#and every single review is like GET READY TO CRY

[earlgreytea68]

The Fall Out Boy Year in Review

Because did anything else happen in 2023?????

This was a band that started this year with a bunch of people with all these theories that they were going to announce their retirement and they ended the year rejuvenated, reenergized, ready to go.

Let me count the ways Fall Out Boy was amazing this year:

At the very beginning of the year, they gave a performance, and Pete and Patrick did a pre-show interview, and Pete leaned his hand on Patrick’s shoulder and they grinned and grinned at each other and it was amazing and it was like, “Is this how the year is going to go????” AND LO, THAT’S HOW THE YEAR WENT.

The show at the Metro, when they threw Calm Before the Storm into the setlist and it felt so extraordinary and the crowd just shouted every word at them and then they played their first “Saturday” of the year and Patrick said how it always means a lot to them but it means more at home, YOU SEE, THE WHOLE YEAR WAS LIKE THIS.

They went to a gay bar and Pete and Patrick approvingly joked about sucking dick, so YEAH, THEN THAT HAPPENED.

Pete said that at least once a week he was told by people that their faces would melt off if they played this song live, so he wanted to see faces melting off, and then Patrick barreled into Headfirst Slide and the crowd was so loud at him that he let them take the “get unique” line, grinning the whole time, EVERYTHING WAS LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME.

I’m five points in and just getting to the fact that they released a new album and it was incredible from start to finish, every single song was amazing and extraordinary and so very them and so very what it’s like to be alive in 2023. THE ALBUM WAS GREAT AND WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH ON ITS OWN BUT THEN SO MUCH MORE STUFF HAPPENED.

Then they ran around promoting this album and Patrick said that Pete is his reason for getting out of bed in the morning and that’s one of, like, sixteen different proclamations of adoration about Pete that he made in a span of a week BECAUSE THE WHOLE YEAR WAS JUST LIKE THIS.

Then they went on tour and somehow got it into their heads to play a new song every night, just, like, why not, right, just pulling all the most meaningful songs of their career out of their back pockets as if they had never given the impression that they would never, ever play that song, BUCKLE UP, THE WHOLE RIDE WAS JUST BEGINNING.

Pete gave a speech about how he doesn’t lay under a blanket thinking about being dead anymore, oh my god, these boys who figured out finally how much they’re loved, HOW THIS ALL HAPPENED IS AMAZING.

We got to watch Pete grow and develop all of his little concert speeches and then Pete was like, “Oh, also, I’ve decided to add in this feature called Riff with Patrick,” and all this segment was was them grinning at each other, because WHY NOT JUST ADD THIS TO EVERYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR.

They released an updated version of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and it’s fantastic and was a big hit for them and anyone who likes to think Fall Out Boy doesn’t know how to write lyrics because it’s not chronological needs to just think for two seconds about it, THE SONG IS GREAT AND THE YEAR ALREADY HAD SO MUCH AND THEN ANOTHER SONG!!!

Patrick. Played. “Spotlight.” Like. Unthinkable. Absolutely unthinkable. He played “Spotlight” and the crowd sang with him and he looked out and laughed and said, “That’s a lot of lights,” AND THEN THE YEAR COULD HAVE ENDED BUT IT DID NOT.

PATRICK PLAYED THE DRUMS, sorry, I will never be over that, ever, ever, ever, ever.

At some point in there Pete gave an interview with a rabbit puppet on his hand? And Patrick petted the puppet very carefully???? WHY WAS THIS YEAR LIKE THIS??????

Patrick sang “I’ve Got a Dark Alley” so gentle, so beautiful, so gorgeous, that it was like kintsugi being done right in front of our eyes, it still makes me cry to think of his version of that song, ALL THE GENTLENESS AND HOPE IN THIS EMO BAND THIS YEAR.

Patrick heard Pete struggling and turned to him to play “Bob Dylan” directly at him until he found his place, BECAUSE THAT WAS JUST HOW THIS YEAR WENT.

Meanwhile Patrick went stumbling over unfamiliar lyrics and Pete careened across the stage to get to him to rescue him, BECAUSE, AGAIN, THIS IS THEM IN 2023.

I went to a concert personally and they played me “Sweet Caroline” and “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” so THAT ALSO HAPPENED THIS YEAR AND IT WAS AMAZING AND PERFECT.

Patrick suggested they play “Pavlove.” ??? Hang on, read that again. Patrick. Suggested. They. Play. “Pavlove.” And then they. Played it. Like, yup, ALSO THAT HAPPENED.

Patrick said, quick and sincere in an unplanned aside, that he’s pretty sure this is the best tour they’ve ever done, EVERYONE WAS SO IN LOVE ALL YEAR.

Patrick suddenly decided to grow his hair long?????? Still don’t even know what that was all about, he was just like, 2023, FOLKS!!!

They played a Halloween show in the most Them costumes ever chosen BECAUSE WHY NOT?????

Then to close the year out Patrick dragged out “Yule Shoot Your Eye Out” ????? Like, again, WHY NOT???????

AND THEN “PAVLOVE” SHOWED UP ON STREAMING SERVICES, BECAUSE WHY NOT??????

[burning-academia-if]

Bonus Short Story: Zoe

Word Count: 4.6k

Summary: Snapshots from the life of a child who used curiosity to escape loneliness.

CW: brief mentions of transphobia

A/N: Thanks again for one hundred reviews and enjoy Zoe's backstory! It's the lightest of all of them, and also has some fun lore bits tossed in lol

Zoe hadn’t always been their name, and sometimes they wondered if they’d gotten it right. Their old name isn’t relevant to the story, except in the very beginning. When, at a very young age with a vocabulary so limited that they had to mime with their tiny hands the concepts they were trying to tell adults about, the sound of it had felt wrong. They didn’t have the words for why either.

In books and shows and movies, sometimes characters took on fake names for fake identities and Zoe started doing the same. They ran through names, some so utterly ridiculous it brought more joy then concern to any adult listening. Others made eyebrows draw together and wordless frowns burn their throat.

It was why, when they uttered the name ‘Zoe’ and it only got cursory shrugs they lunged for it. Gripped it with their hands. This time, maybe, people would take them seriously. This time, maybe, people wouldn’t laugh at the name they chose themself. This time, maybe, people would respect the one thing that belonged to them. But that wouldn't be until the end of youth. When it already felt far too late.

//

Zoe's mom and dad hadn't ever cared, at least. The two of them would call Zoe whatever name they wanted as seriously as they would have the name they'd originally given. There had never been any expectations for them to grow out of it, and their mom was the one who went to the teachers and told each one Zoe was allowed to write down whatever name they wanted. No teacher would tell them otherwise.

It was easy to grow, in the house they did. It was harder to grow anywhere outside of it. School was full of watching eyes that questioned everything Zoe did. They had failed every social interaction they'd ever been in and elementary school was a haphazard of pitfalls that lead straight to being the 'weird kid.'

Their little brother was different. From the moment he was born, everyone found him charming. Brighter, cuter, easier. He didn't question everything and go through names like packs of candies. Others might have been irritated, but Zoe was five years older and from the moment they'd set eyes on him decided it was their job to protect him. They didn't want him to know what it was to escape to a library to hide the way they were crying over being left out during recess again.

At home, Zoe would sit in the grass in the small garden their mom had, watching bugs flutter about. She wouldn't say a word, hair wrapped up in a bandanna, braids falling down her back and dark skin gleaming in the spring sun. Her hands were nimble as she turned the earth, covering seeds with soil.

It'd take minutes, it'd take hours, for them to finally talk, "I don't want to go to school anymore, ma."

"And why's that sweet pea?"

There was a butterfly, small and white, fluttering against the wooden fence. Lost and too early to the season. Their own body felt too small for them, ribs squeezing all their organs. Maybe it felt the same. Escaped from it's cocoon early to search for a way to be free in a different kind of form. To stretch its wings and go as far as it could before being devoured.

They were eleven now, at the end of elementary school. They couldn't imagine middle school, weren't ready for the new challenges it would come with when they hadn't even managed to overcome a single one they'd encountered in school so far. Their toes curled into the grass, rolling around words on their tongue.

"It's like...it's like everyone was born with a script to a movie except for me. I don't get the words I'm supposed to say, or why what I say is wrong. It's like...like..." Their face scrunched up, not knowing how to explain the wall they were always banging against. At how they tried to mimic how everyone spoke and interacted with each other and missed the steps each time.

Their mom set her tools down and turned to look at them, "Is this about your name again?"

"No! I mean, kinda? All the kids already thought I'm a freak because I don't use the name you and pa gave me and maybe that's where everything went wrong. Maybe I showed up wrong and so now, no matter what I say it'll be wrong. I don't know how to get the other kids to like me. I'm too scared to keep trying. I go to school and there's no one to talk to and I'm so lonely and I'm so...lonely..." Tears pricked their eyes and they buried their face in their knees. Curled themself up tight so they didn't have to see the look of pity on their mom's face.

A door slid open, and a body, tiny, crashed into theirs. They gasped, teetering over onto the grass, arm flinging out to cradle their brother without a second thought. He wrapped his arms around their middle, eyes squeezed tight.

In a daze, they looked over and saw their dad with a twist of a smile in apology and a gentle one on their mom's face. Their brother said, louder then he probably realized, "No no no. You're sad. Being sad isn't fun."

"It isn't." They said, trying not to laugh. To cry. They didn't want to talk to another soul again. They didn't have a choice.

//

They couldn't use magic, either, which felt like another mark in a sea of marks against them. When they'd gone to do the required assessment at thirteen, it'd been a whole lot of nods and 'hmms' and other things that made them feel like they were a specimen under a microscope.

"You have a stronger magical presence, but it certainly isn't something you have access to."

Didn't they know. Between their constant failures of connecting to kids at school and trying to talk with other magicians, their inability to be anything had been a barrier in all ways. Everyone knew luck magicians weren't seen as real magicians, and in the rare instances Zoe was forced to go to any gathering related to them was met with the distant look of otherness or pity.

Their mom and dad had shrugged it off. Their dad commenting how it was a better assessment then his own and their mom saying her magic might as well have been the equivalent of a luck magician's with how weak it was. It wasn't that Zoe minded, at least, not in the way everyone thought they would.

They minded in that it was another addition to the wall that existed between themself and others. Middle school was harder than elementary in all the ways they expected. All lunches ended hiding in a teacher's classroom or the library, words getting tangled together when they tried to talk. They managed the bottom tier of friends, the kind you exchange a few meaningless words with during one class. At this point, they thought of giving up.

After the confirmation they were a magicless magician, they went home and laid on the grass outside and watched the clouds roll by listening to the sounds of cars rolling past or echoes of neighbors floating towards them. They thought of their little brother, the exact opposite of them in every way. They thought of their unborn sibling, two months out from its due date. They thought of all the ways they wanted someone to mirror them. They couldn't be the only one that was so, so lonely.

//

The Ripley siblings had stretched by one. Zoe, the quiet one who could never find their tongue. Elijah, who was as charming as ever and growing quicker then anyone could blink. And now Lia, the little sister who was more quiet than Zoe could ever be.

Like Zoe and their habit of always changing names, their mom took Lia being non-verbal in stride. She spent an hour each day on ASL lessons and Zoe would sit with her, fifteen and the same as ever in all ways, learning each sign. They would practice together, and then go to show dad when he was back from his part time job, separate from the tea shop they owned. Doctors had said she was young, and it might just be delayed at only two years old. Their mom would rather be safe than sorry, and learning a new language never hurt anybody.

The new studies was something to throw themself into. Another way not to think of anything else. Just them, them, them. Always them. Their world was too big for one. Too big for just their family, as much love as was there. They didn't think there would be anything else for them.

//

"Ughh, I'm too old for my sibling to babysit me, ma." Elijah groaned, ten years old and already speaking with the attitude of a teenager. The look mom threw his way made Zoe throw a hand around his shoulder, more in warning then camaraderie.

"Ignore him, I got him. Besides, Lia's appointment is only an hour."

"You bet I'll ignore him. Keep talking like that and we'll see where that lands you." She reached out, pressed a kiss to Zoe's cheek and then Elijah's despite his protesting and groaning.

The second she was out the door, dad and sister in tow, he shoved their hand off him, "You don't gotta cover for me. I'm not that small anymore."

"...You're ten."

"And you always treat me like a kid! You and mom and even dad when he's not careful." They raised their hands, deciding to concede, but the flicker of irritation showed it didn't help their case. "You never even let me help you."

Zoe's brow furrowed, "I don't need help with anything...? And even if I did, it's not your job to—"

"Because I'm too young to make you happy. I at least know when you're sad. Better then mom does." Elijah stormed away in a whirlwind and Zoe blinked before hurrying after him.

"Wait, Eli!" They skidded out into the hallway, calling after him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!"

"Yes there is!"

"And I don't want to talk about it."

"But..."

"I don't!" And he whirled around, and there was a sea of violent, rushing past Zoe like wind during a snowstorm. It shoved them backwards, and they fell. Their eyes went wide as the chill of it wrapped around the whole room, spilling through the house. Magic.

Magic?

Zoe's words were barely a whisper, "You're...a heart magician?"

Since when? They searched through the confines of their memory, and tried to pull up any instance where he'd been acting strange or when something had been off. They came up blank, but as the last of the magic faded away, they understood why. As dramatic a display as it had been, there was nothing destructive about it. Strong, yes, but more desperate to heal and mend then destroy.

They pulled themself up, and found Elijah's eyes wide, "Don't tell mom. I'll tell her. I just...I can't be the only one who can use magic like this. All the other magicians are so...mean. Isn't that part of the reason why you're sad?"

"What? No. No, no, no. Hey listen, being a magician is a gift alright? Come here, it's ok." They weren't sure how to go about this. It wasn't an experience they'd ever gone through, suddenly wrapped up in magic.

His feet remained glued to the floor, eyes bright and shining. The false anger persona falling away until he was just a kid all over again, "No. I could have hurt you. I could have..."

"I'm fine, aren't I?" Zoe held out their arms, tried for a smile they were never good at wearing. "You knocked me over, it's fine. A solid gust of wind could do that with how scrawny I am."

They waited for him, until he eventually took a step. And then one hesitant step became two and then a lunge and then he crashed against them in a tight hug and Zoe wrapped their arms around him and they thought it not fair for him to be so young and trying so hard to figure out their pain while hiding his own.

Zoe hugged him back, arms not as sure as his. Never as sure. Their thoughts were racing. They knew nothing about magicians or magic or creatures of magic. They didn't even know anything about themself. But they knew the path Elijah was going to walk was going to be vastly different than their own. They needed to learn.

//

It was an excuse, maybe, to ignore their constantly endless problems and questions for their own life. High school was fine. It was the same routine as middle school. They had friends they talked to in certain classes and spent lunch hiding in classrooms and libraries. The key difference now was that they had after school pass times.

It still involved libraries and holing themself away in study rooms, but still.

The most frustrating thing was West Myers was not where one would find information on magicians easily unless they ventured onto the campus of Vales Grove University. Zoe didn't want to do that because they were a luck magician. They could already picture some heart or soul magician college students looking at them like a lost child. So they made do.

It was maybe the hundredth visit to the rundown public library that something noticed them. The library was on the edge of the north side of town. From here, the woods crept in, always yellowing grass spilling over the edges and thin trees watching anyone who would look back. Zoe had never paid it much heed, until their sixteenth year when the woods got tired of waiting and watching.

"BOO!" Zoe jumped near ten feet in the air, feet stumbling over each other, bag slipping half off their shoulder. By some miracle they managed to stop it from dropping to the ground and spilling out its contents. Their heart was going a thousand miles an hour in their ears. A strange, round, green creature was floating in the space near them giggling to itself. "Ooh, I did it! I did it! I scared a magician."

Their expression collapsed into their default blank calm. No words passed their lips.

The creature kept going, "Hey hey, don't be mad! It was all in good fun. Here, here, an apology."

Tiny arms with little nibs on the end reached out and there was a dandelion in its hands. Zoe stared, "Does this cost anything?"

"No no, it's an apology. It's what I owe you. A wish." They reached out a hand and instead of placing the flower in their palm, the creature settled into it instead. It felt soft, like an old cotton shirt that's been through the wash many times. "I always see you. Looking. Longing. What's your name?"

Zoe searched their memory for the name of this creature. There were hardly any magical creatures in the region; the local magician council had a firm distaste for them that kept most at bay. It wasn't information they needed often but this was a common enough one. A regular earth sprite. Maybe once a forest sprite, specifically, but the endless drought had shifted things in the region. What once should have been vibrant green was now a muted brown.

The things were harmless enough. Maybe. So they offered their name.

Immediately, the creature shook its head, "That doesn't fit right, does it?"

Zoe blinked, "Well...I mean..."

"Don't mind, don't mind. Humans that feel like you...are always in flux. Like the seasons. I'll call you that if you wish! My name is Jolly right now!"

At this point, they finally had the realization to look around. Humans couldn't see anything related to magic. Zoe must look wild, talking and stammering into their hand like this. The talk right names and wrong names was throwing them for a loop. What was their name? They'd stopped jumping through names like t-shirts in middle school. How did this creature even know that? And the most pressing question of all.

"What do you even want?" The creature nestled further into their hand at the question.

"Hmm, company? In exchange, you want answers to things, yes? I'll help you navigate magic. In return, allow me company!" Zoe pressed their lips together, but before they could deny the request, it suddenly hopped out of their hand. "Come, come. I know where they hide information. Follow me."

And despite all reservations, they did.

//

West Myers was stranger than Zoe had originally thought. Jolly had proven to be a great guide, and also their first real friend. Zoe sat at the counter of their parents tea shop, binder and notes spread out around them. The air conditioning strained against the summer heat, and Jolly dozed softly in a spare teacup.

The first thing Zoe had learned was that the borders of West Myers did not end at the town. It extended into the woods, and stopped miles in. The second thing Zoe had noticed was that the reason why they had been struggling to find anything was because those records had been removed.

Jolly had said magicians didn't want the general public to know of any events related to them, and so most information would be removed. Thankfully for Zoe, the woods remembered everything as well as the dead did. It had said that Vales Grove had stood for a relatively short time, which in sprite terms meant at least a hundred years, and it's founders had been odd. Liars. Cheats.

It hadn't provided more information on them, and Zoe had gotten the sense it'd been nervous. They didn't press it and it didn't matter, they knew what they were looking for now, and they knew how to look.

Bent over pages, they jerked as a door suddenly slammed open.

Snapping to attention, their brother raised an eyebrow, "Ma would have your head if she caught you not paying attention."

"Sorry, just..."

"Not to mention if she saw Jolly here." Eli's voice pitched high into singsong, "Wake up, wake up. I brought snacks."

Like clockwork, Jolly snapped it's eyes open, hopping up into the air, "Sugar snacks?"

Eli held out a box and poured a couple of sour candies into his hand, offering it up to it. Jolly practically cheered, diving right for it and gathering them all on its arms. He laughed, flinching away slightly at the sensation of it in his hands.

Zoe sighed, fighting a smile, "You're spoiling it too much."

"And you don't?" Eli threw back, coming to lean against the counter. His eyes skipped over the set up, unseeing for a minute as it was how Zoe normally looked at work. Eli sometimes swung by when he was walking home from a friends' house. Zoe couldn't tell if it was because he wanted to bother them or he actually wanted to visit them. Maybe it was both.

His hands snatched something from the table before Zoe could blink, "Is this a brochure to Vales Grove?"

Zoe paused, "Oh, yeah. That's likely where you'll be attending college so I just...checked it out."

They'd hated the visit, hated the atmosphere, hated the way they were spoken to the entire time. Still, they'd gone on the tour and taken all the information packets and had went online to fill out the application anyway.

Eli frowned, "You're hiding something from me again."

"What, no. I mean, you're going to have your magician assessment next year and I just...wanted to know how things worked with all that."

"I know you're lying."

They flinched, and it was Jolly who answered, falling back into its teacup, "They're going to attend! They're curiosity got to them!"

Zoe went still and so did Eli. He paused, eyes narrowing as he looked at Zoe. He was twelve now, still so young but as perceptive as ever. His voice was as soft as it was simmering, "Curiosity killed the cat. Are you forcing yourself to go because of me?"

"No, actually." Zoe's voice rushed out the next sentence before Eli could cut them off. "It was, at first. At least, I just wanted to know what to expect to help you if you needed it. But, you know, something's...really weird about this town and that school. Now I'm doing this because I want answers."

"Answers to what...? What's so weird about this place? It's just normal suburban weird, you know?" Eli handed Jolly another candy without thinking as it reached for more. "What you should be doing is finding some place where you can finally make a friend, and that isn't Vales Grove."

"Jolly is friend!"

"A human friend. No offense Jolly."

"It's fine, it's fine."

Zoe frowned, shook their head, and then thought better of it, "Listen I know that I'm...not the most social, but hear me out first. Look." They spun their binder, brimming with various papers and printouts and envelopes. Eli raised an eyebrow, but let Zoe go on. "What's weird is that there's barely anything magical in our entire region."

"But that's because—"

"Wait. Just. Hear me out. Magic is attracted to magic, right? And if magic is attracted to magic, then places where there's a lot of magicians should attract all sorts of things, but it doesn't. The only reason Jolly is here is by accident, but in other places, it's different. Take, I don't know, Foxglove for example. That whole town is the country's epicenter for magic and it's brimming with every magical thing you could imagine."

Eli frowned, popping more candy into his mouth with a shrug, "It's also the source of so much trouble all the important magicians in the region warn us about it."

"Sure, two worlds constantly colliding will do that but...humans are allowed to know about magic. Magicians aren't forced to hide what they are. The Council of Foxglove doesn't force people to forget things or erase memories of peoples' friends." Zoe pulled at the purple tab and opened up to a series of hastily written notes. "And it isn't just Foxglove. Look at this. Everywhere I was able to sneak information on is the same. And all of these records are so well hidden and for what?"

"Well..."

"This is all weird, Eli. Not just West Myers or Vales Grove University, but this whole region." They pushed the binder towards him.

Their brother pursed his lips, handed the rest of the candy to a very excited Jolly, and wrapped his hands around himself, "Alright. So things are weird. What are you going to do about? This only makes me think you should get out of here as soon as possible even more now."

They shook their head, "I...it...it doesn't feel right."

There were so many other things they wanted to say. It wasn't just the absence of magic but the presence of death. So much death. They wondered how no one was drowning in it. And if there was anything known to combat death, it were heart magicians. It was the thing Eli was. It was the thing Zoe was sure their new little sister was showing signs of being.

"It doesn't feel right because you've only ever known this town, sib. You keep closing off your world before you even let yourself try for something else." Eli shoved himself back from the counter. "Look, all that is super weird, though. Like, you better not fall into a conspiracy weird. But if this is what you want to do, go for it."

Zoe's shoulders relaxed, "...Don't tell mom?"

"So she can kill you? Nah, you can have the college conversation with her yourself. Good luck. Also, speaking of, the only reason I stopped by is because we needed some garlic from the store. Mom'll pay you back."

"Got it."

Eli raised his hand, walked a few steps back and paused. Zoe thought he was going to say something, but he only gave a goofy grin as goodbye and ducked out the door. The quiet that followed was only broken by Jolly's munching. Zoe leaned back in their chair, and wondered if Eli was right.

//

When did they settle on the name Zoe, anyway? When did they lung for it with all their might? It was when their childhood was already over. It was right before the summer they started college. Somewhere in the whirlwind of applications and parental arguments and throwing themself into a new thing and a new thing and a new thing, it came to them.

"It's Zoe." They said, suddenly, a week before they were slated to start college. Their mom and dad stopped whatever they'd been saying. "My name, I think."

"Zoe." Their mom said, with a smile. "I like it."

"Better than when you were insisting we all call you Guardian Heart when you were five." Their dad laughed, and their next words felt heavier. Their dad's joke didn't even get through to them.

The thing about their nature was that they'd run from one thing they were afraid of to another thing. They were afraid of magic and the Council and the university, and suddenly the fear of themselves was washed away, "I don't...think I'm anything. A boy or a girl or...anything."

They were clumsy, trying to find how to articulate it in the moment. It'd been easier to tell Eli, who had barely blinked at the news. It was impossible now, even though they knew their parents wouldn't reactive negatively. They'd always gone with them and let Zoe do whatever they wanted. They knew that so why?

Why was their chest caving in and why was their vision blurry?

Hands wrapped around them, and they buried themself into their mother's shoulder. Why were they crying? Because inside their stomach something twisted and wished that maybe it wasn't true. Oh, it would be so much easier if it wasn't true. Their mom held them tight and they imagined years of scornful eyes and disappointed frowns and they wanted to have something in them that wouldn't elicit such reactions. In another body with a different soul, they wouldn't have spent a whole childhood alone.

And so they wept for pieces of childhood forever lost to them.

//

"You can't come with me to college, Jolly!" Zoe huffed, trying to find just where the second shoe of their favorite pair went.

Jolly hopped around them, "But you changed! You changed! Your aura is so beautiful. Like grapes!"

They snagged it out from under their bed and threw it on, "I don't even want to know what it means to have an aura like grapes. Listen, I don't want anything to happen to you. And besides, this is something I choose myself. I have to face it myself."

Jolly collapsed on their bed, a pout on its face, "It'll be fine! Nothing strange there. Not for you."

"Better safe than sorry. Bye Jolly, I'll tell you how to goes later." And they were out the door and catching the bus.

And Jolly would be right. That first day was as anxiety inducing as everyone else's first day of college. And then the first year went by and the next and, save for a few missteps, everything was calm. Everything was peaceful. The years stretched on and they found a way to grow into it all.

They knew everything about Vales Grove, and they knew nothing.

They knew everything about themselves, and they knew nothing.

Everything was the same, until their last year of college, when nothing would be the same again.

[terastalungrad]

One last plug for this!

I'm recording my solo standup show at Edinburgh TOMORROW at 1.30pm!

It's a high-energy, uplifting comedy show full of gags - and it all secretly builds up to a big thing at the end. Very much a show for Tumblr. Disguised as a mainstream comedy show, but is actually a queer, neurodivergent and Welsh perspective on disability and self-diagnosis. Some poignant bits, but no sad bits! Just a love hour, and you'll have a nice time.

Ticket link:

It's a big room, so every ticket bought in advance will make a big difference to my peace of mind.

This show doesn’t invite reviewers. Instead, here are reviews from audiences who’ve seen the show:

Steffan Alun is the Welsh bisexual Russell Howard.

Funny, light-hearted, and clever (yet still accessible for a tired hungover brain).

I love the way his mind works. I just want to see everything Steffan ever does from now on.

He doesn't waste a single line. Incredibly impressive show.

So satisfying. And crammed full of gags.

Brings everyone along for the ride - a rollercoaster from start to finish.

Warm, inclusive comedy that never takes the piss out of the audience (unless you're an Englishman named Mark).

Every year, Steffan gets better and better.

I took a chance on a whim, and I'm so glad I did.

Hilarious, relatable, and kind. I've never seen a show like this.

Some shows make you laugh until you cry. Some shows take your breath away. Some shows make you feel better about the world. This show does all three.

The most comforting standup I've ever seen.

Unmissable. I always come see Steffan at the Fringe, and this is my favourite show yet.

Last minute decision to catch a show before the train home and so glad I did. Funny throughout and would definitely recommend.

Steffan made everyone laugh throughout. A great start to the morning.

A show packed with laughs but also a healthy amount of poignant self reflection. Exactly the vibe of comedy I needed. I hope I'm allowed to rate a show based on my judgement of him as a person? The support was also really funny. Will be recommending this to others.

[ghost-in-the-hall]

Hello! I have finally stopped crying about Friday night long enough to come tell you guys about it! Also kind of a face reveal I guess? I wasn't planning on posting pictures of myself ever on Tumblr but, um, I met some of Powerwolf, so I'm telling literally everyone who will listen about it. If you'd like to read all about the most amazing night of my life it's below the cut cause my god am I going to ramble and there's going to be a lot of pictures. Posting Update coming later now that I can finally get back to work ❤️

*cracks knuckles* now, I had to take the full day yesterday to literally sit on my floor with my friends to recount that night in as much detail as possible. Every thing I tell you has been fact checked and reviewed by 3 other people lol. I literally can't even believe the night I had, I still think I'm dreaming tbh.

So, as you may or may not know, Powerwolf is literally my favorite band ever. I missed their first US tour so I was determined to get my ass to this show and have the greatest time, also I'm not going to turn down a chance to see Falk Maria Schlegel in person, it ain't gunna happen chief. I got tickets for my friends and I, we made a whole day of it, we got our nails done and met up the morning of and had breakfast and did face masks and all got ready together, it was wonderful, I'm so glad we made the decision to do that because of my god my NERVES that morning. We ended up getting to the venue around 3, which meant we had to stand in line for 4 hours but it was definitely worth the sacrifice. We were about 10 people from the front by the time we lined up. When we got there, none other than Roel VanHelden was hanging out around their tour bus, taking pictures and just talking with a small group of people. He was so nice when we went down to meet him, my friends and I were all dressed up for the occasion and he looked at us and went "wow, you all look incredible!" I think my soul left my body. I told him he was my favorite drummer ever and I'm so excited to finally be able to see him live and he looked so genuinely flattered. I got a picture with him that's at the bottom.

A little while later I look down the sidewalk and happen to notice Charles doing the same thing. He was also super sweet and super funny. I, for some reason, was so much more nervous meeting him than I was meeting Roel so I just kind of ran up said hi took my picture said thank you and ran away, but he was very sweet when he was talking with my friends. ALSO HES SO DAMN HANDSOME WITH HIS GLASSES ON I AM SUCH A CHARLES GIRL AFTER FRIDAY NOW BUT WELL GET MORE INTO WHY LATER!!! Sorry lost my cool, picture with him is also below

We get inside, we get all the way up to the left side of the stage at the barrier, I'm directly in front of Falk and Matthew the entire concert. Unleash The Archers was incredible, I unfortunately only know their song Soulbound, but they're amazing if you're into women fronted power metal bands, I highly recommend them. The entirety of the concert itself was incredible, everyone is so talented and it was so amazing, just for the music I would go back again and again.

But, my god, do those men LOVE interacting with the crowd. I'm gunna go member by member, we made a bullet list lol. We ended up getting notices by every single member of Powerwolf multiple times, like I seriously still can't believe it, it doesn't feel real, but it happened and I have 3 other people telling me it happened so I guess I have to trust them lol.

Roel we unfortunately didn't get to see much obviously because he's at his kit, but after the show was over he came over and gave my friend a drum cover that was signed by the entire band, we have agreed that one day a month I come over we pull it out (until it gets framed), smoke a bowl, and just look at it for a little while together because that's how we're going to share joint custody of it lol. Seeing him play live was also just unreal.

Attila carries such a presence on stage it's actually fucking insane. How easily that man can command an entire room is scary. I don't know if I have the video, I might have to get it from someone else still. But there was one point we were singing along with Attila and he came over and sang directly to my friend and I and reached out for us and we both screamed. He acknowledged us a couple other times throughout the show.

We were on the opposite side of the stage from Charles but him and Matthew switch sides pretty much during every song so he was over pretty frequently. The first time he came over he immediately recognized my little group, he pointed right at me and smiled, I personally think he noticed how I loosened up a lot since almost passing out earlier lol. But he would be constantly coming over and singing along with us, there was also one point I noticed he accidentally bumped into Attila and he just looked at him and blew him a kiss and it was the funniest thing I've ever seen. CHARLES ALSO THREW ME ONE OF HIS ARM BANDS!!!! When he came over after final bows, he threw a couple pics, I missed literally all of them because I have zero depth perception and despite the fact I was wearing 5" platforms I was still stupidly short lol, he noticed proceeds to pull off one of the ones he had on, came right to the edge of the stage and tossed it to me and he got so smiley when I screamed back thank you, he has such a nice smile omfg it's not fair. But he was incredible.

We were right in front of Matthew, we definitely spent the most time with him, he was also in love with us. They played Sinners of The Seven Seas, which is a personal favorite song of mine, so I was absolutely losing my shit, screaming every word, and after they finished each song he would acknowledge the whole crowd and give thumbs up and all that, and then he looks at me, I shit you not my knees almost have out from just now direct this eye contact was the first time, he goes "wow" and gives me a thumbs up and a really impressed look, so of course I got all flustered which made him laugh. He would acknowledge me after pretty much every song, doing kind of the same thing, motioning to the whole crowd and then motioning directly to me, it became a joke, we would both laugh whenever he did it. At one point I made a heart at him and he got the brightest smile and also seemed so genuinely flattered, they all did, every one of them just seemed so touched and happy that all of us loved them so much it was super sweet. But, anyways, back to Matthew. He sang along with us a lot too and was just genuinely so fun to watch, he's such a talented guitarist, I got to see him play the most. He also threw me a guitar pick, I gave it to one of my other friends that came since she didn't catch anything.

Falk Maria Schlegel... I was so insane about this man BEFORE this concert... I am simply unwell about him now. This, to me, is by far the most unbelievable part of my night because I'm literally in love with him. He's kind of similar to Roel where it's hard to get his attention cause he's also mostly up on the back stage, so he didn't really start to come down to the stage until near the end of the show anyways. But he came down at one point and that man held eye contact with me for a good 30 seconds while Attila was making his speech, I thought my heart stopped, how are his eyes even prettier in person? He's just so fun and so cute, I love watching him interact with the crowd. He came over to my side of the stage after the first encore, Attila was giving a speech about how we're all one big heavy metal family and it was very nice. I had to go over this with my friends about 9 times, I still think they're lying to me and I hallucinated the whole thing. Falk motions to the whole crowd and says I love you, then turns looks directly at me, motions to me specifically and says I love you. I blacked out for about 30 seconds I think, my heart was restarted by the last song starting (I fucking love werewolves of Armenia) they were doing final bows and Falk came back over to my side of the stage, he looked at me so I blew him a kiss and made a heart and he went, "oh! Thank you!" Motioned to me and then held his hands over his chest and he looked so happy, they all looked so happy, I hope they come back soon I already miss them. I plan on being right back up in front next time, who knows, maybe they'll even remember me lol

We're also going to be in their city recap video, and Jen Dorn (Attila's wife) took a bunch of pictures and posted a video of us on her Instagram and we got to meet her too, she was also very sweet and very pretty!!

Okay have some pictures of the greatest night of my life, some of them aren't cropped right, that's my bad lol

I have more videos and stuff I can post if you guys would like to see them!!

[frodo-with-glasses]

More Reading Thoughts: The Grey Havens

Oh wow, another chapter review, haven’t seen one of those in ten thousand years

I’m not ready I’m not ready I’m not ready aaaaahhh

this has been such an incredible year and a half; i don’t want this book to end

but the sooner i finish, the sooner i can start over again!! so let’s go

Fatty Bolger!! 😭 We missed you, friend!

Man how am I gonna draw him skinny and still recognizable?? Guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it

LOBELIA!

Man I remember being so annoyed that she received a welcome like this when I was a kid, but now that I’m older, the display of mercy is overwhelmingly touching

She’s leaning on Frodo’s arm!! FRODO’S! He brought her out himself! And they all cheer for her courage and tenacity!

AND SHE LEFT HER MONEY FOR CHARITY

Y’know what? You’re all right after all, Lobelia. You’re all right.

I love the implication that hobbits will not accept a mayor who is not RotundTM 🤣

Ahhhhh okay so THAT’S where I got my childhood definition of “horny”

I’m sure in this case it means “like horn (the material), hard and rough”, which is an excellent descriptor, and it’s a shame I will never be able to use it in my own writing

THEY FOUND THE HIDDEN FOOD AND HAD IT FOR YULE! HECK YES!

Aww, I love you, Gaffer

“It was a purely Bywater joke to refer to it as Sharkey’s End” PFFFFFFT 🤣🤣

The four hobbits being known as the Travellers is so sweet

Frodo: “Ah yes, your box of dirt, the box of dirt from Galadriel, the box of dirt given specifically to you by Galadriel, Galadriel’s dirt”

I love that Frodo knows every single grain of this stuff is magical

I love even more that Sam is antsy and can hardly keep himself from running around and checking if the dirt is doing anything LOL

MALLORN TREE IN THE PARTY FIELD

I’M GONNA FRICKIN’ CRYYYYY

Year 1420 haha blaze it

“All the children born or begotten in that year, and there were many…” Tolkien knows how baby booms work

“And no one was ill, and everyone was pleased, except those who had to mow the grass” BAHAHAHA 🤣

Ohhhhh oh Frodo, oh bby

Sam was away 😭 And Farmer Cotton was the one who found Frodo in his bed in pain 😭😭 o w

Okay but Frodo just automatically assuming like “of COURSE we’re gonna be roomies” is just *chef’s kiss*

IMAGINE. FRODO WAS PERFECTLY PREPARED TO LIVE WITH JUST SAM WITH HIM IN BAG END. JUST THE TWO OF THEM. IMAGINE

I love these boys so heckin’ much

Frodo: So we’re roomies, yeah? Sam: Er, I…well I’d love to, but…but Rosie. Frodo: MORE ROOMIES 8-D

Tolkien: “And they loved Frodo dearly, and no one in the Shire was better cared for” Me: Thanks, Tolkien 🥹😭💚

Merry and Pippin walking around like the local legends they are

Sam doesn’t even know how well respected he is in the Shire 🥺

Noooo Weathertop

ELANOOOOOOR

“Taking after Rose more than me, luckily” And this solidifies my headcanon that Rosie is drop-dead gorgeous

Frodo hiding his illness from Sam hurts, man. You can feel him trying to stay cheerful. Ow, ow, ow.

“‘You can’t go far or for a long time now, of course,’ he said a little wistfully.” I AM GOING TO EAT THE CARPET

ALL HE WANTS IS TO BE WITH HIS SAM

BUT HE WANTS SAM TO BE HAPPY AND ENJOY HIS FAMILY EVEN MORE

HE LOVES SAM ENOUGH TO LET HIM GO

I’M GONNA BREAK SOMETHING

“The Downfall of: The Lord of the Rings” Rollllll credits! *ding*

Oh. Ohhhh. The Elvish song meeting Frodo and Sam as they sit on their ponies in the forest in late evening. I’m gonna cry.

Bilbo: Well, I’m older than the Old Took now! Bucket list completed. Time to go!

“But I thought you were going to enjoy the Shire, too, for years and years, after all you have done.” Same, Sam…same. 😭😭 (that’s what the Magnolia AU is for)

How. How does Frodo predict the names of Sam’s kids. “And perhaps more I cannot see”—how can he see in the first place?? How does he know? He’s getting Elvish, Frodo is. Very, very elvish.

Just. Frodo’s whole speech. I don’t have anything to say, I’m just soaking it in, and I feel so joyful and so sad all at once. It’s so tender and intimate and yet so distant. Tolkien, you’re so cruel, I love you.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

I JUST TURNED THE PAGE

AND THE RIGHT SIDE PAGE IS HALF-BLANK

I’M NOT READY I’M NOT READY I’M NOT READY

Okay okay be calm, it’s okay, just keep going

MERRY AND PIPPINNNNNNN

THEY CAMEEEEEE

And they’re ending the story the same way they joined it because Frodo is trying to leave and they said “NOT WITHOUT US” I’M GONNA GNAW HOLES IN THE COUCH AND BAWL LIKE A BABY

KISSES!! FOR EVERYONE!!!

WHITE SHORES AND A FAR GREEN COUNTRY UNDER A SWIFT SUNRISE

S H U T U P DON’T TOUCH ME

The three of them riding back home in silence but taking comfort in each other

I joke about these things making me cry but I actually, literally, have mist in my eyes right now holy cow

It’s so melancholy and comforting and it hurts and yet it makes you feel so happy and whole

The story is coming to an end, and there’s so much you want to say, but you can’t find words for any of it, and yet the silence says everything and more

(And Merry and Pippin don’t start singing until they take their leave of Sam, almost as if they were being considerate of his feelings first, but as they go and you hear their voices in the distance you get the sense that everything is going to be okay)

“Well, I’m back.”

…

The end.

.

[kissmetwicekissmedeadly]

also I neeeeeeed to know your thoughts on Virche Evermore so far!!! I’ve been debating getting it, but I def trust my mutuals’ opinions more than game reviewers lol

aww im honoured! 🥹 hope i can help you out! i meant to reply to this sooner but i couldn't 🥲 but that's good because I have now completed my first route meaning that I can give you a better answer! so. the game really is as good as you've probably heard it is. Now, when you say you've been debating getting it, I don't know if you were held back by the same things as me but just in case you too are worrying about this: while tragedy IS the domineering trope of Virche, you'll find yourself enjoying every other aspect of what you'd expect to see in an otome game just as much! The romance is romancing. The comedy is there. Nothing suggestive is happening yet you're thirsting over your fave just as much. Get this, I'm not good with extreme angst! The beginning of the prologue had me worrying about that, but in the next moment I was laughing at a funny moment so yeah those definitely exist and they will only make you bond with the characters further. that's part of why the writing is so good. god. the writing. I can't praise it enough honestly. The worldbuilding is complex and interesting to find out more and more about as the story progresses, it has its own brand of angst that would only exist within that universe so you're guaranteed to be taken aback by it. You know it's good if you're not just crying but also blinking in realization of what just happened. If you're like me and play mainly for the characters and your driving force is your fave, I'll tell you that my fave-radar is almost impeccable as often one look is enough for me to know which route i'm doing first, and the prologue only solidifies my choice. And here? I didn't see him coming. It went from 0 to 100 so fast that by the second chapter of his route I was unable to stop thinking about him. And again, what makes a character appealing here has a lot to do with the plot. The LIs are unique and fleshed out and I was ready with my choice for a second route right away after completing my first. What else? The bgm? Amazing. The art? I was looking at one cg of my second fave for a full minute yesterday. SOOOooo Yeah Andy I think I can vouch for the quality of Virche, the rumors are true LMAO ive no idea if you've read any reviews or anything, but i'd say, give it a try! I hope I didn't overhype it or anything, I just seriously haven't found a single flaw so far. But be warned, even if there are funny moments or cool worldbuilding introductions or these instances of subtle sexiness that are imo better than the typical fanservise, there is lots of dark and disturbing stuff too! Especially later on in the game, from what I've heard! So anyway, I hope this helps! If you end up getting it, you're always welcome to come tell me what you think and ramble about it 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️❤❤ LOVE YOU HAVE A NICE DAY

[animebw]

Short Reflection: Fall 2022 Anime

Was Fall 2022 the single most stacked season of anime ever? It’s certainly a contender, at least. Not only were there once again far too many good shows to keep up with, not only were a lot of those shows really fucking good, but there was such a wide variety that no matter your tastes- shonen, slice of life, mecha, political drama, whatever the fuck Akiba Maid War counts as- you were basically guaranteed at least one phenomenal show to stay hooked on. And if you’re someone like me who appreciates pretty much every genre as long as it’s done well? Then my god, I hope you skipped lunch, because this feast never fucking ended. I’ve already given my thoughts on Yama no Susume’s underwhelming fourth season (6.5/10), Mob Psycho 100′s safe but deeply satisfying finale (8/10), and the bonkers roller coaster of Chainsaw Man (8.5/10), and there’s still way too many anime left to talk about. So without any further ado, let’s dive right in to the disappointments, the hidden gems, and the runaway smash hits that closed out this fantastic year for anime.

My Hero Academia Season 6: Unfinished/10

There’s not much I have to say about this one yet, as I’m planning to give it a full review when it’s all over. But I at least wanted to say this: I fucking told y’all My Hero Academia was going to reclaim its crown. I told y’all this show was eventually gonna earn its place back as one of the greatest long-running shonen of all time. But nooooo, you were all busy pretending that a few lackluster fight scenes meant this show was the worst garbage ever and handing out accolades to gorgeously animated pieces of stale cardboard like Demon Slayer for plastering pretty wallpaper all over the vapid nonsense at their core. Well, how does it feel now, huh? How does it feel to remember what an actual great shonen action series looks like? This is the best that MHA has been since season 3, and while it’s gonna fall to the next cours to determine where season 6 ends up on the pantheon, it’s so fucking good to see this show operating at full capacity again.

To Your Eternity Season 2: Unfinished/10

Genuine question: what the absolute fuck happened to To Your Eternity? I still remember when that incredible first episode dropped back in 2021 and everyone was ready to crown it the new patron saint of cry-inducing philosophical fantasy. How did we get from that to this? To increasingly hacky production values that rarely rise above passable and never once manage to capture the awe and wonder this story is so clearly shooting tor? To writing so tonally inconsistent it decides to introduce a cast of wacky over-the-top camera-muggers in this serious and serene fantasy yarn? Didn’t this show used to be good? Didn’t it used to be a genuinely compelling exploration of human nature and immortality and moving on from loss? When did it fall apart so badly that it barely even resembles the show it used to be? And that’s not even getting into some of the most abysmal queerbaiting I’ve seen in a very long time. There were definitely worse anime this year, but nothing else left me feeling so utterly betrayed. I can only pray the slight upswing of quality it’s experiencing in its current arc continues, because otherwise this is going to end up the most crushing disappointment of anime in 2022.

Reincarnated as a Sword: 3/10

Let us all stop for a moment and consider the absolute state of the isekai genre. Here we have yet another story of some personality-deficient schlub transported to another world that runs on JRPG logic, where he instantly becomes the most OP person (or, well, sword) around and never has to struggle for anything. The characters and setting are all as painfully generic as every other entry in the genre. The plot wastes so much time rattling off video game stats to justify its boring OP worldbuilding that it forgets to write any sort of interesting or nuanced personalities for the people in its world. The production values are passably okay without ever showing a single shred of personality beyond the most by-the-basics staples of this watered-down Dragon Quest backwash. There is nothing worth recommending here, nothing you can get from this show that you can’t get in a million better ways elsewhere. And yet, Reincarnated as a Sword has one thing going for it: it doesn’t try and justify slavery. In fact, its real protagonist is an enslaved catgirl who breaks free from her chains and seeks to prove her worth, with the titular sword serving as her paternal guardian. And that alone puts this dull, uninspired, pointless slab of processed anime loaf above a decent chunk of its contemporaries in the isekai genre. Because that is how fucking far the bar has been lowered at this point. God help us all.

My Master Has No Tail: 4/10

The frustrating thing about My Master Has No Tail is that there’s not really anything wrong with it. It’s a cute little historical anime about a tanuki girl learning rakugo from a fox spirit in a time of huge technological upheaval for Japan, a time when all the old spirits are at risk of losing their place in the world and must find some way to adapt to the new era alongside humanity. That premise should result in something really interesting, or at least unique enough for a mellow slice-of-life hobby show with a supernatural twist. And yet despite the lack of things to complain about, I just could not get on this show’s wavelength. It just doesn’t push far enough in any direction to be memorable; the animation is competent but also as basic as it gets, the characters are inoffensive but simple, the comedy is decent but rarely rises above a chuckle. Every single aspect of this show is just a little too underwhelming to really make an impact, and with nothing but average everywhere you look, the whole thing ends up kinda boring. I do like the themes it’s playing with, how art is used as a vessel for spirits and humans to keep their connections strong in an increasingly secular, industrialized world, but it’s not enough to bring this show up anywhere above harmlessly mediocre. What a shame.

Arknights Prelude to Dawn: 4.5/10

I find myself fairly conflicted about the first season of Arknights. On the one hand, it’s a relief to get a gacha game adaptation with some actual gravitas behind it, and the story of a post-infection dystopian world struggling between compassion and justice has some genuinely complex things to say about the morality of living through hellish situations. And its cinematic production ambitions ensure it’s rarely boring to look at. On the other hand, though, I get the sense that whoever was behind the script didn’t take into account the differences between what works narratively in a video game and what works in a TV show. Divorced from their role as an audience surrogate/POV who needs to be explained everything so the player can understand how to play, the mostly silent Doctor comes off as a nothing character who could be cut from the show without changing anything. Ditto the under-explained, underutilized tactical cell phone that probably only existed in the first place to justify how the game’s combat looked and functioned, and the dialogue that’s mostly a series of plot points taking us from one Important Setpiece to the next. I want to like what Arknights is doing, but it’s not until the shockingly great final two episodes that it starts to feel like a proper show and not just a lavishly animated cutscene compilation. Hopefully the second season continues that upward trajectory, and maybe then we’ll be able to call this a truly excellent gacha anime.

Do It Yourself: 5/10

Between this show and Healer Girl from earlier this year, I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I really need more than vibes to keep me interested in a show. Don’t get me wrong, vibes are good! But there’s a whole subsection of cute-girls shows that are basically nothing but vibes, and absent anything else to sink my teeth into, I find myself feeling very little connection to them. You’d think Do It Yourself might have a little more going on, what with its near-future setting, stabs at commentary on the importance of not letting automation fully run everything, and extremely gay undertones. But no, it’s mostly just cute girls doing DIY carpentry for twelve episodes. It’s a show for you to turn your brain off to and just, well, like I said, vibe to the expressive FLCL-esque art style and richly detailed guide to DIY carpentry with a bunch of intermittenly interesting characters. And while I can appreciate those vibes well enough, there’s so little intrigue to anything that I can’t really bring myself to care about it all that much. I dunno, maybe they shouldn’t have kept the one character who actually generates interesting narrative friction at arm’s length for nearly the entire show. And maybe they should’ve let Serafu and Pudding kiss. Actually, no maybes there, they definitely should’ve done that.

Play It Cool, Guys (1st Half): 5.5/10

Here’s a pleasant little surprise I don’t think anyone saw coming. Sure, this slice-of-life about a bunch of clumsy dudes navigating their own awkwardness isn’t gonna set the world on fire, but it’s become one of the more unusually absorbing short anime I’ve encountered in a while. I think what draws me to Play It Cool, Guys is that it’s just very unpretentious; it promises a chill twelve minutes every week of low-key sweet-natured comedy, and that’s exactly what you get. The punchlines aren’t amazing, but they pretty much always hit. The characters aren’t very complex or interesting, but they all carry themselves well enough that you enjoy seeing them on screen. It’s even got a certain kind of confidence to just be so low-key and not try to overextend itself with cheap gimmicks or recycled plot beats to grab your attention, because it trusts that its word and characters are charming enough to earn your investment on their own. And you know what? That confidence is not misplaced. It might not be my favorite thing in the world, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s just going to keep growing on me as it moves into its second cours. Check back at the end of winter, and I might just end up giving it a much more enthusiastic recommendation.

Urusei Yatsura (1st Half): 6/10

Is there still a point to Urusei Yatsura today? Yes, Rumiko Takahashi’s groundbreaking rom-com about an alien girl falling in love with a philandering douchenozzle invented the anime rom-com as we know it, not to mention possibly starting waifu culture itself with Lum. But fifty years later, with all its component parts iterated upon by basically every romance-adjacent anime that followed it, does the original property have anything left to offer on its own merits? Or is it a relic of a bygone time, no longer useful as anything but a historical artifact for tropes and archetypes that have all been used better by the works it ended up inspiring? Halfway through this modern reboot, I’m still not sure what the answer to that question is going to be. What I can say for sure is that this show makes me laugh more often than it doesn’t, and while not all of it has aged gracefully, it’s oddly refreshing to see just how much more egalitarian the anime rom-com used to be. This is no incel wank fantasy where a loser guy gets all the hot girls by doing basically nothing; this is a show where everyone’s just a little bit nuts, and you’re not so much rooting for anyone to get together as you are just enjoying the chaos that results when all these different flavors of asshole butt heads. That’s far more my speed than any of the wish fulfillment harem slop that learned all the wrong lessons from Urusei Yatsura’s success. Whether or not it’ll end up anything more than a series of mostly amusing episodic sketches remains to be seen, but for now, I’m content to just watch the madness unfold. Plus, it’s got Hiroshi Kamiya and Mamoru Miyano sniping at each other like every episode, you can’t not love that.

Pop Team Epic Season 2: 6/10

Sometimes, you just need a little chaos in your life. That sentence probably sums up the appeal of Pop Team Epic better than anything else I could ever write. Sometimes, you just want to let loose on a stream of consciousness through utterly batshit comedy skits that switch tone and animation style on a dime, packed with references to countless things you’re only vaguely aware of, never quite sure if all this insanity has any kind of point or if the pointlessness is itself the point. Pop Team Epic is just fucking weird, y’all. But it’s the kind of weird that clearly comes from a group of talented people having a blast throwing anything and everything at the wall just because they can, not caring about whether any of it sticks or not because the messy, nonsensical act of creating the damn thing in the first place is reason enough for it to exist. What other show will give you a dating sim spoof, yaoi lesbians, legitimately great mecha action, a final fantasy parody, gratuitous violence, a live action flipbook segment, and a full-on tokusatsu show starring Aoi Shota as a time-traveling sentai hero, all in the space of 12 episodes? If that kind of memetic insanity is your jam, then you need to get this show in your eyeballs yesterday. Pop Team Epic makes no goddamn sense, and god bless it for that.

Spy x Family Part 2: 7/10

Does a show need a plot? Is it enough for it to simply wander through a bunch of random side quests and coast on charm alone? That certainly seems to be what Spy x Family is banking on; after a relatively plot-solid first part where most episodes had at least a little in the way of new developments, part 2 seems content mostly to put the Forger family members in a variety of amusing scenarios and leave all the big picture stuff in the background until the final episode. And it’s a testament to just how damn charming these characters are- and how slick the production continues to be- that it mostly gets away with it. it’s fun watching Loid, Yor, and Anya bumble about as they slowly figure out what it means to live a “normal” life. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t impatient for the plot to pick back up. I dunno, after so many episodes of just faffing about, I felt myself getting kind of burnt out on the sitcom hijinks. And it doesn’t help that the biggest new character introduced is basically just a genderswapped Yuri, a.k.a. the worst character in the series. Spy x Family works best when it’s balancing its fluffy and kickass sides, and part 2 just leaned a little too far into fluff for my tastes. I still had a lot of fun, but I’m more than ready for the Ostania-Westalis conflict to be important again.

Blue Lock (1st Half): 7/10

The premise of Blue Lock is one of those immediately head-slapping moments of “Wow, why has no one tried this before?” brilliance: what if you took a shonen sports anime and made it an edgy death game? Sports anime are already full of larger-than-life personalities and conflicts, so taking that over-the-top competitive camp and applying it to a situation where the characters have to destroy each other to get ahead in a winner-takes-all battle royale is such a no-brainer, I’m shocked it’s taken this long for someone to come up with it. Sure, you don’t actually die if you lose Blue Lock, but losing the ability to play competitive soccer ever again might as well be death for a shonen sports boy, so it still counts. Point is, this premise is certifiably genius. Which makes it slightly disappointing that so far, the show isn’t taking as much advantage of it as it could. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some of the skullduggery and backstabbing you’d expect from your typical death game, but for the most part, Blue Lock just plays like a traditional soccer anime. A very good soccer anime, to be sure, but I find myself wishing it was willing to get nastier and edgier and really take advantage of its premise. Hell, it’s not even the best straightforward soccer anime this year; Ao Ashi has it beat in everything but animation. So count me a fan, but also count me hopeful that it leans more into what makes it unique going forward.

Raven of the Inner Palace: 7.5/10

In a fantasy-tinged version of Medieval China, there lives an imperial courtesan known as the Raven Consort. But unlike the other courtesans, her duties do not involve, well, nighttime visits. No, her mission is to put to rest the wandering spirits of the dead, the shades of those who died with regrets or unfinished business that still tie them to the world of the living. As long as anyone can remember, she’s lived alone, existing for nothing but her mission with no bonds to the world around her. But when a new emperor deposes the corrupt regime, he makes it his mission to set right everything his forebearers set wrong... including freeing the Raven Consort from her isolation. Thus begins one of the most absorbing anime I’ve watched all year, a story of the sins of the past as they claw at the fabric of the present, the struggle to untangle eons of societal oppression, and what it truly means to make amends for mistakes that left scars too big to ever heal. Raven of the Inner Palace is a bit of a slow burn, but when it takes off, it fucking takes off. And I know most of you barely even heard about it because it was overshadowed by all the louder, flashier shows this season, so consider this your wake-up call. Don’t sleep on this one, it’s really damn good.

Akiba Maid War: 8.5/10

Honestly, I don’t even want to say anything about this one. I just want to tell you all that you need to fucking watch Akiba Maid War and let you experience its many surprises as deliriously blind as I did. So if that alone is enough to convince you to go watch it, then stop what you’re doing and go watch it before you’re spoiled on anything. But if you need a little extra convincing, then consider the following: what if I told you that this seemingly innocuous maid cafe show is not, in fact, a quaint little otaku-centric slice of life, but a full-on pastiche of yakuza movies that takes all the genre’s bloodshed and mayhem and filters it through maid-colored glasses? A show where maids gun each other down and jockey for power and get in vicious turf battles and yet never once break maid keyfabe? Where the simple joke of “yakuza movie but they’re maids” is played so straight and pushed so far to its absolute limit that it somehow wraps back around to being both a completely ludicrous parody of itself and a completely genuine, 100% heart-on-its-sleeve love letter to both seemingly incompatible sides of its double identity? And walks that seemingly impossible tonal tightrope near flawlessly before bringing it all home in a final episode so pitch-perfect it forced me to pump my score up half a point just from how hard it stuck the goddamn landing? Are you convinced yet? Did I mention there’s a thirty-six year old murder maid who totally kicks fucking ass and doesn’t let anyone shame her for being a middle-aged woman working a cutesy job? What more do you want from me? JUST GO FUCKING WATCH THIS SHOW ALREADY I SWEAR TO GOD

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury: 8.5/10

I had no idea what to expect going into my first ever Gundam anime. Sure, I was excited to finally get a taste of what this storied franchise had to offer, and the excellent prologue and promise of an interesting female protagonist were certainly reasons to be hopeful, but as someone who’s rarely clicked with mecha as a genre, I wasn’t sure how this first foray into the definitive mecha anime would turn out. What I never expected- what I don’t think anyone could’ve expected- was that The Witch From Mercury wasn’t content to just be the first even female-led Gundam. No, this show decided to be REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA. IN SPACE. WITH MECHA BATTLES. And I don’t think I need to say a goddamn thing more to convince you to watch this show. It’s goddamn Gundam Utena! It’s the queerest, most socially conscious anime of all time re-imagined with a futuristic metal exoskeleton, only with Utena’s symbolism-drenched ruminations on gender and patriarchy replaced with a no-less-compelling grounded portrayal of the evils of space capitalism and the political consequences of corrupt systems. Well, presumably; this first cours has mostly focused on the ground-level school romance antics as it builds up all that big picture stuff in the background. But I say again: GUNDAM. FUCKING. UTENA. I couldn’t have picked a better introduction to the world of Gundam if I tried. And as long as the second cours doesn’t shit the bed, this is going to go down in history as one of the greatest things to over come out of the mecha genre.

Bocchi the Rock: 9.5/10

And yet. Despite all the big shonens and bold anime originals, despite Chainsaw Man and My Hero Academia and Gundam Utena, when all was said and done, one series rose above them all. One series that looked at all those big names with a smirk and sailed past them as naturally as breathing. Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, Bocchi the Rock is a goddamn motherfucking masterpiece. It takes the band-girls coming-of-age majesty, the painfully relatable social anxiety of Watamote, and the sheer animation flexing of Nichijou, and blends them all together into a gut-busting, tear-jerking, jaw-dropping tour de force that raises the bar on what slice-of-life anime is capable of just as thoroughly as K-On did thirteen years ago. Hitori Gotou is a socially paralyzed weirdo who’s never had a real friend because her anxiety’s too overwhelming to make friends, but she knows how to play some mean guitar. So when a chance encounter leads to her joining a band, she resolves to stick with it and try to finally break out of her shell, one hilarious misstep at a time. It’s a wonderful story of overcoming what holds you back and finding a community that accepts you for who you are, brought to life with some of the most astonishingly Extra(tm) animation that regularly left me choking on my own laughter. And the music uniformly kicks ass, and the incredible supporting cast provides a wide array of perspectives of introversion and extroversion, and Ryou is such an asshole and I love her, and fucking hell, I love this show! Other anime may be deeper or more complex or have more to say, but almost nothing else is so consistently charming. Every second of this show is delightful. Every moment is lovable. It’s a new gold standard for animated comedy, for cute girls, for coming-of-age, and for music anime in general. Bocchi the Rock fucking rules, and every single one of you needs to give it a watch. Something tells me this is gonna be one of those shows we’re still going to be gushing over for many, many years to come.

[sophieswundergarten]

@nobody33333333, I finally did it!!!

Alrighty, it has taken me ages to get around to finishing all of this, because of unfortunately unavoidable things, but I am done with the semester now and so ready to spew all of my thoughts on the unsuspecting audience of poor people who follow me.

So, without further ado, I present:

Sophie's Unhinged and Excessively Hyperactive Word-Vomit "Review" of Chapter 11 of S.O.S.

Ooooh, Curtain’s evil villain motivations for tipping the boys off balance is so sinister. It’s interesting, because he is using the same tactics he used on/around Nicholas when they were children. Just. The narrative parallels.

Garrison!!

She’s so funny. Even with all she’s been through, she sees right through Curtain to his theater kid core.

(It’s still really sad, though, because she doesn’t get why he’s trying to get her opinion and he keeps forcing her)

“For someone who was fine bypassing ethical standards to rush their timeline, Curtain still put a ridiculous amount of effort into aesthetics. Not that any of this would matter if his new messengers didn’t adapt to The Whisperer.” It just hits so hard, for some reason. Maybe because you can really understand the difference of perspective between her and Curtain.

Oh!! “psychics or telepaths”, we’re getting somewhere!

It makes a lot of sense that the Whisperer tech would pick that kind of thing up!! That’s so clever, and very much something Garrison would take into account. You are so good at putting these little details into it that give the story so much more dimension and open up a lot more paths for the characters to take.

Lindsey!!! Lindsey gets a part and can do things!! I’m so excited for her :) 

Aaaaand she’s got a crush on Isaac. I can’t believe you’ve gotten me extremely invested in this as soon as I got to that line. She’s so sweet, though! I’m excited to see more of her.

And you can tell Garrison is trying to be nice, even though she’s having a breakdown fifty percent of the time and doesn’t really want to deal with teenagers.

It cracks me up that they made a full model of Reynie. Why. Just, why. Did he leave some of his clothes behind? I feel like it would have been better to make one of Kate. You can’t tell me they looked at Madge and went “Yes. I am certain that Reynie, our resident soft-hearted child who’d probably cry if he saw this bird eat a live mouse, he is the one who will be most in-tune with this child. Not Kate, no. There’s no way that the girl who was raised by a circus would be the one who will volunteer to handle the actual falcon we’re about to send to them”

I’m so proud of Number Two for breaking Madge out of a terrible zoo. 10/10 No Comments, one of the best plot points I’ve seen.

Also, this Madge perspective is so cool! Omniscient narrators don’t always remember that they can do anything, but this was a fantastic usage of it.

She’s trying so hard. Madge has made no mistakes ever she’s beautiful.

MISS PERUMAL YEAH

““Oh, Hello.” replied Nicholas awkwardly, hoping that this woman, who clearly cared about Reynie, wouldn’t notice the newly destroyed dummy that happened to be wearing one of his sweater vests.” Ajasdjgadskjl What even. He’s so silly, but that is certainly not a situation you want to be in with Miss Perumal.

I’ve said it before, but the little descriptions and dialogue tags you add to the lines from the show are so good!!! Just tiny things, like calling her “the woman” and then immediately switching to “Dipika” when she introduces herself make it so incredibly amazing. You don’t have to worry at all about it being “boring” or “redundant” because people have already seen the show.

And now we’re sad again because of Milligan. I love him but he is so full of melancholy right now :( 

I love how you’ve been incorporating Mr. Benedict’s tendency to just adopt every single child into Curtain’s character. He may not be going about it properly, or for the right reasons, but he’s just as inclined to take in (abduct) children as his brother.

Isaac cameo!!

The details in how you explain all of the tech, from the Whisperer to the Waiting Room, is ingenious and thrilling to read and I am loving it!!

It just repeats people’s thoughts!! It’s not really like an AI, more of an echo chamber that can project into people’s minds, that is so neat!

Of course, Reynie is able to distance himself by thinking about Miss Perumal, that is such a good paragraph.

And the Curtain/Nicholas parallels are back again!! He’s such a contradiction; He misses his brother and wants him back, but he also can’t stand when things remind him of Nicholas. Oh boy this man needs so much therapy goodness gracious.

Good job, Reynie for being cautious!!

Oh. Oh no this is one of my least favourite bits it’s just so awkward aaahhhhhhh

“The first thing Number Two had done was quickly search Miss. Perumal’s bags for weapons, which was fine with Dipika, since she knew that Number Two wouldn’t find anything (no one ever did).” This is why she’s one of the best characters ever. I did really like the book version, of course, but I also love the way they changed her into Pink Biker Vigilante Mom.

AAAHHHH YOUR WAY OF DESCRIBING HER THOUGHTS IS SO COOL. “Dipika Perumal had met people who wanted to hurt children. She had met people who hated children, who even enjoyed hurting them. She knew what that looked like in a person, you could see it in their faces. And she could see that Mr. Benedict and his companions were not those people. But just because they didn’t enjoy hurting children didn’t mean they wouldn’t use them, and it didn’t mean they weren’t up to anything nefarious.” YES. OH MY WORD SO GOOD.

Also Mr. Benedict being like “Yes, if I tell this lady that my recently discovered twin brother is behind all of this, it will definitely give me credibility. This is the best option”

There’s something about Number Two fixating on the food as a way to enter the conversation/be sure that if something goes wrong she’ll be there that rings very true to me. She anxious about this, and she wants to protect Mr. Benedict and exert some kind of control because she couldn’t keep the house from being broken into and now they’re in the woods and she can’t keep Rhonda from wanting to quit and she couldn’t keep Miss Perumal from finding them and the only thing she can control right now is the stuff she makes with her own hands and she’s scared that she’s falling behind because of all her failures and you can feel that she just needs to do something. You do a good job of portraying that.

CAN YOU PLEASE STOP MAKING ME CRY OVER THESE CHARACTERS????? FOR FIVE SECONDS???? OH MY WORD

And poor Sticky is ashamed of admitting that he’s afraid of not being wanted, like he thinks he isn’t even worth being upset about how he’s been treated.

It’s been kind of intriguing to see Curtain’s feelings about Reynie and Sticky slowly switch.

And now we’re back to Mr. Benedict’s questionable attempts to explain himself. Why on earth would she need background for the information you just dropped on her about your brother? That certainly wasn’t something to be expected.

AKJFshad;asdfg Number Two just casually going “He’s narcoleptic, it’s fine. Please continue to enjoy your food” and the way you write Miss Perumal’s reaction!! She’s so baffled but she adapts, as she does.

Oh goodness, she thinks he’s crazy. I feel so bad for him because he’s had such awful experiences with that, but also from her perspective it’s totally justified.

I love how she initially was trying to be nice and not trigger him but immediately forgoes this to yell at him about sending children into an underground secret tunnel.

HILDEGARD

NO, OH, HILDEGARD. Sad :( 

“Garrison tried to believe that it was for the best. The helpers were happy at the Institute, which was more than she could say for herself.” Please, I will bake you muffins if you stop destroying me like this :((((

AND SHE KNOWS. SHE KNOWS THAT SHE’S HURT PEOPLE (And herself) IN THE PAST. BUT SHE CAN’T REMEMBER.

Oh my. He feels so guilty about how they might have hurt Milligan. And he’s so alone in that.

AND SHE KNOWS. SHE KNOWS THAT SHE’S HURT PEOPLE (And herself) IN THE PAST. BUT SHE CAN’T REMEMBER.

Oh my. He feels so guilty about how they might have hurt Milligan. And he’s so alone in that.

She knows!! She sees the button and that whole paragraph looking into how she feels about the situation and how she fought Curtain to avoid brainsweeping the children is bone-chilling I don’t know how you managed to make us feel that way when I know what’s going to happen it’s nuts how good at this you are.

Their decaying dynamic is driving me up a wall. She doesn’t get why Curtain cares about her, but she’s using it to her advantage, all the while Curtain’s still manipulating her, but he’s trying to do it in the least malicious way possible. (And he’s failing)

“the shock of Curtain realizing the situation she was imagining. A world where they were actually held accountable for what they were doing.”

Garrison’s little dive into Curtain’s weird delusions is very interesting. He really is unsettling, because he isn’t some mastermind who spends all his time distracting people from his real intentions, he’s spending just as much time trying to convince himself of what he’s telling others that he can’t see clearly anymore.

I really appreciate how you give Miss Perumal her own opinions and personality, but you keep her thoughts directed at Reynie. That’s a tough balance.

The narrative tension in the details of how Dipika leaves thinking that Mr. B and Co aren’t intentionally hurting people, but should be stopped nonetheless, and she doesn’t see how badly she’s shaken him is so good!!

More Perumal backstory!!!

SQ!!!!

Oh, this is one of my favourite scenes in the show, just for the lines and the mirror shots and everything, I’m so excited to see your take

Aw yeah, this is brilliant.

Let him go to college!!!! Let him do the things!! Let him do his art!!!

He wants his dad to be proud!! He’s trying so hard to frame it positively, but Curtain’s a wacko and he isn’t going to let him :( 

Let him have his confidence!! He could so definitely do it, I’m so sad :(

Garrison: “Hmm, I’m going to have a look at my readings, so I can maybe hypothesise about how I could possibly find the child” The Readings: “She was in your lab, you weirdo”

Wait. WHAT????? WHAT IS THIS, BODS????? EXCUSE ME???? I MEAN, I KNOW THIS FIC IS AMAZING AND I LOVE IT BUT WHAT????? I DIDN’T EXPECT THAT TO COME OUT OF NOWHERE AND HIT ME LIKE A TON OF BRICKS

Please don’t go and put your liver in jeopardy again, Doc. I don’t think anyone can take much more of that.

AJKSFhakjsgh You always manage to come swinging out of the blue with your chapter conclusions. Goodness. I think I need to go sit down, but I still have another chapter to read and I don’t know if I can wait!!

[taegularities]

Tumblr back in the days must be hectic, oh i wish i was here to experience that :(

Since i am on tumblr. Two of the accounts that i have followed are no longer active. One of them, who i used to interact with, desactivate her account and i just notice that yesterday… I know there are motives to her decision but I still am shocked.

I share the same opinion as anon, Bub if you ever decide to leave tumblr please tell us. And please let us now where or how we can reach out to you, if decided so. Althought, it is so fun to interact with you here. You genuinely bring us happiness and comfort especially with your stories. But whatever it is and of course the best for you, we wouldn’t go against your decision ngl tho i’ll be sad :( guilty sorry

Oh and hi beautiful, outside that, how are you? I am back after my mini break. I decided to go to London last minute lol, thought it will help me a bit but even there bangtan was everywhere went to a kbbq, they blasted seven then proceed with bangtan songs, spring day was my last straw.. Oh and I also found myself another book that made me cry again lol, finished reading it in two days! Otherwise i feel rested and ready to binge read every single update you’re gonna give us, cmi11.5? another one shot? argh, I still can’t get over cmi latest update🥹

axelle hi 🥺 it was hectic in a fun way! we were all here supporting each other, or in networks, talking all day. it was an easier time, honestly, when there wasn't as much negativity or odd envy between people 😭 i do miss a lot of those who have left, though sigh. i'm sorry some of the accounts you liked aren't around anymore either :(

and i will <3 i definitely do not want to make such a decision without telling you guys, bc you've given me so much and it'd be so unfair of me to do that. it'd need so much courage, too, though. but i'm… also so emo over the fact that you feel that way about me. i appreciate you so much, and can assure each one of you that you've been an anchor and comfort and joy and fun to me. ily ily ily and please don't be sad <3

i'm okay, love. life's just been… a struggle haha but i'm glad you're back and doing better and finding good books to read 🥺 awh shucks, the london trip turning into a bts sob fest ufdksjfks i'm sorry!! still hope you had fun!! AND YES 11.5 and a oneshot on their way!!! i also saw your review to cmi11 and i swear, i adore you fr 😔🤍

[always-andromeda]

Honestly, I’m only taking summer courses cause I have to. I take a reduced course load during the fall/winter semesters because 5 classes is just way too much for me to juggle so I catch up in the summer! It sucks, but it’s all I can do to catch up. But thank you! I’m working hard and hoping it pays off.

Yay! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Songbirds and Snakes. But that reminds me, have you watched Southpaw yet?? I’m still dying to know what you’ll think of it!

Yes! Omg that scene where Josh is on his knees is from Future Man 😅. It’s such an odd show, but it ends up being super addictive once you get into it.

(Thank you for the edits, I’m a total a sucker for Jake w a fluffy beard. Like this pic —> https://pin.it/4yatQrQ <— of him from Pinterest 😩😩)

-🤹

The class schedule is completely understandable!! We all gotta do what we gotta do. I’ve been doing part time for the last year and starting in the fall, I’m finally taking the leap into full time on my classes. Which is super exciting and kind of daunting. So hey, we’ll see how things end up going!!

AND YES YES YES THESE PHOTOS OF JAKE LITERALLY GET ME FROTHING. The beard. The hoodie. His SMILE. He looks. So comfortable and warm and safe in these pictures. God, he’s so gorgeous.

Finally, we have good news!! Two bits of good news, actually. Firstly, my copy of Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes just arrived today so look forward to some thoughts on that sometime soon. Second, I just watched Southpaw!! So strap in and prepare yourself for a mini review under the cut because I have THOUGHTS. For everyone else, spoilers for Southpaw ahead!! You have been warned!!

Genuinely…such a heartbreaking movie. And one that’s played so well by both Jake and Rachel?? I love Rachel McAdams in basically everything I see her in but the way she plays Maureen is just…so honest?? I’m a little underwhelmed that she has little character outside of being Billy’s cheerleader, but I definitely think Rachel makes every inch of this role work for her.

Jake brings such a special flavor to Billy too. I’m continually surprised how almost every role he’s been in in the last ten years…he’s an entirely different person. And he bodies it every. single. time. I swear, both Rachel and Jake absolutely killed this.

The most interesting part of this movie post-Maureen’s death is seeing the way that Billy’s relationship with his daughter changes?? Like that scene where Leila says that she wishes that Billy had died instead of Maureen??

I think it’s tragic, actually, just how instrumental Maureen was to both of them functioning. The way that Billy unconsciously still cites her rules (like her not wanting Leila to watch Billy’s fights) to Leila even though she’s no longer around to enforce them?? I think Billy’s arc is way more about him stepping up to actually be Leila’s father more than him building himself back up for that final fight.

I am so surprised that I was able to keep my emotions in until the very end when he wins the fight and has his head against a corner of the ring and is muttering, “I’m ready, baby.” I was full on crying by the time he was hugging Leila and telling her he was ready to go home.

Even though this isn’t my absolute favorite Jake movie, I see why it’s one that’s often credited as one of his great roles?? Like I see Billy Hope as a character that’s up there with David Loki and Lou Bloom as far as complexity and dimension goes for his characters. Overall, pretty solid film and I’m glad I finally watched it!! ☺️👍🏻

[look2the-starrs]

Okay for the five people who read my reviews (five people i love very much!) Here's my thoughts on episode 2 and 3 of YRS2!. Please comment your opinions i wanna know what everyone thinks about these eps individually!

Okay episode 2 - Willie having to physically hold onto his desk? Like this poor boy. I feel like he's gonna snap ngl 🤔

I'm also like, just so confused with the Queen, cause I wanna hate her cause her son is obviously crying out for help, but I do get why she puts the crown first? Like in a way she's a foil for Willie - she's gone through the same thing. She's sorta under the same pressure, buy equally that's her son???

✨

Okay episode 3 though??? Like shit hits the fan 🫠

It's so messy omg what do you guys think?

Simon and Marcus, like Simon was so mature saying he's not ready for it, even though he gives in.

And Willie is like pining so hard after Simon at every single corner it's so sad.

Willie and Felice??? Messy I fear. Don't fuck your friends cause your sad🤨🤨🧐 it won't end well lmao whyyyyy.

Also fucking August being next in line 😀

My dear God.

This scene was sweet till they started making out lmao. I'm so here for the drama!

Untill i watch the next episode which will probably be tomorrow or something!

Please comment what you think i literally have no one to talk this show with - I'm a girl in need!🙋🏾‍♀️

[purplesurveys]

1817

I have traveled to:

More than three states in the US

Mexico

Canada

A place that starts with the letter L I mean yeah I guess. No famous countries or cities or anything like that but I've traveled to local provinces with cities starting with L.

Austria

An island I live in an archipelago.

A big city Sure! Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore.

Anywhere in Africa

Japan I've been to Fukuoka.

A place where English is not the main language That would be Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, and Indonesia for me.

Anywhere in the southern hemisphere If I'm not mistaken, Indonesia ticks that box.

India

Netherlands

I Have Read:

Any of the Bible I had to read it every single day in Catholic school for nearly 15 years. I had to read the four Gospels, mainly, but I also had this brief phase in like 6th grade where I wanted to challenge myself to read the Bible in its entirety (I didn't get to accomplish it).

At least two Harry Potter books I read a good part of it but stopped by the blue book(?) because the plots were starting to feel a little repetitive.

The entire Twilight series I've done this, but I've done more rewatches of the entire movie series moreso than the book.

Catch-22

Animal Farm

A Dr. Seuss book I'm sure I did as a kid. My favorite Dr. Seuss memory though was watching the Cat in the Hat movie over and over.

Instructions to a piece of Ikea information

A warning label that made me laugh

A biography/autobiography This is my favorite genre.

Dante’s Inferno

A Chuck Palahniuk book

A newspaper in the last week

Something that made me cry

I Like to Eat:

Spam I like spam, but when it's part of spamsilog. Spam on its own is on the salty side so I like to have other flavors to balance it out.

Mexican food It's not the 1st or 5th cuisine I'd look for but I like it nonetheless. I only have certain favorites though, like burritos.

Brussell sprouts

Onions Especially when they come as fried onion bits in burgers.

Watermelon

Vegan food I love trying out vegan meals whenever I can! Not a lot of vegan offerings where I live to begin with, so it's something I explore when I get the chance.

Bacon I might be in the minority but I love my bacon on the non-crispy side.

Chocolate

New things I'm very adventurous when it comes to food and am open to trying pretty much anything as long as they aren't made with fruit.

Escargot Love snail. We have a local dish where we cook them in coconut milk and it's one of my favorites.

Hummus Hummus is great! I discovered it in high school when I was attending college entrance review classes, and I haven't looked back since lol.

Haggis

Indian food My favorite cuisine.

Home cooking Home-style meals always feel like a warm hug, especially when it's Filipino food.

Fast food Not too much of it but I do indulge myself from time to time.

My Favorite Actors Include:

Mark Wahlberg

Morgan Freeman

James Franco

Leonardo DiCaprio His acting skills are undeniable but I'm just a little 50-50 on him these days due to his dating choices, and that makes it difficult to vouch for him fully.

Robert DeNiro

Samuel L. Jackson

Chris Hemsworth

Elijah Wood

Johnny Depp

Steve Buscemi

Robin Williams His performance in Good Will Hunting changed me. I still hold on to his delivery of "It's not your fault."

Jack Black

Channing Tatum

I Have Listened to These Bands:

Taylor Swift Only because I have no choice. She's everywhere.

AC/DC

Jay-Z The Watch the Throne album raised me throughout my middle school years.

Frank Sinatra

Pink Floyd

Fall Out Boy Folie A Deux is my favorite album of theirs.

Incubus

No Doubt

The White Stripes

Skrillex LOL yes. Dubstep was crazy popular when I was in high school and I'm more than ready to admit I had a big Skrillex phase at the time.

Tenacious D I was obsessed with playing Rock Band when I was younger and the game I played had a Tenacious D track in it, so that's how I came to know the band.

Metallica I must've listened to For Whom the Bell Tolls a million times after Triple H came out to it during one of the past Wrestlemanias.

Britney Spears She was huge on radio from 2008-2011 and I lovedddddd all the singles that came out at the time.

Ke$ha If you told me to summarize 2009 in one word I would answer with Ke$ha. Sis blew up overnight and Tik Tok was playing everywhere.

The Beatles I tried to like them because everyone had been listening to them, but I couldn't find myself becoming a fan of the music.

I Have/Had These Pets:

Dog I had Kimi for 14 years, and currently I have a 4-year-old and 2-year-old in Cooper and Agi.

Cat My sister had Arlee for a few years, and I took care of her for a bit when Nina had to stay in her dorm for college.

Horse

Bird We owned a pair of lovebirds a little over a decade ago.

Hamster

Lizard

Snake

Guinea Pig

Goat

Fish Had several goldfish as a kid.

Mouse

Spider

Pig

Hedgehog

Ferret

I Have Seen These Movies:

Fifth Element

Gone With the Wind I was introduced to classic Hollywood by an ex, and Gone with the Wind had been one of the first movies I got to watch. I owned the book and read the first few chapters, too, but ultimately never got to finish reading it.

Nightmare Before Christmas

High School Musical Pretty much took over my life in grade school. I had (and still have) the choreo to We're All In This Together memorized and I've lost count of the many birthday parties I was invited to that were High School Musical-themed.

Kickin’ It Old School

Casablanca I must've tried watching Casablanca more than ten times, but it always bored me.

Predator

White Men Can’t Jump

AVATAR

12 Years A Slave I've seen a few bits, but not the whole movie.

Saving Private Ryan

MASH

Mamma Mia!

Dark Shadows

Riding In Cars With Boys

If I Could Have A Super Power, I Would Choose:

Mind control Mostly for clients just so I can have things my way sometimes, lol.

Mind reading

Teleportation I'd love to have this, both so I can travel and so that I don't have to deal with the terrible traffic.

Flying

Bulletproof

Speed

Super-strength

Invisibility Yeah, I mean as someone who hates being the center of attention and being seen in general, I could enjoy this.

All-Knowing

X-Ray vision

Freeze-touch

Time traveling This would be my main superpower of choice.

Invulnerability

Telekinesis

I Am Scared of:

Clowns

Heights

Spiders

Open spaces

Small spaces

Vacuums

Snakes

Needles No tattoos for me, ever. As much as I'd want them hahaha.

Strangers

Michael Myers

Bugs They just freak me out. They have a lot of legs, some fly, some have that annoying buzz, they come in 47324723 different colors, you never know if it's going to sting you or bite you or fly straight to your ear... just no thanks.

Tiny holes

Highways

Germs

Police

My Favorite Color Is:

Red

Yellow

Orange

Green

Blue

Purple Borahae!

Gray

Black

Brown

White

Pink I started liking pink in college, and I'm still here.

I Am Currently Wearing:

A t-shirt

A hoodie

Capris

Shoes

A bra They're nipple tapes but I'm counting them.

Make-up I put on some BB cream, foundation, and concealer today since we had to head out for a bit of a get-together with extended family.

Perfume

Deodorant I have it on daily.

Hat

Something with a superhero/symbol on it

Nail polish

Scarf

Pajamas

Boxers

Sweatpants

I Would Describe My Best Friend As:

Bossy

Intelligent She's both book smart and street smart.

Promiscuous

Funny We share the same humor so naturally I find her funny, but even outside of that shared humor she tends to crack me up all the time.

Whiny

Honest Yeah, I mean we're way past the age where we'd feel like giving white lies haha. We just tell each other it like it is at this point.

Reliable I wouldn't be friends with someone I can't find reliable...

Loyal ...Or loyal.

Lazy

Adventurous Our trip to Thailand together was a shining example. She was always open to trying new things, new food, new spots, new plans...which I appreciated and was happy to ride alongwith.

Unique We all are.

Complicated

Open-minded I wouldn't be able to be patient with, and much less be friends with, someone who prefers to be stuck in their own circle of thoughts and beliefs.

Well-read Hence her intelligence.

In the Last 24 Hours, I Have:

Read

Drank alcohol I had a bottle of soju earlier.

Had sex

Eaten meat  I saw family earlier and we had a dinner spread that included Korean fried chicken, gimbap, and pork barbecue so there's that.

Danced in public

Went swimming

Changed my clothes more than once

Said something mean I didn't say anything that was mean but I was forced to deliver a few words to a younger cousin in a tone that was on the bitchy side because he was starting to get inebriated and I was starting to be unhappy with his tone.

Cleaned Yeah, I cleaned up my room earlier before we left because I wanted to come back to a room that was spotless.

Spent money on something pointless

Sang aloud I listened to Seventeen in the car with my sister and we were both singing along.

Met someone new

Played a game of some sort I have a game on my phone that I check in on at least once a day.

Things In the Room With Me Now Are:

A TV Which is also currently playing a YouTube video.

Another person

Something that belongs to a child

A pet

Food I have a cup of coffee...do we count that?

Bed And I'm SO excited to sleep in it later.

Art I do have a few art pieces in here, all made by my sister.

Clock not connected to a phone/computer

A mirror

Medicine I have a couple packs of Strepsils here if we're counting them.

Books Mostly books from my younger years since I haven't thrown any of them out, but I also have books I've owned in the last year or so.

Drugs or alcohol

The Last Person I Texted Is:

My significant other

Someone who sucks at spelling

A different race than me

A relative

Someone I don’t really like

Someone I went to high school with

My best friend

A person I work with Kind of. Not a workmate, but he's a work contact.

At home

In the room with me

Knows more than one language  Most Filipinos are at least bilingual.

Is female

Is under the age of 21

Someone I live with

I Am For:

Abortion Her body, her choice.

Death penalty

Gun control Can people just, like, not own guns at all lol. I'm from a country where gun ownership is uncommon so I just really don't understand the frenzy around them.

Gay marriage Should've been legal everywhere to begin with.

Prayer in school

War in the middle east

Marijuana legalization I admittedly need to do more research on this since it's not a big topic where I'm from, but I know it has its medicinal benefits that I wouldn't want to kept from those who can really be helped by it.

Banning cigarettes in public places

Higher taxes Especially for the rich.

Higher minimum wage Because everyone deserves a livable/sustainable wage.

Standardized testing

Lowering the legal age for drinking

I Have Committed These Crimes:

Jaywalking

Smoking weed

Shooting heroin

Shoplifting

Breaking & entering

Public intoxication

Hit & Run Once, when I had been driving for like only two weeks. It's not something I'm proud of.

Speeding I'm pretty sure I have but no one ever gets pulled over here for speeding lol.

Opening someone else’s mail without their permission

Burglary

Vehicular manslaughter

Lying under oath

Truancy

I Took These Classes In High School/College:

Home Ec Yeah this one mandatory all throughout grade school and high school. Wasn't the biggest fan of it and it showed in my grades lol, but at the time it was hard for me to care any less.

Physics I had to take it in senior year high school, then again in my freshman year of college.

Photography

Criminal Justice

Journalism That's my college major, so journalism and I definitely had our dance for four whole years. Realized the fieldwork wasn't for me so I went for journalism's closest cousin instead as a career – PR.

Debate

Creative Writing

Art I took an art history elective if it counts? One of the classes I enjoyed a little more than others.

Music Theory

Philosophy I had to take it for a couple of years in high school and HATEDDDDD IT. Also in freshman year of college, where I was so close to failing the class because I just could not grasp whatever the fuck concepts were being talked about. The one thing that saved my final grade was the actual finals of the class since it turned out to be objective.

French

Theater

Choir

Psychology I took a psych elective since psychology was one of my dream courses and I figured taking a bunch of psych electives can let me be immersed in their world, but my prof wasn't the best and it put me off from taking any further psych electives. I ended up taking a bunch of history ones instead.

What I Watch On TV:

Reality shows about celebrities I don't religiously follow any per se but this is for sure an unguilty pleasure. I'll watch the Kardashians from time to time.

Game shows

News Yes, especially if my dad's home since he likes having the evening news on over dinner.

Reruns of classic shows I watch Friends regularly on Netflix.

Award shows

Modern Family

Doctor Who

Scandal

Infomercials

HSN

MTV

Singing competitions

Cooking shows

Traveling shows

[likeclarabow]

happy new year abby!!!!!!! congrats on meeting your reading goal, i’m glad that despite your busy life you’re still able to enjoy reading for yourself <3 some bookish questions, if you don’t mind …

what was your favourite reread of 2023? what book did you mean to read but ended up not? what books were you looking forward to but disappointed by? what book took you by surprise? your favourite series? your favourite standalone? your least favourite book(s)? what book did you write your favourite review about? and finally, what book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2024?

may this year be full of blessings to you!

hiiiiii love, happy new year!!!! i'm finally back on my laptop so i'm sorry this is a few days late <333

favourite reread: i did a lot of rereading this year and i loved them all but probably six of crows!! every time i reread that series i'm a little nervous that its not going to have the same magic it did the last time and it always does and this time was no exception its just going to be a forever favourite and i'm so glad i reread it

a book i meant to read and didn't get to: there were a few i meant to at the very least start over my break that i didn't get a chance to (this biography i picked up at a school social and the hundred years war on palestine by rashid khalidi), books i had on hold at the library but it was just never the right time (as long as the lemon trees grow by zoulfa katouh), and my book lovers reread that i was all set to start and then i didn't read for like 3 weeks

a book i was looking forward to that disappointed me: greywaren by maggie stiefvater was soooo messy plotwise and there were things i wanted wrapped up that were just not addressed in a satisfying way yes i gave it 5 stars the epilogue made me cry those 5 stars are for declan lynch and for how much i love the trc/tdt universe as a whole pls take my rating system a little bit seriously (so i guess it wasn't 100% disappointing i just wanted more from the final book) (honourary mentions to nine liars by maureen johnson bc it was sososo fun for 99% of the book but the very end was so unnecessary i'll never forgive her, and harlem shuffle by colson whitehead i liked the writing i just thought the plot would be different from what it ended up being)

a book that took me by surprise: the day of the jackal was supposed to be something i picked up for a few hours for shits and giggles since i've never had any real interest in 70's spy thrillers but i actually enjoyed it enough to finish! also these violent delights by micah nemerever surprised me because i did not know what to expect at. all. and i still dont know how to describe the feelings that book gave me but i certainly didn't expect them

my favourite series: beartown!!!!!! you know exactly why i don't even have to explain </3 (honourary mention to sandra gullands josephine b trilogy its one hell of a historical fiction series and i enjoyed it SO much)

my favourite standalone: rebecca by daphne du maurier!! its just the most beautifully written book that captivated me from the very first page <33

least favourite books: the last word by taylor adams (extraordinarily mid upon first read and it just seems so bleh looking back), ready player one by ernest cline (i can see why my boyfriend loves it but it just didn't appeal to me at all), 20,000 leagues under the sea by jules verne (jules verne knows sooooo many facts about the ocean and electricity and he put every single one of them in this book in very long paragraphs but i forgive my prof for making me read it)

my favourite review: i didn't really write any solid reviews this year (something i'm hoping to do more of in 2024) but my favourite mini reviews are the ones i left for wuthering heights and 20,000 leagues under the sea bc i think i'm funny and bc i think they sum up my reading experience quite well

books i'm most looking forward to reading in 2024: soooo many a curse for true love by stephanie garber, a man called ove by fredrik backman, alone with you in the ether by olivie blake, divine rivals by rebecca ross (!!), penance by eliza clark to name a few

[sunflouwerhabit]

hii! it's me again! (i'm thinking of getting a patent for this phrase ahaha) 

1st I'm very glad that my messages make you happy there's a lot of care into them AND your writing makes ME very happy so, feels like a fair trade. 

2nd SOTB IS SO ROMANTIC LIKE!!! I love how she combines a more mystical/ethereal view of love to a very mundane and domestic side of it <3 Also I agree very much, love the version with more lana, I think it really suits her voice.

3rd omg which other album would make your top three??? this is now a very serious question. And also, COWBOY LIKE ME AU WHENNN. 

4th IT WAS LOUIS' HATER ERA BUT I LOVE IT SOOOOO MUCH. I love him throughout the whole fic tbh, I think sometimes authors when writing ""enemies"" to lovers (i mean are they really enemies if Harry was in love with him FOR MONTHS 💀) either make the first conflict too harsh or then make characters' reaction not proportionate at all with the event itself but I think that Louis' behavior in yours was so credible, I really really loved dtl. 

5th I WANT TO GO. I live in europe sooo I thought I had already gotten over my "I wanna live in the USA when I grow up 😍" era, but reading your descriptions of Cleveland made me want to AT LEAST go there to visit it. 

6th OK SO. I HAVE STARTED THE INNINGS. IN FACT, I'VE READ ALMOST ALL OF THEM. I think the next one is the tenth. I'm trying to save them because I usually read really fast (I read write this down in like... two days........) but I've been struggling with finding new fics (if you have any recommendations plz do tell) and I'm not ready to finish the innings because then I won't have any ""new dtl content" for when I'm really struggling with finding something to read before bed. so. yeah. who knows. in a month I've read 10 innings so it probably won't last much longer ahahah BUT I'M LOVING IT SO SO MUCH. I could probably give you a review on each of the innings and explain why I loved every single one of them but I reckon that would make a too long of tumblr ask so... I won't ❤️ but I will say that I LOVE HARRY SO MUCH. like I love dtl louis in the sense of: I would love to be his friend, I would love to hang out with him. HARRY THOUGH??? He's like: COMFORT CHARACTER. I KNOW I ALREADY SAID THIS BEFOFE BUT HE REALLY IS. THE FIRST INNING??????? KNOWING HIS INNER THOUGHTS????? like. I can't. I CANT. Don't think I'll survive dtl (harry's version) :)))

(also!!!! I didn't know anything about baseball before I read dtl and I thought it would be good to have a mere idea of the game before starting the fic so I spent approximately 3 hours on youtube watching videos like "how to play baseball (BASICS)" or "how to play baseball (BASICS (FOR EUROPEANS WHO HAVE NEVER WATCHED A GAME))", just kidding this last one didn't exist. BUT IT SHOULD. It would've been helpful. Anyway rn I still haven't started supporting a team (bc honestly I get very overwhelmed with the amount of games and since my knowledge of RL baseball is close to 0 I'm not sure how I'm supposed to watch it or how do people usually follow the season) BUT I WILL SAY THAT I DONT THINK I COULD EVER SUPPORT THE CUBS. Just bc in my mind they're forever meanies and I just can't. So thanks for that!!!!!)

7th IM SO EXCITED TO SEE WHAT YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR THEM. I SWEAR TIS THE DAMN SEASON AND I'VE STARTED LISTENING TO EVERMORE AGAIN AND I REALLY FEEL THE SUDDEN NEED TO REREAD WRITE THIS DOWN. but I think I'm going to save it for christmas cause I think it will be sooo comforting because HOLIDAYS. So, until then I'll just listen to evermore and think about them.

8th whiiiiich brings me to the point of this whole ask! I watched the eras tour film today and when it got to champagne problems all I could think about was liam. Like my friends were crying (we're all very devoted Taylor/Louis/Harry fans) and I was thinking about the fact that Liam did buy champagne. In your fic. Honestly I was thinking about them the whole time. So yeah, you have officially altered the way I perceive evermore, thank you so much.

9th (bc 9 innings) have you been to the eras tour? or have you watched the film?? If no to both YOU NEED TO WATCH THE FILM as soon as it's available!!! it's so good!! If yes to both, what did you think of it? If yes to one of them and no to other, plz do ramble about it, I'd love to hear (read) your thoughts.

ANYWAY this is once again VERY long. IM SORRY! I hope you have a great weekend AND THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BEING SO SWEET AND TALKATIVE IN YOUR REPLIES!!! 💓 I LOVE YOU!!!! :) 

HIIIIIIIIIIIII <33333 i am back to answer after a bit of a hiatus :-)))) ((writing took over my LIFE this past month. i am so behind in EVERYTHING 😭♥️)) but omg anyway i am BACK!!

stoppppp i love the idea of a tradeoff between my stories and these comments??? that is simply??? so cute i will sob :'))))

I LOVEEEEEEEEEEE YOUR ANALYSIS OF SOTB S O MUCH!!!! like the juxtaposition between the sheer impractical allure of it all to how NORMAL life becomes between two long term partners??? sahhsldfjsfsf i think that's why i love the line "my flight was awful thanks for asking" sO MUCH like UGH

OOOOOOO i loveeeeeeee this question! so my top three taylor albums are: evermore, speak now (taylor's version), and folklore!!!! i love every album she has ever released, but those 3 are so special to meeee

LOUIS THE HATER <3 love him sm. he's so perfect and so unserious sjflsdfjsdjfsf but i also have those same reservations with enemies to lovers so i am so happy to know down the line still felt realistic!!! i LOVE tropes when it's enemies to lovers on the surface, but it's so obvious that only one takes the rivalry seriously sdfjksdfjsf and writing smitten harry always makes me so happy!!!

and AHHHHHHHHH i am so happy to be of service with that particular mission:'))))))))) i can attest to cleveland being a wonderful place to visit, if it's possible <3333 i have been to europe once but would love to see more countries and cities in the future!!!!!

AND AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! THE EXTRA INNINGS!!!!!! i love that you are trying to read them slower (reading write this down in two days is SO IMPRESSIVE i CANT). it also makes me giggle because i am pretty sure this ask was sent in before innings 13-15 were published, so!!!!! i hope you enjoyed those three monsters (writing those was.... a lot hajlfasjfsdlf). i need to make a fic rec list sooooooon! i have so many! my favorite fic of all time is mine would be you by crinkle-eyed-boo! :-) but AHHHHHHH i am so so so happy you love down the line harry so much! i simply want my own personal dtl harry???? like where can i find one of him???? he's just a baby????? :'))))))) i love everyone in dtl but he's just so special i aDORE HIM <3333 but also ALSO ALSO i am giggling at all the effort you put into learning about baseball!!! i love the dedication!!!!! ((a video for europeans especially is such a good idea i will get on that sjdfjlsfsdfsdf)) i actually made a powerpoint explaining baseball basics for my one friend! i should link in on ao3 so you all have it hehehehe aLSO ALSO ALSO ALSO- if you still need a team to root for.... might i suggest the cleveland guardians :D

AND :'))))))) it is officially OFFICIALLY evermore season!!!! tis the damn season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is truly the ideal time to read write this down. i will be playing my evermore vinyl on repeat for the next month :')

BUT HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH MY GOD OH NO I AM CRYING FOR YOU???? THAT IS SO DEVASTATING?????? POOR LIAM 😭😭😭😭😭 i feel your pain so much though because so many songs on evermore now remind me SO MUCH of write this down and it HURTS

AND!!! i have been to the era's tour!!!!!! i went to pittsburgh night two and my surprise songs were story of us and seven and it was the best night of my life! i dressed up as a speak now disco ball. it was just ahhsldfjsdlkfjskflsf. evermore was my favorite era of the night. tis the damn season. marjorie. TOLERATE IT. like are you KIDDING???????????? i also loved the pure joy in the stadium during the fearless set. and she had so many of my favorite songs on the setlist. im just aljdsfklsjfskfjsf i would love to relive that night again and again :') and i saw the movie the day it was released! i may actually go see it again this week with some family!!!!! i love it so so so so much! are you seeing the era's tour??? :')

♥️♥️♥️ i am so sorry it has taken me a million and one years to answer your message, but i hope you are doing well and you may always always always feel free to ramble in my asks i love these messages SO MUCH <333333

[jzontheazarian]

New Music to Fall in Love with This Fall: Diddy, Kylie Minogue, and More Share Their Self Care Songs for October

Self care is more than a treat, it’s a necessity. That’s why we created this monthly playlist of songs to feed your mind, body, and spirit. Whether you need some calming melodies, some inspiring words, or some energetic beats, we’ve got you covered. Plus, we added some extra songs to enhance your self care in different areas and get you ready for the month and the start of Autumn.

So put on your headphones, close your eyes, and let the music heal your soul. Let these songs take you to a place of bliss and harmony. Let them honor your value and your power. Let them help you to love yourself, just the way you are.

This is “Self Care Picks,” your ultimate playlist for spoiling yourself.

Here are our picks for this month:

‘Need Somebody’ - Diddy samples the classic Three 6 Mafia 'Chicken Head’ and cooks up a delicious treat for ‘The Love Album: Off the Grid’ that will satisfy your hunger for love. Jazmine Sullivan delivers a passionate performance that will make you feel every emotion, while Diddy adds some spice with his amusing interlude. This song is a perfect way to indulge in some self care and enjoy the flavors of love.

‘Good Love’ - Kenyon Dixon knows how to set the mood for the cozy season with his smooth and soulful music. His song ‘Good Love’ from his recent album ‘The R&B You Love’ is a romantic dream come true. The song is filled with warmth and harmony, and it will make you feel like you are wrapped in a blanket of love. This song is a great way to cuddle up with your partner or yourself and experience the magic of love.

‘Good Cry’ - Amindi does not need words to express how she feels, because her emotions speak louder than anything. She shows us how to handle the challenges of life with grace and style, even when the world is against her. Her song ‘Good Cry’ from her latest project ‘Take What You Need’ is a relatable and cathartic song that will help you release your stress and pain. This song is a great way to give yourself some space and time to heal and grow.

‘Lemonade’ - Karri compares his relationship to a refreshing drink that quenches his thirst and satisfies his needs. He sings about how his love is the answer to his questions and the source of his happiness. His song ‘Lemonade’ is a sweet and catchy song that will make you smile and dance. This song is a great way to celebrate your love and appreciate the good things in life.

‘Somebody to Love’ - Kylie Minogue proves that music and love are timeless with her ninth #1 album. She sings about how feelings can change, but love can last forever. Her song ‘Somebody to Love’ from her latest album ‘Tension’ is a sparkling and enchanting song that will make you believe in fairy tales. This song is a great way to find your love or rekindle your romance.

Other songs we loved: 

‘I’m Gonna Make It’ - Moonga K

‘Agora Hills’ - Doja Cat

‘Let Me Find Out’ - Tommy Francisco

‘Mosquito’ - PinkPantheress

‘Safe’ - Eugy

‘Upo Single’ - Rayvanny

Self-Care Spotlight: ‘Leveled’ by Durand Bernarr

Plus stay caught up on ‘First on Audiomack’ with new reviews uploaded daily.

You can listen to this month’s “Self Care Picks” on Audiomack and YouTube Music.

[reviewsthatburn]

Violet loves Burleigh House. Unabashedly, unreservedly, and to the point that she’s in a toxic/codependent relationship with Burleigh as it will take everything she has to give and hurt her in return. I kept waiting for it to do something for her, something beyond occasional flowers. Violet has to figure out whether she wants to live for more than Burleigh, if she can be more than a Caretaker. She's ready to give everything for it and it's waiting to take everything she'll offer.

Full Review at Link.