg3 players will look for a dnd group to join from here.
act 1 was solid and was paced well. i really liked how many characters ended up showing up later in the game, as opposed to characters you save once and never see again. i think what was most fun was getting to know what i could get away with LOL not just an exploration of the world, but an exploration of the game itself. i have video of me talking to auntie ethel while my friends set up and set off a circle of flame barrels, so i got a front row seat of her being blown to smithereens.
act 2, also solid. i really enjoy quests that involve impacting a place in a really tangible way, like in okami, so the shadow-cursed lands were pretty cool. unfortunately, the game doesn't really show you this happening except a liiiiittle bit at the end, so it doesn't feel as good as it could. still, i liked exploring the area a lot. all of the mini-bosses of the area were unsettling, but we got past literally all of them via high charisma rolls. actually aside from the exploring, a lot of the fun was seeing how we could cheese boss fights, which carried into act 3
act 3 felt way more all over the place and buggy, which significantly lowered my enjoyment. ofc a game this massive will have issues, but i'm still sad that the last part of the game where everything crescendos is where i enjoyed the game the least. small things not working the way they're supposed to (e.g. certain npcs not running or climbing up a ladder when they are fleeing I'M TALKING TO YOU ZUMBO PUMBO AND FEATHERWEIGHT FALSON, astarion falling sleep to a spell even tho he's an elf during his end-of-quest fight). what sucks about things being so frustrating too was that the main quests had really great setups or concepts, but the execution was messy. still, we had a lot of fun messing with bosses. cazador couldn't do anything bc he was forced to dance while we killed him, orin was disintegrated, gortash turned to stone. kinda wild having a bard with 100% spell hit rate....!
i do wish we got to explore baldur's gate more. i totally get that would be a huge undertaking tho. i had a thought that maybe act 3 should've been its own game, but then i guess you couldn't call it baldur's gate 3 if you never get to baldur's gate. i didn't play the previous bg games, but i liked how they wove in the story from the previous installments and ttrpg modules without leaving newcomers to the series out of the loop too much.
i liked shadowheart's, astarion's, and wyll's quests a lot. the ansur part of wyll's was really cool. i adore trials to test character as a setup, especially ones administrated by some major figure. but also? fuck balduran for what he did to ansur and later to me. he's the city's hero, but he only really looks out for himself. which is cool for me as a viewer, not cool for the character i play as LOL
i have more thoughts but i will type them up here later maybe this has gotten long enoguh
#honshew text#not tagging with bg3 so as to avoid strangers coming into my house to yell at me as if they are defending their honor
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oh did you want long angry rants for the unrecommend ask meme hm. oh I know. I unrecommend yu/wu (余/污) it's this chinese bl webnovel and...
look on a moment to moment level it's really fun to read, there's chekhov's guns set up in the first 10 chapters that are set off in the last 10 the whole book is very dense with reveals etc and parts of the character work was very compelling. but like. once you finish it and actually start thinking about it the whole thing is just so, so thin. everything is internally consistent within its own logic yk.
like first the entire book focuses on how rotten to the core the nobility of Chong/hua is how awful, selfish, fake everything there is... aaaaand the entire climax was a "yeah the nobles squabble in peacetime and all but when faced with an existential threat they all band together and work like a well oiled machine :) :) :) oh you expected the ending to have some resolution to this conflict? fuck you we've installed a new emperor that's shown throughout the story to also be corrupt but we have a threat to keep them in line. they'll slowly reform the system :) :) :) we have to go with this though bc the new emperor's the best option possible... if we keep to the made up rules about only being able to choose from the imperial bloodline. even though this existential threat has shaken up the country enough that you can probably get away with someone else. or not having an emperor at all. you know" (poking at the worldbuilding [or like. anything not on a character level] of romance webnovels is an exercise in frustration but I keep finding myself doing it)
(there's a reveal involved with the new emperor that could be read as transmisogynistic but it was such a nothing reveal - happened at the end of the story so there's not much done with it - that there isn't really anything interesting to say about it)
+ one of the main protagonist's motivation is literally "he was born as a slave and wants a better life for his fellow slaves and to prove slaves are just as competent as nobles in xianxia!fighting" so you'd expect it to yk. do much of anything about it. or at least not fumble it given the focus. but like later literally all the major + powerful characters ended up having noble blood and all 3 of the non-noble characters who were subtextually positioned as "see they're also super powerful and they don't have noble blood".... ended up having noble blood. from the top noble families no less. which. yeah not a fan!
also this is likely unintentional (I think the author just likes writing about dubcon/noncon relationships which I mean all power to her) but there were 3 mlm relationships in this book and every one of them except the main couple involved one sexual abusing (or otherwise predating on) the other so. yk. don't like that.
+ a major source of conflict between the two leads is "the protagonist that was born as a slave finally couldn't stand the cruelty of Chong/hua and defected to an evil empire, killing a bunch of the Chong/hua's soldiers, stabbing the other protagonist in the chest, etc."
but like the way that was resolved is literally "oh turns out he didn't do/had a Secret Good Reason for doing/isn't the one at fault for All That" which. let him have done some bad things for christ's sake I mean first saintlike perfect characters just aren't all that interesting to me but also why did he have to be perfectly innocent and not at fault at all to not deserve all that was done to him. couldn't he have done everything he's accused of and still not deserve how he's treated dammit.
also I said the amount of chekhov's guns are supremely satisfying and I stand by that but also it makes everything loop back to the protagonists which makes this whole-ass kingdom feel so goddamn claustraphobic this is an entire country why is there only like ~20 actual people in here
(tbf on a purely character level most of the folks that actually get characterised are characterised pretty well but the number of those are... small considering the scale of the story. also this doesn't help how flaccid the slave plot ended up being considering there's close to no slave in the plot that is given interiority. there's an entire army full of them but they're treated like a collective)
and there's the typical chinese ableism towards the mentally ill/etc (background radiation of my life) + distasteful genre tropes but I came in expecting that so
(although I would argue the Ontologically Evil Empire's effects on the story is notably worse than average)
plus like I love melodrama but even with me the prose felt so cloying and exaggerated I can't articulate it but I was getting a toothache reading it. although I see folks talk about how gorgeous the prose is so hey maybe it's a taste thing.
+ this is a neutral judgment but whenever I start doubting I'm asexual I think about this book and immediately am sure again. the thirst is like some gravitational force that everything in the story bends towards itself which. glad other folks are happy not my thing though.
anyway yeah *offers this rant like a raccoon* there's other stuff but that's mostly nitpicking. generally I describe it as "really fun in the moment-to-moment if you're the target audience but once you start thinking about yk. everything else it's just more and more. why was it like that. why was it written this way."
tbf a fair amount of my dislike is "dead dove do not eat / I don't know what I expected" but in my defence the way I was sold it vastly skewed/overinflated my expectations (picture the way folks sell atla/pjo/etc. as so much more than it is)
(I'm self censoring with /'s bc ik there is a decent fandom for it on here)
Excellent rant thank you very much. And also, like, not exactly familiar with the genre but that sounds deeply painful, yes!
That said,
+ one of the main protagonist's motivation is literally "he was born as a slave and wants a better life for his fellow slaves and to prove slaves are just as competent as nobles in xianxia!fighting" so you'd expect it to yk. do much of anything about it. or at least not fumble it given the focus. but like later literally all the major + powerful characters ended up having noble blood and all 3 of the non-noble characters who were subtextually positioned as "see they're also super powerful and they don't have noble blood".... ended up having noble blood. from the top noble families no less. which. yeah not a fan!
This or something like it happens so often in every fucking type of fantasy and I loathe it with every fucking fiber of my being.
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give me the movie recs instead! scary is ok
LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Under a read more cause I looove talking, and the sections are ordered by like, priority of recommendation if that makes sense ... I also tried 2 actually rank them but I am not very good @ that LOL
Personal Enjoyment ONLY!!!:
No theme besides personal enjoyment "just for fun"/not relatable edition:
The Batman - I love it I just love it. I watched it bc my sister put it on and my pen's battery had run out. I was CLUELESS
Spree - That's my attention whore wife that would kill me for views !!!!!!
Jacob's Ladder - The best fever dream anyone could ever ask for !!! Everything about this movie is perfect. And this doesn't really matter TOO much ....... BUT …….. !!!! Tim Robbins in short shorts towards the end .......... save meeeee .................
Antiviral - I rewatched this one just before writing this LOL. It made me crazy when I first saw it back in 2022 and it makes me crazy now too!! The entire movie feels cold & sterilized but it's still Completely Sexual. Syd March I know what you are. OH also I like to think Mr. Cronenberg Sir is proud of his son bc this ruuuuules
Martyrs - This is like the ultimate "can't rec it as-is" movie bc of the amount of people that are genuinely disturbed by it & don't get me wrong I am one of them!! But there's just something here that has me thinking about it so often. The violence is amazing and the feeling in my stomach is horrible every time !!
No theme besides personal enjoyment mental illness edition:
Pulse (AKA Kairo) - Extremely close to my heart, the way loneliness relates to the internet & technology in general is such an interesting topic it would be enough to make this movie stand out for anyone, but I have such a personal fondness for it because of how much I felt it understood me. In a few ways.
Pearl - IDGAF how many people have gone "just like me fr" cause I am also one of them. I don't get the whole "female rage" thing that gets mentioned a ton (on account of me being some guy), but the theme of never being able to escape a life you hate ??? Absolutely fucking terrifying & hits super hard for me specifically
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? - The RESENTMENT, the ANGER, the DESPAIR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It resonated w/ me a lot more in the past but not so much anymore, which is good LOL
HORROR!! YAY!!:
Horror SERIOUS edition:
The Thing - certified classic I legit think everyone should watch this one at least once in their lives. The practical effects r amazing, the story is GRIPPING & many of the actors r hot. Literally what else could u ask for…..
Hellraiser - Huge DUH ….. The short story is so good too Mr. Clive Barker I owe you my life !!!!!
The House That Jack Built - Pretentious, yes! But also really fun/satisfying to watch. I've seen some people comment on this kinda movie being typical for the director? But IDK who that man is & I don't care either. Like at all.
Ringu - Just a classic. So creepy I have to hype myself up to watch it LOL
Persona - INSAAAAANE INSANE INSANE. I saw someone say it's toxic yuri which like. Yeah I think. But also it left me confused in a rly good way
Noroi: The Curse - honestly should be self-explanatory @ this point. GENUINELY scared the shit outta me
Repulsion - Also a drama (besides a horror), the way the main character's paranoia escalates is just .... haunting, I think is the word. There's some degree of irony in here, because of who the director is, that I can't really articulate.
Gorefest / not too serious:
Creep - INSANE found footage about a guy making decisions that seem questionable if not stupid to most people, but not to me. I understand him. (disclaimer that this one could also go in the prev. category ..... I don't knowwww)
Intruder - I was on a slasher kick a few years back and this was one of the better ones. The convenience store setting is so much fun & something I'd never seen before! Or since.
Rec - SOOOO anxiety inducing, there's a lot of moments where people r talking/yelling over each other & the part towards the end that explains the whole thing is just. 0_0. to me. Bc it's among the top 3 things I do NOT fuck with !!! (same disclaimer as w/ Creep).
Hostel - I actually really like this one & don't understand most of the criticisms besides the obvious misogyny. It irks me a lot that it gets called "torture porn" so often when it's just … not that bad ? As edgy as that sounds !!
Cube - go there. in the cube? go in the cube.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes - Zero excuses for this one, you just gotta embrace your shit taste sometimes
Terrifier - Separate from the 2nd one cause that one is different in more than a few ways ..... but this one is just like charming to me in a weird way. It 's fucking filthy like, visually tho cause of the abandoned building & other such things ....
Terrifier 2 - This one I also enjoyed a lot though it IS really really long, I found it fun! The whole family aspect of it I liked a lot bc fictional siblings my beloved :3 though Art's backstory is still rly muddy (4 me at least) I do think it's like, a fun silly slasher if you've got 2 hrs and a lot of patience LOL
Just fun overall!!:
YAY!!!!!!!!!:
ROBOTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Oh my GOD I love this movie. I love this movie so much it's probably my favorite childhood movie. It's funny as fuck, really pretty AND has a good story. IK it may sound like nostalgia's involved but I just truly believe it's an amazing movie<3
Birds of Prey - This one is just a serotonin machine for me I love Harley so so muchh
Wendell & Wild - Visually insane I looove the look of this movie. It's also just rly enjoyable, I watched it multiple times at one point since it's on Netflix I think ? My mom got sick of it LOL
Bottoms - Absolutely bonkers it's such a fun movie. Gay and untalented and ugly and yet one of the most lovable movies I've ever seen ?? They need to print more of these
A Trip to Infinity - This one's actually a documentary on um. Infinity. Which is lovely because watching scientists be enthusiastic about their work and gush about it is just so good for my brain + it made me cry
The nostalgia I have 4 these ones is craaazy:
The Butterfly Effect - this was on TV SO OFTEN it was insane. I watched it so many times as a kid I always insisted on not changing the channel
The Voices - SO fun & silly I think of it so fondly .....
Paranorman - I love this movie so so much forever it's just so beautiful & funny
Zombieland - It's just fun man IDK what else to tell u
Sucker Punch - Another one that was often on TV, it's just embedded in my memory forever. I learned what a lobotomy was bc of this movie!!
MISC!!!:
These are dramas !!:
Parasite - Just watch it if u haven't. Everyone says you should watch it and they're RIGHT !!!
The Devils - I love horny church stuff so much
Let the Right One In - fucking loved this one. Freezing cold, very pretty AND probably the best vamp movie I've ever seen. Though I haven't seen a lot
Girl, Interrupted - insane behavior from the girls here but they're literally in a psych ward so who cares
These r good but I don't remember them much SOB:
The Eyes Of My Mother - this one gets called slow/boring a lot but I really don't gaf I still liked it
Wolf Creek 1 + 2
The Descent
Phenomena - The 1st game of the Clock Tower series was based on/inspired by this movie! Nothing else 2 say I just think it's cool lol
American Mary
A Clockwork Orange - I watched this nearly an entire decade ago but it goes here because of the fact that sometimes I still hear that dumb cunt Alex DeLarge go "I've suffered, and I've suffered, and I've suffered!" inside my head a lot. Also I have to mention that he did look good beaten up despite everything going on w/ him.
#danties#long post#literally so so fucking long I'm sorryyyyyyyyyyy .................................................. it's my verbose soul ..................#much to think about#<- thoughts were displayed
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youtube
This comment is so funny for many reasons (including the suspension of disbelief u have to employ to accept that an avatar clone can reproduce non-sterile offspring w a native Na'vi without suficient information from the first film to explain that lol) but it reminds me of how rlly terrible it is, imo, that the story was set up this way: that Jake HAD to be a character that played a major role as an accomplice in genociding Neytiri's people, displacing them permanently; killing most of her friends & immediate family & relatives, & leading them into a war that ended w intense rehabilitation. Shortly after all this, & even in between the first conflicts, she falls for him & literally desires him.
Ofc Jake was just "doing his job" then eventually changed his mind & heart once he became personally invested in the Omaticaya as ppl & Neytiri as a love interest (both situations are commentary in & of themselves). And Neytiri having a "strong heart" in many ways led her to personally invest in Jake as a love interest as well as a cultural investment since her teaching Jake the ways of the Omaticaya was possibly practice for her future role as Tsahìk (if u think abt it, Neytiri got some good diplomacy skills out of learning ways to better relate to humans from Jake, etc since shes already familiar w human culture being a previous student at Grace Augustine's school, & she should have been aware that Jake is affiliated w humans in some way). But personally i think the implications of their relationship & how quickly they became close felt rlly rushed & ended in a dissastisfying way when i was old enough to understand those implications.
I dont think using sci-fi allegories for issues regarding race, colonialism, etc is inherently problematic or racist, & tbh Avatar as a franchise could still have potential to explore other themes of colonization, etc (& even explictly critique capitalsm in these sequels tho thats prolly not likely considering the profit motivations of at least cameron's contributions to the films lol. I digress). Its just after seeing these videos & taking interest in learning Na'vi as a L2, L3, etc, im reminded of how Jake's character closely reflecting a white savior & Neytiri's character set up as an almost stockholm syndrome driven "princess" of a displaced & genocided ppl is a rlly unfortunate way the sequels introduce a family dynamic.
But i think Avatar (2009) is no real piece of liberation media anyway, & tbh it was a movie that exploited palatable anti-war, technology critical, conservationist, & anti colonial sentiments primarily to showcase new movie tech that would lead the industry; it was not as memorable to most ppl depite its box office impact bc the plot was so cliche & predictable, but it had a lot of potential bc of its relevant themes, unprecedented & immersive cinematography, special effects, & worldbuilding. Since Avatar is going off more & more themes surrounding indigenity, colonialism, imperialism, & war & many efforts were made over the last decade to revitalize ppls interests in the Avatar universe, i think the series will have a lot of time & content for fans & critics to contribute to its creative vision in a way truly creates an empowering image for the audiences it should resonate w.
Hopefully the story of the next sequels will be satisfying enough to somewhat tolerate (tho not forgive) the way Jake became a protagonist & had a family w a Neytiri soooo quickly.
#na'vi#avatar the way of water#avatar 2009#avatar 2#james cameron avatar#oel.post#contains vid#jake sully#neytiri#tuktirey#neteyam#lo'ak
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Hi I'm actually making my own post on tumblr dot com bc boy do I suddenly have strong feelings and no other place to properly let them out, it'S a little scary to bear my soul to you like this, but listen.
Croquettes, right?
I never cared that much for them; they were alright, but one of the lesser potato conversions, and I'm not a follower of the tater cult at the best of times.
But here's the twist, the important factor about that opinion of mine:
I'm German, and have lived all my life in Germany. And only when I set foot in the land of the brave to the west, the moist planes of the Netherlands, did I realize what a curse this national condition of mine was.
See, I ate a croquette during a holiday in Holland, and I suddenly felt my soul and bones shatter inside me. There was STUFF in there. FLAVOR. I think there was some meat and some strange sauce flavor I couldn't place, and it was GOOD. SO GOOD. I mean, in the grand scheme of things it wasn't one of the best things I've ever eaten, not by a long shot; but it was, perhaps, the largest deviation between food expectation and food reality I've ever experienced. I expected mindnumbing blandness but what I got actually tasted of something.
See, here's the thing: I've had croquettes in Germany a very reasonable number of times, in a decent variation of settings. I've had them from frozen bags, I've had them in fancy restaurants, I've had them in delivery food, and they were always the same: Bland little pockets of potato paste in a not-quite-satisfying crust. They're slightly more inconvenient mashed potatoes disguised as mozzarella sticks. And not even GOOD mashed potatoes most of the time; I'm not that big on mashed potatoes to begin with, but it can be at least nice when done well, but most croquettes in this godsforsaken hell country are NOT done well. Most of them taste like sawdust wrapped in cardboard.
So I locked that away in my memory and returned home, thinking that the Dutch simply were a cut above us in the potato processing department. I scoured the stores and the web for ways to get dutch-style croquettes at home, but to no avail (I think the only shopping option I ever found was like really overpriced with a 1.5 star rating). With my Holland-bound relationship ended as well, I mourned that I'd perhaps never get the opportunity to return and have another above-average potato blob.
But then I went to holiday in Belgium. A restaurant we visited sold croquettes. I correctly suspected that, as Holland's other direct neighbor, they were likely to be a similar kind of deal, so I ordered them. And they were! Not quite as nice as the dutch ones, but still, it scratched the itch and simultaneously re-woke the by then slumbering resentment.
And now I go to Spain for a few days during Christmas, visit a Tapaz place, and lo and behold, the bloody Spaniards ALSO know how to make them good! In fact, these were the best ones yet! Anyway that was a few weeks ago and I'm not over it yet I'm so fucking mad bite bie maim kill cronch.
Anyway there's no real moral to this story, other than the German standard for what a Krokette should be is pitiful and that someone anyone PLEASE sell some dutch croquettes ANYWHERE PLEASE I BEG YOU.
And Like yeah I'm sure it's not LITERALLY impossible to find Good Croquettes somewhere in this country, at least in bigger cities. And rest assured making them myself is up there on the to-do list once I get a kitchen of my own. Anyway, that's all, leave a message.
#German#German stuff#Kroketten#croquettes#croquettes my beloved#if you do know any place that does them right somewhere in central Germany do let me know
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Books read in 2023:
The secret life of bees (Jan 6) 4/5 (probably would have enjoyed it more when I was younger. Great overall but still the mammy stereotype. Don’t like it when poc women are portrayed as ~divine creatures~ we are just normal people and we just wanted to treated like normal people. Nothing more, nothing less. Too flowery and cliche at parts but still good overall.)
I’m glad my mom died (Jan 15) 5/5 (funny and thrilling. Reading this would probably help a lot of people with toxic parents think through their own trauma)
Evil Under the Sun (Jan 17) 4/5 (simple and entertaining. Not a masterwork of literature but satisfying nonetheless. A bit slow to get started but great overall)
The hunting party (Feb 4) 4/5 (found hard to get into it/get invested because of unlikeable cast of characters but stil high rating for unexpected ending. I was bored a few times in the beginning and middle parts but it really picked up in the end and made up for it. Would make a great movie)
Sparkling cyanide (audiobook) (Feb 20) 3/5 (good to listen to while doing other work around the house. Probably not worth it to take separate time out to read)
Last bus to Woodstock (Feb 24) 3/5 (hated the main detective and how he went about the investigation eg. relying on instinct and chance discoveries. But the side characters were super interesting and the ending was unexpected. Would have liked it better if inspector Lewis was the main character. No decent female characters. Only wh*res or the "shrill wife." But the crime itself was interesting and I liked the writing style).
And then there were none (audiobook) (Feb 26) 5/5 (Omg. I was in thrall throughout. My favorite Agatha Christie book I’ve read so far. I actually thought there had to be a supernatural explanation lol)
The dark remains (feb 26) 3/5 (not bad. Just boring. Can tell it was written by a dude. Not one interesting character despite being set in the gang world. Very cliche type of noir)
The Falls (Ian Rankin) (March 1) 4/5 (great buildup but disappointing payoff. Loved the concept of the quizmaster. Very likable the main detectives and very interesting plot. Sustains you throughout despite being so long. But yeah. Didn’t quite like the solution to the murder)
Wire in the blood (March 22) 5/5 (excellent. Gory but excellent. What a plot!)
The distant echo (March 30) 5/5 (omg. If someone asks me what’s your favorite crime fiction book I’d say this one! Very suspenseful and unpredictable loved it loved it loved it!!!!)
The Guest List (April 13) 6/5 (this surpasses the distant echo. This actually made me feel things. The amount of gasps I gusped could have powered the state of Texas for a year. Absolutely loved it. )
East of Eden (May 15) 100/5 (what kind of genius do you have to be to write such a book?
In Cold Blood 4/5 (May 30) maybe bc I already knew the story, I kinda had to force myself to finish this
Macbeth 5/5 (June 14) iconic
Northanger Abby by Val Mcdermid 4/5 (June 17) fun modern retelling. Expected a crime and twist but it was faithful to the original. Enjoyed reading.
Gone girl 6/5 (June 24) omg her mind. Will definitely read more by her. Wish I hadn’t seen the movie before so I could have been fully surprised. Liked the ending.
The Pearl (5/5) (July 3) not a page turner but a good depiction of reality. Very sad.
Age of Vice 3/5 (July 7) great beginning but I didn’t like the ending. I think the author tried to put too many stories and perspectives in one. That whole bit of Sunil was unnecessary? It just slowed the story down at such a crusial moment. And Sunny’s backstory with Vicky too. I don’t think it was necessary to have an unbelievably tragic backstory for every character and he already had his deal with his dad. Some things are never clarified like what happened to his mom, his true relationship with Vicky. Why Ajay agreed. Ajay turns out of be such a loser in the end. Maybe it’s “realistic” but lots of things that happen in this book are not realistic so I don’t know why only the ending has to be realistic. I wish I could have followed Ajay’s journey to a good ending.
Milk fed 2/5 (August 12) only read bc of booktok. Good seeds here and there. didn't realy like it.
The club (5/5) (august 19) excellent, gripping. A bit longer than it needed to be though.
The grownup Gillian Flynn (4/5) (October 19) great short story. Great writing. So engaging. Perfect length for getting back into reading
Emma by charlotte Brontë and another lady (5/5) (Nov 2) love. Mr. Ellin needs to be played by Simon Baker in a movie.
A room of one’s own by Virginia Woolf (Nov 11) (1000/5). This has been on my to read list for ages. I see quotes from this everywhere and every time I’m astounded by how she just she gets it and knows exactly what to say to express it perfectly. The essay was everything I imagined it would be. Forever grateful to that Destiel fanfic for introducing me to this.
Villette (4/5) (Dec 29) lovely
Girl, interrupted (5/5) (Dec 31) made me ponder about a lot of things. Her youth was really kind of stolen from her. Made to freeze just like that painting. what is the right thing to do? What is helping and what is hurting? What does “crazy” even mean? I think I tend to be very judgemental about this kind of stuff. But this book made me realize that people are people even if you do not understand why they act a certain way. They feel the same as me.
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Out of all the mystery books on Choices, were there any that you found particularly fun and/or well written? I'm not sure if it's just me bcs it might be a matter of taste which is super subjective, but something about the way PB does mystery stuff feels kinda...lackluster? I'm not sure what exactly it is about their mystery books (like TUH and MAH), but while they're not necessarily terrible they usually don't feel super satisfying
It’s def not just you. Idk how many times I’ve talked about this, but PB can’t do mystery. I believe that 100%. Maybe in the very beginning they could because I remember enjoying Most Wanted. But I haven’t played it in forever. And all of their mystery books after that have been lackluster as you said. (And I do mean all of them, including VoS and CoP, which are fan favorites).
I think one of the issues is that they always feel the need to make us investigate whatever noble pursuit the person had along with their death. And they really play up the fact that the victim was basically a saint and loved by all. And it’s just like 9 times out of 10, I do not care. It gets annoying and old. One of the other issues is that they also always do the collectibles for clues and stuff. And it’s usually either that you need almost all of them to understand whodunnit, how, and why (see: TUH) or pretty much none of them because they’re actually just extra pieces of information that aren’t all that interesting (see: MaH). Of course the former is worse because paywalling plot/other important story aspects is flat out ridiculous. But the latter annoys me too because premium content should add something to the story, not just little factoids.
I think writing a mystery book is a balancing act. And we all know PB already struggles with balance outside of that. They don’t know how to set the stage, build intrigue, and stop throwing in red herrings to let the story come to a conclusion at the right time. Or if they do manage to build intrigue, they still can’t craft a proper twist that feels shocking but makes sense/is believable at the same time. So that’s why VoS had a good setting/all that suspense throughout, but fell flat in the end. And that’s also why MaH never really found it’s footing as a mystery to begin with imo.
Didn’t intend to write an essay, so last issue I’ll speak on is the fact that PB also rarely writes good villains/a good dynamic between the MC and the villain. I think what their mystery books are missing is the feeling that whatever we’re investigating is a puzzle that needs to be solved. And one of the ways they could create that is by writing both villains/antagonists and MCs who are actually intelligent and fun to go up against/play as! It’s usually that the villain is 10 steps ahead. And not because he/she is particularly crafty but because they dumb MC down to drag the story out for 16-20 chapters. CoP is an exception because MC was actually pretty smart, but we had the dumbass murderer and her even dumber minion. So I truly believe that if we had characters who didn’t just bumble their way through the story and were legitimately formidable adversaries to each other, we would have a lot more fun maneuvering around the obstacles/red herrings/etc. thrown at us and solving the mystery OR being surprised by the twist/resolution but able to pick up the breadcrumbs and connect the dots after it’s revealed
#choices#choices stories you play#playchoices#choices app#choices ask#of course they don’t *have* to do the whole ‘the villain is a mastermind’ thing to write a good mystery#Glass Onion is a prime example of that#but (excluding MW bc I don’t really remember what happened in that book at all) PB has never done an intelligent villain/MC combo—#— in their mystery books imo#so I just think that would be a lot of fun#but even if they never decided to do that there are still a number of things they could do differently#to make their mysteries not so mediocre#but I’ve been on my soapbox for long enough 😭#I’ll just say that if it isn’t already clear I do not think any of PB’s recent mysteries are particularly well written anon#there are certain aspects that made them fun — namely the LIs and/or MCs#but as you said the mystery parts themselves aren’t terrible they just aren’t satisfying either#and I’ll also say again that MaH specifically should’ve been like a 5-7 chapter slasher that’s it
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3 and 25
3. What were your top five books of the year?
Alright HERE'S where I'm gonna answer for series - I already had a separate answer for standalone books
1. The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik (Scholomance #3) - LOVED this conclusion to the Scholomance trilogy. I read books 1 and 2 during December 2022 and did 3 in the first week of January and it was one of the most satisfying conclusions to a series I've ever read. And I'm NOT just saying that bc it's the book where most of the gay shit happens. Leaving the school and having the world open up so much felt so good. I love Orion but having him out of the way for most of the book felt like a good choice to me - it made a lot of room for El's relationships with other characters and the role she decides to take on in the fight against mals. I remember at some point while I was reading the earlier books skimming past some essay or other identifying the Scholomance as like a climate change metaphor and being so puzzled by it - and then getting to the end of Golden Enclaves and being like OHHHH. YEAH. I GET IT.
2. Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee (Green Bone Saga #3) - AGAIN talk about satisfying conclusions. I know some people didn't like this book as much especially bc of issues they have with Hilo at the beginning but to me it all felt in character and didn't diminish anything about my enjoyment. I enjoy how often Lee takes the time to remind the audience that the characters are flawed and sometimes petty or foolish or cruel, even while you root for them. The scale of this book surprised me - SO much time passes, the characters and the world all change so much. I was genuinely shocked by some of the things that happened in this book. I've still got Jade Shards and The Jade Setter of Janloon to go, but man am I gonna be sad to say goodbye to this setting (at least for a while). Absolutely one of my all-time favorite fantasy series of all time now.
3. The Traitor by Anthony Ryan (Covenant of Steel #3) - honestly this could be any of the Covenant of Steel books. I just finished The Traitor this past weekend but this isn't a recency bias thing - I read The Pariah and The Martyr back to back in August. There's something I really love about Ryan's style - his characters are fucked up but compelling, his worlds feel accessible but still like they have depth and intricacy. I love his Seven Swords novellas and I'm constantly trying to get people to read them bc I think they're a great way to get a taste for his strengths as a writer and hopefully enough to whet your appetite for a more complex, in depth series like Covenant. The books are detailed and they definitely have some parts that can drag a little - but when you DO get hooked they're just propulsive. Super compelling low fantasy that builds and builds in really interesting ways. Great characters.
4. Before They are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie (First Law Book #2) - alright First Law is like TRUE grimdark. Seriously - the end of the final book was extremely brutal. Which is why book 2 ended up being my favorite of the first trilogy, actually. Before They are Hanged is the most straightforward adventure story of the bunch and it has a relatively optimistic ending. There are still gruesome and brutal things happening on the page (and frequently!) but there's such a strong sense of momentum building. The character work for Jezal in this book is so damn good - Abercrombie got me to do a full 180 on him here. (And a 360 by the third book lmao). Abercrombie is a masterful writer, the dark humor running through the story helps keep it readable when things get very bleak.
5. The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan (Empire of the Wolf #1) - another grimdark fantasy that whips ass tbh. Really great low fantasy setting. Something I really enjoyed in Empire of the Wolf books AND in the Covenant of Steel is the conflict between state power and religious power and how the people losing the most are the commons in the middle. Justice of Kings sets this up beautifully - I loved the way it slowly zooms out to this larger world-altering conflict after beginning the story as a sort of medieval fantasy murder-mystery. I also think the magic system is so cool and scary. The atmosphere in this book was incredible too - even just thinking back on it makes everything feel miserable and wet and tense despite the fact that as I write this it's kind of picturesquely sunny with white fluffy clouds outside for me. (I DO have to finish the follow-up book Tyranny of Faith, but I think I'll probably pull that off in January next year tbh)
25. What reading goals do you have for next year?
I wanna continue on with more series! And I want to keep challenging myself with long books. I got some Tad Williams stuff in a humble bundle earlier this year, so I'm thinking of taking on Memory Sorrow and Thorn next year as a way to satisfy this desire. A little intimidated by the length but I think it could end up being v rewarding.
End of Year Book Asks
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