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blysse-and-blunder · 7 months

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in lieu of a long weekend

10pm, sunday, oct 8, 2023

it's canadian turkey-day tomorrow ~ it's windy and grey outside ~ there is pumpkin pie in the fridge and i'm wearing an extremely pleasing wooly sweater my housemate was going to give away. we've turned the heat on for the first time this season. the cozy season of the year has arrived.

reading finished victoria goddard's whiskeyjack, book 3 in the greenwing & dart series! reading this series for me is an exercise in noticing the easter eggs that tell me it was written by a medievalist, and an academic, and a medievalist academic with a degree from the program i'm currently in. there's so much in this particular volume about poetry analysis. she came so close to using the word 'semiotic' and actually did use the phrase 'exoteric.' while i might have quibbled about things like pacing and plot and how i still don't always think first-person is a good fit in the hands of most authors, these books are like tailor-made for me. i can't not enjoy them.

and then on the other hand, i spent some extremely happy hours this past week with patrick o'brian's post captain. when i first read the aubrey books, i was probably in high school, fresh out of racing through the hornblower series. because the aubreyad is-- i'll be honest-- better writing, but also demands more of you as a reader, i fully didn't appreciate like 80% of this book. i knew the series, as much by osmosis as by actual time spent reading, and reading it now? felt like coming home. especially since i now have the attention, and the ability, to read between the lines. to pick up on the irony, the allusions, the humor, the misdirection! the women oh my god how did i not appreciate sophie, diana, or mrs. williams before now. i didn't mind before how little of the larger world and society made it into the movie, but i actually understand the griping now. but even more than that, i found the ship action and actual, like, battle extremely tense and interesting this time; i was up well into the night at one point just to see what would happen next, because i was nervous for my dear boys.

watching friday night double-feature with @hematiterings where we enjoyed the first three new episodes of Our Flag Means Death and finished with another two of netflix's Arcane: League of Legends, which we're probably going to finish fairly soon so i'll focus on that one. just quickly though, had a great time with the first new ofmd episode, just extremely good work from all involved, and then was weirdly not as into the second two-- though the end of ep 3 was back to grand. i think in general i like where the season is going, and i'm going to withhold further comment until we've seen some more.

i was not expecting to like arcane as much as i have been. didn't have a clue what it was when we started, but the art style has absolutely blown me away. here's a quick run-down of the animation, which is a mix of hand-painted digital, 2D, and absolutely gorgeous. it looks like a video game and a painting at the same time-- not in the same way spiderverse combines animation and illustration, but with some familiar elements. people's eyes have this amazing jewel-like depth and clarity? scenery that made us go 'oh, paris looks so nice!' and 'man i love cyberpunk' and other such witticisms. but seriously, if you like good animation and also art nouveau-inspired steam-punk aesthetics, there's a lot here. plus a good (dare I? could league of legends be good, actually?) tragic story-line, and enough twists that i haven't seen coming, to really get me curious about what comes next.

listening a long time ago, probably back in 2021 around the time of the most recent album, i think @mankillercalledbunny was sharing playlists or links that featured The Amazing Devil, and at roughly the same time i had a spotify playlist include a track or two for me, and now here we are. had their two albums "ruin" and "the horror and the wild" on all week, which made it a bit hard to read at times because i would get caught in the lyrics. this is exactly the kind of music two people who met at the RSC would make, it is dramatic, sort of gothic, sort of folky, sort of theater. the contrary motion, the interweaving voices, esp. in the chorus of "marbles", is where i've been living recently. i like knowing this about joey batey, i like that he has this extra dimension now when i see him as jaskier! i hope he can find a way to come back to it again, whenever.

youtube

playing i finally (after how long!) got the wizard's ink well - witch's pendant - goblins (??) quest in stardew! not a hard one at all, but so satisfying to be able to use that hint that had been hovering there in the library for the past, oh, real-world year or so. i'm like 50 pieces of hardwood away from getting the ferry up and running too, and i'm excited to move off of the plateau i've been on and open up the next level of the world.

making i mentioned the pumpkin pie up top, and it did turn out well this year despite a distracted me happening to leave out the butter when mixing the filling-- i noticed before it got into the oven, luckily, and was able to add it in! but...while it was in the pie crust, which was kind of sloppy. no nicely pinched or braided crust for me this year. and then, since the size of can of pumpkin you buy here is always a little too big for the recipe, i tried out the smitten kitchen pumpkin bread that many friends have recommended before, and that has been a delight. moist without being dense or heavy, but still very substantial? a little bit less sugar than the recipe called for, and no freshly ground nutmeg, but we did have fresh ginger and overall it is very nice. it also rose architecturally, which was maybe a function of it being on a higher rack? or of me miss-counting scoops of baking soda? anyway, hilarious.

working on working on consistency. working on momentum. working on not getting in my own way. draft of this conference paper due 10/26, slides and notes for this guest lecture due 10/25, and the chapter abides. the conference paper serves it directly, however, which i feel good about. i keep finding new things to read about, and keep being glad i've continued researching, since i'm coming up with excellent (it feels) material to work with, but i can't let that get in the way of actually. writing.

#in lieu of a commonplace book #ilcb #weekly roundup

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dollsome-does-tumblr · 4 months

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2023 Fandom Year in Review

I'm a bit late on this because I kept being busy, but here! I probably forgot a bunch of stuff in my answers - c'est la vie.

✨Dollsome’s Fandom Year in Review!✨

Favorite new (to me) shows of the year:

Rectify

Joe Pera Talks With You

Reservation Dogs

Dave

The Righteous Gemstones

The Gilded Age

The Buccaneers

Beef

Somebody Somewhere

Vice Principals

Feel Good

Creamerie

Colin From Accounts

Poker Face

Favorite shows with new episodes this year:

OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH!!!!!!!!!! 🏴‍☠️💘

Good Omens

Succession

Ted Lasso (kind of? 🫤)

What We Do In The Shadows

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The Great

Abbott Elementary

Sanditon

The Nevers

Black Mirror

Some favorite TV show episodes watched for the first time this year (one per show! Just for a challenge!):

Our Flag Means Death - 2.04 “Fun and Games”

What We Do in The Shadows - 5.05 “Local News”

The Great 3.07 “Fun”

Succession - 4.09 “Church and State”

Ted Lasso - 3.10 “International Break”

Good Omens - 2.05 “The Ball”

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - 5.06 “The Testi-Roastial”

Beef - 1.10 “Figures of Light”

Dave - 3.10 “Looking for Love”

Reservation Dogs - 2.04 “Mabel”

Black Mirror - 6.05 “Demon 79”

Joe Pera Talks With You - 2.01 - “Joe Pera Talks With You About Beans” and 2.04 “Joe Pera Guides You Through The Dark” (Cheating and picking two because the episodes are so short!)

Favorite books read this year:

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh, Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Favorite song, album, or artist to listen to this year:

I discovered this album a few years late because I got tickets to a concert by them this year, but Bitter Better by Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards! I also loved Guts by Olivia Rodrigoooooo.

My favorite song is “Misbehavin’” from Righteous Gemstones, a bop like NO OTHER.

Favorite movies of the year:

No Hard Feelings, Saltburn, Barbie, M3GAN, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Rye Lane, Next Goal Wins, Quiz Lady, Eileen, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Cocaine Bear 🤣

First fandom of the year:

In January I had a major Jurassic Park/World resurgence wherein I watched all the Lego Jurassic World shows about Claire and Owen on Netflix and also read all of Tess Sharpe’s tie-in novels, while also feeling nine zillion feelings about Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler on the side because they are THE movie otp. I regret none of this, it was fun as hell.

Best new fandom discovery of the year:

The Gilded Age. I can’t believe I was living without Bertha and George Russell, and Julian Fellowes’ extremely stupid yet incomparably enchanting writing, for so long.

Biggest fandom disappointment of the year:

Ted and Rebecca not happening and also not getting nearly as much significant screentime together as I wanted. 😭 That one hurt me real hard, even though I always kind of saw it coming. I somehow just knew all the way back in season 1 that it was too wonderful and refreshing to happen. But even more disappointing to me was Keeley and Roy not getting back together. (And the fake-out of them seeming to get back together and then not really doing so. Ouch!) I wish they hadn’t broken up at all! That whole plotline gets a million thumbs downs from me. It made me feel so, so bad inside, a badness that never healed.

Honorary mention: Roman and Gerri’s last ever interaction getting deleted from 4.09!!!!!!! FERAL SCREAM!!!!!

I also really didn’t like what they did with Orlo’s character in s3 of The Great.

Biggest squee moments of the year:

(I can’t possibly narrow ‘em down well but let’s try.)

Like the entirety of OFMD season two, but I’ll narrow it down with great restraint to Mermaid Stede, the conversation on the sofa in “Fun and Games,” and the “You wear fine things well” redux kiss.

Roman watching Gerri recite the limerick and being besotted! Gerri caring about Roman with her eyeballs at the funeral! Roman’s Gerri tribute martini! Gerri smiling at Roman making fun of Greg that one time even though he didn’t know she was! It was a rough season, okay!

Guillermo dancing in the Pride Parade episode! Nandor always knowing that Guillermo didn’t have what it took to be a vampire and helping him become human again! The vampires doing the news!

Old ladies Midge and Susie making each other laugh at the end of TMMM! What a perfect way to go out.

Rebecca spitting her tea in Ted’s face in an act of fond vengeance. I really thought we were so happening after that one, mates! (And that moment in the hallway! And the Ted’s A Work In Progmess scene! Everything that made it feel like it might be happening!!!)

I also squeed during the Morning After Ted In Rebecca’s Kitchen Fakeout until I was dashed back down upon the rocks of cruel reality. Congratulations, show: I 100% fell for it. (Though part of that was because the people watching with me were like, “Wow, congratulations! It happened!” as if I had somehow personally willed it into happening. And you know I would have if I could have!)

Crowley and Aziraphale’s big scene at the end of Good Omens. It was a squee moment tinged with terrible pain, but such a squee moment nonetheless!

Also, Aziraphale’s “Smitten, I believe” lil’ look/remark. Will delight me forever.

Gregory and Janine kissing on Abbott Elementary! The flowers!!!!!!

Kelvin and Keefe’s first kiss (finally!) on The Righteous Gemstones!

Also on The Righteous Gemstones: Judy and BJ walking into the party to “Dance Hall Days” while BJ is rocking his shorts-romper ensemble. A moment that simply stunned me!

The end of the first episode (I think?) of Beef where “The Reason” by Hoobastank is playing specifically in the context of, I just found my nemesis whose life I’m going to make a misery. That made me so happy.

Seeing the Doctor and Donna Noble together again!

Favorite Main Character of the Year:

Catherine from The Great. Season three was such a tour de force for Elle Fanning, and I just loved every note of her character’s journey! I’m so bummed that we won’t get to see what happens to her next and I’m going to miss that performance and that character so much. 😢 She is INCREDIBLE!

Favorite Villain of the Year:

The briefly-seen Logan Roy, and the way he haunted his kids and kept tearing them apart after he died, and yet they still stared at him with such love and fondness and longing in that video in the finale and then proceeded to try to tear each other to shreds because that’s what he raised them to do. AAAH!

Favorite m/f couple of the year:

Gotta be RomanGerri. Good lord, what a time we had!

Runner-up: George and Bertha Russell, the morally questionable marrieds of my dreams.

Favorite f/f couple of the year:

I loved Midge/Susie with all my heart and rambled weirdly about them being Luke/Lorelai in (slightly) different clothes for the entire run of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, from the pilot being in that pilots contest onwards (remember that??). So it was just so wonderful and satisfying to have their relationship so loved on in the last season. And to get some canon ‘Susie is in love with Midge’ vibes going on, aaah! (Midge is in love with Susie, too. To me.)

Runner-up: Anne and Mary on Our Flag Means Death. I know they were only there for one episode but I’m god damn obsessed with them and will always dream of seeing them again in hypothetical s3. Staying at Ed and Stede’s inn? Swashbuckling into their lives on the high seas, possibly wearing other people’s faces? I will take ANYTHING!!! They ARE love and romance!!!!!!!!

Favorite m/m couple of the year:

Ed/Stede!!!!!!!! They came back to me!!!!!!! They were so in love and so deranged about it in so many moments that were absolute bangers!!!!!!!!! It was a total dream come true and I will never love another season of television quite in the way that I love season two of OFMD!!!!!!!!!

Also Crowley and Aziraphale, hoo boy. Don’t think I’ve forgotten what season two did to us as a society!!!! It was spectacular and I loved every minute of my deranged feelings.

And Nandermo always always always, and more with every season. Sorry, WWDITS showrunner dude!

Favorite fictional friendship of the year:

I really enjoyed getting to see Mabel and Oliver and Charles again in Only Murders in the Building season three! And the Rez Dogs in Reservation Dogs, which I finally watched! And the return of the Doctor and Donna to finish off the year!

Also, this doesn’t totally count as friendship per se, but George obstinately pretending to be Catherine’s bestie for self-preservation reasons in season three of The Great was riveting at every second and I was obsessed with it.

Your fictional boyfriend of the year?:

Edward Teach, going through every single human emotion and being so god damn beautiful doing it! 🥹

Your fictional girlfriend of the year?:

Gerri Kellman, my love, my light, THE stone-cold killer bitch of all time. 👑👑👑

Fandom that you never expected to get into:

I guess I never expected to get AS into Succession as I did. But somehow that final season really hit the exact vibe of ‘Your dreams could come true but they never will’ that absolutely and lastingly obsessed me.

Fandom that made an unexpected comeback:

Community, I guess? I’ve been really fixated on Community since our rewatch was begun! I always forget exactly HOW obsessed and emotionally invested I am until I am watching it again. And then I’m left in an abyss of feelios.

Fandom that inspired the most crack:

Oh, it’s gotta be Succession. That’s the only way to engage with Succession.

Last fandom of the year:

As mentioned: I am currently very in my Community feels due to my rewatch! Oh, does this show ever dwell in a tender and sweet place in my heart.

Overall favorite fandoms of the year:

Succession, Good Omens, OFMD

Your main fandom of the year:

Oh, gosh. Is it Succession?? I feel like the three above all got some major attention, but Succession might have been stretched out over the longest amount of time. Just, y’know. All that trying to recover!

The most missed of your old fandoms:

My year was definitely too Gilmore Girls lite for my liking! I also already miss Ted Lasso and simply insist that they make a fourth season. Even if they have to do it without Ted anymore 😢, I could dream of Roy and Keeley getting back together and see Rebecca and Nate and Higgins and Beard and the team and all my buddies again. I just feel like season three did not feel like an ending season and there’s still so much more juice in that ensemble.

Fandom resolutions for next year:

Just keep having a jolly time! Maybe watch less TV. Be more discerning in choosing which TV shows to watch so that there are more free hours in my day.

Fandom predictions for next year:

I predict Ted Lasso is going to come back in some form. It wasn’t over! It still isn’t over!! (I know if this happens it probably won’t include Ted, but wouldn’t it be hilarious if the desperate dream of Ted/Rebecca was suddenly back on? And by ‘hilarious’, I mean ‘everything to me’?)

I’m still quietly predicting the Killing Eve fix-it movie. I know it won’t happen, that Jodie and Sandra have moved on, but I’m dreaming of it anyway. And dreams can come true!

I predict that Jeff and Annie will finally get to be in love in the Community movie if it comes out. I am just choosing optimism and sweetness in this moment. I am choosing to believe.

In that vein: I predict that OFMD season three will exist!

I predict that Hugh Grant and Colin Firth will finally make a romcom together as the love interests. WHY NOT. IT'S TIME.

#dollsome's deep thoughts #year in review

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somaisbatman · 7 months

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Tag ppl you wanna know betteeer

Tagged by: @zendoe . thank you for tagging me, I followed you because I inherently trust deer furries

Last song: the last album I listened through was The Hot Rock by Sleater-Kinney, so it'd be A Quarter To Three. love that one.

Favorite Color: red red red. Earlier in the year I catalogued my favorite shades of red, and found that the average of them was #B0303A.

Currently Watching: Fionna and Cake. I'm 6 episodes in, and so far it's managing the tonal balancing act that makes seasons 5-7 of Adventure Time so good. I just wrapped up the last Patlabor OVAs with my girlfriend yesterday, so we're in between shows now. Though we have been occasionally putting on episodes of Bang Dream MyGO per a friend's "dude trust me" recommendation. It is a generic high school idol anime except it's about a female manipulator picking up the pieces of a friend group that imploded and inadvertently reigniting all of their old drama in her attempt to start a band. If the show was yuribaiting a little harder I'd be obsessed, but where it stands it's a fun social mess.

Last Movie: Patlabor 2. Really challenging movie, and not for the reasons I was expecting. Oshii's criticisms of the JSDF's scope and Japan's place in the neoliberal order are delivered quite straightforwardly, it's the atmosphere that's so melancholy and complicated. I spent most of the year going through the Patlabor TV show and OVAs and falling in love with them, and this is a movie about moving on from all of that. The bubble economy is over, the cold war has ended, SV2 has scattered to the wind, the artstyle has gotten more serious, and Noa explicitly states that she no longer wants to be the mecha otaku girl she once was. It's probably a great standalone watch, but it really got to me because of its willingness as a sequel to say goodbye for the sake of looking forward, even if only uncertainty lies ahead.

Currently Reading: …the patlabor manga. A bit dry compared to the show or movies, but I'm milking this franchise for everything it's got. The last book I read was Light From Uncommon Stars, which has an extremely well-executed main narrative about trans survivor's guilt alongside a terrible B-plot that fails to mesh thematically at all. Very uneven book, but the good stuff is real potent and I'll definitely read whatever Ryka Aoki cooks up next.

Sweet/spicy/savory: Sweet

Relationship status: Partnered and living a domestic yuri 4koma

Current Obsessions: I mean, in case you couldn't tell it's been Patlabor, but I'm finally reaching the tail end of that. I've been on a mecha kick all year, and that includes little gunpla guys gradually taking over the apartment. In a broader sense I'm becoming more at peace with being a huge weeb, and that's shifted my recent media consumption very strongly in that direction, which will probably even out over time.

Last googled: Some doxxable info about trying to schedule flu shots. Before that, "sidney powell kraken" after reading a news article and trying to remember what the fuck was going on there.

Currently working on: preparing for the end of the year! My yearly creative projects are assembling a Christmas album with my old college friends and writing 10 or so pieces for my anime side blog @floatingcatacombs, which go up in mid-December. I've also been messing around with GameMaker again, a intermittent hobby for most of my life even if I have little to show for it. Maybe this time!

I'll tag my oldest mutuals who I've never talked to: @magicians-rad @bl0ndle . and also some pals who have recently joined the site @dudettastone and @bluemouseblackpad . Obviously feel free to ignore if you don't want to do it

#thanks again for the tag #I don't know if I've ever done one of these before #though they are still nostalgic

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reflections-in-a-critical-eye · 12 days

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https://www.tumblr.com/reflections-in-a-critical-eye/749651245385547776/this-time-the-pjm2-news-came-because-some-whos?source=share

If we had a Jimin album everytime a rumor cropped up we'd be on pjm6 right now. I think it's all moot because we know Hybe likes to mess around with the release dates anyway. Might as well just wait for the official announcement. I can see multiple possibilities - a summer album, album around his birthday, album in Jan would be good for year end awards, album next March near the anniversary of Face. Or again since Hybe's a bitch, they might announce pjm2 two weeks after Namjoon releases lmao

Btw M, are you watching the BTS drama series? I like the albums but I was never that into the hyyh storyline per se so I don't know. I mean it's not even on any streaming platform so I'll have to watch it on daily motion and I hate daily motion. Another masterful business move by Hybe though. Let's put all the documentarys of members which has no mass appeal on amazon or Disney plus but let's allow them to keep the drama series on some scam website and charge for every episode. Brilliant 👏👏👏

No, I haven't watched that series, nor I intend to. Likewise, I never had any sort of interest in hyyh storyline and those interpretations. It was simply an aspect that when I used to listen to BTS, didn't spark my curiosity or any intent to engage in that way.

I know it's being released on some obscure platform and really expensive, but I think the majority of those watching are doing it through other means. Which I agree with completely, the company deserves it considering the way they decided do distribute it. It's just another bad decision in a long line of very stupid choices.

#m thoughts #hybe #hyyh series

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lukeevangelista · 1 year

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"Y/N L/N, welcome." Alex propped her leg up on the couch, wrapping her arm around her knee.

You brought the microphone to your mouth, "Thank you so much for having me! It's an honor to be here."

"No way! It's an absolute honor to have you here," She laughed, "There are a handful of points on this podcast where I feel like I'm actually doing something good, and literally the minute we had decided on a day to sit down, it feels like I've made it. I'm so excited to have you here! For those of you that do not know the absolute stunning human being sitting across from me, this is Y/N L/N, who has been taking the country music world by storm over the last couple of months. Today, we'll be talking about their new album, life in the spotlight, living like a rockstar, I'm sure, and some famous members of their entourage."

"This is a dream, Alex, thank you so much for having me. I have watched every episode of this podcast the day they have come out, I'm such a huge fan of your work and what you do, it's an absolute honor and a pleasure to be here. I cannot wait to talk so much shit with you."

Alex lets out a hearty chuckle across from you, "I feel like we have so much to talk about, first off, the new album," you nodded, "tell us about it."

"This album is my actual child, it's the first real album of my career and I feel like I worked so hard on it and I had so much help along the way and have met so many incredible people in the mean time. The album is called '365' and kinda commemorates what a year in my life used to look like. Obviously, it looks a little different now, but I wanted to keep the general basis of this album very raw and real. It draws a lot of inspiration from my childhood and has a little bit of a country twang that was largely popular around the 90s and 2000s of country music. I was very lucky to have some big names and some of my favorite people working on this album. Michael Hardy and both members of Brooks and Dunn helped me with this album and I got a lot of really good advice from people like Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Jordan Davis, Morgan Wallen, and Cody Johnson. I spent half of the album just learning and observing from people that I really look up to and I really appreciate their work and what they're coming out with. So, I'm really proud with how this album turned out, I definately think y'all should listen to it if you can," you turned to make eye contact with the nearest camera for the last sentence of your spiel.

Alex smiled, "So you're two CMA awards and a Grammy down, what's new, where do you go from here?"

"Oh god, tour hopefully. There's some stuff in the plans to hopefully do something before I'm due back in Michigan this summer." There was a grin on your face, knowing Alex Cooper had been dying to bring it up. Alex gasped, moving in her seat to sit with her legs crossed underneath her.

"I'm actually so glad you brought this up. I know we were talking about it and you said how you were kinda sick of talking about the album."

You let out a loud laugh, "Oh 100%. As much as I love this album and as proud of it I am, I do nothing but talk about it all week, and I've been doing that for a few months now, even before the record came out. I love it to death, but I'm actually kind of excited to talk about anything but."

"Speaking of Michigan, I really wanna talk about that."

"Oh please do."

"So you're obviously a big hockey fan," you nodded along, "and you've become very known in the hockey world as a fan. You've somehow fit yourself into the social circle of some very popular people."

"Yeah, I frequent hockey games quite often, and I've become of a next-gen-Justin-Bieber of sorts. I'm known kind of in whispers around the league, from what I'm being told, as a person to always look out for at games because I'm always at one. I love the game and I love the atmosphere."

"So we're all very aware that you're quite familiar with the so-called Hockey Royalty. Can we get into the nitty-griddy this early?"

"Absolutely! Yeah, as you said, and if the people watching don't know, I'm really close friends with the Hughes family and it actually started because they're fans of me."

"Oh no way! I didn't know that!"

"Yeah, so Jack is a massive country music fan, and I was doing a gig in Detriot, Michigan last summer during a little tour thing I was doing for a pre-album promotional thing. I didn't realize it until the last 4 or 5 songs that they were sitting front row with a good mob of their friends and family. It was really nice having them there, even if I didn't realize it until the end. So they were posting about being at the concert on their stories after they left, and they were all tagging me and stuff, so I saw, like, 8 or 9 guys that were at the game and I knew all of their names because I watch them play all the time. So I slide up on Jack's story, I think, his or Quinn's, saying like 'hey I'm so sorry, If I had any idea you guys were coming I would have invited you backstage after the show and we could have hung out!' I felt so bad that I didn't know they were there. And he responded and told me that they were at the lake house for the whole summer and if I wanted to come up for a week or so I was more than welcome to. They had room for me, it wasn't like I was going to be sharing a room with one of the boys or anything, and luckily it was the last stop on tour, so I had no where else to be. Jack was like, 'just bring a week's worth of clothes and something to swim in' and I told Jack, like, 'I don't have a car to drive out, like, I'm living on a tour bus, I don't have a way to get there.' So, I guess that when they had come down, they brought more than one car, so Jack offered to pick me up at the hotel and drive me back up to the lake house with them to spend the week."

"No way! and you went?"

"Hell yeah, I did. It's not every day you get invited to an event as exclusive and famous as the Hughes' Lake House! And even after I brought up how I was getting back to the airport the week later, he just went 'we will drive you back, you don't have to worry about a thing.' So I packed a bag and worked something out with my manager and I was hugging Quinn and Jack Hughes 45 minutes later."

"Who was more excited for you to go?"

"Oh, me, 1000%. I was so excited to go. I guess everyone else in the group had shipped out almost immediately after the show, so they were already there and playing video games when we walked through the door. Like, I know I'm well known, but I felt fucking famous walking through that door," Alex laughed, "I didn't even get to drop my bag before Jim, their dad, was offering to take my bags and yelling at one of the boys to show me where I'm sleeping, and how they had washed the sheets and EVERYTHING. Ellen, their mom, yelled at him like, 'the poor girl just walked through the door, at least let her take a breath!' and I told her it was fine, that this sort of stuff happens all the time, and Jack showed me to the room that they had reserved for me and let me unpack my bags and get situated and told me that they were thinking about doing some sort of midnight barbeque or something and might take the boat out that night but I didn't need to go if I just wanted to chill. I thanked him perfusely and told him I just really wanted a breather and how I needed to answer a few emails and stuff. He told me I could work at the kitchen island, too, if I didn't wanna feel left out. So I set up all of my chargers and unpacked and whatever and answered a few emails and comments and liked a few instagram stories at the kitchen island and talked with their parents and met some of the other guys. I never felt like I was more or less than them at any point the whole week. The whole group is so nice and never left me out of absolutely anything."

"And you went back, didn't you?"

"I did! I went the last 2.5 weeks of the summer, before they all shipped off to their respective corners of the continent. It wasn't my idea either, Quinn came up to me and was like, 'hey, the last couple weeks before we all head back to our cities is just gonna be the the three of us and KJ and Blanks if you wanna come back and hang, it'll be a lot less hectic.' So, I did. It was just the 6 of us for about half a month."

"They sound like so much fun," she turns towards the camera, "if it feels like I'm doing significantly less talking than normal, it's because I think Y/N has a really pretty voice and I just like listening to her talk."

"Stop it, you're so sweet-"

"No, it's true!" she turned back to you, "I love listening to you talk."

"I really appreciate it, is there any other nitty-gritty tell-all detail of the Hughes Boys and Friends? I have not slept with any of them, before you ask."

Alex laughed, "That's such a shame, I feel like that would make a good headline, 'Country Singer Y/N L/N Rates The Dick Down of The Entire NHL out of 10: Here's What You Need to Know!' Since we can't talk about the sex, may I ask you which one would make the best boyfriend? I'm assuming there's at least one that you feel like would be an exceptional boyfriend."

"Oh god, I think each of them each of qualities and personalities that would make them more than qualified," Alex raised an eyebrow at you, "would you like me to go through all of them?"

"Uh, yes please!"

You smiled, "Oh god where do I start. Luke Hughes, the baby of the group. Luke is very spontaneous, if anyone is going to wake up at 3am, say 'I wanna go wakeboarding' and do it, it would be Luke Hughes. He does stuff because he wants to and does not think about it, he's doing it for the plot and absolutely nothing else.

"Jack Hughes is very enthusiastic about almost anything. He's very energetic and will try and make the most out of any situation. If it's his turn to do laundry or wash the dishes, he's going to make the most out of it. There's music playing, he's dancing around, he's going to make even the most boring of shit fun. He does everything with the excitement of a toddler, even if he doesn't wanna do it.

"Quinn, oh Quinn. Quinn is by far one of the most patient people I've ever met in my life. He's also a phenomenal listener. He's amazing to talk to about anything because he can identify when you just want to rant about how much of a stupid bitch someone is versus when you want solutions about whatever problem you have. He will take his time to understand the situation and will listen to you and soak up all of the information you have to say. I was taking a class over the summer and he used to help me with homework and as much as I asked him to read over essays or to help me with assignments, he took the time and listened to me and was patient with me and helped me with anything I needed.

"Kent Johnson, oh god, I have to much to say about Kent Johnson. KJ is down for absolutey anything. If Luke comes out of his room at the ass-crack of dawn with the dumbest of decisions, KJ is the first to volunteer, he loves living life and he likes making memories, he'll dance in the kitchen with Jack, won't even help him, just there to dance around and sing along, he'll join in any pick up sport game someone wants to play, he'll grab a controller regardless of what's on the screen. He loves having fun and will jump at any opportunity to do so.

"Nick Blankenberg is the voice of reason in the group, team dad, if you will. He's incredibly wise and very intelligent- not like the others aren't, but Blanks has the type of intelligence that you would expect out of your older brother. He can be handed a situation from any of the other boys in the group and immedately outweigh all of the pros and cons and he has enough social awareness to outweigh all of the outcomes and say 'hey, maybe we shouldn't-' or 'what if we do this instead.' He has so much wisdom and he's so much fun to talk to.

"Um, Brendon Brisson, I think is who I'll go with next. Briss might not seem like it, but he's very philisophical. If I had to put money on who I think would be the most likely to find laying out in the grass at night staring at the stars wondering about the workings of the universe, it would be Briss. He loves learning about new people and what keeps the world spinning and society moving, he loves talking about what happens after you die and whether aliens exist or not or what it would be like to be sucked into a black hole. He's curious about everything and loves learning about people and loves listening to everything everyone has to say just because he finds it interesting.

"God, I don't know how I can follow that up, um, Bordy, maybe? Thomas Bordeleau is everyone's own personal hype man. If he thinks someone looks good, he WILL tell you. He's constantly dishing out compliments and constantly whistling at people and telling them how good they look. He always tells you when he likes your outfit or if a particular color looks good on you or if the fashion choice you made was good. He likes making other people feel confident and good about themselves. I know everytime I'm with Thomas I'm going to walk away feeling like a million dollars just because he loves making other people feel good about themselves.

"Owen Power is a gentle giant. He loves cuddling and he loves giving hugs. He's so peaceful to be around and has become such a safe presence in my life over the last few months. He always know what to say and he always knows when I'm in a bad mood.

"and last but not least, Matty Beniers. Matty is an absolute goof. If there's a room full of people belly-laughing it's because Matty is doing something stupid. He enjoys being the center of attention and he enjoys making everyone around him laugh. He likes making people happy. Matty can turn any situation into an enjoyable one, he's the life of the party and he thrives on laughter and making everyone around him laugh.

"That was a lot am I missing anyone?"

"Trevor and Cole?" Alex leaned forward a little, adjusting the pillow behind her back.

"Oh my god how could I forget them! Trevor Zegras has so much personality, he brightens every room he walks into. He's always smiling and always happy and he has the most infectious laughter. Cole Caufield is the best shit talker. Cole Caufield loves a good bit of gossip and will eat it up."

"That's beautiful. Well, Y/N I just wanna thank you again for being here, it was an absolute pleasure. Maybe we'll get to do this after every album drop."

"Oh we absolutely should! Thank you so much for having me here, Alex. I'm excited for the shit-talk session that happens after we shut the camera off."

"You are the absolute best, does this make us best friends?"

"I think it does. I'm pretty sure we're best friends."

Alex laughs, "Anyways, go follow Y/N on all of her social media, it's just Y/N.L/N, isn't it?" You nod, "Go show her all of the love, Y/N, thank you so much for being here."

"God, I love you so much."

"Girl, I love you, too!"

-💍

LOVE LOVE LOVE

SO GOOD

#soft thoughts w/ari #💍 Anon

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wellntruly · 2 years

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RUSSIAN DOLL

Russian Doll Season 2---not that great---is honestly a gift to me personally, as now I am always going to have the perfect talking point for my perpetual position: STRUCTURE ABOVE ALL (in storytelling)

This is going to be an excuse to finally write at any length about Russian Doll Season 1, one of my favorite pieces of television, but it's going to be about 2 too, a remarkable instructional case that sets off in contrast so many of the things that make Season 1 a masterpiece of the medium. I actually understand better now what is so important to how Season 1 works, because of which elements Season 2 thought it could leave out, and it couldn’t! The post about making ratatouille.txt. Anyway there will be spoilers for the plots of both.

The main thing though, the most essential tomato in the sauce: Russian Doll Season 1 couldn’t be anything but television. If you ran it all together into one 3.5 hour watch, which many of us did, the story and rhythm is still completely distinguishable as eight distinct episodes, each with their own internal arc and tone that you can easily recall later---the episode where Nadia thinks the yeshiva is haunted, the episode where they’re going through Alan’s day together looking for clues, the episode about Nadia’s childhood trauma, et cetera. This was something I thought about a lot in 2019 when I first watched it, how it binged so well yet still has this nicely chaptered form. Like an album, co-creator Leslye Headland has described it, you can listen to the whole thing through but it’s composed of individual songs. This is a really good analogy. Another would be: like television. But in the era of streaming limited series that just formlessly run on to their end, often without even opening credits* to set off new episodes anymore, that classic television structure can be rarer and rarer to find.

In fact, if you look ahead to just the next season of this show, you won’t find it! Russian Doll Season 2 is no longer a story built episode by episode, like building blocks that each contain their own kernel of color and meaning, it’s a concurrent & continuous narrative that has just been arbitrarily cut at about each 30 minute mark. You can tell by how this time, it is much more difficult to recall later which episode something happened in. Somehow the episode where we finally find out what Alan has been up to is also the episode where Nadia and Maxine go off to Budapest for like 36 hours---that should not happen! That is so befuddled! It’s something you might not pinpoint at the time, but this simple lack of internal episodic cohesion is absolutely a part of what makes this season feel more scattered and unsatisfying compared to the first one.

It’s so interesting that it feels more jumbled, because on paper, Season 2 actually has a much more clear and specific topic it’s addressing, what it’s About, than Season 1 does, with its poetic, (theatrical), open-ended conclusion that just doubled down on letting everyone draw the takeaway that mattered most to them. No one is writing explainers this time of all the different themes, or self-effacingly airing their extremely niche pet theories about the Tompkins Square Park Riots that turn out to have something there. There’s no need: Season 2 is expressly about inherited trauma, all roads lead to Rome (or the past, rather). Yet by the time this journey wraps up, what is the impact of this new season? Rather less? The widely middling reviews and near entire lack of Season 2 on my dash when everyone had been posting about Season 1, all seem to indicate yeah, less.

What I think these two seasons demonstrate so well is that the power of narrative art forms often depends less on just what their ideas are, than how those ideas are being conveyed, what storytelling methods are being used to get at them. The interests of this season are absolutely of a piece with the first, in fact I think most of it was first brought up in the scene where Nadia and Alan are getting drunk at the bar. He mumbles that her necklace is pretty, and she lays out this history of her family fleeing the Holocaust and the story of the gold coins and how her ill mother in her delusions lost them, all but one, and she’s blithe and sad and drunk, not as drunk as Alan but in keeping with him, her eyes are a little bright and she’s feeling confessional and shocking, and it’s so powerful. There is so much in this inter-generational tragedy to delve into, and Season 2 is doing that! It’s about these things and these characters we were already invested in, this should be great, so why does it fall flat when we’re actually watching it? STRUCTURE.

Okay, so these two seasons are basically going about themselves from opposite directions:

Season 1 is structure-led: it sets up a framework (death time loop), and the characters are set loose to quite literally batter themselves against it in an attempt to find meaning (each other) (healing) (self-peace). Our two protagonists are constrained at nearly every turn by this shape the show has place placed them in, yet the sparks of their humanity bumping into it creates some of the brightest parts---the amount of revealing Maxine & Lizzy moments that come from Nadia refusing to leave via the stairs after episode two; Alan hurriedly telling a gasping Nadia where he’ll meet her if they’re dying as blood starts to trickle out of his ear; the fucking song. (*Oh we’ll come back to this!)

Season 2, meanwhile, has a different starting point: it sets up a discussion topic, and pretends to have a new structure (time train), but from the very beginning, the rules of the 6 train change depending on whatever the story wants to be about at that moment---it’s story-led, 100%. Season 1 was beholden to its form, to the point of occasionally feeling like both we and the characters were trapped in one of Nadia’s video games. Season 2 is not actually constrained by any form at all, but instead of this freedom letting the show burn brighter, we lost those edges to spark against. Everything ended up feeling more diffuse and watery, until our lead characters were literally wading through it. Notably: apart. (We’ll get to this too!)

Season 1 tells a story that can be understood to be about a lot of different things, in a setting that is so wonderfully specifically one thing---culturally, geographically, calender-ly. Season 2 tells a story clearly understood to be about one thing, in a setting that now includes three different cities, four different time periods, and eventually a sort of collapsing multiverse of timelines. They’re opposites!

And I think I have an idea of why one (1) works better. We're going briefly to the stage, actually. (Hang with me!)

In an interview on the Little Gold Men podcast about his adaptation of Tick, Tick...BOOM!, Lin Manuel Miranda said something that caused me to say for the second time (the first time was when I was watching Tick, Tick...BOOM!), “Aw man, you’re a good director.” What he said he was this:

“Yes, the musical theater truism of the opening number establishing the rules of the world, is important. You have to tell the audience how to experience this show, and how does the singing work, and what are we watching. But I also learned on Hamilton that every number is an opportunity to renegotiate that relationship, and crack it open a little more and bend the rules here. […] Establishing all those rules with every song and pushing on those rules, so that by the time we get to the end of the show, we can literally stop time.”

As a nerd for structure, this really spoke to me. Sure it’s initially about musical theater, a unique medium with its own tool set, but it also applies perfectly to a season of television like Russian Doll Season 1, where instead of each song, it’s each restart of the time loop that is an opportunity to re-establish the rules while also pressing on them.

Speaking of songs! Let’s get to this now: the diegetic music cue of Harry Nilsson’s ‘Gotta Get Up’ playing on each restart is such a stroke of genius. On one level, it let them hack the no-credits format of Netflix’s recent years---it’s now the credits song! It signifies one little narrative close and the start of a new one! We’re humans, we love patterns, and we also love when patterns alter in satisfying ways. Studies on people who experience frisson, goosebumps while listening to music or even just watching or reading a narrative, have found that it usually comes at key pattern moments, either when the current pattern breaks, or when it reforms into a pattern from earlier. The same ‘Gotta Get Up’ track playing from the same exact spot every single time was a thrill of repetition, but ALSO an incredible barometer for how the show was making us feel at that moment, as the song’s tone would almost seem to alter as we went on. Sometimes it would feel more manic, other times more ominous, others more hilarious, more moribund, more surreal. It’s so eerie when it’s playing in Maxine’s now fully empty apartment, and so joyous when it’s playing and everyone’s back.

Because Russian Doll Season 1 is perfectly following that musical theater adage. As Lin would have it, each 'song' (each restart): an opportunity. Season 1 is miles more rule-bound than Season 2, but that doesn’t make it static at all. In fact, it’s continuously using what we know of the structure to reveal new things to us, either by something’s sudden absence or sudden appearance in what we had grown to think of as a sealed loop. Paradoxically, each time we learn another rule, the world expands.

Most importantly, indelibly: the end of the third episode---

Nadia: "Hey man, didn't you get the news? We're about to die." This guy in the elevator: "It doesn't matter, I die all the time."

Fun fact, so I get frisson? I got frisson just now simply thinking about this moment. IT’S PERFECT TELEVISION WRITING. It feels WILD, it’s SO surprising, but it’s also not actually breaking our rules at all, it’s simply revealing to us a new person who is also subject to them. And we didn’t know!! The panic over “spoilers” that has grown up in recent years is, I think, rather overblown, but I will say that’s one thing about Netflix keeping Russian Doll a secret and just dumping “a new Natasha Lyonne show” on everyone with no warning one week in February 2019: we didn’t even know there was a second lead character. If I had seen even a single still of Charlie Barnett before watching it, I didn’t remember. Top ten TV moments of my life!! And that we KNEW the next episode was going to start with him looking into a mirror, you just knew it! That predictive joy of pattern & surprise!

And then the existence of Alan immediately offers so much. For starters, someone for grousing, gravelly Natasha Lyonne to play off of (wonderful), but what I think I might find most moving is the discovery that bears down on you the minute we start that next episode---'Alan’s Routine', it is tellingly titled---that oh, oh he is trying to handle this completely differently. I know I keep saying similar things, but it’s my refrain: it’s the structure that is allowing us to so quickly get this depth of characterization, and a deeper understanding of Nadia as well, just through their differing responses to the same time loop. It’s so important to what that season is trying to do with its central existential pondering that this be happening to them in the same way, but because of who they are as people and the circumstances of their personal histories, they’ve each started to build up a totally different mythos of how and why it works (god, god, it’s so good).

But then in Season 2, we actually barely get Alan at all, and even when we do they're quite cordoned off from each other. I love Alan and missed him, but it's not just that---I love them together. Nadia sets off Alan at his best angles; Alan sets off Nadia at her best angles. I really think another part of what makes the developments of this season feel oddly skimmed over sometimes is that neither of them has the other there to question and comment and collaborate. Imagine Alan providing cover for Nadia, heist-style, as she slips into that Budapest auction house basement, and then supporting her with the emotional weight of what she finds there. Imagine Nadia's reaction to Alan's reaction to getting catcalled by Stasi officers who see him as his young grandmother.

I do think that even without the unavoidable comparison with the story of connection that had come before, the writing of this season would have still felt disjointed between them, Alan’s unrelated Berlin B-plot tacked on to the clear A-narrative of Nadia and the krugerrands. Sure, stories don’t always have to have the fates of the characters intertwined to be moving, but it generally makes for more rewarding experiences when there are these thematic echoes, these exchanges between people, when they change each other. Part of the beauty of that first season of Russian Doll was that as it went on, we all began to realize, Nadia and Alan too, that it was only going to be through helping each other that they were going to be in less pain. I don't know if I can save myself, but perhaps I can save you. It’s lovely.

Season 2 is more of an individual journey. It’s basically Nadia and Alan now doing work on themselves, on their own. It is a stepping back from where Season 1 ended, or maybe a step inward I mean? And I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, just as I don't think that every story has to be highly structured to be any good (of course not!), but I do think that more loosely organized individualism can be harder to manage from a storytelling perspective. It can, as this second season does, tend toward meandering. It can, as this season does, lose awareness of rhythm. Those patterns, building and breaking and reforming. Those constraints that create beauty. Season 2 cut itself loose from form, when it needed structure more than ever.

But hey, it really did make me fall even more in love with that first season, and I don't know if I would have thought that was possible.

#Tarra watches #Russian Doll #storytelling #Natasha Lyonne #Leslye Headland #Amy Poehler

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it-begins-with-rain · 1 year

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if you dont mind me asking, when did you get into seventeen? i've been following you for years now (back when i was still into tog/acotar), got into svt just over a year ago, and now find it a cute coincidence that you listen to them too!

Ooo! Maasdom follower who is also SVT fan!!

So... I want to explain something first to explain something second, lmao.

FIRST::

I've had an ear to kpop since about 2008, part of a fandom I will not name but your hint is they are famous for how overwhelmingly toxic they are.

Fell in love with the Korean language and dramas, actually lived in Korea in college and Seoul is the most beautiful city on the planet (I lived in Wonju which isn't bad, but isn't as amazing as Seoul).

And then the group that I had been following entered their... how to say... image-destruction-phase. It was like they were addicted to saying shit that exposed how rude and arrogant they were IRL, one guy just let his homophobia hang out there for the whole world to see and waved it around proudly.

Amidst all of that (the homophobic one actually came out as homophobic a week after this, so it hadn't happend yet but it was the nail in the coffin) I had somehow become a fandom leader against my will, known for being able to play CSI: Fandom (because of an emotionally unstable former friend I had to keep talking off ledges by getting to the root of scandal rumors). It was exhausting and people were fucking stupid. My stance on idols is they’re grown ass adults (mostly). Who the fuck gives a shit if they’re dating someone or whatever? Honestly I was so sick of the bullshit.

Anyways

A former member of the group released a solo album and it just... wasn't my taste at all. I didn't say anything against it by any means, but someone sent me an ask saying they'd noticed I wasn't reblogging.

I said ONLY "It's just not my genre, but I wish him luck" and within 15 minutes I had 12 messages either threatening my life or telling me to kill myself. Because of those words.

That was when I was like "You know what, fuck all of this" and bailed. That was around 2012-ish. I refused to go anywhere near kpop with a 10 foot stick after that. If I saw news, it was because it hit CNN or BBC (so the tragic deaths and the Burning Sun Scandal which was just INSANE, like, omg). But that was it. And btw I still dont' listen to that group I used to listen to. I fully will not touch their stuff.

SECOND:

So that was a big ass mountain blocking me from being willing to even consider kpop. But a dear friend of mine was very much into it and just like once in a blue moon I'd notice a post on my dash that was kpop from her, but I ignored it.

In mid-2020, a fuck ton of bad shit went down even on top of all the COVID stuff. Like, at one point I genuinely considered driving into a wall (except I was buried alive under responsibilities) and it just got incredibly hard and incredibly dark. My personality- I can't ask for help. I just can't. IDK why, it's a huge block for me.

So that friend, my darling Sarah, who reblogged kpop stuff I rarely saw, a GIFset came across my dash that I was just so exhausted and defeated I didn't even have the energy to scroll past and decided to read it. It was Seventeen in that group blitz episode of Going Seventeen where they hit the inflatable obstacle course.

And it made my heart feel not quite as heavy for a few seconds. Maybe I even cracked half a smile.

I kept dragging myself on, and I saw the GIFset again and in another defeated day, I looked it up on Youtube (had to play it at 70% speed, those psychos talk FAST) and watched it.

And... it made me genuinely smile.

So I watched all of Going Seventeen over the next several months. Then about 6 months in I decided to listen to one of their songs (Hoshi- Spider) and loved it. Started listening to more of their music, found out Carat are actually extremely chill and extremely dorky, the opposite of the fan club I'd been part of before.

So I joined Carat formally (i'd never done that with the Fandom That Must Not Be Named, Carat is my first fanclub :) ) and I just... enjoy them.

They got me through some really incredibly dark times, just being able to watch something lighthearted and simple and funny. Like, I know it’s cliche to say, I know they'll never know that, they probably wouldn't give a shit, they probably hear it 150,000 times a day. It doesn't matter. The dumbassery helped me a lot, and I'm grateful for that.

And this year I got to go see them live in concert with my darling Sarah, the same week I got the news that my mother's cancer (which we were told was terminal) was in full remission and she's one of only a few cases her doctors have ever SEEN to go into remission, and just...

That was way more info than you were asking for, but that's it. Their dorky, probably-licks-bus-windows charm was just simple and yet funny enough that it helped me breathe when that felt impossible, and so I like them :)

#ask #seventeen

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tm-trx · 1 year

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currents.05

weekly round-up in media [29 jan-4 feb 2023]

~ sp*ilers for 609 Bedtime Story, A League of Nobleman, The New Employee, and Never Let Me Go ~

[listening]

Monsta X’s “The Dreaming” album - new discovery and I’ve had it on repeat

[reading]

Imago series by NR Walker - short and sweet adult contemporary mlm romance set in Australia; come for the romance, stay for the butterfly conservation and near-death experiences - reread

Pocketful of Soul by @jenroses - Mo Xuanyu-centric MDZS time travel fix-it and one of my 2022 favorites - reread

Dawn Will Break by ca_pierson and darkmoore - Stargate Atlantis AU - Written for the 2010 Big Bang, this is one of my favorites. A bare bones summary: After dying, John Sheppard dimension hops into multiple versions of himself to fix whatever is wrong there, at the behest of the Ancients. - reread

[watching]

609 Bedtime Story - Well that was a way to end it I guess. I did like how they resolved things with Mint, but I was hoping she’d figured out the connection between Mum and Dew. But that would mean talking about the parallel world again and they apparently decided that the entire conceit of the show didn’t matter anymore after ep 9. I’m so annoyed. (Edit: I just found out there is an alternate ending airing next week; most likely an ‘unhappy’ ending. What are you doing, show? I’m not even mad about it, just more confused.)

A League of Nobleman - The show I’m enjoying the most this week. I didn’t expect such gorgeous visuals in a historical mystery that isn’t a fantasy. There’ve been two mysteries so far and the second one involved a serial killer. I enjoyed the heck out of that arc. I have affectionately nicknamed Zhang Ping ‘Eyebrows’ in my head because those are some fantastic ones he’s sporting. Kudos to the makeup team.

The Lost Tomb (2015) - Binged most of season one last night and I’m hooked. This is amazing. Also, surprise Yang Yang! (I’d forgotten why it was on my watchlist, so he must be why.) The quality level is about late 90s/early 2000s but that was early fandom in my life, so nostalgia is hitting me hard. I’m having a great time with this one.

The New Employee - Seven episodes feels like a weird episode count for a series, but okay - I watched the last two episodes back to back and loved how they ended it. I do find it interesting however, that we never saw the ex/crush again after he was the trigger for the main relationship blip. It felt like they were going to take that further. I probably should have waited to binge this in one go, because I had completely forgotten that there was a manager who could cause trouble until he caused trouble. These short form dramas are generally pretty frustrating to watch because I can clearly see a longer (usually better) show around them. This one did feel complete, but I’m hoping they release a movie version.

[anticipating]

SHINee - Key’s album repackage is this month! Onew finished recording something! Minho is too tall! Taemin D-57!

[random notes from my tv journal]

609 Bedtime Story, ep 11 - “The kissing sounds don’t match the video?!” (This show botched the ending so bad, in multiple ways. This particular way made me laugh though.)

A League of Nobleman, ep 6 - “Surprise serial killer! Neat!”

My School President, ep 9 - “Gun and Tinn’s little scene on the beach while spying on Sound gave me major ‘future old married couple’ feelings.” (And now I want to read that future fic where Gun is home on break from touring and teasing his doctor husband into relaxing after a stressful shift.)

Never Let Me Go, ep 8 - “That was an extremely ominous music cue to tag the bathroom confrontation scene with.” (Up until that last moment it felt like any other scene in this show, but the music change elevated it and made it seem like Ben was going to come back and murder the kid. It threw me out of the scene it was such a jarring escalation. I may go back and watch it again, to see how it feels on rewatch.)

previous Currents posts

#the new employee #609 bedtime story #fic rec #never let me go #my school president #currently #tmtrx watches dramas #tmtrx og

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slade-neko · 1 year

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End of the Year Questionnaire!

Saw some End of the Year questionnaire thing going around and wanted to do it. If anything for myself as a way to review this year.

1. Song of the year? Alestorm ~ P.A.R.T.Y.

No brainer here. This song has been living rent free in my head for the last 7 months since its release. 🤘🏻

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2. Album of the year? Dragon Ball Z: Movie 8 - Broly The Legendary Super Saiyan

Not new by any means, but dang watching this movie again this year and hearing that early 2000's American metal soundtrack. Ingredients for an EPIC childhood right there. 🤘🏻😝🤘🏻

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3. Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year? Alestorm ~ The pirate power metal band

Pirate Metal is the genre I didn't realize I needed in my life until I heard them.

4. Movie of the year? Dragon Ball Z: Movie 8 - Broly The Legendary Super Saiyan

Again, not new, but I rewatched it for the first time in YEARS and it was just as glorious, if not more so, than the last time I watched it. That 1993 animation and again, the English dub metal soundtrack hit me HARD! Broly's still my favorite DBZ villain even if he's non-canon. The idea of an bloodthristy evil Saiyan, let alone an incredibly powerful Legendary Super Saiyan, is such an interesting concept.

5. TV show of the year?

I rarely watch TV outside of anime... might have to go with the new My Hero Academia season. The non-stop action and fight scenes has been very welcome.

6. Episode of tv or webisode that defined the year for you?

Nothing stands out at this moment... but to go along with the previous answer, there was that one episode where Mirko kicks the ever living daylights outta those disgusting freakazoid Nomus in MHA was pretty dang cool! Go, bunny! 🐇

7. Favorite actor of the year? Nobody!

I don't idolize people. That way I can't be disappointed when they inevitably let me down. 🙃

8. Game of the year? The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (PC PORT)

Technically an unofficial re-release, BUT without a doubt this is my GOTY. Absolutely freakin' phenomenal. It's objectively the BEST video game ever created finally freed from it's console shackles on PC Master Race. Seriously, 60 fps, true widescreen, gyro support, restorations, gameplay enhancements, built-in randomizer, mod support, RESHADE, you name it. Fans always treat Nintendo's games better than Nintendo and this clearly shows it. Bless the team behind the Ship of Harkinian port. They made a lot of dreams come true this year.

9. Best month for you this year?

Every month I draw breath is a good one!

10. Something that made you cry this year?

HA! I don't cry, but no seriously I feel like there was something I watched this year that made me teary-eyed, but I can't remember... Oh, well, must've not been that important then!

11. Something you want to do again next year?

Play more old games. 🎮

12. Talk about a new friend you made this year.

I don't make new friends, BUT my best friend I haven't seen since 9th grade of high school visited me in person for the first time in nearly 13 YEARS! Let me tell you something, best friends are the ones that will never fade over time and will always be there. That's amazing and I'm lucky to have 'em! 🤗

13. How was your birthday this year?

I aged. Another reminder of my fleeting mortality. 💀

14. Favorite book you read this year?

I don't read books. 🚫📚

15. What’s a bad habit you picked up this year?

I don't do bad habits.

16. Post a picture from the beginning of the year.

Jan 13th, 2022. My first Sims screenshot of the year. Deadpool staring at the camera while lightsaber dueling one of my Miqo'te OCs.

17. Post a picture from the end of the year.

Dec 6th, 2022. Aaand my last screenshot of the year... is a smug shirtless Sasuke. Well okay.

18. A memorable meal this year?

Pizza 🍕 (probably the one I shared with my long time friend if I'm going to be sappy about it.)

19. What’re you excited about for next year?

Playing more video games.

20. What’s something you learned this year?

By far the biggest lesson I learned is new things suck! Nothing is better than the old stuff. Games, shows, all of it. Too many remakes/ reboot cash grabs that are shameful in comparison to the classics.

21. What’s something new about your place of residence (room, home, or general location) now vs the start of the year?

Nothing. It's exactly the same. Just the way I want it. WELL I might have a few more anime figures and a Monokuma plush that I didn't have before...

23. Favorite place you visited this year?

Wait... did I leave my house this year?

24. If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be?

"I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."

25. Did you keep any New Year’s Resolutions?

Play more old games. 🌟 Yeah, I did and I want to play MORE! 🕹️

26. Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year?

I assume this means OC's... Well uhh, I made a lot of sims recreations, not many OC's. I guess I just don't have a lot of "original" creativity! Oh, but there was that werewolf girl I designed. She's cool!

#dumb #personal #New Years #another year of 'this'

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shesgabrielle · 2 months

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Movie Review #1

So for context visual media is something I have really struggled to concentrate on. While I was chronically fatigued, since 2014 to 2020, I listened to like one album a month, and watched no new movies and occasionally some classic animations or fantasy or sci fi movies I already liked. But pretty much nothing. I rewatched the X Files around 2014 when they did reruns of the whole series on Dave iirc, before cancelling the TV license a long time ago since everything outside of the Christmas/New Year safe zone was generally terrible. I watched some Red Dwarf reruns and the new ones, and the new X Files episodes. I watched all of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and all of the Charmed reboot, since 2020, when I started watching some things again, and watched a few bootleg musicals on Youtube, including the Mean Girls musical several times with several different casts. And I watched the miniseries Selfie. So a very specific brand of lighthearted media was all I could tolerate, but really my taste has always skewed lighthearted/cute/children's/fantasy and I don't think that will change, but I couldn't even handle watching more than like 3 movies a year of those specific genres. I watched Kimmy twice and the Charmed reboot several times since they were safe media that held my attention.

A few months ago I watched the much-loved Howl's Moving Castle and found it a bit distracting, like I didn't really enjoy it even though it's obviously excellent. So it was not the time to try and start watching media again.

But yesterday I started feeling like I wanted more mental stimulation than just music while working, so a fitting attempt was the movie version of the Mean Girls musical.

So with that preamble, my review of it:

So the live musical version kinda had highs and lows, and a particular favourite part of the musical seems a lot more mellow in the movie (when she is on the podium planning her revenge) which in the movie is instead with Regina sitting on the bedroom floor, and then cutting to scenes in the school halls. However after watching the whole movie, the difference is the movie is a very consistent high quality throughout rather than having specific high points like the musical. Renee (who plays Regina) really stood out among the live musical cast (she is an original cast member) but due to the consistent high performance quality among the other actors here, she doesn't really stand out as much, instead every actor seems equally skilled, relatable and interesting, which is quite a feat and I think they really pulled this off. As far as I can see it did not really create a stir among the stan side of the internet, but I think this will be a fun movie for people who like musicals, silliness, and unsubtle social commentary to watch for many years to come.

I have a movie I am considering watching next, if I manage to exceed my three movies a year I will start writing reviews for them all. (Absolutely none of them will be cool movies, since I don't care what movie bros think about me)

#Movie Review #Musical Review

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fragile777cosmos · 2 months

Text

March 8th, 2024 - 95/5

•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••

Okay, so today was International Women's Day. I just wanna say that all women (cis, trans, woman-aligned, whatever) are wonderful and beautiful and are able to do incredible things. I love you, women! You deserve better in life. You deserve respect and love and all good things in the world.

Except if you're a mean one. I don't like you.

You deserve better than this words, too. I'm not good at these things. Sorry.

- from an AFAB enby

Funnily enough, I was actually scared of going home. I changed the path to avoid seeing men. It's a shame because I loved that street. Oh well. Maybe they'll be gone in the winter.

And that's why this day was a 95/5. It was good overall except for these things:

Disgusting men

Heat. It was so hot today wtf

There, that's the list.

But good things happened, too! I watched two episodes of NANA, and I'm loving it! I'm sus about Shoji tho. I don't know why. I just do.

I also listened to MARINA. I always say she's one of my favourite singers, but the truth is that I listen to so much music that I forget about her lol. But since she'll be releasing new music soon, I decided to go back to The Family Jewels, my favourite album by her.

She gets me. I felt every single word she sang. Except for "Obsessions" since that song is probably about OCD (which I don't have... I think).

And of course, I got to see that stupid boy again.

His hair is a bit longer now. And I think it has curls. I only know this because he walked right next to me a couple of times today. But he never sees me... He probably forgot about me.

I should do the same. But it's so hard... I don't know what to do. I think about him every single day and for what??? He's probably the worst guy ever and here I am, going crazy over him.

I don't think I have a crush on him. I'm just lonely and in need of some attention from a male. I'm not proud of that tbh.

I guess he's just busy. I get it, this is his last year of high school.

I'm just some "girl"(?) who acted like an idiot in front of him. He probably thinks I'm stupid. I think the same, too. Maybe that's why he doesn't pay attention to me.

I don't know, I'm so confused about everything.

But if he never appeared in my life, how interesting would it be?

At least I get a bit happier when he's near.

Oh my god, I haven't written so much in a long time! I'm so in my feelings tonight lmao

So yeah, that was all. I'm fucking crazy.

Oh yeah, before I forget. There's a storm outside right now. A few minutes ago I went outside and took some pictures of the sky. I was gonna show the pizza bagels I ate for dinner, but this is more interesting. I was scared of lightning bolts lol

Okay, that was actually all.

Rest well!

I talked too much for a night XD

•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••

PS: While I was writing the tags for this, I realized that y'all would bully me if you saw the guy I've been yapping about lol

Even my friends saw he's ugly. I think he has something... interesting.

Maybe the narrow eyes. I don't know.

I'm not gonna lie, it kind of depends on the angle.

#fragile cosmos #fragile posts #do people still use the #xd #i dont know #anyway #i love marina #shes so mother #(omg i really said that)#what is wrong with me #fuck him #ugh

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cosettepontmercys · 3 months

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Hi! I'm glad to hear you're doing better and listening to music you enjoy. The last dinner party is on my list and 23 but Jimmy Eat World is the best song ever. I hope you loved it! I will add the last album to my list too. I was listening to some Grammy nominees this week like Janelle Monae.

Oh that sounds so good. I hope I love it and will try not to compare it to The Night Circus so much lol. I'm sure I will love both! They seem pretty different to me so that makes sense. Maybe I will read part of it this month taking my time with it so that's cool. But idk how much time I will have this month again, but I think things will be settled by next month. There's also the if he had been with me sequel I think out this week! I have not done my reread yet unfortunately though. that was my plan for February and focusing on two books to finish each month but I always read parts of other ones too so we will see.

The musical on Broadway was kinda bad mostly or that's what most people thought. I heard the London cast and show was actually way better but I never watched or listened to it. But Christian Borle was def the best part and I'm not even sure what you were referring to lol. The only song I remember is it must be believed to be seen. I wish Schmicago didn't get cancelled and I would have liked seeing what season 3 ended up as. I just think the show was kinda fun and understood paying respects and parodying musical theater..not unlike what I saw of Crazy exgf. The show was for theater people but didn't have to be only for theater people either to enjoy it. I just read that Hazbin Hotel, the new show, was one of the most watched shows though and I am interested in the show and how it could be a musical lol. I will definitely check it out soon since all the episodes are out now and let you know! I honestly forgot what musical albums were nominated for the Grammys. What ended up winning?

I hope so too! Actually I think the Wiz is here until the end of the month before going to Broadway and unfortunately I won't be able to go. Then next is Mean Girls but I also already saw the movie so idk when I will see a show again! I hope you can see one soon though! I still wanna watch the Waitress proshot too.

I partly agree that Cardigan deserved it for sure but I also enjoy Antihero and thought it could win but it didn't. I am so happy about most of the Grammy wins. Paramore won every award they were nominated for and Billie won for What Was I Made For, but I was sad for Olivia and Noah. I didn't love Taylors dress honestly and preferred the Globes look, but that's not important. I can't believe she made history last night which was only one big shock of the night! Lol I will send all of my thoughts about the brand NEW album in another ask!

hi hi friend!! 🤍 i have to go back and finish listening to the rest of the grammy noms; i had every intention of doing so and then ... just never did. i hope things are more settled for you soon; you'll have to keep me posted on what you think of all the things!

i loved crazy ex-girlfriend when it was airing, but i very rarely find myself going back to relisten to their soundtracks — but i do go back and listen to SMASH's songs all the time! some like it hot ended up winning, which is fine with me — i don't know much about that show, but there was one show in particular i didn't really care for and didn't reallllly want to win haha! tickets for the company tour actually just went on presale here in seattle, and i'm trying to figure out if i want to go or not, which is crazy because i loveeee company and it was one of the only things i was looking forward to last season but now i'm like :/ i do not know if i care enough to go :/ for the prices they're selling tickets at. i might try my hand at lotto, but ...

i also didn't love taylor's look last night! i think her hair + the styling of it all was just ... a little odd. but i haven't really liked a lot of taylor's looks lately :( 🤍

#post: answered #🩷 anon

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girltomboy · 5 months

Text

End of the year answers

Song of the year?

Track 10 by Christine and the Queens has been the soundtrack of many moments this year

2. Album of the year?

None other than Paranoia Angels True Love

3. Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year?

A friend got me into Mon Laferte and she became one of my top artists in just a month

4. Movie of the year?

It wasn't released this year but my bf and I discovered The Medium and it's definitely the best movie I've watched all year (Banshees of Inisherin is a close candidate)

5. TV show of the year?

I actually have a top 3 for this question; number three would be Yellowjackets, I would've put it on two if the second season had been at least as good as the first one, but they fumbled it. Number two is Severance, so the creators of that show had better sorted their shit out by now because that show is meant to BE, fr. Number one is Succession because it was just deluxe on all levels: writing, acting, score, production, just great. And a finale that sunk the earth beneath my feet.

6. Episode of tv or webisode that defined the year for you?

Ouuu I wouldn't say it defined the year, but I remember being very impressed with Flight of the Bumblebee/Yellowjackets.

7. Favorite actor of the year?

Sarah Snook 100%

8. Game of the year?

I haven't played many new games this year, but I managed to finish A Little To The Left and it was a highly satisfying experience (and that soundtrack DAMN)

9. Best month for you this year?

I think March was a very fun month, so many cute moments with my bf and friends, nice weather, the feeling of revival was overwhelming.

10. Something that made you cry this year?

To be honest I didn't cry much this year, not as much as in other years at least. Missing my best friend was probably a consistent reason for crying. Even at the beach I was emotional and in need of her presence.

11. Something you want to do again next year?

Meet my best friend :) this time I have a gift for her too. And I wanna knit her a little alien. I want to spend more time with her, this time just us and more than an afternoon. Maybe have a little weekend getaway somewhere, like my bf and I did for our first anniversary.

12. Talk about a new friend you made this year

Not a particular friend per se, but my manager has been working very hard and consistently on bringing us closer as a team; she's been making these groups and stuff, trying to make us befriend each other more, making the dynamic of our work team more informal. I really appreciate that, it's been so fun connecting with my coworkers and discovering their personalities. They're so likable in their own unique ways and my lovely Aquarius manager has been amazing at uniting us a lot more this year.

13. How was your birthday this year?

My boyfriend RAN to the store a couple minutes before midnight (cause we'd been out all day and then napped, and he didn't have time to stock up in advance) and bought me a mini cake which he stabbed with a lit up joint so I could have a candle to make a birthday wish 💀 it was so funny and sweet and it made me so happy. And he got me a piggy plushie I had seen in a store window and pointed out to him just DAYS before my birthday (the day before we passed by that store again and it was gone; I didn't say anything but it DID get me thinking) and now I squeeze it against my chest at night. And we went to the mall and looked around the toy store, and ate ice cream by the lake. It was really lovely and I was straight up glowing

14. Favorite book you read this year?

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, I practically devoured that book

15. What’s a bad habit you picked up this year?

Umm smoking cigarettes in social circumstances? I mean it's by no means a new habit, but this year it's gotten worse because my work bestie has been getting me out of the house plenty! I've given it back up easily cause it was so poisonous, but that's cause I've been away from smokers in general for some time. I need to get back into chewing a ton of gum. I need to become gum girl again

16. Post a picture from the beginning of the year

17. Post a picture from the end of the year

18. A memorable meal this year?

Gawd damn my friend cooked for us one time in April, and he made mashed potatoes with meatballs and sauce. It was all so damn good, it tasted like cartoon food. It tasted like the word "food". I kinda miss his cooked food, I'm not gonna lie. My stuff comes out so dry and sad, and his stuff is always so rich and filling.

19. What’re you excited about for next year?

Seeing my grandma again, maybe getting a nose piercing, traveling, the beach, my friends, those last 3 things combined (or maybe just my boyfriend, that's fine too)

20. What’s something you learned this year?

I find it hard to pinpoint a specific thing I learned this year, but I think I remembered and realized more things about my past, which is maybe ironic and counterintuitive. That includes my family's past, my past in relation to other people, I've managed to sharpen the lens of the past even more than I could before. And it's constantly mesmerizing and ridiculous at the same time, it makes me feel like Shauna playing with Jackie's frozen corpse, trying to breathe some life into something that's already dead

21. What’s something new about your place of residence (room, home, or general location) now vs the start of the year?

I have this new comforter that really cozies up my bedroom and I even started paying more attention to my bed (making it more carefully, not leaving it unmade for too long, matching the fabrics and stuff as best as I can) ever since I got it. And I also got these colorful lights hanging above my bed, my mirror, and my bedroom door that I put up "for christmas" (they're halloween-themed but whatever, I wanted lights in my room) that I'm definitely keeping up.

22. Favorite place you visited this year?

My bf, friend, and I went on a really long walk one day this year; we walked through the cemetery and then kept on walking further around the neighborhood. It was a long adventure and it tired us out but such a nice day together, we got soda and candy afterwards and walked back home. I miss having days like that

23. If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be?

I'd warn myself to not dye my hair in the summer, that orangey shit was really hard to cover up and even though I rocked that look I'd have felt much more comfortable with a different shade. Also plan the holiday better, and I have my reasons to say that

24. Did you keep any New Year’s Resolutions?

I didn't have any, BUT I started doing yoga this year, a bit more consistently than last year's workout attempts. And I'm proud of that because it makes me feel really good when I do have the energy for it

25. Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year? Describe one

None that aren't based on real people and that I didn't have before lol

#i wish this had more questions it's so fun lol

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chicagolive · 1 year

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Hi I’m so incredibly sorry this is getting to you so late!

I know what you mean about like booktok and stuff sometimes their recs are awful but I’ve read other stuff by Andy Weir and really liked it so I can tell you he very much knows what he’s talking about when it comes to space travel! When he was bored he used to plan missions to Mars and that’s how he wrote the Martian! So theres science and technical talk sometimes in that book so I’m somewhat expect that in Hail Mary!

I’m quite shit a listening to new music too but I’m always looking for more! I’ve been meaning to listen to Rina so I’m so glad you recommended that! Loved the voice so I’m excited to hear more!

I started collecting vinyl in 2020 too! It may be cliche to say but my pink Harry Styles - Harry Styles album is probably my prized vinyl simply because it took me forever to find and I found it quite cheap compared to what everyone else was selling it for! The most vinyls for one artist I have right now is one direction and so far the only double I have is for made in the am! I have a black one and a blue one! I’m hoping to get Louis’ album soon so I’m very excited!

Those are lovely colors! Great holiday movie for sure!! Ooooo, art! What’s your favorite artist? And do you have any favorite like paintings/sculptures? What kind of art do you normally create? I hope the block leaves ya be soon and you start creating again! Do you have any certain media of art you like to create the most?

Here’s another speed round!! What’s your go to comfort outfit/piece of clothing? What’s the best show you’ve watched this year? Do you have any pets? Annnnnd what’s your favorite season?

Hope you’re having an absolutely lovely night and that the day treated you well!!

-🎄❄️

Hello, hun!! ✨

That’s perfectly fine!! I totally understand! Life gets in the way. Hope your day/night is treating you well!!

Ahhhh, I see!! Well, as long as they know what they’re talking about within the novel, it sounds like a good read to me lol. I’ll have to give him a read next time I’m in the bookstore.

You have a pink self-titled? Cool, cool, cool, cool!! (Adds to rob list lol). The entire 1d discography!? Love that for you!! Is there one in particular you play the most? Out of all the boys, I’d say I listen to self-titled more than any of the other boys!! Idk, it just sounds so nice on record.

The thing about art is I love to admire and appreciate it, but I’m shit at actually remembering the artists names and when they created them 😅. Last night, I was looking at some photos I took when I was in Italy back in 2020 and I found some pictures of two of Botticelli’s most recognizable work (Primavera and The Birth of Venus). I’d probably say them for the meantime!!

I minored in sculpture in college, so I’d say I have an appreciation for the 3D arts, but lately I’ve been getting into painting/drawing!! Back at the end of 2020, I made a portrait of Louis trying to get back into the artistic spirit, which worked for a little, but haven’t really been able to get back into it. Hopefully the new year brings a spark with it lol.

Speed Round Questions: comfort outfit/piece of clothing? I’m a Jean-on-Jean person lol. If I can complete an outfit with a matching pair of jeans and Jean jacket, I’ll opt for that!! Best show this year? I’d probably say Heartstopper!! I read the series beforehand and an absolutely loved it! So when it came out, I watched it all in one sitting, even though there were only 8 episodes for the premier. Also, the 2nd season on Young Royals came out at the beginning of November which I really liked as well. I’m not very good at starting new series, like a lot of people lol. Is there any show you are watching atm that you recommend!? Pets? Sadly, I do not she any pets. I wish lol. One day, I’d say. I really like cocker spaniels, so I’d probably have that as a pet if I could!! Favorite season? I’d say the transition between summer and fall, where it’s not as hot to wear shorts anymore, but isn’t cold enough to have to bundle up under multiple layers!! Very nice middle!! 🎄✨

#holiday pals 🎄✨#asks

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mintmentos · 2 years

Text

Thursday. What a concept.

22/09/2022

It's been a while since the single weekly wrap up post I made, but apparently this week is the week it's starting back up with the intention of it actually being a weekly wrap up, not just a random post I make once every few months. So with a rebrand (does it count as a rebrand if I only did it once before?) and renewed enthusiasm, here we go!

Reading

I've been banging on about wanting to read The Goldfinch for months to the point of my friends getting sick of me talking about it, but this week I finally started it. I watched the film when it came out so I vaguely know the story, but I'm not sure how that translates into an 800+ page book, so we'll see what happens. Even though it's not a stereotypical autumn read like The Secret History, I'm still getting the autumn vibes and enjoying it so far.

Watching

The Star Wars education is ongoing, and I'm nearing the end of the films and tv shows and I don't know how to feel about that (will probably have a breakdown when it happens, but we'll see). I'm juggling a few series atm; season 4 of Clone Wars is hotting up and getting super intense, I've only got the second half of The Mandalorian to go and I'm so so excited to see how it pans out and then watch the trailer for season 3, and I watched the first 3 episodes of Andor yesterday and omg I loved it! Can't wait to see where the rest of the season goes because at this point I have no clue what's going to happen next.

In non-Star Wars related news, I've picked up Gilmore Girls again for the autumn vibes, and it's proving to be a good accompaniment to craft in the evenings. I also started Bee and Puppycat which is whimsical and fun and charming and all round delightful.

Listening

Audible enticed me back with a deal for 99p a month, so we're back on audio books for the next few months. I've started Know my Name by Chanel Miller, and it's already so intense and heartbreaking. I know it's going to be a difficult listen, but all the more important for it.

I've randomly started listening to Scouting for Girls this week for the first time in years and I'm having a great time. It sends me straight back to summers out in the car with my mum and sister, the first 2 albums on repeat for weeks on end and being told off for saying 'arse' in Heartbeat, no matter how much I argued that I was just singing along.

Playing

After months and months and a few futile attempts to pick it back up, I am obsessed with Breath of the Wild again. After finishing Disco Elysium (an excellent unhinged game, please go play it) I was in a bit of a lull and just turned to it because I didn't have anything new lined up and oh boy am I enjoying myself. I've been sending daily updates to one of my friends about which towers I've unlocked and what quests I'm doing and I'm having an excellent time. Will this mean I finish it ready for Tears of a Kingdom? Probably not but we move.

Making

So I finished crocheting my cardigan a couple of months ago and now I'm onto my second one for my sister. I've got some much nicer yarn this time and it's so much better to work with. I spent a lot of time on it during the long weekend (thanks Lizzie!) and should be on track to get it finished in time for Christmas.

My nan's posh family friends are downsizing and we've got a load of their stuff they were going to throw out, including an old KitchenMate mixer! I'm so excited, I'm going to make a lemon cake at the weekend and see how it goes, but I can't wait to feel like I'm on Bake Off :)

Working on

I've nearly finished the book for my LM2, the second exam in my Cert CII so I'm hoping to sit the exam in October. I'm a month behind what I planned, but a busy summer made for very little motivation to study outside of work hours.

Over the past couple of weeks I've started watching booktube again and I've been toying with the idea of reviving my channel. I've already got a few ideas for videos and a couple of days off coming up, so stay tuned...

#wahey look at me only 3 months later than i said i would be #but i have a cool name now so we're winning. it was worth the wat just for that in my opinion #thursday what a concept #kiera talks kiera

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