#Angela (Blandings)

[claraameliapond]

Anyone notice they always give bland actresses like Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence accolades and oscars whenever there's a ground breaking film that challenges the status quo, and has genuine talent and artistry?

I think it's because the "Academy" feels threatened by real talent and non white, non misogynistic art

They make themselves less and less relevant and less and less prestigious everytime they do this

Excluding people who are more talented than them? That's very Academy Awards. Self congratulatory parade? You must mean the Oscar's.

What a farce.

I've been saying this for years - it's a power play, a self congratulatory power play and ego trip.

They gave Olivia Coleman one, for gods sake. That was a put down to every other actor on the planet.

Angela Basset was deliberately snubbed in a put down so Jamie Lee Curtis could win? Really?

Austin butler's Elvis performance- that really was the best, excluded too: noone too talented, noone non white American, they'd never let Baz Luhrmann, an Australian, actually win.

They'd never let a female film about females like Barbie actually be nominated or acknowledged, but acknowledge the one male star in it for being progressive. Sure.

We can all see what you're doing, it's not subtle

people’s oscar winner

[lemotmo]

Hi, I need to get something of my chest if I may. If not, feel free to ignore this message. ❤️ I've been so livid and angry about some peoples rasist, sexist and dare I say queerphobic behaviour all because of a fucking FICTIONAL character!! It's been going on for months but this is really the tip of the iceberg, like fuck those hypocritical asslickers and lfj for instigating it, for everything they said. Wanting for Ryan to get deported? Like where to? Texas?? All of a sudden he's not white enough lmao. And everything else they are saying about him and Oliver and Angela Bassett??? I'm not saying lfj didn't get hate but lmao he knew for like two months that he was leaving... Them claiming he's a victim and that he was bullied of the show when he was only a guest star and sorry to say not that great of an actor... I have no sympathy for him and based on all the problematic shit he said, I'm glad we are rid of him and his minions. Good riddance I say, no one is going to miss them! And with the shitstorm they are causing, why would the show want lfj back or any show for that matter??? I wasn't around prior to S7, but I understand what Tim meant about the fandom being worse than ever. I've been in some fandoms where things were tense but nothing like this. Sorry for the rant, it's just so infuriating to see how they behave toward real life people over a bland fictional character. They can like who they want for whatever reason, but imo there here are tons of better gay characters out there and claiming he was some revolutionary representation or whatever tells me all I need to know about them. Sorry again for the rant idk who to talk to about this. Hope you have a nice day! ❤️🙏

Oh Nonny, it's clear you needed to get this off your chest. It's okay. I get it.

You only came in during season 7? You missed such a great period before that. I'm not saying everything was alway perfect and there definitely was fandom discourse. That's unavoidable. But it was discourse on another level. Nowhere near the level we reached over the last couple of months.

But as soon as the Tommies appeared things changed considerably. We were all harassed, accused of terrible things and called 'delusional' for shipping Buddie, a ship that had been around since season 2.

We went from a relative peaceful fandom to a toxic fandom in one single episode. I got called homophobic for not really vibing with Tommy two days after the episode had aired. It was the beginning of a long and very exhausting journey for all of us.

Tommy/Lou and his unhinged fans are the worst thing that has ever happened to the 911 fandom.

But what is done is done. We can't go back. We can only move forward from here. And the future seems so much brighter. No more Tommy and after the way Lou egged his fans on to attack the show and Oliver? Well, we won't ever see him back at ABC. 😏

So let it all out Nonny and then move on. We're in the thick of things right now, but it will all soon pass. As soon as the fandom moves on to the new episode, the Tommies will scatter and probably follow Lou to SWAT. Some hardcore Tommies will stick around, but if we all collectively ignore them, they'll eventually go away as well.

I hope you have a lovely day Nonny!

[feralboimurphy]

here’s jeric that i need to write right now

Jack could picture their future as he sat in the car after the dance.

Eric would want an apartment between them—even if he was a big time senator—and maybe a dog.

“It’s like our own little family!” Eric had told him whenever they moved back into the apartment and got the dog that Shawn had bought for him and Angela.

Jack, personally, was a cat person himself, but Eric had gotten along with the dog and Jack couldn’t tell him no. Eric could talk him into anything.

They’d have another bright red couch to stand out in the bland apartment. The other decorations being beige, black, or white.

Jack’s idea, of course.

As he got older, the brighter colors gave Jack headaches, so they’d compromise with the couch being the only thing out of the color scheme.

They’d maybe adopt in the future; raise a child together like they should have back in ‘98 when Eric gave Tommy up.

Jack pictured Eric with a younger kid, the excitement in the mornings that would brighten his own mood. Eric’s obnoxiously cute, loud singing that he used to do while cooking breakfast would be a constant.

They’d grow old together. Jack would be happy.

A loud honk from the car behind him and faint yelling about the light being green snapped Jack out of his fantasies and shoved him back into reality.

He was alone. In the car. The future of his daydream far from reality.

Jack turned his head and saw the familiar handwriting of Eric’s sitting on a piece of paper that he put in his cupholder for later.

“For when you need it,” with an address sprawled on it that Eric had handed him when they shook hands outside of the school before Jack got in his car.

Jack stared at the damn paper for a moment, ignoring the honking behind him.

Fuck it.

Jack did a quick U-Turn and got back into New York.

He wasn’t letting Eric go this time.

[watchinghallmark]

Scouting for Christmas -

It sort of felt like Hallmark did this one dirty. It only had a 15 second promo. Carlo wasn't even on the poster. I didn't have very high expectations going into it but I absolutely LOVED IT! Everyone was so charming. The chemistry was there. Brooklyn's scheming was A++. The conflict and hesitation from Angela felt real and a little different with an ex coming back into the picture. Angela being so over him was great. I didn't really expect that to be the reaction or how the movie would go. I loved her facial expressions. I loved William's mom and how she handled things. Everyone pushing for William and Angela to be together was so wonderful. Every choice made with this plot was great and unexpected. It could've easily been a bland movie but it wasn't. Definitely a new favorite!

What'd you think of this one?

[centralperkchenford]

Chenford + not noticing that they’re basically living together until someone points it out

Sorry this took so long!

Chenford + not noticing that they’re basically living together until someone points it out

Or

5 times people realize Tim + Lucy live together + 1 time they do.

This is our place, we make the call

1.

The first person that realizes Tim and Lucy are living together is Angela. Angela knows Tim and Lucy are close and they always have been close. And when they started dating they only got closer, they were a unit. At first Angela doesn’t think anything of it. She sees Tim and Lucy ride in together a few days after she finds out they are together. And then it starts to happen every single day. Angela’s not even sure Lucy realizes she has her own car.

“Hey.” Says Angela coming up to Tim. “Why are you always driving with Lucy into work?”

Tim looks at her strangely but then shrugs his shoulders.

“Saves gas.” He answers as he busies himself. Angela narrows her eyes at him.

“Do you spend every night with her.” Angela asks and a smile twitches at his lips before he schools his expression into a frown.

“No.” He answers. “I pick her up.” Angela frowns at that. Tim notices her frown and sighs running a hand through his hair. “Haven’t you heard of carpooling Lopez?” He asks.

Angela opens her mouth to reply but just then Lucy comes skipping over and stands in front of Tim smiling. He instantly loses his frown and smiles back at her. Angela rolls her eyes at them.

“Are you ready to go home?” She asks. Angela makes a weird noise and Tim throws her a look over his shoulder as he follows Lucy out of the bullpen. Angela shakes her head at the couple’s retreating back. Whether they realized it or not they were living together.

2.

The next person to realize Tim and Lucy are living together is Tamara. And honestly it starts out slow. Lucy is at the apartment less and less. Which okay makes sense to Tamara, she is with her boyfriend. But then little things start go missing from the apartment. All of Lucy’s bathroom stuff disappears slowly, her clothes slowly disappear too. Tamara goes into Lucy’s closet to borrow and shirt and when she opens up her drawer there is barely anything in there. Tamara frowns and goes into her closet where there are empty hangers but no clothes.

Tamara doesn’t even think Lucy realizes that she has basically moved all her stuff to Tim’s. She rarely spends the night at the apartment.

One night after a night at the bar, Lucy comes stumbling into the apartment with Tim right behind her. His hands on her waist so she doesn’t fall down.

Tamara looks up from the couch and raises her eyebrows. “You are home.” She says and Lucy tilts her head at her.

“I live here.” She says simply. Tim is still holding on to her as she sways a little.

“Do you?” Tamara questions. Lucy tilts her head at her and then looks at Tim who is smiling down at her.

“Of course! I still pay rent don’t I?” She says. Tim laughs and Tamara raises her eyebrows realizing Tim is just as wasted as Lucy.

“I suppose that’s true.” Tamara says slowly. “You would tell me when you are going to move out right?” But Lucy isn’t paying any attention anymore her eyes are on Tim as she pulls on his shirt towards the bedroom. Tamara rolls her eyes at the oblivious couple as they both stumble into the bedroom shutting the door behind them.

Oh they were so living together.

3.

The next person to realize that Tim and Lucy were living together is Aaron. Lucy invited him over to watch the game with Tim. Aaron walks into Tim’s house expecting to find a nice and orderly but bland house. Instead he find a colorful inside of the house and it’s a little messy. There are plants everywhere much like Lucy’s apartment. And Tim doesn’t really seem like a plant guy.

There are more Lucy touches around the house. A colorful blanket lies across the couch and the kitchen has more than one coffee maker. When he goes to get a cup they are in the lowest cabinet possible. The kitchen has little plants here and there in the corner. There’s two bottles of tequila in the fridge which Aaron knows is Lucy’s preferred drink.

“So you and Tim are living together?” Aaron asks Lucy and she chokes on her water as she looks up at him.

“No.” She says. Aaron gives her a dubious look and Lucy raises her eyebrows at him. “What makes you think I’m living with Tim?” Aaron gestures around the kitchen and the living room.

“Tim doesn’t really strike me as a plant guy.” Aaron says just as Tim comes into the kitchen. Lucy snorts as she gets up and makes her way over to Tim’s side.

“Well you would be surprised. He picked out half these plants himself.” She says as Tim tucks her into his side. He grumbles something incoherent, and then leads Lucy to the living room leaving Aaron behind a little dumbfounded.

He lets it go though maybe he is wrong and Tim likes plants. However when steps into the bathroom and sees all of Lucy’s stuff on the counter, yep they are so living together

4.

The next person to realize they are living together is Nolan. Lucy calls him to have him fix something and Tim is working and so he can’t do it himself. Nolan naturally goes over to Lucy’s apartment only to find her not there. Tamara answers the door looking amused.

“She’s probably at Tim’s.” She tells Nolan. “She always is.” Nolan thanks Tamara still a little befuddled as he drives to Tim’s house. Sure enough Lucy’s car is parked in the driveway as if it just belongs there.

Lucy answers the door in Tim’s shirt and gestures him to come in. She needs a few lightbulbs changed and a door fixed.

Nolan is happy to help he is just a little confused as to why Lucy is calling him over to Tim’s house.

“Tim is just always exhausted when he comes home these days.” Lucy says as Nolan changes the hallway light. “I want to surprise him so he doesn’t have to stress about it anymore.”

Nolan nods as he steps down from the ladder and looks at Lucy who is scrolling through her phone.

“Oh we are having a little BBQ this Saturday.” She tells him. “If you and Bailey want to come.” Nolan smiles at her still a little confused as to why she’s just inviting people to Tim’s house.. unless she considers this her house too. Tamara did say she was always here.

“Do you live here?” He blurts out and Lucy scrunches up her nose. In confusion or annoyance Nolan’s not sure.

“Aaron asked me the same thing. And no I am not. I still have my apartment.” Nolan raises his eyebrows in disbelief.

“But you ask me to fix things in his house?” He asks. Lucy shrugs her shoulder and walks to the patio door where she motions to the lock.

“Can you fix the lock? It’s such a pain to get in and out of this door.” She says. Nolan opens his mouth to say more but Lucy is already curling up on the sofa. So Nolan drops it for now.

On Saturday, Nolan and Bailey come over to Tim’s house for the BBQ. He is noticing little things he didn’t the other day. There are so many Lucy touches here and there. He makes his way over to Aaron who is sipping on a beer.

“They are living together aren’t they?” Nolan asks suddenly. Aaron laughs loudly causing Kojo to come running over eagerly.

“Oh big time.” Says Aaron. “This whole house screams Lucy.”

Nolan shakes his head and glances at Tim and Lucy who are practically attached at the hip. And he wonders why they won’t just admit it.

5.

The next person to realize Tim and Lucy are living together is Genny. She and Lucy go to lunch once a month and Genny is just pulling up to Lucy’s apartment to drop her off when Lucy tells her to take her to Tim’s.

Genny is confused because this isn’t the first time she has asked to be dropped off at Tim’s she did it last month too.

“I thought you guys were at your place during the week.” She says and Lucy shrugs as she flips her phone.

“We have just been at his house more lately.” She tells her as if it’s no big deal. “I don’t mind there’s more space and Kojo.”

“So you still stay at your apartment?” Genny asks her. Lucy looks over at her a confused expression on her face.

“Yes.” She says but Genny hears the hesitation in her voice like she’s trying to remember the last time she actually stayed at her apartment. “We stay there.. occasionally.”

“Uh huh.” Says Genny. She pulls into Tim’s driveway next to his truck and Lucy hops out. She takes out the keys and unlocks the door. Genny follows her in, to see Tim waiting for them a smile on his face when he sees Lucy. He kisses her softly and then she excuses herself to go use the restroom.

Genny turns to her brother who is watching the hallway as if he’s watching for her to come back out.

“So when was the last time you were at Lucy’s apartment? She ask.

Tim makes a face as if he’s wondering why she’s asking him that. “I don’t know.” He says. “Why?”

“Well I know you said you stay at her place during the week since it’s closer to work and yours on the weekend.” Genny points out. Tim looks at her as if he wants to answer but then Lucy comes out then wearing leggings and Tim’s shirt.

“We are going to watch the game tonight.” Lucy tells her. “You could bring the boys over and watch it with us.”

Tim smiles and kisses the top of her head before nodding at Genny. “Bring them over.” He tells her. “It will be fun.”

Genny raises her eyebrows as the couple goes to the couch and sits down. Lucy curls into Tim’s side seemingly tired and rests her head on his chest. She’s so comfortable here likes she’s been living here for awhile.

Genny still has questions but for now she glances at her brother and his girlfriend and whether or not it was on purpose or accident they are definitely living together.

+1

Lucy is the next to realize they are indeed living together. She is folding her laundry and putting them in the closet and drawers. She fits everything neatly next to Tim’s stuff. And she wonders when he made room for all her stuff. She glances around the bedroom and sees little things that are hers. Her phone charger is on the bedside table and even the sheets are hers. She remembers the first time they slept together and Tim said he loved her sheets. She once again wonders how her sheets got on Tim’s bed. She wonders into the bathroom and opens the cabinets. All her stuff was neatly in them. Her tampons, her medicine and all her soaps that Tim pretends to hate. But he actually loves because he always nuzzles into her every time she uses it.

Her jaw drops as she sees two toothbrushes on the counter. She thinks back to all the people. asking if they were living together. Tamara. Nolan. Genny.

And she denied it every single time but now…

She had somehow moved into Tim’s house without realizing it. She bounces on her feet as she rushes out to the kitchen to Tim who is cutting something up.

“We are living together.” She blurts out. Tim pauses and looks up at her knife in hand.

“What?” He asks. Lucy clicks her tongue and gestures around the room.

“I moved all my stuff in here without realizing it. I mean seriously Tim. You moved everything lower so I could reach it. There are plants everywhere. And all my clothes fit in the dresser and closet!” She says. Tim drops the knife as he stares at her.

“But I would have asked you to move in with me.” He points out. “How did we not realize this?” Lucy shrugs and makes her way over to him a little skip in her step.

“I mean I don’t have to live here..” She starts but Tim is shaking his head before she even finishes her sentence.

“No!” He says. “No I want you here Lucy. I always want you here.” She smiles up at him and she can’t help but laugh a little.

“So is this you officially asking me to move in with you Bradford?” She asks him teasingly. Tim wraps his arms around her and pulls her tightly into his chest.

“Yes baby. Do you want to move in with me?” He asks her a soft smile on his face.

She nods her head and then kisses him again nice and slow. “Good thing all my stuff is already moved.” She says. Tim laughs and just hugs her closer to him and Lucy can’t help but feel at home right here in his arms.

[delurkr]

I'M SORRY FOR SENDING U SO MANY ASKS

i'm planning on writing daniel and angela from little hope and i was wondering if u could maybe describe their personalities because i struggle at doing that . . . *sits in chair* of course if u don't wanna do it that's fine !

NICE so hm ok.

One thing I believe with Angela is that she's always been naturally sharp in speech and quick-witted, but now she leans even harder into being very outspoken with her criticism because she felt stifled for so long during her marriage. She's just very done with pussyfooting around people's feelings, especially with people she doesn't respect, although when someone is actually being vulnerable with her she'll drop the prickliness (like when she listens and is encouraging when Andrew talks about himself).

Relatedly, I believe she's also people-smart but not likely to update her opinions about others very often. One of her main traits is Understanding, which I think primarily applies in the sense that she is perceptive, but also it's not wrong in the sense that she'll sometimes demonstrate understanding towards people (under the right circumstances like I said). She isn't always right about people's motives though, since she's biased to more or less think the worst of people.

She can be dramatic about minor things, which would kind of seem to contrast with her self-sufficient been-through-the-trenches old war dog persona that she pushes, but I think sometimes the overreacting about things like her shoes in the middle of a bad situation is part of the persona in a way, almost like she's carrying on as usual because she's so unfazed by the big things, if that makes sense. I see the drama as also being a deflection, because while she's happy to remind everyone that she's survived hardship she also doesn't tend to want to open up about the degree to which she's actually affected by it.

Lastly on her, I'll say that she has firm opinions on what's right and what's not (in the moral sense as well as just her personal preference) and that she tends to be an outspoken observer as opposed to wanting to get in the mix and actually change things, but she's driven to get things done when she sees a need for it.

Daniel is quick to react, doesn't put a lot of thought into what he does before doing it, and, I would say, isn't too self-conscious most of the time. He's not one to read between the lines on probably anything, so if he's feeling particularly insecure he'll question if he's a problem in whatever way is relevant in a given situation, but otherwise he'll probably be coasting clueless about any issues deeper than what he sees on the surface. I feel like more subconsciously he absorbs tension and gives out what he gets in most of his dynamics though, which plays into his Defensive trait which I'll get to.

He can be quite broody, and I'd say he's the one most likely to have mood swings, for which more often than not he'll be able to tell the reason why. Not because he's introspective (he's not), but he just doesn't really hold back on his emotions as soon as he feels them. He spends more time being generally even-keeled though because he's also pretty easy going (and therefore I believe easily underestimated, in-universe by Taylor specifically when she's toying with him in a negative arc, but also by players who think his character is bland). Other people being aggravating seems to roll off him without him holding anything against them, and it's specifically when things involve Taylor when he gets more upset, and also when he can't understand why people are doing the bad things they do, because he's very kind-hearted and doesn't like to see suffering.

His Defensive trait is interesting, because he can be quick to match people's energy and clap back when someone pushes him too far, but he kind of wears his heart on his sleeve anyway so I don't believe it's accurate to say he actually maintains a tough exterior. The other sense of the word is that he's defensive about what he sees as his, property and especially people and especially Taylor. (It's when Angela makes digs at Taylor that he gets upset with Angela, otherwise she doesn't really irritate him.) And he's sensitive to injustice and reacts to it reflexively, like he's often picking (and switching) sides to defend whoever he sees as the injured party during the game.

Relatedly I think there's a sense in which he often feels responsible for others and takes that seriously. He likes to lean into the "knight in shining armor" role (particularly with Angela and Taylor) whether or not anyone asked for it. He's pretty idealistic and likes something to fight for and measure up to, and unless he's down in the dumps himself, in which case he's not unlikely to drag others down with him, he's generally trying to bolster the others up and smooth things over. I don't believe he's mature enough to be good at it though, (link to previous statements about him matching tension), but he gets frustrated when his efforts aren't appreciated because he's probably doing all he knows to do. Last note that he's not naturally out to reinvent traditional things like gender roles in regards to his own behavior, which sometimes works in his favor and sometimes doesn't.

Those are some things that came to mind and as usual anyone is free to add on or explain why I'm wrong lol, but I hope there's something that helps ❤️

[cryptcoop]

what are ur thoughts on moicy (moira/mercy)

I find that most instances of moicy people wildly mischaracterize both characters, at least from how I view both of them. I think interpreting them as a happy cute couple is incredibly bland and I tend to see a lot of that. I really don't think they get a long, like at all. They're that on and off again couple that always fought and made each other miserable, but kept going back to each other. I think they like how they intellectually challenge each other, plus being physically attracted to each other is a bonus, but they really aren't compatible. Even if they tried doing something nice for one another it would end up being a fight. I also think that their relationship ended with Moira leaving Overwatch, they havent spoken since Moira joined Blackwatch, and I think if they ever did it would just be bitter conversation. Moira still views her in a strangely fond way? But I think Angela sees her in a purely negative light now.

[in-my-loki-feels]

Tag Game

Rules: Answer and tag nine people you want to get to know better and catch up with.

Thank you @loki-is-my-kink-awakening and @thosegayoldmen for tagging me in this!

Favorite color(s):

Purple or green. I've gone back and forth between the two over the years. 💜💚

Last song:

Currently reading:

Trying to catch up on a few fics and also technically in the middle of Ace by Angela Chen, but I set it aside for the moment to focus on writing.

Currently watching:

Taskmaster S18 (plus two international seasons of Taskmaster), Guy Montgomery's Guy-Mont-Spelling Bee S1, a couple of Dropout shows, and I just finished watching Hawkeye . (AND LOVED IT!!)

Currently craving:

An iced latte or iced coffee and a brownie. Or a burger, or a rice krispie treat, or really anything. (I had to switch to a super bland diet for stomach issues. Can you tell? 😆)

Coffee or tea:

In my coffee phase, specifically iced. I usually switch to tea when the weather gets cold. I'm primarily a latte drinker and I never know where to put that in the coffee vs tea debate.

Hobby to try:

I'd love to get into building miniatures. I've had my eyes on a couple of book nook kits for a while, but between my wrist issues and the cats, I kind of gave up on them.

Current AU:

Probably an obvious answer but I'm primarily focused on the Avengers AU (the latest chapter is up!) which posits: What if Mobius worked at SHIELD when Loki arrived to take the Tesseract? I've had an absolute blast working with @wolfpup026 on this idea and I just know I'm going to be gutted when I post the final chapter. 😭😂

Open tag for whoever would like to join! <3

[incandescent-creativity]

Aright, I'm a third of the way through Eragon and my thoughts are: the worldbuilding is pretty great! The writing style is fairly bland. Ah, the irresistible temptation to just name stuff that will never be mentioned again because fantasy names are cool...my beloathed, and beloved, but more so beloathed.

Angela. Like. He just really wanted this unrelated magic user who I'm pretty sure is supposed to be an insert for his sister to be in this story even though she is entirely unneeded. I mean, I love her. But she's completely superfluous to the plot like, 98% of the time she's on page. She's just there to be cool and mysterious. I love her, but the writer I am now can't help but notice how out of place she is.

Also I forgot we had all this ancient language existing in a world with names like Trevor.

Eragon does still feel like a fifteen year-old. Sometimes he's so young and other times he isn't, and it works I guess.

This book is a lot of pages but it's so, so easy to read. There's all this lore stuffed in but it's approached in an oddly juvenile way. I don't feel very serious about this serious quest we're on. Which, is how I felt the first time I read it, so props to past me for recognizing that.

I'll report back in later when I've made more progress.

Alright you're probably farther into it now that it's been a week but! A response <3

I can't really argue with you about the writing style being bland, but I do think it allows the reader to exercise their theater of the mind a lot more freely. Like that illustrated version of Eragon that came out is beautiful! But it would also provide a concrete visual for, idk, like the Ra'zac as an example.

Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does take away the opportunity for the reader to fill in the gaps that Paolini's "summarizing plus some description for spice" approach allows. Which I kind of like! It won't work for every reader, but I'm personally pretty prepared to be forgiving of the blandness.

Angela... is a very obvious sister-insert. I think it's admitted as much in some author's note or acknowledgements somewhere. BUT I also cannot criticize her in good faith when I also appreciate the "just put cool shit in!" approach to writing fantasy. Like is she a narrative version of the DM's favorite NPC they keep shoehorning in? Yea. Am I entertained by her regardless? Also yes.

I also want to tie your "I don't feel very serious about this serious quest we're on." comment in to Eragon feeling like a 15yo. In Doylist terms, the lack of weight that the tone of the book attributes to the stakes may come from Paolini's own age at the time of publishing, but I think there's a Watsonian interpretation, too. Eragon is! fifteen! He knows enough about his world to name the major players, but he simply doesn't have the experience to know what he's getting into.

He will tho >:)

[applepiesandalibis]

Hi everyone. I want to be a little more active on this blog so I decided to occasionally do little album reviews here! Currently not planning to make any schedule for these, I'm just gonna post whevener I find a record that I think is interesting to talk about. Though I have listened to a lot of albums recently and have sorted out my thoughts on some, so they're probably gonna be posted once in 2-3 days until I ran out of them.

Okay, getting to the first one now!

Xiu Xiu — 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn Grips

Genre: Experimental Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Noise Pop, Industrial

Released: September 27, 2024

Song ranking:

Common Loon

Veneficium

T.D.F.T.W

Maestro One Chord

Piña, Coconut & Cherry

Sleep Blvd.

Pale Flower

Arp Omni

Bobby Bland

Thoughts: this was even better than I expected! I was really hyped to hear Xius' more rock-ish side again and well, here it is and it's amazing. Sometimes it reminded me of older albums like Fabulous Muscles or Forget, but the approach on 13", in my opinion, got so much better. Each track is unique and very memorable

There were screams, meowing and barking, distorted instrumentals and pretty depressing lyrics sometimes, yet it still is one of the most accessible Xiu Xiu albums — which absolutely doesn't make it worse in any way. I love how every release of this band is so different from the previous one. It's interesting how this record was done just shortly after Ignore Grief and is in some way related to it, I guess? Because they are SO different.

Also, I feel like everyone have said it already, but the drums on this record really do go hard. And I loved the music videos. The one for Veneficium especially (though it felt like a fever dream).

Jamie, Angela and David did suuuuch a good job on this one. I can't get enough of it, really. Even my least favorite track got some cool vibes to it, so yeah, definitely a no skips album!!! It may not provoke such strong emotions as, for example, A Promise did, however it's a total ear candy and I don't think I'm gonna get bored with this album anytime soon.

Overall rating: 8,5/10

[funnuraba]

Lying in my sickbed, I have assigned myself to craft some official, wieldy and helpful Wodehouse ship names. Also, make sure to mask up in an N95 or better respirator for the ongoing Covid pandemic, and get some sealed safety goggles for the incipient H5N1 pandemic!

Bertie/Jeeves: Beeves

Aunt Dahlia/Uncle Tom: Dom

Aunt Agatha/guy she marries: Worplesgatha

Gussie/Madeline: Gusseline

Gussie/Emerald: Gusserald

Spode/Madeline: RodMad (not Basspode, which is Spode/Sir Watkyn)

Bingo/Rosie: BingBanks

Florence/Stilton: Fl'Orcy

Stilton/Daphne: Cheesehead

Florence/Percy: Florringe

Tuppy/Angela: Don't ship this

Stiffy/Stinker: Stiffstink Pinkbyng

Bingo/Pongo: Bongo, Pingo, Bingpong, possibilities are endless, idk if they ever speak though

Ashe/Joan: Marlentine

Joan/Aline: Only F/F Ship or Jaline igss

Ronnie/Sue: Fishbrown

Hugo/Millicent: Carwood/Threepmody

Tipton/Veronica: Ronton

Wilfred/Monica: Millsop

Gally/Dolly Henderson: Golly

Baxter/Lady Constance: Baxtance, yeah that's right they get a real one because they are #Real

Gally/Uncle Fred: Gallifred

Lord Emsworth/Uncle Fred: IckenEm. scraping the bottom of the Blandings barrel to find something gay

Sir Gregory/Maudie: Parslie

Ukridge/Corky: Stankoran

Psmith/Mike: Mīth

Psmithian polycule: my Covid induced brain damage can't handle this

[forthegothicheroine]

So far, the tone of the book How to be Eaten is verging on that samey bland feminist reimagining tone of writers who didn't quite get Angela Carter. I still have hope for it, though, because Silicon Valley Douchebag Bluebeard and his fully automated smart house are TERRIFYING.

[rabbiteclair]

Hellohello again!! Still losing my mind over everything LoR and very much enjoying your takes on it.

And along those lines, I wanted to ask your opinion on Roland and how it evolved as the story and Realizations progressed.

spoilering because... I mean obviously

very early game: 'get this bastard out of my face. where's angela. let me see angela. is angela okay. tell me what angela is up to.'

early game: 'i guess I'm okay with him being around as long as Angela keeps treating him like an unwanted dog'

midgame: 'ROLAND IS THE PRETTIEST MAGICAL GIRL.'

Star of the City: 'haha wow I can't see how this is gonna end well. Like both Roland and Angela seem to be realizing that the paths they're on don't lead anywhere good but what in the hell can they do instead??? please don't fuck this up you two. PLEASE.'

shortly afterward: 'goddammit Roland. god fucking dammit. you were so close to not fucking it up.'

Reverb Ensemble Part 2: 'YES ROLAND THAT'S MY BOY. THAT'S MY BOY RIGHT THERE. I'M SO PROUD OF HIM.'

End/Postgame:

In a little more depth though... one thing I really like around his arc is their commitment to actually examining Roland's past, digging into how his worldview works, and having his thoughts on all of this be an ongoing evolving thing. A whole lot of games would introduce the male deuteragonist, establish his dead wife, maybe show enough of that to showcase some pathos, and then rely on the fact that he's a pretty normal-seeming guy with a dead wife to make you sympathetic to him. Ruina puts the fucker under a microscope and explores him, flaws and all.

As I have repeatedly summarized it on Discord: 'Roland sucks so much (affectionate)'

Or, to quote Lailah, with whom I was discussing this very topic this morning:

"Here's the Bland Unassuming Everyman. His function is to tell you about the setting and be a secondary protagonist so it's not just the Angela show, but don't worry, he will start taking over more of the plot. His personality is that he's sad and angry about his wife dying, but otherwise he mostly shows the (visible) emotional range of a brick wall and makes off the cuff jokes about everything. He's going to have a big moment where he saves Angela at one point. You're going to like him. A lot." Yes, okay, I'm being somewhat disingenuous for the sake of the joke here, but I also don't understand how they got away with this. It probably shouldn't be allowed.

[officialpenisenvy]

I feel a little gaslit I think Sam Reid has quite a classically handsome face? Tbf though white men all look the same to me. If you compare Robert Plant to Sam I'd say Sam sticks out more due to his mouth scar and jaw while Robert looks incredibly bland (I'm sorry Gio)

i am choosing to be zen and not take personal offence at the robert comment 🙏 but also i feel like sam reid (especially outside of the lestat context) looks terribly basic like not even achieving classical handsomeness. like clearly people find him attractive and that's subjective ofc but it's a very ordinary type of attraction the way you can walk down the street and see a man you think is attractive but is by all parameters of judgement quite plain. he could stop me for directions to the train station while i go to uni and i wouldn't blink twice. and like im someone who's attracted to every woman i see from the plainest to the most strikingly beautiful but at the end of the day i know there is a difference between angela from next door and claudia cardinale you know what im saying

[volturialice]

Do you have any dark gothic/horror book recs? I’m trying to get out of thrillers at the moment. also looking for some dark classics. any ideas?

I was waiting to answer this until after the Bella's Book Club summer reading reclist went live and now it's live!! and I must say, full of some Choice gothic recs. But I'll list my personal faves here!

Dark™ things from my part of the BBC reclist:

Jamaica Inn (and My Cousin Rachel) by Daphne du Maurier - iirc I described Jamaica Inn as gothic + adventure in my recs, and yep, that's what it is. definitely part of the specific "the book cover shows a woman in a nightgown running from a scary building" gothic heroine tradition. I also gave a brief nod to My Cousin Rachel because it's another of du Maurier's works which I think is underrated (that one's more of a slow-burning gothic mystery featuring a hero of the 'little wet babygirl' variety.)

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia - Also as I said in my recs, it's very like Jamaica Inn in structure and genre, though of course the writing, the specific characters, and the central mysteries are different. But MG is (of course) Mexican and has more fun Get Out/Ready or Not vibes with its themes of class and ethnicity.

Girls Running from Houses by tanaudel on redbubble

Perfume: the Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind - Villain protagonist villain protagonist! This one I love mostly for its flowery prose and sheer aesthetic commitment. You're telling me this 18th-century French serial killer turns his victims into perfume?? Say more

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey - Seriously the most underrated YA series of all time. Also so gory and terrifying I sometimes cannot believe it's YA. To this day some of the scariest written horror my eyes have beheld, not to mention it's got banger prose. Most people know Rick Yancey from The 5th Wave which is such bland cookiecutter 2010s YA dystopia love triangle nonsense that I just want to shake everyone and go NO, READ THIS BRILLIANCE INSTEAD! ngl the last book in the series is Not Good (you can 100% tell he had switched all his energies to 5th Wave, which is a shame) but the first 3 are absolutely good enough to make up for it.

Other people's reclist recs that I too have read and enjoyed: Rebecca (Daphne du Maurier), We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Shirley Jackson), Dracula (Bram Stoker), Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)

More classics: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (short and easy read!), The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (a must-read for aesthete gays everywhere. I mean cmon it's Oscar)

Extremely melodramatic "classics:' I loved reading Louisa May Alcott's little known "flops" A Long Fatal Love Chase and Behind a Mask (short story collection.) I might make Book Club read Love Chase at some point because I think we'd have way too much fun with it. We'll see.

My personal favorite that I think everyone should read: The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (short story collection of gothic fairytale retellings!)

Not exactly what you think of when you hear 'gothic' per se but definitely Dark and it's my OTHER favorite: Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (I never shut up about this book and it's for a reason. Very different from the movie, which I also love!)

My favorite gothic/horror authors:

Shirley Jackson - I've definitely talked about her before but both The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle are straight bangers (and short, easy reads to boot!) Do NOT think you can watch the Mike Fl*nagan Hill House show of the same name and call it a day—they're completely different stories. (also let the record show I'm censoring his name out of personal dislike he hasn't done anything 'problematic' afaik calm down)

Stephen Graham Jones - Insanely good writing oh my god. I have so far only read the My Heart is a Chainsaw books but his entire oeuvre is on my TBR because he cannot lose. Also he lives in my town and I'm starstruck just knowing this fact. Indigenous (Blackfoot) author who writes about indigenous characters!

Kelly Link - Writer of banger short fiction. I particularly enjoy Pretty Monsters because it's 100% written for the Twilight girlies and clearly made with love and silliness

Grady Hendrix - I didn't loooove Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, but I adored Hörrorstör and especially My Best Friend's Exorcism, which is a total masterpiece IMO. Another writer whose entire oeuvre is on my TBR.

[whymustyouhurtmeinthisway]

Finally read Soul Eater vol. 14 three entire months after initially buying it, and I gotta say, it was fine.

I’m enjoying the series for sure, Crona’s story is captivating as always and I’m interested to see where it goes, but man, the pacing seems to get worse and worse as the chapters go on. Like I’ve talked before about how the series skyrocketed way harder in scope size than it probably should’ve, but Jesus.

The series is so cool in concept, basically all the characters are so sick, I love so many of the ideas and plotlines, and the artstyle is one of the best I’ve seen in manga ever (or really in general ever), but I find it just fumbles the execution not enough to ruin it, but just enough to frustrate you.

Outside of the scale/scope thing I talked about before, there are just so many ideas that start out cool as fuck but then eat shit on the landing. Like Soul’s corruption to the imp has been building up more and more since even before the kishin was released, with him using more and more of its powers hinting towards some huge unraveling where everything comes loose and he becomes a big chaotic threat with a big arc about rescuing him. In the end that kinda happened, and his chaos form was pretty cool, except he got over it in like a chapter and everything’s cool now (though I will say his conversation with the imp and whole character struggle is cool)

Honestly now that I mention it, Soul’s a weird character for me, where I think his internal struggle and arc are interesting and I enjoy them, but I just have no thoughts about him as a character outside of that. I just can’t really think of anything about how he acts outside of his own head that really endears me to him, I find him just kinda bland. The majority of his time acting normally around others really doesn’t display much personality I find, which is unfortunate considering how cool his internal arc and piano thing are.

Speaking of characters, god there are a lot of them aren’t there? From what I can tell Atsushi Ohkubo kinda runs into a rare writer issue, being “I have more ideas than I know what to do with”. He just seems to have so many sick character ideas in his head that he can’t help but add to the series, but as he keeps adding them he finds he can’t handle the increasing responsibility of actually using them all well in the story.

Like think of how many characters are at least active by volume 14:

We of course have the main 7 (Maka, Soul, Black☆Star, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz, Patty)

Then another 7 in the rest of the Spartoi (Kiriko, Fire, Thunder, Ox, Harvar, Kim, Jackie),

Then we can add on the 5 (important) DWMA staff members (Death, Spirit, Stein, Sid, Mira)

Then the 6 other Death Scythes (Marie, Azusa, Justin, Tezca, Dengu, Djinn)

And the 5 members of Medusa’s (former) gang (Crona, Ragnarok, Free, Eruka, Mizune family)

And the 4 surviving members of Noah’s gang after that fell apart like wet toilet paper (Noah, Gopher, Index, the Clown)

And the 3 elder gods we know besides Death (Eibon, Asura, that dude in Eibon’s book)

And 7 assorted characters who are (presumably) somewhat important but don’t fit into any other categories (Blair, Imp, Excalibur, Maba, Angela, Akane☆Hoshi, Clay Sizemore, probably more I forgot)

That’s 44 characters in total, and that’s only including the ones who are alive and shown to be at least somewhat involved in the current conflict and/or important in the world as a whole, which seems to me as very clearly being a lot to keep track of in a series as quickly paced as this one

Anyways, this is a lot of words to say Soul Eater’s very good so far, but I really wish it just got to reach the full potential of its ideas more than it ended up being able to