#I'm not even saying it's 10/10 let alone the best of all history

[mizs-fandom-lair]

Evangelion is the anime ever sorry I don't make the rules

[maarigolds]

Since we all know how much of a shitshow umbrella academy s4 was, let's revisit the good old days. Here's my reaction to ep1 s1, which I haven't seen in like 5 years:

We're starting off strong with the sudden pregnancy scene: this is how you get the viewer's attention

Cunty shot of Reggie walking with the seven nannies and the seven baby carriers

Viktor playing the violin while all the other characters are introduced 10/10 stunning no notes

Rehab worker saying "We'll see you soon Klaus" and him immediatly overdosing and being reanimated in the ambulance. Now we know he probably just came back to life by himself!

"You got big, Luther! What's your secret, protein shakes?"

Pogo!!! I missed you, you ape butler!

Baby Viktor leaving sandwitches for Five 🥺🥺🥺

Klaus-Allison alliance going strong since the beginning I see

"Did you see Diego?" "Yeah, with that stupid outfit" "Do you think he wears that thing in the shower?" I love siblings being siblings

Ok I had forgotten about the Allison and Luther thing. Maybe it wasn't ALL great.

"Dad, could you just stop playing tennis with Hitler for a moment and take a quick call?"

"Ok, sorry, I'm just gonna go murder mom, I'll be right back"

Klaus is seriously the best

Bank robbery flashback!!!

"Guns are for sissies! Real men throw knives!"

"That's one badass StApLeR" god I miss five's voice cracks so much

*Ben covered in blood* "Can we go home now?"

Back to the present with Klaus spilling Reggie's ashes lmao

I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW AKA BEST DANCE SCENE IN TV SHOW HISTORY

No seriously Diego absolutely killing it, Luther doing the hand-krabs, Klaus dancing with the urne

And then boom! Five is back! Honestly iconic entrance

Also Klaus trying to stop a temporal anomaly with a fire extinguisher whyyyy lmao

Five interrupting his speech about the future to look Klaus up and down and 100% seriously say "nice dress"

Klaus responding with "ah, danke"

"That makes no sense" "well, it would if you were smarter"

Also unrelated but Viktor being such a shy wallflower in s1... he's come such a long way!!!

Luther throwing reggie's ashes on the ground "probably would have been better with some wind"

Luther and Diego beating the crap out each other. Viktor: "stop it!" Klaus: "hit him!"

Also Klaus trying to protect Five and him having none of it, too cute

"An entire square block, 42 bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, and not one single drop of coffee" "dad hated caffeine" "well he hated children too, and he had plenty of us!"

"Alright, guess I'll see you guys in another ten years, when Pogo dies" Diego please 💀💀

"You know, every time I close my eyes I see a diarrheatic hyppo about to shit on my face" this was robert sheehan improvising and honestly what the fuck how does someone even come up with that

The Istanbul was constantinople fight was honestly art. This was really the moment I knew I would love this show with all of my heart. Also masterful way to show exactly who Five is in just a couple of minutes

BEN!!! I MISS OG BEN SO MUCH!!! He was baby

Five going to Viktor when he needed help. Honestly we should have gotten more of them being besties it was so good

"The world ends in eight days, and I have no idea how to stop it" and that's how you end a first episode! I'm hooked! Except I'm not cause I know how it ends 🫠

Well this is it. This show was honestly so good in the beginning. I have no clue what happened. At least we'll always have season 1.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Top 3 Are HEATING UP

Organized, in each category, by ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Dec 2023 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Honestly, 3 are neck & necking for top position! They are all so good in different ways. But The Sign had me hooting with laughter this week, so it scooped #1.

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 4 of 10 - This show is literally everything (except straight) all at once. It's BL, queer, band of brothers, romcom, erotica, paranormal, fated mates, mystery, suspense, slasher, and horror. It’s the king of genre mash-up chaos. I have no idea what I’m watching but I’m ON this ride. Is it a roller coaster? Is it a haunted house? Is it a twirl & hurl? Is there candy floss? Am I even tall enough? Who tf cares. All through the second scene, I was laughing. It was legit funny. Billy has great comedic timing. Guess he’s not just a pretty face.

Everyone should be watching this. Sure, it's madness but there is genius in it.

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 6 of 12 -  Yech. August may be one of GMMTV’s least likable characters ever (and that is saying something). Meanwhile, MOAR language play! They spoiling me!

Mhok letting Day go then walking away at the party hurt so bad.

Argh this show is great!

Ep 6 so that kiss was right on schedule. I’m looking forward to the boyfriend eps before doom & pain in the new year. Carry on GMMTV. 

Speaking of...

Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 2 of 12 - Oh they’re great. It’s great. It’s paced oddly, moving quickly through most of the key scenes of the original JBL in these first 2 eps. I think it’s intending to encompass more of the manga series than that one did. Which is good, cause that will get us all the way to The Library Kiss (TM). It's the best kiss in the manga. I also like the sides in this show (better than the JBL version). 

My Dear Gangster Oppa (Thurs iQIYI) ep 8fin - What a lovely slightly unhinged little show. Tew, can we talk? Un-ironic suspenders, that takes courage. Also, the revolver was a crazy gun choice. 

Final thoughts:

This show is just as ridiculous as its title. About a gaymer who falls in love with one of his in-game teammates, who just happens to be a IRL gangster. A real gangster, the kind that actually kills people regularly. The lead pair is doing their best with a ridiculous story and shoddy script, but I enjoyed it. Although I was grateful it wasn’t very long, what we got was oddly satisfying if, frankly, a little bit silly. Recommended. 8/10 

That said, what's important about this BL is not the show, but the production and style. Let me explain... no, too much, let me sum up.

This is a chimera BL. Regarding characters: it has Japan's style otaku + Korea's style gangster + Thailand's style friendship group. It used Thai talent + Korean money (Kakao) & IP (adapted from a manwha) but aired on a Chinese channel globally (iQIYI). I'm delighted by the eclectic insanity of this production and truly doubt that any other genre but BL could ever produce like this. It's like diplomat's BL and it's the great wonder of our age that it happened at all. This BL deserves its place in the history books on production alone, even if that place is only in the footnotes. A remarkable little monster.

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 3 of 10 - The sides are… messy. Using the same actor for the old bf is… odd. But in the end, this show leaves me smiling. Which means, I like it despite myself. 

Bake Me Please (Mon Gaga) ep 4 of 6 - It's decent. It’s basically what I wanted Antique Bakery to be when I first watched that way back when (not to mention Bite Me). But there’s been so much BL since then that, for some reason, this is falling flat. I think it’s moving too fast for a Thai series. Although, say what you like, Ohm has to be one of the best soft kissers in the industry. He's just good at mouth tenderness.

Ugh, that doesn't sound right. But you know what I mean.

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 7 of 10 - I love how First is so upset when Sprite starts chatting and being nice to Koh. Sprite is just a sweet easy-going likable boy. I enjoy Sprite as a main character, he’s a bubbly little communicator. And they had a cute kiss.  

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 5 of 14 - Because there was more Alan and Jeff and they were more key to the plot I was more into this ep. I do compare it to green smoothie down the pants in the Trash Watch.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 3 of 12 - Look OffGun are truly great. But I’m just not sure we need them in BL anymore. That said, it’s nice to see Off as "the one with the crush" for a change. Also, this show is only good when OffGun are on screen together, otherwise it kinda, well, sucks.

Night Dream (Sat YT) ep 1 of 6 - Cafe setting featuring a cook and a writer. *Seems awfully familiar.* Except these two are exes and this is a reunion romance. It’s stiff and very pulp but not bad (no crap sound effects) and I am a sucker for a reunion romance. That said, Rookie Thailand is not to be trusted, proceed with caution.

Absolute Zero (Weds iQIYI) ep 12fin - I'm grateful this is over. It was tense but for the wrong reasons - sadness and confusion. This final episode was fine, but that’s because it was mostly them being together + flashbacks. Plus all the familiar actor faces of the grown-up friends (hi, Karn my lovely, still stunning I see). But 2 of 12 episodes is not enough for the 10 of suffering and confusion that came before.

In conclusion:

A man is killed on his 10th anniversary resulting in a time paradox, for which the only solution is him never meeting his childhood sweetheart until later in life. Both lovers cycle back to the past at different ages, so that they each become their own 1st & 2nd great loves, but every time it ends in pain, until each also endures 10 years of separation. Finally it gets fixed, but leaves them with multiple memories of time's failures like temporal PTSD, and everyone around them has chronic deja vu. Me? I got both. This is one of those BLs that is high-quality with great acting but poor story. If you like your BL dwelling, maudlin, and tense due to angst and suffering, then you might enjoy this. But I just regret it, 6/10. Recommended only if you like confusing time travel emo pain.

In which case, just watch Tokyo in April is... instead. Give over Thailand, Japan does it better.

Middleman’s Love (Fri YT & iQIYI ep 6 of 8 - While our main couple isn’t working for me... the side couple isn’t working for me either. I really wanted to give LeoTai a chance, this is the 3rd show I’ve seen them in, and still nope. I like Jade a lot more when he’s sad. He’s a much more pleasant screen experience depressed. I would like him to stay hurt for a couple of eps, just so I can enjoy this show a tiny bit more. But then he just goes unhinged again. Argh. I just don’t like it. 

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) Pisces of Me ep 17 of 24 - Codependent boyfriends in middle school planning for high school dealing with stuff. Including other boys being into them. 

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 5 of 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. DNF 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - It’s cute but I don’t think BL in this short format is Taiwan’s strength these days. And this is quite slow and dull. Perhaps they should have whacked it down to 6 eps, not 10.

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 8 - This is one of those JBLs that I should like on paper but is failing me. The drag bit was ridiculous but handled gently. The kiss was… well… something wasn’t it? It’s all very odd. I like the photographer cutie character. 

It's Airing But...

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if it's safe.

Beyond The Star (Weds iQIYI) 8 eps - House of Stars meets Boyband. I was NOT impressed with ep 1. Been told I shouldn't bother.

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - I find this series more fun to binge, so I'm waiting until after it completes its run next week.

Dear Kitakyushu (Thai/Japan movie) in theaters in country only, I know nothing about distribution.

Behind the Shadows (Korea movie) this is a historical I was interested in, but I've been told they kill the gay so I'm OUT.

Next Week Looks Like This

Still coming:

12/23 Dead Friend Forever (Thai horror) iQIYI

Original 2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED). With the end of the year upon us I'll do an "announced for 2023 but never happened list" soon.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

He so pretty.

I forgot how likable TayNew are, and frankly I think New is a better version of this role for me, personally. I like him a lot. He's a conscientious sweetheart. And a good egg. (Cherry Magic)

Ah the rooftop my old friend. (Last Twilight)

I would like to point out that it's no accident the naga's sex dream happened in the shower, he's a water creature after all. (The Sign)

(Last week)

[thelunarfairy]

(Apologizes if an incomplete ask sent through, I was asking a question but the Internet cut off :<)

My question was though, how much can you analyze about the English lyrics of No. 7 (anime intro)? The lyrics supposedly explain some of the story and you're the best theorist I know who can put this in an organized post XD

(Sorry if you've been asked this before haha feel free to ignore if so and have a great day!)

I looked at the Japanese and English versions, and well, to better organize the meaning of the song, I'm going to write it here in a more objective way, it will be easy to understand the meaning as you read the lyrics.

This is because the Japanese version has a lot of wordplay and puns, the English version translated it literally and in the same way as the Japanese, which made some passages confusing.

Let's get started (this is the full version of the song)

So now let me tell you the story of number 7

1 Huh? Eh? Instantly happy and sad, even the past and the future 2 Two shadows appear within the rumors (the passion turned into nothing, it's just a story) 3 A sweet fruit mixed with the unreal 4 Yes, yes, even if I tell you repeatedly 5 Look, look, you're not listening properly (passion turned into nothing, an endless story) 6 After all, the boring thing is the ugly reality 7 Morning, day and night, like ten winds and five rains, rumors circulate 8 Without becoming pure in heart, turning my back against the unchanging mirror 9 I Want Some Magic, Say Seven Mysteries, That's Not Perfect 10 But We Are Struggling Because We Are Incomplete

11 Swinging the blade, words, too far 12 Wearing the smiling mask of lies (you in that place) 13 They Were Hurt Because Of Someone Else 14 Between sin and punishment, in that place where no one exists 15 Surely He Is There So now let me tell you the story of number 7

A secret history I heard from somewhere

16 It's a secret just between you and me 17 I will not lose to you, memory nor the brittle truth 18 Let's catch up, it's a reality like a rumor from some time ago 19 Every night and morning seems stupid 20 The dance of the second, the third morning, the fourth twilight 21 First, second, third, fourth 22 Mirai, Misaki, the mirror that doesn't see, the silent solitude 23 Is it the first? the eighth? Wait, there's no eighth 24 Until the four o'clock stands, if you repent, 25 It becomes four pains, eight pains 26 Trouble Towing in Seven Rounds 27 Hits, punishment 28 Come, come strange mystery 29 My body's habits, everything, are never perfect, so We are struggling because we are incomplete

Swinging the blade, words, far away 30 Please reach out, the laughter, the overlapping lies 31 (he is still there continuously) 32 I blurred the details while pretending to be fine 33 Between sin and punishment 34 Alone, placed in that place 35 Surely he exists

36 Hiding the past, blinding the eyes in front of the destiny that is coming to an end 37 I changed once, so I will change again The answer is clear

Swinging the blade, words, far away Wearing the smiling mask of lies (You alone) Were hurt because of someone else Between sin and punishment In that place where no one exists Today it also exists

So now let me tell you the story of number 7 Hey tell me about the continued story

ANALYSIS

Let's use numbers to better analyze the excerpts

1 = could mean that Hanako is happy now to be having fun with Nene and Kou, but at the same time sad about having to deal with the past and the future (Nene's future death)

2 = This excerpt is very emblematic, but "within the rumors two shadows appear" could refer to the twins "the passion turned into nothing, it's just a story" they would be in love with each other and what remained of that story would be murder. There is also the possibility that he is referring to Nene, since Hanako-san now has an assistant. Two shadows, and the passion that turned into nothing, an impossible love.

3 = A metaphor about the contrast between reality and a distant desire

4 and 5 = Hanako's story is being told little by little and someone (it could be Nene) is not realizing the details between the lines.

6 to 10 = Complaints about how reality is terrible and he wants to experience something unreal, not just him, but the other mysteries, everyone feels incomplete and is looking for something that reality cannot offer, something that they cannot achieve but they really want it. And specifically about the mirror, he says it is unchanging, confirming that no matter what he does, nothing will change.

11 to 15 = reference to Tsukasa's death, the murder. About how Hanako lied while creating a fake smile. He hurt Tsukasa, and he went to the place where nothing exists "Surely he is there" and the verses mention the sin and punishment that Hanako has to take responsibility for.

16 to 18 = Probably Hanako talking about his past with Nene. He says he will "reach him" that is, he will tell her the whole truth.

19 to 29 = references the other mysteries and how they are all fighting to create a better version of themselves, even though they are imperfect. In addition to, of course, mentioning a little about their feelings.

30 to 35 = reference to Tsukasa, he wants Hanako to show what he really feels, at the same time that Tsukasa "blurs" the way he feels "I blurred the details while pretending to be fine" "Alone, placed in that place" "he is still there continuously" reference that Tsukasa was left on Hanako's boundary and hides that he feels sad about it.

36 and 37 = it's a little difficult to know if the speaker is Hanako or Tsukasa, the excerpts fit for both, but it's probably more linked to Hanako, since he's the one hiding the past.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Place where nothing exists = boundary, Hanako says that when he enters a boundary, the person ceases to exist in the human world while there.

Swinging the blade = stabbing, direct reference to murder.

In that place where no one exists, he is certainly there = clear reference that Hanako believed that Tsukasa was on the boundary

In that place where no one exists, today he also exists = reference to Tsukasa's return.

Hey tell me about the continued story = about the story we are following now

CONCLUSION

Basically it's Hanako talking about himself, about the mysteries and about Tsukasa. We also see many parts where he talks about how he feels, but in short, that's it.

The lyrics of this song change subtly according to the translation you are looking for, but the general meaning is this.

That's the way I interpreted the opening lyrics, other people may have different ways of seeing how they work, but for me that's it.

[oulkheir]

Hi! First, English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry for any mistakes.

I watched the newest Given movie and re-read the mange and I have to think that Hiiragi and Shizu (i know you love them) but I think they are the worst. They know that Mafuyu felt left out when Yuki was still alive. Hiiragi forced Ritsuka into the band and to make the song. Hiiragi said after the first Given concert that he knew that Mafuyu wanted to be included when Yuki was still alive. He knew how he felt. Mafuyu has PTSD and abandonment issues and Hiiragi and Shizu are aware of it. And then, Shizu just said to them basically: If you can't commit 100% for the rest of your life you should quit the band and your relationship. Just because Mafuyu knows that Shizu loves Hiiragi. Mafuyu is frightened because he is reliving his trauma, he thinks Ritsuka will leave him, just like Yuki. And Shizu knew all of this. How Shizu thinks towards Hiiragi is also so toxic, he basically gives everything up, even says, that he doesn't have any dreams of his own- and in my mind, that's toxic codependency. They are horrible friends towards Mafyuyu. Even after 10 years, they didn't find a replacement. I bet they didn't even look. You can see in chapter 4 of the newest Cheri+ that Ritsuka desperately needs a break, that he can't keep playing for 2 bands. Hiiragi wants to bind Mafuyu forcibly to his life - by making his boyfriend play in his band. He doesn't trust Mafuyu to be in his life as his friend on his own. Sure, Ritsuka is also to blame, because he can't quit something he started. But in the end, Hiiragi is still the same selfish person.

isn't that insane to break into someone's asks to say you hate their favourite characters??💀but thanks for the ask, let me fix that!

hiiragi was in denial when yuki was still alive, that's kind of what i explained in my latest post (which i suppose you read?), hiiragi was obsessed with the image of a perfect quartet and thought they were all super close to each other and he was scared to disturb any relationship within their group. actually, hiiragi always shows how scared he is to change any relationship. that's why he wouldn't have confessed to shizu so soon even though he probably knew that his feelings were mutual. he wanted to take things slow because he thought they were good already as friends. so even though he kind of knew that mafuyu felt lonely (and i still think he didn't really, it's just easier to say it afterwards), he couldn't do anything about it without risking one of their relationship, either mafuyu and yuki's, or his with mafuyu. by asking ritsuka to play support for him, hiiragi isn't aware that he's repeating history. he realises it only after mafuyu refuses to eat with them and at this moment, he knows that he's acting selfish. that's why he goes thanking and apologising to mafuyu before their concert (umi e), he wants to do things better that he had done in the past and to not repeat the same mistakes. he regrets that he didn't say anything back when yuki was still alive. is it that easy to confront one of your best friend (yuki) and reproaching him that he doesn't spend enough time with his boyfriend (mafuyu)? even though it wasn't clear that they were dating and that there was clearly unspoken words between them? he did care about mafuyu's loneliness, but he wasn't aware of yuki's emotional/mental health issues so who could've predicted the tragedies afterwards?

then for shizu, he's also not one to take decisions by himself. if shizu tells mafuyu to abandon his relationship with ritsuka, it's because he's aware of how scared mafuyu is and that shizu himself never would have gone straight pro if he wasn't sure to love hiiragi enough. shizu doesn't act if he isn't 100% confident in what he does : the advice he gives to mafuyu is the reflection of his own feelings. when yuki was still alive, he didn't feel powerful enough to change things as well, as he also felt left alone, that's why he didn't do anything about it. he probably doesn't want mafuyu to suffer with ritsuka because of music, that's why he tells him it's safer to quit. for us readers, it sure isn't a good advice because we're just seeing mafuyama about to split and don't like this, but it feels safe to shizu because there's so much more involved than just being in a relationship. and isn't he half right, anyway? what's the point in continuing suffering in a relationship if you don't think it's the right person for your life? shizu thinks it's too hard for mafuyu to pursue in music and in a relationship involving music. he doesn't want that for him.

now, the only reason why shizu and hiiragi aren't toxic to each other is that they communicate, and this is what mafuyu and yuki missed. hiiragi and shizu sure are really attached to each other, but their relationship doesn't take a tragic turn because they decide to talk it out. they choose to love each other and to sort their misunderstandings. they choose to date officially and to confess properly, they express their true feelings to each other to avoid what mafuyu and yuki lived. they're learning from past mistakes and that's beautiful! just because shizu follows hiiragi doesn't mean that they're codependent. first, he expressed to ritsuka that he loves music and takes it seriously, which means it's also his own dream to keep playing as a pro. it sure is coming from his love for hiiragi, but he's got an attachment to music too. second, if you read chapter 3 of the 10th mix, you should know that shizu also developed a passion for acting, he's got a character development that has no direct link with hiiragi first, which you can't abstract from your analysis. even if it does, i don't think that being openly devoted to your partner means you're toxic, as long as you're aware of it, that you talk about it and that it doesn't lead to irreparable suffering.

then, about ritsuka being "forced" to play support even after umi e, let me tell you ritsuka is old enough to take his decisions by himself. sure, hiiragi was confident that ritsuka would accept to stay, but does that mean he forced him to? absolutely not. ritsuka accepted because he liked playing with syh, and even he could've considered mafuyu's feelings a bit more. the thing is, ritsuka can't stop playing in a band he likes just because his boyfriend disagrees. it wouldn't be healthy from mafuyu to stop him from doing that. moreover, hiiragi, shizu and ritsuka all consider that mafuyu's issue is "solved" (we get that it's not completely, but he's doing better) after mafuyu promised ritsuka to make music with him forever after umi e. ritsuka also knows that even if he keeps playing with syh, this time he'll make sure to be there for mafuyu and he found a solution to communicate better with him : music.

about 10 years later, i'll have to give the same answer. ritsuka is old enough to know that what he's doing is tough, and too much for his mental/body health. he needs a break : sure, then i'm hoping that mafuyu will notice and tell him instead of watching him, because mafuyu isn't always the victim. and hiiragi isn't close/affective enough to ritsuka to tell him to get some rest. ritsuka is doing all of that because he loves his job and he loves performing with the two bands. does that mean it's healthy for him? certainly not.

i'll also add that the characters aren't omniscient. just because hiiragi and shizu know about mafuyu's loneliness doesn't mean that they're aware of how traumatised he is. that's why mafuyu tells hiiragi before his first concert that he doesn't get his feelings. it may just be my opinion, but ritsuka is unexpectedly the one who gets mafuyu's feelings the best : just because you know someone for a longer time doesn't mean you understand him better than the others. on the contrary, if you're really close to someone, you're not always aware of how bad they're doing (meanwhile ritsuka clearly knows when mafuyu isn't doing right). hiiragi and shizu know the story of the past, but ritsuka gets mafuyu's feelings better, so it leads to a lot of misunderstandings and they start to get the real problem only once they all share the information they have (when they're eating after mafuyu ignored them).

to conclude, hiiragi and shizu aren't always the best friends to mafuyu. but they sincerely try to be by staying by his side and advising him. they're not in his head, they can't guess what he wants to hear. if shizu didn't have good intentions, he wouldn't have advised mafuyu to quit music, even if it doesn't seem good to us readers. and hiiragi being selfish is part of his character : he's working on it by supporting mafuyu in what he does and keeping an eye on ritsuka may be his way to show it. you can't change someone selfish from one day to another, and i guess mafuyu accepted his nature anyway. you know, hiiragi isn't always acting selfish on purpose, he's just really self-centred, which means he's less aware of his surroundings than the others. the real friendship between hiiragi, shizu and mafuyu started during the series because what they had in the past was factice. 10 years later, they're all doing good together and are able to talk, fight and have fun together.

thank you so much for the ask :) it has a lot of hate in it i feel, but it's okay. tell me if i didn't answer all of what you said but i think it's a lot already... :)

xx

[finn-m-corvex]

Whumptober 2023 Day 10 - Broken Phone

Day 10, we're almost there guys! And yet another movieverse story! This is the last one of the batch though, so savor it while you can. I'm also not super proud of this one, but you can only do so much when you've got thirty stories to write and they're all a minimum of 2k words.

@splinnters ten tags! I'm going to give you a medal honestly

Words: 2.1k

“Shit,” Jay muttered as he tapped his shattered phone screen, “shit, shit, shit-”

It didn’t matter, the thing was dead. Jay’s heart thundered in his chest as he shoved it back into his gi pocket, clutching the flashlight in his hand and pointing it in front of him. The beam was shaking rapidly as his hand trembled, but Jay couldn’t make himself hold it still. Sure, he had just gotten stranded in the forest after the rest of his friends had run away from the shark army with him, but it was fine! Totally fine!

Oh First Master he was stuck in the forest by himself and the others had no idea where he was-

He clutched his orange scarf to his chest, running the thick fabric through his fingers and letting the feeling ground him. He couldn’t start panicking, he needed to find help as soon as possible.

Jay picked a direction and started walking, his sneakers squeaking in the wet grass as he went. The wind was bitingly cold as it blew past him, his jacket flapping and his shirt riding up to expose his skin to the elements. He did his best to keep his jacket around his torso, but the zipper was broken from all of the fidgeting that he had done with it over the years. Wu had apparently not designed their gi to be very weather-resistant, as Jay could feel even the slightest breeze through the cloth.

The bruises throbbed painfully; it was far from the worst beating he’d ever taken, especially from the hands of Garmadon’s minions, but bruises were bruises. He wanted to ice them, but alas he had no ice with which to do so. Everything about this situation sucked worse than the time his bullies had dunked his history textbook in the toilet right before class.

His ankle twinged when he tried to walk on it, and checking under his pant leg only showed a ring of dark purple bruises. Something had happened to it, but Jay couldn’t even begin to guess if it was broken or sprained or anything in-between.

You most likely wouldn’t be able to walk on it if it were broken, Jay told himself, but it didn’t make him feel any better.

This was bad. Lloyd was most likely captured, he had no idea where to find the others, there were Shark Generals running all around this forest, and he could feel the fresh bruises blooming across his chest and down his back. With any luck, Jay would be able to run into one of the others and he wouldn’t be alone; safety in numbers and all that jazz. Every step irritated his ankle and the bruises running up and down his leg.

Just as he had to say that, his flashlight ran out of batteries, and Jay started smacking the side of it in frustration. Nothing he did was working, even after he cut his fingers fumbling with the panel and switching the batteries around. Where was that stupid lightning power when he needed it? Was Wu a liar?

Shit on a shingle, Wu better not be a liar or Jay was going to send a lot of very politely worded emails because he was not one for physical confrontation of authority figures.

“Could this get any worse?” he said out loud, carefully stepping over the tree roots as best as he could in the pitch-black of the night. Not even the moon was strong enough to light his way, and Jay shuddered as owl calls filled the air around him. He felt like there was something watching him, keeping track of his every move.

If they were big hungry predators in this forest, he was going to quiet full-stop, and no one was going to talk him out of it.

Honestly, he should’ve known better than to say anything.

Because then there was shouting.

Running, Jay didn’t look back as Shark Generals crashed through the undergrowth after him, and he felt the tip of a spear swing past the back of his head. His anxiety fueled his adrenaline, helping his Ninja reflexes as he jumped over tree root after tree root, avoiding various pits and dodging branches as he barreled through the forest.

His heart was going to start beating out of his chest. He needed to find the others before that happened or before he was captured.

The thought of being captured made his stomach churn, especially when it was at the hands of the Shark Generals that he had wronged so many times. Jay was definitely starting to have regrets and not for the first time. He only turned around him to throw the flashlight at the generals, hearing it collide with someone’s head.

Phone falling out of his pocket entirely, Jay didn’t have any time to mourn the loss as the generals pursuing him quickly smashed it to bits as they chased after him. He wanted to pull up his mask and hide, but he couldn’t waste the one distraction he had given himself.

Until he stopped looking where he was going.

Jay yelped as he went down over a large root, feeling his ankle twinge in protest at the movement. He crashed into the ground, and Jay laid there, dazed. He finally moved when he heard the generals’ footsteps in the undergrowth, scrambling to hide behind a large tree to his right. Pulling his mask down over his face, he squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the pain in his ankle and the new bump forming on his forehead. He had scraped up his hands pretty badly; they stung as he clenched them into fists, feeling rivulets of blood start to drip down into his sleeves.

“Where did he go?” one general asked, and Jay stopped breathing. They couldn’t know that he was here. With any luck, he made himself small enough that the foliage would hide him.

The light from their torches danced behind his eyelids in strange shapes, and the enemies were so close that Jay could smell the smoke floating away from them. He was terrified and his heart pounding erratically, waiting for the moment that someone would push the brush aside and see him sitting there, taking him to wherever their hideout was where he would never see his friends or his city or his parents ever again-

“Let’s go! He must’ve gone that way!” Someone yelled, and the generals were gone as quickly as they had come, but Jay had already spiraled too far in his own head to notice.

How long had it been since he had a panic attack by himself?

Too long, he thought, because he was definitely out of practice.

Shoving his hand against the bark, he desperately looked for something to ground himself with, failing and pushing off to tumble into the clearing. His hands went to tug his mask off and let him breathe, then to yank at his curls since the wet grass just made him panic more. Scalp aching in protest, Jay didn’t stop, instead tugging even harder. He was pretty sure that he had started crying, the tears hot and steady on his cheeks, but he didn’t let himself sob. What if he alerted the guards and they found him again?

Jay didn’t know how long he had let himself break down alone in the middle of a random clearing in an enemy-infested forest during the middle of the night, but it was long enough for his tears to start running dry and to finally catch his breath.

“Need to keep moving,” he told himself, and he stood up on shaky legs as if he were a newborn deer. His flashlight was nowhere to be found and his phone was destroyed, not that they would’ve been of any use to him. Sounds echoed around him, grating on his ears and keeping him on his toes. Every way he would’ve had to navigate the dark was gone; only the moon remained, but its light was so dim that it may as well have not been there at all.

First Master, he was so hooped.

His hands couldn’t stop shaking, and now that the rest of his body was trembling it wouldn’t stop. The cold nipped at his skin, blowing his hair every which way as Jay did his best to shield himself despite his lack of insulating clothing. Was he actually going to freeze out here?! Normally he would’ve had Cole or Zane to hide behind and take the large gusts of wind, or Kai with his unreasonable body heat to hug him close and Nya or Lloyd to reassure him. But now he was alone; the weakest link on the whole team, left to die by himself in the middle of the woods. The last stringer who always had to be rescued.

Die.

No.

No, this was not how Jay was going to go out. He still had to ask Nya out on a date, dammit!

“C’mon, Walker,” he ground out, pushing every bit of his self-loathing and hatred into his voice (luckily there was plenty of it), “you are going to stop crying like a stupid baby and start walking. Lloyd needs you, and so does Nya, and so does everyone else. What would Ma and Pa say if they saw you crying like this?”

Pa probably would’ve tucked his little boy into his lap while he finished the daily crossword, Ma covering him in a blanket with some warm soup and a kiss on his forehead, but Jay couldn’t afford to think about that right now. Not only because he might start crying again if he thought about his parents, but If he stopped to think about how hungry he was or how water sounded really nice or about how much he wanted a hug then he was never going to move from this spot again.

And that was not the game plan if he wanted to look cool enough for Nya to say yes to a date.

Jay regretted trying to walk after the first step, pain bursting from his ankle and causing him to gasp and kneel back down. He grimaced at the sight of his ankle, even more bruised than before with even some blood, and he quickly undid his belt to wrap it around the ankle. His scraped hands wanted nothing to do with the process, but Jay forced them to cooperate. It would help to stabilize for as long as Jay needed it to work, but he should still do his best to stay off of it for as long as possible.

You know, after he found the others.

Biting his tongue proved to be an effective way to distract himself from the other pain, and with every step Jay would chomp down on the muscle until he would pick his foot back up, repeating the process even after a metallic and coppery taste filled his mouth. That water sounded really good right about now.

“Maybe you aren’t as useless as you thought you were,” Jay muttered, even though he knew what the others would say if they were here; they would tell him he wasn’t useless and to stop being so hard on himself. Cole would be carrying him, telling him that he shouldn’t walk on his leg. Zane would be blabbering on and on about what Jay should be doing for a broken ankle, and for as much as Jay loved Zane’s ramblings that is not what he needed to hear. Kai would probably be flipping his shit along with Lloyd, both of them shutting down with guilt and leaving Cole to take the lead, but Nya…

Jay didn’t know what Nya would do, actually. That was a fairly common occurrence.

Every time that he thought he had her figured out, finally able to predict at least one of her movements, she would always surprise him. It was impressive, honestly; Jay prided himself on his ability to analyze data and formulate theories, and Nya gave him plenty to work with; but he didn’t know if his theories were always wrong because of his own incompetence or if Nya was just that good.

It was almost as painful as the bump on his forehead that wouldn’t stop throbbing and giving him a headache.

But with any luck, Jay would find his way out of here in no time, maybe meet Nya along the way and they would finally get to spend some alone time together-

“Hey! There he is!”

And off he ran again, plunging into the darkness and hoping that he could make it out this time.

[samwiseyoufool]

Were you satisfied with the ending for Queen of Tears? I have mixed feelings. I'm still debating if I would recommend the show to someone else.

let me start with: would I recommend it?

yes. the first 8 episodes were 10/10, life-changing, kdrama history and goals. the plot, the writing, the acting. you can kind of see after episode 8 that their marriage became the secondary plot / the couple's screen time diminished. BUT the main couple is one of the best I've ever seen, a love story for the ages, and ksh and kjw killed it. I'll rewatch the show just for them.

was I satisfied? I'm okay with it. I would say overall, glad for the happy ending, but the journey there was rough towards the end and things were left to be desired.

I think the biggest detraction for me is how the amnesia plotline kind of ruined all the progress baekhong made, imo. the show set it up so we saw their relationship at its worst but were given hints of the first time they fell in love, and then after the fallout, it was nice to see how they navigated this new-but-not-new relationship. and the amnesia plotline was setting it up for them to do that again, which not only erased all of that progress they'd had, but then we didn't even get to see it. they acted less like a couple than even after they were divorced.

(the amnesia plotline overall was just so messy. it was so bizarre that she wouldn't have asked eun-sung or secretary na for pictures of herself or done a quick google search to see just the press conference alone... but then they let her go back to work as the ceo of this huge company while surrounding her by new people who would also not know what they're doing???)

all of that to say, I enjoyed most of it and would recommend it (probably with warnings, tbh). wish we got the rom from this romcom but (and I cannot stress this enough) the main leads were phenomenal, so I'll take it.

[whenwillderekhalebehappy]

so i just started playing fallout 4 ,,, here are my preliminary opinions

- lame storyline, i don't want to be married heterosexual. idc abt this fuckass baby either.

- fr tho, it feels like the devs just chose the most generic backstory they could think of so they could get that part out of the way. it's not interesting or good. moreover, if that actually happened to a person, they'd be traumatized and terrified, not running around looking for guns and stimpaks. like, it feels like my character doesn't even give that much of a shit that this happened. like ooh the world ended, my wife was murdered, my infant child was kidnapped, it is 200 years in the future, but yeah no i don't have any questions, ill just roll with it. LAZY WRITING!

- also: how does the survivor know that his baby is still alive. the story has him frozen, unfrozen to witness murder and kidnapping, frozen again and then unfrozen to start the game. how am i supposed to know when that kidnapping happened? like yeah it could've been recent but it could also have been 100 years ago.

- upon exiting the vault you immediately start like 11 quests. why?? for what reason?? i just got here??

- do not love that feral ghouls will just lay on the ground waiting for you to get close enough so they can attack you. 1. its annoying, you get ambushed every time. 2. why would they be doing that, are they sleeping? waiting? doesnt make sense for them to be doing either of those things. they're feral, they wander around attacking whatever comes near them, they don't lie down and wait for prey, thats just ,,, not how they work?

- i especially dont like that the ghouls also dont show up as hostile on the little navigation bar until they get up. the whole point of that is so i know if there's hostiles in the area. if all the hostiles just sneak up on you, there's no reason to look at it.

- the fact that you can just max out your SPECIAL stats kinda defeats the purpose of those stats. the point is that it allows you to pick strengths and weaknesses for your character, instead of it being skills you can learn. it adds difficulty and personalization.

- i genuinely don't like the "improved" graphics. maybe its because my pc is shitty and i have to run low quality, but i cant see shit. especially all the harsh shadows make it really hard to gauge depth and to see things on the ground (like feral ghouls waiting to attack you).

- why is VATS under Q. thats dumb

- follow up: why are we now using the enter key and arrow keys in addition to wasd. let me keep my hand on the mouse instead of constantly having to switch (update: after 10 hours in-game i found out you can also press E, still stupid)

- why cant i just go up to people and ask them shit. why do i have to wait until they want to talk to me.

- i do like the whole settlement building thing. ive been having more fun with that than anything else tbh

- it is nice that you can make radaway and you dont have to rely on scavenging or bartering for it

- they are harsh on the raiders. like i get that they're enemies but labelling them 'raider scum' is a bit much. like thats still a person.

- in the intro thing they say war never changes at least 3 times. i get it. dont overdo it.

- also in the intro, they just say the US ended ww2 by dropping the bombs on hiroshima and nagasaki which is a VERY BOLD statement about history.

- i've barely encountered anyone who's nice. ive met preston and his friends but beyond that its basically been nothing but raiders. where are the friendly npc's? it makes the whole world feel hostile and empty

- the variety of weapons and mods is ,, actually a little too much. i don't know the difference between a pistol and a revolver, let alone what a receiver is. the game kind of expects you to just , understand what all these things mean and how to best modify your weapons. I don't. i barely know what i'm supposed to be looking at. "um yeah i definitely prefer the hardened enhanced glowsighted tempered auto pipe revolver pistol over the hardboiled standardized incendiary double barreled shotgun rifle" <- statement dreamed up by the utterly deranged

- recently encountered super mutants, why do they yell at you that they are super mutants. i know that. i mean, the character technically doesn't since no one's bothered to explain all the new creatures to him, but still.

anywho, ive only been playing for a week or so, so there might be more redeeming qualities later on. but so far im not very impressed

[hopeymchope]

The Harry Potter reboot has me really concerned . I mean, if the news about it came out during 2030 or something it would’ve been fine, but the fact it’s happening right now and JKR’s part of it is a massive turnoff for me. I know a lot of HP fans are excited about the reboot, but I have no doubt that the show’s gonna be controversial no matter what, to the point it’s making me worried for the kids who want to be part of it because they like HP.

Note: This is following up on this post/rant about the HP reboot streaming series BS.

In 2030, at least it wouldn't be one year after the previous attempt at extending the franchise crashed and burned. But I feel like that's the only reason why doing this reboot series in 2030 would be any better than doing it right now: Because right now it looks desperate. But in both cases, a massive TERF will get millions more cash to fund her efforts to vilify, dehumanize, and terrorize transgender and transsexual people worldwide. Just because David fucking Zaslav thought this would be a great way to squeeze more blood from the stone.

Y'know, if they did this without JKR's direct involvement and promised to try and "expand upon" the novels outside of her text? That would feel better to me, because A) she'd probably just get her usual tiny royalty instead of this larger salary, at least, AND B) it'd open up the possibilities of them trying to correct the material for her shitty views, like how Hogwart's Legacy at least did its best to provide positive trans representation within the Wizarding World universe.

Unfortunately.... with JKR directly involved and - more importantly - with how she's recently rewriting her own history to claim that trans people are equivalent to the Death Eaters? YEEEEEAAAH, this reboot has a STRONG potential to get REAL fucking Anti-Trans in a VERY fucking dangerous way. Don't be surprised if the Death Eater army shows up and seems coded VERY HEAVILY to be trans without explicitly saying so, is what I'm fucking saying.

BTW Anon, I'm not sure I understand your very last sentence? Or at least, I'm not sure of who you're talking about specifically. As in: Do you mean you're worried about the kids who will try to be actors/characters in the show? Or you're worried about kids who will get involved in watching it and the fandom because of it, etc?

Because... well, I agree either way actually. BUT I'm honestly more worried about the latter group. The ones who might be introduced to this world/fandom by this MAX series have real potential to be radicalized into hateful TERFs by it, especially if they're watching at young/impressionable ages like six years old or thereabouts. Dear god, at least the actors will probably be circa 10 or 11 at the start and will therefore be more capable of critical thinking than the youngest viewers will be, plus they could potentially just be there for the paycheck/exposure or whatever.

This is a VERY worrisome production, for sure. And once again, it's funny how little Rowling understands her own work.

Mmm, yes, and what if that boy was vilified and hated by family for who he was inside? What if they abused him and treated him as sub-human just for who he was internally - how he was born?

What if the family around him even tried to hide the very existence of that type of person, never once letting him know such a thing was even POSSIBLE, because they hated those people so very much, and they were so deeply afraid of him becoming one of 'them'?

What if — even after discovering his true nature and finally thriving among like-minded people — that boy was still forced to 'present' as what his family members considered to be 'normal' whenever he was around them. And as a result, every time he was forced to return to them, he became depressed and felt alone all over again, always pining to return to the place where he could REALLY be himself?

It's especially bizarre to me that someone who once spent years speaking out against the hatred and ostracization and fear thrown at our gay population can then turn around and do EXACTLY ALL OF THAT to another queer demographic.

Like: How the fuck does she not see that she's the very thing she previously hated and railed against? How the fuck.... ???

[dollarbin]

Dollar Bin #10:

Bob Dylan at Budokan

My famous brother went out on one of his classic limbs this past week and told his approximately 64 million followers that it was time to get excited about Dylan's latest Archive reclamation project. 

The Archives series has already saved Self Portrait and saved the Saved era; now Dylan and my brother want to convince us that Dylan at Budokan, Bob's cheese favored concert album from 78 is a misunderstood classic. 

Without having listened to the entirety of this Dollar Bin mainstay in a few decades I'm going out on a much narrower limb than my brother right now and saying he's wrong.  Wrong! I first picked this record up at my local library in about 90, back when you could still check vinyl records out of libraries. It sucked then, and I say it still sucks now.

Problem is, my famous brother is famous in part because he's never wrong about stuff like this. I told him Saved was unsaveable a few years back and he patted me on the head, chuckling. Then Dylan put out Trouble No More and proved my brother right. I also told him in about 1983 that I would always be taller and more handsome than him. And look what the hell happened.

Point is, my brother knows what he's talking about. He's famous for a reason. And yet! Lately he's been telling me I should listen to Manassas records, claiming that Stephen Stills' other 70's "supergroup" doesn't suck. Well, that sounds like a load of horse crap. Stephen Stills sucks, bro, and so does Dylan at Budokan. 

So let's drop the needle and take a listen. I'll write this entry in real time, beer in hand. May the best brother win.

Side 1

Mr. Tambourine Man opens the album. Every time I try to listen to this record I start here, obviously. I can already see why I don't get much further. The song's arrangement is incredibly complex, and everyone is clearly talented. The opening guitar riff is lovely and returns toward the end to ramble and shine. But why does the flute never, ever stop? If I wanted someone on stage with a magic flute, I'd ask for it, Bob. I'm not asking for a magic flute, Bob. Ever.

Next we've got Shelter from the Storm performed by a strident Greek dramatic chorus. Sounds pretty good, I guess. The song makes sense for ancient masked tragedy. It describes a world of steel eyed death and men fighting to stay warm; they sell the guy's clothes; doom alone counts.  But in-between verses tragedy falls away and Steve Douglas, the man formerly fingering his endless flute, is staggering around like the guy in a fat suit in a Satyr play, his sax beating everyone on the head like it's a giant pigskin phallus.  His name, of course, is Steve; he and Stills outta go and compare their mammoth ding dongs in private: we don't want to see them.

Love Minus Zero follows.  Dylan is suddenly fronting Van the Man's Caledonia Soul Orchestra, one of the best live bands of all time, but Bob has them juggling pineapples and riding unicycles. Rob Stoner, who possesses the best name for a bass player in the history of white people, ignores them all, rocking out underneath. The track is better than I remember, but everyone is still playing hopscotch gleefully during one of my favorite songs of all time, so the album still sucks - so far.

At this point, my famous brother is beginning to tremble with fright because he knows what comes next. Ballad of a Thin Man gives Steve "Must Be Related To Stills" Douglas another chance to slather his sax sized wienerschnitzel with all kinds of mustard and wave it in everyone's face. That thing was meant for procreation, Steve, not for playing with in front of the poor Japanese audience. Jesus Christ, the album is even worse than I remember.

And now it gets even more terrible! It Ain't Me Babe has a rumbling your way to the crapper vibe; something Bob ate is not sitting right inside him and the stage swirls while his drummer's bass drum drops a smoking load all over the floor. 

Okay, bro, sure, the guitar solo mid-song is kinda awesome; but by that point everyone in my house, hell, everyone on my block, has their heads in their hands and is begging for it to stop. Bob's satin jumpsuit needs to be thrown away; no detergent will ever get these stains out. But even so he wants us to know it's alright, it's alright, it's alright!

Time to flip the record, and get another beer. We've got a long way to go.

Side two opens with Maggie's Farm. Never my favorite song, frankly.  The wild thing about this album is how intricate the arrangements continue to be.  Do I like this James-Belushi-running-up-a-series-of-down-escalators-at-full-speed take on the song?  No.  But everyone in the band charges on earnestly, working through reams of intricate lead sheets; even the drumming is perfectly notated so as to induce maximum seasickness.

Now One More Cup of Coffee is a song I always enjoy. It's creepy and seductive, a prequel to Senior, which Dylan must have been working on at this point. But this take replaces the sinister, elusive vibe of every other version with misplaced, chest-pounding bravado.  What's Dylan need another cup of coffee for if the valley below is a place where everyone will gather and cheer while he does clap-as-you-rise push-ups? It sounds like Dylan is surrounded by Bukokan's finest break dancers. My brother stands to one side, cowering in shame.

However, Like A Rolling Stone is actually good here.  This take lays the sonic foundation for much of Street Legal, the well-above-average album of new songs Dylan recorded with this band in the middle of this tour. Here, Douglas channels All Things Must Pass rather than Elvis's laced up leather pants. Sure, he flashes his midsection monster yet again at the end to interrupt a pretty solid guitar solo, but we're thinking about Dylan's great phrasing of the timeless lyrics, not Steve's Johnson.

The verse work on I Shall Be Released gives my brother's cause for further hope, but the chorus turns the song into This Little Light of Mine complete with hand gestures. The song is about dreaming of freedom, Bob. It should not sound like an upbeat prison torture soundtrack.

Speaking of Street Legal, Is Your Love in Vain is as great on this album as you'd expect, maybe better than the studio version at moments, especially when the mandolin elbows in.  The song comes from a particular genre in the Bobosphere: the "Bob Shares Insights into Why He Never Stays Married" genre. The songs are often pretty good in this genre; but the lyrics are by turns offensive, hilarious and (hopefully) ironic. What Was It You Wanted? is a fun member of the club; Something's Burning Baby, is a particularly terrible entry, not because it features tender husband bon mots like, "Something is the matter baby, there's smoke in your hair," but because it's unlistenable. Bob, buy a clue: if your ladyfriend is on fire, don't write a song about it. Rather, go get a hose.

Just in case Bob's not sure, let's tell it to him straight, right here and now: no one wants to be asked if they can cook and sew and make flowers grow for you, Bob. Therefore, no one wants to understand your pain. But we still like your song! 

Okay, we are almost 1/2 way through this record and the score is me 4000, my brother 2. But Going, Going, Gone sounds alright!  We've got a pretty full rewrite going on, and the guitar noodles along nicely.  I'd love to hear Bob Uecker sing this version of the chorus as a ball leaves the yard. 

But then mid-track something wicked and gross this way comes. In what I guess we'll call the bridge, the band veers off Gordon Lightfoot's Carefree Highway and is suddenly going, going, gone into the River Acheron (you know, the one that welcomes all souls to hell).  Moments later, the band regains form, and we are no longer trembling alongside Dante. But then the whole reckless thing restarts and I'd rather get in Charon's boat and compliment his flaming wheel eyes than listen a moment longer.

It's time for side three!

Finally we hear Alan Pasqua front and center on Blowing in the Wind; here he tinkles mysteriously along, going somewhere exciting.  His intricate, conversational and utterly original playing on Murder on Most Foul led me down a lovely internet rabbit hole a few years back.  Somewhere on the net (look yourself, you lazy reader, and bring me another beer while you are at it. I'm busy surviving this experience.) there's a huge and exciting interview with Pasqua all about this tour and his occasional work with Dylan during the past 45 years.  Someone, somewhere in all that reading compared Murder Most Foul to A Love Supreme. The comparison is ridiculous, yes, but it's also interesting. All kidding aside, Dylan has made some of the last century's weirdest and best art. Just not here.

Anyway, this arrangement of Blowing gets increasingly intolerable as the rest of the band comes in; I'd be far more excited to have Dylan work the whole song through alone with Pasqua.

Just Like a Woman sounds nice here; it's another entry in the "I recommend you divorce me" Bobfiles, but if he wanted to play this at my $1000 Wedding I'd be fine with it.  Dylan busts out his harpoon for some classic warbling at the end, setting the stage for the best harmonica playing of his whole career three or four years later on Every Grain of Sand.  Blow Bob, blow! Your catching my brother up!

But uh oh, broheim, Oh Sister is moody and unrecognizable.  Where is this going?  This song has always been one of Bob's most terror inducing.  Is he singing about lying in the arms of his actual sister?  Is Oedipus joining them afterwards for light drinks and conversation?  By the time Steve Douglas fingers his giant, one eyed, Achaean blood sausage yet again everything sounds like the fourth, thankfully edited out, hour of Boogie Nights.  During the final instrumental section things are actually pretty exciting, but I'm glad Bob didn't introduce this one the way he introduces the next ("Here's a simple love story, happened to me...") because if this song and this version are non-fiction there are three headed people in Minnesota descended from Dylan's coupling with some poor sibling.  Yikes. Next track, please.

Simple Twist of Fate is good!  I'd prefer it if Dylan's hotel wasn't "renovated" and I'd be fine without the bridge, but David Mansfield's violin soars nicely towards the end, swimming in a lovely current with Billy Cross's lead guitar and Pasqua's surging organ. Score another one for the famous brother.

What can I say about All Along the Watchtower?  Stoner's bass is bigger here than his bong. Mansfield's violin is awesome; the background vocals are great.  Does this compete with Jimi Hendricks, or the Dylan and the Band version from 74, or the original?  Hell no.  But this is probably my favorite track so far: Dylan gives one of Dylan's most cinematic songs a great reboot.

Wow.  I Want You!  Maybe my brother is famous for a good reason after all.  This take is soulful, unrecognizable and tender.  It nearly wins my brother the whole bet. One of his big claims is that Bob really sings on this record, rather than the shouting he'd done on the previous tours. I concede that point, at least for the moment.

I'm at the bridge now (Remember? All this is being written while I sit here suffering! But this song is amazing so far.) and I'm praying Bob sent his sax player and his unsheathed whispermaphone straight to Tokyo jail.  Ooooh - it's even better than that: Bob's making the guy play recorder instead.  Forget you ever saw the long term tenant in the sax guy's trousers because we're swooning here.  Wow!  If Bob's reissue sounds like this my famous brother is going to be right yet again and I'll be left with Bob's own backyard brood of chickens' eggs all over my face.  Curses!

Side 4

Are there really only four sides so far? How many beers have I had? Do I really have to listen to All I Really Want To Do? It doesn't even crack my top 400 Dylan songs; Handy Dandy holds down number 400 and cannot be budged.  Handy Dandy: he's got an all girl orchestra and when he says strike up the band, they hit it. Love that song....

It doesn't matter if it's Dylan giggling through All I Really Want to Do himself or if World Party are playing hommage to it, I've just never wanted to be friends with anyone while listening to this song.  And this version isn't making me social; a few more minutes of this and I'm gonna go out and punch a neighbor.  Any neighbor. All I really want to do is get to the end of this damn song.

Knocking on Heaven's Door explores whole new realms of terrible. Here's Bob, hawking bananas and other ripe fruits.  He'll show you a yo-yo trick; he'll squeeze your baby's cheeks with affection and scare the hell out of them in the process.  This might be the worst thing on the whole album.  I'm winning, people! My famous brother: infamous. A plethora!

The next track lands like a jiggling jello dropped from a great height.  It's Alright Ma combines with Gates of Eden to form the least tolerable moments of Bob's first golden era of solo folk; sandwiched between two stone cold classics on the acoustic side of his fifth record, they make clear that Bob going electric is a good idea.  But then in 74 Bob sailed It's Alright Ma into his rushing flood of hollered greatness. Even the president of the United States has to love that version.  But here at Budokan, Bob karate chops his way through each verse, surrounded by a flash mob of belly dancers.  I don't want a sensie, Bob. I want this record to end.

Thankfully, we're winding down. My family is no longer begging me to turn this crap off. Forever Young and The Times They Are a-Changing end the album and both sound reasonable here, like leftovers from The Last Waltz's studio sessions, where the fabulously nuts Richard Danko and Richard Manuel were chained down to their desks and ordered to not freak out. Stoner takes one very intentional bass step at a time throughout each track, like he's completing a connect the dots page with fierce concentration. Slowly an image is revealed: a giant, white guy afro in profile: Dylan in 78.

Okay, it's over. Did I win? Of course not! No doubt my brother is right and the reissue will feature more outtakes like this one, leaving him the victor, yet again.

[purplesurveys]

1837

What is your favorite breakfast food? Fried rice with eggs and hotdogs, or tapsilog :) Such comfort breakfast food. I like Eggs Benedict and Monte Cristo too, but let's be real I never have either for breakfast and only get them at restaurants when I feel like having breakfast food on a non-breakfast hour.

Who do you (romantically) love? Nobody.

Have you ever considered yourself dirty? In a few aspects, sometimes. Like how I have a bad habit of putting trash in my handbag, and end up having a pile of papers and wrappers after a few days.

What do you do to relax? Playing with the dogs eases my worries more than anything, but I also like turning to YouTube.

Do you enjoy kissing? Sure, but I haven't done that in a couple of years. That's okay with me though, I'm not a very sexual person in general.

What about making out? ^ Eh, just about the same.

Where are you most ticklish? My tummy and waist. I don't like even getting hit in that area, no matter how lightly, cause I'll end up squirming hahaha.

Have you ever been to an arena concert? Yes, most of the concerts I've attended have been in arenas. The only exceptions were One Direction (which was held in outdoor concert grounds) and Se So Neon (happened in a large indoor tent).

Where was the last place you kissed someone? It may have been outside my house, right by my car. Memory's hazy.

Do you know anyone who is expecting? I know someone who was due in like a couple of weeks when I first met her, so she has likely given birth by now. As for currently expecting, I don't think so.

What does your third text message say in your inbox? Just my bank telling me there was a recent transaction on my card.

Do you use speed dial? I never used that.

If so who is number 5?

Have you ever kissed someone of the same sex? Yes.

Where do you want to get married? I've always wanted a hotel wedding just so everything - or at least most things - can be set for us lol. They have the ambiance, they've got catering, the sound system, some hotels already have their roster of hosts...considering how all over the place I can get, that much would be a big help.

Do you plan on having both your parents at your wedding? If I ever get married, of course.

If you could visit one person right now, who would it be? No one, I like being alone right now.

Do you like school? The social part of it was really great; some of the best years of my life. I liked learning too but only to an extent, as there were some subjects I found to be a waste of time + some teachers didn't have the best attitude.

What is your all time favorite subject that you have ever taken in school? History. < Mine too :)

Do you have a current teacher who you wish taught all of your classes? Not current, but I wish my high school music teacher had been my teacher for everything.

What has been your favorite part of this calendar year so far? Being able to save as much as I have.

Are you going on vacation any time soon? No plans currently. My parents are planning this huge party for my grandparents in June so that will 100% kill off any vacation plans; Reena just came back from a trip to Thailand so I'm sure she'd want to save for the next few months; Angela's super busy with boards review. In any case I plan on going to Seoul next year for when BTS are back, so it'll be smart for me to not book anything for now.

Do you catch yourself staring at inappropriate times? Sometimes.

How many times have you been fall-down drunk? Less than 10 times.

Has a friend ever really hurt you and you never told them? Sure.

Where would your most romantic getaway spot be? Somewhere remote in either Palawan or Baguio.

Have you ever stayed on a ride at a theme park to ride it again? I'm sure I did this during the school fairs. I was in the rides committee so I had a few perks lol.

Have you ever used your sexuality to get you something you wanted? I'm sure I have, but only with a partner.

What do you count as too spoiled? Anyone who overreacts/makes a fuss over the smallest things. It can be very telling of how they've always had everything handed to them that they're incapable of handling the most minor of inconveniences.

When you don’t feel good, where do you want to be? Just my room, or the café we have in the village. It's never crowded and is fairly hidden, so it's a nice quaint little place to escape to.

Have you ever set an alarm on your phone to remind you to do something? Sure.

Where do you want to raise your children? The city. The stimulation and sensations would be good for them, I feel.

What is your favorite Crayola scented crayon? Idk I was never around them much.

What is your favorite childhood TV show? Hi-5!

Do you ever look at yourself and not believe it’s you? Eh, sometimes. I try not to get existential like that often.

What’s your favorite hideaway place? That café I mentioned. Not a lot of people in my circle know about it or would travel to get there + the signal in that area just so happens to be weak, so it's literally a place you can 'escape' to.

Do you have a secret you have kept from your family? Sure.

Have you ever slow danced to a song you didn’t know? I'm sure I have.

Where do you study? I don't anymore.

Do you study at all? Nope.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I wanted to be a journalist, but I've since gone a little west of that – I'm currently a PR practitioner.

Has someone ever dedicated a song to you? I don't think so?

How many people have you kissed this month? None.

Do you like do have your hair pulled? Sure.

Are you close with your parents? We're on much better terms now but I still prefer to keep some kind of wall up.

How much do you wish/ hope for something before you give up? I can be very passionate and will fight for things/people, but if I feel like I'm not getting the same energy back I slowly let go.

Have you ever hung out with a complete stranger? Sure!

Do you work any holidays? No.

[theblackace]

2nd part of the backstory...

Ottawa was an entirely different beast.

That argument could be made for any Canadian city for an inexperienced kid from the U.S., but it wasn't just the city nor the country. The atmosphere of the team itself was different...and he liked it. Detroit felt like work, because of their history, which led to pressure and expectations. The Senators didn't, despite being a Canadian team and that carrying it's own set of expectations. He knew the team was rebuilding, which he figured was the reason he was brought in in the first place, but they didn't take themselves seriously all the time, which he found refreshing. Practice and skate sessions seemed a pleasant mixture of work and fun, and he was welcomed almost immediately rather than having the "awkward new kid" experience he expected. The coaches and players were excited to have him, he was excited to be given a legitimate shot at the NHL, and he was excited to see what the upcoming season would bring. On the other hand, he did feel like he was having to play catch-up, not because he wasn't a good player, but because he did not have the shared experiences the others had: national development teams, AHL experience including playoffs (he had a total of eight games with the Manitoba Moose in two seasons), and especially being drafted.

He finished pre-season with four goals and two assists, even getting a few fights under his belt. This seemed to garner approval from the team's captain, Brady Tkachuk, who banged his stick on the boards the loudest.

When head coach Jaques Martin called him into the office, he couldn't help but have that pang of dread, fearing a repeat of what has happened with the Red Wings. He took a seat, bracing himself for the worst, but hoping for the best.

"Needless to say, I've been very impressed with you, Devin. We don't usually see this level of play from undrafted talent, let alone with limited playing experience. There as no time with the US National Development Team listed in your file, nor any notable junior hockey experience. How'd you get to this point?"

"No, there wouldn't be, I reckon, but uh, I didn't start hockey until I was about 9 or 10. I feel in love with it after going to my local team's games. My junior experience was spent with the Hampton Roads Whalers, in the Chesapeake Bay Hockey League. Never did get up to the elite level, but after going undrafted, the Norfolk Admirals picked me up."

"Well it seems we've found a diamond in the rough, so to speak." Coach Martin cleared his throat and leaned forward, forearms resting on the desk, his fingers laced together. "I'm sure you'd agree your game needs work, but I don't see anything that warrants any sort of extended stint in a lower league. I'm willing to take the gamble and put you on the third line. You'll be on the wing until your face-off wins improve."

His eyes lit up, and he had to remind himself to be professional. "Thanks coach, that's greats news. I wholeheartedly appreciate the opportunity."

Afterwards, he met with the Senators' equipment manager to get his gear in order, mostly for a number change and to get his specifications on file. He put got a new helmet, but refrained from getting new skates or a new type of stick. A few days later, it was contract signing day. The Senators saw fit to offer him three years for $0.850 million, an offer that, per his agent, was unusual for an undrafted rookie. He had the biggest smile on his face for the photos. Finally, there was quick media availability.

"Devin, you went from being undrafted, through pre-season, and now making your NHL debut. What do you expect for this game?"

"I think it's gonna be a challenge, for sure, but I'm also just trying to enjoy it."

"For those who haven't followed your career, how would you describe yourself as a player?"

"Ha, well, as my fans in Norfolk will tell you, the hardware comes second to me. I'm looking to help the team win and play the game I love."

[siriuslystarbucks]

Genuinely curious and not trying to cause/stir up trouble, but what makes you think Peter would be as popular as Regulus if he'd been described as thin?

So I do want to start this out by saying I don't think anyone is thinking of it in exactly those terms. Fans/Readers didn't go "Peter is fat therefore I will not like him". I am 100% not trying to accuse anyone with that opinion and this response.

Good? Good, let's start. First, a couple things to set the stage for why I think this way about Peter.

Fatphobia is one of those things that is not only everywhere in society, but it's baked into the HP books. Vernon, Dudley, and Aunt Marge are the most obvious examples of that where them being fat is directly used to describe them being bad.

Neville Longbottom is the best example of no one really caring about him when he was chubby, but once he lost weight, he was not only a minor hero at Hogwarts, but he was much more liked by the fans. I cannot tell you how many posts/jokes I saw after the last 2 movies came out talking about Neville's 'glow up' and how he 'beat puberty' by the actor looking the way he did. I don't want to claim all of that is fatphobia, but I think it was a contributing factor. In the book OotP, even though Neville is a more important character and part of Dumbledore's Army, he still didn't get the kind of attention that, say, Luna did. (quick disclaimer again that I know there are other factors going into this) Neville is described as fully coming into himself and being strong in the book DH because of everything going on at Hogwarts, and one of the details I remember being included is that he looked a lot happier. I also remember that they'd been having trouble feeding everyone in the Room of Requirement, so they mention that Neville's lost weight.

Now, the Marauders fandom in general has a long history that I don't care to really get into for this, but let's hit the high points. Originally, it was just Sirius and Remus that were cared about because they were 1. easy to ship together and 2. the only ones of the Marauders that were good and also alive. Peter was assigned asshole at first look, and with good reason! He betrayed his friends, he framed Sirius, he made it impossible for Sirius to adopt Harry, of course we all around hate him.

However, fandom has more recently changed a lot from that (recent meaning the past, oh let's say 10 years?). It's not Sirius and Remus being popular within the canon timeline, it's including James and Lily when they were actually in Hogwarts-- Marauders' Era, No Voldie AU ftw. Even more recently, this has expanded to include Regulus, but Peter is very often left out.

(quick pause again to say that I'm not blaming any fanfic writer or reader for their preferences. It's fanfic, we're all here to have fun and play in a sandbox)

Here are the few Marauder truths we know post-Hogwarts

Sirius is still very close with James, definitely his best mate, and the person he trusts the most.

Peter has become more distant in recent weeks, but was still definitely their friend

Remus was largely not involved with any of them anymore, except being a member of the Order

Based on these facts alone, it would make sense if Marauders' Era fics included Peter as much more involved and Remus more on the outskirts.

Peter wasn't secretly evil the entire time they were friends, he was scared into it during the war. I guess what this entire post boils down to, is that I think people would be far more understanding if he'd been described as 'thin with a round smile' instead of as 'chubby' in SWM.

Regulus has received 'was secretly good the entire time' treatment from the fandom-- including me, lol-- despite us knowing for a fact that he believed in what Voldemort was doing and only betraying him at the very end, when Voldemort's MO affected Regulus personally.

Putting Peter and Regulus side by side with canon info, Peter should be the more popular one, imo. He was friends with James and Sirius all throughout Hogwarts and in the years that followed. When he betrayed Lily and James in the war, he was scared. He was 20 and terrified, and I think there would be more redemption-style fics for him than Regulus.

Tl;dr This is all personal opinion and less fact based, but I think Peter would receive babygirlification from the fandom if we thought of him as attractive the way we do Regulus

[just-here-for-the-art-shit]

Oh no my hand slipp-

_________

The Adventures - Not - of Y/N

On some significant date in history, two people who probably were supernatural or something copulated and 9 or 10 or 8 months later I was born - guess what I'm an orphan. Imagine that. I grew up NORMALLY and NOTHING WEIRD ever HAPPENED. See the trick here is to deny everything the universe throws at you, give the middle finger to destiny. Yada yada.

My name .... Is Your S. Name. The S stands for Slash. And you can probably guess exactly what I look like. Female, pale skin, long wavy blonde hair, small hands, I'm 4'6" with blue eyes - you get it. Look, the fact that my parents named me, "Your Name" should've been the first red flag - but then again I was a baby. Object permanence hadn't even been established yet. Also when I was a baby someone or something probably stole me or I was sold into slavery under some rich guy with a young son - no, none of that happened. Once again - if you're in my position - deny reality.

I go to a NORMAL high school with ... Weirdos - oh here they come now -

“OK - none of you approach me, look at me, think about me, I’m not dating you, we’re not having a love triangle, I know one of you is a vampire or a werewolf or some kind of shit - I don’t care that you’re a billionaires son - not marrying a prince OR A PRINCESS - Villain, I’m not having an enemies to lovers story with you, everyone save the tragic backstories. Ok? Thank you - now move your ass to class, this isn’t storybook highschool, this is real highschool. We’re highschoolers. We should not be superhero teens or having intercourse in your dad’s Impala or some bullshit. We got boring shit to do LET’S GO MOVE IT - FIVE MINUTES TO CROSS THE SCHOOL COME ON!”

This happens everyday multiple times a day. Consequences of being named Your Name. I have two best friends though, to share in my suffering - Main Character and Love Interest. See it's really funny when Love Interest and I met because he said, "I'm supposed to date you but I'm gay sorry," and I knew from that day we'd be besties in this hell hole. And Main Character? He suffers more than me - for instance, yesterday:

“Shit - guys, it’s happening-”

“What’s wrong Main- holy shit-”

“Yeah - it happened last night, my hair turned all white and my eyes turned black and yellow like a cat or something-”

“I can see that.”

“What do I do?”

“Ok listen to me - follow the protocol. Do. Nothing. Don’t walk alone in alleyways or some monster or bad guy is going to jump out at you and try to fight you or some shit. Don’t go with ANYONE who says they’re from an organization, foundation, secret society, cult, past or future - don’t join any clubs, do NOT do any sports, keep your grades average, and if a really sexy shy girl bumps into you and spills all of her books, keep walking.”

“But that sounds kinda rude-”

“Exactly. A main character would be nice and apologetic and help her pick up the books as she shyly brushes her hair behind her ear - DO NOT do that. Be an asshole - but not so much of an asshole that you become an anti-hero or some shit. Just - do the opposite of what you think you should do - ok? It’s like me and Love - friendzone forever.”

“Yeah dude - just make it through highschool, and hopefully things will get better when we’re full adults - most main characters start as kids or teenagers - we can get through this.”

“But - I’m tired of living this boring life! I want to be someone - do something!”

“YOU’RE DOING IT RIGHT NOW MAIN!”

“Oh God you’re right! OK breathe, breathe - I don’t. Want to do. Anything. I'm a normal kid. Phew.”

“Gucci.”

The biggest question you may have is, "how long can you guys keep this up," and that answer is, "Yes."

______________________________________

[albiclalepsza]

So I was making a list of who I think should/ would be nominated for the Oscars this year and I put Martin Scorsese, Celine Song, Todd Haynes, Greta Gerwig and Justine Triet as my picks for best director. When my sister saw it she said that they are too many women on the list for it to be realistic. And then that made go down the rabbit hole of checking the list of Academy Awards for best directing because I was curious which year did the first female director win an Oscar.

Woah. 2009? 70 years after the first ceremony? Crazy. So then I decided to check how many women were even nominated.

Seven. Throughout 96 years of its existence the Academy nominated seven women for best directing:

- Lina Wertmüller for Seven Beauties in 1975

- Jane Campion for The Piano in 1993

- Sofia Coppola for Lost In Translation in 2003

- Kathryn Bigelow who won for The Hurt Locker in 2009

- Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird in 2017

- Emerald Fennel for Promising Young Woman in 2021

- Chloé Zhao who won for Nomadland, also in 2021.

Jane Campion was nominated again for The Power of the Dog in 2022 and won, making her the only double nominee in this group and the third woman to win best director.

I decided to check some other numbers from the list just to illustrate how ridiculous that number is.

Just in the first 10 ceremonies 7 Oscars went to guys named Frank (Frank Borzage, Frank Lloyd and Frank Capra). They were nominated 9 times in that period. Overall they got 12 nominations throughout the Academy's history. Guys named William got 18 Oscar nominations over the years (12 for Wyler alone).

Actually, let's stop there. Here are all the men who got nominated more or as many times as all the women:

- William Wyler (12)

- Martin Scorsese (9)

- Steven Spielberg (9)

- Billy Wilder (8).

And that's not to say that they didn't deserve these nominations of course. But when there are numerous individual men who got nominated more times than the entire other half of the population you can't really blame it on anything else than the Academy's biases and discrimination.

And that discrimination doesn't end with the Academy, of course. Celine Sciamma's phenomenal Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which ranked 30th on Sight and Sound's list of best movies of all time, didn't even get a chance to get nominated, because French Film Institute chose to campaign another adaptation of Les Miserables instead.

The discrimination doesn't end on gender. When it comes to people of color the Academy also isn't particularly generous. No black woman was ever nominated for best director. 6 black men were nominated:

- John Singleton for Boyz n the Hood in 1991

- Lee Daniels for Precious in 2009

- Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave in 2013

- Barry Jenkins for Moonlight in 2016

- Jordan Peele for Get Out in 2017

- Spike Lee for BlacKkKlansman in 2018

10 Asians/ Asian Americans were nominated 13 times over the years:

- Hiroshi Teshigahara for Woman in the Dunes in 1965

- Akira Kurosawa for Ran in 1985 (a total travesty that he never won in that category)

- Terrence Malick for The Thin Red Line in 1998 and The Tree Of Life in 2011

- M. Night Shyamalan for The Sixth Sense in 1999

- Ang Lee for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000, Brokeback Mountain in 2005 and Life Of Pi in 2012 (he won for the latter two)

- Bong Joon-Ho for Parasite in 2019

- Lee Isaac Chung for Minari in 2020

- Chloé Zhao for Nomadland in 2020 (the only woman of color who won in the category)

- Ryusuke Hamaguchi for Drive My Car in 2021

- Daniel Kwan for Everything Everywhere All At Once in 2022.

5 Latin Americans were nominated 8 times. It got a bit murky here, since that's not really a racial category. I couldn't find a different list than that anywhere, so I had to play a little elimination game. I wouldn't count Guillermo del Toro. Héctor Babenco is apparently a son of Polish and Ukrainian Jews. And I'm pretty sure Fernando Meirelles wouldn't count either. So that leaves us with:

- Alejandro González Iñárritu for Babel in 2006, Birdman in 2014 and The Revenant in 2015

- maybe Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity in 2013 and Roma in 2018 - won both times (fun fact about Roma, the hype for it was so big in Poland that I always assumed it was a polish movie, until I actually watched it around 2021 when I got more into film). Though his case is where we can fully see how much of a social concept race is, since he simultaneously says that he grew up as a white man and his win for Roma was applauded as a diversity win in the Academy circles.

No Native American was ever nominated for Best Director.

I don't know what the point of this post is. I guess I knew that Oscars were a white sausage fest but I never checked the numbers to see just how much, and Best Director might just be the worst category in that regard.

So if you're placing bets on the Oscars, I guess it'll be safer to just pick 5 random white guys for best director, instead of going by the quality of the movies themselves.

I'd love to see Celine Song win for her beautiful debut, or Greta Gerwig for the biggest movie of 2023 and because she is one of my favorite directors ever, but that may be hard since we had a few years in a row where either women or people of color won in this category, so the old hacks responsible for the choices are probably dying to pick another white guy.

[dandelioncasey]

15 questions, 15 mutuals

tagged by @aspecbuddie (i never get to do these so thanks for the tag!)

1. Are you named after anyone?

Kinda wish I was, but no 😔 I did create my name out of my deadname though, so technically I guess i'm named after myself?

2. When was the last time you cried?

Well, i just got done watching yet another playthrough of What Remains of Edith Finch, so about five minutes ago

3. Do you have kids?

Don't have, don't want

4. What sports do you play/have played?

Don't play any sports anymore because my joints are buggered, but I've done basketball, netball, fencing, horseriding, archery, and probably loads more that I'm forgetting

5. Do you use sarcasm?

All the time

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Probably how close they are to me - my policy on personal space is that if i can hit you with my walking stick (accidentally or on purpose!) then you're standing too close lmao

7. What’s your eye color?

Brown

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

It depends honestly - I can't stand the kind of 'happy endings' that you get in romcoms (or any film with a romantic subplot, which is most of them these days!) but I also have yet to find a horror film that actually scares me (mostly they squick me at best)

9. Any talents?

Like skills or like party tricks? I can play violin, I'm very good at paperwork and pub quizzes, and I can count to ten in five languages and do the alphabet in BSL (and I can put my foot on top of my head thanks to the aforementioned buggered joints)

10. Where were you born?

A town smack bang in the middle of the East Midlands (and no I am NOT from the North as one of my classmates accused me last year!)

11. What are your hobbies?

Reading fanfiction, playing the Sims and Slime Rancher, and watching so so many documentaries about the weirdest niche topics

12. Do you have any pets?

My sister has a German Shepherd who I unwillingly dogsit far too often for my liking (given that she doesn't pay me for it!), but I don't really have the energy to take care of myself let alone another living creature 😔

13. How tall are you?

About 5'11"

14. Favourite subject in school?

This is so dumb but my school had electives which you would change every term and they took the PSHE spot on your timetable, so I can legitimately say that my favourite subject was, for one whole term, magic tricks 😂😂 but in all seriousness, probably history or sociology

15. Dream job?

Something working with children, like an LSA or a tutor - I just finished up a master's degree in developmental psychology, so something researchy which uses that would also be good!

no pressure tags (don't think I have fifteen mutuals lmao i'm just dragging these out of my notes!): @snarkymuffin @the-young-girl-of-casterly-rock @saryn-prime @i-am-unoriginal-posts @thatrandomautist @who-the-hell-even-are-you @ellie-you-idiot @emotional-water