#also Kurt would really love making the costumes

[bamfkeeper]

Parents.

Kurt Wagner x F!reader

RQ: 'CAN WE PLS GET MORE DAD!KURT HC'S??? PLS I BEG' - @thel0v3hashira143

Warnings: Baby themes, mentions of breastfeeding and other recovery things from birth and pregnancy.

A/N: Pleaseee I love Kurt as a dad <3 Dad!Kurt has to have a goatee I don't make the rules 😩

Kurt loves being a dad. He's always wanted to be a father and he was so excited when you got pregnant and gave birth. He was so attentive to you, and during labor and the birthing process, he was there helping as much as possible.

When it was the first night home from the hospital, he made sure you got your baby inside safely and you got to bed right away. He didn't want you moving around too much. He had already prepped the bedroom, the bassinet was beside the bed for you to easily reach for your baby at night for feedings.

He had water, cream, medicine, everything you needed. He popped up at night when he felt you move, checking on you nearly every hour.

If you wanted to only breastfeed, he'd absolutely be okay with that, and he'd make sure you were alright doing so. He would help you pump and offer bottles if you needed, but he'd mostly try to respect your wants.

I don't think Kurt would care what gender the baby is. He'd love it no matter what. I always had a feeling that if he had a boy he'd name it Gabriel.

Names in general can be played with. You can imagine him going the religious route, or the German route, or if you have a name you like from your own culture, then you could choose that. Kurt is just happy you're having a baby, the name isn't something he's going to argue about with you.

Kurt is absolutely super protective over the baby and you, especially fresh from the hospital. He advocates your wishes to all your friends and family. No visitors, no pictures, no holding the newborn, etc. whatever rules you have.

You love watching him hold your baby, how he cradles them in his arms and hums so sweetly. He gently rubs his nose into the baby's tiny one, he's so gentle with them.

He kisses your baby's feet, listening to the sweet giggles because his beard tickles their toes. He loves to give them raspberries too.

He likes to sing German lullabies or songs to your baby. His singing voice is actually really good.

You thought Kurt was protective before, but once your baby moves around more often, he becomes even more so. Anyone says anything about your baby's appearance or yours after your pregnancy, he loses it. You didn't think that would get you going but...damn.

Your baby would be bilingual. They'd learn English and German growing up.

Walking is fun. With the tiny tail your baby has, balance is much easier, so your baby is walking long before normal babies walk.

As your baby grows, their little voice develops an accent in both languages, and you both adore it. Kurt is so proud of your little one, going on and on about how smart they are and how they get it from you.

Kurt loves dressing your baby too, he definitely puts them in little overalls or lederhosen.

Kurt plays with your little one all the time, especially at parks, he loves pushing them in the swing and sliding down the slide with them in his lap. He absolutely makes up extravagant make believe scenarios about sailing the seas on a big pirate ship, aka the couch.

Speaking of...pirate costumes for Halloween is a MUST.

Also let's not forget the spoiling your child will endure. Kurt gets them whatever they want. Stuffed animals, toys, clothes, sweets, within reason of course. But he can't resist.

Kurt loves to cook German dishes for you and your child, it makes him happy to do and it connects you and your child closer to his roots.

Bedtime stories are big for Kurt too. The showman he is, he tells the stories in different voices, he completely acts out the parts to make your child giggle and laugh. He tucks your little one in and gives them a kiss, a soft lullaby, then it's off to dreamland.

You adore seeing this side of Kurt, he's grown into a wonderful parent, even if he did have some worries before. He is absolutely perfect. A perfect father and a perfect husband.

Dividers by @/adornedwithlight

Cover images: Immortal X-Men #7 (2022), Pinterest for others

[robinhuntr]

ok ok ok, so the absolute universe hasn't introduced a green arrow yet so here's my take on it.

Heres my random quick sketches of Roy as Absolute Green Arrow and a crappy sketch of his makeshift costume.

Since he's in Seattle (or Star City, whatever the status of that is currently) I wanted him to take inspiration from grunge, especially Kurt Cobain since he is a Seattle legend (I don't really show it because I show him in his costume but normally he would dress in a lot more baggy/worn out clothes). But also I had to include his weird love of sleeveless hoodies because it's actually so funny to me.

And here is my very long-winded explanation of my Absolute Green Arrows back story:

The thing that Oliver Queen would lose is his time on the island, because he doesn't go on the island he never grows from the island, he never becomes Green Arrow; we'll come back to Oliver

Since Oliver doesn't become Green Arrow and fix (some of) the error of his way, he never meets Roy. Instead, Roy stays on the streets of Seattle/ Star City and becomes very in touch with the city's people and their needs. Roy's original backstory doesn't change too much, he still loses his parents and grows up on the Spokane reservation before leaving for the city, so that's where he learns his archery.

Roy ends up getting a job and a shitty apartment and meets Jade (who is still an assassin) but not through some mission. ( I don't know how they meet but I'll come up with it later lol). They have Lian and Jade leaves them making Roy a single father living paycheck to paycheck trying to take care of his daughter.

This is where he ends up as Green Arrow: some real estate company buys his apartment building and wants to demolish it to replace it with much nicer/ more expensive penthouses. Roy decides to do something about it and uses his archery skills from his childhood to take out the heads of the company forcing them to back off the project for a while. After he sees how much this helped not only him and Lian but also everyone in the building with him, he decides to take up the Green Arrow persona officially. As Green Arrow he protects his community from rich assholes trying to take advantage of them just likes Oliver does in the main universe; however, unlike Oliver, Roy is actually in the communities being affected, he excels where Oliver doesn't because the issues he's solving are the issues affecting him.

Here's where Oliver comes into play: when Roy decides to take Lian back to the Reservation to show her where he grew up, he gets there and sees a protest against a pipeline being built straight through the middle of the reservation (similar to the "Return of Roy Harper" storyline in Green Arrow Rebirth). He sees the Queen Industries logo on the building materials and when he gets back home to Seattle/Star City, he does what he always does and takes down the project by taking down the people leading the project. When Oliver finds out that the mysterious Green Arrow that has been terrorizing the rich CEOs around him is now attacking his company, he decides to strike back. Oliver, instead of becoming the Green Arrow, becomes The Dark Archer/Merlin and targets Roy.

I have no idea how Dinah would come into play or if she would come into play, same with the others. I think that Mia could end up becoming Roy's Speedy in a similar way to how she becomes Speedy in the main universe. I think that if Emiko came into play she would be on Oliver's side, same with Conner (although I can also see Oliver teaming up with Roy to stop his father).

Also, Lian doesn't die in this because I'm sick of that little girl getting killed in terrible ways.

[digo3d]

Ahem here’s an ask: what’s a tradition the gang loves to do (like maybe on someone’s birthday, new year, etc?)

*also just wanna say HOPE YOURE DOING WELL ❤️*

*turns into a crab and does a crab jig* YEAAAAH

I'm not just gunna give you ONE tradition I'm gunna give you A WHOLE BUNCH because boy I love my bullet points so sit and have some tea

FOR THEIR BIRTHDAYS:

On T.C.'s birthday they do a bit of a Christmas in July type thing (partly as a callback to that stupid ass episode I hate) and also because his favorite holiday is Christmas. They don't go very overboard but they do bust out the eggnog and Christmas wrapping paper for his presents. They also have an eensy weensy tree just for the occasion (probably the one Brain digs out of the trash in The Movie)

They go to the beach on Benny's birthday and they go no matter what because of this one time where it was really windy out but T.C. insisted they go anyway cos he already paid for towels n shit and when they got there it was so windy that Benny and Brain got blown away. So now it's an inside joke and they also bury T.C. in the sand every time as punishment lmao

They don't usually do anything special for Chooch's birthday because he usually can't think of anything but every time without fail he wants a strawberry pie. So they always get him a strawberry pie no matter the costs. Yes they have stolen a few for him.

Since Spook's birthday is on Halloween (of course) they celebrate his birthday during the day and at night they throw a huge Halloween rager where all of the alley cats are invited as per Spook's request. Spook is also entirely in charge of the gang's costumes and usually coordinates everyone with a theme. Like one time they were all Ghostbusters, another time they were all classic monsters, they did a Super Mario theme one time etc.

Fancy's birthday usually falls on Thanksgiving or sometime around it so Nonna usually flies in from Italy to make a big Italian feast for Fancy and the gang, and on the few times it doesn't she makes one anyway and then sticks around to help the gang make a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Fancy always gets a pumpkin pie for his birthday because of course.

Unfortunately Brain's birthday is April 1st, April Fools Day. However the rest of the gang and Dibble agreed that they're only allowed to pull 1 harmless prank on him collectively, and absolutely NOBODY ELSE EVER is allowed to prank him (Except maybe Kurt but his fate is currently unknown to you 🤭). Brain can prank all the people he wants though, and he actually looks forward to the gang's prank because he feels really smart if he figures out what the prank is before it happens and he gets an extra birthday treat if he figures it out. If he doesn't figure it out though it's always a prank that he'll find funny, like one time they put Pedro in a police officer costume so that it would look like there were two Dibble's walking around.

I stole this idea from a sitcom I don't remember the name of but on Dib's birthday they ALWAYS try to plan a surprise party for him but he ALWAYS figures it out because detective skills and whatnot, they've only ever managed to surprise him once and all it took was T.C. getting accidentally pepper sprayed by Dib 💃

ACTUAL HOLIDAYS:

T.C. goes fucking I N S A N E with the Christmas decorations. The alley gets absolutely DECKED TO THE FUCKING HALLS it's almost repulsive. He's one of those people who would start putting decorations up in October if Spook wouldn't beat him up for it. And he always forces the gang to wear ugly Christmas sweaters and take a Christmas picture to send to relatives like the good mom he is :3

I already talked about Halloween but I will also say that Spook makes it his mission to scare the shit out of everybody (Except for Dibble because if I know anything about trying to scare a policeman it's a bad idea)

For St. Patrick's Day they always volunteer to help Pedro with his float for the parade because of course and Dibble's Irish heritage fully possesses him as well. After the parade Pedro takes the gang and his cousin out to a pub for appetizers and drinks.

For the Murica day Dibble busts out da grill and becomes a griller dad and makes sure the gang doesn't have any illegal fireworks or whatever. One year Spook nearly blew up the alley with some firecrackers and Roman candles that went awry.

Yeah there you go sorry that one took so long as well Tumblr deleted half of the post and I got angry smh anyways I'm doing pretty okay and I hope you're doing well too :3

[dutifullylazybread]

5 Song/4 Outfits - Tav Tag!!

I was tagged by @faerunsbest! Thank you so much! I'm late, but it definitely gave me time to think about song selections for this tag!!

Okay, I have to tag @commander-krios. Juniper is part bard, so I feel like this is a missed opportunity if I don't!! I'm also gonna tag @voloslobotomyservice and @the-real-housewives-of-waterdeep. As always, if you weren't listed but you wanna do this, consider yourself tagged!

5 Songs

Follow My Feet - The Unlikely Candidates

Titanium - David Guetta - Cover by Caleb Hyles and Anna Pantsu

Forgive Me Friend - Smith & Thell feat. Swedish Jam Factory

Ends of The Earth - Lord Huron

Let Down - RadioHead

BONUS - my favourite ship songs for Tav x Rolan (Deeply and Immovably So)

Little Talks - Mice and Men

Something Just Like This - Coldplay and the Chainsmokers

Love Me Like You Do - Ellie Goulding (but I love this cover that Kurt Hugo Schneider did with MAX & Madilyn Bailey)

Loved by You - KIRBY

Lover's Mask - Theophony Remix

A BONUS TO THE BONUS - Songs That Readers Suggested (Thank you!!):

Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie

We Can't Be Friends - Ariana Grande

Heavy In Your Arms - Florence + The Machine

4 Outfits

Ah! I love this so much!! I'm going to put this under a cut, because I haven't sketched since high school (and, like, one picture I drew in undergrad), so I think I'd make a mess of it! So we're working with picture boards, y'all!

CAMP CLOTHES - ACT 1/2

When Tav first is captured by the Nautiloid, she has her standard wizard robes (can't afford anything too fancy) and the clothing she would wear while working on commissions (though she would likely wear the typical camp clothes under an apron/gloves to protect herself from burns). So she has the homely clothes, but they are singed and sweat-stained from working near a furnace.

Image Via bg3 wiki

CAMP CLOTHES - ACT 3

With some convincing, Tav splurges and buys the Solemnity Outfit (purple). Gale and the others urge her to get a nice set of clothes for herself, because the clothing she'd worn up until that point were basically falling apart. She isn't the type to really care what she wears so long as it continues to be functional. So the moment it stops functioning is the moment that she will agree to make any needed replacements.

BATTLE ATTIRE - ACT THREE

By the end of Act 3, Tav has traded her very basic wizard robes for the Potent Robes. She would either keep these their default color or dye them Boreal Blue. These would be what she wears while fighting, and she also wears them while working in Sorcerous Sundries.

Image via BG3 wiki

PERFORMANCE CLOTHES/COSTUME

After the Netherbrain is defeated and Tav is staying at Ramazith's Tower, she occasionally helps with the performances outside of Sorcerous Sundries. She wears a red costume with gold accents.

Basic picture board (images via Google):

Basically, her outfit is closest in color and style to the fourth picture with the long sleeves, but the sleeves start below the shoulder like in images 2 and 3. And then she has lacing in the back like in image 1. The only really difference besides that is she has a straight strapless neckline.

BONUS:

She also borrows a dress from Nym Orlith during for reasons... 😏

(image via BG3 wiki)

[synergysilhouette]

Remaking X-Men: Evolution (Roster)

(Just thought I'd repost this!)

I’m a big “Evolution” fan, and here’s my own version of it based on a reshuffled roster (and costumes; I hated the uniform look). Check out my episode-for-episode remake of the series in my other posts!

I really love young Cyclops’ outfit in “X-Men: Blue” (without the X's) and young Jean’s in “Extraordinary X-Men” (but maybe without here gold mask); they’re awesome while showing that they’re teens. Any green costume where Rogue wears a hood just fits her personality, while Nightcrawler’s is fine as-is, but make the navy blue parts black. Storm would be a teen in this version (to give her more screentime/development) and her “X-Men: Red” look is ideal. Magik, Iceman, Prodigy, and Havok would be replacing Shadowcat (who’s with the New Mutants in my remake), Wolverine and Beast (who are still there as instructors), and Spyke (who doesn’t exist here). Magik’s Infernus look is underrated, Iceman and Havok’s Hellfire Gala looks should be reworked into costumes (I love the patterns), and Prodigy’s “Young Avengers” costume works perfectly--except replace the black with another color (maybe silver or more yellow) to stand out from Storm.

And apologies for the suggestive pictures; they’d obviously be covered up and less sexualized in my show (including covering Storm and Magik’s midriff). I do imagine them growing up as adults later with different costumes, though! I’d also include personality changes (make Kurt stop using street lingo, tone down Rogue’s gothic character as the result of absorbing others and them rubbing off on her, giving Scott a hero complex and EXPLORING that, etc).

As for the Brotherhood...

Magneto would be in his Excalibur outfit for most of the series, since I feel like it feels more authoritarian, and his Asteroid M plan would’ve had better foreshadowing to help make him a more understandable and sympathetic villain. Destiny would take over for Mystique as the leader of the Brotherhood whenever she was unavailable, and wears her classic costume (Mystique’s is unchanged). Pietro’s feelings of insecurity would be explored more, and I’d scale back on Wanda’s gothic look a bit, going for a Dr. Strange-inspired look and giving Pietro an updated look. Toad would wear a costume inspired by Mortimer Toynbee while Avalanche’s costume would remain the same–except replace that bowl on his head for a domino mask. I’d also be replacing Blob with Gambit (who wears his solo look from Gambit vol 5), Psylocke (specifically Betsy to avoid the controversial body swap), and Daken (in a cowl-less version of his Wolverine look). And since Gambit is part of the Brotherhood, Polaris has his spot in the Acolytes, being Pietro and Wanda’s older sister in this version.

[comicbookhyperfixationtime]

Uncanny X-Men #194- Juggernaut's Back in Town

Last Issue Recap: The team fought Thunderbird's identical brother and his Hellion friends in a US base, tanked whatever remained of their superhero credibility and then proceeded to just let Thunderbird and the Hellions waltz on back to Emma Frost without any repercussions.

This cover is pretty cool, I wouldn’t say the composition is fantastic but it makes it pretty clear what this issue is going to be about (a big ol’ heavy hitter slap fight) and Rogue with Nightcrawler and Colossus’ powers is intriguing.

The issue doesn't start with a fight though, it starts with Juggernaut having a friendly conversation with the most oblivious cop in New York

Yessir, I'm sure the giant hunk of muscle wider than he is tall couldn't possibly have anything to do with the recently escaped super criminal. 10/10 polic-ing.

Juggernaut watches some news crew give exposition for new readers on him (there's plenty of convoluted backstory but all you really need to know is he's the Juggernaut, bitch) and his recent appearances in other comics (shameless plugins). They also remind us how the X-men and Spiderman (who was Juggernaut's latest foe) are Feared and Hated By the World They Have Sworn to Protect. The popularity of a Marvel character in-universe is indirectly proportional to their popularity IRL, thus why Wonderman is highly successful film star.

Cut to the X-men in the Currently-Not-Destroyed Xavier's School upstate waking up and not giving a singular fuck about one of their super criminals on the loose.

He stayed up all night watching old swashbuckler films ahhhh he's such a dork I love him! (Thirsty Sidenote: this is I think the first time Kurt has been drawn without a shirt and gloves on. In earlier issues he seemed to basically live 24/7 in his costume. Yes I noticed. Don't judge me.)

Nobody cares, that is, except for Colossus (aka Piotr Rasputin), who went from one of my favorite characters to least favorite characters when he started dating an underage Kitty Pryde until Marvel Editor in Chief Jim Shooter told them to stop (possibly the only good decisions Jim Shooter ever made). They wasted so much good himbo potential with this boy. Anyway, he's very excited for a rematch with Juggey after demolishing a few blocks with him in a post-breakup funk several issues ago. So excited he quite literally busts out of his clothes.

See, its dumbass himbo behavior like this I'd enjoy a lot more if I couldn't get the bad taste of him and Kitty out of my mouth. Screw you Claremont for ever thinking that was ok.

Wolverine comes in from his daily barefoot snow jog in purple pajamas to tell Nightcrawler to get the team ready to track down Juggernaut because blah blah its their jobs booo you spoilsport. Honestly I would have loved an issue where the X-men just stayed at home and did nothing. I find the cool-down moments in long running comic series are usually my favorite parts. Its nice to see how these characters interact with each other and live their lives when they aren't constantly in mortal peril. But the cover promised a big knockdown dragemout and so, the plot must keep plotting. (Side note: how did Wolvie even find out about the Juggernaut? Everyone else was listening to the radio but he was running outdoors. His plot sense was tingling I guess).

Since Cyclops is a married man, Storm has lost her powers and Professor X is off in Scotland doing New Mutants stuff, Kurt now has the sole leadership responsibility of the team. I've really enjoyed Kurt's run as team leader so far. He's doing his best but he's not cut out for leadership and its clear he hates every minute of it. He's an extroverted sweetheart who would rather support his friends. Its nice to see Nightcrawler get more stuff to do after barely being present for the past for story arcs. His self doubt is also a fantastic change of pace from the previous leadership dynamics, which were the team leader going "Wah wah wah I'm the leader and you have to do what I say I'm going to be a controlling little bitch," and the second in command/former leader muttering under their breath "I would be such a better leader I deserve this title more leader doesn't know what they're doing wah wah wah." It was basically a three way dick measuring contest between Cyclops, Storm and Professor X and I hated every egotistical minute of it.

Speaking of Storm, we cut to her in her home in Kenya showing some colonial douchecanoes who's boss. Storm was recently depowered by an antimutant weapon created by Forge (long story) and so has quit the team and is returning home to find inner peace or something. Being 80s Marvel Kenya is of course portrayed in a nuanced and intelligent manner- just kidding its a thatched roof bush station in the savannah and I'm pretty sure they only chose Mount Kilimanjaro because it was the only place in Africa they could name.

Also this specific Racist White Dude is using a South African slur (kaffir) in Kenya. I'd like to say the writers meant him to be a South African on vacation in Kenya but to be honest I don't think they were thinking that hard about it. If I'm wrong though and this isn't just an example of lazy writing, lmk.)

The women running bush station who Storm saves turns out to be a member of the tribe that worshipped her as a Goddess in her first appearance (because, again, Marvel is well known for their fantastic African representation /s) and falls at her feet. The implications of this are that the regional drought mentioned in previous panels is the result of Ororo joining the X-men and no longer acting as weather Goddess, which raises a whole bunch of questions about the morality of her decision to leave in the first place, as well as broader questions about the ecology of the Marvel Universe as a whole that literally superpowers were needed to keep the climate in the region stable in the first place (climate change must be hitting them hard and fast, forget the Setinels, this is the bad future y'all should be going back to stop!). Anyway, I'm sure at least some of these will be answered the next time we see her.

Back to the main storyline, Kitty and Rachel are spying on Juggernaut, who is in a bank in civies, seemingly doing ordinary, none-crime stuff.

Look at his giant butt in that tiny chair how could anybody be fooled by this?!

The stakeout is going pretty quietly until Nimrod shows up to finally do something. The panels showing him locking in on the X-men's location is pretty neat, but its giving me Deja Vu. I wonder if its because the panel is so famous I've seen it before, or if they copied some iconic imagery from something else (it is giving me Escape From New York vibes)

Rachel and Kitty evacuate the civies and regroup with the rest of the X-men as Nimrod focuses his attention on Juggernaut. He punches Juggernaut into a conveniently empty construction lot where they can beat the stuffing out of each other without the writers having to worry about civilians. Do you think construction lots cause superhero fights, or do superhero fights cause construction lots? Its a chicken-egg sort of thing I feel. The X-men show up to stick their noses in like a bunch of idiots and this is where I have to make my opinions on Nimrod known.

Nimrod is a mutant hunting cop-robot that had been introduced previously, having been pulled into the current timestream from the Days of Future Past timeline when Dr Strange reversed time to stop the spell of an evil wizard from turning Manhatten into a Hyborian Era fantasy kingdom. I personally think exchanging Fantasy AU Avengers for pink murderbot is a pretty lame deal, but what do I know. Anyway, he's spent all his time since his initial appearance living in some poor guy's basement, eating his snacks, taking up space and barely masquerading as human, much like me.

So. I'ma be honest. I don't like Nimrod. I think he looks like a stupid pink trapezoid. Also, his name is dumb. Yeah, yeah, Nimrod was a famous biblical hunter, I know, but like. This was the 80s. Bugs Bunny had been a thing for decades, "Nimrod" was already well established as an insult and honestly giving the guy that goofy-ass triangle head and Looney Toons-esque invulnerability is not helping the associations. Like, what the hell were the DoFP folks thinking?! But then again this is same Evil Future Government that decided Rachel's mutant hunter outfit should be a literal goddamn gimpsuit so I think its been well established that their real crime aren't against humanity but fashion.

He's also extremely OP in the worst way. I can't even keep track of how many powers this guy has. And you'd think that might make the fight's interesting, right, like you'll you never know what's going to happen next? No actually it makes everyfight extremely boring because I know exactly what's going to happen next, the X-men are going to attack with something and Nimrod is going to go "Nu-uh, you can't hit me I have my everything shield!" and take them out of the fight with some new weapon he pulled out of his ass. And that's exactly what happens this time. Nightcrawler and Colossus teleport into the fight? Nimrod's tracking systems immediately detect them and he blasts them unconscious. Wolverine does a fastball special?But oh no, a force field! Kitty phases through him? Not only does she not disrupt his systems, she gets knocked back by energy field!

The demonstration of Nimrod's bullshit powers is great here, but I actually wanted to post this because of Rachel's fit. Its so 80s but I kind of adore it. This nonsense continues even after Rogue absorbs Kitty, Nightcrawler and Colossus's powers in a Hail Mary. Don't get me wrong, Rogue kicks ass and its hella entertaining but Nimrod once again is on his bullshit. She punches him into a million tiny pieces and he just reforms himself! Then he teleports out of there because I guess even he knew this fight had dragged on long enough. Which is another thing I hate about Nimrod; they can never actually kill the bastard. He'll just teleport away and come back next time with even more bullshit. It'd be so cathartic if Rogue had finally just smacked him down for good but I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of him in the future. The X-men let the Juggernaut go, despite him being a literal criminal, because they've been doing that a lot recently. Unfortunately for them, this time surprise news crews have been behind the fourth wall the whole time like its an episode of Impractical Jokers and now the whole world knows they didn't even try to do their job. And don't give me any "oh they were weak they knew they couldn't taken him" Juggernaut had his psionic bucket hat off and Rachel Summers was right there she could have taken him down with a single thought.

We end the comic with an ominous discussion about the X-men by two members of the Russian Security council.

You can tell its Moscow because of the picture perfect view of St Basil's which magically appears in the window. Also, how the heck am I supposed to take Eyepatch Ivanovich here seriously when he's wearing little red booty shorts?! Anyway, this certainly was an issue of X-men. It started off really fun, then it got kind of generic. Certainly not the worst or most infuriating by any means. Looking forward to next issue!

Edit: I took the comic at face value and wrote that Mount Kilimanjaro was in Kenya. Mount Kilimanjaro is actually in Tanzania, near the Kenyan border, so unless the borders have shifted since 1985, Claremont is an idiot and so am I.

[kitausuret]

I do think it's funny there are a bunch of Marvel characters and series I really really love and enjoy (Scarlet Witch, Kurt Wagner, Vision, Miles Morales, Kitty Pryde, Silver Surfer, Kamala Khan, on and on and on) but I just don't have ANYTHING coherent to say about them. Just rotating them slowly and gently in my mind. Like a microwave. Complete with "brrrrrrrrrrrrr" sound. That's why you'll see me reblog stuff from others but never actually make posts about them LOL

Day whatever though I'll write the series about Harry Osborn reopening the Coffee Bean and occasionally getting a variety of interesting clientele (clad in various casual/street clothes, hats, scarves, jackets, sunglasses, bonus if they have their costumes/uniforms on underneath) because they want a cup of coffee and supporting local business is Good, Right?

There's also, of course, the potential hilarity of.. oh, I don't know, Alchemax employee-era!Mac Gargan and Carol Danvers finding themselves in the same line for coffee. Glaring daggers at each other. One of the Coffee Bean baristas is sweating bullets as they're taking the orders. Harry is just staring at the two old foes like do NOT start shit in my coffee shop it would be very funny.

The Coffee Bean earning a reputation for being a welcoming and surprisingly chill place would be neat though and I think an interesting intersection between civilian and superhero lives. And Harry has gone through Some Shit so there's probably very little that can surprise him at this point.

[backslashdelta]

top 10 gifsets you've made the year - go go go!!!

HI HEY HELLO thank you for this very unexpected question I will be happy to answer it for you and also for me!!

We're gonna start at 10 and work our way down :) I will say that these aren't technically in order of my favourite, it's more about how objectively good I think they are, but obviously my personal preference is coming into play a bit too.

10: Klaine + stages of their relationship. This is a pretty simple one but I think that works in its favour, it's a fun concept and I think I did a really good job with the colouring (which is an area I feel like I've improved on a lot this year).

9: Kurtofsky as king and queen of hearts. I think this concept is SUPER cool, it's something very different from a lot of other things I've done and I think it came out really well. I really like the reds and the reflections and just yeah I think it's neat. There are some things I would probably change if I were to do it now, but overall I'm still pretty happy with it.

8: Klaine duets on Spotify. I love a good Spotify gifset and I also think I did a good job with the colouring on this one.

7: New Directions + Seasons of Love lyrics (not the scene from the show, just using the lyrics). I love how warm this is, I like the text effects I ended up with, and it just has a really warm cozy vibe. It feels special to me. And it was a gift, so that makes it extra special.

6: Kurtcedes in 4 Minutes. This isn't very complicated but I think the colours REALLY pop and I think I did a good job with picking what clips to use and the fonts and all that.

5: Kurt + Gin Joints lyrics. This bitch LOVES a good glitch effect and she loves a good b&w vs colour contrast and she loves a lyric gifset and she loves some mixed fonts featuring a cursive. This might not be the best gifset in the list technically but it IS the one that I think about the most often it replays in my head frequently I love it a lot.

4: Klaine in Come What May. I killed it with the colouring and that smoke effect is super cool. I refuse to be modest because I know this set is a banger.

3: Puck's Kiss Costume. I think the colouring in this slaps and the text effects/font choices are pretty cool and work super well with the set and the layout works really well too, just all around some great choice and execution on my part imo.

2: Kurtofsky in Prom Queen. When I started making this I never expected to love it as much as I do. But I just think it's really gorgeous. I love the colours mixed with the black and white. I think the blending turned out really well, I sometimes struggle there so I'm really happy I pulled it off so well here. I love the effect of the simple font and the line down the center pulling it all together, and then the jagged line and the glitching text at the bottom I just want to SCREAM it makes me feel things. I don't know if you're supposed to say stuff like that about your own creations but I'm saying it anyway. But yeah. I just think I did a great job. And this one was a gift, too, which is fun.

1: Santana + Epiphany lyrics. I think this is probably my best gifset of the year technically speaking. On top of having some top notch colouring, it's also got some great blending, overlays, text animation, and a fun funky layout gif too. It's just a really cohesive set and I spent a lot of time on it (and so did you lol) and it turned out really really soft and pretty. I'm not usually a gold/yellow/orange girlie when I make gifs and when this was conceived that's not what it was going to be, but I am really glad it turned out that way because I think it really works!

[forabeatofadrum]

The first El WooWoo of the year! And as the banner says, I’m still reading instead of writing. So here we go. Buckle up, Klainers and ... Snovians (???? is there a name for Snowbaz shippers? This is just Simon. Snowbazzians?) (What would you call Baz fans? Bazzies?).

I am really enjoying these fic rec posts, more than I thought. It also motivates me to read more, which is a win-win. I do have some ideas for Ljubim te again, so I think I’ll start writing them soon. But maybe I will make a separate post for fics, aside from Wip Wednesday and Six Sentence Sunday? Fic Rec Friday?

ANYWAY, buckle up, it’s a long post, so the entire rec + tags will be under cut today!

Some non-fic recs first. Some? One, actually. I am rereading my Kickstarter books for Check, Please! in preparation for the delivery of the Year 4 Kickstarter. I... uh... asked the shipping costs for that campaign as a Christmas gift. But God yeah, I love this webcomic so much. Time to get back to the SMH (Samwell Meme’s Hockey Team).

Up to the fics!

@martsonmars wrote a fic about “consensual biting” between 6 years old: Love Bite. It’s adorable. I love how silly kids can be. And I am a bitch for fics where Lucy lives 😭!

I am catching up on The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow by @confused-bi-queer. I last read chapter 5, and [Jason Mendoza voice] oh Simon and Baz, we’re really in it now. I am upsetti spaghetti.

I am still riding the angst train right into Is It Over Yet? by @jayne89. God I really wish Carmen was actually this good, instead of a plot device for Rachel’s.... uhm... questionable storylines. Really excited for more of this verse.

God, I am really going through it, huh? @thnxforknowingme wrote a 2022 fic in review where she mentioned True Colors, a character study of Quinn between season 2 and 3, and I like the premise. I really enjoyed it. Damn, skank!Quinn had so much potential, but RIB just had to do the wack baby storyline.

This isn’t Jenna’s only fic that I have read. I finally, finally read Miles To Go, and I know a fic this wonderful should have a long and coherent comment, but I am just speechless. So utterly speechless. I started it when it was originally posted, but I had just lost my grandmother and yeah it was the wrong time. Now, we got the message that it’s time for my uncle to collect her ashes. Weird way to go back to a fic, but that’s what happened, and this fic tugged at my heartstrings. I definitely recommend it to everyone.

Also, more Jenna stuff, but insert the Chris Fleming meme here. Was no one ever going to tell me that Jenna has written Hades fic, or was I just supposed to find out by browsing through her AO3 by myself? Aíma.... YOOOO. The relation between Zaggie and blood? Jenna, your mind!

More sad shit? More sad shit! @wellbelesbian really made me say FUCK THE MAGE with the latest chapter of blow on the tinder. Guys, this is such a good fic. Alex, I am so glad you’re continuing it!

Okay, okay, whooo, time out with the angst. @redheadgleek‘s Pierce My Soul is a fluffy gem and I am a bitch for costume crew!Kurt. Although he got promoted here and he designed the costumes, including Blaine’s. There are so many great gems in this fic, but I lost it at Brad Ellis being the piano man. And when the fic mirrored dialogue from the show.... my heart!

I definitely boarded the fluff train now. I saw @letraspal‘s art for @skeedelvee‘s Drunken Kisses. I am all 🥺🥺🥺🥺 about this fic. Simon “He Is Plotting” Snow is amazing. Mix it with Baz “Gay Yearning” Pitch and voila!

@facewithoutheart delves into Simon’s sad childhood, but in a fluffy way, in What I Wouldn’t Give. Simon gets his first plushie and we all cry. I am such a bitch for this concept and Christina helpfully linked to another one, namely to @lifewithoutmotivation​‘s Flamey. I am just overwhelmed on Simon’s behalf! This guy deserves all the gifts and birthday parties! (Also, congrats on the new URL!)

And we’re going to end this rec post with more holiday cheers from the holiday queers (really, did anyone watch The New Normal?) with @1908jmd​‘s Klaine Advent 2022 - With their favourite people. Jen did a true drabble challenge and all the snippets are about the people in Kurt and Blaine’s lives and look I just got very emo over it.

If you’ve already been tagged in a rec, consider that a tag for WIP Wednesday (or Six Sentence Sunday). Also tagging @quizasvivamos @crissmastrees-and-candyklaines @coffeegleek @esperantoauthor @otherworldsivelivedin @caramelcoffeeaddict @sillyunicorn @bazzybelle @dragoneggos @raenestee @tectonicduck @nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @thnxforknowingme @captain-aralias @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @takitalks @justgleekout @cerriddwenluna @tea-brigade @ivelovedhimthroughworse @moodandmist @whogaveyoupermission @bookish-bogwitch @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @ionlydrinkhotwater @special-bc-ur-part-of-it @larkral @chen-chen-chen-again-chen​ @cutestkilla​ @artsyunderstudy​  

[launching-a-thousand-ships]

Kurt Glee Rewatch: The Power of Madonna

I know it’s not a major Kurt ep, but I just love him and Mercedes here omg. Lowkey one of my fav Glee songs...

Lowkey the first time is hype about the assignment and Will didn’t even come up with it... classic.

Also I need to convey how much I love his hoodie (esp with the hat, prob so hood doesn’t fall down). I wish we got to see it again! Kurt has some pieces he wears a lot (black boots, white pants, this grey shirt w a white collar), but then there are outfits that appear once and then... never again.

Love that he dances along, the only one truly appreciating the performance. This is why Kurt hangs out with the girls, gosh. Like dudes, even with your prejudice, can’t you appreciate an absolute bop???

But also bc Kurt in same hoodie... this is the same day. When did the girls do the costume change and practice? I love glee logic lol.

Another great look, lowkey love him in turtlenecks. And I love Kurtcedes s1! Do we ever see Kurt do film ever again? Bc this talent came outta nowhere? I guess there’s sorta the music video at Vogue when he gives Rachel a makeover? Would be fun if we saw more of it.

And yay, the start of Kurt and Sue’s super weird friendship. I find it sweet that even after everything, Kurtcedes still has sympathy for her. Even though she then goes to throw students around... and Kurtcedes is unfazed... what is this school.

He’s so hurt that Sue couldn’t keep up with fashion trends... a true travesty.

“Mercedes is black, I’m gay. We make culture” I love it.

I legit love the Kurt and Sue dynamic. I’m sure part of this was them wanting the Cheerios for their video, but he also wants to help. I think Kurt respects Sue, but doesn’t agree with her methods. And he def sees the humanity in her, here and in Funeral. 

And Sue def has sympathy for Kurt and I think she does respect him on some level. He has that more snarky side and like. He also has no affection for Schue. 

First off, Chris Colfer looks so good in vintage style/black and white. You can often see Kurt’s influence of old Hollywood and it just fits. It’s why I get so annoyed when there are jokes/comments of Kurt wearing ridiculous/girly stuff bc it seems like the other characters treat him like a more camp-y gay and that’s not really his style? He’s so into fashion and he prefers a more sophisticated look.

But anyway, I’m so curious about the behind the scenes of this vid. I’m assuming Sue paid for it bc it looks v extra. But also just... how they styled everything etc. I can’t imagine that Sue is easy to work with.

Ooh, another vintage-y look. Very detective-vibes.

Also, even tho the Kurt-Sue friendship is starting, she still keeps him on the list she gives to Figgins lol. She wants all them glee kids gone. Or maybe she thinks that Kurt would actually mange to make it in a new city with 5 bucks lol.

And then.... then we get... Cheerio!Kurt!!!

First I need to point out a rare Quinn/Kurt interaction! And if you watch them in the background, you can see Kurt (but really Chris tbh) playing with the hat, puts it on Quinn’s head for a second. I love it. Wish we had more of them in canon.

I will gush forever about cheerio!Kurt. I loved football!Kurt too and wish we got more eps, but omg him as a cheerio is everything. I’m happy he was a cheerio for a while (tho I wish we got to see another performance, esp the Celine Dion medley). ANd omg why wasn’t he on the team longer?? I guess tricky s2 with his transfer, but s3?? When he needs stuff for his application? And ugh, I just wanted more.

And I’m so happy he and Mercedes joined bc they prob felt so useless in glee. At least Mercedes gets some of the belt-notes? But Kurt is just background. This is his first song since Wheels (second in the season) and he’s already improved so much? I love when they let him sing in his lower tones, he sounds so good. And he’s such a performer, all the energy.

I wish we got more Kurtcedes duets. I just... they’re so great. And the only other one is in s5 and tbh not a fan of that one. This is just.. I love it! Esp as Mercedes’ voice is amazing, but in Glee they don’t always have her perform so much? Like, she had Bust Your WIndows but after that they have her as the ‘park and bark’ character? But pair her with Kurt, who was a born performer, and it’s amazing. Plus their chemistry, and they hype each other up, it’s so great.

Esp compared to Wheels! And his audition! That awk kid standing still and singing? Gone. He’s having so much fun and you can see that here is where he is truly confident as a performer. And this song is just so fun, esp with everyone’s reactions in the crowd (I love how happy Quinn is for them).

Tbh Will has no reason to be mad. He has other cheerios in glee. And they aren’t leaving the club. Plus, even after they do this and have repeatedly voiced their opinions on wanting to perform, he still never gives them a real chance to perform. I just- Ugh he angers me so much.

Part of me just has this pic bc I love his outfit here (and we never see it again).

Love that he’s included in this, even tho he hasn’t been doing much sexist stuff? But hey, why miss out on chance to sing Madonna? And he can speak out as the ‘honorary girl’ and call out the others. Love that he makes sure Will admits his faults lol

No but they’re so cute, honestly. 

Yay, Kurt got a line here. They had him do that higher register tho, which isn’t as refined... but at least it’s something

Not gonna lie, anytime I hear this song it makes me think of the comic Check Please bc in the Locker Room guide, the characters sing this in the background lol

[bowtiesnmusicals]

Here is my recap of The Spider and the Queen B (Preggers) episode of the podcast

Jenna really enjoys this episode and has a lot of memories. Tina gets her moment to shine.

Kevin doesn't have a lot of memories because he wasn't there.

What was happening in the world at the time: The Black Eyed Peas were still crushing it. I've Got A Feeling was still #1. The cast was still in Australia. There was a huge dust storm. It was frightening.

This episode has the least amount of songs of any episode.

There are no full songs in this episode.

There were a lot of first in this episode. There were no duets or group numbers. The first Sue's Corner. First appearance of Burt, Matt, and Mike. First time Mr. Shue keeps his shirt on. No shirtless Shue this episode.

We get to see more of the other glee members this episode.

Three big things happening: babygate, beyoncegate, Sue and Sandy plotting.

Mike O'Malley is one of the most lovely human beings and an excellent actor that you just can't keep up with.

Terri and Kendra are in cahoots now that Kendra knows Terri isn't pregnant. When Kendra asks if the baby is black is possibly wink and nod back to Nip/Tuck and Jessalyn's character on that show.

Quinn is pregnant.

Think of the mailman is a great scene.

Spoiler Alert: Puck is the dad.

Fairy veil was a term coined by Telly and Naya. There is a bran of hair extension called Fairy veil and that became their secret term.

Jenna loves Single Ladies.

Heather and Chris had been working on Single Ladies dance for weeks. Jenna got thrown into it later on.

Jenna only ate canned tuna fish and salsa for two weeks because she knew she would be in a leotard.

They would have to do the dance at every Fox party.

Heather, Jenna, and Chris rehearsed for a couple of weeks. They shot part of it on a blank wall like the music video but that part never got used.

Kurt smacking Tina's ass was improved.

The Single Ladies outfit was Chris's idea. The original outfit was closer to the music video.

Kurt now has to audition for the football team. Kevin says those scenes are so magical.

Kurt's coming out scene is beautiful. Kevin said it's a little clunky but that is what makes it great.

Burt's acceptance is fast but he still needs time to process.

Burt accepts Kurt to the best of his abilities. They only have each other and he's not about to lose his son after he's lost his wife.

Jane Lynch and Stephen Tobolowsky are insane in the best way.

Lea and Jenna both asked for a lot of Celine songs. Lea got one later on but it was the wrong song.

If you watch Tina on the ladder practicing Tonight she is wearing a big spider necklace. Jenna and Kevin have arachnophobia. She panicked about having to wear the necklace. Jenna didn't know at the time she could say no to costume and hair decisions. They made the chain longer and that helped.

Kevin was peeved that Rachel's audition song in this episode clearly sounds like it was done in a recording studio and Tina's while it was prerecorded was made to sound like it was being sung live. Tina didn't get the most produced songs.

Tina always gets the shit end of the deal.

This was Jenna's first big scene with Matt. Matt told her she was cheating out which is something you do in theater.

Sue's Corner was just Sue ranting. They get crazier and crazier.

Terri Schuester is a horror movie character. The car scene is terrifying and so illegal for so many reasons. It's also wonderful.

Kevin loves a good car cry.

Kurt's coming out scene is not Ryan's life but based on the reaction he wished he had from his parents. Kevin texted Ryan during the recording to find out the answer.

It is nice to see a positive response to coming out.

Glee club has added 3 new members by the end of this episode. Matt, Mike, and Puck.

Tartie Takes:

Cringe Moment - Sandy Ryerson, Figgins commercial

Worst Dance move - none

Best Song - Single Ladies

Best Line - My body is like a rum chocolate soufflé if I don't warm it up right it doesn't rise.

Best performance by a prop - the spider necklace

Things that didn't age well - Is the baby black?

Thing that did age well - Burt coming home early to watch Deadliest Catch

Shit we found on Tiktok:

They shouted out two people that do recaps on the podcast.

When Karofsky is first introduced he on the hockey team and later is on the football team. Kevin asked Max about this plot hole. Max said when he originally auditioned he auditioned for Karofsky and Azimio. Karofsky was a hockey player and Azimio was on the football team. They were both jocks that bully the glee club. Karofsky was originally a one episode character. They decided to bring him back and it was easier to just make him a football player.

Jenna likes being surprised every week by the shit we found on tiktok segment and she likes not having to do any prep work for it.

Next week is Rhodes Not Taken. They loved getting to work with Kristin Chenoweth.

[major-knighton]

HALLOW-LEE-N movie review Oct 23rd : The Whip and the Body/La frusta e il corpo (1963)

This Italian production apparently had many parts cut due to censors, but the version I watched was not the hyper-censored American version, so I'm fairly confident I was only missing the bits that never made it into cinemas.

This movie y'all. This movie might be the most Gothic Romance stuff I have ever seen. Move over Crimson Peak and Rebecca, this twisted tale is taking the spotlight.

We begin with gorgeous shots of a rider galloping up the coast of some unspecified Eastern European country at sundown. It's Kurt Menliff, who has come back to his family estate, much to the dismay of his family. His father, brother Kristian, cousin Katya, his brother's wife Nevenka and the two servants are disgusted and alarmed to see him return, but consent to letting him stay.

Turns out Kurt was originally the eldest and favorite son, heir to title of Count and estate, but he caused the suicide of the servants' daughter and subsequently lost it all. The housekeeper Giorgia keeps the bloody dagger that killed her daughter in a glass case in display, which is absolutely great.

We soon learn there are two love intrigues going on at the same time : Nevenka was originally going to marry Kurt, and Katya very much has a thing for her cousin Kristian. Ew.

Kurt wants his money, title and fiancée back. He comes across Nevenka while she is out riding, and she backs away from him in terror. He starts savagely whipping her, which turns out she is very much into and becomes a makeout session. He leaves her unconscious on the beach and when he reaches home and is asked where she is, responds with "how the hell should I know?"

However, before he can cause too much trouble he is murdered with the infamous dagger. This castle always looks super gloomy and dark and there's a violent storm literally every night, but I am totally down for this.

Later, the father also gets shanked, and several people come across mysterious footprints or lights that seem to indicate ghostly presence. Nevenka especially sees Kurt, seemingly perfectly alive. They have another nighttime whipping bdsm session, and when Kristian finds his wife moaning Kurt's name the next morning he is Angry.

He has been doing nothing to dissuade Katya from her feelings all this time btw. Just as a heads up.

Eventually things escalate into finding a moaning barely conscious Nevenka in Kurt's tomb, so Kristian decides to simply destroy the coffin. The night he sets out to do so, Nevenka sees Kurt again, urging her to come with him.

She follows him out to the crypt, sees his burning body, and attempts to stab him while embracing him. Stabbing a ghost rarely works, though, and she ends up stabbing herself.

I really enjoyed this. The sets, the costumes, music, plot, all was extremely Gothic in the most enjoyable way. It veered a little bit into campy, but I loved it. I wish the three female roles had a bit more agency, especially Nevenka who only really seems to exist in her relation to Kurt.

The sheer raw violence of the whipping scenes took me aback, but I was taken in. The Whip as a metaphor for love and desire sure is a bold choice, but it worked well and was used cleverly. Maybe the actress's horny noises were a bit overdone, though.

I had great fun. It felt like something Gomez and Morticia Addams would make a date night at the cinema for. 9/10

[privilege-rpg]

KURT HUMMEL

☆ FULL NAME: Kurt Elizabeth Hummel ☆ GENDER: Cisman ☆ PRONOUNS: He/Him ☆ AGE: 30 (May 27th, 1994) ☆ TYPE: Full sibling; solo ☆ HOMETOWN: Portland, Oregon ☆ JOB: Fashion Designer/Stylist  ☆ SCHOOL: PSU Alumni ☆ SEXUALITY: Homosexual ☆ FACECLAIM: Nicholas Galitzine

ABOUT KURT

Kurt’s world changed when his mom died. His mom was the only one who understood him and supported his likes and interests. She helped him create outfits for his stuffed animals and his action figures, she sang and danced along with him to musicals. She was his best friend. At first, Kurt cried himself to sleep every night, missing his mother. Eventually, he realized he had to be strong for his younger siblings. With his dad busy with work, Kurt stood up and acted like the other parent, making sure they brushed their teeth, had their haircut appointment, or didn’t wear mismatching socks. Now that they are older, he still tries to act like the other parent, even if his siblings are adults. 

Growing up, Kurt wasn’t like the other boys. He hated messes, and would much rather play house with the girls in his class or play on the swings than play football or soccer. He came out to his dad in high school, who accepted him with loving arms. He was bullied throughout middle school and high school for being openly gay and his bold outfit choices. He counted down the days until he could graduate. He had a hard time leaving his siblings and dad at home, but he called them once a week.

While at PSU, Kurt majored in fashion design. When he would visit his mom on set, he was fascinated by the fashion designers.  He loved watching them create fabulous outfits in the matter of hours. He knew he wanted to be a fashion designer at a young age. With the encouragement of his father, he minored in business so one day he could open his company someday. He was pretty active, joining clubs like fashion club, and was apart of the theatre community. He loved acting and preforming. He left the theatre world at his college after a very tense breakup with an another guy from his theatre group. 

Currently, Kurt works as a stylist and fashion designer for the rich and famous, helping them design one of a kind outfits for award shows and the like. He has several clients, which keeps him busy. He also has a secret Etsy shop, designing cat costumes, which he opened up for fun, after finding a lack of outfits he found good enough for his cat, Glinda. He likes this secret he has, as his life has mostly been in the public eye with his famous parents. In between his clients and his small Etsy shop, he finds he has little time to come up with designs for his brand that he once dreamed about. He’s stuck in a rut and can’t seem to get out of it.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

cancer tw, death tw

Burt Hummel comes from a humble beginning, and really never had any intentions of becoming famous. Working for his father’s garage, Hummel Tires & Lube, he developed an interest in cars, and proved to be pretty damn good at what he did. A twist of fate saw him approached to help out with some behind-the-scenes things for Top Gear by a customer who happened to work on the show. This opportunity led to yet another, even bigger twist of fate, with Burt meeting the woman he would go on to marry, up-and-coming actress, Elizabeth Blake.

As the two grew together, so did their respective careers; Elizabeth booked bigger and bigger acting gigs until she was a household name, while Burt, whose stint on Top Gear showed him to be a natural in front of the camera, was propelled into a life of presenting for various television shows. They relocated to Los Angeles, and their fame began to grow, along with their family, until Elizabeth eventually got sick in the late-noughties, then lost a quick but mighty battle with cancer. Burt took a break from the limelight following his wife’s passing, opening a new Hummel Tires & Lube location in LA, before deciding to go back to presenting a few years later.

Now, Burt presents on Top Gear, where he got his real start, and also hosts a talk show, The Late Show with Burt Hummel, where he interviews celebrity guests and is often praised for his ability to entertain the audience with his dry humor and build a quick rapport with his guests. While he never dated anybody seriously since losing Elizabeth, Burt has recently begun dating Carole Hudson, but they’re not ready to make things public just yet.

[project1939]

Day 91- Film: The Bad and the Beautiful 

Release date: December 25th, 1952. 

Studio: MGM 

Genre: Drama 

Director: Vincente Minnelli 

Producer: John Houseman 

Actors: Lana Turner, Kurt Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan, Gloria Grahame 

Plot Summary: Johnathan Shields is a notorious Hollywood film producer known for making award winning pictures and betraying almost everyone he works with. After going bankrupt when he shelves an expensive epic, he reaches out to a famous director, actor, and writer, hoping to lure them into working with him on a new project. But they all hate his guts. 

My Rating (out of five stars): ****

If you like the Classical Hollywood era, and if you have a lot of knowledge of its history, especially, you’ll really enjoy this film. Even if you don’t know that much about the era, the film stands on its own as a well-made drama and character study. 

The Good: 

Minelli’s visuals. Vincente Minnelli’s films always look beautiful, no matter how good or bad they ultimately are. He uses space and camera movement in eye-catching, interesting, and pleasing ways. He’s one of those directors where “every shot can be a painting.” That was definitely true here. 

The peek behind the curtain of Classical Hollywood. Of course, this is still a movie, so the peek we get is still a filtered one, but it certainly doesn’t glamourize filmmaking of the time. It’s not entirely cynical, but you do see some of the dark side of the industry. You also just get a cool sense of what a film set might have been like. 

The scene where characters are walking through a Hollywood party. I loved this- I even got a little chill thinking this is probably as close to a portrayal as you’ll get of one. Minnelli would have known well what the experience of going to one was like. 

 Guessing about all the inside references. David O. Selznick is the first one mentioned when people wonder who Johnathan Shields represented, but those involved with the production admit it was an amalgam of other producers too. People also like to guess about some of the directors and other behind the scenes people. Were certain characters based on certain people? It’s fun to consider. 

The way things weren’t overly romanticized. This wasn’t an entirely bleak film that excoriated Hollywood the way Sunset Boulevard did, but it also wasn’t the kind of movie where you walk away thinking, “Gee, Hollywood seems like such a nice beautiful place!” The large dose of reality was commendable for something made in 1952. 

The three main characters Shields is trying to woo back cannot stand him, thinking he ruined their lives. But it is brought up several times that all three have gone on to have huge success in spite of the betrayals. I liked the complexity of that. 

The writing was good. There was much witty or pithy quotable dialogue that I enjoyed. It wasn’t a perfectly written film, but it was often smart. 

I liked the structure. We get three basically separate stories that fall under the same over-arching plot and theme. 

Kirk Douglas. I thought he was really good in this, as he usually is. You can understand why people fell under Shields' charms, making the betrayals hurt more. Douglas plays the role fully understanding that Shields was not all bad or all evil. He was a complicated human being. Still one you’d probably call an a-hole, but complicated. 

Mrs. Cleaver! Barbara Billingsley, who played the mom on Leave it to Beaver, had a small role as a costume lady. I loved that her whole demeanor was different than the housewife she played on TV. 

All the MGM character actors! If you know and love MGM, you’ll recognize A LOT of their contract character actors. 

Walter Pidgeon. I always like him in things, especially as he got older. He’s perfect for the role of an elder-stateman. 

The film was never boring. It was 2 full hours, which wasn’t common back then, but the time flew by. 

The Bad: 

I still don’t love Lana Turner. Maybe it’s because I’m not a straight man, but I just don’t understand her appeal. She’s beautiful, but not outrageously so. She’s also just a barely competent actress, in my opinion. No disrespect meant. I think some of her appeal to men is similar to the Marilyn Monroe thing- she has lots of sexual energy but also a "lost little girl who needs saving” kind of vibe. 

I felt the writer’s story was the least compelling. I liked Dick Powell in this, so it wasn’t his fault. It was the script really, I think. 

I’m not sure how I feel about the very last scene. I generally enjoy ambiguity, but I kind of wanted them to all stick to their guns and say, “Fu-k off, Shields!” 

[nothinggirls]

5/15/2023

Wrote: 933 words of notes, nothing on the draft or outlines.

Read: Chapter 3 of Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day

Process: Technically read and written at 2 a.m. on the 16th, but since I haven’t slept yet I’m counting it as the 15th still.  Not ideal situation.

Thoughts: This chapter was surprisingly useful, combining behavioral principles with specific, actionable advice.  

I haven’t thought much today about the Work, but I think my biggest concern about it right now is my ongoing fear that I won’t be learned or scholarly enough for people to believe me once it’s written.  I’m not sure this rejection sensitivity and imposter syndrome will ever fully disappear, but I think my best bet is to go looking for more media criticism about trans women in fiction written by trans women.  Specifically, tomorrow I’m going to seek out Julia Serano’s writing on The Silence of the Lambs so I can make sure that my own references to it in “You’d Like It, I Bet” aren’t reproducing transmisogyny, and I can cite her work as a source as well based on whatever it teaches me about transfemininity in horror.

I think I also need to rewatch Psycho and reread Silence, as frustrating as the later endeavor will be, because I feel like Claremont vibes almost uncomfortably well with Silence’s narratives of innocence, regret, and transformation, given how often he writes transformation body horror narratives.

Also, I should check in with the writer of that excellent transfem Kurt twitter thread to see what she thinks, or if she’s interested in beta reading, or if she has any recommendations for this kind of interpretation of Claremont’s work, since she’s written it and is a trans woman.

In the meantime, I think I’m still particularly in my feelings about the costumes in the Krakoan Era, and the way the Goblin Gown haunts the narrative re: Alex.  Because, like, he’s been wearing his classic costume the entire era, and it is that costume that the Goblin Gown is always transformed from.  It also allows Larry Trask to continue to haunt Alex from beyond the grave, a dead mutant who never got to be a mutant because of the machinations of his evil father, who dressed Alex in clothes of his devising and manipulated him into a deal in order to protect a woman who was not supposed to love him but would come to anyway.

Alex wears the outfit Larry gave him long after his death, and despite having other equally iconic outfits on standby; Madelyne makes it into a mirror of her, and he continues to wear it after that, too.

Hard to quantify that into a specific reason to believe it’s specifically transfeminine, but it feels queer as hell, given the queerness of the initial outfit situation, as well as the reversal Maddie’s destruction of the classic costume provides to Larry’s bestowing of it; he covers Alex’s physical vulnerabilities and allows him a measure of control over his powers when he’s first dealing with his differences, and Maddie expresses her own differences and identity by destroying that safety blanket and imposing her will on him.

Anyway, it’s past three now and I really need to get to bed.

[angelhummel]

Of all the criticisms there are about Glee, most of them justified, one I almost never see people mention but one that really sticks with me is that I truly don’t think this show took full advantage of it being a musical show.

Elements of the musical theatre vibes were there in S1 where characters would break out into song to express how they were feeling in the moment, but as the show went on, the songs just…stopped telling the story and stopped telling us how the characters feel.

And this is nit-picky, because I assume some of this is due to having a lower budget, but I would have LOVED to see more moments where the characters would break into song and suddenly a bunch of background characters just join in with spontaneously but synchronized choreography. Like say Mercedes were to realize she’s falling for Sam and once the “oh shit” moment hits her, suddenly Rihanna’s “SOS” drops and the characters around her begin dancing, she starts singing, and the scene plays out like something you’d see in a musical.

Is it cheesy as hell? Yes but that’s the point! It’s a musical show! Take advantage of that and have the characters spill their guts in emotional ballads or have the songs cover a passage of time like an opening number of a Broadway show or have the characters get so into it they imagine a whole ass musical number in their head complete with costumes and choreography!

Like I have heard certain songs in the show that sound AMAZING but the scene they’re in falls flat because it’s not telling me a story, but it COULD!

And I have a feeling that I’m one of the 10 people that actually cares about this aspect of the show enough but it still bugs me.

Yeah you probably are in a very small minority here since most of the complaints about Glee are literally just how cRiNgE it is like shut uppp we know lmao

But yeah like also there's the whole thing about the early seasons having a story to tell, and then they found songs that would help tell it vs the later seasons writing plots around songs they wanted to include. Plus the rise in average songs per ep where it just felt like they were cramming in as many as they could to sell them on itunes. Like think about Preggers having no full songs, or Vitamin D only featuring two numbers in the whole ep. Certainly couldn't find that in any of the later seasons. And it's harder to make them stand out and feel special when they're clearly worried about quantity over quality

And then when they do try to do something interesting it's immediately b-b-but the budget!! like shut up again omg sorry we're trying to have fun here

I mean I know I complain about Rachel's 500 'walking down the hallway crysinging' numbers but. I appreciate how they cut between being diegetic and non diegetic. Like part of the number happens in her room/the choir room/the auditorium so we know it's really happening, but then it changes to her singing in the middle of a crowded hallway so we know it's just in her head. But there are a lot of different things going on and it feels like it's all to service one narrative and it feels like a well integrated part of the story. Like Firework or Take A Bow. Or Mercedes singing Spotlight and it starts out in her head but then turns into her audition so she's really singing it to people. Idk just little things like that that make the songs feel more woven into the story

I know they're short on crazy costumes and stuff but I'm trying to think of songs that fit the bill of being non diegetic and actually moving the plot along instead of stopping everything dead to just be an unrelated 3 minute music video. I'm thinkinggg like It's Too Late, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, How To Be A Heartbreaker? Stuff along those lines

But that's how all the scenarios I write in my head are. Kurt singing Something In My House and Name Of The Game (both about Blaine duh) and Brittany singing Dancing With Tears In My Eyes. They're basically all like. Singing the song while a montage of background events happen that line up with the lyrics of the song lol. I definitely would've had a signature style, had I only been on the creative team for this show </3