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sigmalied · 4 years

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THOBM S1:E4

While I’m here I’d like to obnoxiously discuss why Episode 4 of Bly Manor is my favorite, regarding the portrayal of Dani’s inner struggle with her sexuality, through a point-by-point chronological analysis.

Part 1: First Flashback

The episode opens with a flashback to Dani’s childhood, revealing the owner of the glasses as Eddie. Dani says she needs to go home, but Eddie insists she stays. At this point, persuading her to stay is relatively innocent. Some day, it won’t be.

We then leap to the moments before Dani and Eddie’s rehearsal dinner. Eddie asks if she’s ready, and Dani hesitates, giving a weak “I think so,” which Eddie brushes off without much concern, perhaps chalking it up to stage fright.

Dani does not speak at the rehearsal, but Eddie does. In his speech, he reveals that Dani had to dare him to kiss her, presumably because she couldn’t do it herself. He calls her “Danielle”, never “Dani”. Additionally, Eddie spent their adolescence and early adulthood asking Dani to marry him, each time receiving a “no” until Dani finally caved in. Why Eddie is so surprised about being dumped later on is beyond me.

Eddie’s mom, Judy, catches Dani escaping the dance floor and gives Dani her old wedding dress. Dani holds the dress in front of herself before a mirror and Judy asks her to say, “Good morning, Mrs. O’Mara,” in reference to both the first time she met Dani, and Dani’s wedding day when that will also become her name, too.

During this segment, both Eddie and Judy insist that Dani knows what she wants. Judy even encourages her to speak her mind. This puts some responsibility on Dani for her predicament, and it’s not entirely undue. Dani is passive. She is trapped, yes, but she has also taken no measures toward freeing herself.

Part 2: Day of the Funeral

The flashback ends and Dani’s in her room at Bly, getting ready for Owen’s mom’s funeral. The timing of Dani remembering her impending wedding on the day of a FUNERAL is incredibly telling, as is the obvious link between Judy’s dress and Dani’s only black one.

Jamie comes in, and when Dani expresses her reservations Jamie doesn’t pressure her to go if she’s not comfortable doing so. Jamie’s, “I don’t need you to be my date to Owen’s mom’s funeral” suggests they’ve discussed going together, probably sometime that same morning, but Jamie doesn’t trap her in that arrangement. She readily gives Dani a way out and doesn’t shame her about it. (Compare to Eddie and Dani before the rehearsal).

Dani asks Jamie to help her out of the black dress (just the zipper!). The point of this isn’t merely sexual tension, it’s also symbolic of Jamie freeing Dani from a life she equates with death. Eddie’s specter shows up, right on schedule, to guilt Dani for her intimacy with Jamie.

Part 3: The Kitchen & Dani’s Nervous Episode

Jamie returns from the funeral to find Hannah, Dani, and the kids preparing supper in the kitchen. Jamie eerily foreshadows the struggle she and Dani will face in their future relationship, as well as her own character development, when she discusses care for someone with a terminal condition.

Jamie catches Dani staring at her. Dani averts her gaze but keeps glancing back even as she approaches the kitchen sink. Eddie makes an appearance, as expected, and it thoroughly rattles Dani because his form has become physical as he places his hands on her hips. (It may be somewhat of a stretch, but the physicality of Eddie might imply that Dani's private thoughts toward Jamie were trending toward the ‘physical’). She excuses herself in a panic; it’s all coming to a head because she’s starting to realize what this means for herself.

Part 4: Second Flashback

Dani’s getting Judy’s old wedding dress fitted. Judy and her own mother watch. For such a short scene, this one is DENSE. Allow me to draw your attention to a few spicy quotes: “Luckily, Danielle does not share my taste in men.” - Dani’s mother. “Well, lucky for Edmund; he’s the lucky one in this equation...” - Judy. “Danielle’s father helped pick [my dress] out, and look how THAT turned out.” - Dani’s mother. Everything here has double meaning. From the obvious implication that Dani doesn’t have a taste in men at all, to the more subtler “THAT” referring to both Dani’s mom’s bad marriage and how Dani ‘turned out’ (to be non-heterosexual).

The tailor flirts with Dani. Or seems to. Either way, Dani hones in on it; how she compliments her shoulders, gives her a smile, lets a hand linger on her lower back. Dani sees their reflections together in the mirror.

When Dani resurfaces from this flashback she looks solemn, even grim, with realization. She’s still looking at Jamie, but now she understands why.

Part 5: Third Flashback & The Bonfire

Dani joins Jamie, Owen, and Hannah for a bonfire outside. She spaces out and recalls the night Eddie died. They went to dinner that night. Dani nervously bites her fingernails and Eddie says, “Hey, easy. You’re going to hurt yourself.” Dani replies, “I’m sorry. I keep trying to stop.” Some more subtext there. It should also be pointed out that Eddie doesn’t even ask what’s wrong, or if she’s okay. He just assumes it’s the stress of planning their wedding. Little does he know, Dani’s about to break up with him. She almost doesn’t, at first. She tip-toes around it. “I thought I wanted it. I wanted to want it... [there’s] so many people to let down...” Then Eddie says, “For a second it almost sounded like you didn’t want to get married at all,” and the opportunity is finally right in front her, put in words, because she hasn’t been able to do it herself.

They talk in the car. Dani says she didn’t want to hurt anyone, because she still loves Eddie, just not like that. “And it’s just what we were doing... If I could just stick it out, eventually I would feel how I was supposed to.” They’ve been physically intimate, but Dani’s been unable to feel any emotional connection.

Angry and hurt, Eddie exits the car, gets hit by a truck, and dies. This is the source of the guilt that haunts Dani. She blames everything on herself. If she had just married him, or had the guts to be truthful about herself earlier, Eddie would still be alive. This is her flawed logic, and it sabotages her every time she tries to move forward. She sees Eddie in reflections because she can’t bear to confront herself.

Back at the bonfire, they toast the dead. Jamie toasts the late Wingraves. Dani, too, surprisingly. What’s important is that she praises who Dani is: “a bit of a weirdo, but stronger than she thinks”. It’s brief, but significant when you contrast it with Eddie’s speech at the dinner rehearsal, where he gives no real indication that he even knows who Dani is. To him, Dani is Danielle, “this amazing, beautiful girl” and while those are nice things to say, he speaks nothing of Dani’s character.

Part 6: The Greenhouse

Dani and Jamie sneak away to the greenhouse, where Dani elaborates about her fiance and confesses how she still ‘sees’ him. Jamie doesn’t say she’s crazy, instead focusing on what matters: that Dani’s surviving. Jamie knows grief and trauma. She knows how it can fuck people up in different ways, from first-hand experience. It’s acceptance and the peace of being heard and seen that compels Dani to kiss her. She doesn’t have to dare Jamie, she doesn’t passively wait for it to happen, no, she takes the initiative to make a move first because for the first time possibly ever, Dani knows what she wants. But her guilt’s still there. It ruins the moment when she sees Eddie again.

Part 7: Drunk Dani Putting the Past to Rest

After drinking courage into herself and nearly getting fucking bodied by Viola on her way out, Dani tosses Eddie’s glasses into the bonfire and confronts his ghost a final time. She knows what she wants, but she first needs to make peace with the past and with herself.

In conclusion: This episode was a true delight from a critical point of view. Dani’s journey from realization to self-acceptance was filled with subtlety and heart the whole way through and I had such a good time picking out the parallels, subtext, and symbolism. I know S1:E9 is probably more popular, because yeah, that all happened, but S1:E4 was so well-written, personally relevant, and teeming with storytelling devices that the writer in me could not for a second consider any other entry as my favorite episode of the season.

#thobm #thobm spoilers #dani clayton #long post

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youngbloodbuzz · 4 years

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With thobm being such a big hit and the holiday movies coming out like happiest season and the prom, as well as all the popular new cartoon series like she ra (lumberjanes greenlit too) and the owl house, it's like wlw media content has exponentially grown all of a sudden. And it makes me so happy but I'm also kinda worried that alot more people will feel entitled to wlw stories and scream hate at the writers when the story doesn't end in a happy ending full stop. 1/2

Hearing the backlash in some circles about root in poi, ellie in tlou2, and dani in thobm kinda rubs me the wrong way. Like I get it I love domestic bliss and unnecessary drama/tragedy too but like. I feel like it's a disservice to the bigger picture that there exist wlw characters in these large roles of diff genres with character arcs that aren't central/only about being wlw. And the writing choices for me were less bury your gays and more personal differences, which is where fanfic comes in.

Idk man. Sorry for laying this all on you buzzy, you don't have to post this. Just wondered what your take on these opinions are since you're in most of these fandoms.

mm it’s no problem at all, it’s an interesting situation. dani and jamie in particular was tragic and very bittersweet but i never felt like it was a bury your gays moment. it had purpose, there was a reason for it, and dani’s sacrifice was not in vain because her love and bravery for those kids gave them a happy ending even if they did forget her sacrifice. and besides, she got 9-13 years of her Happy Ending. she spent those years in peace with the love of her life, and according to what you believe, still watches over jamie years later.

similarly with ellie. the entire point of tlou2 was Consequences. joel’s consequences for saving ellie, abby’s consequences for killing joel, and ellie’s consequences for her downward spiral and eventually abandoning her family because she was unable to let her need for closure and revenge go, losing dina and jj in the process. it was one of the main thesis of the game and you cannot fault dina for leaving or even ellie, she’d never be happy anyways if she never left. the farm was a bandaid, a dream. and anyways, i felt like it was somewhat ambiguous enough that there was a reunion when ellie returned at the end.

as for root, that happened at the worst time possible when there was a plethora of bury your gays that year and the year prior. to make matters worse, lexa had just died like almost 3 months prior, wounds were still very fresh. they really just had the worst luck of the season being delayed for so long and being cut in half by the network. there was a purpose to it, but it would have worked better, been easier to swallow for many if there was a longer build up with a full season, or even better, like many of us including myself wished, that it had been harold instead. i DO like that it was root who became the machine, but it also lives in the grey area of that “it could have been better”

i dunno, it’s almost unfair. i personally LOVE stories like that, bittersweet but with purpose and meaning, and the history of wlw stories doesn’t really allow for that grey area of having intense dramatic stories that het ships are allowed to have. it’s always either one or the other, happy and almost too bland sometimes because they’re playing it too safe, or tragedy, with no in between. there are obviously some exceptions, especially in these last few years but that’s how it felt for a long long time.

but also it really just...still does NOT mean you get to harass writers and showrunners because things are not going your way. whether it be supposed queerbaiting or begging for a ship to be canon or killing off characters. like full stop. just because they’re accessible to contact doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be boundaries.

#asks #anonymous #poi #tlou2 #thobm

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booasaur · 4 years

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i sent one of the asks about THOBM and it truly was just to help you decide, i didn't mean to make you feel pressured to watch it or anything! Because I do understand not wanting to go through that pain or not liking stories like that! Wev'e already suffered too much, there is no need to do that with fictional characters if we can avoid it. For me, though, I love suffering hahahah have a great week! xo

Oh, no worries, I just didn’t want it to seem like I didn’t appreciate people offering their input, I did. And yeah, I think...just not for me.

And another anon:

Just like you the f/f in Hill House didn't really do much for me. Nell is what got me and the mom too. I LOVED it. I was watching with friends and sped through without them in the end. Season 2 though... Meh. It picks up after episode 5 but it's less scary which I didn't like and I also just didn't... I don't know, BELIEVE it about Dani/Jamie? Great actresses but together no spark. To me. Especially since they're this years long love story it felt hollow? As a whole though S2 was just ok to me.

Ah, but see, I even find my memories of season 1 tainted by how sad Olivia and Nell’s endings were! I don’t just dislike BYGs for meta reasons, because of--well, all the reasons we already know, what it reflects of the creators and society, how it’s a rare glimpse of others like us, etc, but I also just dislike sad endings in general, for every other kind of story.

I don’t actually mind it being less scary and I’ve only seen gifs and clips of Dani/Jamie, they seem cute, I don’t think that would be my objection to it. I would almost prefer not loving them, so the ending wouldn’t be so crushing.

And another anon:

You don’t have to reply to this, but I just wanted to throw in my two cents about bly manor. I absolutely found the ending tragic and sad. I’m still sad and I finished it two days ago! Yes, their relationship is beautifully done and they get a good 10 years of being together, but you know the whole time it’s only going to end in heartache. You watch it waiting for the other shoe to drop, and for me that makes it so much worse than them not getting a future at all. I get not wanting to watch it.

Right, right, I get that! I mean, I wouldn’t say no future is worse, lol, but sad endings definitely linger for me, and I don’t find them cathartic or beautiful, just sad. So I think that does decide for me, thanks for writing in!

#replies #femslash related stuff #sent on 20201013 #sent on 20201012 #a bunch of y'all wrote in together #sorry for the late replies but work has been pretty non-stop #Anonymous #the haunting of bly manor spoilers #thobm spoilers #the haunting of bly manor #thobm

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iamnotawomanimagod · 3 years

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Thd Haunting anthology for the ask game! :)

Thank you, my friend!! Sorry I took so long, lol.

Top 5 favourite characters:

This is hard.

1. Theo Crain

2. Dani Clayton

3. Hannah Grose

4. Luke Crain

5. Viola Willoughby

Other characters you like:

It would be a lot easier to just name the characters I don’t like. These characters are so well-written and have so much depth. So if I don’t mention them in the next question, assume I like them.

Least favourite characters:

Peter fuckin’ Quint, Joey (Luke’s “friend” from rehab,) and Henry Wingrave.

Otps:

This show has more of my OTPs than any other. Hannah x Owen, Jamie x Dani, and Nell x Arthur.

Notps:

Luke x Joey, Perdita x Arthur (Viola’s husband,) Becca x Peter

Favourite friendships:

Theo and Shirley, Luke and Steve, and Hannah and Jamie.

Favourite family:

The Crains own my heart, obviously, but what I loved best about BM over HH is that found family dynamic the main group develops.

Favourite episodes:

Touch, The Bent-Neck Lady, Two Storms (!!!!!!!!!! this episode oh my god,) Screaming Meemies, Silence Lay Steadily, The Way It Came, The Altar of the Dead, The Romance of Certain Old Clothes, and The Beast in the Jungle.

Favourite season/book/movie:

I always say this: THOHH is a masterpiece, and THOBM is a really, really exceptionally good show. I do prefer HH, but only by a tiny bit.

Favourite quotes:

“You have loved me, so I will always be here [in your heart.]” - Owen to Hannah. I’ve heard a thousand variations on this theme, but for some reason, the delivery and context of this line broke me. I always cry.

“You loved me completely. And I loved you the same. The rest is confetti.” - Nellie to her siblings. Rip me wide open!!

Best musical moment:

I really like the score of this show, but no one song or moment sticks out.

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest:

When it really disappointed you:

It never did. I think these two shows are some of the best television ever created.

Saddest moment:

Picking a top five (in no particular order,) since these are inherently sad and tragic shows...

1. Rebecca’s forced suicide at Peter’s hand.

2. Nellie’s death and realization that she is the Bent-Neck Lady.

3. Luke’s reaction to Nellie’s death - how he could literally feel it.

4. Jamie going to the lake and seeing Dani’s body and begging her to take her, too.

5. Dani having sleep paralysis and being unable to help Arthur when he has an aneurism.

Most well done character death:

I mean, they’re all really good and well-done. Appropriately heart-wrenching, shocking, and they all work in context of the plot. If I had to choose just one, it would probably be Nellie’s, since it’s the basis of the entire first season. The hints about the Bent-Neck Lady and the way we slowly get to know Nellie, and then come to love her the most right as she’s finally about to die - ugh, so good, so sad.

Favourite guest star:

Kate Siegel as Viola Willoughby.

Favourite cast member:

Victoria Pedretti is a goddamn delight. She’s an incredible actress - so raw and real and compelling. She’s a stoner IRL and seems super chill during interviews. I would love to share a joint with her someday. (If I ever share a joint with anyone ever again, thanks coronavirus.)

Character you wish was still alive:

Rebecca Jessel really deserved better, man. :( Fuck Peter Quint.

One thing you hope really happens:

Well, the series is officially on a semi-permanent hiatus. Mike Flannagan said he has no plans for future seasons in this universe. He is currently finishing up work on another horror show, Midnight Mass, so I’m looking forward to that. I would love to see more from this universe and this cast, though.

Most shocking twist:

The Bent-Neck Lady, for sure. So well foreshadowed, and still so shocking when the realization hits. My stomach dropped through the soles of my feet.

When did you start watching/reading?:

I caught this bandwagon pretty early - only a week or two after the first season premiered. I remember watching and realizing they had synced up the show’s timeline with real life - if you watched in 2018, Nellie dies that same year, and her date of death was just a week or two after the premiere. An extra little detail that made me very sad.

Best animal/creature:

There are no good animals in this show, lol. Fuck those kittens.

Favourite location:

Bly Manor is soooo pretty.

Trope you wish they would stop using:

I really hate anything with animals suffering in horror, so I just hope that never comes up again.

One thing this show/book/film does better than others:

Everything.

...

Okay, okay. The plotlines are very clever and super well-done.

Funniest moments:

Dani sleeping in the back of Owen’s car with her mouth wide open; Theo’s “I’m gonna get my fucking PHD;” like, most of what Theo said in general.

Couple you would like to see:

All I can say is that Hannah and Owen deserved Paris.

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast:

Meh. No opinion.

Favourite outfit:

I really loved the 80s and 90s looks in Bly. Dani’s jean jacket. Jamie’s looks when she and Dani are together later in life. All A+.

Favourite item:

Moonflowers.

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?:

Nah.

What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?:

I gotta go with the found family at Bly. Jamie, Dani, Hannah, Owen, the kids. They clearly had a lot of fun together, and I’m a sucker for found family.

Most boring plotline:

I gotta go with Henry Wingrave’s doppelganger. It didn’t really do much for me, and I think the episode that centers on him, while showing important exposition, was one of the weakest in the anthology.

Most laughably bad moment:

I can’t think of one.

Best flashback/flashfoward if any:

The entirety of “The Romance of Certain Old Clothes”

Most layered character:

I would argue Olivia Crain. She starts out as a creative, kind, loving mother, and is slowly unraveled by the house - but that core of goodness is still inside her, and still motivates everything she does.

Most one dimensional character:

I think this show does a great job of making all of its characters complex and interesting. I wish we had learned more about Joey, but I think she’s meant to be unsympathetic on some level. But at the end of the day, she’s kind of just Luke’s addict almost-girlfriend, and a pretty weak character among much better ones.

Scariest moment:

Ooooh, that’s tough. I think for me, it’s when Steve sees Nellie’s ghost. It’s not a super spooky episode, up to that moment. But that close-up shot of Nellie’s graying, dead face, her eyes all fucked up, her mouth gaping open unnaturally wide - and the sound she makes. Woof. Ugh. Aaaaah. It’s a lot.

Grossest moment:

The kittens. Enough said.

Best looking male:

Best looking female:

Who you’re crushing on (if any):

I’ll always be a little in love with Kate Siegel.

Favourite cast moment:

I’ve never really looked for cast content.

Favourite transportation:

Theo’s Jeep.

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise):

I just think Bly is so pretty. Most of the overhead or scenery shots of it are really nice.

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you:

There aren’t any. Anyone who tells you otherwise misunderstood something.

Best promo:

I intentionally avoided promo to avoid spoilers.

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book:

The end of the very first episode of Hill House!

I’m not doing anymore of these ‘cause I’m bad at answering them!!

#asks #bombshellsandbluebells #thanks my friend!#thohh #thobm

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heda-korra · 2 years

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I posted 2,958 times in 2021

14 posts created (0%)

2944 posts reblogged (100%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 210.3 posts.

I added 1,922 tags in 2021

#supergirl - 376 posts

#legend of korra - 367 posts

#video - 315 posts

#avatar - 213 posts

#she ra - 161 posts

#wynonna earp - 134 posts

#lot - 109 posts

#animals - 105 posts

#thobm - 102 posts

#wonder woman - 40 posts

Longest Tag: 109 characters

#if diana prince looked at me tenderly and shook my hand i would 1. be unable to speak 2. be ready risk it all

My Top Posts in 2021

THIRD AND FINAL SEASON???? HELPPPPPPP

9 notes • Posted 2021-08-23 18:27:48 GMT

Kara S1: YOU LEFT ME ALONE YOU SENT ME AWAY HOW COULD YOU DO THAT

Kara S6: dadi :)

12 notes • Posted 2021-05-12 02:07:24 GMT

Should I do translations of the Farsi lines in The L Word? Is that something people would be interested in 👀

41 notes • Posted 2021-08-20 18:50:39 GMT

53 notes • Posted 2021-02-28 18:29:49 GMT

The L Word: Generation Q Farsi Translations

2x03

*Dani’s new apartment*

Rodolfo: Farsi is a very beautiful language.

Gigi: How surprising, you know Farsi? I thought your daughter looks Iranian.

Dani: My mom was Iranian. He’s Chilean. This is the only phrase he knows.

Gigi: Well ma’am, it’s obvious. I was picking on him.

*Restaurant*

Guy: Let me see, do you believe in love at first sight? Because I believe it, and I want to marry you.

Gigi: Oh, poor guy. Asshole, we’re lesbians.

Guy: Lesbian? So, what is this? Is this a date?

Gigi: *mocking* Yeah, this is a date.

Guy: Okay, okay, can I join you?

Gigi: Son of a bitch, go sit down. Go!

Guy: Wow, what language!

Gigi: Go! Shame is a good thing. Dog.

405 notes • Posted 2021-08-20 20:17:07 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #why did i post so much about wonder woman aksjhafksj

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superpotato824 · 7 years

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I have never been tagged in a thing like this so I’d like to thank the amazing @boyscoutmckenzie for tagging me (even if it was just cuz i follow them)

I tag @bi-the-angel @amore-mozzafiato @xo-endlessmayhem-xo @pb-boeboe @pa-tro-clus and anyone else who wants to do it! (Lol I am pretty boring and basic so have fun)

1) Name: Jacob

2) Nickname: None on here yet, but I hate being called by my real name on the internet and idk why

3) Zodiac Sign: Virgo

4) Height: idk maybe like 5ft 7in?

5) Ethnicity: well this is hard to answer. my mom is white and my dad’s parents are German and Mexican.. I usually just go with Hispanic, but I look white since I rarely spend time in the sun lol

6) Orientation: idk man I just like sleep tbh

7) Favorite Fruit: apples

8) Favorite Season: spring cuz rain

9) Favorite Book: too many to list. Speak, Anthem, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, I could go on and on honestly

10) Favorite Song: I don’t really listen to music that much honestly...

11) Favorite Scent: idk maybe like a fire in a fireplace or a campfire

12) Favorite Color: Silver

13) Favorite Animals: I like most animals... Cats, dogs, pandas, sharks, turtles... but I do not like most bugs...

14) Favorite Beverage: dr. pepper tbh

15) Favorite Movie: idk I don’t watch that many movies

16) Favorite Characters: From Choices: Jake McKenzie, mostly everyone from Endless Summer except Michelle (idk why but she was always really rude to my MC), everyone from #LoveHacks, everyone from RoE, everyone from The Royal Romance, everyone but Yasmin and Sebastian from The Freshman, everyone from TCatF, everyone except Rose from THoBM, and all the good characters from Most Wanted. I basically like all of the characters lol

17) Blanket Number: it depends but usually 1 or 2

18) Cat or Dog: I like both because I grew up with dogs and now live with cats. You can’t make me pick.

19) Follower Number: Tumblr says 10, but when I click on it, it only shows like 7 so idk im new to Tumblr

20) Blog Created At: Well I made this blog a long time ago, but I never posted anything, really. Just recently I started posting so about when the #ChoicesCreates Round 9 came out!

#about me #tag meme #im boring #pretty basic

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