#I’ve seen a lot of harry potter fans freaking out over a few really popular works being removed

[strawberryshortpace]

I know it’s not very nice of me, but I’m honestly having so much fun watching the chaos of the whole fanfiction binding and selling debacle that’s happening

Cause while I read fanfic I usually stick to 2 main fandoms

Spider-Man, which has so many different creators and versions that I don’t think there’s any feasible way for them to put a complete ban on fanfic of the character

and

All For The Game, which I still consider a small fandom and I doubt anyone would even consider selling bound fanfics of the series cause 1) there’s not gonna be many people who would even buy it 2) the author would find it so quickly cause it would spread through the whole fandom so quickly and people would make sure she saw it

[girloikawa]

carry on youtuber au

baz starts out as a cover artist, occasionally posting his own songs (he does violin stuff too)

but eventually he gets recognition and people are like “who is this person?????” so baz does a few q&as

oh BUT THEN he reveals that he also has so many other interests (books, movies, planting, coffee, Controversal Topics) that people want him to do other types of videos

and that is what starts baz on the long road of his channel basically being an everything bagel where he does a bit of everything and people find it very chill

agatha and baz become friends over their mutual love of gossip in the community (as long as they’re not apart of it)

(because baz and agatha and simon and penny aren’t problematic)

which brings me to agatha, she’s one of those channels that keep everyone updated on the drama and the shitty stuff that happens on YouTube as long as regular media

very opinionated, this gal is, so she shares her opinion on...everything

though, sometimes she’ll do a q&a and do her makeup and talk about fashion or what she’s into at the moment

she’s basically angelika oles

penny’s a booktuber!!!

she mostly reads and reviews fantasy books, as they are her favorite, but she’ll also do those videos where it’s like “i just read a shitty wattpad romance story, let me rant” or “my top ten favorite ya pairings” or “tier ranking every harry potter character because life has no meaning”

now, simon, the babe, he’s (and you cannot fight me on this) basically jenna marbles

his videos are so random and spurratic, he doesn’t even plan what his next video is, and he’s the youtuber

i would also like to point out that simon probably totally has adhd and would talk about it and his experience with it

his most popular videos are of him baking. he’s like (and hear me out) very good and very bad at it. like, all throughout the videos, everybody’s holding their breath’s like “oh no this is going to turn out terribly” because simon being in the kitchen is like a horse babysitting a dog, it’s a mess, however the end product is always perfect and amazing and by the end everybody’s drooling behind their screens

simon is also widely conceived as the weirdest straight guy ever. like people (from just looking at him) think he’s just So Striaght but a very Cool Straight Guy who people wouldn’t actually mind being around

simon has the most subscribers (the majority being that they find him funny and see him as a friend, the minority being people who think he’s Hot As Hell and okay yeah he’s a good person too but have you seen those freckles-)

then it’s baz because he actually started first and his following has been a journey, then agatha (she’s the newest, and her subscriber rate is growing rapidly), then penny (booktube is a small community sad face)

penny n simon are irl best friends and penny was the one who convinced simon to make a channel bc he needed something to help let out his energy, “plus it’s a little fun hobby”

snowbaz now :)

simon has followed baz from pretty much the beginning. he saw his cringy covers, his development as a songwriter, and the walls built around baz crumble over the camera

baz...well, he’s one of those people who think simon is Hot As Hell, but he also genuinely enjoys the videos. at first, baz was like “I’m not watching him, everybody watches him, and I’m different” so he always avoided the recommendations youtube gave him of simon’s videos (but it was also bc he didn’t want to confront that he was very attracted to simon)

and then, one fateful night, agatha sent baz a link to a video called “coming out” and under the link she wrote “youtube angel!”—that’s their nickname for simon—“shocking the world!”

baz click click clicked because hot guy is lgbt+????? and baz watched the video, commenting “proud of you” or something along those lines, and then he watched so, so many more of simon’s videos

simon, a boy who just came out as bisexual, just had his youtube hero comment on his video where he came out and is like !!!!!!

simon’s sexual awakening is baz

also, simon breaks the internet with that video, because he isn’t striaght and that’s so mind-boggling to everybody. but there’s always that one group of people who are like “i saw this coming. do you not remember that one time simon showed his socks and his jeans were cuffed-”

simon replies to baz’s comment and is like “oh my god thank you so much. you’re like my actual favorite youtuber” like a fucking Nut and people see that and say “omg collab” because they’re both relatively high status youtubers and their collab would be Powerful

then, summoning all his courage, simon dms baz on instagram with just a simple “hey, a lot of people are saying we should collab lmao”

“i’ve seen that” “heh uhm yeah” “maybe we could get to know each other and see if that would be a good idea” “yes! i’d love that”

and they do. they get really close and stuff,, but people don’t exactly...see that

you see, on twitter, they get in millions of arguments. people genuinely think that they hate each other to some extent, when in reality, they’re swooning at the sight of the three dot bubble

baz, on twitter: “you cannot tell me that people actually enjoy sparkling water. it’s trash, move on” (they had an argument over it, privately, and baz is making it public to cause a rise out of simon bc he finds angry simon cute)

simon, in response: “yo I’m throwing you in the trash as we speak. fuhhhck u”

so, when they collab for the first time, everybody at home is just like *shocked pikachu emoji* they end up doing a video where simon bakes baz’s mom’s recipe of cherry scones with baz. it’s kind of a big deal bc both simon and baz don’t want to ruin baz’s memory of his mother

in the end, baz tears up and gives si a big ass hug because they’re perfect, simon. i love them, thank you. the fans start shipping. hard. it’s simon’s highest viewed video

that surprise hug is also what makes simon realize that his feelings are much deeper than attraction and surface level forms of knowing someone

on baz’s channel, they were going to film a video where they talked about their experiences being queer, but then simon realized that his biggest, most prominent example was staring at baz’s jawline, so he had to be like “uhhh, actually, I’m not really comfortable with that yet” which is part true. instead, they do a video where they have argumentative discussions, like on twitter but in depth and with less insults

anyways, they receive pretty positive feedback on the videos, people enjoy them, so they decide to do more. also, they both live in LA, so it’s actually pretty easy to do them, plus they have a diverse area to do them in

also, i think it’d be nice to mention that simon will sometimes do twitch streams of him playing minecraft and then he puts edited versions on his channel. it’s worth mentioning because during this one stream, he ends up slipping up and saying “we talk a lot, actually. and i—i like him a lot” about baz, then he blushes like hell because i really just said that and it’s live oh god

all the while, baz and simon actually just start hanging out (without hiding behind wanting to do a video). one meet-up, they go to disney world and halfway through baz is like “uh, should we be filming this?” and simon gives him a smile and replies, “no” because that moment is for them and them only + the fans who see them together and ask for a picture/just take pictures of them being like a couple

their next collab is a bit of a fun one. behind the scenes, pen, ag, si, and baz all become friends, because of that one time baz came over while penny was there and he barely payed attention to simon, too busy talking to penny. anyways, they do a big four person collab where agatha basically teaches them how to do makeup

on penny’s channel, it’s book related. they have to do a look based on the synopsis’ of each other’s favorite books. baz gets simon, simon gets agatha, agatha gets penny, penny gets baz. baz: “snow, you’re holding it wrong. it’s like this” simon: *stares longingly at the brush that gets to touch baz’s face*

on agatha’s, the video is just titled Teaching My Friends To Do Makeup (ft. idiots who test my patience). they all suck. majorly. well, by all, i mean simon and penny suck at makeup

on baz’s, they do a trivia of sorts. if they get a question wrong, they have to skip a product. simon: “oh thank god less work” agatha, deadpanning: “i think i might kill him”

on simon’s, they have agatha and penny go against simon and agatha. si and pen being the ones who have to actually do makeup because, according to agatha, “since you decided to bitch so much, you guys are doing our makeup” “but-!” “nope, I’m Peak Brains of us all so I call the shots” “you’re not even-” “shut up” Everybody (and by everybody i mean the fans) is actually glad that they got to see simon doing baz’s makeup, because it’s literally them just being so flustered the whole time

the collab stuns everybody bc: “they’re all friends??????” plus, some people start calling them the Four Fucks because at one point penny says “fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, and most importantly, fuck me” after simon flinged a bunch of eyeshadow on her

okay so agatha and penny are just like: “these idiots need to get together already” because it’s very obvious that they like each other. like the eiffel tower in paris, you can’t miss it. everyone watching the videos also sees it, so you can imagine the comments

during one of si’s live-streams (he’s playing the hunger games minigame on minecraft), the chat goes wild because baz pops in. he plans on surprising simon with a picnic (he just thought that they could go into simon’s backyard or the park that’s a few miles away), but it was pretty spur of the moment so he didn’t think about simon doing a stream. and to be honest, simon’s stream was also spur of the moment, so it’s not like he made sure to tell baz about it

“simon! hey, i let myself in!” baz called from the front doorway. the chat is freaking because: “is that baz???” “omg baz has a key to simon’s house!!” “are they dating???” simon kind of just freezes up and starts sputtering as he reads the chat and tries to reply to baz

of course, baz doesn’t understand that simon doesn’t want baz to go into his office/room with his computer, so he does go in and as soon as he sees the livestream he’s like: “oh, uh, I’ll go” and simon unfreezes and goes “no, no, stay, I’ll just be a bit” “do you want me to...leave the room?” “you can watch if you want” (baz wants) “okay, sure” so simon pretty much shows baz how to play minecraft

i never finished this, do i?

[thatlittledandere]

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 31 and 40 for that shipper ask meme (sorry for picking so many but those questions are GOOD)

You're right, they absolutely are. I'm sorry in advance that this is gonna be LONG and I'm on mobile so I can't even add a read more;;

1. Talk about the first ship you ever had

So I'm SURE there were relationships I was invested in in movies and cartoons I watched as a child (I've always been a sucker for romance, even though there was that period when I didn't want to admit it) but I can't remember anything from very far back;; So it was either Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter or Ichigo and Masaya from Tokyo Mew Mew, whichever I read first.

2. Talk about three of the most important ships throughout your life

GOSH. You can't do this to me. I guess Romione because it was the time in my preteens when I was becoming more aware of... stuff, in general, abs the two cemented my love for friends-to-lovers. Then Ioryuu, because I've never been AS invested in and passionate about a ship before and likely never will. Nothing can compare to that intensity and ngl I miss it;; I miss the genuine hype I felt in my heart that made me interact with people and make things. So many things. I honestly can't think of a third one with such a lasting impact, sorry;;

3. What's your current OTP?

I imagine Souyo scenarios in my head every night before falling sleep and every morning after waking up, this is not a joke not an exaggeration. I still feel a little traitorous saying this on tumblr but their dynamic IS somewhat similar to the way I see Ioryuu so-

4. What's your current NoTP?

I don't think I have one? I have dislikes, some of them strong, but I don't see any of them often enough to be, like, actively angry. I have better uses for my time than willingly exposing myself to stuff I don't like.

5. Do you have any poly ships?

Not generally, juggling two characters is enough work lol. The only poly ships I've ever really actively shipped are Niels, Duncan and Natalie from the web comic Niels And the Gang by humon and Kinatsuen from Boueibu, but neither are actively on my mind much these days.

8. Have you ever shipped yourself with a character?

BOY HAVE I EVER. I've seen someone on tumblr have a side blog for self-shopping and not gonna lie, it's an excellent idea. My late teens were spent reading character x reader fics on Quotev and I started my fic career with the same genre. I don't really know what to do with myself when I DON'T actively ship myself with a character, which is my state of being now that Yosuke surpassed Yoosung as my favorite character;; Ibushi and Yoosung are the biggest ones but man oh boy I have shipped myself with characters from early age and I'm showing no signs of stopping! There's a reason that I main dating sims.

15. Have you ever "shipped at first sight"?

Not for long. I SUCK at forming first impressions. Usually if I start thinking I'll ship something, I end up not being so invested in it after all, and instead shipping something I swore off at first lmao. Which leads us to...

16. Talk about a ship you initially disliked

As a rule of thumb, all of them. I don't understand HOW it keeps happening but somehow almost all the ships I truly care/d about (that I didn't start shipping through osmosis before knowing them in the source material) started out as something I thought I "wouldn't be able to get behind." Gajevy. Shikatema. Sasunaru. Doctor/Rose. Karabita. Atsutodo. Kiribaku. Yoozen. Enatsu. Freaking IORYUU. EVEN SOUYO. IT'S BEEN YEARS I REALLY SHOULD KNOW THE PATTERN BY NOW

17. Talk about a pairing you've stopped shipping romantically

Like, I started to think they're better as friends after all? I guess NaLi. Then again, I mostly only shipped them out of spite in the first place because I wanted a counter for N/a//Lu, which I never liked at all;;

20. Talk about a ship you feel alone in shipping

Now this time I can say for sure that there isn't one. I can't come up with ships myself and stay on board if there isn't content for it, canon or otherwise;; It's not a conscious decision or anything, it's just how my mind works. I get attached to stuff by exposure, whether from fans or the source material, and if the source material has enough content for two characters for me to pick up on and become interested, it's guaranteed to be enough to become a somewhat popular ship.

21. Is there a ship you just don't get, but have nothing against?

Actually... That's the extent I go to with notp'ing these days. I'm passionate about the right to ship whatever you want so by proxy I can't have anything "against" a ship, even if the sheer thought of it existing makes me nauseous. And I know how to think from points of view other than my own, so I can usually see the appeal, even if it appeals to me personally less than eating dog shit while walking barefoot on rusty nails that are also on fire.

That said, the only ships I have on my Tumblr blacklist are Yoo//ra/n and Suza//lu/lu because they're both popular ships for characters whose tags I am/was following and therefore get suggested a lot even if I want following anyone who ships then. Oh, and all B/LMa//tsu ships! I generally can't feel good about incestuous ships, but can and will fight for their shippers' right to do as they please as long as they stay respectful. (never saw blmatsus who weren't respectful. saw a plethora of anti-blmatsus who were absolute demons. actually the reason i moved away from the last remnants of my anti mindset was that i didn't want to be associated with THOSE anti-blmatsus, when the shippers they wanted dead were all such sweet people. food for thought.)

22. Which of your ships have the best chemistry?

All of them?? Lmao I don't understand this question, isn't shipping all about liking the chemistry between characters? Or the potential for it I guess, in which case the chemistry is whatever you want it to be, which is great B) I'm sorry I keep accidentally dodging questions I'm bad at choosing examples from a long, unordered list

23. Which of your ships deserve better writing?

Hhhhhhh I shipped Jerza for years and was still unsatisfied with their ending, Jellal didn't get to heal enough and we didn't really see them working through their past in an effective way and getting comfortable around each other. It's like they were supposed to be friends to enemies to lovers but the last part didnt really develop and their relationship stagnated at the stage were they were both just permanently awkward out of regret, and couldn't bring themselves out of it even though everything was forgiven forever ago. Or I've forgotten a lot of stuff that happened. Very likely. Is your a case of bad writing or good writing not working out the way I wanted it to? You're asking the wrong person.

25. Have you ever shipped a pairing before you even started watching the show/movie simply because of gifs/graphics or similar?

EYUP. Harumichi was my otp for like a whole year before I saw a single episode with them lol. It was crazy, but it was REAL. I've also went into shows already paying attention to things I knew my friends/people I follow shipped, kind of hoping I'd get into it.

26. Have you noticed a pattern in your shipping? Is there a romantic dynamic I'm writing these questions down from screenshots and I cropped the rest of this one out by accident rip

Eeeh I go for the obvious. Best friend pairs, obvious pining, some rivalry with sexual tension, though I don't really know what to do with those. Then there's the fact that I never see it coming sick Persona 5 reference bro and start shipping the couple I thought "should just be friends" at first. This is more about my relationship to the ships than their dynamic but it's very constant...

27. Is there a ship you've shipped for most of your life?

Hmmm well I got into HP and started shipping Romione sometime in mid elementary school so it's definitely been more than half my lifetime since, but I don't really know if I "ship it" anymore. I didn't start disliking them or anything but for me, "shipping" is an active intrest in a fictional relationship, so if it reaches the stage where I like it, in theory, but I don't have the feels, it doesn't really count. That's why I can say I like ships without shipping them. It's gotta be actively on my brain, man.

31. Talk about one of your favorite headcanons for a ship you love

I haven't mentioned Kannao once, which is criminal. So here's some of what I imagine their future to be like :D I've been getting new Persona followers recently so here's something for you to unfollow me over lmao

So first of all I ignore the canon that Naoto goes back to the city for her detective work after her first year of high school, shhh she stays in Inaba, only taking the occasional jobs. She and Kanji start dating during the spring break before their second year and get more comfortable with each other, so that the next summer they're still cute and very much themselves (which means somewhat reserved) but not as awkward anymore :) I haven't thought about what happens after they graduate but they get married in their early 20s and have a son <3 (Chie and Yukiko adopted their daughter only slightly earlier. They may or may not have had a bit of a competition going on) ((yes Souyo are very much together but if they end up having children I haven't thought about it it's later))

Kanji manages the textile shop and Naoto helps when she's free from detective stuff. They live in Inaba but Naoto is away quite often for her gigs;; She takes up a few jobs less when Kouta is little though so he wouldn't feel less close to his Mom than his Dad.

Both Kanji and Naoto suffered from unfair expectations growing up, so they try their best to make up for it with Kouta's upbringing. They want him to feel comfortable being himself and free to express himself the way he wants; they make sure he knows he'll always be loved and supported, and to never be ashamed of who he is. As a child it doesn't even occur to him that many social norms and social expectations exist, because Naoto and Kanji pretty much let him do whatever as long as he isn't hurting himself or anyone else. They might go a little overboard though, giving into Kouta's whims without much consideration at all. The Amagi Aunties enforce rules and keep kids grounded in reality much better lmao

40. If you could change one thing about your otp, what would that be?

HMNGHNMHGNMGH I WAMT YOSUKE'S INTERNALIZED BULLSHIT ACKNOWLEDGED!! It's there AtlUS!! Stop pretending oh my god.... I love the Dancing All Night story mode (so far. I am by no means done); Yosuke gets cool moments and Yu's internal monologue really shows how much he appreciates him. The dynamic is so much better than with a silent protagonist, and thank god they didn't go with the tactless anime Yu (as fun as he is). I know there are a bunch of nods to the cut romance across spinoffs but mannnn... I wish they were more serious about it. At this point it's not even that far-fetched to think Yosuke has feelings for Yu that he may or may not be aware of, and I know that Yu as the player character can't be too tied down to one option in canon, but still... Even the clown gets tired of jokes at some point. One can dream.

40 ship questions

[erlenmeyertrash]

hi :) i apologize in advance to a) anyone on mobile or b) anyone Tired but like. something recently happened that upset a number of people. and. there definitely needs to be some clarification. speaking of: this whole blurb is specifically about ~fandom things.~ there are spaces where this is wrong or some things don’t apply. don’t reach.

and anyone who knows me knows i really truly don’t like public debate-y stuff especially in this fandom but on this one i gotta make a post because i’ve seen a few comments that are gaining popularity but are... well. they’re wrong. so. without further ado.

// this is about people ‘ruining’ other people’s posts- or, really, the impossibility of that happening.

hot take that isn’t really a ‘take’ because it’s just. how tumblr works: you can’t control what people add to your post. intent does not grant the right to any intended effect. granted, you control the original post. it’s your intellectual property- that’s why reposting is an issue. but you cannot control replies, comments, reblogs, any of that. it’s in tumblr’s terms of service.

when you make a tumblr account, you agree to the terms of service. this means when you post any content to tumblr, you’re giving the platform’s other users the right to reblog it and add anything they want that doesn’t violate any further policies. so someone reblogging your post and adding a reply that involves, say, a fraudulent link that’ll give you malware? that violates community guidelines and will be taken down. someone from another corner of the internet making your post relatable to their interests? that’s allowed. so if you make a post about Prince Harry and the Harry Potter fandom takes it over, sorry, there’s nothing you can do.

//also the reverse totally applies: if you see a post about Prince Harry, and you think “...hey, that could be about Harry Potter!” guess what dude? you are 100% completely and totally allowed to reblog that post and make it about Harry Potter.//

//also (so sorry), an important distinction: if that prince harry post says ‘HP fans don’t interact...’ can you, i dunno, respect that blogger and not make their post about harry potter? absolutely. don’t be an asshole. but this is more about being op than reblogging, so i digress.//

“but I hate all the notifications i’m getting about HP blogs adding to my post!! they’re making it into something i didn’t want it to be!!” welp. i’m sorry, but you cannot stop them from doing that. this is per the guidelines. they aren’t violating any terms of service. are they specifically targeting you with harassment about it? because that’s a different matter entirely. or are they simply doing something you didn’t want? unfortunately, you can’t keep that from happening. you can reblog your original version without their replies and try to make it more popular, but that’s about it.

it’s important to note that these people, in doing so, are probably not doing it out of spite. and even if it is, guess what? they get to be spiteful little nerds. sorry lads. they’re not forcing you into an argument about it, either. and you don’t get to tell them what they can or can’t do on your post. you can, however, choose to continue to be bothered by it, or to ignore it.

“but fam i really hate these notifications. i have a horrible fear of ron weasley and every time he’s mentioned it freaks me out, and every time anyone reblogs my post the activity feed blares directly in front of my face and i can’t look away.” see but here’s the Cool Part: if you don’t want to get notifications on a post you made, then you can delete a post from your blog. of course, by doing this you are not deleting all reblogs of the post. but what it will do is take any more reblogs, replies, comments, likes, etc. out of your activity feed. the post will still exist in many forms. but you won’t be updated on it anymore!! you won’t see it again!!

“but i am seeing it! some of my friends i follow are in the HP fandom!!!” okay well. good thing there are lots of ways to get around this one!! and xkit has even more!!

1. filtering tags!! 2. unfollowing users!! 3. blocking users!! 4. logging off!!!!!!!

...and this is where we run out of rope.

anyways. long story short, tumblr is made to curate your personal experience. you do not have any control over what other people do, short of reporting things that violate the guidelines. i’m sorry your post didn’t elicit the intended response. i’m sorry your activity feed got blown up by HP fans. but there’s nothing you can do to HP fans about it. if you choose to call them out, to reply to each HP fan and go “no, you’re wrong, this is a Prince Harry post, you can’t say that,” that is on you. you have the right to reply to them saying that... but are you correct in saying there is only one way to interpret something? do you have the authority to control someone else’s fandom experience?

[mimymomo]

Starkid Shows Ranked

So I’ve seen others do it and I want to jump on the bandwagon. Plus my list so SO different than others I’ve seen so I’m either gonna interest, delight or piss people off. I love every Starkid show, I just love some more than others lol. This is just my opinion so please dont take it too seriously:

11) Me And My Dick - oh shit not Ani! My list is already starting off controversial. Yeah I’m sorry I’m just not not the biggest fan of this show. I love a few songs and every scene with Joeys Heart or the Old Snatch is genius and Sally is the sweetest bean alive. But besides that, there’s nothing else that really keeps me coming back. I usually just watch the listen to your heart, the choir room scenes and the finale and I’m good. Plus Joey (the character not the person) pisses me off half the time. Sorry...

10) Ani - originally Ani was the only Starkid show I nearly stopped watching cause I couldn’t get into it. But by the end of the first act I was starting to enjoy it more (I really liked the act 1 finale). And I actually really like Ani’s second act. The songs in this show are really good and Nick Lang as Obi Wan is everything it’s just the first act that holds this show back for me.

9) A Very Potter Sequel - yeah controversial opinion again but AVPS is my least favorite of the AVPM trilogy...please don’t kill me!! It has my least favorite of the AVPM songs (I don’t like Guys Like Potter or Harry Freaking Potter...I’m so sorry I’ll go crawl back in my hole now). But I still fucking adore it though!! Brian as Lupin and Joe as Umbridge saved my life and Days of Summer makes me weep while No Way and Stutter fill me with chaotic energy.

8) A Very Potter Musical - the show that started it all! It was my first Starkid show that I’d watched back in like 2011/12 before I’d actually finished Harry Potter (I just watched all the movies last year...don’t judge me). This show is a classic: great songs, jokes, quotes.

7) Holy Musical B@man - Im not a huge DC fan but love this show. Joe and Nick are great as Batman and Robin respectively and Brian and Jeff are stand outs as Superman and Sweet Tooth. The costumes and songs are great and casting is spot on (I saw comment online saying that the show was gray but the casting of Lauren as Comissioner Gordon was weird and someone pointed out that was the joke it made me crack up). Plus Two-Face, TGI Friday’s girl, the line about Spider-Man being agile as hell and Meredith’s chess line in American Way still crack me up every time.

6) The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals - this was the show that officially brought me into the Starkid fandom. The story, characters and atmosphere of the show is something so distinct from every other Starkid show. The whole cats is freaking fantastic especially the newbies Jon and Mariah and I look forward to seeing them and everyone else in future shows. To me the weakest part of the show was the music (sorry I know everyone loves the songs in this show). Some songs are fine but others I just skip and at this point I can’t listen to Show Stoppin Number anymore. I have this thing where if shows/songs/characters get super popular I immediately start to like it less which I think is what happened for this show and the one next on my list.

5) Twisted - okay this is probably where I lost/pissed off most of you but let me explain: when I first watched this show I actually didn’t really like it. Aladdin was never a movie I really liked so a Aladdin/ Wicked style parody was not my thing. Now however I really enjoy Twisted. It’s still not my favorite show but the music is really good and Dylan and Meredith confirmed in this show that they have amazing stage chemistry - Ja’far and Scheherazade are the second best Starkid relationship solely because how integral the relationship is to the story without being grating plus they’re super cute. This show is hilarious and heart warming and wrenching at the same time. I may not like it as much as everyone else but I will fully preach how amazing it is.

4) A Very Potter Senior Year - yep AVPSY is my favorite in the trilogy. I think it partially has to do with the fact it’s just a stage reading. There’s just something about it not being perfect with all the technical issues and character breaking that makes it feel more personal and intimate to me. AVPSY has some of my favorite scenes (the scene with Meredith and AJ is one of the best scenes in Starkid history), songs (Always Dance is in my top five favorite Starkid songs ever) and character moments. Ron is such a standout in this show and I really care about his a Hermiones relationship in this show. I could never fully be invested in them before I hated how much Ron constantly insulted her but in this show it shows just how good of a boyfriend and best friend he really is. And I know people hate how they made Harry act in this show but to me it was essential to his character that he acted this way (I could write a whole essay about Harry and his character and how his actions in senior year make sense).

3) Starship - Starship is just really good okay!! Bug is precious, Mega-girl and Tootsie are adorable, the songs are amazing and the story while predictable since it’s just the Little Mermaid in Space is still great and it’s funny as heck. What more do I have to say? And Starship Requim nearly made me cry when I heard it for the first time.

2) Firebringer - I’m gay. Okay but seriously while TGWDLM was the show that pulled me into the fandom, this was the show that truly introduced me to Starkid as a more than AVPM. I know this show has a lot of problems. But you know those things that you recognize has a lot of issues and isn’t perfect but despite all the faults you still love it to death? Yeah Firebringer is one of those things to me. I love Jemilla and Zazzalil, I love their relationship, I love that they’re played by my two favorite Starkid members: Lauren Lopez and the love of my life Meredith Stepien!! I love the music since it reminds me of Jim and the Povolos music (since Meredith and Mark wrote so it kinda is JatP music lol) and all harmonies and costumes and I think the show is hilarious (not their funniest but still funny). Again I know this show has its problems especially in the writing but after watching the behind the scenes I’ve come to really appreciate this show and understand why and where the issues came from. To me this show is just plain fun and sometimes that’s just why I need.

1) The Trail to Oregon - this show is just everything to to me. It’s so freaking funny and I love every single song in it (Lost Without You hits too hard as a girl in college who is hours away from her family). At face value it’s a road trip musical that parodies the game abut at heart is a show about a distinctions family reconnecting and dealing with life. The Dikrats family plus McDoon (and really every other role Joey plays in this) and Cletus Jones are some the funniest characters and some of my personal favorites due to how over the top but insanely real they feel. I really became attached to this family and their struggle and I just wanted them to get to Oregate in one piece. Plus this show actually has not one but two songs about dying of pooping and I love both of them!! Trail to Oregap is just so unique and I adore it.

So what did I learn making this list?? I have really weird taste and extremely different opinions on shows than everyone else. Why did I make this list?

Well I hope someone liked it and didn’t get too mad at me lol. And I hope more people who have vastly different rankings make more top list because it’s fun seeing where others place shows especially if it’s really weird placings and not just Ani at 11 and Twisted at 1 (not saying they can’t be! Absolutely no judgment on my part!!).

[staystrange]

So I saw Be More Chill on Sunday afternoon.

I’ve only been a fan of this show for four months, way less time than a lot of the fans on here, but it’s come to mean a heck of a lot to me in that time. I bought my ticket on May 18, only about a month after the first time I listened to the cast recording all the way through and just five days after I saw Will Roland as Jared Kleinman in Dear Evan Hansen (recap). I immediately started counting down the days and listening to the cast album (and the Two-Player Game album) on repeat; three months and a day later, I got to see the show!!

I went with one of my best friends, and we planned an entire Be More Chill-themed day!! We had sushi for lunch (”got my sushi...”) at a restaurant across the street from the Lyric Theatre (where, of course, we just had to take pictures of and with all of the Harry Potter stuff), got Michael Mell slushees at the theater while we waited for the house to open (”...got my slushee and more”), and ended the day with Pinkberry (”home in a snatch, only one catch, we gotta stop for frozen yogurt first”) after the show and the stagedoor. Unlike with Dear Evan Hansen, I had this ticket way far in advance, so getting to the show was much less of an adventure, but the day was no less magical. In fact, I might even say it was even more magical!!

I was in Row K which was ten rows back, and since the whole theater was orchestra and the seats slanted upward from the front, I had an awesome view, the best view I’ve ever had at a show in NYC as far as I can remember. I couldn’t stop grinning throughout the entire show; even when I was crying, I was still grinning like an idiot. This show is truly a special one, and I wish that everyone who loves it as much as I do could get to see it. I’m just so grateful that Sunday happened, and I will never forget a second of it. It was a highlight of my LIFE, as Christine would say. Thank you to the entire cast, crew, and staff for making this show happen : )

I don’t want this post to take up too much space on people’s feeds, but if you’d like to hear about my more specific thoughts on each cast member / character, my stagedoor experience, and my favorite moments / changes, check under the cut. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR THE NYC PRODUCTION. You have been warned.

I got to see all of the regular cast members except for Britton Smith. I saw Troy Iwata, who is the swing for Michael, Rich, and Jake, as Jake instead. NOTE: I have not seen the original production, not even the bootleg.

Will Roland as Jeremy Heere: Oh. My. Goodness. When I saw Dear Evan Hansen, I knew that Will was going to be an incredible Jeremy, but I had no idea just how incredibly perfect for the role he would be. His performance was better than I could have ever expected, and I’m just so happy he finally got a lot of singing parts as the lead. I especially loved the way he sang the end of More Than Survive, the A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into reprise in the Halloween scene (which I did not know about before I saw the show but is now one of my favorite scenes), and Voices in My Head at the very end. And, of course, I absolutely loved Loser Geek Whatever!! I’ve seen the one minute press clip of the song countless times and I know it by heart by now, but getting to hear the whole song from “I should find out what it’s like to be the loser, or the geek, or whatever...” through the buildup to the ending was incredible. I wish I could listen to it on repeat, but I guess I’ll have to wait for the studio recording that will hopefully exist in the future. I really hope we get a full new cast recording just so I can listen to Will sing all of Jeremy’s parts all over again, though it’ll never do his live performance justice. He was just that good.

George Salazar as Michael Mell: I knew that George is extremely talented, but nothing could have prepared me for how incredible his portrayal of Michael is. Of course Michael in the Bathroom is the big standout performance (and it was mind-blowingly powerful), but I also really loved Two-Player Game and The Pants Song. I also noticed that he sang his line of Voices in My Head up the octave from the version on the cast recording, which was an interesting change, and it sounded great of course!! Applauding along with the entire audience for his first appearance and for “Michael makes an entrance” was so special and I couldn’t stop smiling. Michael is a really dynamic character, which to me wasn’t as evident from the cast recording, and there were times where I was laughing one second and crying the next because of George’s performance. The most notable example is that right before Michael in the Bathroom, there’s a really funny moment so I laughed, but as soon as the intro to Michael in the Bathroom started, the whole audience went silent, and I was crying by the end of the song. It was a true roller coaster of emotion. He was absolutely incredible, and I will forever be in awe of the way he truly puts his all into this character and this performance.

Stephanie Hsu as Christine Canigula: Christine is one of my favorite characters, and I was so excited to see Stephanie Hsu play her again (even though it means I don’t get to see her as Karen the Computer in SpongeBob next month, but let’s be real, I’d much rather see her play Christine). I Love Play Rehearsal and A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into are two of my favorite songs from the show, and when I finally got to see them in context, I only loved them more. I really loved her costumes, especially the boots she wears during Voices in My Head. Stephanie gives Christine so much personality and perfectly brings her to life; she gives the show so much heart, and I loved everything about her performance.

Gerard Canonico as Rich Goranski: Gerard Canonico is a true triple threat. I knew he was a good singer and actor based on the cast recording, but his dancing, especially during Halloween, truly blew me away. He did the freaking WORM. TWICE!! His acting was especially good once Rich starts trying to fight off the SQUIP, and of course, there’s nothing like hearing Gerard sing “IT’S FROM JAPAN” during The SQUIP Song. As a bi person myself, I loved the “I’m totally bi!!” moment and couldn’t stop grinning. This role really takes a lot of skill, and Gerard more than nails it.

Jason Tam as The SQUIP: I saw Jason Tam on Broadway in If/Then a few years ago, and while I don’t remember his performance in that show specifically, I remember thinking the show overall was incredible. I was really excited to see him play the SQUIP, and for good reason, because he’s perfect for the role. He just has a perfect voice for the SQUIP, and his performance of The Pitiful Children was awesome. I also really loved his first few scenes (Be More Chill Part 1 and Part 2) and the moments where the SQUIP malfunctions were so fun to watch. The SQUIP is a really unique role, and getting to see Jason’s portrayal was so cool!!

Katlyn Carlson as Chloe Valentine: Chloe has some truly iconic moments, and getting to see Katlyn play her was so much fun. “I’m telling the story, Jenna!!” is such an iconic moment, and finally seeing the staging and context of Do You Wanna Hang? helped the song make so much more sense. I really love Katlyn’s part in The Smartphone Hour; her singing was incredible, and it must have taken a lot of practice to nail that part that she speaks super quickly. Katlyn is a wonderful actress, and I’m so glad I got to see her.

Lauren Marcus as Brooke Lohst: I really love Lauren Marcus’s voice, and she gets to show it off as Brooke, especially during the “Pinkberry�� riff in Do You Wanna Ride? (it was even more awesome than on the cast recording). I also loved her The Smartphone Hour performance, and the banana she throws offstage will never not be iconic. Her lines always made me laugh, too. I just love the way Lauren portrays Brooke, and it was great getting to see her!!

Tiffany Mann as Jenna Rolan: Tiffany freaking knocked it out of the park!! Every time she sang, I was blown away all over again. Her voice is absolutely incredible, and she’s the perfect choice for Jenna. I loved her verse of The Smartphone Hour and the parts she sings over the spoken section. I also really loved the vulnerable moment she has with Jeremy during the dialogue of The Pitiful Children. She’s just so awesome.

Troy Iwata as Jake Dillinger: I was a bit bummed at first when I found out that Britton Smith would be out for my show, but now that I’ve seen Troy, I’m actually glad I got to see his portrayal of Jake!! I don’t really know much about Britton’s version of Jake, but Troy’s performance made Jake feel like a really nice guy who happens to be a popular jock in addition to the many other extracurriculars he has. He’s not perfect, of course, but I liked thinking of him as a decent-ish guy. I definitely liked Jake a lot more as a character after watching Troy’s portrayal. Troy has an incredible voice, too, and he really gave his all in this performance (it was his last before Britton returned). I really loved his solo in Upgrade. I’m really lucky that I got to see him because he’s incredibly talented!!

Jason “Sweettooth” Williams as Mr. Heere / Mr. Reyes: Jason is an incredible actor. He has to switch between very different roles with very little time in between each one, and each of his roles felt completely unique. He definitely had the wackiest costumes, and he rocked every single one. I especially loved his portrayal of Mr. Heere, especially during The Pants Song, the staging of which was somehow both hilarious and beautiful at the same time. And, of course, when he put pants on at the end, everyone cheered and it was magical. It must take a lot to be able to walk onstage in boxers for the majority of a show, and he deserves so much respect for it. I absolutely loved his performances!!

STAGEDOOR: Since I saw the matinee of a two-show day, I was honestly not expecting many cast members to come out, but to my pleasant surprise, I got to meet everyone except for Gerard (no shade to Gerard at all, I promise)!! Here’s a basic summary of my interactions with each cast member, in the order I met them in (to the best of my recollection, which to be honest is probably not accurate, but it’s the thought that counts).

Will: Out of the entire cast, he’s the person I most wanted to meet but the one I least expected to stagedoor on a two-show day, so I’m sure you can imagine my surprise and happiness when he not only came out, but came out first. He moved down the line very quickly, so when he got to me, I quickly thanked him and told him that Voices in My Head means a lot to me and that getting to see him perform it was really special. He kept signing as I talked, but looked at me a couple times as he did so I knew he was still listening. He responded, “Aww, thank you!! It was my honor. I’m so glad you liked it!!” (or something along those lines; my memory isn’t perfect). I replied that it was absolutely incredible. If I had to pick one favorite moment from the whole day, this was it.

Stephanie: Stephanie accidentally skipped over me as she went down the line, and I felt so bad trying to get her attention so I just, like, kept holding out my Playbill and hoping she would notice. The people around me thankfully caught on and let her know that she’d missed me (”Did I miss someone? I’m so sorry!!), so she came back and signed my Playbill. I apologized to her (because I’m one of those people who apologizes for everything), told her that she was absolutely wonderful, and thanked her.

George: First of all, George was wearing his M. Mell hat, and I just love it so much. When he got to me, I tried to tell him that he was absolutely incredible, but I don’t think he heard me, which is totally understandable considering how overwhelming the stagedoor can be. I tweeted him later in the day, and he replied thanking me for coming. I’m just glad he saw it because he more than deserves the compliment!!

Jason Tam: I told Jason that he was absolutely incredible (notice a pattern yet?), and I also mentioned that I saw him in If/Then a few years ago, too. He sounded a little surprised (I don’t think there’s a lot of overlap between the audiences of the two shows) and said, “Oh, really? That’s awesome!! Good to see you again.” He’s the nicest.

Tiffany: As she signed my Playbill, I told her that she was awesome. She thanked me, and then complimented my eyeliner (I have this sparkly glitter eyeliner that I sometimes put on top of black eyeliner, and that’s how I did it that day). I’m still so honored.

Jason “Sweettooth” Williams: I told Jason that I really loved his Be More Chiseled video series (which if you haven’t seen, you definitely should watch) and he thanked me!!

Katlyn: Katlyn was wearing these awesome Wonder Woman slippers / boots and my friend and I both complimented them (she said that as soon as the show’s over, she gets into comfy clothes). I also, of course, told her that she was incredible.

Troy: I told Troy that he did an incredible job and congratulated him on getting to perform, and he thanked me for the compliment and for coming to see the show.

Lauren: I told Lauren that I loved her performance and that I also really love her original music (it’s so good and I highly recommend it). She thanked me and told me that really meant a lot to her and that there would hopefully be more music coming soon!!

Bonus: There was a kid next to me who brought incredible fan art for each of the cast members and he was so adorable and everyone was so sweet to him and it made me so happy!!

Bonus 2: I like to get to stuff really early, so I got to the theater a little over an hour before the show started to get merch and a slushee, pick up my ticket, and go to the bathroom. While my friend and I were hanging out in the lobby, we saw Lauren, Gerard, and Stephanie walk in. I kind of tried to wave to Lauren, but she didn’t see me, and I didn’t want to bother her. Also, I tweeted Joe Iconis when I got to the theater about how excited I was, and he replied, “You’re so early!” I laughed out loud when I saw his reply.

FAVORITE MOMENTS / CHANGES:

• A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into (Reprise). Seriously, why is nobody talking about this?? I don’t even know if it was in the original production or not, but it’s now one of my two favorite scenes. Jeremy and Christine are at their dorkiest and it’s the cutest thing. The harmonies were perfect, and I think “Christineeee will you go OUUUUUT with me?” speaks for itself. Will’s voice was especially good there. Also, he brought back the Jared Kleinman laugh for a bit and I was so happy. • “I spent all of my bar mitzvah money on a winter-green tic tac” (JEREMY IS CANON JEWISH) • “My moms would be so proud!!” • The end of More Than Survive was even more heartbreaking than in the press video and it was perfect • Will’s cartwheel in Halloween • Gerard’s dancing in Halloween • Jeremy’s expressions during I Love Play Rehearsal. Actually, just that entire scene. • “Everything about you is going to be cool...” “COOL!!” • The transition into Loser Geek Whatever. And the entire song. • “I’m on my period!” “Take your time, honey!” right before Michael in the Bathroom • Christine’s SQUIP being Ruth Bader Ginsberg • The dialogue between Chloe, Brooke, and Jenna focusing more on Jake’s actions instead of Madeline’s!! • Chloe breaking the hanger in the mall • “Do you love Jeremy?” “wHAT?” • “Oh my God, I’m totally bi!!” • The Pants Song and The Pitiful Children were switched, and I was very confused at first, but I liked it this way a lot. • Michael’s pride patch • “MICHAEL MAKES AN ENTRANCE” • Jeremy and Christine slow dancing during A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into • That dorky smile Will does during Michael’s verse of Two-Player Game • Jason Tam speaking Japanese (some of which I actually understood, so shoutout to the one semester of Japanese that I took last fall) • “IT’S FROM JAPAN!!” • Jeremy’s part at the end of The SQUIP Song • Voices in My Head. This song has been my favorite since my first listen of the cast recording, and it was the song I was most looking forward to hearing performed live (which is also why it meant the world to me that I got to thank Will for it in person). First of all, the fact that it starts as Jeremy’s all choked up because his dad pUT PANTS ON is just perfect, and as soon as I heard the intro, I started sobbing and didn’t stop. I love the harmonies that were added to it, but I’m glad it remained pretty much the same as the original version otherwise. It’s perfect as it is. The extended dialogue between Jeremy and Christine before he asks her out is so pure and wonderful. Their dorky first kiss (”wHOO!!”). Jeremy twirling Christine and dancing with her and kissing her some more. Will’s performance of that song was better than I could have ever imagined; I’m not even kidding, everything felt right with the world during that scene / song. • Will’s curtain call. All of the curtain calls. The dancing after the curtain call.

Wow, this was long. I guess I just have mad gigantic feelings to share about this show? : )

Seriously, I’m so SO grateful for the opportunity to see this production. It’s definitely my favorite show that I’ve seen, besides maybe Dear Evan Hansen. If you have any questions about any aspect of the production, feel free to send me an ask and I’d be happy to answer it!!

[toomanysurveys9]

Do you prefer apple cider or chai? apple cider for sure.

Do you prefer pumpkin spice tea, pumpkin spice coffee, or no pumpkin spice? no pumpkin spice. Have you ever made a stupid mistake? well, yeah. i’m human. we all make stupid mistakes. Do you ever feel insecure? yeah. all the time. and it’s super bad right now. What does your trick-or-treat bag or pail look like? i don’t have one. i’m an adult and no longer go trick or treating. i do need to get one for wy this weekend though since halloween is next week. How old will you turn on your next birthday? twenty-six.

What are your plans to celebrate? probably just hang out with family as always. What floor do you live on? i live in a house, but our room is upstairs. Do you have a balcony? nope. we do not. Do you ever feel alone? yeah. i feel that way a lot. Do you ever feel afraid people will question your sanity? i guess so.

Do you like fall evenings or mornings better? evenings. i’m not a huge morning person, regardless of season.

What is your favorite way to spend a fall evening? cuddled up inside. or maybe a bonfire.

What is your favorite way to spend a fall morning? sleeping. lol. my morning routine stays the same regardless of the season. wyatt and i wake up, and we go downstairs to eat breakfast. then he gets a diaper change. the usually we will play together, although this week he’s been busy playing with lilli and rose since they’re on fall break, so i bounce/rock on the exercise ball and do some surveys. What is your favorite fall drink, if you had to pick just one? apple cider for sure.

Which X Factor audition(s) was/were your favorite? i don’t watch it so couldn’t say.

Were you a straight A student in spelling and grammar? for the most part, yes.

Were you a straight A student in math? no. usually i got b’s in math.

Would you rather wear orange or black? black. i don’t like orange that much. i never have. Were you abused or do you know anyone who was abused? i was and i know a lot of others who were as well. Are you scared of something right now? yeah. being pregnant forever. ha.

Are you a democrat or republican, or neither? kind of somewhere in the middle i think.

Do you plan on voting in this November’s election? yeah, depending on eliana.

Do you have trouble keeping your room clean? not so far since jacob spends less time in there.

Who would take care of you if you needed surgery? my mom mostly. maybe jacob on occasion.

Do you have anyone that you can rely on? my parents. sometimes jacob.

Do you tend to wake up early or sleep in? depends entirely on wyatt.

Do you wish you could wake up earlier? i don’t really enjoy waking up early..

What is the name of your favorite coffee shop in your town? i usually just go to dunkin’ if i want iced coffee.

What is fall weather usually like where you live? cool. usually about 50-60s during the day, and 34-45s during the night.

Do you think you have an accent? not to those who live around here, no.

Have you been told you have an accent? i have been but it was weird.

Where do you live (country or state)? indiana.

Are there any churches you feel welcome at in your town? i don’t go to any churches.

If you could start a church, what would it be like? i wouldn’t do that. i’m not religious.

What color is your favorite laundry basket? i don’t have a favorite laundry basket. i just have our little tan one.

What color is your clothes hamper? tan laundry basket.

Do you use plastic, wooden, or wire hangers? my mom bought plastic ones when we moved in so that’s what i use.

What is your favorite shade of yellow? i don’t know. i guess a pale yellow that isn’t all up in your face.

Are there any shades of blue that you don’t like? If so, which ones? not really... i’ve never been a huge fan of, like, indigo, but i don’t mind it either.

What color eyeshadows look best on you? if i wear it, i use natural colors.

What is something you want to accomplish before you turn 30? i would love to get a job in my field.

Are there paper-thin walls where you live? kind of. or my sisters are just really freaking loud.

Do you feel happy today? i’ve been kind of happy i suppose. but bored.

Are you afraid of getting yelled at? no.. although i haven’t done anything to get yelled at about, so i would be confused.

Do you ever experience paranoia at random times? it’s not really random times.. it’s when i’m alone or when i go down the stairs to go bathroom early in the mornings.. i’m afraid someone is going to be standing outside our front door one of these times because we still haven’t got a curtain for the window on the front door so you can see right in.

Who has the best decorated house in your town? i have no clue.

What is your favorite part of Halloween? taking the kids trick or treating.

Do you think Halloween could be made into a Christian holiday? If so, how? i don’t know but it isn’t necessary regardless.

Is there a cemetery in your backyard? no, thank god. although i don’t mind them, that doesn’t mean i would want one in the backyard.

Do you feel a connection to the moon? can’t say that i do.

What does your heart long for? be the best mom and wife i can be and make people happy..

Do you know what your purpose in life is? take care of my babies!

If so, what is your purpose? Why are you here? ^^^

If you live in an apartment, what is the maintenance man’s name? i live in our house, so jacob and my dad does the maintenance stuff.

Did you decorate a pumpkin this year? we did this past sunday actually!

If not, will you decorate a pumpkin this year? we already did. :)

What are some fall activities you would do with your kids? we picked pumpkins and apples. read “fall/halloween” themed books (wyatt’s favorite is “there was an old lady who swallowed a bat”). maybe watch some movies, especially as he gets older (like harry potter, beetlejuice, etc). would like to go to the corn mazes, hayrides, and even haunted houses as they get older.

Have you ever seen a fox? only in zoos/animal sanctuaries.

What color are the squirrels where you live? i mostly see brown/black ones.

Do you find Halloween fun or scary? i love halloween, so i think it’s fun.

Is there anything about Halloween you find offensive? nope. nothing comes to mind.

What was the last thing you drank? water.

What do the trees look like where you live? the leaves are changing colors, so they’re pretty right now.

What is your dream vacation? i want to get out of the u.s. so maybe italy or the uk.

What was the best vacation you’ve been on so far? our florida trips were always amazing when i was younger. but the kentucky trip we took when wy was a few months old was great too, plus it was our first family vacation with him.

What is the best class trip you’ve been on? went to an amusement park for the day once. that was about it.

Did you like field trips when you were a kid? yeah. i loved field trips.

Do you find museums boring or interesting? i kind of like them actually.

What was your school’s rival team’s mascot? i don’t know. i never paid attention to any school sports in college or high school.

Do you wish you could do your life over again and make less mistakes? as long as it wouldn’t change current things going on too much.

What are three issues you are passionate about? animal abuse, child abuse, and suicide prevention.

What are three countries you have no desire to visit? i’m not sure, to be honest.

What are three countries you would like to visit? italy, u.k., and greece.

Do you like your country’s flag? sure. i don’t have any issues with it.

Would you ever wear a shirt with your country’s flag on it? i have before, and probably will again.

Do you have a bedspread or a comforter? comforter.

What size is your bed? queen, and it’s still not big enough. i still get kicked off the bed.

Do you prefer cotton or microfiber sheets? i think i’ve only ever used cotton..

Does anyone love you and support you? my husband, at least most of the time. and my parents and siblings i guess.

What’s a medicine that makes you sleepy? robitussin. knocks me right out.

Do you like bath bombs? i’ve never actually used a bath bomb. i don’t take baths really.

What was the best summer of your life? 2016 was a good one. i graduated college, got married, had fun with friends, and got pregnant with wy.

What year do you wish you could go back to? i’m okay to keep going forward.

What did your favorite homecoming dress look like? i never wore a dress to homecoming i don’t think.

Who is your favorite neighbor? don’t have a favorite. i don’t really know any of our neighbors.

What did you last have for lunch? i had two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches today.

If someone told you “trick” instead of giving you a treat, what would u do? nothing.

Would you ever be friends with an alien exchange student? yeah.. why wouldn’t i?

Who are your favorite small youtubers? i don’t care for youtube that much.

Who are your favorite big youtubers? ^^^

What was your favorite girl group when you were growing up? barlow girls. ha. it was a christian girl band i really enjoyed.

Do you like Disney movies? i love disney movies.

Were you ever in the popular crowd? ha. no. not even close.

If not, do you want to be popular? i never cared to be popular, and i still don’t.

Would you rather live in a log cabin or Smarthouse? i don’t know. probably a log cabin. i think the smarthouse might get annoying.

Have you ever used an outhouse? no. closest i got was the port-a-potty and i avoid using those at all costs.

What does your middle name rhyme with? see.

What was the name of the first dorm you lived in? i never lived in a dorm.

Were your college years the best years of your life? not the best, but there was  a lot of fun times. i don’t remember them all. ha.

[28allthelove28]

Essay on Fandom and Obsession (One Direction & Fionn Whitehead mainly)

I think it is vital to not make people feel guilty for the things that they enjoy. It is also important to realise that everyone gets obsessed with stuff, and it’s not a bad thing.

Fandom can often be seen as being predominantly young girls screaming and crying over young boys, and apparently that is not cool. At least a lot of people seem to think it is not cool, but that attitude is wrong. Yes, teenage girls have been freaking out over young men since before Beatlemania, but intense fandom and excessive love for your idol is by no means exclusive to young girls. Think of Morrissey. Grown men devote their lives to worshiping him. I’ve witnessed hard, tough, old men in tears, covered in Smiths tattoos, shouting every lyric out at a Morrissey gig, and no one batted an eye. It’s great! David Bowie inspired generations of working class lads to dye their hair bright orange and go out wearing glittery make up. Loads of men really idolise Oasis. Everybody loves Radiohead. I’m one of the proud and devoted thousands who flock in their Goth uniform to see The Cure perform every couple of years, and hopefully I always will be. The best moment of my life was my last Cure gig, and I’m very happy about that. Of course, fan girls don’t just like male musicians, a lot of girls like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Little Mix, so do a lot of boys. Lads also like Justin Bieber as well as girls. Maybe it is naïve, unnecessary and problematic to even consider fandom in terms of gender, especially in terms of only two genders.

To mention fan fiction, I bought a book from Rough Trade Records which was part of a series of works inspired by different musicians. It was a short story which the author imagined after listening to the album Dry by PJ Harvey. It may not be classed as conventional fan fiction per say, due to Polly Harvey not being directly featured in the story, but each chapter began with the first lyric of Polly’s song, in order of the album tracklist. Something creative and imaginative was born from an enjoyment of music, it was wonderful. And fandom is obviously not just music orientated, thousands of people are obsessed and devoted to football. I couldn’t even count the amount of Newcastle United Football Club tattoos I’ve seen. Game Of Thrones, Star Wars and Harry Potter have enormous fan bases too. The Great British Bake Off is huge, so are specific YouTubers, make-up brands, celebrities like the Kardashians, fashion brands, games, and phone apps. There are so many areas of fandom and obsession, when you begin to think about it. I may have glossed over and simplified some things but these serve as only a few brief examples, out of many, of how diverse and wonderful fandom can be.

Being a fan is clearly by absolutely no means just young females liking young male singers, and it probably is problematic to think so. Perhaps why it can initially seem that way, to me anyway, may be because a girl obsessing over a boy has been my personal experience, and in contemporary culture today, the media really does like to mock girls like me. To focus on One Direction in particular, because that is my biggest obsession, and is most relevant to this discussion, many journalists enjoy frequently claiming that all One Direction fans are hysterical, naive 12 year old girls, who want to sleep with the band, and only like them because they’re pretty. When in fact, not only is that disrespectful to any 12 year old 1D fans, but many fans have grown up with One Direction and are around the same age as them, if not much older. Many One Direction fans don’t fancy the band whatsoever, many 1D fans are boys, many fans are gender fluid, and all the fans that I’ve interacted with genuinely love 1D’s music and respect the band members. Yes, there are some people who sexualise, worship, and disrespect One Direction, but tabloid journalists can often only focus on that side of things.

I think it is important to highlight more so, that a vast portion of the One Direction fandom are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and through 1D and their fans, feel loved, supported, understood, welcomed, included and inspired to be strong and proud. A lot of One Direction concerts are full of rainbow flags, which then get shown on the big screen, signed by Louis, and worn by Harry. Harry has ‘liked’ Instagram posts encouraging people to “Support feminine boys” and Louis has even corrected Harry when he accidentally misgendered a fan. A vast portion of the 1D fandom, myself included, genuinely believe that Harry and Louis are in love, and have been in a secret relationship for years, and we completely support them. (I have a separate essay on this.) I talked about this recently with a lecturer in queer art history, who also believes in Larry, and is in awe at the level of visual analysis ‘Larries’ have undertaken to examine Harry and Louis’ complimentary couple tattoos.

Harry has inspired young boys to wear nail polish because, until seeing him do it, they “Didn’t know boys were allowed.” Again, I don’t want to skim over important issues, but I am quickly mentioning the importance of One Direction’s queer community, and Harry challenging gender norms, to disprove the media idea that all 1D fans are just there to sexualise the band. Yes, I and many others do find One Direction very beautiful and sexy, but I don’t want to be their girlfriend or their lover, at most I just want to be their best friend. I want to continue enjoying their music and supporting them as individuals. And so do the majority of fans that I interact with.

The way in which mainstream media represents One Direction fans can make them expect everyone to mock them. However Mark Radcliffe, a radio presenter on 6Music, an alternative station you would never expect to mention One Direction, recently spoke very kindly of Harry Styles and his fans. He saw people queuing to meet Harry, and explained on his show that they were very excited, and “Why wouldn’t they be?” Mark discussed that Harry was doing solo work and even made a feature out of fandom, asking listeners to text in their own experiences of queueing for their idols. Mark kept chatting to Harry’s fans, checking they were ok and he even brought them breakfast. The entire time Mark mentioned Harry and the fans, he spoke sweetly and respectfully and completely normally. This shouldn’t have been refreshing to hear, but it really was. I tweeted to thank Mark for his kindness, to which he ‘liked’ and replied. I simply found this a lovely and heart-warming example of respectable music news outlets treating young pop fans nicely.

Harry Styles himself was even asked about his fan-base being mainly composed of young girls, as if he were supposed to feel embarrassed about that, and he brilliantly commented “Who’s to say that young girls who like pop music – short for popular right? – have worse musical taste than a 30-year-old hipster guy? That’s not up to you to say. Music is something that’s changing… Young girls like the Beatles. You gonna tell me they’re not serious? How can you say young girls don’t get it? They’re our future – our future doctors, lawyers, mothers, presidents, they kind of keep the world going. Teenage-girl fans – they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool’. They like you, and they tell you.” I really don’t think there is a better way to say it. One Direction fans defend them against the media, but they also correct them if they make mistakes. We are honest.

Louis Tomlinson has also talked about how impressive and “Remarkable” his own fans devotion is, and how endlessly grateful he is for it. Louis has discussed how he’s built up a special relationship with his fans and often credits his success as being a constant “Teamwork” between him and the fans working together, even saying that they deserve managerial, promotion jobs. Niall Horan from One Direction constantly looks out for the safety of his fans as they queue to see him perform, and he even regularly shares photos of letters which he’s handwritten for fans, personally updating them on what he’s been up to. Liam Payne from 1D always remembers to acknowledge special band anniversaries that the fans get involved with, and Zayn Malik frequently shares examples of fan art that his fans have drawn of him. The members of the band which people idolise, equally love and appreciate their fans in return and form a family-like unit together, and it’s lovely.

People have picked up on this and even said that society should be built in a similar way as a fandom; supportive, passionate and communal. A lovely article was written by Aarabelle Sicardi, in which she describes fashion designer Rei Kawakubo as her own Harry Styles. She rightly notes that “Loving people makes you brave.” And that “Fandom is a pure version of this. It’s an ideal receptacle of feelings because you ask for nothing personal in return… fandom gave me bravery and friendship.” She admits that you can often find yourself needing to “Defend” your fandom love, and that people may dismiss the thing you love but the thing you love will never dismiss you. She discusses similar points which I have made that “Fandom lives in every industry if you know where to look…teen girls are always attacked for their fandom regardless: music fandom to outsiders looks uncool, unhinged or wasteful. You might see teen girls crying and holding signs or collecting memorabilia and think it’s too much for something so trivial. But it’s not.” Sicardi quotes Harry’s fans as they describe how he was a gateway to finding their queer community and affirming their own identity, saying that “His existence in the world made them more comfortable with their own…Teen girls are criticized for loving the wrong things and loving them in weird and unproductive ways. But the criticisms couldn’t be more off base. They love things with a brilliance and curiosity that makes them better for it…Teen girls push themselves to learn how to code so they can build beautiful fan-pages and online communities… It helps them build worlds out of their imaginings.” Through writing about One Direction, myself and many other fans have also learnt more about putting forward an argument, gathering information, formatting essays and questioning things. Sicardi ends her article by saying that loving things makes fans smarter and braver, and I agree.

These are all beautiful, empowering things, but for me, being so engaged in a fandom can also mean that I do live inside my head quite a lot, but it’s mostly very nice in there, and I think everyone does that. Everyone imagines things. Everyone enjoys the things they enjoy. Admittedly I probably think that obsessing over famous boys is worse than it actually is. In reality I’ve now learnt that it’s not that bad at all. Yes, loving One Direction, Larry Stylinson and Fionn Whitehead can cause some problems – what if no man in real life can live up to them? What if Larry or ‘Larries’ have set unrealistic expectations of relationships? What if I’m more invested in their wellbeing than my own, and those around me? What if I spend so much time on them that I am ignorant to real world problems? What if their rich and privileged lifestyles have made me greedy and selfish? What if their success being born from luck on a talent show has made me lazy and less ambitious? What if their enormous success at the same age as me has made me value my own progress less? What if their physical beauty and that of the people around them has made me doubt and criticise my own? However, perhaps me thinking that loving a boy band or an actor is damaging and could cause all these issues, is the actual problem. Perhaps the obsession itself is not the problem, but my attitude towards it, an attitude influenced by media shame. Maybe me thinking it’s a problem is the only problem.

In reality, it is fun, and educational, and cultural to discover an actor or a singer. To appreciate a person’s talent and hard work, to notice their good qualities, to learn things from them and from their art, to unashamedly be passionate about something, to meet new people through that shared interest and then learn more things from them. All of that is a positive, and rewarding, and beautiful thing. I just have to keep thinking that until I no longer need to remind myself.

Perhaps this whole essay is my way of justifying to myself that it is ok for me to be obsessed with Fionn Whitehead and One Direction. Of course it is. Life is too short and dramatic to worry about things that you don’t really need to worry about. Life is too short and dramatic to deny yourself what you enjoy. Life is too short and dramatic to be over influenced by other people and their opinions. Life is too short and dramatic to not be proud of who you are and what makes you happy.

[dapperfvck-arc]

🔥 The TV show... (Because I really want to know exactly why you don't like it [or hate it?] because i'm so freaking curious. Also I think in general a Constantine TV show would do best on AMC rather than NBC... FEEL FREE TO COMPLETELY RANT. I WANT TO KNOW. Please.)

Unpopular Opinion Time!

Oh boy. Hooooo boy. I’m still going to be relatively gentle, because honestly, I’m saving my true vitriol for the times that I must defend my choice not to RP it or for the hysterical consensus opinion from the fandom that TV show was an improvement over the film (lol nope, aside from Matt Ryan “looking the part” but that’s a whole other can of worms). 

Note: Cut for length and maybe a bit of brutality in my honesty.

*sighs* Ok, I’ll first preface this with that I still have like four episodes to go. Obviously, I have massive issues in the needless changes made to the adaption of comic canon. It was unnecessary to make Chas American while retaining the fact that he’s John’s oldest and best of friends. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but who knows. Maybe it’s explained a little better in one of the last few episodes, but you know. My hopes aren’t high. I don’t like Chas’s virtual invulnerability, not just because it takes away the stakes of the danger he’s putting himself in, but also? It’s a plot device scarcely used? So why make that choice if it’s not going to be capitalized on with meaningful frequency? I hated that Zed was portrayed as a novice, and that the teeth were taken out from the Newcastle Incident. Now obviously, I understand why they’d have to alter a bit of it due to Network censorship, but at the same??? I mean child abuse and sexual violence are nothing new on shows like Law and Order: SVU and Criminal minds so…Idek, it kind of comes off as an excuse. It’s not a child’s show. Maybe it could be argued that it was marketed toward teenagers, but it’s not like they’re ignorant to those horrors in the world. I’m not asking them to show Astra’s rape, just to acknowledge the true horror of the situation instead of making it all about John’s failure. So yeah, I was annoyed by the occasional attempt to adapt source material and completely mucking it all up.

Now to begin with, I completely get the SP/N’s fandom bitterness more than ever. Before watching it I thought they were just trying to be like “whaaaat, another show about magic and exorcism? Of course it’s a ripoff because don’t you know our fandom invented those things?” I honestly believe the crux of the issue is that NBC clearly wanted their own SP/N as well as to cash in the popularity of comic book based media, so there’s that. To me, it comes off as a shameless cash grab. I honestly believe if I felt like there was some kind of passion from its creators, I could have dealt with some of those changes, but I don’t get that. It’s been a soulless experience overall. Like it’s not been a matter of me nitpicking like “oh this is wrong, this has been changed, boo hoo, it’s not all existential horror and fucking and drugs.”

Because frankly...I just think it’s a bad show. It’s poorly written, poorly made, poorly researched, poorly acted, it’s just bad. The main issue I have with it is that it’s a lot of telling and not showing. There’s not a lot of tension or foreshadowing, just “boom this is how it is” and so much exposition. John, for example, about half of his dialogue in any given show is verbal exposition. It’s frustrating, tbh. Like, it doesn’t make sense for me in this day and age for a TV show, even on a network channel, to be this bad. Over the past several years, television series have improved exponentially in content and writing. It’s not shameful anymore to start off on TV anymore. We’re in a very exciting time that television and cinema are almost completely on equal par of perceived quality. So yeah, it’s been an even greater disappointment for me because it’s not just that they fuck with the source material but because on top of that it’s literally a bad show. I’m not one bit surprised that it wasn’t renewed because there just...Isn’t enough to like about it. It’s not faithful enough to the comic to secure that base of fans and it’s not good enough to be taken for face value. 

The other massive issue I have is the portrayal of magic, which honestly extends to DC’s handling of Hellblazer and John as well. See, what you have to understand is that predominately, throughout the Vertigo series, it’s clear to me that most of its writers either have some awareness of how magic works or at least have done their research. I can follow the logic and ritual in what he’s doing. ​Let me tell you a little something about magic. It's all about focus and will. You can do and say whatever the hell you want as long as you're putting your intent behind it. The ritual of spell work, use of candles, crystals, incense, chanting, incantations, etc. are meant to be the focus of a magician's energy and will on a particular result, but it could be attempted without as well. To explain it in more fantastical terms, in Harry Potter casting without a wand is considered impressive. This implies that the wizard's focus and will is so strong that they no longer need a wand to draw out their intent. Now I get it. By this understanding magic doesn't make good TV viewing (I guess...), but my main concern with this series is there's no attempt to portray an iota of witchcraft's reality along with the fantastical. Now part of this problem is that they've removed a great deal of John's innate ability. He can no longer see spirits/ghosts and there is no mention to his connection to synchronicity (as far I’ve seen, mind). Instead of happening to end up where he needs to be or what have you, he's following a map, and he uses a lot of artifacts and other implementation to get the job done. Which bothers me on a few levels. For one, it imbues the focus, not the caster with the power, which is not how magic works (at least in the sense of portraying gritty urban fantasy), and for two, it's very much against character. Let me give you an example: In the two part story Newcastle Calling, at the end of it, John hands a dying man a twig, telling him it's the finger bone of St. Cavartigan and that it's known to bring relief to those in need. He tells him to squeeze it tightly and focus on the pain going away. Near the end of the scene, the young man tells John that it's working. A couple things can be taken away from this scene: John's will was that the dying man would believe as he was told and his instructions were rote ritual. By contrast, in the series, John would probably had actually given him a Saint's fingerbone. You see the comparison takes the power of the scene away, as well as the mystery. Is the power of John's suggestion so strong that he could make the guy believe by holding that twig his pain would do away? Or was he so desperate to believe in order to not die in pain? You can interpret it either way. Hell, I could invent other interpretations, but going by what I believe would happen in the show, it can only be interpreted in the most literal sense. Now, to be honest, most television shows portray magic poorly. Even movies do a better job while keeping fantastical elements. The Craft, for all it’s 90s cheese, is a great example of this. So I suppose I could be blamed for getting my hopes up to be dashed because it’s just following the formula of 95% of all TV shows that feature a magical element or theme, but I mean...it’s not like Buffy or Charmed that was working without a script, so to speak. The TV series had a ready made blueprint and still chose to take the mumbo-jumbo bullshit route. Now, I have a lot of theories on the why for this, but that’s another post altogether and this has already gone on for way too long and I still have more to say.

Now, I guess I should, at least briefly, touch on the elephant in the room: Matt Ryan as John. What did I think? Because a lot of people have told me that he’s the shining beacon of this show, even literally admitting that yeah, it’s a poor representation of Hellblazer but that Matt Ryan man, he’s great! The problem that I have is that it’s not a good a show, and so no, I don’t like him in the role. I’m not going to compare him to Keanu because that’s not fair for a number of reasons, and maybe I’m a little biased because I adore Keanu (there’s also that can of worms I mentioned earlier, which is honestly yet another separate post lol). The way John’s written for this show, he’s positively insufferable. He’s not charming at all, which is find the most offensive, because one thing that can be said across all series and iterations of the character is that John is magnetic even despite xyz (he’s dangerous, he can be an asshole, he’s unreliable, etc.). Here he’s just a know-it-all, condescending prick. Now I do think with better writing, in a better representation of John’s character and Hellblazer in general (and maybe with a voice coach or director to discourage that Welshy intonation because yeah, his accent does irritate the shit out of me, but I’ve been very vocal about that before and honestly, at this point, I’ve come to realize that Ryan’s vowels are the least of this show’s problem), I think he has potential to be a fine John. As it stands in the media he’s portrayed John in so far (idk, maybe he was good on Arrow, but I’m talking the TV Series here and the JLD animation, which I’ve admittedly not seen, but I hated the comic so I’m not real likely to give that a chance considering my disposition toward the source material), I’m not entirely sold on him. Like if they tried another TV series for Hellblazer and didn’t cast him in the role, I wouldn’t be upset over it. 

I do agree that it probably could have been better on another channel, but here’s the rub, all the blood and gore and sex and loose censorship in the world could not save that show without better writing and direction. It could have been a fine show even on network if it had been crafted with some degree of caring. Let me give you an example off the top of head, namely the handling of the Newcastle incident. It was laid out pretty plainly within a few episodes. Alterations from canon aside, it doesn’t portray the horror of it at all and is one of the show’s many missed opportunities to really play up the scarier, more mysterious elements of John’s backstory. For example, instead of laying it out in a sloppy flashback with a laughable puppet, picture this scene instead: ​John is having a chat with someone, maybe Zed or Chas or some b-plot character. Something reminds him of the Newcastle incident and he gets a far off look in his eyes. The folly drops away to an eerie silence as the camera comes in tight on John's expression. Filling up the silence is a little girl's scream, then the voices of his friends, perhaps some sounds of violence, an inhuman sound or voice, it all blends together to become a hellish cacophony of sound as John's expression becomes more strained. Then suddenly the other person calling his name snaps him out of his reverie. The screams stop, the folly returns, and the scene appears jarringly normal. John shakes his head, makes a joke, and they move on. Yeah, that kind of scene has been done before, but the reason for that is it’s effective without giving away the whole story. It shows that this is a man haunted by something horrible. It’s also cheap and doesn’t necessitate straining the no doubt thin budget of a TV show that has yet to prove itself worthy of having more money thrown at it. 

Honestly, the issues I have with this show are innumerable and I’m just scratching the surface here and laying out my biggest problems. I could nitpick for days, and that’s the reason I’ve stayed mum about my opinions. There are people that follow me and that I write with that really like and care about the show, and I don’t want to make them feel...you know, bad about it or that they can’t talk to me or whatever. You know, if they found it enjoyable more power to them. I just didn’t and that’s maybe on me. By no means am I trying to bash the show here (because lord if I wanted to, I could), but to offer up what was requested, and that’s my undiluted opinions and feelings about the series. Of course I’m sorry that I couldn’t share the joy and that I couldn’t even like it on a similar level that I do the film (as a very solid AU, which people have tried to sell the show as to me, knowing my previous understanding of some of the changes made that deviate strongly from canon. As I said, maybe if it had been better made and written, I could, but as it stands currently, I can’t and unless real changes are made in the future, I’m unlikely to alter my opinion of it).

So yeah that’s it. Apologies that this got so very long, but as you can tell, there’s been a lot that I’ve been holding back.

[metalandmagi]

February Media Madness!

Hello and welcome to “see how I wasted my time” the post where I keep track of all the media I consume in a month. If you’re new here, this is mainly just my excuse to shout into the void about my feelings on things I’ve watched or read in a month. And it’s almost been a year!

Movies!

Ocean’s 8: Sandra Bullock assembles a team of ladies to steal a super fancy diamond necklace. As someone who has never seen an Ocean’s movie before, I thought this was fun. I like heists, and I LOVE jewel heists. The characters are all great, not particularly deep, but they don’t have to be. And Anne Hathaway steals the show. However, there’s a glaring problem with this movie, and it’s the fact that everything seems ridiculously easy for them, taking away any sense of tension. There’s a lot of points where things should cause significant problems but...don’t. So if you stop asking questions and just go with it, it’s a good time. 7/10

Boku no Hero Academia- Two Heroes: It’s the BNHA version of Die Hard. Seriously, All Might and a bunch of other heroes and citizens are taken hostage by villains in a skyscraper, and the most popular characters from the UA class have to save them. And it’s good. Just like the show. I’ve never gotten hyped up for this series as much as everyone else seems to, but it’s enjoyable and the movie has more of the good action and fun characters! I did feel like it went on a little long, and I wish we had gotten more of the characters doing stuff on the island instead of mainly just the villain plot. I think it’s because it reminded me a lot of the vacation arc in Assassination Classroom. But whatever, it’s still fun and worth watching. 7/10

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Awkward magizoologist Newt Scamander accidentally releases a bunch of magical creatures into 1920s New York and must round them all up with the help of lovable muggle/no-maj Jacob Kowalski. And there’s some horror movie type stuff going on with a creepy kid and Grindelwald in disguise. It’s the spin-off/prequel to Harry Potter that we all know and...love? I know some people resent this movie just for existing, but I like it. I like the creatures. I like going to new places in the wizarding world. I like Newt. I like Tina. I LOVE Queenie and Jacob, both separately and together. The plot is a little...stretched, but I don’t mind that much. And no one had the good sense to keep Colin Farrell as Grindelwald. However, I haven’t seen the second movie yet, so I should probably have my Harry Potter super fan card revoked. I honestly think that this could have been a fine stand alone movie or maybe a duology, where the second movie focuses on the backstory between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, and Grindelwald’s rise to power. I certainly don’t need five movies of this though, and I think everyone would rather see a prequel of Harry Potter’s parents in the marauders era instead. Oh well, I still like this movie for what it is. I just don’t need five of them. 7.5/10

How to Train Your Dragon 2: Five years after the viking village of Berk has accepted dragons instead of fighting them, a mysterious villain with a dragon army wants to...idk take over the world or something, so naturally it’s up to a wiry 20 year old Hiccup to stop the seemingly inevitable war. I love this movie, both as a sequel and a solid story in a trilogy. It has its issues, mainly the fact that it glorifies/glosses over absentee parents and its final act seems like it was hastily rewritten as a merchandising opportunity...but dang other than that I can’t really say anything bad about it. I’m even one of the few people who like the side characters. The time jump feels natural, and I liked seeing everything come together after watching the TV series. It also of course has great music, stunning animation, and a lot of heart and effort put into every minute. I alsothink this sequel has an interesting message about how different people view peace and war and whether or not people are capable of change. So yeah, this is one of those series that I think has something for everyone. 9/10

The Lego Movie 2- The Second Part: Five years after the first Lego movie ends with “aliens” invading, the Lego universe has become a post-apocalyptic society where everything is not awesome. And after another invasion, all the important characters except Emmet get kidnapped, and he has to save everyone from an...evil(?) queen. But really it’s a story about getting along and seeing things from other people’s perspectives. It’s fun, and it has incredibly creative music (and please for the sake of all that is good, watch the credits song). But there are times when I wished it wouldn’t lean so heavily on the...fourth wall breaking from the first movie. I felt like I would have completely understood what must be happening outside the Lego world to drive the plot, and then they would just cut to the human characters to explain everything. But it’s still a great time and hilarious as expected. 8/10

Books!

(To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) P.S I Still Love You by Jenny Han: The second book in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy. It serves to give you a glimpse into Lara Jean and Peter’s life as a couple. It’s like a sweet slice of life anime where some notable things occur, like the hot tub video plot that was in the movie happens AND JOHN AMBROSE MCCLAREN SHOWS UP..but there’s no real plot. And that’s fine! This was a super fun read, just like the first one, and John Mcclaren is amazing. There’s really only one major problem I have with this book, and it’s Gen’s and Lara Jean’s relationship. Throughout the book LJ knows something bad is happening with Gen’s family. We know that Peter is still Gen’s friend and promised her he wouldn’t say anything, which is justifiable as something friends do! I wish we could have seen Peter trying to convince Gen to apologize or explain the situation to LJ, but it is what it is. However, we also know Gen did something truly terrible in posting the hot tub video, and literally nothing going on in her personal life or her past justifies her being a life ruining bitch just because she feels bad. So what I really wanted to see was LJ marching up to her and saying “I know you’re going through something, but you ruined my fucking life for no apparent reason, so I demand an apology and an explanation” like the boss she is. And, as anyone who watched the movie knows, Gen tries to be the martyr and gain sympathy by placing the blame on LJ because of something that happened in FREAKING MIDDLE SCHOOL!  I cannot stress enough how out of line Gen’s character is, and no amount of hastily garnered sympathy or backstory reveals will make her better. But yeah other than that, it was very enjoyable. And if Lara Jean doesn’t want John Ambrose Mcclaren, then I’ll take him. 8/10

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo: It’s the start of a new series in Bardugo’s “Grishaverse”. And yes you absolutely need to read both the Grisha Trilogy and the Six of Crows duology to read this. KoS centers around the now King Nikolai Lanstov who has been possessed by a monster created by the Darkling. Also Ravka is once again on the brink of war, Nikolai must think about getting married, and there’s a cult that wants the Darkling to made a saint. But actually, this book is split into three different stories: one following Nikolai and Zoya trying to get rid of the monster, one following Nina on a secret mission in Fjerda, and one following what's happening in Ravka while Nikolai is away. So basically, one part Nina being a badass, one part eldritch horror story, and one part The Prince and The Pauper. And it was pretty good...except for the fact that I understood almost none of Nikolai and Zoya’s story after the second half of the book. I wasn’t into the...saint business because it seemed so out of place for this series. I also feel like she missed out on some great characters meeting each other. Oh well, it’s still a great study in world building and character interactions, the ending is buck wild, and Nina continues to be a bisexual disaster...so it’s worth it. 8/10

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis: Several decades before the Pevensies stepped through the wardrobe, young Digory Kirke (aka the Professor) and Polly Plummer are roped into a traumatizing adventure of their own. Only instead of saving Narnia, they accidentally release a younger but just as intimidating Jadis from her own dying world into London, and in an attempt to get her out of Earth, end up letting her loose in the newly created Narnia. This is probably the book with the most similarities to TLTWATW, with a truly terrifying villain, a winding but whimsical plot, and a lot of humor. Digory and Polly are the most well written children so far. They are both hilarious great characters in their own ways, and I love seeing them fight and make up like actual kids who are friends. While Digory has to go through his own redemption arc similarly to Edmund, Polly is always there as the voice of the audience telling him to not be a dumbass. Not to mention whenever he tries to get away with saying something sexist, she’s shuts him down like a badass. And there’s also a London cabby who literally tells Aslan that he’ll be king of Narnia if his awesome wife gets to come too...and there’s a horse named Strawberry that turns into a Pegasus. So what’s not to like? People may complain about all the religious metaphors and creationism, but come on lighten up. At least it’s not horribly racist, and you’ll long for the simple biblical similarities when you’re faced with the layers of religious offense in The Last Battle. 9/10

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (mild spoilers): The final book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, in which the world ends because a talking ape convinces a donkey to dress up as Aslan to trick all the Narnians into giving them stuff. There’s a lot more to this plot, but those are the basics. There is a TON of stuff to unpack in this epic conclusion, and this isn’t even the half of it.

This book seems like the Last Jedi for this series, in that some people are incredibly moved by it and are very happy with the conclusion our main characters have been given, and some people think it’s a pile of crap. I think there is good in this book. But, putting aside my good feelings for a second, THE LAST BATTLE IS ONE OF THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLY RACIST THINGS I’VE EVER READ...voluntarily anyway. Seriously, if you thought The Horse and His Boy was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet. There are many layers of why this particular plot in the series is so offensive I could write essays on why this book should be thrown out the window. Not to mention the Susan problem. So I'll say, that even though there were good things in this book, it doesn't excuse...everything else. Also Eustace isn’t as snarky in this one...I miss my sarcastic sass boy.

HOWEVER, unlike some people, I think it was exactly the conclusion that the series has been leading up to since the beginning. I think the plot of an imposter Aslan and the effect it would have on Narnians is cool. And much like the book of Revelation, the end of the world is weird, confusing, and dark as fuck considering this is a children’s book. He invokes an amazing sense of fear and sadness, considering we just saw the birth of Narnia in the last book. And I am one of the people who loved the last few pages. It was an interesting take on heaven, theology, and the questions of “is Aslan also Tash? Is one religion better? Are all gods the same?” are dealt with very well considering that was one of the most problematic aspects of the book. I love literally all the characters you can think of reuniting in the end...except for Susan. I will say, Susan no longer being a friend of Narnia was led up to throughout the other books, and I think what Polly says about her wanting to be grown up rings true...in a sense. What we really need is a new series for Susan where she becomes a friend of Narnia again and gets her happy ending, rather than just “oh look makeup, guess I can’t be in Narnia anymore.” AND YET Lewis finally abandoned the idea of “girls shouldn’t be fighting” and made Jill a super secret ninja spy/badass archer warrior woman. So...I can’t even say it’s as sexist as the other books. There’s also a male talking unicorn who is best friends with the current king...and it kind of seems like they have a thing for each other...so there’s that.

Some people are angry that it is so religiously based and the allegories are so in your face, but at this point if you're reading the Chronicles of Narnia and are upset that there's religion in it, I don't know what to tell you. Truthfully, I thought he did the allegory for the church controlling the population very well, and the idea judgement based on whether you actively hate Aslan instead of being about how you’re either a good or bad person was so cool and different. But honestly, I just don't know what to feel. I'm happy for the characters in the end...I liked the overall idea of this final book...but man it can be super uncomfortable to the point that I don’t even want to rate it.

TV Shows!

Kitten Rescuers: Why yes, it is the incredibly wholesome British TV show about the RSPCA going around and rescuing cats from bizarre and/or dangerous situations, like being stuck up chimneys or drain pipes. And yes, it is the purest thing you will ever watch, even with My Roommate is a Cat in the running as the best cat themed show of the year. I don’t care if it seems like a big commercial for the RSPCA sometimes, I just want to see some cute kittens get their happy endings. My only complaint is that there’s only 8 episodes on Netflix, and I’m desperate for more. 100 adorable feline friends/10

Re: Zero Starting Life in Another World: You know, the anime everyone lost their shit over in 2016? The isekai where the main protagonist keeps re-spawning every time he dies in the fantasy world he is magically transported to and does nothing but suffer? But hey it has those two twin maids with the pink and blue hair in it so it’s all fine? That one. The English dub finally released the second half of the show, so I finished it. AND YES THE DUB IS ACTUALLY GOOD! And the show is fine too. But I feel like I sort of...lost the gist of why everything was happening in those last 12 episodes. However, there was a lot to like about this series overall, and yes Rem truly is best girl. I was just more invested in the first half of the series. 8/10

Honorable Mentions

I watched Christopher Robin again...and I still love it.

I read the first volume of the Tsurune light novel. It’s fine, but I liked the anime better.

Shadowhunters is back for its final...half season?

I’m currently watching The Umbrella Academy, and it’s AMAZING! I can’t wait to finish it!

The Masked Singer (U.S version) has finally ended. And now there’s a trashy hole in my heart. 

[magicalsamandholly]

Chapter 1: The Boy Who Lived

Holly Hippogriff: I’m very excited and curious to read this book again, since I believe it’s the one I have read the least - and I actually don’t remember the specifics as much as I do ones later in the series. Is it one that you’re more familiar with?

Sam Skrewt: See, this is the one that I’ve read the most, and I’ve seen the movie the most as well.

HH: Well that’s already fascinating.

SS: We’ll have such different perspectives, haha. I wanted to ask you about when you first started reading Harry Potter.

HH: I believe it was 4th grade for me. Just right after it became really popular, I was a few months behind the curve.

SS: I guess I was probably in 3rd grade then? But I feel like Chamber of Secrets was already out by the time I started the first. And I actually read with my dad to begin with.

HH: I think the first few were out by the time it came to the US. And I forgot about that for you- it was a totally solo experience for me. Although I had to share them with my sisters, so reading fast was required. My youngest sister was reading the first book in 1st grade, which is mostly how I figure I was in 4th.

SS: How long has it been since you’ve read the books then? Honestly, I think the last time for me was to reread them all before Deathly Hallows, and I’ve definitely only read that once.

HH: It’s been years. I usually wouldn’t reread them all in a row though. My favorites have been read a bunch of times, and my least faves only a few. And then very similar, by the time Deathly Hallows came out, I had “outgrown” it, so I’ve only read that one 2-3 times.

SS: This will be a real return to childhood for us then. Okay, let’s get into it - any initial thoughts on this opening? Also, please know that I’m listening to the Harry Potter theme song and plan on doing so for all of our chats.

HH: Well that’s a great idea, I’m adjusting my music now. And when I started reading this chapter again, I was mostly struck by how differently I read it as an adult.

SS: In what way?

HH: I was much more aware of how this is set up as an almost, childlike wonder, imagination, and innocence vs the “real world” as demonstrated by the Dursleys. As a kid reading it, it feels like this is something fantastical and cool, and then as an adult, you still get that, but the adult characters also feel more fleshed-out and real - and the Dursley’s fears and prejudices also feel more realistic. What were your initial thoughts?

SS: I think what struck me most was the world-building she does right off the bat - we get transfiguration, owls, flying motorcycles, the deluminator. All stuff that she brings back in more important ways later. And it really is fantastical and engrossing, like you said.

HH: I definitely agree with that. The horcruxes are also introduced, although you don’t know it until The Order of the Phoenix.

SS: Now here’s my question - how far ahead in the series do you think she had planned at this point, or at any point in the books? My assumption has always been that a lot of stuff, especially things like the horcruxes, she came up with later and retroactively made the connections.

HH: No, I’m an optimist about it - I think it was almost entirely pre-planned. Like you said with the world-building, I found it very not accidental that she knew exactly how this world looked, even in the first chapter. Although I did take note of her specific description of Dumbledore’s watch - I don’t remember that being important later on, so perhaps that’s something that didn’t make the grade for later plot points.

SS: I mean, I was impressed that Sirius gets a shoutout.

HH: I know! It was very cool to almost relive the moment that Harry gets famous and becomes the Boy Who Lived - you tend to get used to that idea over the books, but to see how everything fell into place at that moment was fascinating. And I especially liked how Vernon was essentially narrating the first half of the chapter, so we got to see it in his (Muggle) eyes. I don’t think anything similar to that happens in the rest of the series, apart from the start of Goblet of Fire.

SS: Yes, it’s crazy that such an influential story starts off from the eyes of Uncle Vernon.

HH: And of course the Dursleys are literally the worst.

SS: Well, here’s where I wanna get to the main note I had about this chapter, which is that I’m with McGonagall on not leaving Harry with the freaking Dursleys. In general, I think I’m gonna be a Dumbledore critic throughout the series.

HH: LOL. I also had that thought - I think that’s another way reading it as an adult changes your opinions. But, I was comforted by the fact that again, knowing everything that we do by the end of the series, Harry staying with blood relatives was the “only” way to keep him safe. But way to tell him, “Good luck” and skedaddle off, old man.

SS: Right!? Dumbledore is obviously charming and quirky and such, and I think it makes it easy to overlook the fact that he has a tendency to hide shit that would be better off said.

HH: I would say, he’s only human, but I don’t even know that for sure. But I also agree that McGonagall was so right, and she was def my favorite character of this chapter. Her sass towards the lemon drops slayed me.

SS: Same, McGonagall rocks. Although also a fan of that random guy who started babbling about Muggles to Uncle Vernon, way to reveal the entire magical world because you’re too drunk.

HH: You can truly appreciate the sober-minded adults when you are one. And love that she was like, I get that we’re celebrating, but even these dumbass Muggles are gonna realize what we’re up to if we keep going wild.

SS: McGonagall is our spirit animal.

[maiassensibleblog]

Why I do fandom and how I think we should do fandom

[Views are entirely my own and not aimed at any person/people in particular. This is also a bit outdated from my personal views, but I’m keeping it up cos personal growth is important to show.]

fandomˈfandəm/ noun

the state or condition of being a fan of someone or something. “my 17 years of sports fandom”

the fans of a particular person, team, fictional series, etc. regarded collectively as a community or subculture. “the Breaking Bad fandom”

-Google

I’ve been doing fandom for a long time…

From ever since I can remember, my life can be split into series of very intense fandoms. I grew up with the growth of the internet. I remember it feeling fairly new and exciting when my mum got us a dial up box but I was young and it has kind of always been available to me. The internet fuels fangirls: We live online. Some people think this is a terrible thing, that we’re missing the actual world, but it’s a whole world on there and, an awful lot of the time, it’s a much better, more accepting world.

Harry Potter was my first fandom and has been constant and underlying through everything else I’ve loved. I threw myself onto mugglenet as soon as I had the internet at home. I don’t think I was allowed an account on the forum as a kid but I read the posts and felt “yes, these are my people. I’m not that strange. There are other people who re-read the Harry Potter books on a constant rotation.” I think I was probably in this fandom from the ages of 9-12, mainly watching from the side-lines but having a sense of home.

Then I had the typical tween fandom phase: Zac Efron and related movies. Like EVERYTHING. I was so intense. This was back in the day that youtube was used as social media. I’m pretty sure I liked it so much because my mum wasn’t really aware that I was talking to strangers on there, she just thought I was looking up videos of Zac’s abbs (not entirely wrong but a pretty good cover up, well done 13 year old me!). I made my first fandom friends. We chatted all the time on MSN. It sort of allowed me to separate my obsession and my “real” life and I think it made me a bit less annoying to my school friends.

My mum was amazing with this fandom. She used to take me to premieres to meet him and I would get this shaky, butterflies feeling for weeks afterwards. I, of course, mistook this for being madly in love with him. Spoiler alert: actual love feels completely different to this infatuation but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for me to experience as a young-mid teenager. If you fancy a celebrity it’s a completely safe expression of your sexuality. This is why I think girls tend to be a lot more intense than boys in fandom: culture doesn’t allow us to express ourselves in many ways and this is seen as totally innocent and acceptable.

Somehow, in all this, I found the energy to count down to the last Potter book for 100 days and get 13 A*-C GCSE’s. And have non-fandom friends. I sort of fell out of the fandom when I was about 15/16.

I then moved onto Doctor Who when I was about 16-21. I think this is when fandom started to become more about the “fandom” than the actual TV show for me. Fandom is literally a kingdom of fans and it is honestly a family of lost, crazy young people who need somewhere to express themselves. I was pretty intense but only really to the people in my fandom (obviously my non-fandom friends knew I loved it) but the friends I made (hello, Kinglets) are still some of my dearest. We’re even going to be bridesmaids at the first wedding in the group.

We go to conventions together, we go the all the actors plays together, we’ll go and find them if they’re filming in London. But mostly, we’re really important friends. I know that I can go to them for anything and that intense start to our friendship has made them really deep.

The Cursed Child fandom

And then we get to now. You can see my post about Cursed Child here. But in short we are binge-watching a play because we’ve sussed how to get tickets pretty much whenever we want them. It is bringing me so much joy and it feels really, really intense: way more than my pervious fandoms. Most my fandom friends live in or close to London because that’s the only way you can really watch the play constantly, some of them I even met at stage door and not online. The reason this is so intense is because it is so accessible. Many of the cast are really active on social media and (if I wanted to, had absolutely no shame and nothing better to do with my life) I could go to stage door everyday.

Since this fandom has been so intense and I’ve been very visible as more than just a username there has been a lot of controversy about why I am doing this and whether it’s appropriate. We have constant conversations on the group chat about if certain people are taking it too far and how and why. They’re just discussions and nobody in that chat thinks they have the right to judge the others because we’ve all got close to that invisible line in the past 6 months but where does the line stand for different people? Obviously we all draw the line in different places based on our perspectives on life. Is it even our responsibility to police each other? We’ve often thought we were better than the younger members of the Cursed Child fandom because we don’t tweet the cast everyday to say we love them and we don’t scream and cry at them (not sober anyway, and we’ve learnt our lesson on that one). But does that make us better? Do we have the right to judge anyone?

Why I do fandom

The reason why I am doing this is easy for me to decode. Fangirls tend to be the clever, successful young people. The popular kids were not and will never be one of us. We have busy lives and we’re really easily bored. I am always thinking and always inside of my own head: if there isn’t something for me to focus on I get fidgety and frustrated. But if we’re the clever kids, how is this intense obsession not taking up all our brain space and preventing us achieving our full potentials? I find that it’s easier for me to focus on my studies when I’m intensely part of a fandom. It helps to give me tunnel vision; with just my work and my fandom to focus on, I have less to be distracted by. I’m a scientist; my success relies upon my obsession with my work. It is already very intense and in order to take effective time out, it helps to be obsessed with my hobbies too.

Second, fandom is my creative outlet. I have to be so calculated and methodical all day and that isn’t all I am good at or enjoy. Writing fanfiction lets me write without having to take the time to develop my own characters because I’m way too busy with my work. Having theatre friends lets me go and see everything and talk about plays in a way that a room full of scientist will never want to. And it gives me a group of people who encourage me to pursue creative hobbies rather than telling me it’s a waste of time.

Finally, and perhaps more importantly, this fandom gives me intense joy. Both watching the play and hanging out with the friends I’ve made through it. The fact that I can experience that joy over and over again and express that to the members of the cast that are bringing that is an absolute blessing. And therefore I am not going to stop doing it because people are jealous or are worried that I’m annoying somebody. This doesn’t mean I won’t adjust my behaviour if somebody has a point but I know why I’m doing this and it’s all because it makes me so happy.

How should we do fandom?

The question about where we should draw the line is much more complicated. We definitely freaked out some of the younger cast members when we started obsessing. This is also a unique fandom because these people are the same age as most of us, we’re adults and so have the awareness that this is, if you really think about it, quite weird. Its taken a few months but I think we’ve reached a balance where we all understand each other. They don’t need to have their guards up with us, we’re joking most of the time. We’re not the fans who are going to follow them to the tube station; we don’t have their twitter notifications switched on so we can reply to them 2 seconds after they tweet anything just to tell them we love them and we aren’t going to hover around stage door except when we’re meant to be doing so after the show. We genuinely appreciate their art.  

But should we stop going to stage door when we’ve seen the show? And is it wrong for us to go when we haven’t been in and our friends have? It has reached the point that if anyone is watching the play anyone who is in the area will go and meet them at stage door and just hover behind them because we want to see our friends. I don’t actually get a buzz from seeing Sams’ face, but I do get a buzz from seeing one of the collective. My intention is not inappropriate so I think its fine. Others do not think its fine but I’m not hurting anyone and as long as we’re aware that we should be as respectful as possible, I think this is all good. I’m also never going to stop going to stage door while people seem happy to see me. I’m actually quite perceptive and think I’d be able to tell if people were genuinely done with me.

But I do think that, to some extent, it is our responsibility to police each other. I think that, in general, fandom-policing is a waste of time because you can’t control people who are as intense as we are, and you shouldn’t. But I think that we are an actual group of friends and a sub-fandom of sorts, who have such open access to this play and its cast that we have to follow our own rules and should remind each other to do so. We don’t want to be known as annoying and we don’t want to make people feel uncomfortable. I don’t appreciate when people outside of our group tell us to behave a certain way because they have no way of knowing the context of what we do or previous conversations which may make some things ok for us to do, but not others. But I do think it’s important for us to continue to discuss where the line is to keep having an amazing time.

Fandom is an intense experience for everyone involved. The only way I can describe it to non-fandom people is that it’s like when you fall in love really quickly but it’s with a whole group of people and a thing, all at the same time. It’s a bit like falling but it’s amazing. Of course this leads to insanity for both the members of the fandom, who are loving it, and the objects of it, who are probably confused by the whole thing. If we want to be seen as responsible, adult fandom members it’s so important to keep checking ourselves.

This intensity has hit me as complete and utter joy since I saw Cursed Child for the first time last June. The friendships I’ve made have been so important and are valid and real. We don’t have to justify ourselves to the rest of the world and we aren’t hurting anyone.

I know that I’m a bit annoying and obsessed but as a wise man once said: “Some people are obsessed with heroin” (Daniel Radcliff).