#'gayer than expected' is always my favorite kind of movie

[luminouslotuses]

my (hopefully) coherent thoughts about mean girls! spoilers ahead ofc👍

music:

the songs weren’t that bad! sexy, world burn, apex predator, and meet the plastics were my faves

my least favorite was stupid with love though,, the production makes it so boring i’m sorry😭

<-but what i will say is that the stupid with love reprise performed at the spring fling SLAPPED. why can’t that be on the soundtrackk

i feel like a lot of emotion that the original songs had is lost here. whether it be the production or the vocals accompanying it or both; i feel like they go hand in hand. reneé auli’i & jaquel definitely brought the energy that was needed here

the choreography & visuals that went with the songs definitely made them better than simply listening to the soundtrack on its own. like i was much more invested in what ifs & revenge party for example– and i already liked someone gets hurt, but the VISUALS??? holy shit that scene was incredible

i really wish a few songs were kept from the show like any of damian’s or that the someone gets hurt reprise in the movie was included in the soundtrack. hell i kind of wish do this thing was kept because i think that would’ve gone so hard at the end for some inexplicable reason pfft

and of course these can’t top the original broadway versions, nor did i expect them to. also sometimes the production or mixing was either bland or off (like in world burn reneé’s vocals are a second or two behind the backing track at one point, which is super weird since it’s fine in the soundtrack but i digress lmao)

cast/characters:

the cast have great chemistry they’re all so talented they’re so fucking funny aghh the casting was perfect

reneé as regina made me gayer somehow. Not surprised there

AVANTIKA. she was soso perfect as karen!! so funny so insanely pretty and she did sexy so much justice

okay admittedly i was a little unsure about angourie as cady. only at first though because once she became part of the plastics she played that role so well

speaking of cady that scene when regina’s singing in the cafeteria and cady’s staring at her is actually the gayest thing i’ve ever seen hands down

ms. norbury & mr. duvall are in a relationship. they have dogs at home. janis said (jokingly) that they got wasted at the spring fling. they are My straight couple i love them so fucking much

ough the bond between cady and her mom is so sweet and even emotional at one point i really like it

the band always seeming to be around and playing is so good especially when they’re in the tree in that one scene lol

i knew lindsay lohan would be there somehow and her being the proctor for the math competition was golden. (also her lines like “this has only happened once more”<-referencing the original movie & then the “i don’t know your life” to cady were SOOO)

miscellaneous:

so happy some of the jokes and moments from the musical were in the movie. like “homeschooled? oh that’s a fun way to take jobs from my union!” & mr. duvall’s retainer case & the bathroom scene with cady & regina lol

i was thinking they’d go overboard with the social media aspect (like a lot of media typically tends to do when making a movie like this) but i was pleasantly surprised! yes it was definitely a large part of many scenes but i think it mostly worked & made sense

it’s best to not have any expectations when walking into this movie; nothing too high, nothing too low. i probably like it more than the average person as i’ve always loved the broadway musical but still. if you want to see it i say go for it! it has a great cast, songs that range from bland & perfectly serviceable to great with exceptional vocals (coughs. Reneé), and some nice references and moments for fans of the original movie, the musical, or both. it was fun time and i could tell there was heart put into it🫶

[showyoumyfavoriteobsession]

I thought of like 15 different joke/meme reviews on my drive home but this was my favorite so I went with it

[takaraphoenix]

Watched the first episode, and only the first episode, of Vampire Academy with @kimmycup and I already have some... thoughts.

(Bear with me, I go into this as someone who has only watched the movie. Also, spoilers for any of the plot that was covered in the movie.)

Lissa/Rose is on point. That’s like the most important part of this show. The way Lissa wore a red choker to the opening party when Rose wore the red dress was girlfriend behavior? Not as strong on the soulmate vibes as the movie (stg when I first watched the movie, for the first ten minutes I believed I was watching a canon wlw vampire show), buuut they are already setting the bond up, so I’m expecting them go get even gayer and more like soulmates as the show progress.

I really don’t vibe with Christian’s characterization at all so far. I thought Christian was supposed to be that loner who pushes people away because he got pushed away for what his parents did, so his prideful cock-sure attitude when he first approached Lissa and the out of the gate flirting felt incredibly off. Like holy shit this is a TV show with ten episodes, they are allowed to dance around each other for a bit and be wary and slowly get to know each other, you have the time. This was less rushed in the movie than they managed to do in the show? This includes the fucking unicorn line, what even was that.

The queen confuses me a little. In the movie, she always felt more like an antagonist, this one feels more like she just wants to stir shit up before she kicks the bucket, so I’m curious to see where they go with her and if she’s going to have a whole different personality than the movie counter part, because show!Queen is just kind of... aloof and near mischievous?

I... really, really think that racebending Victor Dashkov was a... strange choice, unless they change things up majorly and Dashkov is no longer a bad guy in this. Because in the movie? He was a selfish, greedy old (white) man. That was his motivation. And now we have a black man, who seems motivated by wanting progress and wanting to change an old, oppressive regime... and that, mh, that just doesn’t sound very good as the description of your villain. That sounds more like a leading hero? I’d be all for it if the show does actually differ that much and doesn’t feature him as a villain, because that could make things really interesting, but if it does make him the villain... This is going to be another one of those “villains has all of these valid points for fighting for change but uuuuh they kill someone or something, so the viewer knows that the villain Is Wrong” and I don’t vibe with those much? (Also, how do you cast a man that looks that fine to play a “sickly old man”? Because I’m not buying that part at all. He still looks as handsome as he did when Angel the Series first aired.)

I didn’t like the Rose Mason dynamic. The way she literally said that he’s only good for one of two things; sparring and sex... This does Rose a huge disservice, in my opinion. And the Rose Mason friendship was one of my favorite parts of the movie. After laughing in his face about wanting to be friends, she did give him a chance, so I’m hoping they will build up that friendship, but man, having her say that stuff and laugh at him was... not a stellar writing choice, in my opinion.

So... TL;DR:

Rose and Lissa are great, together and individually (aside from the strange way they made Rose behave around Mason)

Christian is too rushed; loner first, then seeking others, not acting like the cool kid right off the gate?

Queen’s characterization is TBD

I really want this Victor to be a good guy, please

[cinnamontoastandtears]

thank you for the tags @mithranqueer and @rufusrant vv happy that y’all thought of me haha 💕 (and thanks for the awesome questions @dustino)

have you ever written rpf before, or are the beatles the first you’ve ever done it for?

yeah, no, the beatles are the first and most likely the only rpf thing i’ll ever write. i’ve written fictional character ones before that but they were shitty so the first thing i ever posted was beatles too.

what’s your favorite ship to write and why?

starrison... because it just is, i have really no idea. they have the dynamic of the kind of relationship i want, i guess, (plus majorly awesome side-character energy) so yeah.

easiest beatle to write?

george. his personality is scarily similar to mine, so all i really have to do is think how i’d handle (x) situation.

hardest beatle to write?

paul. which is strange bc every mclennon fic ive ever written is from his perspective lmao. i think it’s hard for me to write him because i don’t actually like him very much and he gets on my nerves.

original era or modern au?

modern, but i can tolerate original if i throw period-typical homophobia in the bin. don’t like writing that.

least favorite pair to write?

mcharrison.. mostly cause they’re just such great friends and ugh, will die for some good mcharrison bromance (writing a fic like that now lmao...)

do you read or write more?

write, sorry to every fic ive ignored, but multi-chapters stress me out so much especially if they already have upwards of like 10,000 words. (very sorry if i’ve ignored your work, it’s really not your fault i promise) if i catch a multi chapter in its first couple updates i’m more inclined to read it. (but yeah, i write way more to the point where i have several almost finished fics in my drive, expect a week soon where i just post them all ahajkdks)

aus or canon compliant?

i mean i guess modern au if that counts? or them as like, anything but musicians because that’s hilarious.

ship you’d like to see more of?

uhhh... lenstarr or lennison (create the content you wish to see)

au/trope you want to see more of?

nothing specific. (but i love drunken confessions and bed-sharing, specifically together)

fanfic trope pet peeve?

ARCHETYPE BEATLES. archetype beatles can fucking kiss my ass. no sweeter-than-sweet ringo, depressed/moody/angry george, way-too-much-of-a-“leader” john, and paul the a) over-the-top drama queen or b) the Most Serious About Music™️. hate those. please be complex :))

prefer to write one shots or multi chaptered fics?

oneshots. but i did just start a multi chapter one you can read here if you’re interested 👀 (it’s sort of crack, idk if that hurts or helps)

on a scale from one to ten, how much has fanfiction taken over your life?

like maybe 6-7. it’s a lot.

do you have an author you look up to?

YES. literally all of them omg. seriously @mithranqueer @measuredoutinyears @dusted-0negin @celeste-fitzgerald @rufusrant @muzaktomyears @blobfishmiffy you all are very cool and i always feel very nervous to talk to you 😌

what’s a fic you can’t get tired of no matter how many times you read?

(time to sift through my bookmarks)

by @measuredoutinyears

a love that’s shining all around here - starrison (literally the first beatles fic in my bookmarks)

because you’re sweet and lovely - starrison (oh my god)

by @mithranqueer

baby, you’re a rich man - starrison (ahhhhhhh them as mob members is crazy and perfect and you know??)

by @blobfishmiffy

beatle toast (but gayer) - lennison (vv accurate for their dynamic)

a push in the right direction - starrison (the obliviousness and denial and the lenstarr bromance = everything)

by @celeste-fitzgerald

if this was a movie - starrison (i think the first time i read this i had to get up it was just so sweet)

by no particular author i know the tumblr url of:

peppermint kisses - mclennon (it’s christmas fluff i mean come on)

drunken lovers. - starrison (what did i say about drunken confessions)

attracts me like no other lover - george/everyone with endgame starrison (not sad but made me cry)

do you have a current fic obsession?

will you be mad if i say my own?

how seriously do you take fic writing?

not as serious as i should maybe, if you measure how much i don’t try and how much i live off of people’s praise :D

tags before the nsfw: ... @muzaktomyears (vv sorry if this is like the third or fourth tag, but y’all already talked about some of my favorites)

do sex positions (top/bottom) effect your enjoyment when reading or writing a fic?

kind of ?? more in the next question

do you have a preference over who’s who at all? if you do, then what are they?

in lieu of the confusing answer i had, here’s the six main ones:

mclennon: top john

starrison: prefer top george but either one is fine

lennison: top george

mcharrison: either way

mcstarr: mostly top ringo, maybe top paul

lenstarr: top ringo

this stems from the deal that if i read a ship and one or another of them is the top the possibility of me being able to picture it another way goes down (like first come, first served sort of)

is there any kind of kink you have to fight back including in every fic?

nor unless you count dirty talk which i always put in there anyway

when do you feel comfortable adding a smut scene in your fic, if it matters to you at all?

i guess in truth, i’ve only written a couple of fics (posted and unposted) with smut in them, and in a decent half of them i used sex to represent a deeper emotional connection rather than, like, because i was horny (but i have like 4 of those too so if you want i could..) /hj

[sunsetcurve]

 ✶ MASTERLIST ✶

also on my ao3!

「 HENRY DANGER 」

take my breath away: She tries to grapple with the fact that she just kissed her best friend. Her best friend who she's known forever, who she's grown up with, who she's now stuck in an elevator with even though all she really wants to do is run far, far away. / Or, in which the elevator breaks down with Henry and Charlotte inside. [ 1,797 words, complete (1/1) ] 

when the glitter fades: When all of this started, Henry remembers feeling invincible. / Aka the angsty character study that no one asked for. [ 846 words, complete (1/1) ]

to find a light in the darkness: Henry’s voice came in. “Ray,” he said, voice low and dangerously quiet. “He released the virus already.” “What?” “We-we’re too late.” [ 3,395 words, incomplete (1/?) ] 

and it’s right before your eyes: she zooms in, snaps a picture, and then it’s done. it’s over, she has exactly what she needs, exactly what she’s been looking for for months now. henry hart is kid danger, and she’s the first person with real, tangible proof. / or, in which charlotte and henry have been rivals from the start, and charlotte knows she’s right about this. [ 1,252 words, complete (1/1) ] 

we’ll come together (state of the art): Before, she’d gotten so caught up in all of it—trying to stop Captain Man from erasing her memories, then trying to get his back—that she hadn’t really had time to process this. And now she does. And it’s making her head hurt. Because, well. Henry is Kid Danger. [ 1,659 words, complete (1/1) ] 

oh, we’re not promised tomorrow: They’d been twelve and sitting on the castle's rooftop at twilight, and he'd told her the story like he'd recited it by heart. His father had unknowingly killed a witch's familiar on a hunting trip. In retaliation, she'd placed a curse on him—his firstborn child would die before his twenty-first birthday. Henry’s parents had searched tirelessly for a cure, but the closest they could find was this: a crystal from Guardian Lake, which would protect him from harm until its magic ran out. That, it turns out, happens sooner than they expected. [ 2,477 words, complete (1/1) ] 

break these clocks, forget about time: The point is this, the three of them piled together on the couch with the blankets pulled over their laps, the dim light from the streets spilling in through the window, the cheap takeout in their hands and Jasper's arm around her and Henry's fingers threaded through hers and this, them, together. [ 1,492 words, complete (1/1) ]

breaking out and starting over, nothing to control us (the future’s at our feet): Maybe the worst part about this is that Jana knows her, knows exactly what to say to get underneath her skin. Some days, Piper wishes they were strangers. It would be easier that way—then she’d care less, then they wouldn’t be so damn competitive, then she could just sit here and factor equations and tune out her voice. Then maybe she wouldn’t hate it so much when she notices the way the light catches in Jana’s eyes. / Or, the story of a summer, and how Piper falls in love. [ 4,756 words, complete (1/1) ]

「 LAB RATS / ELITE FORCE 」

the wonderful part of the mess that we’ve made: Love has never been all that kind to Chase. [ 1,397 words, complete (1/1) ] 

the walls keep tumbling down: His voice breaks, and Kaz can see the muscles in his jaw go tight. “As long as I’m here, I’m a liability.” / Or, in which Chase has doubts about his place on the team, but Kaz is there to pick up the pieces. [ 1,065 words, complete (1/1) ] 

just what best friends do: Keeping a relationship a secret is hard. Especially when three of your friends live in the same apartment. Especially when your brother seems to notice everything. Bree and Skylar do their best. [ 1,623 words, complete (1/1) ]

「 THE THUNDERMANS 」

cut it out, and then restart: Sometimes, he thinks he's better off without them. (Mostly, he thinks it's the other way around.) / Or, four times Max ran away, and one time he came home. [ 1,506 words, complete (1/1) ]

this is your heart (can you feel it?): "Dad," Max chokes, clawing at the hand around his neck as the grip tightens and his vision starts to blur. "Dad...please." [ 5,636 words, complete (2/2) ] 

「 KNIGHT SQUAD 」

at least out loud,: After the battle with Ryker, Ciara and Arc find themselves right back where they're supposed to be. [ 1,527 words, complete (1/1) ]

「 TEEN BEACH MOVIE 」

you’ll find your heart; reprise: Somehow, Mack and Brady find each other all over again. / Or, a short ficlet following the events of Teen Beach 2. [ 608 words, complete (1/1) ]

「 CROSSOVER 」

the gay superhero alliance: The one in which I throw the characters from my favorite Nick shows into one high school and make everything about 120% gayer. / Or, a Henry Danger/Knight Squad/Thundermans chatfic. [ 12,747 words, incomplete (11/?) ] 

don’t be afraid of these thunderclouds: There’s a buzzing feeling of frustration that’s settled into her skin, one that’s become a recent side-effect of spending long hours at the Man Cave. It’s becoming familiar way too quickly, and Charlotte’s in a hurry to get rid of it. A little science always does the trick for that.Even if said science is being performed with yet another insufferable boy. But it’ll be worth it when they completely crush it at the science fair—her and Max’s combined genius will undoubtedly make an unstoppable force. As long as they can actually work together long enough to make that happen. Piece of cake, right? [ 4,521 words, complete (1/1) ] 

[theother-will-grayson]

So in a lot of human!aus I see the sides have completely different jobs and Roman is really the only performer but like...Thomas is a musical theatre nerd so it makes sense to me that all of the Sides would be different types of performers adding little bits of themselves in every performance.

I go to a performing arts college as a musical theatre major, so I know what I’m talking about. Therefore, I present: 

Sanders Sides as Musical Theatre People That I Know and their signature Broadway song

(Deceit and taglist under the cut)

Roman

There is no one gayer.

The only boy in the first semester advanced ballet class.

Will not stop twerking randomly, always goes clubbing.

Specializes in over the top funny songs, but can play a really grounded and real leading man when he wants to.

Has really solid instincts, but sometimes needs to let the song or scene be funny because it’s funny rather than the fact that he’s funny

Idolizes Beyonce

Knows the lyrics to everyone else’s songs

Always trying to steal female songs

Very new Broadway (Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Be More Chill, Wicked)

Always down to be the background dancer in your song for you. 

Never afraid to make the bold choices as an actor.

Pretends to be an overconfident bitch who roasts the shit out of people just to be funny but is actually down to earth and incredibly kind.

Open fascination with famous musical theatre divas

Signature song: Could be “I Believe” from Book of Mormon or “I’d Rather Be Sailing” from A New Brain

Patton

Special skills include looking like a smol bean but then will kick the door down and belt his heart out.

Incredibly supportive to a fault

Always shouting things like “I DON’T OBJECTIFY MY FRIENDS BUT YOU’RE SUPER SEXY YOU’RE SLAYING”

Has a cute aesthetic and then one day shows up for a scene in a sexy minisKIRT WHAT THE FUCK (and slays it???????)

Definitely has a sound you would not expect

Can flip between sexy growl belting and a classic operatic sound a la Kristin Chenoweth

Is always super philosophical and can get deep really quickly

Great taste in memes but will also talk about the current events he’s referencing with good knowledge on their impact.

Is incredibly kind but not above talking shit when someone is a dick, and therefore you know a person is really bad if Patton has a bad opinion of them

Is infamous across sections for being a neverending font of positivity

Mom friend, always a listening ear

Kind to teachers but doesn’t kiss ass

Casting type all over the god damn map

Signature Song: “I Am What I Am” from La Cage Aux Folles or “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables

Logan

One of those actors that also takes writing and directing and film classes

Watches at least one new movie a week for fun and research both

Refuses to date for at least his first semester 

A really precise actor to a fault

Can sometimes over think and over plan his scenes and songs

His best performance of the semester was when he had to do a song where he just sat down and sang a ballad without any blocking and it was so real and beautiful that everyone was fucking sobbing.

Always complimented on his work ethic

Universally beloved

Analytical and always working

A good scene partner who will never flake out on a rehearsal

Gives good notes, director friend

Fills out character analysis sheets and thinks about mannerisms etc. like his life depends on it.

Solid knowledge on different acting teachers and styles

Needs to rely on instinct more but is far from a bad actor.

Has more sound than you’d think

Signature songs: “What You’d Call a Dream” from Diamonds and “Purpose” from Avenue Q

Virgil

Actor that relies on instinct

Would kill to play Peter Pan

Does not take bullshit

Is really bad at taking notes because he forgets that a note from a director is not an insult to your skill, but a NOTE to make you BETTER

Has a hidden talent in sardonic comedy

Surprisingly good at silent physical comedy

Character actor -- can play a physical comic and dramatic roles with a big personality, but can nail being strong and real when he really tries

Loves playing angry roles

Great skill for playing chorus roles and bit parts

Not a dancer but he puts forth his best effort in every dance class

Has a hyperfixation on becoming really good at stage combat and juggling

Has an open disdain for certain popular shows like Cats and Grease

And gets really oddly excited about the shows that get glossed over sometimes like Godspell and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Gives really good notes and is extremely helpful in improving others’ performances, but is always afraid to speak up and give notes for fear of seeming like a dick who thinks he knows everything

Extremely self-critical and has gotten called out by certain teachers for being more critical of himself than they are of him.

Makes edgy jokes

That one person who always sings a song badly for the meme

Has a wealth of knowledge about musical theatre history in weird spots but not other spots that you would expect (for example can list an extensive timeline on how gay rights are connected to theatre and how closeted playwrights birthed the drag queen, or how Hello Dolly killed the movie musical,  but got several questions about Sondheim wrong on his Musical Theatre History exam)

Is constantly watching video essays on film, will wax poetic about the directing style/acting style of ANYBODY he loves and has the knowledge to back it up.

Gives self-deprecating compliments

Needs to make people laugh to validate self

Love for old broadway

Idolizes the 25th Anniversary version of Phantom because of the screamo punk aesthetic and can tell you the exact timestamp where you can see Ramin Karimloo's wrist tattoo

Defends movie versions of musicals

Really wants to be a leading man but it just isn’t his casting type

Has a background in straight plays

Wealth of skill in technical theatre, background in competition shows and forensics

Signiature songs: “Santa Fe” from Newsies and “Extraordinary” from Pippin

Deceit:

Compulsive Liar

Constantly telling everybody about his long list of credits and everything that he’s done (he was in a Reeces Puffs commercial, he was in a circus and his favorite was the aerial silks, he’s a professional figure skater, he taught pointe to national champion ballet dancers even though he’s in low level ballet and he can’t do pointe himself, he can bench way more than the guy who works out all the time and is obviously bigger than him) and no one ever believes him because of all the bullshit he spews.

Idolizes the other guy who plays his type in the class and literally copies everything he does except worse.

Can be really condescending at times, always taking the lead in a bad way and ordering people around. 

Everyone that doesn’t hang out with him regularly likes him because he’s charismatic while everyone who is in his class shakes their heads

Always buttering up teachers except he never takes their notes because he’s above them I guess

Rubs Virgil the wrong way the most

Always doing his own choreography in downtime during classes even though that’s really disrespectful to your current choreographer

Over indicates his acting

Is the one person anyone has ever seen Patton talk shit about

Never does his homework or reads the script like he’s supposed to -- once he didn’t know anything about Les Miserables of all things (”I think it’s French?”) and you just hear someone from the back of the room go “Didn’t you say you were in this show???”

It’s really a shame because everyone can tell that he’s a really talented singer and kind of a cool person and would be amazing if he stopped being an ass.

Signature song: “You’ll Be Back” from Hamilton

Taglist

@ironwoman359 @sandersstudies @cattonsanders

Also tagging @abraca-datass because Patton is definitely based off of her

[scarletwelly-boots]

Books Read 2018

I read 20 books in 2018, about 15 fewer books than last year (I work longer hours and have a further commute is my excuse). Technically I’m not even done with one of them, but I have like an hour or two to go of it and it’s an audiobook so it’ll be read faster than I could read it.

This is the third year I have done the Reading Challenge, which lists a number of categories to read books under (there were 40 categories this year, so I got a solid 50%). You can find the challenges I’ve done at least last, this, and next year, on Popsugar. (I don’t remember if I got the 2016 one from the same site). I also took some liberties with the categories and even changed a few to entries from last year’s list.

1. Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton (A book made into a movie you’ve already seen). ‘Kay so. I liked it, of course I did. I like the movie and I’m in love with Ian Malcolm. It was interesting because it provide some context fro scenes in the movie or left out of the movie that I didn’t get when I watched it. It was different from the movie in a lot of spoiler-y ways that I won’t get into. Most of these differences were good with one exception that really upset me. I would recommend to read it anyway.

2. Leah on the Offbeat, by Becky Albertalli (The next book in a series you started). This is the sequel to Simon vs. The Homosapien Agenda and I’m gonna be honest. I LOVED it. Was it better than Simon? No, probably not. But the representation made me really happy. I’m also a fat bisexual and though I’m not always a woman, I was raised AFAB, so it was still really relatable to me. There were some plot holes, because I’m pretty sure Albertalli decided Leah was bi after Simon was published. I thought it was really cute, though, and I definitely recommend it.

3. Weird Ireland, assorted authors (A book involving a mythical creature). A very small, independently published book about paranormal, supernatural, and extra-terrestrial sightings in Ireland. It was okay. I finished it in two hours. I knew everything that was in it, and some of it they even got wrong. Even if you’re crazy-obsessed with Ireland like me, you can skip this one.

4. Wild Irish Women, by Marian Broderick (a book set in a country that fascinates you). This is the kind of history book I like. Each chapter follows the biography of a different person and provides some context about the time period in which they lived. I learned a lot about Irish women I had never heard of, learned more about women I already knew about, and reread what little is known about my hero and historical crush, Grainne Ni Mhaille. One shortcoming of this book was their inclusion and insistent misgendering of Dr. Barry, an Irish physician who made great strides in natal care for women and who at this point is pretty widely believed to have been a transman. As a genderfluid person, this frustrated me so much that about three sentences into his entry I grabbed a red pen and actually corrected the pronoun usage. All the same, I recommend the book if you like women’s or Irish history, or los dos, like myself.

5. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle (a book with a time of day in the title). Hey, it had the word ‘time’; I say that counts! Guys, if you have never read this book, you need to. Even if you watched/sobbed during the movie. Dear god this book is so good. The theoretical physics is confusing, but that’s to be expected (my fifth graders were like ‘wth does this mean’ and I was like ‘you got me; this is why I teach elementary’). But it had some of my favorite themes, and Meg does her job as the oldest sibling, which as an oldest sibling, I respect and expect. (Never bring up the movie The Wind that Shakes the Barley with me; I am very, very firm about my Oldest Sibling Job responsibilities.) Anyway, read this goddamn book please.

6. Heart of the Fae, by Emma Hamm (A book with a villain or antihero). I am a sucker for all things Beauty and the Beast and all things Ireland, so when I saw a recommendation for this independently published Irish retelling of Beauty and the Beast on tumblr, I ordered it immediately. I really loved it. It’s also the first in a series and listen, the only thing better than a Beauty and the Beast retelling is a TRILOGY of a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I started the sequel but I haven’t finished yet. This book is so good. I highly recommend it.

7. The Upside of Unrequited, by Becky Albertalli (A book with alliteration in the title). This was...okay. It’s a companion to Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda, and it follows Abby’s cousins. In a way, it was gayer than the others, because her cousins have two moms and one of the cousins is gay. But it’s from the POV of the straight one, so not as gay. Plus I really like the characters from the first two, and we didn’t even get very much Abby in this one. You kind of have to read it like its own novel with a couple cameos from Abby. As a standalone, it wasn’t bad, but as a series it was a bit of a letdown.

8. The Once and Future King, by TH White (a book about time travel). Look, Merlin ages opposite to the passage of time, so it counts as time travel. I have been trying to read this book for ten years. I liked most of it. I had a few qualms but given the climate in which it was written it makes sense for the time period (not that that should excuse some of the cringe-worthy parts). The last like fifty pages White waxes poetic on the capitalist system and it’s like, we get it, you’re a white man from the middle of the Cold War, but read a goddamn book. Additionally, at least three men were raped by women with some not-so-subtle victim blaming which pissed me the fuck off. But the overall story, the legend of King Arthur, was good. It’s definitely a cornerstone in the Arthurian saga. I might try to read Le Morte d’Arthur next year and see how it compares.

9. All the King’s Men, by Nora Sakavic (a book with song lyrics in the title). Humpty Dumpty is close enough to a song. This is book three of the All for the Game trilogy, and holy shit you have to read this. It’s the best book in the trilogy. It is a series about a college sports team who play a made up sport called Exy, which is basically a more violent version of lacrosse. I’m not a huge sports fan, but the way she writes Exy matches had me on the edge of my seat. The team is made up of all “at-risk” students, the main character being a kid on the run from his mob boss dad. Trigger warning for the series for violence, sexual assault/rape, abuse, drug use, I may be missing some things. It was so good though.

10. The War I Finally Won, by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley (A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist). This is a really great sequel to another children’s book. See below for the synopsis.

11. The War that Saved My Life, by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley (a book about mental health). Okay, I don’t know why that is the category I put it in, other than the protagonist was told by her mother all her life that she was mentally disabled even though it was just physically. This book and it’s sequel above were AMAZING. It’s about a little girl and her brother in World War II England. The girl has a club foot and spends her life locked away in her abusive mother’s flat in London. She teaches herself to walk, and then she and her brother run away to join the other children being evacuated to the country. They are taken in by a woman who doesn’t want to care for them but in less than a day becomes totally ride-or-die for them (I love that trope). The woman is heavily implied to be gay and is grieving the death of her companion (hence the category above). I loved both books and highly recommend them.

12. Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman (a book by an author of a different ethnicity than you). British isn’t that different of an ethnicity from my pasty ass, but I was hard-pressed to put this wonderful book in a category. Apparently my disaster wife Loki is a dumbass and they just look clever because the other gods are stupider than they are. I loved all the stories but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t just pick this up exclusively because I’m fucking in love with Loki. I do really recommend it though.

13. Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow (a book that is also a stage play or musical). I’ve been meaning to read this for ages. It was really interesting, and a lot of it didn’t make it into the musical since it’s like 600 pages long so I learned a lot. I’m still reading it, and I’ve reached the duel so I’m almost finished. Thank god for audiobooks; if my slow-ass self were reading this, I’d still be on page like 100 and I’ve been reading it for a month. If you liked the musical I recommend you read this.

14. Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee (a book that you borrowed or was given to you as a gift). I had a hard time following this book. Lee went back and forth between the present (Scout in her twenties) and the 15-or-so years in between the end of TKAM and the beginning of GSAW. It wasn’t bad, but given the stories from Scout’s high school years that were really amusing and the most engaging of the whole book, I’d have preferred if the sequel took place during those years. I think this is the proof as to why most classics don’t have sequels. Read it, but don’t expect much.

15. Making Thinking Visible, by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, etc. (a book by two authors). I had to read this for work. Meh.

16. Fence, by CS Pacat (a book about or involving a sport). This is a comic by the same author as The Captive Prince trilogy. I’m behind in issues, but I did really like it. It’s about fencing, which I love, and it’s supposed to be gay eventually. And I’m pretty sure there’s a genderfluid or gnc character which I was super excited about. I recommend it.

17. The Orphelines in the Enchanted Castle, by Natalie Savage Carlson (a childhood classic you’ve never read). Okay, don’t tell my mother, but I don’t remember anything about this book. This year (at twenty-four) was the first time I read this old, old book that I have had since I was six or seven (don’t tell my mom that, either). It was from my mom/the tooth fairy and she loved it as a kid. I guess read it if you can find it and remind me what happened in it?

18. Simon vs. The Homosapien Agenda, by Becky Albertalli (a book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to). Obviously I really loved this book if I also read the sequel and companion books. It was really good, and I definitely cried. If you liked the movie, read the book. It’s different in several ways. I think if you’re thinking in terms of trueness to the book, the movie was maybe not as good, but they’re both good as their own standalone things. But I highly recommend both.

19. Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo (a book that involves a bookstore or library). This book is so good. It was interesting to reread it as an adult when I last read it as a third grader. I think I understood more than I did then and got different things out of it. I think everyone should reread books from their childhood because the books can still impact you, and they’ll probably affect you differently than when you were a child. So if the last time you read this book was as a young child, pick it up again. If you’ve never read it, still read it.

20. Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo (your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 Popsugar reading challenges: the first book in a series you haven’t read before). This was so good. It was a really interesting book with characters I’ve already kind-of met since my DM recycled some names from the book into our campaign. But I’ve come to know Waylan with similar traits but in a different context, so it was fun to be reintroduced to him. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where I was already attached to a character in a different context before reading the book, so that was new. I’m terrible at synopses, so if you want to know what this book is about, Google it I guess. And then read it.

[incorrect-got-quotes]

College Teachers AU Info. (Just in case anyone can think of some sort of quote to submit)

THERE IS A LOT HERE. I COULDN’T EVEN TAG EVERYTHING

Cat is the president of the school. She regularly has meetings with her kids about Rickon. They usually end in her facepalming.

Ned is like, the assistant president of the school. He like, goes around, checking on classes. Whenever someone’s supposed to be sitting in on and observing a class it’s usually him.

Robb is a PoliSci professor. In this AU he is 32. His students all adore him. Any of his students that are attracted to guys have a huge crush on him. He thinks it’s kind of cool, but he still does a good job of teaching his students. His students all call him King Robb, and on Teacher Appreciation day, they bought him a plastic crown and red fur cape to wear. He wore it for three days. Hemakes parodies of songs using the sounds that his direwolf makes and shows them to his class. One day, he felt too tired to really teach, so he just put on the entirety of the Important Playlist to watch. He’s married to Theon.

Jon is an American Soccer coach. He also teaches first aid. In this AU he is 31. His players don’t really know what to make of him. He’s nice, but he’s also very quiet. He hates it when his players make fun of their teammates for not being as good, but he also gets mad at anyone who is not trying their hardest, and is thus failing. He at least try to find out what’s going on first, but if he decides that it’s not worth not trying their best, he’ll crack down on them. He also stresses the importance of grades first, and if anyone tries to use sports as an excuse for failing a class, he suspends them from the team. He’s engaged to Ygritte.

Sansa is an English lit professor. In this AU she is 28. Her students know to respect her. She has them read up to 20 books a semester, which she highly encourages you also watch the movie for. She also encourages a lot of debate within her classes, and some of her students think it’s because she loves drama. She LOVES theories about the books they read, so if you can come up with a unique theory (like Pearl is a lesbian in The Scarlet Letter) or even propose a theory that’s interesting even if it has already been discussed (like that characters from the Fall of the House of Usher are vampires in an incestuous relationship), then you definitely will get a higher score. The gayer the theory, the high the points. She’s married to Margaery.

Arya is a Military History professor. In this AU she is 26. Her students are both in love with her, and very afraid of her. She is a generally very cool teacher, but they are also well aware of the fact that she is the best in her self defense class, and all her martial arts classes. It is a common joke between her students to say that she “got a degree in ass whooping.” The last time one of her students handed in something really late (like 2 weeks late), they could swear it was like staring down the face of death. She occasionally will answer questions about her religion, because not a lot of people know about the Many-Faced God, but a lot of the time she likes to leave them in the dark about it. She’s dating Myrcella.

Bran is a Psych professor. In the AU he is 25. He tends to teach with a more lax demeanor, to the point where his students aren’t sure whether he’s alive or not. They’re also convinced that he’s a little crazy, because sometimes he goes off on rants about random topics. He has a lot of memes made about him by his students, including the “sliding into your dms like” meme, where the clip is him rolling into the classroom in his wheelchair. His students, like everyone else, don’t know which Reed sibling he’s dating, and they have a bet goind on which one.

Rickon is not a teacher. In this AU he is 21. He was forced to attend the school after 3 years of “taking a break” by his parents, who he still lives with. He is actually not too bad of a student, but he abuses the fact that he ends up having all of his siblings for teachers. Or at least, he tries to abuse it. The others aren’t really having it. He has a crush on Shireen.

Shireen is a student as well. Like Arya, she is 26. She also is there because of an extended break from school, but that’s more because her parents advised her against going to college. Mainly due to her greyscale. She is a very good student, always attentive, always brings in her work early, and always gets top marks. She knows Arya from when they were kids, and occasionally used to babysit Rickon, and thus finds her current attraction to him kind of weird.

Brienne is Catelyn’s secretary/assistant/bodyguard. Technically she is only Cat’s secretary and assistant, but everyone is well aware that Brienne would kick their ass if they tried to threaten Cat. She’s dating Jaime.

Theon is the Archery coach. His players think he’s a bit obnoxious, but he also tends to be pretty cool. He’s married to Robb.

Ygritte is the girl’s Archery coach. She and Theon have a bit of a rivalyry going on, which she is winning. Her players adore her. She is engaged to Jon.

Margaery is an American lit professor. She doesn’t expect nearly as many books as Sansa, but she does still love theories. Her favorite theories involve the most drama in them. She, like Sansa, loves debates in her class, for the same reason as Sansa. She is married to Sansa.

Gendry is a mechanic, which confuses many people as to why he would take such a low paying job when he is the mayor’s eldest child. He doesn’t work at the school, but occasionally he will come in to help with any sort of issues they may have. He is rooming with Arya and Hot Pie.

Jojen is a Philosophy professor. He is by far the most out there teacher at the school. He looks like he is constantly high. He is (maybe?) dating Bran.

Meera an Environment Science professor. She is pretty strict with her students about getting work done. She doesn’t usually assign too much work in the first place, though. She is (maybe?) dating Bran.

Jaime is a police captain. He is very good at his job, however, many despise him because he shot the previous mayor of the town after Mayor Aerys tried to set off a bomb that would level the city. People call him “Mayor-Slayer.” He is dating Brienne.

Robert is the current mayor. He is not very good at his job, but Jon Arryn is there to advise him. He loves the fact that Gendry and Arya are dating.

Cersei is the mayor’s wife, who in this AU, is actually Gendry’s mother. She does not approve of her son’s relationship nearly as much as Robert does.

Tyrion is the Economics professor. He is adored by his students. Cat is not happy with the fact that he always shows up to his classes drunk, however.

Bronn is the Military Strategies professor. He and Arya will occasionally join their classes together. He also has a pretty high approval rating with his students, but not so high with Cat.

Yara is the Marine Biology professor. She will often take her student on trips to aquariums, and occasionally, out on the water. She is dating Dany.

Dany is the Reptile professor. She is always bringing in reptiles to show off to the class, and her favorite ones to bring are her 3 Kimono Dragons, Rhaegal, Viserion, and Drogon. She is dating Yara.

Tywin is the Business Management professor. Hus students are all deathly afraid of him. He has sent many a student to the counselors, crying.

Sam is the head librarian. He tries to keep kids quiet, but fails miserably. He is dating Gilly, and helping taking care of Sam Jr.

Grenn and Pyp are the assistant librarians. They are far better at keeping kids quiet than Sam.

Petyr and Varys are advisors to Robert. They are ALWAYS fighting.

Loras is a florist. He is dating Renly.

Renly is a cop. He is dating Loras.

Honestly just let your imagination run wild with those two.

Missandei is the Foreign Languages professor. Which one? All of them. She is dating Grey Worm.

Grey Worm is the wrestling coach. When people first see him they wonder how he could possibly be the wrestling coach, before he shows them exactly how he got to be the wrestling coach in the first place. He is dating Missandei.

Melisandre is the Religions professor. She is supposed to teach about a variety of different religions, but she seems to mainly focus on the Lord of Light.

Stannis is the Writing Comprehension professor. He is by far the strictest teacher in the school. He lets them out of class not a second before the end. Shireen is actually scared when she finds out that she is in his class.

Davos is the counselor at the school. He is beloved by all of the students, and he tends to be such an important and nurturing figure at the school that many of students have taken to calling him “Dadvos”.

Hot Pie is the Cooking professor. He gets very enthusiastic in class about whatever they’re making, and thus, his students love him. They love his excitement. He calls them, “Little Cooks”.

Tommen is a student. He’s a fairly average student, but he’s pretty well like around campus because he’s a pretty nice guy.

Myrcella is the Calculus professor. No one is entirely sure why she chose that job, but she did. She is dating Arya.

Joffrey can suck my dick is unemployed. Unless you count “spoiled rich white boy” as a profession.

Roose and Walder are the leaders of two allied gangs, and their families are part of them.

Ramsay is the main enforcer of the Bolton gang.

Jorah is a soldier who was dishonorably discharged for human trafficking. He is deeply ashamed of his actions. He was recently disowned by his family.

Jeor is a veteran, who was a General in the army. He is currently taking care of Lyanna after her mother died.

Lyanna is a student in high school. She is great. She wants to become a soldier when she turns 18.

Barristan is a veteran who is currently working as a bodyguard for Robert.

Sandor is another security guard for Robert. He is often seen hanging out with Arya, Gendry, and Hot Pie, despite being way older.

Gregor is another body guard for Robert. Why is he not in prison yet? We don’t know.

Oberyn is the Chemistry professor. He seems to know a lot about poison.

Jaqen is the leader of a cult. And also Arya’s martial arts classes.

Syrio is Arya’s self defense teacher.

Shae is literally a hooker. So no real change.

Tormund is the Zoology professor. He likes to tell stories about the encounters he has had with various different animals. His students are all experiencing the Mandela Effect, because they’re pretty sure that Tormund once told them about a time in which he actually fucked a bear, but he can’t recall ever telling them that story, and also can’t remember ever doing that with a bear.

[poeticallyunkind]

hi loml!!! 💌, 🌹, 💋, 🐻, & ☁️??

hi babe!!

💌 : i think what makes my heart melt the most is kindness, to be honest? i’ve always found myself drawn to people that choose to do good in the world, and i’m pretty sure it’s one of my favorite traits. but if you’re looking for a gayer answer (💖💖), then it’s when people play with my hair, holdings hands, and cuddling :-)

🌹 : my ideal date would probably be something really cliche, like dinner and stargazing in a park or (not-so) discreetly kissing during a movie. i’m a sucker for romance, so in general, anything that tends to show that you care is amazing!! if it’s with the right person, though (yet again, 💖💖), i’d settle for almost anything.

💋 : okay, this is incredibly gay, but i think your physical traits are generally an outstanding description of what i find attractive?? i think freckles are the most adorable thing in the world, i love brown eyes, anyone who’s taller than me is automatically chill, and dazzling smiles are wonderful!!

🐻 : another cliche answer, but my favorite animal is a dog!

☁️ : five years from now, i’d probably expect myself to be midway through college, working a job i won’t like, still writing as often as i can in my free time, etc. hopefully, i’ll be spending a lot of time in your arms 💖💖