#david rose/rebecca bunch

[stereopticons]

twist yourself around me [david rose/rebecca bunch, T, 1.6k]

published 12/16/2021

podfic by hullomoon, Amanita_Fierce, oakleaf, thesleepyskipper, and sunlightsymphony

He’s seen her here before, he’s pretty sure, but this time, her friends have left her sitting alone, having wandered off to dance or drink or fuck. His friends have done the same, and he’s just drunk enough and lonely enough to approach her. Not that he never approaches strangers in the clubs. On the contrary, he does it with enough frequency that it would be alarming if he stopped to think about it (so he never stops to think about it). Those interactions, though, rarely involve many words, all sweaty bodies and hands and tongues. Something about this woman makes him want to strike up a conversation. So he slides into the seat across from her.

Or: the angsty pre-canon SC/CXG crossover that no one asked for!

[kaydensb]

100% Legally Sourced Media (Google Drive)

Here is a link for a whole bunch of movies, tv shows and more - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15yd2vLoCzlTDknjTgo965gCoAV8S0Emt

below is a list of the things currently on my google drive, I may add more and keep updating this list periodically as things get put on the drive.

Audiobooks and Audio Dramas

Fiction

1984 By George Orwell

Animal Farm By George Orwell

Chemistry By Rachael Sommers

Daisy Jones and the Six By Taylor Jenkins Reid

David Copperfield By Charles Dickens

Dracula By Bram Stoker

Eve of Man Series By Tom Fletcher & Giovanna Fletcher

Frankenstein By Mary Shelley

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe By Fanny Flagg

Friends of Dorothy By Sandi Toksvig

Gothic Tales By Arthur Conan Doyle

Jurassic Park By Michael Crichton

Little Women By Louisa May Alcott

Neon Roses By Rachel Dawson

Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen

Red, White & Royal Blue By Casey McQuiston

Should Have Known Better By A J McDine

The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection By Arthur Conan Doyle

The Exorcist By William Peter Blatty

The Honey Witch By Sydney J. Shields

The Murder Game By Tom Hindle

The Picture of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde

The Woman in Black By Susan hill

The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop By Fannie Flagg

Torchwood

We Play Games by Sarah A. Denzil

When You Least Expect It By Haley Cass

Non Fiction

A Billion Years My Escape from a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology By Mike Rinder

All I Know Now By Carrie Hope Fletcher

Apparently There Were Complaints By Sharon Gless

Bad Gays A Homosexual History By Huw Lemmey & Ben Miller

Best Foot Forward By Adam Hills

Between the Stops By Sandi Toksvig

Beyond Belief By Jenna Miscavige

Blown for Good - Behind the Iron Curtain of Scientology By Marc Headley

Boy From the Valleys By Luke Evans

Coming Up for Air By Tom Daley

Dare to Dream By Izzy Judd

David Bowie Made Me Gay - 100 Years of LGBT Music By Darryl W Bullock

Deaf Utopia By Nyle DiMarco

Escaping the Kingdom of God By J. Andrew Robinson

Fathomless Riches By Rev Richard Coles

Freddie Mercury The Definitive Biography By Lesley-Ann Jones

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing By Matthew Perry

From Here to the Great Unknown A Memoir By Lisa Marie Presley & Riley Keough

Help I S*xted My Boss By William Hanson & Jordan North

Mama’s Boy By Dustin Lance Black

Notorious by Raphael Rowe

Sh**ged. Married. Annoyed By Chris Ramsey & Rosie Ramsey

The House of My Mother By Shari Franke

The Mayor of Castro Street By Randy Shilts

The Phantom Prince By Elizabeth Kendall

Under the Banner of Heaven By Jon Krakauer

Under the Bridge By Rebecca Godfrey

Documentaries and Docudramas

A Very British Sex Scandal

Abused By My Girlfriend

Aids - The Unheard Tapes

Alex Brooker: Disability and Me

Bad Influencer - The Great Insta Con

Bowie - The Man Who Changed The World

Boyzone: No Matter What

Children of the Underground

Dancing for the Devil - The 7M TikTok Cult

Daughters of the Cult

Desperately Seeking Soulmate - Escaping Twin Flames Universe

Dinosaurs - The Final Day with David Attenborough

Dirty Pop - The Boy Band Scam

Driven - The Billy Monger Story

Escaping Polygamy

Escaping Twin Flames

Freddie Mercury - The Great Pretender

Frozen Planet

Frozen Planet II

Good Grief with Reverend Richard Coles

Hatton Garden - The Inside Story

Hell Camp - Teen Nightmare

I Am Not A Rapist

I Cut Off His Penis - The Truth Behind The Headlines

Ireland's Mother and Baby Scandal

Killing Patient Zero

Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath

Lewis Capaldi - How I'm Feeling Now

Liar: The Fake Grooming Scandal

Living Every Second: The Kris Hallenga Story

Lord Montagu

Mama's Boy

Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction

Murdaugh Murders - A Southern Scandal

Murder Among the Mormons

My Wife My Abuser - Captured On Camera

Pennywise - The Story of It

Planet Earth

Planet Earth II

Queen - Days Of Our Lives

Sacred Soil - The Piney Woods School Story

Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice

Scientology: Going Clear - The Prison of Belief

Soham: The Murder of Holly & Jessica

Stolen Youth - Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence

Strike - An Uncivil War

Strike! The Women Who Fought Back

Striking with Pride: United at the Coalface

Surviving Amber Heard

Take Care of Maya

The Bambers : Murder at the Farm

The Boys - The Sherman Brothers' Story

The Exorcist Untold

The Family

The Krays - The Mafia Connection

The Menendez Brothers

The Millennium Dome Heist With Ross Kemp

The Movies That Made Us

The Pembrokeshire Murders - Catching the Gameshow Killer

The Program - Cons, Cults and Kidnapping

The Times of Harvey Milk

Uprising

Waco - American Apocalypse

Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil

Wonders of the World I Can't See

Films

A Haunting in Venice

About a Boy

All of Us Strangers

Bad Tidings

Beautiful Boy

Beautiful Thing

Beetlejuice

Boy Erased

Boys Don’t Cry

But I'm a Cheerleader

Chocolat

City of Lies

Clue

Cool Runnings

Corpse Bride

Dallas Buyers Club

Dawn of the Dead

Death on the Nile

Deck the Halls

Die Hard

Dirty Dancing

Donnie Brasco

Downton Abbey

Edward Scissorhands

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fried Green Tomatoes

From Hell

Gone Girl

Gremlins

Hairspray

Handsome Devil

Heathers

Heathers - The Musical

Home Alone

Hot Fuzz

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

IT

Jaws

Jingle All The Way

Jumanji

Jurassic Park

Kill Your Darlings

Kindergarten Cop

Kinky Boots

Labyrinth

Legally Blonde

Legend

Les Misérables

Les Misérables: The Staged Concert

Little Shop of Horrors

Little Women

Love Actually

Mean Girls

Milk

Minamata

Miracle on 34th Street

Murder on the Orient Express

Murdered for Being Different

Newsies

Oliver!

Philadelphia

Pirates of the Caribbean

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Prayers For Bobby

Pride

Pride and Prejudice

Red, White and Royal Blue

Rent

Scarface

Scream

Scrooged

Secret Window

Shaun of the Dead

Sister Act

Sleepy Hollow

Star Wars

Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

The Addams Family

The Amityville Horror

The Blair Witch Project

The Conjuring

The Craft

The Crow

The Exorcist

The Greatest Showman

The imitation Game

The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Nightmare Before Christmas

The Santa Clause

The Shawshank Redemption

The Sixth Sense

The Sound of Music

The Tourist

The Woman in Black

Three Men and a Baby

Three Men and a Little Lady

Titanic

Twister

Uncle Buck

Unicorns

West Side Story

What We Did on Our Holiday

White Christmas

Zola

Stand Up Comedy

Adam Hills

Chris McCausland

Chris Ramsey

Daniel Howell

Daniel Sloss

Dara O'Briain

Ed Byrne

Fern Brady

Greg Davies

John Bishop

Rhod Gilbert

Sarah Millican

Sean Lock

TV Shows

90210

Agatha All Along

Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled

Being Human

Bridgerton

Celebrity Race Across the World

Criminal Minds

Cuckoo

Daisy Jones and the Six

Deadwater Fell

Desperate Housewives

Doctor Who

Downton Abbey

Eyewitness

Fire Country

Good Omens

Good Trouble

Heartstopper

I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

Interview with the Vampire

It's A Sin

Killing Eve

Looking

Mary & George

Midnight Mass

Missing You

My Family

My Wife and Kids

Nevermind the Buzzcocks

QI 

Queer as Folk

Shameless

Sky Med

Sleepy Hollow

Switched at Birth

Taskmaster

The Alienist

The Artful Dodger

The Clearing

The Couple Next Door

The Fosters

The Haunting of Bly Manor

The Haunting of Hill House

The Jetty

The Midnight Club

The Misinvestigations of Romesh Ranganathan

The Pembrokeshire Murders

The Perfect Couple

The Society

The Stranger

The Unofficial Science Of…

The Watcher

Torchwood

Under the Banner of Heaven

Under the Bridge

Virgin River

WandaVision

White House Farm

[vulcanvampyr]

'the newsreader' season 3 and bpd rep

note: major spoilers ahead. trigger warning for mentions of self-harm, suicide, and substance abuse.

you don't see a lot of fictional characters with canonical bpd diagnoses in media. the illness is usually ascribed to one-off villains in crime dramas, or in the case of movies like girl, interrupted (1999), largely romanticized. a recent exception was rebecca bunch from the tv series crazy ex-girlfriend (2015-2019), who embarks on a profound journey from diagnosis through treatment and healing amidst the show's musical backdrop.

when i started watching the newsreader last year, i picked up on a lot of borderline traits in helen norville. i related to her mood swings, her protective measures to prevent abandonment, and her difficulty identifying, describing, or regulating her feelings. from there i sort of decided in my head that she had bpd, without the canon confirmation. this is nothing new for me--as someone with the disorder, i'm always quick to catch these traits and run with them, since i rarely see canonical representation of the illness. over the years, i've "headcanoned" fictional characters like david rose, ed teach, and bojack horseman with bpd, among others.

-

when helen starts seeing a therapist in the first half of the newsreader's final season, the therapist, marcia, recommends that helen take in her surroundings and employ breath work during times of stress. i clocked this right away as a mindfulness DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) skill, but figured given the show's 1989 setting, they probably wouldn't "go there."

but sure enough, i watched helen go to the library, look up her therapist's treatment methods. i saw her burst into marcia's office talking about how the disease is incurable: "it's for manipulative, vindictive, narcissistic, promiscuous, hysterical people. and apparently there's no fսcking treatment for it" (3x03). but DBT is an experimental new treatment, marcia says, and it's been met with much success thus far. finally, she says aloud what i'd been thinking: helen meets the criteria for bpd.

helen storms out of the room, tries to escape her reality with alcohol and valium. she's sent out of the newsroom and isolates herself at home. i watched all this unfold onscreen in disbelief, an uneasy lump settling somewhere deep in my stomach because as surprised as i was to see the words--borderline personality disorder--utttered onscreen, i understood, painfully, what helen was going through.

i was diagnosed with borderline in 2018. by that time, i had been exhibiting self-harm behaviors on-and-off since about 2014. i went through periods of extreme, bone-crushing sadness followed by numbness. i oscillated between flippant communications and desperate pleas for validation with those close to me. several textbook characteristics for borderline.

my therapist told me, "don't look it up online," but of course i did, ducking into the office restroom after our session for an immediate google search. i was inundated with exactly the material helen must've seen, if in a different format: bpd is the hardest mental health disorder to treat; many therapists won't even treat folks with bpd; people with bpd are statistically more likely to attempt suicide. there were online listings for a book frustratingly, reductively called i hate you, don't leave me, the only major popularized work on the illness.

these are all things i read on a first-page search many years after the setting of the newsreader. fortunately, a quick search in 2025 looks different, featuring many landing pages on psychiatry websites focused on debunking myths about the illness.

but in 2018, at the age of twenty-five, i thought: this is it for me. it's all fallen into place. i'm broken, i'm broken, i can't be fixed.

-

when helen's former-lover-always-best-friend dale jennings comes to check on helen later on in the episode, what plays out is one of the most beautiful, raw, and validating scenes for someone with the illness to witness.

we watch helen go through the intense back-and-forth of processing her feelings in real time:

i've been seeing this woman, this, um, this therapist, dale, and she's been really good. she's been really good. she's given me, like, all of these kind of, um, ways to...to handle, um, stuff. and then today she said, um, that i... that... that i just am fսckеd. [...] and it's not like, um...like a, um...it's not like i'm sick. it's just my personality. [sobs]

... blaming dale ...

she said it's a personality disorder, and it's...and it's true, you know? it's just true. and...and, i mean, you must have seen it. [...] why wouldn't you say? you're the only person who's ever told me the truth, why wouldn't you tell me? why wouldn't you tell me?

... and then blaming herself.

i could have done something about it. i could have fixed it. i could have done something about it. and now there's no one! [...] i even fucked up with you, my fucking family, and now my fucking job.

i can't overstate the sheer vulnerability displayed by anna torv in this scene. it's a highly realistic portrayal of an initial reaction to getting this diagnosis. there's the instinct to prescribe yourself with inherent wrongness, to cast a cloud of villainy over your whole life to this point.

it's dale's response that seals the deal for me in terms of marking this an effective, empathetic portrayal of bpd onscreen.

"it's called borderline personality disorder, apparently," helen says, "did you see that?" in other words: did you see that in me? and if so, why are you still here?

dale just looks at her and says, "all i see is you."

to hear a character say that to a person with a confirmed bpd diagnosis is frankly revolutionary for television, even in media's generally progressive view of mental illness today. dale sees helen for all she is and still loves her. with the stigma that still exists around bpd, i don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that many folks with bpd would give anything to hear those words.

"all i see is you," dale says, "and i don't think it makes a difference. do you feel different?"

and what a question. this brings things into perspective for helen, and perhaps even for the viewer. this diagnosis doesn't change anything about what came before, or who helen is as a person--namely an inspiring, hardworking journalist and a loyal partner and friend. now she just has a name for the strong emotions that color her world. and with that name comes the power to learn, to grasp, to move forward and heal.

in the months following my diagnosis, as i started working on DBT individually and in a group setting, i slowly began to accept this part of myself. i called it by name, and i told it to the world. it reframes a lot of my behavior, past and present. it's helped me put terms to my emotions and how to handle them. and yet it's not all of me.

so, after the diagnosis, do you feel different? helen's answer is mine, too:

"no," she replies after a bout of surprised laughter, "i fucking don't."

-

after her diagnosis, it's clear helen doesn't take to therapy or DBT right away. she's suspicious, stubborn, and in denial about her path forward.

in 3x04, helen challenges marcia in any way she can, saying her fast-paced career doesn't allow for skill work, and summing up the study of DBT skills as "infantile checklists." marcia stands her professional ground, though: "if there were a pill that treated borderline, you would have it, but there isn't. this therapy requires your full engagement. you know what the alternative is." by the end of the scene, helen reluctantly begins trying again to work with her therapist, ranking different DBT skills and their effectiveness in her day to day.

again, i'm struck by the realism in this portrayal. the show references actual DBT skills with care and detail, despite the newness of the method in 1989. there are four major modules--mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness--and within them myriad terms and exercises pioneered by psychologist marsha m. linehan. several are referenced throughout the season.

helen's resistance is palpable--DBT makes up a whole book, and i can't say i was thrilled embarking on the journey myself. at first, a lot of it did seem trite--splashing my face with cold water, or practicing box breathing in a room full of people.

but what i had to realize for myself--and what helen does, too--is that these skills are an ongoing practice.

later in the episode, helen calls her therapist in distress after an encounter that brings her face-to-face with the uncomfortable reality of racism in australia and her innate privilege. "this therapy is not about denying your feelings," marcia reminds her, "it's about bringing you to a frame of mind where you can better navigate the situation. and right now, you need a distress tolerance skill, so pick one."

sure enough, we see helen doing laps up and down the stairs--employing the TIPP skill to bring her back to baseline. this is one of the many things i love about the newsreader's handling of bpd: it shows the borderline character doing the work. you don't "graduate" from DBT. i've gone through two group rounds myself, and have worked since my diagnosis with various therapists on individual practice. and still, over 6 years later, oftentimes the skills i need the most aren't readily at hand in high-stress moments. i'll never be done doing this, and that's kind of the point.

-

helen's story arc comes to a head in 3x05, when the press reveals details of her stay at a mental institution as a young woman. helen not-normal, the headline says. helen spirals--this could be the end of her career. she panics, begging for it to be retracted. this loops back to the denial of her condition, her emotions, her very self that plagued her for two seasons (and presumably far before). but this time, her therapy work grounds her:

marcia: helen, what can you control? what can you always control? helen: my reactions. marcia: you control what you do next. and what you do next tells everyone who you are.

so helen uses her journalistic platform to talk about mental health. she goes live on her show public eye with a social worker and former psychiatric nurse, who was institutionalized herself and thus became passionate about revamping the mental health industry: "if community were more accepting of people with mental illness, that would make the biggest difference." facing the camera, helen responds:

having experienced anxiety and depression myself, i do believe that...that it is the shame and the isolation that makes it so unbearable. and perhaps if we could change the way that we view and discuss mental health issues, it might seem less impossible to overcome.

this is just the start of helen's self-acceptance journey--and audiences receive it overwhelmingly positively. public eye is inundated with calls after the show. helen even reconciles with her sister, after years of little contact.

helen's choice to be authentically herself, live on air--marrying her public persona with the very real person behind it--is so important for folks with bpd to see onscreen.

-

the sixth episode and series finale, "the fall," positions helen further getting a handle on emotion regulation. in an explosive confrontation between her and her co-executive producer, bill, helen takes a deep breath in response to his slew of insults. she responds to him calmly, setting a boundary:

i don't want to do this with you anymore. i really tried to protect your feelings. i mean, i blamed myself. i blamed your marriage. i blamed our working relationship. but i'm not going to be punished because I didn't want to fսck you.

later, in front of a group of largely male network executives, she sets her terms for the show going forward, delivering an ultimatum. the network pushes back on her terms, saying, "you do not get to control this." but, oh, she does. in establishing understanding and control of her emotions and her reactions, helen is able to fully harness her power as the queen of australian news.

in the end, helen ends up running public eye alongside her trusted co-producer, noelene, with dale serving as the show's international reporter. she's become herself, owned herself and her illness, and is still a wildly successful newsreader and journalist--not despite her bpd and the work she's doing to manage it, but partly because of all that too. because she knows herself, and unabashedly, she lets the world know this part of her, too--if not in name, then in her continuing to move forward with the candor around her experience with depression and anxiety.

i chatted with my therapist about helen's season 3 storyline. i'm still processing what i watched, and i wanted to reflect aloud about why that was. i had a really visceral reaction to helen's story that i'm still moving through, and one i wasn't expecting. and i think it's because this sensitive, realistic, honest portrayal of bpd and treatment and recovery resonated with my journey. seven years out from my diagnosis, sometimes the behaviors and cries for help i exhibited in my early to mid-twenties feel far away. is that really the "person" i was? was the diagnosis accurate? i realized it had to have been, for this season to have pulled at me so strongly.

and i remembered this is just one facet of who i am, and i've worked hard to learn how to manage it. my symptoms may look different now, less severe--but it doesn't change what happened to me, what i've been through, what i did at my borderline "height"--and the work i've done and continue to do. there's no "cure"--but there is recovery (not linear--no healing ever is). it's so clear in the show's final moments that helen is on her way there, too.

having the opportunity to see what i've experienced mirrored back at me through a beloved fictional character, as well as to reflect on how far i've come, is something i've not really experienced until now. i'm impressed with how the writers handled this aspect of the season, and i want to continue moving through how it resonated for me, and i'm sure for so many others.

helen, thank you.

i am so proud of you. (and i'm proud of me too.)

[periru3]

Festivids Rec List, But Make It Horny (part 2)

This is part two of my horny festivids rec list I felt compelled to make for some reason. You can find part 1 here.

8. Alone With You Inside My Mind (Doctor Sleep) Unlike the Bound vids and Janelle Monáe vids, I had to put this one very far from the other Rebecca Ferguson thirst vid on accounts of that one being about a person being hot and this one being about a child-eating monster being hot. Yes, this is a (freaking hysterical) crack vid about Rose the Hat saying “hi there” a bunch, but also it’s legitimately spooky and sexy at the same time, which is quite a feat. Anyway this one is at #8 because no matter how normal she looks, this is still a monster-fucker vid. And that is good. 7. Put on a Show (Wheel of Time) Another vid where I very much do not know what’s going on, but the femdom energy here is off the charts. There’s choking, there’s tying boys up while you sit in a throne and look down on them, there’s blowing things up with magic, and there’s a hell of a lot of whoever this lady is walking around looking imperious and hot. Whatever these folks have going on, it’s more than enough to land them in the kinkier half of this list.    6. She’s a Lady & I’m Gonna Make You Love Me (Christine) Alright so one could certainly argue that these vids aren’t actually horny, and that’s fair. But I won’t beat around the bush: the fact of the matter is whether or not we as viewers are horny for her, Arnie wants to fuck his serial killer car. As far as monster-fucking Stephen King vids of this year go, while these may be a less sexy vid than the Rose one, the whole “wanting to fuck a car” thing definitely pushes it higher up on the kinky, bizarre, and fucked up scales than Alone With You Inside My Mind. 5. Ángel (Tár) Alright so this one is a toughie. It’s a beautiful character study, it’s dark and intense and creepy, it’s at times honestly quite sexy, and it’s also about a sexual predator. So. Finding parts of the vid hot is more than a little uncomfortable. Obviously themes of sex pervade the vid, though it’s unclear to me whether describing it as a “horny vid” is totally fair. This absolutely stunning vid lands the #5 spot on pure fucked-upness. 4. Dream Girl Evil (Last Night in Soho) Speaking of fucked up vids with non-con elements that aren’t necessarily supposed to be sexy so much as dealing with themes of sexuality, here’s a really cool Last Night in Soho vid! Look, this vid is listed as M/F and Gen, and I’m not here to question the vidder’s intent. But also, friends, let’s be real: there is a weird psychosexual undercurrent to Ellie’s obsession with Sandie. And this is really heightened by the sexy song that includes the lyrics “did mommy make you mad?” in a real sultry voice. Anyway, suddenly finding yourself inside someone else’s body and becoming obsessed with them is inherently homoerotic….. SPEAKING OF WHICH… 3. Anymore (Face/Off) …FACE/OFF!!! I can see people watching this vid and not thinking it’s that horny…. But I, the vid recipient and an intellectual, know otherwise. Listen, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: suddenly finding yourself inside someone else’s body and becoming obsessed with them is inherently homoerotic! And also fucked up and bizarre! God this vid has so much going on. There’s face swapping. There’s face licking (biting?). There’s shoot offs. There’s doves. It’s tagged “Sean Archer/Castor Troy” and also “enemies to enemies. ” What a delight. 2. Blood in the Cut (Taskmaster RPF) This is a vid about what a little freak Little Alex Horne is and honestly that is a genre of content I literally always want more of. There’s blood, wax, jealousy, humiliation, bondage – all the things that make Taskmaster great. Very horny. Very weird. Very kinky. It’s almost hard to imagine anyone beating Alex Horne for the freakiest freak of festivids award…….. 1. Body (David Cronenberg) …..Except that someone made me a fucking David Cronenberg vid!!!!!!! I’m not even gonna say more on this one, I’ll just leave you with the tags: “body horror, but make it hot”

Anyway, my three gifts are flawless and I’m also obviously very here for all the other thirsty content this festivids as well. I might be back with an actual rec list at some point. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

(Part 1)

[mylifeincinema]

My Week(s) in Reviews: March 9, 2024

My brain is already on the Oscars, so these may be even quicker than usual...

Dune: Part Two (Denis Villeneuve, 2024)

I too would immediately forget Zendaya exists the second Florence Pugh walked in the room. Aside from some issues with the pacing that are probably rather nit-picky (some scenes felt rushed while others seemed to draaaaaag), this was a technical beast. Once again, the casting is just stellar, and the cinematography and VFX are straight-up stunning. Crazy cult-leader-villain Rebecca Ferguson is always the best Rebecca Ferguson. (I'd follow Rose the Hat to the depths of hell.) This is a much more action-heavy piece compared to the first, and it's significantly better for it. The chosen-one stuff is interesting, but not as interesting as the struggle for control over Arrakis. Really, the only things I really didn't love were those pacing issues and the fact that Florence Pugh & Christopher Walken didn't have more screen-time. Yeah, not much else to say, specifically. - 9/10

Nimona (Nick Bruno & Troy Quane, 2023)

Had a bunch of fun with it, but the changes made from the graphic novel really weren't for the better, and the movie Nimona is significantly more annoying. - 7/10

Hypnotic (Robert Rodriguez, 2023)

Awful. Terrible. Truly embarrassing on every single level. What's even worse, is that the entire cast seems to know this, and watching them try to make sense of their garbage decisions and dialogue is so, so painful. - 1/10

Wonka (Paul King, 2023)

I had a few minor issues with some of the songs and several decisions Chalamet made, but overall this was pretty damn delightful. In general, the cast is having a blast in the most entertaining and interesting way possible, and King knows how to deliver a visually exciting family film. I really wish we didn't lose him for Paddington 3. - 8/10

I also revisited some other Villeneuve films. Dune: Part One in prep for the second one... which I enjoyed significantly more this time around. Then the night after seeing Part Two, I did a double feature of Sicario and Blade Runner 2049. Sicario is every bit as good as it was the several previous times I'd seen it. It's truly a masterful piece of cinema. Blade Runny 2049 wasn't quite as good. It's still pretty damn amazing, but there were some pacing issues that were significantly more apparent this time around. I also revisited David Fincher's Se7en as a palate cleanser after Hypnotic. So damn good, every single time. Then I followed Wonka with the masterpiece that is Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Thankfully, this decision didn't make me enjoy Wonka less like I'd worried it might.

Also, I'll be posting my Official Academy Award Predictions either sometime later tonight or tomorrow afternoon. Stay Tuned!

Enjoy!

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

[indestructibleheart]

NICE ASK WEEK! If you could make a list of the top fictional characters that all combine to describe you and your spirit, your soul characters, who would they be and why?

Aww, I love this question.

You know #1 is Henry Fox + and his mile of names I'm not typing. He's been one of my soul characters since I first met him, but after my dad died... Yeah, I found a whole new reason to connect with him and the way that his grief has become this Part of him. I aspire to be like him, though, with his indestructible heart and his refusal to let the cruelty he's been shown and his losses harden him. There's also the way he protects himself from pain, the connection he feels to literature, and his love for writing. We're also both runners. We run when we're scared or when we can't cope. Yeah.

David Rose is another one that I connected to immediately... for a lot of the same reasons. He also protects himself from pain in a similar way, and I have his deep trust issues and abandonment issues. He's self-deprecating while also being vain, like me, lol. He's so selfless when it comes to the people he loves, but he'll never admit it. We also have very similar mannerisms lmao. I have literally smacked someone in the face while gesticulating before.

They're my #2 forever. My ride or dies. They're also both men, which is a little strange and something I do not wish to analyze.

I also see so much of myself and my neuroses in Rebecca Bunch from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, my tenacity and quest for knowledge in Julia Wicker from The Magicians (before the show went to shit), my people-pleasing tendencies and Need to be Liked in Blaine Anderson from that other show that went to absolute shit, and my loving, protective nature in Piper Halliwell from the original Charmed.

[hullomoon]

hullomoon’s 2022 works: part one

it’s the end of the year, which means it’s time for a work round-up! this year i really tipped into being podfic heavy (and more multifandom!). if you haven’t yet, check out my 2019 roundup, 2020 roundup, and 2021 roundup! all works are ordered in chronological posting order.

part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six | part seven | part eight

i rule with the velvet tongue | Schitt’s Creek | Steve/Ruth | explicit | 789

Ruth takes Stevie apart 

[podfic] Natural Selection | Schitt’s Creek | David/Patrick | 0:32:31

David is a penguin. Obviously so is Patrick given that human-penguin pairings are rarely successful in business together, much less romantically in business together.

[podfic] twist yourself around me | Schitt’s Creek & Crazy Ex-Girlfriend | David/Rebecca | multivoice | 0:10:27

He’s seen her here before, he’s pretty sure, but this time, her friends have left her sitting alone, having wandered off to dance or drink or fuck. His friends have done the same, and he’s just drunk enough and lonely enough to approach her. Not that he never approaches strangers in the clubs. On the contrary, he does it with enough frequency that it would be alarming if he stopped to think about it (so he never stops to think about it). Those interactions, though, rarely involve many words, all sweaty bodies and hands and tongues. Something about this woman makes him want to strike up a conversation. So he slides into the seat across from her.

[podfic] kiss me beneath the mistletoe | Schitt’s Creek | Alexis/Twyla | multivoice | 0:12:58

twyla’s body magically produces plants whenever she feels any strong emotion, but she has it completely under control. that is, until she meets alexis rose. now what is she supposed to do with all these roses?

[Podfic] Through Someone Else’s Eyes | Schitt’s Creek | Alexis & David | multivoice | ~0:27:00

It’s all Mr Hockley’s fault.

The tea was supposed to get him high, not make him wake up in his sister’s body.

[Podfic] a lifetime of promises | Schitt’s Creek | David/Patrick | multivoice | 06:06

Their wedding song is playing at Brebner’s.

No, not their wedding song; their song. Not that David would ever try to claim the downright divine masterpieces of Tina Turner — he generally believes that couples having “songs” is cheesy and off-putting — but dammit, if anyone earned a song, this song, it’s him and Patrick.

—

or, sometimes you have a mini breakdown in the ice cream aisle of the supermarket, and that’s okay

Crawl Before You Can Walk | Schitt’s Creek | David/Patrick | 10:18

The continuing adventures of Ted the Turtle.

but it’s golden | Schitt’s Creek | Rachel/Heather | ~3.1k

Rachel knew that going back to Schitt's Creek meant she'd see Heather again. What she didn't expect was spending the weekend with her.

Femslash February: Chapter One | Schitt’s Creek | Alexis/Ruth | 100

rainbow

Femslash February: Chapter 8 | Schitt’s Creek | Ronnie/Moira | 100

fashion

[scraregenrecs]

SC Reading Challenge Angst Recs

Looking for angst? We've got some works for you! Here's another rec list for the reading prompts in @screadingchallenge. Grab the tissues and get reading!

Angst

Aeration (Alexis, T, by @middyblue)

always the one you call (David, Alexis, T, by bytheseas)

(at least i'm) trying (Alexis/Ted, Alexis/Mutt, NR, by @anniemurphys)

Boys don't wear makeup (Patrick, G, by @myolivebranch)

Choosing So Carefully (Stevie/Ruth, E, by @sarahlevys)

don’t have many good reasons to leave my room (i did most things to get to you) (Rachel/Twyla, Alexis & Twyla, T, by @turningtimeinthetardis)

Gutted (David, Alexis, Moira, Johnny, T, by @wearpersistencewell)

honey, i love you (that's all she wrote) (Alexis/Ted, NR, by @anniemurphys)

I Can't Stand the Rain(e) (David/Jake, T, by @brrose-apothecary)

I Hold a Rose in the Palm of my Hand (Patrick/Rachel, G, by @seldom-what-i-seem)

I weigh a hundredandfuckingsomething pounds (that makes me almost good) (Alexis/Twyla, G, by @andtheydancedbythelightofthemoon)

I'm no aesthete (Patrick & Rachel, T, by firmandfruity)

I'm Not Sorry It's Over (Patrick/Rachel, M, by @doublel27)

Imposter Syndrome (Stevie/Alexis, E, by @petrodobreva)

Leader of the Landslide (Stevie/Twyla, T, by @doublel27)

Learn To Live On Less (David, Alexis, T, by @chronologicalimplosion)

like glass from sandy ground (Alexis/Twyla, M, by @middyblue)

live again (and love again) (Stevie/David, T, by strangeluvz)

lost in the woods (Patrick, T, by @dessertwaffles)

Memory Lane (or How To Steal From Your Ex-Almost-In-Laws) (Rachel, Patrick, and the Brewers, T, by @treepyful)

only if you let me (Alexis/Twyla, T, by @plainest)

recognize my role, i fucked up the timing (gonna pay dearly for years full of silence) (Alexis/Ted, Alexis/Twyla, T, by @turningtimeinthetardis)

The darkest hour is just before dawn (Alexis/Ted, M, by @petrodobreva)

The Seasons of Our Life (Stevie/Twyla, G, by @treepyful)

twist yourself around me (David/Rebecca Bunch [Crazy Ex-Girlfriend crossover], T, by @stereopticons—with podfic by Amanita_Fierce, @hullomoon, oakleaf, @thesleepyskipper, @sunlightsymphony) 

When Our Nerves Ain't Shot and Our Hands Don't Shake (Alexis/Twyla, T, by perkalil)

Where'd Everybody Go (Stevie, G, by @doublel27)

You Are David Rose. (David, T, by @midnightstreet)

[stereopticons]

fic rec friday

Original rules: Share your top fics no matter how big or small - give us the links to your wonderful words with the Most hits/Most kudos/Most comments/Most bookmarks /Most words/Least words

My addition is to add also share your fics with the least hits/kudos/comments/bookmarks to give them some love!

Thanks for the tag, @hippolotamus!

Most hits: the lie between your teeth (david/patrick, M, 48k) - AU in which David and Patrick meet via a dating app, or the answer to the question, "what if David's 79-mile-away match from 2x07 was actually Patrick?"

Least hits: your secret's safe with me (stevie/ruth, david/patrick, david & stevie, M, 3k) - Stevie enlists David's help to plan a surprise party for Ruth. It goes about as well as one would expect.

Most kudos: the lie between your teeth, runner up: if i'm not beyond repair (david/patrick, M, 8k) - A year after Patrick and David break up, Patrick gets a call from the hospital. Turns out he's still David's emergency contact.

Least kudos: as close as pages in a book (stevie/ruth, T, 3k) - Stevie runs a used bookstore in Schitt's Creek, and Ruth is new in town. Five times Ruth comes in to ask for a book from Stevie, and one time she brings Stevie one of her own.

Most comments: sweater weather (david/patrick, twyla/alexis, T, 15k) - 30 loosely connected fall-themed post-canon drabbles

Least comments: the world would make sense again (if i held your hand) (twyla/alexis, T, 2.7k) - Twyla finally tries to get over her fear of flying to go visit Alexis. Alexis tries to make it easier for her.

Most bookmarks: also the lie between your teeth, runner up: love you in moderation (do i look moderate to you?) (david/patrick, E, 7k) - yet another take on the Night at Stevie's.

Least bookmarks: twist yourself around me (david rose/rebecca bunch, T, 1.6k) - the angsty pre-canon SC/CXG crossover that no one asked for!

Most words: also also the lie between your teeth, runner up: so bitter and so sweet (david/patrick, E, 27k) - Still reeling from a bad breakup and a professional setback, David moves to Schitt’s Creek and takes a job at Stevie’s coffee shop. He’s definitely not looking for love in this tiny town, but a cute customer in mid-range denim offering business advice might just change his mind.

Least words: Making it Official (david/patrick, T, 400) - David and Patrick fill out their marriage license application and learn some surprising facts about each other.

Tagging @rosedavid @alienajackson @jettestar @petalwritesx @blackandwhiteandrose @mostlyinthemorning @apothecarose

[roseapothecary]

i was tagged by @doublel27 to add the gifs of 4 characters that match my energy. lmao, okay, here we go:

David Rose (Schitt’s Creek)

Piper Halliwell (Charmed)

Rebecca Bunch (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

Julia Wicker (The Magicians)

tagging: @lilythesilly, @blackandwhiteandrose, @maxbegone, @typicaltk, @dangermagnetstrand, @diaaz, @lenny-bruce​, and anyone else who feels like it!

[einsteinsugly]

Michael Christopher Kelso (born August 30, 1959), as an '80s Man (an '80s Man Child)...

"My God, are we going to be like our parents?" -Andrew Clark, The Breakfast Club

*****

His New Family:

Brooke Kelso (nee Rockwell) (wife, October 1981-present)

Elizabeth "Betsy" Kelso (daughter, with Brooke; born January 15, 1979)

Hannah Kelso (daughter, with Brooke; born November 23, 1984)

Matthew "Matt" Kelso (nephew, through Casey)

William Rockwell and Carolyn Brooks (formerly Rockwell) (the in-laws)

Bruce Rockwell (his stupid brother-in-law)

Lauren Rockwell (niece, through marriage)

Adrian Forman, James Hyde, and Eric and Donna's new kid (godsons [*cough* two godsons and one goddaughter *cough*])

Rebecca "Becca" Hyde, Katherine "Kate" Forman, and Ashley Tate (basically his nieces)

Location(s):

Chicago, Illinois (September 1979-present)

Occupation(s):

Security guard at the Playboy mansion (for like, five seconds), police officer for the Chicago P.D. (January 1980-present)

Interests:

Hobbies: Sex and rock and roll, but way less drugs. There's a war on those! Lots of gaming, going to the arcade, playing with dogs, and listening to hair metal, and lots of watching cartoons and movies. Betsy and Hannah give him an excuse to watch all the cartoons and play on all the playgrounds he wants (especially those cool wooden castle ones). And he can even go to Six Flags with them, with a map and everything, now that the girls are old enough.

Yeah, he's a pretty good dad. Not some deadbeat, like Brooke and Carolyn expected him to be. And he wears that as a badge of honor, along with his police badge.

Movies: Caddyshack, Caddyshack, Caddyshack! And Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Star Wars, Top Gun, Big, Three Men and a Baby, Land Before Time, the National Lampoon series, Indiana Jones, Friday the 13th, Die Hard, and anything with Arnold Schwarzenegger…

TV: Miami Vice and COPS (everyone else hates it, for some reason). A bunch of Saturday morning cartoons, and cartoons in general; plus, he watches Reading Rainbow and Punky Brewster with Betsy, all the time. A Pup Named Scooby-Doo will always be his favorite, though.

Games: Super Mario Bros (all of them), Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, Pacman, Duck Hunt, Pole Position. And anything with the power glove, or with R.O.B.! He tries to get Eric into gaming, and he likes it too (Jackie and Hyde think it's for babies), but Eric likes those stupid text adventure games and strategy games. He wants something with a story or a real mission, whatever. Just have fun shooting bad guys and eating mushrooms, man!

Music: The stuff Hyde hates, for some reason. Like B 52's "Love Shack." Twisted Sister, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, Billy Idol. The stuff Hyde doesn't hate as much, like Van Halen, ZZ Top, AC/DC, KISS, David Bowie, and Guns 'N Roses. And fine, maybe he likes listening to New Kids on the Block with Betsy, okay? And Styx's "Mr. Roboto" is actually a badass song (don't tell Eric).

[softdavidrose]

10 fandoms, 10 characters, 10 tags

i was tagged by @sleepy-santiago, thank you!! 💕💕🥰🥰

not gonna tag anyone because i don’t know who’s done it, but feel free to do it if you see this and feel like it!!

schitt’s creek - david rose

community - abed nadir

brooklyn nine nine - jake peralta

parks and recreation - leslie knope

crazy ex girlfriend - rebecca bunch

the good place - tahani al jamil

glee - blaine anderson

superstore - jonah simms

julie and the phantoms - julie molina

the bold type - kat edison

[quinnmorgendorffer]

@halles-comet tagged me to describe myself in four characters 

surprising everyone, Jane Lane from Daria. While Quinn Morgendorffer is usually who I put, I’m probably more like Jane than anyone else on the show. Youngest of five weirdos, artistic ambitions, scared of failure (often to the point of laziness?)…it’s all there.

Frasier Crane from Frasier, from the passion for opera (including a hatred for Einstein on the Beach which should not even be CALLED a fucking opera) to the snobbery to the neuroses to the fact I am in love with Lilith Sternin.

Liz Lemon from 30 Rock. I normally say I’m more like Jenna, but I’m not nearly as ruthless. A liberal woman trying to figure out how to navigate the world and balance everything

Rebecca Bunch from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. There’s a reason I normally say I’m a Rebecca Bunch Sun (with a Frasier Crane moon). We pray I’ll get the same amount of character development, but a better fourth season.

Shout out to George Michael Bluth from Arrested Development (who I usually put as my “rising” in my TV shows astrology), Jenna Maroney from 30 Rock, Quinn Morngendorffer from Daria (seriously, it’s a toss-up between her and Jane on any given day), and David Rose on Schitt’s Creek (if only for the anxiety and the games night plot).

I tag: @gobbluthlesbian || @gobbluthbisexual || @theonewherelaurynhasablog || @bethecowgirl || @squirrelmort || @godlessondheimite || @alcxhardy || @whythinktoomuch || @hadesfirst || @brastrangled || and anyone else who wants to do this!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

2019 Hugo Award finalists announced

The 2019 Hugo Award nominees have been announced; the Hugos will be presented this summer at the 2019 World Science Fiction Convention in Dublin, Ireland.

Normally, I find that I've read and reviewed a huge slice of the year's finalists, but this year is different; I've done a lot less reading lately, partly because I wrote two books in 2018 and partly because the new EU Copyright Directive ate my life for about 10 months in the past year.

I was a little sad to be so far behind the curve when I saw the new list, but then I realized that this meant that I had a bunch of really exciting books to add to my to-be-read pile!

One notable inclusion: the Archive of Our Own fanfic archive -- a project of the Organization for Transformative Works (for whose advisory board I volunteer) -- is up for "Best Related Work."

Congrats to all the nominees!

Best Novel * The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor) * Record of a Spaceborn Few, by Becky Chambers (Hodder & Stoughton / Harper Voyager) * Revenant Gun, by Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris) * Space Opera, by Catherynne M. Valente (Saga) * Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik (Del Rey / Macmillan) * Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)

Best Novella * Artificial Condition, by Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing) * Beneath the Sugar Sky, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing) * Binti: The Night Masquerade, by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com Publishing) * The Black God’s Drums, by P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com Publishing) * Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach, by Kelly Robson (Tor.com Publishing) * The Tea Master and the Detective, by Aliette de Bodard (Subterranean Press / JABberwocky Literary Agency)

Best Novelette * “If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again,” by Zen Cho (B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog, 29 November 2018) * “The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections,” by Tina Connolly (Tor.com, 11 July 2018) * “Nine Last Days on Planet Earth,” by Daryl Gregory (Tor.com, 19 September 2018) * The Only Harmless Great Thing, by Brooke Bolander (Tor.com Publishing) * “The Thing About Ghost Stories,” by Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny Magazine 25, November- December 2018) * “When We Were Starless,” by Simone Heller (Clarkesworld 145, October 2018)

Best Short Story * “The Court Magician,” by Sarah Pinsker (Lightspeed, January 2018) * “The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society,” by T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine 25, November-December 2018) * “The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington,” by P. Djèlí Clark (Fireside Magazine, February 2018) * “STET,” by Sarah Gailey (Fireside Magazine, October 2018) * “The Tale of the Three Beautiful Raptor Sisters, and the Prince Who Was Made of Meat,” by Brooke Bolander (Uncanny Magazine 23, July-August 2018) * “A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies,” by Alix E. Harrow (Apex Magazine, February 2018)

Best Series * The Centenal Cycle, by Malka Older (Tor) * The Laundry Files, by Charles Stross (most recently Tor.com Publishing/Orbit) * Machineries of Empire, by Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris) * The October Daye Series, by Seanan McGuire (most recently DAW) * The Universe of Xuya, by Aliette de Bodard (most recently Subterranean Press) * Wayfarers, by Becky Chambers (Hodder & Stoughton / Harper Voyager)

Best Related Work * Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works * Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction, by Alec Nevala-Lee (Dey Street Books) * The Hobbit Duology (documentary in three parts), written and edited by Lindsay Ellis and Angelina Meehan (YouTube) * An Informal History of the Hugos: A Personal Look Back at the Hugo Awards, 1953- 2000, by Jo Walton (Tor) * www.mexicanxinitiative.com: The Mexicanx Initiative Experience at Worldcon 76 (Julia Rios, Libia Brenda, Pablo Defendini, John Picacio) * Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing, by Ursula K. Le Guin with David Naimon (Tin House Books)

Best Graphic Story * Abbott, written by Saladin Ahmed, art by Sami Kivelä, colours by Jason Wordie, letters by Jim Campbell (BOOM! Studios) * Black Panther: Long Live the King, written by Nnedi Okorafor and Aaron Covington, art by André Lima Araújo, Mario Del Pennino and Tana Ford (Marvel) * Monstress, Volume 3: Haven, written by Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda (Image Comics) * On a Sunbeam, by Tillie Walden (First Second) * Paper Girls, Volume 4, written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Cliff Chiang, colours by Matt Wilson, letters by Jared K. Fletcher (Image Comics) * Saga, Volume 9, written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form * Annihilation, directed and written for the screen by Alex Garland, based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer (Paramount Pictures / Skydance) * Avengers: Infinity War, screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (Marvel Studios) * Black Panther, written by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, directed by Ryan Coogler (Marvel Studios) * A Quiet Place, screenplay by Scott Beck, John Krasinski and Bryan Woods, directed by John Krasinski (Platinum Dunes / Sunday Night) * Sorry to Bother You, written and directed by Boots Riley (Annapurna Pictures) * Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, screenplay by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman, directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman (Sony)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form * The Expanse: “Abaddon’s Gate,” written by Daniel Abraham, Ty Franck and Naren Shankar, directed by Simon Cellan Jones (Penguin in a Parka / Alcon Entertainment) * Doctor Who: “Demons of the Punjab,” written by Vinay Patel, directed by Jamie Childs (BBC) * Dirty Computer, written by Janelle Monáe, directed by Andrew Donoho and Chuck Lightning (Wondaland Arts Society / Bad Boy Records / Atlantic Records) * The Good Place: “Janet(s),” written by Josh Siegal & Dylan Morgan, directed by Morgan Sackett (NBC) * The Good Place: “Jeremy Bearimy,” written by Megan Amram, directed by Trent O’Donnell (NBC) * Doctor Who: “Rosa,” written by Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall, directed by Mark Tonderai (BBC)

Best Professional Editor, Short Form * Neil Clarke * Gardner Dozois * Lee Harris * Julia Rios * Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas * E. Catherine Tobler

Best Professional Editor, Long Form * Sheila E. Gilbert * Anne Lesley Groell * Beth Meacham * Diana Pho * Gillian Redfearn * Navah Wolfe

Best Professional Artist * Galen Dara * Jaime Jones * Victo Ngai * John Picacio * Yuko Shimizu * Charles Vess

Best Semiprozine * Beneath Ceaseless Skies, editor-in-chief and publisher Scott H. Andrews * Fireside Magazine, edited by Julia Rios, managing editor Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, social coordinator Meg Frank, special features editor Tanya DePass, founding editor Brian White, publisher and art director Pablo Defendini * FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, executive editors Troy L. Wiggins and DaVaun Sanders, editors L.D. Lewis, Brandon O’Brien, Kaleb Russell, Danny Lore, and Brent Lambert * Shimmer, publisher Beth Wodzinski, senior editor E. Catherine Tobler * Strange Horizons, edited by Jane Crowley, Kate Dollarhyde, Vanessa Rose Phin, Vajra Chandrasekera, Romie Stott, Maureen Kincaid Speller, and the Strange Horizons Staff * Uncanny Magazine, publishers/editors-in-chief Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, managing editor Michi Trota, podcast producers Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky, Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction Special Issue editors-in-chief Elsa Sjunneson-Henry and Dominik Parisien

Best Fanzine * Galactic Journey, founder Gideon Marcus, editor Janice Marcus * Journey Planet, edited by Team Journey Planet * Lady Business, editors Ira, Jodie, KJ, Renay & Susan * nerds of a feather, flock together, editors Joe Sherry, Vance Kotrla and The G * Quick Sip Reviews, editor Charles Payseur * Rocket Stack Rank, editors Greg Hullender and Eric Wong

Best Fancast * Be the Serpent, presented by Alexandra Rowland, Freya Marske and Jennifer Mace * The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe * Fangirl Happy Hour, hosted by Ana Grilo and Renay Williams * Galactic Suburbia, hosted by Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts, produced by Andrew Finch * Our Opinions Are Correct, hosted by Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders * The Skiffy and Fanty Show, produced by Jen Zink and Shaun Duke, hosted by the Skiffy and Fanty Crew

Best Fan Writer * Foz Meadows * James Davis Nicoll * Charles Payseur * Elsa Sjunneson-Henry * Alasdair Stuart * Bogi Takács

Best Fan Artist * Sara Felix * Grace P. Fong * Meg Frank * Ariela Housman * Likhain (Mia Sereno) * Spring Schoenhuth

Best Art Book * The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition, illustrated by Charles Vess, written by Ursula K. Le Guin (Saga Press /Gollancz) * Daydreamer’s Journey: The Art of Julie Dillon, by Julie Dillon (self-published) * Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History, by Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, Sam Witwer (Ten Speed Press) * Spectrum 25: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, ed. John Fleskes (Flesk Publications) * Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – The Art of the Movie, by Ramin Zahed (Titan Books) * Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, ed. Catherine McIlwaine (Bodleian Library)

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer * Katherine Arden (2nd year of eligibility) * S.A. Chakraborty (2nd year of eligibility) * R.F. Kuang (1st year of eligibility) * Jeannette Ng (2nd year of eligibility) * Vina Jie-Min Prasad (2nd year of eligibility) * Rivers Solomon (2nd year of eligibility)

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book * The Belles, by Dhonielle Clayton (Freeform / Gollancz) * Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi (Henry Holt / Macmillan Children’s Books) * The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black (Little, Brown / Hot Key Books) * Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland (Balzer + Bray) * The Invasion, by Peadar O’Guilin (David Fickling Books / Scholastic) * Tess of the Road, by Rachel Hartman (Random House / Penguin Teen)

https://boingboing.net/2019/04/02/dublin-worldcon.html

[wearpersistencewell]

Okay, let's do this. I ended up deleting questions I didn't have interesting responses for, but you can see the whole thing below.

Who is/are your comfort character(s)? Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt and David Rose and Patrick Brewer. I realize the question was characters and not pairings, but those couples are like hot chocolate on a cold day to me. And I'm not even a romantic person. (I'm really not.) Which cryptyd being do you believe in? I sometimes wonder if the Yeti is actually another species of human, but I don't really believe that. It's just an idea. Why did you do that? To paraphrase Rebecca Bunch, a genetic predisposition for anxiety and ADHD.

Favorite extracurricular activity? Oh, I'm... not in school anymore. I'm a tumblr old, I think. LOL. What kind of day is it? Deceptively sunny. Do you say soda or pop? Neither, to be honest. I just say the name of the product. Or "soft drink."

What type of person are you? Um. INFP? I'm somehow both very open and very closed off. Nothing matters to me more than my friends and family, but I love being alone. I try to see the best in everyone and am generally "you do you," but I also have strong opinions about both everyday things and social justice. I'm spiritual and probably closest to Christian, but too skeptical for organized religion.

How do you like your shower water? Oh, if it were healthy and ecologically friendly, my bathroom would be a sauna by the time I finished up. Alas, it is neither of those things.

here’s weirder asks

who is/are your comfort character(s)?

lighter or matches?

do you leave the window open at night?

which cryptyd being do you believe in?

what color are your eyes?

why did you do that?

hair-ties or scrunchies?

how many water bottles are in your room right now?

which do you prefer, hot coffee or cold coffee?

would you slaughter the rich?

favorite extracurricular activity?

what kind of day is it?

when was the last time you ate?

do you love the smell of earth after it rains?

are you a parent? (all answers qualify)

can you drive?

are you farsighted or nearsighted?

what hair products do you use?

imagine we’re at a sleepover, would you paint my nails?

do you say soda or pop?

something you’ve kept since childhood?

what type of person are you?

how do you feel about chilly weather?

if we were together on a rooftop, what would we be doing?

perfume/body spray or lotion?

a scenario that you’ve replayed multiple times?

about how many hours of sleep did you get?

do you wear a mask?

how do you like your shower water?

is there dishes in your room?

what type of music keeps you grounded?

do you have a favorite towel?

the last adventure you’ve been on?

is there a song you know every word to by heart?

what’s your timezone?

how many times have you changed your url?

someone in your life, other than a relative, you’ve known for 10+ years?

a soap bar that smells good?

do you use lip balm?

did you have any snacks today?

how do you take your coffee?

an app you frequently use besides this godforsaken site?

what’s your take on spicy foods?

you get a free pass to kill anyone, who is it?

can you remember what happened yesterday?

favorite holiday film?

what was the last message you sent?

when did you first try an alcohol beverage?

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[foreverlostinliterature]

12/27 Book Deals

Good morning, all! I hope your week has been going well. There are a ton of books on sale yet again (and a bunch are pretty chunky ones as well), so be sure to have a look and see if there are any that call out to you. :) I can’t recommend Wanderers enough, it was such a compelling and exciting read. Anyway, have a wonderful day, everyone!

Today’s Deals:

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman - https://amzn.to/37bJCn2

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - https://amzn.to/2tXE5SP

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty - https://amzn.to/2SxnVtu

The Likeness by Tana French - https://amzn.to/2QvfIng

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - https://amzn.to/34Xu30V

Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin - https://amzn.to/39fKlp6

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett - https://amzn.to/361Rwzn

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig - https://amzn.to/39ihdNZ

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly - https://amzn.to/2QpYkzX

Final Girls by Riley Sager - https://amzn.to/39c62qd

City of Thieves by David Benioff - https://amzn.to/39hYmmh

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys - https://amzn.to/2soVLX3

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George - https://amzn.to/2Q23K5y

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray - https://amzn.to/2Mzwh02

The  Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - https://amzn.to/2QldvdQ

A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit - https://amzn.to/378ux5E

The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee - https://amzn.to/2Q23VxK

The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan - https://amzn.to/2PZbrJA

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee - https://amzn.to/2QrKTiX

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer - https://amzn.to/2t6du5G

NOTE:  I am categorizing these book deals posts under the tag #bookdeals, so if you don’t want to see them then just block that tag and you should be good. I am an Amazon affiliate in addition to a Book Depository affiliate and will receive a small (but very much needed!)  commission on any purchase made through these links.