#People talking about Tessa and Scott

[ct-hardcase]

I was originally going to put my thoughts on where I'm at with Avar and Elzar's relationship right now, but it was getting very long for a tag rant, so here we go.

Before I get into what I get into, I do want to say there was a moment in Tempest Breaker where Avar said some very harsh words to Keeve (which were imo unwarranted and hypocritical), then in a later scene, Avar clarifies that she and Elzar talked it over, he helped her realized her comments were unwarranted and hypocritical, and she apologized to Keeve. This moment of the two actively making the others better helped boost what Temptation was trying to go for imo, and I did enjoy that, and it makes the dynamic feel very solid and lived-in, as opposed to the honeymoon phase of a romance.

That being said, though they do make each other better, there's a disparity in the support systems outside each other, with Elzar maintaining friendships with Lina, Bell, Burryaga, among a few others I'm forgetting.

Conversely, due to Avar's jaunt in the Occlusion Zone, she's grown apart from most of the people she'd maintained friendship with in Phase I, or they died on Starlight Beacon. It's not like she doesn't have friends, but her story hasn't focused on them (aside from Rhil and Belin), and mostly stayed in the scope of her endeavors with Elzar until her recent mission in Tempest Breaker (which also included Elzar whenever she wasn't in the OZ itself).

To a degree, I think there is some underlying sexism in how their writing played out in this phase. It's a neat character arc that Elzar starts the initiative as a relatively shut-in introvert reticent to work with other people, and is ending it spread almost too thin between working with the Chancellor, Council, the OZ border efforts, and attempts to breach/communicate with the OZ. However, contrasting this against Avar, where she spends most of her year in the OZ alone (thinking of how to get back to Elzar), albeit saving people and becoming a beacon of hope, and then upon her return, is catapulted into a story about their romance before finally getting a story primarily involving others in Tempest Breaker 2/3 of the way into the Phase puts a bad taste in my mouth (not to mention, Elzar is allowed to be in other stories than the main adult novels. Due to the insularity of the stories in this Phase, Avar doesn't get nearly as much of that).

However, though my thoughts that this is a somewhat sexist direction still hold (especially given the feminization of Avar/masculization of Elzar taking place in their designs throughout, which is a whole other post), the fact that Avar's isolation is consistent across George Mann, Tessa Gratton, and Cavan Scott makes me wonder if this is also a character trait that may be relevant to the plot of Trials of the Jedi toward the end of the phase. This is evidenced by Avar's Nameless-induced vision of losing Elzar clocking in at one of her worst fears, and the fact that their romance has been going a bit too perfectly for me to think it won't be tested in the final novel. I will go fully cards on the table and say that Avar is my favorite between the two and I want her to be okay/would appreciate having more stories where she gets to be separate from Elzar if that's possible going forward, but in terms of "who will spiral the most when they lose the other", I feel like she's the clear contender if she keeps putting her non-Elzar peers at an arm's length.

[thexfilesrewind]

Not-So-Five-Second Analysis S1 E4

I just realized how much I love the colors in The X Files when the episode is set on a cloudy day. I love how it plays off of Scully's hair. I think the generally muted color pallet really suits the show's vibe (like how Phineas and Ferb or Scott Pilgrim Takes Off have much more vibrant color pallets that suit their vibes). It roots the show in the real world and works to lend credit to Mulder's claims -- these threats are real, and humanity needs to look them head-on. Something about it just feels like the 90s to me, to the point that I don't think the show belongs in any other decade or should have been made in any other decade.

But moving on from coloration and time period opinions, episode four serves to solidify the duality of Mulder and Scully for me. They need each other for emotional support and mental and physical health, but even more than that they need each other's skills to effectively solve cases.

In the scene where they interview Ms. Morris, Mulder, unlike Scully, can connect to both her and her son Kevin because he not only believes their accounts but also treats them like intelligent people who he can empathize and sympathize with. This stems from the trauma he sustained due to witnessing his sister's abduction, and this makes him somewhat reckless but also leads to them actually being able to solve the case.

On the other side of the coin, Scully can work with the authorities, their superiors, and their colleagues in a diplomatic way that Mulder seems incapable of or not willing to sink to. As a result, they often have moderately cooperative relationships with people who could otherwise make their lives very difficult. This can be seen through her continually communicative relationship with their superiors and the first scene with the police in this episode.

We've seen this before in Episode 2 when Mulder was able to talk to the two teenagers who had experience getting past military security while Scully had trouble taking them seriously. Scully, however, was unable to take their account seriously.

That being said, Mulder's emotions do not always result in unconditional empathy. When they interrogate Tessa, Scully is the one who speaks to her calmly and tries to understand her. Meanwhile, Mulder is intense and unforgiving. He faces a similar situation when he tries to go to the Morris house despite knowing that Ms. Morris doesn't want him there. He's so deeply sympathetic to Kevin and can't stand the idea of Ruby being dead that he's willing to do anything to help them the way he wishes someone would have helped him.

Scully is the only person who holds him back (physically and metaphorically). She's his rock in these earlier episodes that keeps him from getting fired and gives him someone to talk to, even though he hasn't fully fallen back on her yet or started relying on her emotionally. It'll be interesting to see how their relationship changes when he does start letting her in more. It'll also be fun when she starts needing to lean on him. Mutual leaning his always interesting.

[bikananjarrus]

I want to read High Republic books but I don't know where to start. Help!

hi bran! i would be happy to help! 💜

(*disclaimer to start: i am still in the process of reading the high republic books myself, so this is just based on what i have read so far. also, this might get a little long, but there's a lot of material and i know it's a bit confusing, so i'm hoping a more thorough breakdown helps a bit!)

To start, the High Republic books have been published in three phases:

Phase 1 (Light of the Jedi) takes place about 200 years before The Phantom Menace.

Phase 2 (Quest of the Jedi) takes place roughly 150 years before that, so ~350 years before TPM.

Phase 3 (Trials of the Jedi)* goes back to the Phase 1 timeline, so ~200 years before TPM. (*this phase is still being published, and is set to be finished in 2025).

Each of these phases has a mix of books, comics, manga, and audiodramas. For the sake of this post, I will just be talking about the main storyline novels, which consist of adult, YA, and middle-grade books.

Do you need to read ALL books, including YA and middle-grade?

Short answer: it depends! If 19 books (and counting; and those are just the main books) is really daunting, or you just aren't sure you're going to have the time to dedicate to all of that, i would say no, you don't have to read everything. You could just read the adult books (which are the main-main storyline for everything), and be just fine!

However, if you are looking for a more well-rounded, full picture of this story, more characters to enjoy, or just want to read as much of this era as possible, than yes, i definitely recommend reading everything! the YA and middle-grade books have been just as well-written as the adult ones, and while you don't need to read them to understand the main storyline, they fill some gaps in and introduce a lot of really fantastic characters. those books just make the story as a whole more full and fulfilling.

Now, where to start?

I definitely recommend starting with Phase 1, Book 1: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule.

This was the first book to be published, and is 1) a fantastic book, and 2) a great introduction to the galaxy at this time.

From there, I recommend going in order of the Phases, which would also essentially be publishing order.

(Secondary disclaimer: i have not read Phase 2 yet. I finished Phase 1, and then skipped ahead to Phase 3, because I was impatient and wanted to get caught up to the new book that came out a couple weeks ago lol. I am about to circle back to Phase 2, which has important background information and history for some of the things happening in Phase 1/3. so i did things a little different, but i think most people recommend the 1-2-3 Phase/Publication order.)

List of Main Books in Each Phase:

Phase 1

Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule (adult)

A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland (middle-grade)

Into the Dark by Claudia Gray (YA)

The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott (adult)

Race to Crashpoint Tower by Daniel José Older (MG)

Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland (YA)

Mission to Disaster by Justina Ireland (MG)

The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray (adult)

Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older (YA)

Phase 2

Path of Deceit by Justina Ireland & Tessa Gratton (YA)

Quest for the Hidden City by George Mann (MG)

Convergence by Zoraida Córdova (adult)

Quest for Planet X by Tessa Gratton (MG)

Cataclysm by Lydia Kang (adult)

Path of Vengeance by Cavan Scott (YA)

Phase 3 (so far)

The Eye of Darkness by George Mann (adult)

Escape from Valo by Daniel José Older & Alyssa Wong (MG)

Defy the Storm by Justina Ireland & Tessa Gratton (YA)

Temptation of the Force by Tessa Gratton (adult)

Beware the Nameless by Zoraida Córdova (MG) [publishing Aug. 27, 2024]

Tears of the Nameless by George Mann (YA) [publishing Sept. 24, 2024]

There are a lot of lists out there with the reading order, but I have found that the High Republic Wikipedia page has been the most helpful, because it breaks down the different categories (novels, comics, etc.) really clearly.

As mentioned, I’ll be starting up the Phase 2 books, but I’m also currently working my way through the Phase 1 comics. So if you would like a breakdown of the comics as well, I can do that too!

i hope this was helpful! and i really hope you enjoy delving into these books! Light of the Jedi sucked me into this era of star wars so quickly, and i've just gotten more insane about them since lol.

[sunskate]

meagan duhamel on tsl talking about how disorganized and ineffective skate canada is and mentioning tessa and scott in a couple contexts:

about how poorly attended Nationals was: why did they not go to local skating clubs and give them tickets to come watch Nationals? i know that didn’t happen [… ] my husband told me that he was talking to a couple of coaches from around the area. none of the local skating clubs had posters of Nationals at the rink […] the cold has nothing to do with this. the tickets weren’t bought- nobody had a ticket and chose not to go out

about how it's necessary to be bold and think outside the current box: it’s hard to be bold though - because like I’m one of the bold ones - and like Skate Canada hates me. they would never listen to my advice. when I retired I volunteered myself to be a team leader for junior grand prix, and they were like no thanks, we already have team leaders. if I think of myself as a junior skater, and a recently retired Olympic champion or world champion was going to team lead my junior grand prix that would have been life changing for me, but like no thanks we don’t need you

[...] we need to speak up if we want to create change- we need these voices we need people who are courageous enough to put themselves on the line. i would love to work within high performance, i would love it. high performance figure skating. Skate Canada would nev- they’re so scared of what i’m gonna say that they would never

about talking Patrick Chan into committing to the team event in PYC: Scott and Eric were the ones responsible (for that happening)

about taking packaging out of the picture: what would happen if the skaters all wore black leggings and a black tank top and no makeup and didn't have their hair done and skating was judged on the skate- the purity of the skating and the performance and not distracted by the costume? who would be the champions? who would be the champions right now if that was how we did things? and you know who put that seed in my head many years ago was Tessa Virtue - she was like why don't we all just wear black? and i think it was meant for the same reason as i'm thinking - where you're being judged on the purity of your figure skating - instead of on your costume, makeup, or your hair

[prettyyoungandbored]

Dork - Danny Cordray

Pairing: Danny Cordray x Fem!OC

Author’s Note: This was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever written. I love this show so much and never did I think would do write an Office fic. So, because this is The Office, yes the OC will have a camera interview. Anything that is bold and italicized is her giving the on-camera interview. I hope you enjoy!

P.S. Any direct quotes from the show belong to the writers.

NOT MY GIF

Surprisingly, Danny Cordray being handsome was the second thing people were talking about. The first was the fact that he and Pam went on two dates two years ago.

And man, did the office run wild with that. Even if somehow Michael Scott strangely didn’t.

For Tessa Connelly, she felt bad that it was all people were talking about. She was friends with Pam and Pam was happily married with a kid. She moved on. Why couldn’t everybody else?

“I wanna say they’ll get over it, but you and I both know that will take forever,” Tessa chuckled, as the two women stood in the kitchen. “How were the dates though?”

“I had fun,” Pam replied. “But he didn’t call me after the second one so, I don’t know. Guess he wasn’t having as much fun.” She paused. “Not that it matters.”

“No, but I would question it too,” Tessa assured. “I’ve been in that position before and it’s the worst. How’s Jim handling it?”

“He’s frazzled but won’t admit it.”

The brunette chuckled. “Color me shocked. He’ll get over it. At least he will before everyone else does.”

Just as Pam was leaving the break room, Danny entered and his eyes met Tessa’s. She gave him a small smile.

“Hi, I don’t think we’ve met yet,” he said, holding out his hand. He flashed a million dollar smile that elicited butterflies in her stomach. “I’m Danny. I just joined the team.”

“Tessa,” she said, shaking his hand.

“And what do you do here?”

“I’m a customer service rep.”

He hummed, leaning on the counter. “Well, I can promise you you’ll only get glowing reviews about me.”

Her lips pursed as she nodded.

She pointed at him. “Lemme guess, salesman.”

“Traveling salesman,” he corrected politely.

She hummed. “Not much of a desk guy, huh?”

He shook his head. “I don’t like being tied down a whole lot.”

Ok, NOW I get why he only went on two dates with Pam. It all makes sense now.

She raised her mug. “Well, Danny, it was nice to meet you.”

“It was really nice to meet you as well,” he replied.

She just nodded and continued walking.

=================================

The next day was the Halloween party. Tessa decided to keep it simple with a basic cat costume. She had the ears and drew the nose and whiskers, donning a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a black pencil skirt.

She walked into the break room to get coffee at the same time Danny was.

“Nice costume,” he remarked. “I, uh, didn’t realize people took Halloween here seriously.”

“There’s a costume contest today,” she said, pouring coffee into her mug.

“I assume you’re entering?”

She shook her head. “I don’t care to.”

“But you’re dressed up.”

“Thats the fun of Halloween,” she said. “You dress up to be whoever or whatever you want.”

He nodded. “I didn’t think about that. Then again, I’ve never been a costume guy.”

“You’re missing out.”

“Well, for what it’s worth I’d vote for you in the costume contest.”

She couldn’t help but notice Danny Cordray’s smile and how it complimented his overall charming demeanor. She wondered if his looks was what made him a good salesman. He could sell meat to vegetarian with one single look.

Then she remembered his words. “I don’t like being tied down a whole lot.” He was obviously flirting with her just to get her in bed and then continue on to the next woman.

The worst part is how much she liked it.

“MeOW! Look at you dressed as my favorite thing in the world!”

She groaned, knowing damn well who that voice belonged too.

“Packer, I will stab you with my pencil,” she retorted.

Todd Packer, dressed as a pregnant nun, meddled in between her and Danny.

“Fiesty and violent, just how I like ‘em,” he smirked.

Before she could say something, Danny stepped in between.

“So, I need help finding the conference room for the meeting,” he said, looking at Tessa. “Can you show me where it is?”

She smiled at him gratefully. “Sure. Follow me.”

She walked out into the office with Danny right beside her. Once they were out of Packer’s sight, she turned and said, “Thanks for that. He’s a traveling salesman who truly has no business being in this office. Or even just existing.”

“No problem,” Danny chuckled. “I can promise you, not traveling salesmen are like that.”

She smiled. “I sure hope not.”

“So, um, I already told everyone else but my buddies and I are having a Halloween thing at our bar,” he said. “You should come.”

“You co-own a bar?” she asked. “Why am I not surprised?”

He made a face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing at all. You just have a bar owner vibe about you.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Yes, it is,” she laughed. “Don’t overthink it. What’s the name of the bar?”

“Public School.”

She cocked her head back. “That’s quite a name. I’ll definitely-.”

She turned to see the office staring at her, including Pam who was the only one smiling.

She looked over back at Danny. “I’ll think about it.”

Just because I’m being nice doesn’t mean I’m flirting with him. You can talk to an attractive man without flirting with him.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s cute. But I just…I mean…guys like him, you know. He’s a bachelor. He prefers the bachelor lifestyle. And it seems to suit him. Like he seems nice and he smells really nice and has a great smile-.

Oh [BEEP] off!

=======================================

“You going to Danny’s bar tonight?”

She glanced up from her computer to see Andy and Kevin standing there.

“I don’t know yet,” she shrugged.

“Is it because he went out with Pam two years ago?” Kevin asked.

She sighed. “Ok, you guys have got to cut it out with that.”

Andy laughed. “Sounds like someone’s a little bit jealous.”

“How am I-you know what?”

She got up from her desk and walked into the break room where Danny was talking with Jim and Pam.

“Do you honestly wanna know why I didn't call her back on a date over four years ago?” Danny asked.

“Hey, she had a nice time,” Jim said defensively.

“I did,” Pam chimes in. “Yeah, and it's one of those things that's just gonna keep gnawing at me. Like, gnaw, gnaw...’Why? Why didn't he? I have no idea why.’”

“Okay, honestly,” Danny sighed. I didn't call you back because I just thought you seemed a little dorky.”

Silence fell. Tessa’s heart sank to her stomach as she watched Pam’s demeanor soften into embarrassment.

“Hey, man,” Jim stepped in.

“Thank you!” Pam cut him off, over enthusiastically. “Thank you. I got it. Now I know. You thought I was a little dorky.”

Tessa couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.

“You know what, I don’t think I should come tonight,” she spoke up.

Danny, Jim, and Pam looked over at her.

“I don’t want to be around people who don’t appreciate how awesome us dorks are,” she snapped.

Danny opened his mouth to say something when Tessa turned around, heading back to her office.

I said what I said. Look, yes, he’s gorgeous but…it’s not worth entertaining. Not with someone like him.

====================================

Tessa spent the rest of Halloween in the annex working. She figured with the costume contest and whatever conflict Michael and Darryl were dealing with, she could get her work done and slip out of here without dealing with Danny ever again.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

She looked over to see Pam standing by Tessa’s desk.

“It wasn’t right,” Tessa shrugged. “Besides, if you’re a dork then I’m a loser.”

Pam chuckled. “He actually apologized to me and Jim. It was actually really sincere.”

“That’s nice.”

“Tess, cmon. You should give him a chance, you know. He means well, and he clearly likes you. And I know you like him too.”

She sighed as she set her pencil down. “It’s not worth it and quite frankly, I don’t see it ending well.”

Pam pulled out a folded scrap of paper. Tessa unfolded it, revealing name written on it.

“I didn’t even-.”

“He wrote it,” Pam said. “It was the only handwriting I couldn’t recognize.”

Tessa sighed, the knot in her stomach tightened.

“Don’t not do it because of me,” Pam said. “Just…you know, think about it.”

Tessa nodded as Pam grabbed her arm. “C’mon. Jim brought Cece and she’s all dressed up.”

===================================

When Tessa walked out to the office, the first thing she noticed was Jim, dressed as Popeye, holding baby Cece.

“Oh my god, she’s Sweet Pea!” Tessa beamed.

She made her way over, holding out her arms. Jim handed her the baby as she continued to coo at Cece.

“What a cutie you are in your costume!” she said. “Best one I’ve seen today!”

“I actually like the Popeye cartoons.”

She looked over to see Danny standing there. He continued. “I always liked cartoons. Still kind of do. The old school Looney Tunes make me laugh.”

Tessa pulled back her lips. “What if I were to tell you that sometimes I still watch those cartoons? Is that too dorky for you?”

He smiled. “I would say that sometimes Public School has the old school Looney Tunes playing on one of TVs and if you don’t believe me, you should come check it out for yourself.”

Tessa looked at Cece.

“You know, Cece,” she began, “Danny here really wants me to go to his bar. Give me a smile if you think I should go.”

Cece smiled and began babbling. Tessa looked over at Danny.

“What time should I be there?” she asked.

I guess I figured I’d been too judgemental. Besides, Pam gave me her blessing. I’m just going to go for a couple drinks. See what happens.

[90staylor]

— imogen scott and tessa minsky

wish there were more people talking about this book, besides being a very cute romance, imogen's discovery as a bisexual person is very interesting and important :)

tw: biphobia and biphobic arguments are being discussed in this book

[your-hands-in-mine]

My take on Tessa and ice dance is a little different. I think Tessa had within her from a young age a pretty strong ambition to be great. And she found Scott at that age and they both saw how they could work together to be great through ice dance. I think that ice dance was lucky to have her and if she hadn’t met Scott maybe she would have been great at ballet or something else. But despite her success as a skater, she actively separated her identity from skating and often didn’t really even seem to enjoy skating as much as the pursuit of their common goals.

But I think that once VM started to have a national profile and especially once they won in Vancouver, Tessa saw the possibilities of what her profile as an Olympic gold medalist could do to launch her post-skating career as an endorser or what we now know as influencers and that obviously grew exponentially after Pyeongchang. And you can see that from 2010 forward Tessa was building up a profile and making connections with Canadian celebrities and socialites that have been helpful in her post skating life. And at times it felt like she was almost waiting for the chance to launch her second act.

At the same time, Scott’s aspirations were closer to home. He came from a skating family, and he’s wanted to give back to his community. The kind of celebrity that Tessa pursued is anathema to him, and he feels most comfortable with people he’s known for a long time. And he has always seemed like someone who not only loves skating but really enjoys working with younger skaters — he always helped at skating schools when he had downtime when competing whereas the last place you would find Tessa in her free time is a skating rink. (The Lindt skating classes they did were work, not free time.)

I’m grateful that their partnership kept both of them competing and performing for so long. I doubt they would have lasted without each other. And I’m glad we still have Scott as a coach.

Hi!! 👋 Sorry for the late replay. First off, I want to put it out there that when I talk about Tessa not liking skating, I’m referring to everything pre-comeback. Tessa made it clear that she LOVED skating during the comeback, and thank god she got to experience that, if only for two years. Anyway. That’s interesting, in terms of Tessa thinking ahead to her life/career post skating, I never considered that the gears in her head would have been turning on that as far back as Vancouver. Thinking about it, I’d say maybe after 2012 worlds? At that point, Tessa realized that the sport was exhausting her. Even though they won worlds, she didn’t feel that thrill from the win that she thought she would. A year later she just wanted to quit.

Ultimately, they decided to stay in for Sochi. But yeah half way through the quad that, at the time, they thought was going to be their last, I’m sure Tessa was thinking ahead.

Your use of the word “influencer” to describe her is curious to me 😂 You’re definitely not the only one! But when I think of “influencers”, I think of people who produce regular content on either instagram or tiktok, build up a following through those videos, and then brands eventually start reaching out to them. They first become known because of their social media, not from any previous accomplishments or achievements like Tessa.

And as for making connections/networking, isn’t that just preparing for the future and acknowledging the fact that their skating career would end when they hit 30? And this just occurred to me, but I wonder if this especially dwelled on Tessa’s mind because they very nearly lost their career. Her leg pain was chronic. She knew more than many people that it all could feel and be so very fleeting.

“And at times it felt like she was almost waiting for the chance to launch her second act” is where I hesitate. I will say I only just got here 🫣 like this year, which is RARE I know!! So I’m not an expert on the subject. I just do my best to do my research and use my best judgement since I wasn’t actually there to witness it all unfold. If you mean she was waiting for it during the comeback era, I disagree. I don’t think there was any “waiting” going on. First of all, I think they had a very clear timeline. 2018 and they were done. And both were spending their energy focused as hell and soaking up every moment of their comeback. Whatever pursuits or thinking she did that involved her post career while they were in the midst of the comeback, it did not take away from their endeavor at the time.

If you mean she was waiting for it during the Sochi quad, in a way, they both were. Waiting for it to end, I mean. As I said, she (and he) were exhausted in every way. I would want it to end too. But the reason never was: “I want this to end so I can launch my second career and use my first career to back me up.”

And “anathema” is a bit of a strong word, no?💀 (had to look that one up). But I do agree that Scott finds comfort and familiarity in his “circle.” It’s true. They both run in quite different circles nowadays. And I don’t think either of them hold judgement against the other for that. They just recognize that that’s a significant difference in the type of people they are.

But as for Tessa not having chosen to involve herself in skating in her free time, I think that is part of her finding a separate identity from skating, as you mentioned in the beginning. Finding those boundaries was what was healthy for her. Because as much as she could find comfort in associating skating with Scott, the chronic pain it caused her, as well as all the toxicity she experienced from Canton, were very strong presences in her life too. Scott had a different relationship with skating. Besides loving it, a part of it is because men have different experiences with the sport. And pain-free people have different experiences with the sport. Scott is both of those things. (He experienced pain, but you get my meaning).

In the 22 years they gave us, VM showed us all the different things you could be on the ice: dancers, artists, athletes, performers, humans. They demonstrated loyalty to each other that could withstand the hardest of times. And they learned to support each other no matter what. Considering how long and how intensely they did all that, I sure hope they enjoyed their free time, however they chose to spend it. And I think they taught us plenty.

[snappydragonsclaw]

one night, tessa,snap shot, and the minis sat at the dining table. snap shot was in his werewolf form, but like food fight learned to control it. they were waiting for food fight to return, then came a small mossy figure coming about. it was food fight in his werewolf form. he had a box of pizza in his mossy paws. but something was different about food fight. he had a hearty smile tugged at his mouth. "Phew! man, this box is hot!" Food fight spoke in a cheery tone when he put the pizza onto the table after Tessa opened the door. "How's Scott's first transformation?" "The usual. he doesn't want to be bothered, so I would just slide the plate under the door, " Tessa responded. food fight slid the plate with a slice of lengthy cheesy meat lovers pizza under the door and walked to the table. Spry was playfully chatting with Gill Runt,trigger snappy seemed to be messing with pet vac much to his annoyance, drobit waited patiently, and hijinks glared off into the distance. "So, where's spyro and the others?" Food fight asked. "they are on guard duty. they said that chop chop was spotted nearby mate." Snap shot answered. meanwhile, above in the skies, Sonic boom soars around."Oh, where are those children!?" she asked herself. she then sees a tree house lit up below her and flies down and sees them eating pizza.she was about to walk in when she heard food fight's voice. without a second thought, she broke in and gained looks she did. everyone stopped talking and looked at her startled. "What are you doing?" Tessa asked, confused."The minis ran off and didn't tell me." Sonic boom explains. Spry sheepishly chuckles, sinking into the chair. Sonic boom lands her eyes on him. "Anyways...what's the deal with the two werewolves?"That's food fight and snap shot. " Tessa says. "Oh...that's interesting....food fight is that moss or fur?" Sonic boom asked sheepishly,"Moss. it looks like fur, but it's not."Food fight said bluntly. food fight was unsure rather to trust the griffin. those he once called family are now trying to kill him. meanwhile, in the forest. "spyro, are you sure you have chop chop's scent? we been out here for hours now." cynder asked. her voice tinged with boredom. "My nostrils don't lie cynder... they never do, just like my memory. chop chop is in these woods."And what will we do if we catch him?" cynder asks with a hint of sass. "Have a talk and hope he changes his mind." spyro responds. gill grunt looks at trigger happy and shakes his head and cynder's nostrils flare as she sighs deeply. "spyro. chop chop is very hard headed it don't think a talk will sort this out." cynder comments. " we're skylanders cynder. I'm sure he'll listen." spyro responds. "spyro, he didn't listen the first time. listen, not everyone will do what you would have done in this situation. " cynder explains. "Yeah, spyro. some people are not talkers, and you can't talk them out of doing what they are going to do. chop chop is not someone who really thinks about others. he's a fighter, not a lover." Gill grunt adds. "Yeah! yeah! chop chop, not nice! hahaha!" Trigger happy comments. " I know but maybe he will change? right? hopefully." spyro shrugs. "we can dream but let's be realistic. chop chop is chop chop. he never changes for anyone or anything." cynder responds. to be continued

[jodiespolaroids]

New Jodie interview. Please someone drop the name of her pup.

It's behind a paywall, so if you want to read it, it's below the cut!

It was a gamble that few actresses would have dared to take. After four years making her name as the charismatic psychopath Villanelle in Killing Eve, Jodie Comer rolled the dice — and changed her life.

Having not acted on stage since she was 16, Comer risked her growing reputation to star in a one-woman show in the West End. Prima Facie proved a sensation and transferred to Broadway. And last year the Liverpudlian won the most prestigious theatre awards on both sides of the Pond — an Olivier and a Tony — and, aged 30, entered a new era. The Com-era, perhaps?

Today she is a fully fledged film star, taking her first leading role in The End We Start From — a smart, bold post-apocalyptic indie drama about a mother (Comer) and her baby (not Comer’s baby). The film already has nine nominations for the British Independent Film awards, and Baftas should follow.

Comer is in a car with a lively dog when we talk via Zoom. She is in a black hoodie, with her long blonde hair loosely tied, and seems extraordinarily calm — except when the dog leaps across the screen. Her Zen is worth mentioning because the last time I saw her was when she prowled the stage with fear and fury in Prima Facie, playing a barrister who defends men accused of sexual assault before she is sexually assaulted herself. One woman going full throttle in defence of all women.

“My sleep was all over the place,” Comer says of her stint playing Tessa. “It’s tricky when you do something emotional. You think, ‘OK, it’s not real.’ But there is some part that tricks your body into believing that what you’re saying and feeling is a real experience. It becomes important to take care of yourself. With theatre it’s kinetic. You’re sharing space with 900 people.

“It’s … it’s tough. But clearly something I love putting myself through.” She pauses. “Yeah, I underestimated Prima Facie. Totally. I just didn’t know what to expect.”

It was not her first ordeal either. She’s drawn to gruelling roles, from Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, in which her character, Marguerite de Carrouges, was the victim of a rape, to Help, the bleak Channel 4 care home Covid drama. There was also Free Guy, a video-games blockbuster with Ryan Reynolds, but when I ask if Comer is tempted to pick something else fun as a break from Prima Facie, she explains that having a laugh is not enough.

“I like to be in a difficult place,” she says. “A place of self-discovery. Where I feel challenged. With Free Guy that part of me that comes away from my work feeling that I had to dig deep was missing … I came away thinking, ‘Wow, I’ve had so much fun.’ And that should be enough. But I like anything that holds a mirror up to this human experience. It’s just what I’m drawn to.”

Which leads us to The End We Start From. The film is directed by Mahalia Belo and takes place in modern-day London, telling the tale of Mother (Comer), whose waters break just as Britain experiences mass flooding. Metaphors à gogo, but the film works superbly as an intimate study of how an individual deals with a global disaster. How can a parent protect a baby as society collapses?

Comer is barely seen on screen without a baby. The crew had to use several because strict rules mean each infant can only work for 20 minutes at a time. (There are agencies that expectant parents use to sign their unborn child up to a film company.)

We all know an actor should never work with children or animals, but a baby is a whole other, wriggly challenge. Comer really does nothing by halves. How hard is it to act with one? “It’s such a lesson,” says Comer, who is not a mother. Did it come naturally? “Oh God, no!”

“The smallest baby was eight weeks,” she explains, smiling softly. “At first my hands were visibly shaking. My younger cousins have grown up now, so I’m not around babies an awful lot. It felt like a huge responsibility. I thought, ‘Wow, they’re so fragile.’ But I became more comfortable, sometimes to my detriment! There are scenes where we needed a baby to cry but I was soothing him instead. The crew would shout ‘Stop!’” She pauses. “I was kind of falling in love with them.”

The film shows the thrill of being a first-time parent much more than the panic. As prep for Prima Facie Comer watched cases at the Old Bailey. What did she do for this? “My best friend had a baby before filming, so I was able to ask personal questions,” Comer says. “I also spent time with midwives — there is a birthing sequence and I wanted to know about the physicality, where you feel pain giving birth. Having not had a child myself, I wanted women to see the truth in what they saw.”

It comes as no surprise that Belo was inspired to direct her first feature film after giving birth during the pandemic. “Your whole body gets taken over by this beautiful thing,” Belo says about being a mother. “Every part of your body is different from then on and it’s not only that — all your relationships are different too. You’ve got this other sound going on, that’s about your children. I wanted to represent that.”

The End We Start From is a film so clearly made by a woman who has young children, you can almost smell the nappies. Post-apocalyptic films usually star a man walking in a desolate landscape alone with his thoughts, and a dog. So it is quietly revolutionary to focus on a woman and her newborn.

“I think so,” Comer says. “What I love is that it’s a woman who is the everyday hero — we always see men with a superhero quality facing this situation. But here it is a woman many will feel they know. She’s not scaling buildings, or jumping over bridges. The story is deep-rooted in her psyche and emotion. It’s refreshing.”

The film also grapples with climate change. “Endless amounts of rain — I can’t see anything out of the window …” Comer says with a sigh as she looks out of the car at a very wet Britain. Belo, who lives in east London, made the film as her neighbourhood in Walthamstow suffered unprecedented flooding. When she consulted flood experts, their conversations were bleak. “Sea levels are rising, rainfall is becoming more extreme. We are an island; things are going to go wrong and we’re not prepared. We know what’s happening.”

For some The End We Start From will just be a stirring story of the lengths that we go to protect our children. Others, though, will locate an edge that is common to so much of Comer’s work. It is another entry on a CV that is trying to make a difference. Does she think that art can actually change anything? “Absolutely,” Comer says. “When I read the scripts they provoked an emotion in me that felt important. I felt engaged and that’s the biggest thing now, isn’t it? To keep people engaged in what you’re saying, and so that you can change things. I witnessed conversations around sexual assault when working on Prima Facie and saw subtle shifts within the law.

“Women and men were telling me what that play had enabled them to do, whether it was to seek counselling or have a conversation with their family. That may seem like a very small change but it is mighty in somebody’s life. You can see what a profound effect watching a piece of art has on somebody. That means a lot to me.”

This desperation to make stuff that really matters is why Comer stands out. She also excels in the 1960s-set The Bikeriders, about gangs and masculinity, out in the summer, alongside Tom Hardy. If you were to put her in a bracket of skill and achievement right now, you could say that she is where Jodie Foster was as she entered her thirties. They share the sass, steeliness and spark that Foster displayed in the controversial courtroom drama The Accused — which deals with the subject of rape — a sort of prototype Prima Facie.

[abarbaricyalp]

Hi! Because I've been rereading that one particular Christmas fic of yours, I'm curious about the Ice Skating WIP??

Oh yeah they do skate in that one too ���WIP Game

The ice skating fic is mostly an excuse to watch scott moir and tessa virtue routines and call it research, lol. It's told through memories interspersed with Bucky and Sam meeting as adults for the first time since they stopped talking at 20. They competed against each other since the age of eight and were briefly together in their late teens. They qualify for their first olympics in the same year and then--

This is the first flashback. They're nine here

.

“Those are my skates,” Bucky snapped at the boy lacing up his skates on the bench where Bucky had left his ten seconds ago while he went to the bathroom.

Without even looking up, the other boy said, “No, they’re not. Your skates are black. These are gray.”

This camp was already off to a bad start and this was only the second day. It was the first camp Bucky had ever traveled for, having spent two years proving to his mom and dad that he was taking this skating thing very seriously (unlike Becca who had dropped it within two practices) but now he was thinking that he maybe didn’t want to travel for camps. There were so many people here and he didn’t know any of them. At least back home, a few friends from school or from the neighborhood went to his rink. Here? He was all alone.

And now someone was trying to take his skates, which weren’t even new.

Bucky scowled, blinked in the dimmed light of the rink, and reassessed the skates on the boy’s feet. “Those are black.”

“No. They aren’t,” he insisted again.

“I left my skates right here. Why aren’t they here?”

Now the boy lifted his head, boots laced but not tied, and gave Bucky the most irritated look Bucky had ever seen. Even his little sister couldn’t look at him like that. He reached behind himself to the next layer of the stadium seating and shoved away a gym bag full of agility aids. Bucky’s dark skates appeared like magic. “Use your eyeballs next time,” the boy snapped.

On the other side of the rink, Bucky’s mom was, at once, chattering with someone else and staring at him. She gestured at him to talk to the boy. Her meaning was clear: make friends.

“I’m sorry,” he said from between his teeth. “It’s dark. My name’s Bucky.”

The boy stood and tested himself with the blade protectors on. He didn’t wobble like a lot of the other kids did as they scooted around the edge of the rink, waiting for permission to get on the ice. “I’m Sam,” he said, then scrunched up his nose. “What kind of name is Bucky?”

Bucky scowled at this. “One of those is my blade protector,” he snapped, instead of responding. He held up the other skate as proof. “I use red ones. Those don’t even match.”

Sam looked down at his skates and huffed out an annoyed breath before balancing on one foot to yank off the red protector. He had to sit back down to search for the other blue one.

Bucky had to sit to get his skates on in the first place. They did not look at each other as they worked.

“Do you have a partner?” Sam asked finally.

Bucky did. Kind of. There was a girl he skated with up in New York, but she hadn’t ventured all the way down here for the camp. Yesterday, they hadn’t partnered up at all, despite this being a pairs-skating camp specifically. So, currently? No.

“Do you?” he asked instead.

Sam shook his head. “I switched over to pairs after last season. I’ve never tried to skate with someone else.”

There were more girls than boys at this camp, so they’d have no problem getting paired off, which hopefully would mean he’d make at least one more friend. Hopefully.

“Do you wanna–” Sam started to ask.

“Boys can’t skate together,” Bucky interrupted. Though he wished they could because girls were dramatic and a lot of them didn’t like falling.

“I wasn’t gonna say we should. I was gonna ask if you wanted to stretch together,” Sam corrected him with a roll of his eyes. “You’re really annoying.”

“Yeah,” Bucky agreed with a sigh. He pointedly didn’t look at his mom who had a sixth sense for him being a problem. “My sister tells me every day.”

Sam had found his protector a while ago, but was still waiting on Bucky to lace his boots up. “Well?” he asked finally. “Do you wanna warm up or not?”

Bucky took his hand when he offered it and let Sam pull him up. “Sure,” he said. “That sounds alright.”

[tutuandscoot]

I know everyone loves the moment in the knc when Tessa and Scott win gold in 2018 and it’s gonna be etched in everyone’s minds forever. I feel like people mainly focus on Scott jumping up and then their hug(s) which, yeah fair 🥺 but I feel like we don’t talk enough about Tessa’s high pitched little scream right before Scott pulls her up and we don’t talk enough about Scott’s muffled yell into her shoulder after he sets her down from the hug. Truly the most iconic knc ever.

O•M•G YES!

Why don’t we talk abt this more?? T’s lil scream is.. I don’t want to say my fave part of it bc that’s silly.. but yes let’s talk about that. Them both screaming ‘YES’ but vocally and physically that coming out in very different ways.

The fact that you can HEAR her scream “YES!” Obviously none of us know her personally and we just make assumptions based on footage and things they say publicly and at least here in my space I hope everyone feels they can appreciate and love them for who they are without all the BS takes, so (hopefully) the consensus is she’s such a sweetheart and is reserved and quieter compared to Scott but the fact is even though they are very different they are both very competitive perfectionists and as much as they made their comeback *PROJECT as I’m now referring to it* about writing this incredible chapter in their lives together and improving and exploring and challenging themselves removed from how the judges reward them and had come to learn that medals don’t signify how great you are, they set the goal of winning that gold medal FOR EACH OTHER and they both wanted it more than anything to culminate all this hard work, represent their country, do their country proud, stand on the top of the podium together one last time…. *takes deep breath😮‍💨*

She wanted that. He wanted that. And their reactions are fully, unfiltered, completely in the moment reactions to their goal being achieved by having the performance of their dreams. As is said in the book by their families in regards to their reaction immediately after they finished their program, ‘the scene was so them’. And the same is true of their reaction in the K+C, almost polar opposite physical reactions but inside feeling the exact same thing. I love how they are different but feel so many things the same way 🥹

Her scream is soooo her (again without knowing her). The humble little bby muffins they are do not hold anything back in that moment of celebration and let everyone know just how much they fought for it.

The fact that she’s holding a water bottle then drops it as she screams before he picks her up. Like that’s so T 😄🥹. Even now I think ‘bby angel maybe don’t hold anything I guarantee you the celebration will require your hands to be free’.

Then as I said on a shared post the other day how he kinda turns to her as if telling her to get up immediately but don’t worry he’s already getting her up, like I almost think he’s about to like cradle her up- one hand behind her back and other under her knees, he’s so desperate to hold her and it’s just like there’s no time to wait. She doesn’t get to her feet at all he just throws her up (reminds me of when I was really little and my dad would lift me and throw me in the air- not saying that’s what is like here with TS- not the father/daughter thing just the physical action and the size difference..) and the fact from her reaction she’s kinda rendered paralysed and is folded forward and he’s so full of energy he has enough for both of them to jump to their feet.

Then of course we can’t see from the board in the front but the way she’s hanging there mirrors exactly how they celebrated on the ice when he skates into her and just as matter of physics him going into her makes her go up and her little legs dangle for a moment with the purest freaking smile I have ever seen:

(Honestly have you ever seen a more precious human being???)

And then YES EvErYtHiNg that was going on on his side of that hug. The fist pump, THE HAND COVERING THE FACE AS HE ‘CRIES’. The gently putting her down still pressed into her. The SCREAM INTO HER SHOULDER- exactly the same as their end pose- which btw I can’t believe people actually thought he was biting her there 😑 he was screaming “YES” into her, and not that it was conscious but as he said later on he was trying so hard to contain his excitement, not celebrate before the dance was over- give the end pose a minute to settle there, so he screamed where it would be made least obvious, which was into her with his mouth against her 🥲.

And then let’s KEEP GOING BC I HAVE THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THIS. But as they briefly let go and she says (it seems the most obvious but can’t be 100% sure) “thank you so much” which is just too freaking perfect as a mirror to him saying that exact thing to her at the end of Mahler in 2010 🥲🥲… the SOFNESSSSS in the way he goes back in to hug her. Like all that excitement and euphoria and squeezing so tight then that slight but overwhelming calm for those few moments, so briefly taking her like how all us ladies want to be taken; the kiss and the soft squeeze and the sweet whispering fuckinggg hell scoot ur too perfect 😩 + assumably T re/starting the laugh cry with that shudder (same as here in K+C at worlds 08 🥲🥲🥲- first appearance of the laugh cry)

And the ‘😃 we fucking did it 😃’ third hug’.

Seeing them go through at least 3 different stages of excitement in the k+c alone, then ofc everything on the ice and that beautiful story of their quiet little hug back stage where they just wanted to stay there for as long as possible. (S favourite moment from the games 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲)

The best we can get from that is him asking her to go backstage with him and then disappearing behind the curtains:

Ahhhhh what a freaking moment. And the best part is re watching it and going through all those emotions with them when you care about them so much and know how hard they worked for it❤️

[inkyboi25]

Head canons (BATDR human addition)

- Audrey Drew: Is described to be one of Arch Gate Films hardest worker, and is liked by many coworkers

- Wilson Arch: Where his father saw a simple cartoon industry, he saw a goldmine of experiments, and he wanted it all to himself. Wanted to use his own creations against the Ink Demon, and have total control over the Ink dimension

- Allen Gray: A man of business who doesn’t appreciate having failure in his projects. Sometime after Joey’s death he tried to take back the ink machine, most likely knowing what it’s capable of

- Telly Wester: Worked at the bank that Joey Drew would take loans out from, he had to repossess much of the studio belongings after bankruptcy

- Nathan Arch: After Joey’s demise, he was inspired by his work, wanting to keep the “magic” Joey created alive. Is Wilson’s father, but never payed attention to, deeming he wasn’t a “thinker”

- Angus Newman: Worked with Shawn Flynn in the toy factory, but was often slacking off

- Dale Little: Was in charge of tracking shipments in and out of Joey Drew Studios before being in charge of the security codes

- Hudson Doyle: Was forced to be a tour guide to try and earn more money, since Joey was always finding ways to keep money close to him

- Kay Lee: She was instructed to hide objects and files Joey would deem too important to lose, making her question Joey

- Sally Newt: Joey Drew’s personal secretary

- Carl: The amount of stress Joey and the animations put on him drove him to hang himself in his office

- Bill Danton: Started having personality disorders and mental instability after creating and acting out so many cartoon characters (became one of the lost ones in Artist Rest)

- Phil Clark: Was one of the many animators Joey had to hire to replace Henry

- Jane Todd: After the rest of the animation department laughed at her character, she wanted to prove Carly was worth being shown, and thus became Carly

- Lance Derby: Would try and look into what the GENT company was doing in the studio

- Dina Dean: A model that wants to endorse a new shoe polishing product, and Wally finds attractive

- Hank Scott: Just an average worker who wants to get some decent shut eye

- Muncie Dunn: One of the original mechanics at Joey Drew Studios before GENT arrived, doesn’t approve of Joey and GENT’s business partnership

- Grace Conway: Would often talk with Norman Polk when he was hiding somewhere, and would hide in spots no one could find, even stealing from her fellow coworkers

- Eugene Lloyd: Was one of the many JDS workers that hated GENT’s company choices

- GENT: Was once a construction company before working with Joey, starting using poor people as test subjects; broke into the Joey Drew Museum to steal the ink machine and everything it needed to start up

- Steve McGregor: A strong new worker at the GENT corporation that makes everyone drop their jaws at his strength (became Big Steve)

- Archie Carter: Was in money trouble so decided to accept being one of GENT’s test subject candidates

- Chef Buck: After his coworker Little Andre died in front of him, he used his carcass as food for the other workers

- Kitty Thompson: Is a person who is curious about the mysterious ghost train that appears on the lines

- Wilton Moore: An author who loved to create lengthy stories

- Tessa Arch: Possibly either Nathan’s wife or another family member who cares about his health

[pennyserenade]

i think its safe to say that i consume more movies and books than the average person (lol) and this year i’m trying to make an effort to make my watchlist and reading list much more diverse than years past. as you are all probably aware, this month is black history month and i thought i’d share some movies and books i love/plan to read this month and this year in case any of you are looking for recommendations!

for movies i plan to watch:

carmen jones (1954) starring dorothy dandridge, harry belafonte 

no way out (1950) starring sidney poitier

nothing but a man (1964) starring ivan dixon, abbey lincoln

anna lucasta (1958) starring eartha kitt

cane river (1982) starring tommye myrick, richard romain

losing ground (1982) starring seret scott

paris blues (1961) starring sidney poitier, diahann carrol

if beale street could talk (2018) starring kiki layne, stephan james

a raisin in the sun (1961) starring sidney poitier, ruby dee, claudia mcneil, diana sands

movies i recommend:

spider-man: into the spider verse (2018) starring shameik moore

a patch of blue (1965) starring sidney poitier 

do the right thing (1989) starring spike lee, giancarlo esposito, ossie davis, ruby dee

the defiant ones (1958) starring sidney poitier 

sorry to bother you (2018) starring lakeith stanfield, tessa thompson

nope (2022) starring keke palmer, daniel kaluuya 

the books intend to read:

kindred by octavia e. butler

parable of the sower by octavia e. butler

beloved by toni morrison 

incidents in the life of a slave girl: written by herself (non-fiction) by harriet jacobs*

narrative of the life of fredick douglas: an american slave (non-fiction) by frederick douglass*

girl, woman, other by bernardine evaristo

books i want to read/have seen other people recommend

maame by jessica george

post-traumatic by chantal v. johnson

jackal by erine e. adams

the fifth season n.k. jemisin 

caste: the origins of our discontents (non-fiction) by isabel wilkerson 

they were her property (non-fiction) by stephanie jones roger

all about love: new visions (non-fiction) by bell hooks 

the secret lives of church ladies by deesha philyaw

seven days in june by tia williams

honey & spice by bolu babalola

luster by raven leilani 

*i’m reading these for one of my school courses but i still think they are definitely worth noting 

[macaroni-rascal]

What changes were most obvious to you about Tessa and Scott from a skating quality/style perspective during the comeback? In other words what did IAM do for them technically?

For Tessa and Scott, they really got way more balanced. Tracy Wilson called it well, I think it was at Skate Canada in 2016, she mentioned that with Marina, they could both get back on the blade a little bit, i.e.: could have their weight placed too far back, which made them work to balance more than they needed to.

In their book, they talk about overhauling their skating, breaking it down completely, re-learning how to walk even, so it makes sense that all of that added to them looking much more balanced and sure on the ice. Their hips were more aligned than ever, their knee bend more in sync, I really found that because of how much more open step sequences became and close hold wasn’t as big of a thing, their edges matched that more lilting feeling, while still being as sharp and precise as always.

They also got rid of the Marina trend to run on the ice, so they went back to getting power only from pushing into the ice, the edges, the lean, etc.

I think I've talked about it before, but they had a bit of scary Skate Canada -- their short dance was amazing, but they had some issues in the free dance, and nearly lost gold to Chock and Bates of all people. Then by the time NHK rolled around, they were the most sure I had ever ever seen them skate. I go back to that NHK Latch free dance so often, Tessa in that circular step sequence especially brings me so much joy. When I watch that performance I need to watch it twice: once for just their feet, and then again for the whole performance.

[sunskate]

I was watching V/M series as well and they have such a complicated dynamic lol it’s actually so funny to me as a sociology major. And I believe their retirement and the choice not to skate professionally together again like W/D has to do with their personal issues and emotional attachment to their partnership.

Scott has said things that in retrospect are very heavy and I don’t think normal skate partners even say like him referring to his romantic relationships as “external” in comparison to Tessa and how he has a hard time balancing personal life while skating with Tessa. It’s clear the boundaries that they say exist were always blurry and it worked to a certain extent.

I know people think their relationship was mostly fan-service but while I think they used their chemistry as an advantage for them I do feel a lot of the complexities of their relationship were too difficult for them to understand and that fear of not crossing any boundaries ended up affecting them in the long run and they would’ve never been able to skate together like Meryl and Charlie if they don’t have the competitive pressure. the tour pre and post retirement was super chaotic.

the complexities might have been difficult to understand, but i think they were made even harder because communication wasn't great, and some things were never clearly said. and that led to insecurities and misunderstandings that i would bet stand to this day. for all that they've been kind of secretive or say conflicting things about their personal stuff, they've been willing to talk about some difficulties once they've been processed. like little bits of things come out in interviews - Tessa talking about her dad, or about her and her mom's relationships to financial security. saying they individually considered quitting in 2013. their difficulties after her surgery in 2008 were a centerpiece of their book after 2010. so their post PYC stuff, i don't think has been resolved

[wahlpaper]

Imogen, Obviously Review

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

CW: Swearing, Mentions of Sex, Underage Drinking, Gaslighting, Queer Gatekeeping, Internalized Biphobia, Anxiety, Celebrity Pressured into Coming Out, Bullying, Queerphobia, Biphobia, Positive Reference to David Bowie

5/5

I obviously read this book because I read all of Becky Albertalli's books, she even has a tag on this site. I love knowing that I'm getting queer and/or Jewish content when I start to read any of her novels. However, Imogen, Obviously ended up being extra special to me. Imogen and I are very similar people with very similar experiences. I am warning you now that I am going to go into some of my own queer journey further down. There is some bullying, but I will keep the details light. It is impossible for me to talk about this book without going into what it means to me.

Imogen Scott is a senior in high school who has just been accepted to her best friend's college. Lili is one year older than Imogen and has been begging her to come visit all year. When Imogen finally does, she quickly gets absorbed into the group of cool college queer folks that Lili is a part of. That includes Tessa, a chaotic lesbian who reminds Imogen of her favorite character in her favorite movie. It turns out that these friends think that Imogen is bi, as Lili pretended that they used to date. Imogen agrees to go along with it, but she starts to consider all she knows about being bi and what that might have to do with her.

Imogen, Obviously is written very well! Every joke landed, the characters felt like the ages they were written as, there was plenty of diversity, it dove into real and important issues, the pacing was perfect, and mental health was handled realistically and with care. Mental health is very important to this novel, especially considering the anxiety Imogen seems to be struggling with. Other mental health topics discussed and shown in this book are ADHD, bullying, bigotry, gaslighting/gatekeeping, and self-esteem. The diversity in the novel goes beyond queer representation, including a black character, an Asian character, and a Jewish love interest. The book takes place over the course of about a week, but nothing feels rushed or like it couldn't fit. Albertalli is great at making all of the elements work together.

Albertalli has discussed her story on social media, so I will discuss her’s before my own story. If you know it before you read the book, you'll be able to pick up on the references to it. However, you will still get a lot from Imogen, Obviously even if you don't know. There have been a lot of creators of queer content that have been pressured into coming out, especially from within the community. Becky Albertalli is one of them. Others include Kit Connor (Heartstopper), Jameela Jamil (Legacy), and Rebel Wilson (Isn't It Romantic). Albertalli faced years of scrutiny, harassment, criticism, and invasive questions surrounding her sexuality. Although she has been a great ally and advocate to the queer community and has never written anything exploitative, people had a problem with her writing queer content while being seen as cis and heterosexual. Her books led her to questioning her identity, but she should have gotten to come out on her own terms, if she ever wanted to. Imogen, Obviously explores both the pressure to come out when creating queer content and not knowing that you are queer until later in life.

Now for my own story. Thanks to queer media and Glee specifically, I started to consider that I might be bi in middle school. I called myself bicurious at summer camp between sixth and seventh grade. In retrospect, I had a crush on both the girl and boy in a couple I knew there. Although, my first unknown-crush was likely on a girl in my second grade class. However, in middle school, a bully found out that I am bi when she took my friend's phone. I believe I said it was a joke when I realized, and then went so far back into the closet that I thought I was straight.

I was a strong ally to a bunch of queer best friends throughout high school, even to the one person that was a lot like Imogen's friend, Gretchen (you'll know what I mean if you read the book). I also had my one "girl-crush" on/obsession with Felicia Day. In senior year I learned about aesthetic attraction and started coming back to terms with not being straight. It wasn't until the summer when I was posting a lot of pictures of Hayley Atwell on tumblr and also found the term "biromantic" on there, that I finally knew I was bi. Albertalli touches on this a little near the end of the book, but we need more asexual representation in school and in media. The lack of knowledge and the presence of bullies kept me from realizing who I am until a little after Imogen figured herself out. Still, it took me several more years to fully process where I am on the ace spectrum. My story is obviously mine, but I feel a deep sense of familiarity with Imogen.

Thank you for reading my story and Becky Albertalli's. I hope that you'll read Imogen's as well. If you like queer nerds and college stories, Imogen, Obviously is a great book for you! A giant griddle, underground passageways, and dark academia await you in the pages of this book!