#I little showtime at the end for you folks

[minty-sweet-art]

Wake up my fellow nerds!! it #mintysillyart edit compilation time🚨🚨🚨🚨

✨carnival au addition✨

Carnival au and drawing by: @sm-baby

Yea this is 2 minutes long (save my soul i had to add everyone somehow for some reason)

Warning for: loudish tv beeping sound/car honk/yelling, cursing, emoji knife& Japanese Ogre mask, real gun photo, explosion gif

Gummigoo was harmed im sorry y’all

But no gloinks where harmed

Link to most of the drawing used here

Link to where the player drawing came from

Link to pomni pic

Link to caine pic (warning for violence and blood)

Link to zooble pic

And finally link to gloinks

[munson-blurbs]

i am alrREADY SENDING IN MY REQUEST SO I DONT FORGET AND I NEED THIS

Peanut Butter Cup - Nerds

IM SO EXCITED.

Fake dating/Bookworm!Reader/Steve Harrington

Warnings: fake dating, Harrington familial dysfunction, drunk family members

WC: 1.1k

Divider credit to @saradika

Steve had heard it all from his parents:

“Why don’t you have a girlfriend yet?”

“Just go out on a date, Steven.”

“You spend all damn day at that video store; you’re never gonna meet anyone that way.”

He normally shrugs it off, until his parents give him an ultimatum: get a girlfriend before the annual Harrington Family Reunion in two weeks, or don’t bother showing up at all. 

“Twenty years old, and you barely passed high school, work a dead-end job, and don’t even have a girlfriend,” his father mutters, disgust marring his features. “You’re a disappointment.”

The insult reverberates around his skull all day: disappointment, disappointment, disappointment. It’s not the first time his father has hurled the term his way, and it likely won’t be the last, but the impact continues to sting.

It’s still gnawing at him when you walk in the door, sliding a VHS copy of The Shining across the counter with a bashful smile.

“Sorry, I know it’s a day late,” you apologize, already digging into your bag for change. “How much is the fee?”

Steve dismisses the notion with a wave. “Don’t worry about it,” he says, already checking the movie back into the system. “You, uh, went to Hawkins High, right?”

“Mhm,” you confirm, zipping up your purse and hitching it back up your shoulder, “class of ‘86.”

“‘85,” he chirps, clearing his throat to temper his enthusiasm. “Anyway, hope the movie was good.”

You nod and smile again; the gentle upturn of your lips has Steve melting. “It was. The book was better, though.”

And that’s when Steve finally places you: back in high school, you volunteered at the school library and, on more than one occasion, had helped him find a book for research projects. You were pretty then, and you’re even prettier now.

“I haven’t read the book,” he admits, embarrassed that he hasn’t read much of anything besides a comic book or two since graduation. 

Your jaw drops. “Well, now you have to!” You grab your car keys from your back pocket. “I’ll swing by tomorrow with my copy, if that’s cool?”

“Y-Yeah, ‘s cool,” he stutters, giving his head a soft shake to shift the hair from his hazel eyes. He watches as you walk out of the store, the sway of your hips drawing him in. 

He probably would have stared forever if Robin hadn’t cut in. “Hey, Dingus, you’re drooling.”

You stop by Family Video the next day to drop off the book. And then a few days after that, you go there again to grab another movie. Soon enough, you’re a regular customer.

“Can I ask you for a favor?” Steve blurts out from where he’s standing next to you as you peruse the horror section. “Feel free to say no, to tell me to fuck off, and I will. I will just…fuck right off.”

“Shoot.”

“Could you pretend to be my girlfriend at my family reunion next weekend? Nothing weird,” he rushes to add, not wanting to imply any unwanted contact. “Just hand holding, arm around your shoulder…no feels will be copped, I swear.”

You pinch your eyebrows, perplexed. “Is this the trade-off for having my late fee waived?” you tease, thumbing The Exorcist and tugging it from its spot on the shelf. “Because I’ll pay it.”

Steve laughs, shaking his head. “Nah, just tired of hearing my folks complain about me not having my life together. Figured if I showed up with a smart, pretty girl on my arm, they’d shut up for a little while.”

Your face burns at the compliments, both at the words and that King Steve is the one saying them. “What’s the dress code?”

You and Steve arrive in his Beemer, his hand already pressed to the small of your back as you walk into the restaurant. A room filled with Harringtons greet you as you enter the room, and your stomach flips as you wonder if you can pull this off.

“Showtime,” Steve murmurs in your ear, taking you around the room to meet his family. You’re suddenly self-conscious of where your black dress lands on your thighs and the cut of the neckline. Sure, Steve had approved it, but what did he know?

You note that he’s been gazing at you since he’d picked you up earlier, eyes drawn to you like a magnetic force. It’s part of the whole bit, you try and convince yourself, but something nags at you that Steve isn’t that good of an actor.

The conversations go as easily as they can; you spend the evening peppering in “facts” about your relationship that you and Steve had rehearsed over and over. Some of the details were truthful, like meeting at Family Video and bonding over horror movies. Other parts were much more embellished: relationship duration, your first date, the way Steve bragged that you were the most beautiful girl he’s ever laid eyes on.

It’s smooth sailing until Steve’s inebriated father stands up, clumsily clinking his knife to his wine glass. “I’d like to make a toast,” he slurs, swaying as he speaks, “to my son, Steve, and his girl! Never thought I’d see the day he’d land someone like her.”

Your eyes remain glued to the floor, waiting for the moment to be over, but if the impromptu speech wasn’t awkward enough, one of Steve’s equally drunk uncles calls out, “Give her a kiss, Stevie!”

Steve shakes his head with an uncomfortable chuckle. “Nah, we’re not really into the public–”

“Aw, c’mon!” His boisterous voice echoes throughout the restaurant. “Kiss, kiss, kiss!” he chants, and soon enough, most of the family joins in.

“Shall we shut them up?” Steve mumbles, turning to you. “Y’don’t have to…”

“N-No, we can.” It’s not the most conventional first kiss, but then again, nothing about this arrangement is normal. “We can just…”

Steve’s hand is on your cheek, nose nudging against yours as your lips press together. This isn’t a simple peck; no, it’s far more involved, more intimate, than you had anticipated.

You melt into him a bit more, resting your own hand on his bicep until the kiss comes to an end. The men hoot and holler; the women exchange awws.

“Now that,” Steve’s dad guffaws, clapping a hand on his son’s back, “is the kiss of true love!”

You manage a small smile, wondering exactly what just happened. The kiss was the best of your life, and it was supposedly just for show.

Steve’s breath tickles your earlobe as he whispers, “he may be drunk, but he’s not wrong.” His cheeks are pink at the admission.

It’s certainly a conversation you’ll need to have later, but you can’t say you disagree. For now, your fingers intertwine with his, and you give them a quick squeeze. 

Maybe it’s the wine, but you swear you love him back.

--

[madsworld15]

Why Queer as Folk (2000) Was Seemingly Forgotten

An analysis by a professional TV Critic

Let me start off by saying the initial run of Queer as Folk and its current resurgence can be represented by this mantra by Brian Kinney: There are two kinds of straight people. The ones who hate you to your back and the ones who hate you to your face.

The initial run of QAF coincides with the first half of the statement: hate behind your back.

So, recently I started thinking about how in the early 2000s, Queer as Folk seemed to be on a trajectory of going down in TV history. Then, seemingly just as quickly, people stopped talking about it. So much so that by the time I finished watching it in 2009, I only got a few good months of chatter on social media platforms (Twitter mostly) with other fans before it just stopped being talked about in a wide-reaching manner.

I will even admit that I stopped thinking about the show not long after that and wasn't reminded of its full impact on my psyche until late last year when it was back on easy-access streaming due to Showtime's merge with Paramount+.

But why is it that this show is only just now starting to pick up speed again? (I'm talking fan cams on TikTok, memes, etc.)

I have some theories about all of this, so buckle in.

To really get a grasp of what Queer as Folk was working against when it aired on Showtime -- a paid subscription channel back before the days of an overabundance of streaming services, you have to look at the climate we were living in. Also, how inaccessible a paid TV channel was for most people.

So, in the early 2000s, life in the United States, and probably the world, but I'm not fully educated enough to comment on that, wasn't the greatest for those in the LGBT+ community. It would be years before the President of the United States would pass legislation that Gay Marriage be legal nationwide.

Employers were able to fire people for being gay, and the employees couldn't fight it. Gay parents had very little in terms of rights to their own children; in fact, some couldn't even adopt the kids they wanted to because there were no laws against discrimination.

All of these things are depicted left and right throughout Queer as Folk, with Ted getting fired from his job, Michael being extremely closeted at his job, and Melanie not being afforded rights to Gus because of adoption regulations during that time.

So, for our community to receive a show that was by us for us, we were overjoyed. There was something so resolutely refreshing about the unapologetic manner in which these characters were allowed to present themselves and live their lives. And while the show gets dinged today for its lack of racial diversity, we were glad to see queer people represented in a variety of ways -- we got to see the Emmett's and Justin's of the world being friends with the Ted's and Michael's and Brian's.

Not only that, these characters got to love who they wanted, however, they wanted, and whenever they wanted. Characters like Michael and Emmett could go from wanting to freely fuck whoever to finding that special person and settling down. We got to see Ted find the right guy at the wrong time over and over and over again until it was finally the right guy at the right time.

But most of all, we got to see a character like Brian, who, in the hands of a straight person, might've actually gone "soft" and "domestic" just by being with Justin. Instead, we got to see him never change his opinion about what he wanted, but still finding love in his own way.

However, not long after the show ended (like around 2008), the climate in the United States started to shift more towards open acceptance of the queer community. So, people stopped needing an escape from the hardships of real life because things seemed to be on an upward trend toward love and equality. Therefore, Queer as Folk sort of fell off the radar of viewers because we didn't want more of the gritty, complicated, messy queer stories. We wanted our stories to be happy and lighthearted.

(Keep in mind I am speaking in terms of general viewers. There are always exceptions to the rule)

Then, in 2016, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, and suddenly, it was totally okay for people to openly mock us and hate us.

This is where the resurgence of QAF falls into the second half of Brian's mantra: hate us to our face.

Around 2016/2017, people started talking about this show again. And the love and fervor for it has only increased exponentially over the last few years, especially with the onset of COVID-19 and the merging of Showtime/Paramount+. Both events made the public more aware and able to access the show.

Now more than ever, we need something that isn't afraid to show queer people as we are, not as the media and those outside our community paint us. We need to feel like there is a media format that understands what we are like when we are with our closest friends. We say things that, in today's world, would probably get us canceled, and we judge those around us and have very biased opinions about certain people.

Brian Kinney's unapologetic "I am who I am and fuck anyone who tries to change me" attitude is the exact level of strength and courage we wished more people right now had. His biased, but not illogical, opinion of non-queers needs to be loud. It needs to be shouted from the rooftops because we now live in a world where we are hated just for existing as we are.

Even our rights that had been given to us just a decade ago are being stripped away from us once more. So, the fight for love and equality continues, and the hope that Queer as Folk gives us is important now more than ever.

So, people are seeking this story out and are begging others in the world to watch it and understand that we have always been here. We've always been these flawed but loving characters. We deserve to be heard.

In 2022, Peacock tried its best to create a redo of the series but failed miserably. But why? If we are desperately looking for queer media that is gritty, unapologetic, and real, then why didn't we latch onto this latest iteration?

The answer is simple. This new version was great at creating a more diverse image of the characters created for the Showtime series but failed to understand that recreating things almost note for note with entirely new characters isn't what we want.

It would've been better if the show stuck to broad-stroke themes and made these characters and their experiences their own. Queer today is different than queer in the early 2000s, just like queer in the 2000s was different than queer in the 1980s. Trying to put queer 2000s stories into a queer 2020s world isn't going to work.

We need to embrace this resurgence of Queer as Folk (2000) and give it the love and attention it should've always had. Perhaps finally giving its rightful due in the eyes of the history of queer media. Does it have its issues as the world changes? Absolutely, but we also can't sit here and deny the insane level of impact this show had on the queer media we now know and love.

We wouldn't have casually queer shows like Schitt's Creek, Heartstopper, and Our Flag Means Death if Queer as Folk hadn't broken down our walls and made us realize that we can demand stories for queer people by queer people.

[oogaboogaspookyman]

Today: Cartoon Cat in...

{RERUNS}

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

[1]

{Let's have a rerun, BUDDY}

*let's muthafuckin' go brother boutta wreck yo shi*

[2]

{It's showtime, this time i'm not pulling any punches, all the bets are off the table!}

*yeah yeah keep yappin'*

[3]

{Turn on the stage lights, i'll bend your femurs!}

{By the time i'm done with you there will be nothing left of you to find!}

*dayum*

{I will not let my little mice get away!}

[4]

{The fun i'll have, ripping you to shreds till there's only your blood remaining, i'll feast on your flesh and bones!}

*uh huh yeah okay*

{It's just a rerun of my favorite episode again!}

[5]

Quit the threats and show off what you have to offer already

I'm getting tired of hearing the same story all over again

{THEN WHY PERSIST}

{WHY PERSIST}

[6]

{THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ENTER THE HOME OF THE UNKNOWN}

{HUMAN}

[7]

{Oh now you got me in a bad mood, i didn't lie when i said all bets are off the table}

{You entered my home uninvited and challenged me like i can't snap you in half}

*oh no he's angy now lol*

[8]

{THIS IS WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE, YOU COULD BE REPLACED}

*holy shit*

{YOU DON'T MATTER, YOU DON'T MATTER}

{I COULD TAKE YOUR ROLE JUST FINE}

[9]

{It's showtime, this time i'm not pulling any punches, all the bets are off the table!}

*why do i hear The Good Part coming*

{I DON'T LIKE MY PREY GETTING AWAY}

[10]

{Turn on the stage lights, i'll bend your femurs!}

{By the time i'm done with you there will be nothing left of you to find!}

*good part??? Hello???*

[11]

{I'M AFRAID YOU'VE MADE IT TOO FAR}

{This is the end, i have reached my limit so just PERISH ALREADY}

{I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR GAMES}

{This feline is getting ANNOYED}

[12]

That's all folks!

[thebreakfastgenie]

Tbh I think the joker is wild is only so disliked because of where it is in the shows whacky continuity. If it didn’t air like 7 episodes before GFA where we see Hawk at his lowest it would’ve been better received and not so much as BJ fuckin with his deeply mentally unwell friend. Honestly I could see it taking place a little bit after period of adjustment as another form of BJ coming to terms with this is going to be his life for a while. Trapper left, Radar left. Bj is stuck. Idk when I was younger I always loved it cuz haha Bj pranks his friend !! But now I have mixed feelings

I can't speak to why anyone else dislikes The Joker Is Wild. For me, it's the following reasons:

As you said, it feels cruel to do to Hawkeye in season 11, especially in hindsight knowing what's coming. In that sense, it probably would play better if it happened earlier in the show. That being said, the narrative of that episode seems to assert that Hawkeye deserves it, and I don't think that was ever true. It's disproportionate to drive him to paranoia, but more than that, Hawkeye's pranks were rarely cruel, and when they were the victim was Margaret or Frank or, on a handful of occasions, Charles (BJ always helped with those) and it was never acknowledged as cruel. I think it was @majorbaby who first suggested this episode would be excellent if Margaret was the mastermind and I agree. That would be a well-executed continuity nod and a successful metacommentary on the early seasons of the show. As written, it is neither of those things.

I struggle to believe that Margaret or Mulcahy or Klinger or someone wouldn't have questioned the plan once it became apparent how it was affected Hawkeye. I know that was impossible because of the reveal, but I think it's unfair to those characters (for reference, I don't think Fallen Idol is unfair to any of them or OOC).

This episode characterizes pranks as cruel which they never were on MASH before. Even episodes like April Fools and An Eye for a Tooth end with even the victims laughing. The exceptions are, of course, early pranks on Frank and Margaret, but they were antagonists and considered deserving. Dear Sigmund, the episode that establishes BJ as a prankster, is pretty straightforward about what pranks mean at the 4077th. Sidney describes the practical joker as a folk hero. The pranks are meant to make everyone laugh and they serve to boost morale. Even the victims usually enjoy them and they're fairly harmless.

The Joker Is Wild tries to do a continuity nod--rare for M*A*S*H--and does it badly. This is more or less unforgivable to me. All of the references to Trapper as a gifted practical joker make no sense, because that was never Trapper's thing. Trapper only ever participated in pranks with Hawkeye, and while the offscreen ones may have been more equal, onscreen Hawkeye masterminded them. Hawkeye has an entire storyline in Showtime where he engages in a solo prank war against Frank; Trapper is not involved. By contrast, pranks are BJ's thing, as established in Dear Sigmund.

The pranks just aren't good. The ones BJ does, the ones Hawkeye talks about that Trapper supposedly came up with... their sophistication and epicness are purely informed attributes. If you're going to do this kind of an episode, you need writers who are good at pranks. An Eye for a Tooth works because it was based on a real prank war in the cast.

BJ was already unsympathetic to me when he nailed Hawkeye's shoe to the floor because For Want of a Boot really struck a nerve for me and he just left a hole in that shoe!!!

BJ did not win the bet. There is no room for interpretation here. There is no "well the real point was..." It doesn't matter, because the episode treats it as if he won the bet, and he did not. The bet was not that he could get Hawkeye, it was that he could get six people. He got one person. He lost. Period. What bothers me the most about this is I don't think the writers realized this. I think they forgot what the bet actually was. The meat of this episode is the rivalry between BJ and Hawkeye and I think somewhere along the line someone just failed to notice that the set-up didn't make sense. That's sloppy writing and I dislike it.

Most of these issues are magnified by bingewatching. I think a casual viewer--and even a lot of dedicated viewers in the 80s--gets what you got as a kid: haha, BJ pranks his friends! If you can enjoy it on that level, good for you! I can't change that I watched the show in sequence and it made me deeply uncomfortable (and I do think it's poorly written). I would personally not like it more if it came after Period of Adjustment, but I might if it happened in seasons 4-6.

[zergula]

Get To Know Me Sims Edition

I got tagged again, yay! Thanks @oasislandingresident Anyone else who wants to do this, I officially tag you!

What’s your favorite Sims death?

I don't think I have a "favorite" death but it's always the meteor strikes that get me. I haven't had too many happen in my game but when they do, it is an EVENT lol

Alpha CC or MaxisMatch?

Alpha for hair (SUPER SHINY PLEASE) maxis match for clothes and everything else

Do you cheat your sims weight?

There is no cheat in this game that I have not nor will not try. If I wanted to be miserable, I'd just live in real life so my sims get whatever they want, look however I want them to look, and never ever run out of money or get sick or anything bad. Nope, if there's a cheat for it, I'mma use it!

Do you move objects?

Absolutely. I am very particular about how I place things, I do not know why lol

Favorite Mod?

Probably the NRAAS mods or any mod that removes things that annoy me about the game. I use a lot of those!

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack?

I started playing Sims 3 late so the first pack I got was a combo Base Game, Late Night, and High End Loft stuff. World Adventures came next and then everything else very shortly after lol

Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing?

Alive.

Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

Autumn Moon! She is absolutely the most gorgeous sim I have ever had. She was the daughter of a sim I made and Anoki Moon.

Have you made a simself?

I started to but I can't seem to get it quite right, lol

Which is your favorite EA hair color?

I don't know, really. I guess it depends on what kind of look I'm going for on the sims.

Favorite EA hair?

Definitely this one from the Showtime pack:

Favorite life stage?

I play mostly as YA but my favorite is child life stage. Toddlers and kids in Sims 3 are A D O R A B L E !

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

A little of both, really. I love building but I am not as good at it as other folks but it's so fun to try and create different places! Gameplay sometimes feels like a time killer until I can think of the next place my sims absolutely must have.

Are you a CC creator?

I make patterns but other than that, no. I love all of the people who do, though, endlessly!

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad?

I don't know really. There are a lot of folks here on Tumblr and elsewhere that I consider friends and hope they think of me as a friend as well <3

Do you have any sims merch?

Weirdly, no. I don't think I've ever even thought about buying any. I spend enough on the game and stuff for the game, I think lol

Do you have a YouTube for sims?

I don't have a YouTube for anything but watching and occasionally commenting on videos.

How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing?

I have a certain list of things that I do before I even start a save now. Another list for once I start. It's a process but it's time tested and perfect! I use a lot more player made creations instead of defaulting to whatever EA gives us. I also do A LOT more travelling and challenges now.

What’s your origin id?

I have no idea.

Who’s your favorite CC creator?

ALL OF THEM

How long have you had simblr?

I don't even know. I think maybe 5 years now ? but it's probably longer than that. I know once I got here, everyone made me feel so welcome! Now you'll never get rid of me muuhahahahahahaaaaa

How do you edit your pictures?

I am really bad at editing any photo and my sims pics are just as bad, lol. I kinda just crop and clean them up a little but my ability really does not extend very far beyond that.

What expansion/ gamepack is your favorite?

Surprisingly to me, it's Supernatural. I say it's surprising because I had no interest in play occult sims or anything like that at all but Supernatural is essential to me for one reason and one reason alone: witches can magically upgrade everything in WAY less time than it takes to manually upgrade something. I know, it's a weird reason but that's seriously why. Big fan of Seasons and Generations as well!

[coffeefueledmachine]

A Day in My Life

by Rubie Ryan G. Cabigas

Today is another day but nothing’s new in what I do every day. Everything in my life is like a programmed code for machines, it’s all the same. Well, it’s not like I am complaining about it but I do sometimes wish that something exciting happens in my life just to spice it up a bit.

Going back to the main topic, this is how I start my daily life. I wake up around 7 to 8 am and go to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I then go to my dogs’ little rooms and get them out one by one for them to have some exercise and defecate outside (don’t worry, I always clean up my dogs’ mess after they finished their business outside). After having a bit of exercise and defecating (obviously, not me but my dogs), I bring my dogs back to their little rooms and then I get my shovel, “walis ting-ting” and dustpan to clean up the mess done by my dogs. I sweep and then bury my dogs’ feces. Then, I will go and check my plants. My plants are onion chives, red bell pepper, lemongrass, aloe vera, and spinach. I create my own concoction of fertilizer by using organic materials that are in front of our house, like dead leaves and fruit peelings. After checking my plants and giving them liquid fertilizer, I will head out and buy some bread for our breakfast, and sometimes, I also buy some fish (rejects, “tamban” or “sigarilyo”) as viand for my pets (dogs and cats). I usually buy around 2 kilos of fish as long as it doesn’t exceed my budget (which is around 150 pesos) but if it exceeds my budget, I will only buy half a kilo of it. After purchasing bread and some fish, I and my mother will now have our breakfast which consists of bread and some hot drinks. My hot drink is semi-sweetened hot cocoa with a bit of coffee because if I don’t drink caffeinated drinks (especially coffee), I will experience another painful migraine that lasts a day. After having our breakfast, I will start my household chores which consist of removing the dust from the furniture and then sweeping the floor of our house. And that is the end of my chores for the first half of my day.

Before continuing to the second half of my boring daily life, I just want to tell you, my readers, that things are going to get more boring at this part. I hope you will stay and continue reading this.

For the second half of the day in my life, I start by preparing our lunch right after a few minutes of cleaning the house. We usually have our lunch around 12:45 pm, just in time before It’s Showtime starts on Youtube. After eating our lunch, I start preparing my pets’ food by mashing the fish into a paste before mixing it then to the cooked corn rice (bugas mais) so that my pets will eat everything instead of just eating the fish and leaving the rice. While they are eating, I will flush their pee out of their rooms to keep it clean. After flushing the urine away and after they finish eating their food, I will get their plates and wash them and leave them to dry. I will now then start working on my school requirements and my side hustles cryptocurrency mining sites and apps, and play-to-earn sites and apps). But most of the time, I just do my school requirements before the deadline because my laptop might not work again and cause me a lot of problems. Around 7 pm, I will temporarily stop doing my school requirements to prepare our dinner before my little sister arrives home from work. After our dinner, I will now prepare my pets’ dinner by doing the same thing I did for them during their lunchtime. After feeding and making sure that my pets will finish their food, I will get their plates and wash them. Then, I will now start washing our plates and the utensils that my little sister used in her work. After finishing my final household chore, I will continue working on my school requirements. I will then sleep around 2-3 am after finishing 60% of my requirements.

And that’s all folks, this is how a day in my life goes by. I know it’s kinda boring. Yeah, that’s what I also feel actually but it is better than doing nothing. I hope you “enjoyed” reading about how a day goes by in my life. Until next time, I guess. Bye and have a nice day ahead.

[cyarskaren52]

these are the ten best tv shows of this year (and three of the worst)

The 10 best TV shows of 2023 (and 3 worst)

The year's best TV featured dazzling debuts, first-rate farewell seasons, and the funniest show about an organ-harvesting ring you'll see all year.

Updated on December 8, 2023

Even though the TV industry was shut down for 192 days this year due to a pair of strikes, it was still remarkably hard to narrow this best-of-2023 list down to 10. Shout-out to a few runners-up, which would also be worthy additions to your watch list: Mrs. Davis (Peacock) is a religious experience for fans of Betty Gilpin (a.k.a. everyone); Queen Charlotte (Netflix) will have your Bridgerton-loving bosom heaving with bittersweet sobs; and Yellowjackets (Showtime) delivered a killer ending after an occasionally wobbly second season. With that bit of housekeeping over, let's get on with the show(s).

The 10 Best Shows of 2023 

10. 'Judge Steve Harvey' (ABC/Hulu) 

ABC/Erika Doss

Steve Harvey is not a real judge, but he plays one in this reliably funny and life-affirming (yes!) quasi-court show featuring everyday folks facing off over small-claims complaints. Judge Steve Harvey highlights interesting but low-stakes cases that hinge more on interpersonal relationships than money. Think a husband suing his wife over her obsession with pickleball (including $500 for pain and suffering due to his loneliness); a mom suing her son because he broke his promise to cut his hair; or two factions of an a capella group suing each other over costly (and sequin-covered) costumes. Harvey — a comedian, veteran TV host, relationship advice author, and self-described “full-blown Christian” — nimbly draws out the issues at the root of these conflicts in a way that emphasizes how the people we love are far more important than material things. The host ensures there are plenty of feel-good moments on the docket by frequently surprising the litigants, like a hard-working stay-at-home mom or a couple whose wedding was ruined by COVID, with lavish gifts and much-needed cash. And everyone leaves the courtroom with a valuable dose of tough love. “I think you all need to find your way back to each other,” Harvey tells a pair of siblings squabbling over a dating app profile. “Because when all these men come and go, y’all still gonna be sisters.” The verdict is in: Judge Steve Harvey is comfort TV at its finest.

9. 'The Curse' (Paramount+ with Showtime) 

Richard Foreman Jr./A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

Spoiler sensitivity precludes me from saying too much about this tenaciously peculiar kinda-comedy from Nathan Fielder (The Rehearsal) and Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems); only four of 10 episodes have aired so far. But taken as a whole, The Curse — starring Fielder and Emma Stoneas married TV hosts — leaves an indelible and thoroughly disquieting impression. As hosts of HGTV’s Flipanthropy, Asher and Whitney Siegel’s stated goal is to bring upscale, eco-friendly homes to the working-class city of Española, New Mexico. The locals aren’t enthusiastic, including Nala (Hikmah Warsame, a little star in the making), who puts a curse on Asher after he renegs on his promise to give her 100 dollars. But The Curse’s real curse isn’t some childish hex; it’s Asher and Whitney and Dougie (Safdie), their wretched producer, all of whom refuse to be honest with themselves or one another about what they really want. Come for Nathan Fielder’s (prosthetic) micropenis; stay for the merciless satire of colonialist greed masquerading as modern allyship.

8. 'Harlem' (Amazon Prime Video) 

Amazon

One scene in Harlem’s second seasonencapsulates everything there is to love about Tracy Oliver’s snappy, savvy comedy about friendship, femininity, and finding yourself. Having just landed a small part in a Hallmark Christmas movie, Angie (Shoniqua Shandai) arrives in hair and makeup to prep for an upcoming party scene. The white stylist (Ursula Abbott) tentatively pats Angie’s natural curls. “I’m thinking it’s perfect!” she chirps, before breezing her way out the door. A stunned Angie sits in silence, flanked by posters featuring the white casts of (fictional) Hallmark films, including Christmas Sail and You’ll Tide Me Over. 

ADVERTISEMENT

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

(Tagline: “Sometimes, you have to settle.”) She’s on the brink of walking out when beloved sitcom diva Countess Vaughn appears to her as a vision. “What about that brown girl that is hooked on the Hallmark Channel?” she asks Angie. “You want her to see you, right?” A buoyant tale of four BFFs — anthropology professor Camille (Meagan Good), fashion designer Quinn (Grace Byers), queer tech exec Tye (Jerrie Johnson), and aspiring actress Angie — Harlem examines the realities and nuances of life as a Black woman with frank insights and savage pop culture parody. Don’t call it the new Sex and the City — seriously, don’t. (The characters literally roll their eyes when someone mentions SATC in the finale.) Just know this: If you’re looking for a delightfully smart, funny series with an authentic point of view, you don’t have to settle.

7. 'Bargain' (Paramount+) 

 TVING Co/Paramount+

A fast-paced fusion of body horror, disaster drama, black comedy, and psychological character study, Bargain packs a lot of payoff into its six sleek episodes. The Korean survival thriller opens with an unsettling vignette: Park Joo Young (Jeon Jong-Seo), a teen girl wearing a short black skirt and a private school blazer, meets an older man named Noh Hyung-soo (Jin Sun-kyu) in a remote hotel room. They proceed to have a detailed discussion about the technical status of her virginity. It’s excruciating, which makes the pandemonium that follows — a black-market organ-harvesting ring! a catastrophic earthquake! murderous gangsters on the hunt for any surviving witnesses! — all the more exhilarating. Writers Jeon Woo-sung, Choi Byeong Yun, and Kwak Jae Min don’t use the natural disaster to vault Joo Young and Hyung-soo into something as predictable as a redemption arc. Instead, they send Bargain’s assortment of venal and untrustworthy characters on a survival scramble that’s so deranged and giddily suspenseful, watching it play out is priceless.

6. 'American Born Chinese' (Disney+) 

Disney+

On the night before his big soccer game, stressed-out tenth grader Jin Wang (Ben Wang) has a dream. He’s on the apartment set of Beyond Repair, a corny ‘90s sitcom whose wacky neighbor character, Freddy Wong (Key Huy Quan), is as problematic as it gets. Just as Jin confesses that he was too scared to help his friend Wei-Chen (Jimmy Liu) find the mythical Fourth Scroll, Jin’s immigrant parents, Simon (Chin Han) and Christine (Yeo Yann Yann), appear and beckon him to the dinner table. “You have to be brave, Jin,” Christine tells her son. 

ADVERTISEMENT

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

“You are all the pieces merging into one.” Based on Gene Luen Yang’s acclaimed graphic novel, American Born Chinese itself merges a variety of fascinating pieces — ancient folk tales, wuxia-inspired martial arts action, pervasive racist stereotypes, and a portrait of one Asian-American family’s experience — into an electrifying, heartfelt saga about high school, friendship, and saving the world. Sandwiched as it was between a raft of Marvel spinoffs and Star Wars brand extensions, American Born Chinese broke through with its stellar cast (including Michelle Yeoh as Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy), endearingly relatable characters, and a beautifully simple message. As Freddy explains to Jin in his dream, “A hero doesn’t always have to have superpowers. A hero is someone who goes on a journey, shows courage, helps others.” Fingers crossed that the execs at Disney+, which has yet to renew ABCfor season 2, are listening.

5. 'The Bear' (FX/Hulu) 

Chuck Hodes/FX

“Yo, you ever think about purpose?” Standing in the basement of The Original Beef sandwich shop, 45-year-old Richie Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) admits to Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) that he can’t see a path forward. “What’s my purpose?” That question — both existential and maddeningly practical — is the emotional catalyst pushing Richie and his restaurant family forward in The Bear’s propulsive and poignant sophomore season. Creator Christopher Storer and his writers balance the ticking-clock narrative of an impending restaurant opening with remarkable stand-alone episodes: Marcus (Lionel Boyce) finds inspiration and his confidence in the meditative “Honeydew”; Carmy, Natalie (Abby Elliott), and Mikey (Jon Bernthal) navigate a tumultuous family Christmas in the claustrophobic “Fishes”; Richie realizes that hospitality is his raison d’être in the sublime “Forks.” Serving up powerful moments of hypnotic quiet (Ayo Edebiri’s Sydney lovingly crafting the platonic ideal of an omelet for Natalie) and turbocharged chaos (Carmy, a victim of his own procrastination, gets trapped in the walk-in freezer on friends-and-family night), The Bearfound meaning in the madness of family.

4. 'Reservation Dogs' (FX/Hulu) 

Shane Brown/FX

When we first met Bear (D'Pharoah Woon-a-Tai), Elora (Devery Jacobs), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis), and Cheese (Lane Factor), all they wanted was an escape — from life in their sleepy reservation town of Okern, Okla.; from the constant (and often cryptic) advice of their elders; from the pain of losing their best friend Daniel (Dalton Cramer) to suicide. Two years and 28 magical episodes later, the glorious coming-of-age comedy from Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi ended with the rez dogs understanding and embracing the gift of community. The past was a constant presence in the dreamy, penetrating final season: The Deer Lady (Kaniehtiio Horn), a spirit who enacts vengeance on amoral men, returned for a chilling episode focused on the U.S. government's abduction and abuse of Indigenous children through federal "boarding schools." The trippy “House Full of Bongs” gave us a glimpse of Okern’s winningly eccentric elders — Big (Zahn McClarnon), Brownie (Gary Farmer), Irene (Casey Camp-Horinek), Bucky (Wes Studi), Fixico (Richard Ray Whitman), and Maximus (Graham Greene) — as indolent teenage shitasses. And in “Elora’s Dad,” Ethan Hawke dropped by and absolutely nailed the fidgety, earnest energy of an estranged parent trying to make up for a decades-long absence over a cup of diner coffee. It's painful to say goodbye to this little marvel of a show, so I’ll just echo the words of Willie Jack in the finale’s funeral: “I know I didn’t get to spend enough time with you. But mvto for everything that you taught me.”

3. 'Barry' (HBO/Max) 

Merrick Morton/HBO

Staring with pleading eyes through a wall of prison plexiglass, Barry Berkman begs Sally (Sarah Goldberg), the love of his life, to forgive him. “I didn’t lie to you,” he rasps. “I just, I didn’t tell you the part I didn’t want to be true.” In the grisly final season of Barry, Bill Hader’s titular hitman sought redemption through revisionism, rewriting his homicidal personal history in real time rather than suffering the pain of true repentance. Though accountability hangs like an albatross on Barry and everyone else in his corrosive circle, they transform their regret into outward-facing rage, seeking vengeance on a world that allowed them to make such life-destroying choices. Season 4 of Barry was TV’s funniest tragedy, one that gave the exceptional cast the chance to plumb the true depths of their characters’ misery. Anthony Carrigan’s NoHo Hank, his polished façade stretched thin over a heart demolished by guilt over his soulmate’s death; Henry Winkler’s Gene Cousineau, a Hollywood wannabe done in by hubris; Stephen Root’s merciless Fuches, who emerges from his torturous prison stay with a violent distaste for dishonesty. A few additional accolades are required for Goldberg, whose Sally descends into an emotional hell of her own making, only to claw herself back to the precipice of peace.

2. 'I'm A Virgo' (Amazon Prime Video) 

Amazon Prime

“I’m either a villain or a clown,” laments Cootie (Jharrel Jerome), the 13-foot Black teenager at the center of I’m A Virgo. “I want to inspire people.” In his brilliantly offbeat debut TV series, Sorry to Bother You auteur Boots Riley sends his singular protagonist on a hero’s journey that’s equal parts provocative, uproarious, and inspirational. Emerging from a 19-year seclusion imposed by his overprotective aunt and uncle (Carmen Ejogo and Mike Epps), Cootie balances coming-of-age milestones — like falling in love with Flora (Olivia Washington), a comely fast-food cashier — with the ugly reality of the socioeconomic oppression his Oakland community endures. He’s immediately marked as a threat by a billionaire comic-book publisher (Walton Goggins, wondrously weird) who channels his intense despair into cosplaying as a vigilante crime fighter called The Hero. I’m A Virgo’s fearlessly outrageous narrative offers a dark (and darkly funny) critique of the over-policing of poor communities, the fetishization of law enforcement by pop culture, and the grim connection between crime and capitalism. There’s a lot wrong with the world today, but this year, Boots Riley delivered a dazzlingly original anti-capitalist fable on a platform owned by one of the most powerful corporate behemoths in the world. There’s no other word for it but inspired.

1. 'Succession' (HBO/Max) 

Warner Bros.

Five years after Logan Roy (Brian Cox) suffered a stroke and catapulted his children into a cutthroat, internecine battle for control of the family business, his son Kendall (Jeremy Strong) was struck with a profound and crushing moment of clarity: “He made me hate him, then he died.” In its miraculous final season, Succession laid bare the calamitous effects of Logan’s parenting style on Kendall, Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Connor (Alan Ruck) by giving the siblings the one thing they thought they wanted: Freedom. Prior to Logan’s astonishingly abrupt death in episode 3, creator Jesse Armstrong brought the Roy family together for fleeting moments of connection. “Holy s--t, did dad just say a feeling?” scoffed Kendall, after a somber Logan bemoaned his children’s absence at his birthday party. Was that “I love you” Logan offered his children in the purple glow of the karaoke bar real, or was the Roy family patriarch just feeding their starved hearts a few crumbs of affection to keep them from tanking the GoJo deal? Probably. Even once their formidable father was gone for good, the Roy children clung stubbornly to his toxic playbook, turning every interaction with one another into a negotiation — for power, for loyalty, for validation that they were, in fact, serious people, no matter what daddy said. Offering sufficient praise for Succession’s unparalleled ensemble is an impossible feat, but I’ll treasure Ruck’s wistful performance as Connor, an insider perpetually on the outside — and the only Roy child who almost understood that vying for Logan’s love was a zero-sum game.

The Worst Shows of 2023 

3. 'Citadel' (Amazon Prime Video) 

Amazon

Want to read a really depressing sentence? Here’s Jen Salke, head of Amazon and MGM Studios, lauding the first season of Citadel in May: “Our goal was always to create a new franchise rooted in original IP that would grow Prime Video’s international audience.” Corpo-to-English translation: We want flashy, conventional, easily duplicated content that we can own. Amazon’s plan worked: The overpriced, paint-by-numbers spy thriller starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden as sexy agents fighting a global crime syndicate was popular overseas, and the streamer is already replicating that formula with two international spinoffs. Television is a business, and I’m not naive enough to expect execs to value creativity and originality over profits. But man, at least they used to pretend to care about quality. As the industry melds into one giant conglomerate, expect more like Citadel — less a TV show than a mass-produced unit of “entertainment.”

2. Rehashed IP 

Netflix;Paramount+;CBS

Another year, another glut of unnecessary and uninspired reboots, revivals, and (a pox on this word!) “reimaginings.” Showtime’s Fatal Attraction and the Frasier revival on Paramount+trapped likable actors in flimsy creative constructs, while Netflix’s That ‘90s Show thrust once-likable characters into a purgatory of artless, laugh-track powered nostalgia. Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies on Paramount+ all but sabotaged its intriguing, feminist-origin-story premise with a desperate excess of Easter eggs, but at least it tried harder than CBS’ True Lies, which played like a 44-minute network note. A few IP re-dos rose above mediocrity: Night Courtearned big ratings for NBC, and Netflix’s anime Scott Pilgrim sequel became an instant critical darling. You know what that modicum of success means, folks: More rehashed IP! Heading into 2024, my New Year’s resolution is to keep an open mind about the new versions of Fawlty Towers, Matlock, Who’s the Boss?, Baywatch, Ally McBeal… [sobs quietly into hands]

1. 'The Idol' (HBO/Max) 

The Idol is a fascinating example of what happens when network execs give a hotshot showrunner carte blanche — or, as Abel Tesfaye’s character pronounces it with such confidence, cart-ay blanch-ay. The drama — which was co-created by Euphoria mastermind Sam Levinson, Tesfaye (formerly known as The Weeknd), and Reza Fahim — centers on Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), a famous but troubled pop star. Just as she’s on the cusp of launching a comeback after the death of her mother, Jocelyn falls under the sway of a charismatic and abusive charlatan named Tedros (Tesfaye). Behind the scenes, The Idol experienced its own power shift with the departure of original director Amy Seimetz, leading to extensive rewrites and reshoots under Levinson’s purview. What was apparently supposed to be a satire of modern fame and the exploitation of female celebrities became a laughable, affected, and morbidly fascinating exercise in soft-core porn. As an actor, Tesfaye is an excellent musician, and The Idol has nothing insightful or interesting to say other than, “Look at how many times we can get Lily-Rose Depp naked!” (It should be noted that Depp is a talented actress and clearly did her best with the schlock she was handed.) HBO wanted the next Euphoria. Instead, they learned a very unsexy lesson: When wunderkinds are left unsupervised, the results can be agony. 

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

The 25 best comedy series on Max right now

Damn it, Frasier! Peri Gilpin returns as Roz in Frasier season finale 

Murder in Boston review: Examining the legacy of a racist rush to judgment

Sent from my iPhone

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony's Stupid Daily Blog (717): Sun 3rd Mar 2024

I checked out David Cross's latest special The Worst Daddy In The World and enjoyed it a lot. You wouldn't think from Cross's early work and how surreal it is that he would have transitioned into politically fuelled comedy but he really does have his finger on the pulse of the hotbed issues facing the american politcal landscape and skewers them brilliantly. I especially loved his routine about having his daughter making friends with a child who has been homeschooled by a right wing family. I can still remember in the days of Limewire downloading Cross's albums from the nineties and would listen to them frequently but I still haven't seen this stand up legend live. Since by the end of the year I will have pretty much seen all the bands I want to see I may start focusing exclusively on comedy gigs.

I'm delighted to report that this diet / exercise programme I took a holiday in order to devote my full attention to seems to be going well as I've almost lost a stone and feel a lot lighter and healthier too. Last year I tried a liquid diet but from what I've read these can be counter intuitive because although the stomach shrinks due to only consuming liquids once you start eating again you start to put on weight at an accelerated rate. So what I've done is began each day with a modest sixed meal first thing (a couple of veggie burgers or sausages) and THEN only stuck to water for the remainder of the day. So it's an almost all liquid diet so that my stomach is still used to getting solid food but more accustomed to liquids. I doubt that I will hit twelve stone before I go back to work but it doesn't really matter at this stage because now I've been doing it for long enough that I've started to see the results and this is providing an incentive to carry on. In the same way that I listen to songs about booze and sex to fill the gap in my life I have due to not having booze or sex today I decided to watch a bunch of videos about a guy who does epic food challenges. This one video I watched featured a guy with an enormous beard trying to eat a pizza the size of my bedroom rug in under forty five minutes and he actually completes it with plenty of time to spare. I watched a bunch of these videos and from what I can tell he has never failed one of these challenges so he's like the Goldberg of competitive eating and he still hasn't bumped into the food equivalent of Kevin Nash yet. I imagine the only way this guy will ever lose one of these challenges is if it's something really spicy. What's crazy is how skinny this guy is despite his job so I imagine he must do some sort of martial arts in order to maintain his relatively small frame. If this is true then I'd be terrified to roll on the mat with him a) in case the contents of his bowels just vacated out of him and all over me and b) in case he started feeling peckish during our sparing session and fancied a little nibble of my biceps.

Later on I checked out tonight's Hollyoaks and I have to admit I'm really pissed off that the show didn't have all the characters wear facepaint to pay tribute to Sting. I know they tape these months in advance but Sting announced his retirement six months ago so they cant use ignorance as an excuse. Even if they'd have just had Darren come down the stairs in the paint and yell "IT'S SHOWTIME FOLKS!" just as a bare minimum tribute to a legend who has literally zero association with this British soap opera. Anywho the main storyline was the fallout from Theresa sleeping with Abe. When Sally found out about this she told Theresa off and asked how she was going to fix it. I put the following hypothetical scenario on Twitter: Sally: You slept with Abe?! How are you going to make this right? Theresa: Well I was thinking maybe if I slept with him again, then… Sally: Think harder Theresa! Or at least I eventually did after I dug out my replacement laptop after covering my main one in tears after another Sting cry.

[thebuckblogimo]

Whoa...there's a pontoon boat at our front door.

October 12, 2022

It was two weeks ago today that Hurricane Ian shook its booty through the RV park where we've owned a trailer for the last eight years in the Fort Myers area. Now that the dust has settled--or surge has receded--it's time to put down some thoughts.

First, a bit of context...

Our park, Siesta Bay, is less than three miles from the Sanibel Bridge to the west. Perhaps you've seen news coverage indicating that one end of the expanse collapsed into the ocean during the storm. Less than three miles to the south sits the town of Fort Myers Beach, which by most accounts was 90 percent decimated.

Our place was smack dab in the middle of it all when shit hit the fan in southwest Florida. Our trailer, dubbed the BuckRen (a portmanteau for Bokuniewicz and Rensi), is no more.

From somewhere--probably the storage lot on the other side of the pond in front of our house--a pontoon and trailer washed up and crashed into our place, knocking it off its blocks, onto the HVAC unit out back. Photos we've received from friends show gashed walls, contents strewn about as if shaken for a giant martini, and seaweed everywhere. Virtually every trailer in our 900-plus-unit park was either blown apart or filled with five to seven feet of water.

Not good.

Debbie and I have received numerous phone calls, emails and personal inquiries from friends and family offering their condolences, asking us how we're doing in the aftermath of the hurricane's devastation.

The weird thing is that despite having no insurance coverage, I feel little emotion about losing our place down there.

Why is that?

I guess it's because there remains in my subconscious that visceral moment 12 years ago when Debbie and I returned from a trip to Minneapolis, walked hand-in-hand down our driveway, stood on the foundation of our Clarkston home, and gazed down into the charred rubble that filled the basement after an electrical fire burned it to the ground.

I remember how we cried.

At the time it seemed like a death in the family. So if I come off as unemotional about losing a mobile home set upon cinder blocks and I-beams in Florida, it's because I know what it's like to lose a home you built from the ground up, where you spent 20 years during the prime of life, and raised four wonderful children.

So, no, as I type this I don't feel too bad about what happened to our place at Siesta Bay.

It's the people who lived year-round down there that I feel for. Just around the corner from us, for example, resided two ailing, coupon-clipping 90-year-olds whose trailer was blown to smithereens. What are they to do now? Where will they go? How will they manage if, as I suspect, they've outlived most of their family members and closest friends?

That's just one couple's story, the kind that really gets to me.

Then there is my newly widowed, 93-year-old mother-in-law who looks forward every year to departing southeast Ohio for Siesta Bay. It took her several days to come to terms with the magnitude of destruction in the community where she spent 28 winters. She is deeply disappointed, to put it mildly.

But we're working on some things that could brighten her outlook on life. We're gonna figure something out. We always have.

ADDENDUM: It's my fellow "snowbirds" I will sorely miss about not going down to Siesta Bay: neighbors such as Lee and Candy, clutching her bottle of Michelob Ultra; brand new neighbors Dave and Susie who totally renovated their place just a year ago; Paul, the walking encyclopedia, and quirky wife Joanne; Scott, the singing cowboy, and wife Margie; Coach Ruh, my softball hitting instructor; Cookie and Dolly from Philly; Billy and Jerry, close friends of my in-laws; Kansas fan Anna, with her big, larger-than-life smile and Elvis-impersonating husband, Jim; moose hunting Quebecers Richard and Gaetane; "Joe the carpenter" who renovated our place; and all the folks who encouraged me to try out for Showtimers--what a blast. I'll also miss all the five o'clock happy hours--on the very spot where the pontoon boat came to a stop at our front door--with Razz, Bert and all our Motor City pals who also lost their winter homes at Siesta Bay.

[thebrightsessions]

Entertainment Spotlight: Briggon Snow

Briggon Snow is a Los Angeles-based actor, writer and creator, originally from South Portland, Maine. He is known for voicing Caleb Michaels in The Bright Sessions and The College Tapes, and roles in The Big Loop (Podcast), Seal Team (CBS), Game Shakers (Nickelodeon) and Masters of Sex (Showtime).

Can you share any fun facts about the making of The Bright Sessions and/or The College Tapes that fans would be surprised to find out?

Oh boy. I was just wracking my brain on this and struggling™. “Should I mention the obvious: That we did this remotely? Talk about those challenges?” And then moments ago my husband stepped out onto our balcony where I was staring at my laptop, read this question, and made a very cheeky suggestion. So here we go:

Everyone loves kissing in audio, right? *crickets* No? Only some of you? Well, I know it’s a hot-button topic, but when it comes to squishy romance feelings I’m here for it, I’ll admit. And well, we recorded this in a pandemic, so...no kissing allowed. And how did we get around that? Well, as one of our illustrious and poor defenseless audio designers got to e̶x̶p̶e̶r̶i̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ suffer through...I sent over “roll-the-tape” recordings of me pulling my husband into my home recording booth to - essentially - makeout for all of your enjoyment/cringes. Now...who’s kissing in The College Tapes? You’ll have to wait and hear (again sorry) because...well...reasons...

If you could have a conversation with Caleb, what would you want to talk about?

I’d love to go on trail with him or go camping and just talk about...feelings. I know the feelings/emotions thing is a constant for him so this is a little on the nose - but in playing Caleb and now writing for him too - I was challenged to submerge myself in my heart and mind and body and meditate with the emotions that pass me by every day. Lauren’s writing gave me a roadmap to identify and place things within myself outside of recording (a gift I’ll never be able to repay). And in these last five years I’ve found myself endlessly fascinated with human emotionality and our awareness or lack thereof and how we move throughout life in relationship with the things we feel. I’d love to look Caleb in the eyes and have us be unabashedly open with each other; the good, the bad, the everything.

Do you have a memory from college or young adulthood that you think would make a good College Tapes scene or episode?

It’s funny. I pulled on so many memories and feelings from my time at college. There’s one particular story involving greek life and my freshman roommate that I absolutely stole when writing my episodes. But I have one memory that’s so...nothing really...but so powerful in my life that I’d like to share...

My best friend in college ended up showing me Avatar: The Last Airbender, and when we’d watch it in his dorm, we would naturally smoosh up on his bed and cuddle under a blanket. And for me, a gay kid - just cuddling up with my straight best friend because we loved each other - and it not being weird or joked about when our friends were around - meant - like - everything to me.

Again, not a big crazy college memory. But let’s hear it for the straight boys out there dismantling toxic masculinity one soft action at a time!

If you could be Atypical in real life, would you want to be? If yes, what powers do you think that you would have?

I want to be an Atypical! I’d love to be able to communicate with anyone (+ animals) regardless of language. I want to know people. I love meeting people. I think one of the greatest privileges of being an actor is that we’re thrown together with other folks who (if it’s going right) open themselves up to you and participate in a created intimacy to seek understanding. More than anything, I’m curious and want to be influenced by other perspectives in this life - and the idea of being able to connect with and learn from a person in Morocco or even an Orca Whale off the coast of Washington is *heart eyes*.

Do you have any headcanons (something that you believe to be true that isn’t explicitly stated) about Caleb?

I don’t know if I’m going against actual canon here. After 5 years it’s hard to keep track of what’s in what episode in The Bright Sessions universe. But I’ve always imagined Caleb as a closet master chef of sorts. I think he learned to cook out of necessity growing up; odd hours for practices and games and his parents being a little scattered. And I think by college, Caleb is super impressive in the kitchen. The kitchen - like the gym or sport or nature - is one of his churches.

Can you share your favorite piece of The Bright Sessions fan art?

There have been so many incredible pieces of fan art over the years and I’ve loved them all. It’s wild how transformative fandoms can be. You never know what aspect of a character or a story is going to take hold in a person’s imagination, and all of the different headcanons and pieces of art our strange and unusual family has shared over the years continues to be my favorite part of being in the cast of The Bright Sessions.

(Grayson, ghostcribs)

I’ve always adored Grayson’s imagining of Caleb and Adam. Grayson is one of my very favorite artists ever; so much so that I eventually - nervously - reached out, and now he and I have started work on a little project of our own. And I love that. We all get to (and I think have the responsibility to if we can) inspire each other with what we put out into the world. It’s call and answer and it makes for the best stuff.

Thanks for taking the time, Briggon! Catch The College Tapes, only on Luminary. 

[thegirlintheswivelchair]

Deep, Disastrous Love || H.H

Pairings: fwb!harry holland x crewmate!reader

Summary: You decided to amp up the meaning of a booty call and surprise Harry at the club. Little do you know, Harry’s struggling with how to deal with your fwb set up.

Wordcount: +3.2k

Warnings: SMUT (like so much of it y’all…it’s pwp), thigh riding, oral fem receiving, unprotected sex (wrap it up folks!!!), super brief mention of alcohol, Angst (it gets angsty folks...sry), readers a tease and in complete denial, some swearing, and overuse of ellipses, aand I wanna say that’s it. (let me know if I missed anything)

A/N: Ok, so this turned into its own thing real quick. I meant for this to be a small little smut fic I could throw out there while I’m slowly making progress on everything else I’m writing! Jokes on me, this turned into its own monster and essentially I made pwp...lol I tried to do something here that I’m not entirely sure if it worked characterwise. So any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Ok, much love, and thanks for reading, liking, and reblogging!

MINORS DO NOT READ. +18 ONLY! THANK YOU!

----

The moment the elevator doors shut, your chest began to tighten as a certain anticipation and fear worked its way around your lungs. Butterflies raged in your stomach, and you felt your heartbeat pick up. 

You had never done this before. You had never surprised Harry. Not at a club, a party, heck you’d never even surprised him at his own door. It had always been a texted booty call or a drunken shag after a night out. That was the way your relationship worked when you weren’t just hanging out as friends. 

This, however...This was new territory. This was you showing up uninvited, purposefully teasing him, and hoping he’d take the bait.

You turned towards the mirrors that surrounded you and looked yourself over. The makeup you’d chosen wasn’t exactly dramatic, but it was smokier and sexier than you usually wore it, and like any fantasy you’ve had about a night like tonight, you rocked a deep, delicious red on your lips. 

Your hands found their way to your dress as you smoothed it out over your figure, making sure everything was perfect. It’s black fabric clung to your body, accentuating the right curves while forgiving others. It was the type of dress that made you feel invincible, and tonight you needed that.

Seeing the numbers steadily tick up to the rooftop where the club was, you turned back towards the doors and took a deep steadying breath in just as the last chime rang. 

Showtime.

The vibrations from the music thrummed through your body as you made your way towards the bar. Your eyes were already scanning the place, looking for the mop of curly red hair you were so familiar with. You didn’t see him until you had gotten your drink--courtesy of a gentleman down the way--and were sipping on it.

Harry was surrounded by a few of his friends, drinking what looked like his usual beer, and sporting a white t-shirt and jeans. You noticed he’d cut his hair. It was shorter, much shorter, than the last time you saw him. His curls were still there, but away from his forehead, no longer loose and running into his eyes. It was a clean cut, and there was something about the new look that had you biting your lip just thinking about what you might do to him tonight, given the chance.

Having found him, you knocked back the rest of your drink and started making your way towards the part of the dance floor closest to Harry and his friends. 

Alcohol and your focus on giving a show kept the self conscious feelings of dancing alone away, and the more you got into the music, the better you felt and the freer you moved. 

It wasn’t long before you started attracting attention. You felt eyes on you, saw the looks some people were giving you, watched the calculations being made for how they would approach you. 

But there was only one pair of eyes that mattered to you. When they finally found your figure, it was like fire licked over your skin. Starting at your feet, gliding up your legs, and wrapping around your torso the flames followed where his eyes traveled. 

You saw out of the corner of your eye, his whole body turning towards you, his tongue darting out and licking his lips. A smirk played on the corner of his mouth as his expression darkened. You could tell he knew what you were up to, and the thought alone added fuel to the fire burning across your body.

Not wanting your game to end just yet, you made it seem like you hadn’t noticed. You turned away from him, still dancing, pretending to be lost in the music. Your hips swayed, and you moved to the rhythm until you felt a pair of warm hands slide across your waist and pull you against a firm chest.

The hands guided you to keep moving as a low murmur made its way to your ears, “Didn’t know you were coming tonight.”

You smirked and murmured back, “Thought I’d spice up the meaning of a booty call.”

You felt his chest rumble as he chuckled, “Spice is right. Showing up here looking like this...” His voice trailed off as his hands slowly slid up and down your sides, and you felt the ghost of a kiss on your neck. The fire that followed his touch was beginning to pool at your core, and you wondered how long you could keep the act up.

“You like it?” you asked as you grind into him, your smirk growing when you heard him hiss. 

Like it? Was that even a question? Harry had seen you look sexy before, but it was never for him. Tonight though, you’d come here looking drop dead gorgeous, playing for his attention, and you ask if he likes it? If he said that didn’t make his heart do a somersault, he was lying through his teeth. Not that he would admit this to you. You were just playing a game...Thankfully, games he could do.

“Yeah, I do.” He said, his voice getting somehow lower than before.

He spun you around so your chests were together, and you looked into his eyes. Their usual warm brown was already darkening, and the glint you saw in them made your panties wet. “Why don’t we go somewhere I can show you how much I like it?”

A smile grew on your lips despite yourself, and you nodded, biting your lip to suppress the grin just a little bit.

----

Harry barely had you through his hotel room door before he was pushing you against the wall. One hand was on the back of your neck, the other dead bolted the door as he crashed his lips into yours. His body pressed against you, your chests moving together as you breathed each other in. He smelled of beer and something musky that you’d always attributed to being him. The familiarity comforted you and sent your heart racing, but that might have been from Harry’s wandering hands.

“This is a new dress isn’t it?” he mumbled in between kisses.

You nodded, “I bought it just for tonight. Just for you to take off.”

Harry moaned at your answer. He wanted nothing more than to rip the dress off you, but he didn’t want the night to end that quickly, not when you were in his arms again, and certainly not when you looked like this.

“Such a naughty girl…” He murmured before his tongue licked along your bottom lip, asking you to open. You gladly let him in as he slotted his knee between your legs, pressing against your core. Sparks erupted in your belly as you melted into the feeling of him all over your body, your arms encircling his neck, one of your hands finding his hair, the other pulling him closer.

Lost in the moment, tongues exploring each other, you almost missed the way his thumb caressed your jaw in the heat of it all. The gentle touch shot to your core, and your hips involuntarily thrust against Harry’s thigh, a little whine coming from the back of your throat.

You felt Harry smirk into the next few kisses as he slid his thigh back and forth underneath you, making you whimper as he gave you the friction you wanted.

Both his hands dropped to your legs, traveling up and under your dress until they stopped at your ass, massaging and squeezing as his leg kept moving against you.

He broke away from the kiss to look at you grinding on his leg, his own cock hardening at the sight. Your head was thrown back against the wall, lipstick starting to smear over your swollen lips, and eyes closed as you felt the pleasure building in your stomach, “Fuck. Look at you in this dress, riding my leg, making a mess of it.” He said softly, licking his lips as he thought about tasting you. Oh god did he want to taste you. He wanted to fucking eat you, make you squirm and come all over his mouth.

He felt your legs starting to quiver, and he leaned forward, kissing and nipping his teeth up your neck until he reached your ear where his voice whispered, “You’re already close aren’t you?” 

“Yes,” You gasped, unable to say much else as the knot in your stomach tightened.

“Go on then, lemme see you fall apart on my thigh.” Harry said as he kissed along your jaw, his mouth swallowing your moans as he reconnected your lips  just as you came. 

Even as the pleasure flooded your system, you knew it wasn’t enough. You wanted more, you needed more. 

“Harry,” you breathed into his lips, his hands beginning to roam your body again, finding the zipper on your dress and tugging.

“Mmm?” He hummed as his lips moved to your shoulder, sucking at the soft skin while his hands slid the dress straps off your shoulders. The dress pooled at your feet, and all that covered you now were Harry’s arms and the flimsy lace thong already ruined by the night's activities. 

“I want you,” You said. The ache was building in your cunt again as you tugged on the hem of his shirt, wanting to get rid of all his clothes so you could actually fuck.

“Needy tonight, huh?” He teased as he pulled away, letting you remove his shirt. He stopped you as you made to undo his pants, his hand covering yours. You looked up at him, your mouth forming a pout, but he only smirked in response saying, “Not yet.”

He led you backwards towards the bed until your legs hit the edge.

“Gonna give you the attention you asked for.” 

He said this casually, but the look in his dark eyes made your breath hitch. You had really only aimed for a good energetic fuck, but it seemed you might have sparked something deeper tonight. 

Harry told you to get on the bed, so you crawled up to its head and watched as Harry climbed after you, situating himself between your legs. His hands smoothed their way up your thighs, and found the band of your panties and pulled.

Once they were gone, Harry groaned at the sight of you. You were fucking divine, every part of you. He kissed the inside of your knee and slowly, methodically began kissing his way towards your center until he reached your throbbing core.

He kissed gently around your clit, frustrating you until you whined, “Harry, come on.”

“So impatient,” Harry chuckled, and you could feel his warm breath on your folds, hovering right where you needed him. 

You were about to whine again when you felt his tongue dash out, lapping at your clit. You jolted at the feeling, your hand immediately flying to his hair, wanting to secure him to the spot, make sure he wouldn’t stop. 

As if he could have stopped...Once Harry tasted you, there was no going back. He hummed with pleasure, and licked at your folds again. He licked from your entrance to your clit, tasting your sweetness on his tongue, and began to swirl his thick muscle around your clit, sucking it into his mouth, savoring every whimper and cry of his name he heard you utter as he ate you. 

It was embarrassing how quickly you were reaching your climax again having had barely any control with the first one. Something about the way he was moaning almost reverently, murmuring praises about how good you tasted, and how beautiful you were was sending you flying to your next orgasm.

“So close, Har,” You mumbled.

“I know.” Harry hummed into your core. He could feel you getting closer as you tightened your grip on his hair. It was almost painful how tightly you held him, but the pride of how fast you were rising and the sheer hotness of you chanting his name had him licking and sucking like he’d starve without you. It wasn’t long before you came all over his tongue and chin.

A proud smirk curled over Harry’s glistening lips when he finally let go of your clit. You watched him move up your body, never losing eye contact until he was hovering over you, licking his lips absently. You barely gave him time to wipe the come from his chin when you pulled him down into a searing kiss. He met your lips and matched the passion with which you were kissing him.

You tasted yourself on his tongue, and you felt yourself clench around nothing. You couldn’t take it anymore, you needed him in you. You wanted to feel every part of him inside you. You wanted his chest pressed against yours and your legs to be wrapped around his body as he ruined you for tomorrow. It was why you had come out tonight, and you were going to feel him, every inch, every vein.

Your hands made their way to his pants, and this time he let you pull them down. His cock sprang free, erect and already leaking, making you even more aware of how empty your pussy was. You immediately went to pump it, but Harry caught your hand before you could.

“‘M not gonna last at all if you do that.” He said breathlessly, removing his pants all the way.

“Then fuck me already,” You answered back with a quick but pointed kiss.

“Gladly,” He said, an amused smirk playing on his lips as he lined himself up with your entrance.

A deep moan came from both of you as Harry pushed in, barely slowing as he bottomed out. You breathed an ok, letting him know you were ready, and he started thrusting lightly into you, but you both needed more and the pace quickened.

The sounds of skin on skin filled the room as Harry slammed into you, his own panting and moans mixing with yours in an off-kilter duet.

“Fuck, Y/n/n, you feel so good.” Harry muttered into your neck.

You barely managed more than his name in answer before your words turned into a cry of pleasure when he shifted your leg just enough to find your g-spot, hitting it over and over and over again. 

All you could feel was Harry, all you could think about was Harry and the way he made you feel. It was all too much to process, and something you didn’t want to process as your high raced to its peak, so you let your pleasure drown it out, getting lost in each thrust of his cock.

Your hands pressed him closer as your nails dragged down his back, no doubt leaving a mark in their wake. That did nothing but drive Harry closer to his own edge, but he wasn’t sure what was sending him faster, the sex or the stupid complicated feelings that were beginning to course through his veins right now.

Having you this close, thinking about you coming here to see him, and the way you were saying his name...It all felt like a jumbled mess of thoughts, and he didn’t know why...No, he knew why, but he wasn’t gonna think about it…

He changed positions one more time, finding an even deeper route through your slick walls as he hammered into you. Both of you moaned in unison, and your walls fluttered around him--a telling sign you were reaching your climax. He was so close himself, the knot just waiting to snap. 

Harry leaned down and kissed your neck, before panting softly, “Come with me, Y/n.”

You hummed and nodded, too far gone to answer with words, and together white hot pleasure explode and rushed through your bodies. Your lips once again found each other as you rode out your orgasms.

When you were finally too sensitive to take anymore, you gently pushed Harry away. He stilled his movements, but didn’t immediately move away, hesitating. It was so tempting to just roll onto his side, taking you with him so you could continue cuddling, but he knew that’s not how this worked between the two of you. You teased each other, kissed, fucked, and left. Falling asleep was certainly a possibility, but you were always gone before he woke. Always making sure what happened in the night, stayed in the night.

Harry looked at your face, absolutely fucked out, with a soft smile playing on your lips as you lazily blink back up at him. He returned the smile, before sweetly kissing your cheek and carefully getting up to grab a warm washcloth.

The cool of the room engulfed you when his body left yours, making you cringe at both the loss of him and his warmth, but you were entirely too tired to care. Even when Harry was back, and you felt him gently cleaning you up, you were already half way asleep, thoughts of him moving in and out of your consciousness.

He was so good at making you feel good. He knew you like the back of his hand. How had you gotten so lucky? You weren’t sure, and frankly you didn’t want to question it. You weren’t going to complicate what you had when it was going so well. Clearly, your gamble had paid off tonight, but it meant nothing--Well not nothing. This was one of the hottest hookups you’d ever had with Harry. You smiled to yourself at the thought. You might just have to do something like this again if it got Harry this riled up.

When the bed to your right dipped down, and you heard the covers shuffle and slid over you, you instinctively turned towards his warm body, nuzzling into his chest and sighing with complete contentment ready to sleep a few hours before finding your way back to your own bed.

Surprised, Harry didn’t immediately wrap his arms around you. He wasn’t sure if he should, knowing full well they’d be empty again in the morning. 

But you won. You always did. If he was going to keep doing this with you, not knowing when he’d have you in his arms next, then he was going to take every chance he had to hold you close. Besides, you were still one of his best friends and a fellow crewman on set. He’d see you tomorrow, and the day after that and the day after that. An empty bed in the morning didn’t need to mean anything...

At least that’s what he kept telling himself when he felt you stir later that night and get up, giving him your habitual goodbye kiss on the cheek. And it’s what he told himself when he heard the sharp click of the hotel door closing, his hands automatically grabbing the other pillow to hug. And it’s what he told himself the next day when he saw you flirting with another guy on set while your eyes flicked to him and winked.

Yeah. He’d told himself it didn’t matter. So why couldn’t he stop himself from falling for you. Because he was, and it was turning into a deep, disastrous love.

----

tagging some moots that might enjoy... (you can always let me know if you don’t wanna be tagged ☺️)

@harryhollandsgirlfriend @cocoamoonmalfoy @greenorangevioletgrass @violetlilysunshine @thsquad @hazofmyheart @hollandsmushroom

[nincompoopydoo]

PAIRING, BAGELS, REPEAT

— US AGAINST THE WORLD ; PART 4 / ?

( credits to @animusrox for this gif )

PAIRING: Bruce Wayne x reader

WORD COUNT: 2247 hot diggy dog

SUMMARY: You have a heart-to-heart conversation with one of your students before the play and you're hit with the realization that your love for Bruce may be more than meets the eye. hence, you’re starting to wonder if it was a mistake you can never fix.

A/N: This one’s long and kinda depressing. I’m in an angsty mood now whoops. Nevertheless, thank you for reading this series, the bagels will make its appearance and enjoy this one folks.

WARNINGS: Anxiety, depressing thoughts.

MASTERLIST ; MASTERPOST

The night of the show arrived quicker than you anticipated. The flurry of theatre kids rushing about backstage is quite the sight, feeling the incredible sense of pride of a mother for her children. Yet in prayer, you ask Mrs. Wilson for the gift of strength and ability to manage a bunch of highly-strung teenagers. It’s only Shakespeare after all but you knew that wasn’t the genuine nature behind their stage jitters. With all tickets sold out within a week, it has easily become the biggest event of the year aside from homecoming. It may be a little pretentious for a high school production of an over-performed Shakspeare play to emerge as the highlight of the year, but you know it will help with some of the students’ portfolios for acting school.

The clock ticks—thirty minutes before showtime and panic starts to creep.

Your fingertips dance along the selvage of the extensive drapery of the stage as lighting queues are being run through for the last time. The urge of curiosity lets you crack open the curtain as you peeked at the rest of the theatre. The bustling crowd made up of mostly teenagers with seats rapidly being filled, it’s certainly a sight for sore eyes. Amongst the settling audience, you spot Bruce, seated between Mr. Walken, the principal, and Mr. Huckleberry, the vice-principal, likely being shamelessly asked for donations. He looks engaged, but his posture and the gaze of his eyes tell a very different story—Bruce is barely listening to a word they’re saying.

He then turns in the direction of your hiding spot and despite the distance, he catches your eye, immediately recognizing it’s you spying from behind the curtains. You watch the curve of his lips turn up into more of a smirk, swiftly sending a wink your way. You instantly disappear behind the curtains, cheeks burning.

You sometimes find it hard to believe you’re sleeping with the man with no strings attached because you’re incredibly attracted to him.

Someday, you’ll burst out into an exaggerated love confession, and you know it’s going to be ugly. It’s a reality check and right now, it’s the last thing you want. Running away from your problems is more of a habit than a choice as you would rather live in the world your mind has created, where miracles are made and defects cease to exist. Anyone would trade the cruelties of reality for a perfect one yet getting too caught up in a daydream will eventually evolve into toxicity. Bruce orbits the very core of your problems and daydreams. You want to run away from him and allow yourself to be engulfed by his presence at the same time.

You just need...to breathe. Hence, the second dressing room has a weird stench to it. It’s a mess but it’s empty. Yet, it seems you aren’t the only one in need of space, away from everyone else. Shaniqua is seated at the far corner of the room on a crooked metal chair, dressed in a somewhat modernized version of an Elizabethan era dress. Very elaborate and theatrical. Despite her introverted character, she was constantly bright-eyed and keen during your classes. She had a drive like no other. Hell, she miraculously memorized all her lines in two days.

You’ve never seen a furrow of the girl’s brows, until now, and it worries you. Even her glitter-covered eyes could not conceal the dismay they portray with prominence. Gingerly, you made your way to her as she stared at her fidgeting hands. It was only when you settled on the opposite dusty old chair when she finally noticed your presence.

“Stage fright, huh?” you casually asked, resting your arm on the dressing table. She mirrors your posture, heaving a deep sigh, and shakes her head. “No, it’s just,” A pause, her gaze finds yours. You nod, flashing her a smile. It’s a simple gesture that you’re here to listen. “It’s about Oscar...” You catch a hint of a smile as she trailed off and in an instant, your brow raises with curiosity. Oh? Another beat of silence, her eyes dart around the room. You sit quietly with patience because you knew she had more to say.

“It’s just that doing this play has got me thinking a lot about my feelings. I mean, if Romeo and Juliet could be lovers, despite their feuding families, then it must be easy enough for me to admit that I like Oscar.”

“You have a point.” You chuckle, eyes crinkling with amusement. Sometimes she thinks too much for her own good. She reminds you of Bruce. Shaniqua flashes you a faint smile, lips pressed with doubt. “But why am I finding it so hard to just tell him that?”

You stayed silent for a moment or two, mind deep in thought. The chair creaks as you shift in your seat. “Well, could it be that you aren’t sure if he likes you back?”

A hum in response, shrugging coyly as she mumbled a ‘maybe’. Although it was clear as day to you that Oscar liked her back, you wondered if her doubts emerged due to their differences in character. The familiarity of the situation is beginning to feel a lot like deja vu.

“How do you know that someone is the one?” Her sudden question catches you off guard because, in all honesty, you aren’t confident if you knew the answer. A straightforward question, commonly seen in the pages of teenage magazines, written for innocent eyes. You knew its true nature and it terrifies you. The image of Bruce charges through your thoughts like rushing water, memories of times when the two of you were younger clouding your mind. You forcefully push back your university days, buried back deep into your conscience.

“I don’t exactly know the answer to that but in my opinion, it’s—it’s the feeling of completeness when you love them and know they love you. They may be different from you, but it doesn’t make you love them any less. There’s no conflict or strife; it’s just the two of you against the world.”

Those words were raw and genuine, carefully crafted directly from the heart. You weren’t surprised by your words because you’ve thought about it a lot, especially on nights you slept on Bruce’s bed. Maybe, you do love him, and that's a huge ass problem. It’s amazing how unexpected situations tend to encourage apprehension on large issues you never knew existed in the first place. Perhaps it was your astonishing lack of discernment when it came to matters that could potentially alter your life.

Tonight, a sixteen-year-old girl did just that.

Amid your growing anxiety, you manage to catch sight of the wall clock, hung on the other side of the room. It’s now eight minutes until showtime. Your eyes are now wide as you sprung up from your seat in the sudden realization that everyone should be at their respective positions two minutes ago. “Oh God, we’re running late. Shaniqua, word of advice—don’t end up regretting something you didn’t do,” You shoot her a pointed look, index finger stretching towards her. “Now, you really need to go, or we’ll have to delay and you know Mr. Walken hates waiting.”

-

It’s a quarter to nine, and the theatre is empty. Outside, the foyer and the hallways are buzzing with the remaining audience, lingering and sharing inane conversations as others wait for a car to take them home. You had only just finished rearranging the costumes in the wardrobe of the dressing room. You tried to sweep the scatter of glitter all over the floor but it deemed a task as impossible; you’ll deal with it next week.

You’re sitting in the seat at the front row, nearest to the aisle with a large box filled with props on your lap. Alone in transcendental silence, feeling as empty as the theatre itself. It was partly the conversation you had with Shaniqua that hit you with the reminder of all the mistakes you made that have led you to this unchanging world of a blur that takes the blame for the wretched feeling in your chest. Yet, as the show progressed, hearing the words of affection from two lovers had sent your mind reeling. You were desperate to head home, crawl into bed and potentially cry yourself to sleep but the growing anxiety forbids it, you don’t even think you could drive home.

So, you stillness of the theatre reminds you of Edward Hopper’s painting, Solitary Figure in a Theater. With eyes shut, you pretend you are the figure in the painting, sheathed in black, sitting alone in the cavernous dark.

You hear the door of the theatre squeak, swinging open followed by the shuffling of feet. You don’t look at first, too tired anyway. You’d assume someone had either forgotten something or it was the janitor that you’re sure is going to be upset over the glitter massacre in the dressing room. It looked like a crime scene, except it was the murder of a literal unicorn. You made a mental note to send an apology sandwich of some sorts next week.

It was the familiarity in the whiff of cologne that made you snap your eyes wide open, looking over your shoulder to meet with the sight of Bruce, ambling down the aisle towards you. He smiles, and you mirror him, shifting in your seat and nearly toppling the box to the ground. “What are you still doing here?” He smiles, and you mirror him, shifting in your seat and nearly toppling the box to the ground. “I could ask you the same question.” He settles in the seat next to you, elbow brushing against yours. Your head tilts, gesturing to the box. Bruce merely hums and nods thoughtfully.

“So, how was the play? Does it get a Wayne seal of approval?” There’s a hint of teasing in the curve of your lips as his eyes drift to the stage. “I liked it. The kids have talent.” Your eyes glint with amusement, your smile growing wider. “I never knew you were a fan of romance.” His laugh comes out more like a huff of air, crinkled eyes meeting yours, and nudges you lightly. “Well, now you know.”

He recognizes the way your smile doesn’t quite reach your eyes and the way you’re fussing with the edges of the box on your lap. Something is bothering you and he knows it. He nudges you once more. “Penny for your thoughts?”

You blink once. Then twice, face wincing instinctively. You keep forgetting how well Bruce can read people, especially you. You exhale slowly as he watches you struggle to pick the right words.

“It’s really nothing. It’s just-” you say after a long minute, cutting yourself short. Then, you turn to Bruce. “I’m growing older, and I’ve spent my entire life in a fog with so much fear for reality, I’m afraid it’s too late to fix all my mistakes and regrets.” Your voice dwindles with every word that escaped your lips. You were young, naïve with the notion that time was extensive to make decisions without thinking it through. To know that you could never take back the things you did. Saturn’s rising, it’s a wake-up call now that you’re older and the fear that you would never change creeps onto you with every passing birthday.

Bruce defines the epitome of the sinking feeling in your chest whenever you lay in bed at night and let your mind reel about your existence. Yet, it isn’t as simple as you want it to be. The boy you met at university has grown into a far more complex and entangled mess of the grief of his parents, the responsibility he held over this city and the drive to just...keep moving on. For the longest time, it was him against the world, and a part of you wants to believe that it doesn’t have to be that way. That maybe, you could be enough for him.

He glanced away from you, trying to hide the despondency in his eyes. He holds back a sigh as he speaks, “Do you regret us doing this?” As vague as his question is, you know what he exactly means. He remembers the time the two of you used to exchange senseless conversations and laughter so vividly that it scares him. Juvenile friends, lacking the knowledge to know what love really was. Hence, the agreement—it was just two friends, messing around. Nothing could go wrong. Now, the hole has been dug in too deep, with no way of getting out.

“I don’t,” you reply and with just two simple words, his chest feels like fire. It was the way you had said it, with so much confidence and assurance, despite the intricacy of this relationship. For the first time in a long time, you were extremely sure about an answer. You could never regret Bruce. Never.

It’s almost hesitant in the way his hand finds yours, but it represents his care for you, even if you may not know it. The warmth of his hand feels like fire. Hell, your chest feels like it’s on fire, heart burning for the man beside you. “I’ll drive you home,” he whispers with a squeeze of your hand. You flash him a grateful smile as the two of you drift into a comfortable silence. Silence so eloquent that you don’t feel so empty anymore. No longer a solitary figure trapped in a painting but now two, hand in hand, against the world.

TAGLIST

@raineeace

[utterlyhopeful-fics]

Midnight Magic

A/N: Wrote a smutty part 2 to accompany you lovely folks! 🥰🥰

MASTERLIST

Henry Cavill x Reader

Also, if I keep tagging you and you’re not interested or want to be tagged; please let know!

Word Count: 1855k 

Warnings: MUCH PROMISED FLUFF, dirty talk, implied smut, foreplay, kissing, language, teasing

***********************************************

Y/N wasn’t someone to demand attention but tonight was a different story entirely. Whether it be the holiday magic in the air or the sheer happiness exuding from her beaming smile, they’d never know for sure.  She glazed into the fireplace awaiting the arrival of her midnight kiss to show up. The embers flickered uncontrollably creating a spellbinding illusion of comfort. The cerulean blue hue of her dress was majestically magnificent, custom designed to perfection leaving little to the imagination. Paired with a sexy high slit revealed the majority of her right leg; just enough access.

This New Year’s Eve Henry had the peculiar notion to get dressed up as if they were enjoying the evening out. Y/N almost died of happiness then and there seeing the childish reflection in her husband’s hypnotic orbs. 2020 was one helluva year and though it brought them closer than ever as a couple, Y/N wasn’t blind to the hardships occurring throughout the world.  

His loins stirred excitedly as lust glazed over his features growing semi-hard. The only barrier holding them from going at it like teenagers. He licked his lips in anticipation eager to have his wife all to himself. No lavish parties or parades of people to entertain this year, just the lot of them, alone and horny. He continued admiring her from afar pouring two flutes of champagne for the pair.

“You look positively scrumptious this evening, Mrs. Cavill.”

Henry silently crept from behind sneaking up unsuspectingly slow. Goosebumps riddled her gorgeous skin rippling in masses. His breath ticked the tiny, delicate hair adorning her neck shooting a pleasurable surge to her limbs. Both endlessly love drunk on one another. His sensational touch alone kicked every sense into overdrive, heightened every emotion he emitted. Y/N reached back entangling her fingers with his newly deemed ‘quarantine curls’ she’d loved to tug on. Small bites traced down her neck leaving small marks in his wake of destruction.

“May I add how delectable you are in a tuxedo, Hen? My god, my poor ovaries must be working overtime.”

A salacious smirk broke out on his lips eyeing her lustfully.

“You haven’t the finest clue what I want to do to you right now, my love.”

Her hips grinded back on their on accord knocking the air from his lungs. All his remaining blood rushed to the tip of his cock as his belly stirred in playful chaos. They swayed back and forth to the melody playing in the background both reflecting on their last year together.

Henry lined himself up with the shell of her ear wrapping his bulky arm firmly around her waist drawing her as close as possible.

“I’m truly astounded this is our 12th year celebrating as a couple.”

Y/N smiled thinking back when they first met. The year was 2008, Henry was a newly promoted regular to a Showtime series called The Tudors. Y/N was a brilliant writer, the brains behind the complex operation. Henry considered her the beauty and brains; Y/N hated when he talked down about himself saying she’d never once doubted the man who became a wonderful husband and even better daddy.

One unparticular day he’d spotted her struggling to balance a pretty hefty pile of scripts and tumbled right into him. Luckily, his super-size and strength kicked in just in time catching the eye of the attractive stranger. In that moment, Henry knew there was something about this woman he craved to figure out. He was just the lucky bastard on the reciprocating end.

“And thank god your parents volunteered to take the kiddos for the evening. Some private adult time is just what the doctor ordered. We owe them BIG time.”

Y/N winked leading him to decipher the meaning behind her blanket statements. She stepped from his grasp breaking his hold on her. He whined at the loss causing Y/N to eye him curiously.

Oh, you little tease.

Henry’s frisky nature broke through lighting the atmosphere around them. Due to the ongoing pandemic and what not, Henry and Y/N found themselves in wintry London at their main hub of a home. Henry’s roots were deep-rooted and his plea so passionate as she agreed to move across the world with him. Their lives halted for the better allowing the family to spend more time than usual as a unit. Though initially hectic and overwhelming, they were secretly thankful for these little moments with their four children. It was a time they so dearly valued at their imaginative ages.

“Oh, I bet my pops could sense the sexual tension oozing off you, darling. You smell mouthwatering.”

“Hush! Besides it is completely natural to pursue a sexual relationship with my husband outside of our children. Gotta keep you coming back for more…”

“Oh sweets, you have no earthly idea how bad I want to fuck you every day of my existence. You are absolutely divine and somehow all mine.”

“I can’t take all the credit. Nobody’s ever made me cum the way you managed to figure out. You play me like a damn instrument.”

“With pleasure.”

“Ugh, you’re insatiable.”

“Oh, come on. Your sex drive is just as insane as mine. Admit it!”

Y/N bit the inside of her lip collecting her thoughts. Henry pried and teased her ribs forcing her to his whims.

“Fine, fine, you win! I’m a ravenous feign when it comes to you. You’d think having kids would cool my jets but then I see these gorgeous faces I birthed and it’s like I reset. Poof, just like that.”

“Well you’re a phenomenal Mum and quite the MILF too.”

Henry inhaled her perfumed scent taking a long sip of bubbly; anything to keep him from combusting.

“Let’s toast, love. We must.”

“My my, how time flies when you’re having fun.”

Her manicured fingers reached for the chilled glass looking up at Henry and his three-month-old beard. She rose her glass slightly higher in preparation for his speech. Her eyes gleamed with pride as she admired her husband.

“Thank you for loving me, Henry. Seriously, you changed my life in so many profound ways.”

The sap in him was beginning to show as his eyes watered with unshed tears; “My love, it is I who should be thanking for you the unending shower of love and affection. You are the beautiful mother of our four wonderous kids who are the absolute lights of my life because of you. You’re a woman worthy of many praises than my silly ramblings. Cheers to you and for another adventure of a year!”

She swatted his chest immediately shutting him up; “Don’t say that! I am just as equally lucky to have found someone who gets me for …me. It’s a wonderful feeling to have you by my side even if I did have to kiss a few frogs.”

“No doubt I the best possible selection.”

Y/N played along jesting back; “I wouldn’t go that far, maybe the easiest?”

Gob smacked Henry’s wit was rapid fire; “If memory serves, you were there too. And just as ravenous.”

“I was about to get nailed by an insanely hot British man. Can you blame me?”

“One look from you and I was a bloody puddle. I had to recite rugby players to keep from losing my shit.”

No matter life’s challenges the past years of their lives, their resolution to stay equals and lovers was stronger than ever. A sinful glow overcame Y/N as she stared directly up at him; “Cheers to you fucking me stupid then?”

“As you wish.”

She refused to glance away maintaining his smoldering gaze; her Y/C eyes screamed sex. His pupils dilated just as his heart speed up voraciously. Both subconsciously tilted their heads oppositely neither daring to move first, unwilling to yield. Y/N challenged his masculinity testing him. Many words could be used to describe Y/N but priss wasn’t one of them.  

“Oi, you are a true keeper.”  

Y/N checked the matching wrist watch completing her outfit; “T-minus 15 seconds until 2021 is here.”

Still unbreaking of her gaze, Henry stayed silent taking in the beauty of his wife. He could stare at her for the rest of his god given days and die a spectacularly happy man.

10,9,8

“Oh Hen, another marvelous journey with you. Can’t wait to see what 2021 has in store for us.”

7,6

She stared down at his inviting pout unable to look away nor did she truly want to.

“Maybe thinking about another baby?”

Her eyes bulged from her skull as shock illuminated from her pores.

“You’re joshing me?”

His lack of response was more than confirmation enough.

5,4

“There’s something so ridiculously sexy about you being pregnant. I always knew I wanted kids but with you, oh with you I want to have as many as humanly possible. Our very own football team.”

Confusion stamped her features at his terminology. Sometimes Henry forgot they were from different countries.

“Football as in soccer. You know the game with the checkered ba—”

Y/N cut him off; “Jeez baby, save your mansplaining. I’ve been on this side of the pond long enough to understand your oh so clever references.”

3,2

The pros and cons bounced around in her head, doubt never far behind but the mischievous joy coming off him was tantalizing; “Let’s do it.”

2,1

Cheers rang ecstatically from the television as fireworks commanded their attention but they only had eyes for one another. Henry closed the gap kissing her feverishly. He was forever seared into her brain ruined for all other men. Lost in the moment, Y/N barely had time to set her glass down untrusting of her own balance anymore. Henry followed shortly behind. Now with her newfound freedom, Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck locking him in place. His questioning tone was almost cause for concern before his façade shattered.

“Really? I do so enjoy seeing you round with my babe. So, fucking irresistible.”

Henry’s jacket was long removed strewn over the couch. That left him standing only in his tight button up and trousers. Y/N merely leaned back his direction bringing his attention towards the zipper aligning her spine. Henry chuckled undoing her dress too easily watching the zipper flair apart. He couldn’t resist admiring the flex of her muscles and how striking she was. Tugging the material over the curvy hips, Y/N noticed Henry was far too overdressed.

“Take off your clothes, now.”

“You bossin me round, babe?”

His muscular tush ignited in minimal pain as her hand connected with his ass whipping rather harshly. A small red welt appeared instantly. Henry stood shocked as Y/N’s smug smile decorated her face.

“You really shouldn’t push me. I don’t like my authority questioned.”

Henry’s mood shifted at her use of roleplay knowing he was in for a well and good night. Henry stripped removing his boxer briefs last. Y/N strutted towards her bedside dresser pulling out a pair of metal handcuffs. Dangling them in front of him, she grinned bashfully; “You’re going to sit your ass on that bed and I’m going to tie you up now. Got it?”

~~~~~~~~~

Tags:  @thedeadhearted @giveusbackourbucky @henry-cavill-obsessed  @onlyhenrys @omgkatinka @thereisa8ella @threeminutesoflife @homewreckingwreck @gemini0410 @maan14@bluegalaxyprime @sofiebstar @whyyykitkat @encounterthepast  @readermia @ly-canthropewrites @scorpionchild81 @henrythickcavill @snowbellexx @stephartrave @agniavateira  @cap-barnes​ @henryfanfics101  @mary-ann84 @westcoast-nightowl @poledancingdinos​  @justaboringadult @peakygroupie  @nalathefirefly​ @vikingsbifrost​ @bloodyinspiredfuck​ @moderapoppins​ @cooldiva1234​ @icedcoffeeismythang​ @titty-teetee​ @summersong69​ @kaatelyyynn​ @missursulacalmet​ @michelehansel​ @iloveyouyen​ @shyshu​ @star017​ @raynosaurus-rex @radkesgirl83​ @starrynite7114​  @wheretheriversrunintothesea​ @i-love-scott-mccall​  @darkbooksarwin​ @ellieseymour70​ @designerwriterchic​ @studywithrosie01​ @dangerouslovefanfic​ @lebguardians​ @crazybutconfidentaf​ @hen-cavill​  @cavill-sass​ @oh-for-fic-sake​ @icedbottles​ @buckysgoldenheart​ @brexrif​ @gryffindorwriter​ @laketaj24​ @foxyjwls007​ @lawsofthejungle​ @henrycavillfanpage​ @kaboogie21​ @fangirl199812​ @gothicninibalor​ @qualitynightkoala​ @strictlybuckybarnes​ @toomanyfandomsshreya​@hersilencescreams-blog​ @viking-raider​ @sesamepancakes​  @madbaddic7ed​ @fuckoffbard​ @funfickgirl22​ @inlovewithhisblueeyes​ @wolvesandhoundshowltogether​ @hoeforhenry​ @henrycavills-babe​ @abschaffer2​ @loving-this​ @one-of-those-fanfiction-blogs​ @lovelycavills​

[managician-tls]

Dazzling Stage of Dreams - side story 2

And here’s part 2 of Nene’s fes card. It happens right after the first side story, so please do read that first before proceeding!

Featured characters: Nene, Luka

Proofreading thanks: Izzy

Location: ???

Nene: Seriously, what's going on here?

Going to the Sekai, finding a ball that looked like it'd trigger some prank, picking it up and suddenly getting transported to an unfamiliar place I know nothing about...

...Ah, hold on?

This place... It looks like Broadway...

There's some sort of ceiling, and spotlights are illuminating the entire city, but... This sight, it's Times Square's very own...

......

I-I don't really get it, but I can't help the fact I ended up here, so.

Just for a little bit, I'll go take a look around.

Whoa... I still don't understand this, but this looks like a real city. Ah... This theatre here as well, it's a famous place that you see on TV pretty often.

Hm? Next to it, there seems to be a theatre I've never seen before. What is being performed...?

...Eeehhhh!? Tsu... "Tsukasarion"!?

......

Isn't it unfair that Tsukasa is the only one here? They put up such a big poster for it and everything.

Ah, but... The Sekai was a place born from Tsukasa's feelings in the first place, so this might have something to do with that, too...?

(...But I was the one that played the leading role in the Christmas and Mermaid shows.)

(Isn't there any poster for those somewhere... Let’s see...)

Ah...!

Nene: There is. There is one...!

Would you look at that. There's one for the Christmas show and Mermaid show. The Halloween one too, and the one with the townspeople and the forest-folk...

......

It's incredible. My posters, featured in Broadway...

...Well, I got thoughtlessly impressed by all this, but this place isn't real.

???: "Don't look down at your feet, look up at the sky. See! There's a really beautiful rainbow!"

Nene: Eh, that voice just now...

Young Nene: "Hey, would you like to fly up to the sky with me?"

"It'll be fine, believe in yourself!"

Nene: It really is from the time the old me was practicing for that show...

Even though my family is the only one that should have this video... At this point, doesn't it feel like anything is possible in this place?

(This reminded me, though... Of that Christmas show...)

(—I love shows.)

(That's why— without worrying about things like failing, or not being able to win against Seiryuin, I should just sing to my heart's content, with all I have—)

(Tsukasa, Emu, Rui. And Miku and the others, as well... Thanks to all of them, I understood that.)

(Because all of them were there with me, I—)

Ah, the video has changed...

Kazamatsuri: "When I said that I wanted to perform shows all over the world, everyone heard me out in earnest, without laughing at me."

"That's why... When I got separated from everyone, it felt really lonely."

Nene: Eh...?

...Why? Why now, of all times, did this...?

Because all of them were there with me, I...

I... I still need all of them to be here...

Location: Wonderland Sekai

Nene: Ah... I, came back?

Luka: My, I felt someone would be coming~ And it turns out it was Nene-chan~ ...How come you're here this late?

Nene: Luka-san...

Luka: ...? Did something happen?

Nene: The truth is...

Luka: I see. So that's what happened...

...I'm sure that the ball you picked up, Nene-chan, was someone's fragment of feelings.

Nene: Fragment of... feelings?

Luka: That's right~ Let's see... There are times when fragments of feelings, which haven't become their own Sekai yet, can reach a Sekai.

When you get close to that fragment, you can get to experience those feelings, ju~st a little bit.

Nene: I see. So it wasn't a surprise prank or anything like that.

But... Someone's feelings, huh...

(Thinking about that place, or the things that happened in it, I have to wonder if those weren't my own feelings...)

Luka:  ......

Hey, Nene-chan. May I tell you a 'what-if' story?

‘What if the fragment of feelings was of Nene-chan's feelings?'... That sort of story.

Nene: Ah...

Yes, I'd like to hear it.

Luka: "Thanks to everyone in Wonderlands x Showtime, I was able to grow~ From here on, I want to continue growing with them all, too~"

"Like the performers Nene-chan loves, I want to be part of a wide world and stand on the stage of my dreams."

"But, in the end, it feels lonely to say goodbye to everyone" — there's all these types of emotions.

You experienced various feelings in that place, didn't you?

Nene: Yeah...

Luka: All those feelings might be a sign of your hesitation.

Nene: Ah... 

Is... that so?

Luka: Hmm, I didn't experience the feelings myself, so I don't know what's the right answer...

But, when I heard your recount, Nene-chan, that's ki~nd of what I ended up thinking.

Nene: So I'm at a loss, huh...

...I wonder if, by making up your mind with no hesitation when you want to do something, you can become a great performer.

Luka: Oh, dear, I don't think that's true.

Being at a loss is proof that you are trying to face your feelings head-on.

I wonder if this, too, is a sign of splendid growth~

Nene: ......

Luka: Besides. I don't want Nene-chan to have any regrets, you know.

Nene: Eh?

Luka: The feelings you have in your heart right now— I believe they'll be a very, very important thing for the future Nene-chan.

That's why I want you to think this over a lot, a whole lot, and make a choice that you won't ever come to regret.

To achieve that goal, I'll help out with anything I can ♪

Nene: Luka-san...

Thank you, Luka-san.

I'll think about it properly.

About my dream, and about my desire to grow more and more, together with Tsukasa, Emu and Rui.

I might hesitate and waver on a lot of stuff...

But even so, I want to find an answer I can stand by with all my heart.

Luka: Mhm, that's great~ ♪

It'll be alright. If it's you, Nene-chan, I'm sure you will find that answer.

Nene: Yeah!

◀  Side Story 1 •

[gallavichthings]

Writer’s Spotlight

Starting now, we’ll be posting interviews with acclaimed writers in the Gallavich fandom. The goal is to get to know them and their process a little better. If you would like to suggest a writer to be interviewed, please leave a message in my ask box with their Tumblr url (or other form of contact) so that I can contact them and, hopefully, interview them (we do understand that not everyone is up for this). The interviews are conducted via written chat, with very little editing.

To start of this series, the writer interviewed is our very own Jen - @thevioletjones​ (Violet_Jones on AO3), author of Backdrifiting, Tag Team, Corey & Parker, Oceans of Time, and dozens of other well-renowned stories.

GT: So, how did you come up with thevioletjones?

J: I've been using Violet Jones or some variation ever since I was on LiveJournal when I was 17. It's mainly based on my love of purple. Jonesing for a violet fix. Lol

GT: Oh, I see! That's cute. It's my favorite color too. Ok, so tell me a bit about yourself. As much as you're comfortable with, of course.

J: I'm an 80's kid. I'm Aquarius. INTP. True Neutral. I'm American, but I grew up in Venezuela. I've also lived in Canada and a slew of US cities, mainly Los Angeles, Austin, and Miami. I work in the tech industry, but I just got certified to teach English as a second language, so I might get into that, or a field where I use translation (Spanish/English).

GT: Do you speak any other languages other than English and Spanish?

J: Not fluently, but I'm dabbling in Italian. I understand it much more than I can speak it. I like it, but I'm too much of a perfectionist. It takes me way too long. 

GT: Do you read or write fics in other languages too or just in English?

J: I tried to start a Spanish translation of one of my fics, but honestly, it's just really tedious, and it feels weird because the characters speak in English, not Spanish. There's a disconnect with the material. I tried to read Even/Isak fic from Norwegian Skam at one point, and I couldn't get into it for the same reason. They speak Norwegian on the show, so treying to suddenly act like they just spoke in English made no sense to me.

GT: Ok, so let's talk fanfiction. When did you start reading it?

J: When I was 17 and Queer as Folk US started. That was the first time I ever used the internet to find out more about a show, and I stumbled upon the small community of fans for it. Back then it was all on Television Without Pity, Yahoo Groups, and dedicated fan websites, then it started being very LiveJournal focused. So that was the first fanfic I ever read, and the only other fandom I've ever written for.

GT: I haven't even heard of Television Without Pity. That was a website?

J: Yes. It was a snarky message board site that had reviewers who did harsh recaps of a long list of shows, and then users could discuss. It was funny, but there were also a lot of what we called "flame wars" at the time. Lmao TWoP is the common nickname. It definitely has its place in fandom lore, especially with some specific TV fandoms. I think it got most famous for Dawson's Creek. Maybe Buffy too. 

GT: When did you start watching Shameless and what made you ship Ian and Mickey?

J: I started watching Shameless US specifically because of IxM. I had seen the first couple of seasons of Shameless UK and wasn't really interested in watching a remake of it. But then I read something on the AV Club, which is where I used to hang out and just do general pop culture fandom stuff, where they talked about how the best gay relationship on TV was hiding on a second-tier cable drama on Showtime. And my interest was piqued. I think I even watched some of the supercuts on YouTube before I started watching full eps. I honestly can't remember. I just loved the underdog nature of their story and thought their chemistry was great. Oh, this was at the end of season 5 right when everything went to shit. Lmaoooo

GT: When did you start writing Gallavich fanfiction? What made you start?

J: I guess I was only a reader for maybe 6 or 8 months? Maybe a year, idk. I'm terrible with time. And I really didn't want to get so sucked in that I was writing fic, but of course it happened. It's the usual story of like, wanting to read something that no one else was really writing the way you wanted it, so the only solution was to write it myself. I hadn't written anything fictional in at least a decade, so I was really apprehensive about it. But then once I started, I loved it, and it became my primary creative outlet. I still don't know how to quit funneling all my ideas through the IxM lens. It's almost frustrating. I just checked and my first fic was published in June of 2016.

GT: What's the most fun thing about writing Gallavich?

J: I guess their sense of humor matches mine in a way that makes it easy to write entertaining dialogue and scenarios. They feel really authentic.

GT: And what's the most difficult thing?

J: Mmm, I have a well documented dislike of canon, particularly post-S5, so I love to live in AU Land as much as possible. So sometimes I worry about how people might perceive the characterization when I try to write slightly more evolved versions of them. I also just get tired of reading them always written with the same well-trodden issues in every fic, so I tend to exclude certain canon elements, like Ian's bipolar, and Mickey's early internalized homophobia, etc. I guess I don't really find anything difficult to write about them, but I always hope the readers' perception isn't something I don't intend. Namely, that they don't feel OOC even when given different circumstances and ages.

GT: Do you prefer writing Ian or Mickey?

J: That's a hard one to answer decisively. I like writing them both for different reasons. Mickey can be more fun, for obvious reasons, and Ian can maybe be more relatable. But I also identify a lot with Mickey too. They each have things to connect with and channel different parts of myself.

GT: You said Mickey can be more fun for obvious reasons. What do you mean?

J: I mean, he's just inherently more funny and offbeat. He's a very unique character in the fictional landscape.

GT: That's true. What about other Shameless characters? Who are your favorites aside from Ian and Mickey?

J: Early on, I really liked Fiona and Lip too, and Mandy to a certain extent, but I don't really care about any of the other characters anymore. I haven't been invested since S5.

GT: Do you include them when you write?

J: I tend to really just focus on the two of them (IxM), and use the other characters sparingly. I do include Mandy more than any other secondary character (to IxM). 

GT: How much research do you typically do before or during writing?

J: It depends on the fic, really. For the most part, I don't have to do too much research, because I keep it pretty real world. Things will always pop up that make you do random searches, but only some fics that are more AU and out of my depth will make me do a lot of research. I did quite a bit for Deaf Group, since I'm not deaf, and want to get it as right as I can without offending people. And the most I've done is for Oceans of Time, because I want to be historically accurate in every possible respect for that one. That led to a lot of rabbit holes and cool stuff. But yeah, I will look up anything that gives me pause, ever. And I double-check words and meanings a lot too, just to make sure I get exactly what I want and don't fuck it up. I have a pretty broad vocabulary, but everyone misremembers things or learns things the wrong way sometimes.

GT: What kind of fics do you write the most? (One-shots, multi-chapters, canon, AUs, fluffy, smutty, angsty…)

J: Always AUs, usually multi-chaps. I would prefer to categorize the majority of them as humorous slice-of-life, I guess? I definitely don't shy away from smut, but that can get boring to write after a while. And I prefer fluff over angst, but I try to stay on the right side of being cheeseball about it.

GT: What does your writing process look like? Do you outline? Do you post as soon as the chapter is done or do you accumulate chapters before you start posting?

J: Definitely outline. Depending on how complicated or long it is, I might do it more detailed for certain fics. I try to evenly distribute the word counts between characters, since I tend to do both IxM POVs. I have no willpower to sit on something, which is why I have so many open WIPs. As soon as it's ready, I post it. But there's an editing process beforehand. I've never understood people who just post shit without even reading it over and correcting errors. I always find shit that needs to be better, not just spelling errors.

GT: Do you post as soon as you have the first chapter done or do you wait until it's all complete?

J: As soon as a chapter is done, I post it.

GT: What are your favorite comments to receive? 

J: I mean, anything in depth is great. Those are few and far between for most of us. It seems like the fandom selects who gets long comments and who doesn't or something, idk. So anytime I get someone who genuinely enjoys the writing enough to be thoughtful about it and give actual feedback, I greatly appreciate it.

GT: What's your favorite Gallavich fic that you’ve written so far and why?

J: The Backdrifting series is close to my heart, because it's my original baby, and it's the trajectory I would've loved to see for IxM post-canon (at the time), but Oceans of Time is my favorite, because it's actually very challenging to write and it's completely different than anything else I've written, as well as anything that anyone else has written for the fandom. I wish it were more popular, tbh. I feel like it's slept on for the amount of work I've put into it. But it's still a WIP and I have half still to go if I ever manage to get back to it. Lol

GT: What's your favorite or some of your favorite fics in the fandom?

J: It's easier to say who my favorite writers are: Devovitsuasartes, Romanticalgirl, Anomalously, Pink_Ink, LanJevinson, Loftec, and Kissteethstainred. Obviously there are a lot of other great writers not all represented here, and a lot of other great fics. I definitely tend to choose stuff written a while back, though. It's harder for me to get into newer stuff.

GT: What’s your favorite trope?

J: I'm a typical Enemies to Lovers hoe. I also like Friends to Lovers with like miscommunication and pining and shit. And any inventive kind of AU that's well-written. I like as much uniqueness as possible, because at the end of the day, we're all just reading the same basic storylines with the same two dudes over and over and over again. Gotta make it stand out, both in ideas and in style.

GT: What's a fanfic pet peeve of yours?

J: Omg, I have a lot of them, because I'm a salty bitch. Mainly, I just want stuff to be in character and not feel as if it's written by someone with their own agenda that doesn't serve the actual characters. If something seems overtly girly and just not like two men would behave, for example, that bothers me a lot. I have a lot of little things, but I'm not gonna sit here trying to list them forever. Lmao

GT: What’s your favorite season of Shameless? Do you have a favorite episode?

J: I suppose it would have to be S4. And the episode where Mickey comes out at the Alibi and then screams about loving dick to Terry on the sidewalk. There has never been and never will be another scene as iconic as that on this show, ever.

GT: What’s your favorite Ian x Mickey scene?

J: I guess the episode where Ian took Yev, and then Mickey goes with the Gallaghers to pick him up and then they take him to be committed at the psych ward. I feel like that's when we really saw Mickey openly express his deep feelings for Ian for the first time, and that felt amazing. I also love the whole "Love is a Battlefield"/"Let's go on a date" scene. For me, canon ends when they both say "Mooooooo" with big smiles as they're about to go to Sizzler. Lmao

GT: That actually leads me to my next question: if you could go back and change one thing in canon, what would it be?

J: Just one??? Lollll... I mean, I definitely wouldn't have ever let Noel leave the show, so I guess that's it. The 5x12 rewrite that abruptly had Ian break up with Mickey and the whole bullshit thing with Sammi and going to jail. All of it is trash.

GT: It made no sense at all. Ok, last question: what's coming up next?

J: Shit, hopefully a couple of endings to some WIPs? Lollll... I have the final chapter of An Ever-Fixed Mark half-written, so that may be the next one to be published, but nothing has come easy lately and I haven't been writing at all. I also have just one chap left of Deaf Group, and then the rest of Oceans of Time. I still want to write the last 3 parts of Backdrifting, and I have 2 one-shot prompts sitting around. Whatever I can actually bear to write if I get the inspiration will be next, but I highly doubt I'll start anything new. Just wrapping up what I have will be a major victory.

GT: Thank you so much, Jen, for helping me pilot this. :*