#i feel like there is a lot of potential for winnie in this show

[blueycarpenter]

little star

Ever since Cairo submitted her midterm assignment, things haven't been the same between you two.

fandom: MILLER'S GIRL (2024) content: x reader a/n: i had posted this on a previous account, in case it looks familiar

Cairo hadn’t been herself lately. You two had talked for hours for the past couple of weeks. You had grown closer and more intimate with each other. Then, all of the sudden, everything changed.

Cairo wasn’t around anymore. She never called or wrote. It was ever since she turned in her midterm assignment for Mr. Miller that ties had been cut. Due to her tight deadlines, you two had agreed not to see each other until after she had finished the midterm, but it had been 3 days since the due date… She had been a ghost.

You called Winnie that morning—the dawn of the 4th day after. She explained the discord that had accumulated and how Cairo had taken the beating to heart. But she was the strongest person you had ever met. She couldn’t be broken.

Could she?

Winnie had said a lot of things. 

Cairo was emotional. Cairo was resentful. Cairo was heartbroken. Cairo was alive, at least.

No more alive than the works she’d create from a blinking cursor, the lead of a pencil, or the ink of a pen, though. She’d masterminded such beauty that reflected nothing but the world around her. Though when she had unlatched the door to let the monsters in, the rain poured and the lightning struck. 

You weren’t as talented a writer as she was, but who could be? Between those paragraphs of literacy and media was blood. It was a rich kind of blood that lured you to Cairo Sweet in the first place. It was reckless and mysterious, but you’d never felt more grounded before you laid eyes on her. Heard her speak… Learned her heart… And you missed that more than everything.

Was there Sweet to her name anymore? Or was there just Cairo? 

Winnie said Cairo had been alone. She said she had wanted to be alone.

But alone meant misery and displacement. Defeat and loneliness. Longing and torture. And Cairo didn’t deserve that. You didn’t care what she’d done or what she didn’t do. She was your north star. She shone brighter than anything you’d ever known, and therefore, nothing could ever change that.

So, you showed up to her house after that 6 AM phone call with Winnie Black. You needed to see her. Not just because you missed her more than anything, but because you couldn’t bear the thought of her discouraging her potential and honesty. Not in her wondrous existence.

Cairo didn’t fear anything, you’d learned, so you let yourself in and found her sitting in the darkness of her room, three cigarette butts on the floor and her journal open on the bed. Through the shadows, you found the top of her head over the other side of the bed. “Cairo?”

She didn’t move a muscle, but she did answer. “If you’ve come to talk, don’t bother. I’ve heard enough, and the sincerity I’ve expressed has been more than society is willing to tolerate. Honesty is feared by many. It’s tragic and hateful, yet it’s a quality that etiquette claims to be most valuable.” Then, she managed a wry scoff. “Hypocrites.” 

“Cairo, I don’t care what happened,” you replied. “I haven’t heard from you in days. I just missed you, and I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

She actually gave a laugh this time. “Aren’t I?”

As convincing as she may seem to other people, you had learned her better than most, because you had to figure her out the hard way, through phone calls and communication of words, not expressions. You didn’t have to see her face to determine how she truly felt. You could hear it. Dare you say, you could feel it. 

There was a tear in her voice as she spoke. And it led you rounding the bed to find her knees up, while she stared at the wall ahead. Those beautiful eyes were slow, like shards of obsidian as they raised to meet yours without a blink.

“Y/N…”

You dropped to your knees and pulled her into a hug. She didn’t reciprocate, but you held her for everything you were worth. You rested your cheek against her head, your fingers gently pulling the small tangles from her hair and your other hand corralling her back, clutching her shirt like she was going to disappear into the darkness. “Cairo, listen to me…” you whispered. Her warm breath filtered through your shirt. “I don’t care what anyone says. About you… About me… About anything… You are the greatest soul anyone could ever dream of having in their school, in their class, in their life, in anything.”

A warm, damp feeling found its way to your collarbone, and you knew it was tears. And all of the sudden, her weight was recognizable against your embrace. She felt so small in your arms that didn’t even hold all of her. It was the first time you realized just how petite she was for an 18 year-old girl with an extraordinary personality. “You know, to me… you’re above everything in this world. I’ve only seen people wander the earth, dreaming of what it’d be like to fly, but you… you fly, Cairo. You’re that star in the sky everyone dreams of being.” Your chest ached from how serious those words coming from your heart were. You then lifted your head to place a loving kiss to hers, because just holding her wasn’t enough anymore. 

Cairo sniffled, but didn’t say anything. However, she had managed to unbend her legs to hold you against her. And when you gently pulled away to have her look up at you and you, down at her, the wet streaks against her cheeks shimmered in the halflight.

You wiped them away and gave her a small smile. “Beautiful…” You kissed her forehead. “Magical…” You kissed her cheek. “Wonderful, you are.” The next place you were dying to heal with your lips caught your eyes, though it was merely small motions of your irises. Instead, you brushed her hair aside and pressed your foreheads together. Her eyes shut and for a moment, she looked peaceful as you finished with, “Yes, you are…”

She opened her eyes, now only tainted with a thin gloss. But then she managed the smallest, sweetest smile you’d ever seen. Her Cairo Sweet smile. “Thank you,” she said, her voice only a little above a whisper, mostly steady but with the slightest crack.

“It’s true,” you whispered back. Seeing her small smile was enough for you to give her your own, though yours was out of admiration, pride, and love. She truly was a star. 

She was your little star.

Then, her smile faded and she glanced away. It was almost shy, which surprised you. “Y/N?” Her voice grew a little stronger.

“Mm-hmm?” Whatever she wanted was hers.

“Kiss me.”

There was no hesitation as you granted her wish. Little did she know though, it was your wish too. You had wished upon a star, because that was the old saying. Wishing on a star was a chance that didn’t come often, especially when that one star was a shooting star. Yet, it hadn’t passed you up, and there was no way in hell you were going to pass it up.

Cairo’s lips were soft, but you could tell there were stories imprinted on them. They weren’t ex-stories, per se, but they were mysteries that you wondered how hard they would be to solve. How many pages would you have to read to uncover them? How much would she have to write to reveal them?

Only time would tell. But every journey starts somewhere.

And the best had a star to guide them.

[emjee]

Okay I’ve done enough sitting and staring at walls processing Wicked to say things about it now. Behold, the bullet points:

- I have now seen enough of Jon Chu’s work to expect the cutting to closeups during dance numbers when all I want is a wide shot of people all doing the same footwork, and because I was expecting it it annoyed me less.

- The poor lighting balance with some of the backlighting did bug me though; even if it was intentional I found it annoying

- That said!! These are minor quibbles! ESPECIALLY considering how much movie musicals have the potential to really suck. Do you know what absolute shitshows I have wasted three hours of my life on? This is not one of those.

- I simply cannot believe how good Ariana Grande was in this role. I was so fucking skeptical. I take it all back; I was unfamiliar with her game. Holy shit. And she and Cynthia Erivo have fantastic chemistry.

- Actually I’d say there’s not a weak point in the case (if there is it’s maaaaaaaaybe Jeff Goldblum, but that’s partially because I’ve never been a fan of his schtick).

- I’m having a phase in my life where I just want to look at Jonathan Bailey’s face a lot so this was great for that and he’s as incredible as he always is. Watching him dance is just an utter delight. I hope this movie makes him so much money that he can spend the rest of his career doing literally whatever projects he wants. I will watch all of them.

- also Glen Weldon described him on Pop Culture Happy Hour as “insultingly handsome” and yeah. Glen coming through with the phrasing as always.

- As much as I wore out my cast recording as a youth, I actually think Wicked’s biggest strength has always been its script so I am thrilled that Winnie Holzman was the screenwriter because it made the additions seamless and they kept all my favorite lines.

- I’ll say it again: if the show is very dear to you this movie really does feel like it loves its source material just like you do, so I’d recommend you go see it.

- I also second everyone who said “gayer than the stage production.” It’s great.

[joelswritingmistress]

Last Halloween: Chapter 3

Summary: After a tragedy involving Joel happened on Halloween one year prior, the town now shuns him while ignoring the details of the now closed case. You are seemingly the only one to offer empathy to a man the town is making out to be a monster.

Warning: Angst, mild language

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

"He's coming?" Your friend Jessie asked, practically letting her jaw drop to the floor as she adjusted her cowboy hat in the mirror.

"Shh." You put a finger to your lips and pulled on a pair of black spandex for your cat costume. "I don't want to tell Winnie or Chris." You knew they would give you a hard time, but Jessie was a little more open minded.

"Okay, okay." She pretended to zip her lip. "I won't say anything."

"Thank you." You tossed on a black shirt with lacy sleeves before grabbing the cat mask. After Jessie checked herself out once more in the bathroom mirror, you reached for your keys. "Let's boogie," you whispered.

The ride over was focused on Joel talk, and you didn't particularly mind. You were kind of itching to talk about him.

"Are you into him?" Jessie asked.

You weren't a good liar so you were honest, despite the potential backlash. After that motorcycle ride it was like a switch had been flipped inside of you.

"Yeah. I mean, I think so."

"Wow." She giggled, "It's so.. random. Not judging. I just.. wow. Why?"

"Why?" You shrugged as you drove. "He gave me a ride on his motorcycle earlier and-"

"Wait, what?" She grabbed your forearm without even realizing it.

You laughed. "We rode around town and then he drove me back to pick up my car at the junkyard. That's why I was so late getting home."

"How old is he?"

"I'm not sure."

"He's a least ten years older than us. Probably more."

You shrugged again. "I'm just feeling things out. I really just want him to have a friend." You turned to look at Jessie for a quick second. "Ya know?"

"Oh, I know." She chuckled. "A friend with benefits."

You laughed and swatted at her. "Cut it out."

"Just let me know what color bridesmaid dress I should wear."

You rolled your eyes with a grin and the two of you had another laugh.

The sign for the tavern came into view by the road side and you pulled into the parking lot, allowing your car to merge in with all the others. You both reached for your purses in the back seat and then headed toward the door that led inside.

On your walk up you heard someone call out your name and turned to see the man in the plastic scarecrow mask. Joel. Seeing him there alleviated any anxiety that lingered on the chance of him not showing up. He *had* showed up, and you knew how big of a step that was for him.

"Hey!" You greeted him with a hug and he partially lifted the mask as your roommate began to introduce herself. A moment later, the three of you were walking inside, welcomed by the beat of the old time seasonal song, Midnight Monsters Hop.

"I'm gunna go get a drink," Chrissy shouted, using her thumb to motion toward the bar that was overflowing with ghouls, ghosts and everything in between.

"Okay." You gave a thumbs up and looked to Joel. "Want a drink?"

He nodded, "Yeah, sure."

You reached back behind you for his hand and felt that similar electricity from before when he took it.

Up at the bar you flagged down the bartender.

"I'll do a vodka soda and.."

"A Bud Lite," Joel added, reaching into his wallet. Like his habit at the coffee shop, he paid with cash despite your attempts to try to pay for the round.

You looked at one another and without saying a word, you tapped your glasses together and then took a sip from your drinks. Joel hesitantly lifted his mask partway. You felt so bad for his inability to be free.

When another old Halloween song came on by The Dead Kennedys, you pulled Joel with you into a crowd of people who had begun to dance along to the rock music.

The beat was fast and upbeat. Without thinking you shoved Joel playfully with a grin with one hand to his chest and then closed the gap again and began to dance right next to him.

A moment later he was following your lead. He was having fun. You were having fun. The dim lighting in the bar was intersected by strobes of oranges, greens and purples, highlighting your every move.

When Joel really began to relax you could see it in his body language. He was dancing around, grabbing your hand to twirl you and being less cautious about lifting his mask to take a sip from his beer.

The rock music never seemed to let up. You needed a break from dancing as sweat began to make your face glisten. You eyed an old photobooth in the back corner of the bar and reached for Joel's free hand again, towing him with you.

When you pushed your way through a pale, white curtain you pulled him down into a seated position beside you and inserted a five dollar bill into the money slot beneath the camera screen.

With the first 3-2-1 countdown on the screen, you both kept your masks on and you stuck out your tongue. For the second photo, Joel lifted his mask so it sat on the top of his head and he managed a half smile. For picture number three, Jessie came out of nowhere, leaping into the booth for a photobomb and then exiting just as quickly.

You were laughing. Joel was laughing. You were both genuinely enjoying the night. Seconds later, the pictures developed and you took a copy while handing one over to Joel.

He kept his mask up as you pulled him back out into the bar where you resumed dancing. The energy was fiery. You loved every minute of it. More so, you loved seeing Joel at ease and having fun. Prior to recently you had never even seen him smile.

That night, in the freaky, flashing strobe lights, things felt perfect - as perfect as they had felt on the back of Joel's bike a few hours earlier. You knew this was manifesting into one of those nights - the type of night you looked back on that was on the border of magical, at least the type of magical that existed in real life.

It was everything. The music, the lighting, the look on Joel's face as his eyes found yours and never left. You were two giddy children that night and it felt so damn good. Never in a million years did you think you'd be able to get him out of his shell.

A break in the song left the two of you breathing heavy with smiles.

"Want another drink?" He shouted.

"Sure." You smiled, and a ringing stuck in your ears with the brief absence of loud music. The next song quickly picked up and Joel smiled, squeezed your hand and then made his way through the crowd.

"Another round, please," you heard him order.

Your eyes were on him as he stood there by the bar. You still smiled. He was contagious; perhaps the definition of a diamond in the rough. Joel Miller was.. dreamy.

"Hey killer." A voice interrupted your temporary euphoria. It wasn't directed at you. It was directed at Joel. Your daydream was suddenly interrupted when you saw a man approach him as he waited for your drinks. "You're in here dancing and having a good time. Where's Johnny? Hmm?" The guy shoved him now and you ran to Joel's defense.

"Enough!" The bartender scolded but the guy went on.

"You kill a local legend and you think you can just move on?" The guy shouted.

"Stop!" You intervened, standing with Joel as others began to turn in your direction.

"Oh, you even got a girl, that's great," mocked the stranger. "You know what Johnny's girl does on and off every week? She cries. Because you killed him!"

Joel tossed a twenty on the bar, left the drinks and stormed out of the establishment. You chased after him, bursting outside and shouted his name when a car whizzed by and almost hit him on the Main Street road.

"Joel!" You shouted and hurried the rest of the way to him. "Joel, stop!"

"I can't do this!" He shouted, "You just don't get it!"

"I know." You shook your head. "Joel, I'm sorry."

"I'm not your little fucking project," Joel went on.

"I know that, Joel." You shook your head, feeling the first sting of tears in your eyes. "I just.. I like you. I was having fun with you."

"I don't belong here. Not in this town. Not anymore! Nothing is going to change that."

"It's not fair," you went on, "I know-"

"You don't know anything!" He waved his hands wildly to the sides. "You don't know how I feel every single day."

"I know I don't," you agreed, "But I want to be here for you. I want to help you. Be your friend."

"What and relive this shit show of a night almost daily with me?" He made a face and shook his head.

"This night hasn't been a shit show," you argued. "Up until two seconds ago this was one of the enjoyable nights I can remember. It started back at the junk yard and on the bike-"

"Well, I'm glad I could give you a thrill ride," Joel said in a snarky fashion that cut you a little deep.

"Joel.." you shook your head. "I enjoy your company." You extended both of your arms in his direction with your palms up.

He looked at them but distanced himself further back a few steps. "Just.. go back to your normal life and stay away from me."

He scoffed turned away from you, storming off into the darkness as you still held your arms out in front of you. Despite having just formally met him, a single tear left each of your eyes.

"Joel!" You called. "Joel, please.."

He didn't turn back around. It broke off a piece of your heart when he disappeared around the corner of the building without so much as looking back.

CLICK HERE FOR CHAPTER 4

@untamedheart81 @amy172

[governmentintelligence]

less a theory and more drawing connections

i literally dont know whats compelling me to make this post, but i was watching the game theory on indigo park/uniquegeese's reaction to the game theory on indigo park, and when unique mentioned that there's stuff people haven't caught on to or mentioned....

spoilers, i guess? and i have links to all the timestamps in youtube videos im using linked on the images themselves.

I thought a bit about the lloyd's limo's sign that's in storage. and the lloyd statue that's in storage.

(ID: screenshot from Youtube of backstage space Mane Stage in Indigo Park, with gold statue of Lloyd amids storage boxes with his hand outstretched and holding a microphone)

the lloyd statue very clearly looks like it used to be where rambley is now. holding isaac indigo's hand at the entrance.

that implies that the rambley statue isn't the original, and that lloyd used to be the one holding isaac's hand.

(ID: screenshot from Youtube playthrough showing golden statue of Isaac Indigo holding Rambley the Ractoon's hand and waving his other, mimicing the Disney partner's statue)

similarly, in the intro cut scene historical footage of isaac on the park's opening day, a mural of lloyd is on the wall at the entrance. when the player character visits the park, the mural in that location is of rambley.

you can really see it highlighted in this screenshot from the intro scene, as the camera zooms out from the historical footage and shows the present day indigo park website.

(ID: screenshot from Youtube playthrough of intro cutscene. Two monitors sit on desk, one showing black and white footage of Isaac Indigo speaking in front of Indigo Park's entrance on opening day, with Lloyd mural behind him. Second monitor shows website for booking Indigo Park stay with an image of the park's entrance on the website, showing that the mural behind Isaac now has Rambley.)

now, there are a few other allusions to rambley having taken over after lloyd. the painting of them both shaking hands is really reminiscent of the painting in disney's winnie the pooh ride, showing owl shaking hands with mr toad while mr toad passes along the deed to the ride. that painting is an allusion to how the winnie the pooh ride replaced the ride "mr toad's wild ride," so passing the deed is literally passing along the baton.

another is the player character's comment when you view the lloyd plush — "I feel like as a kid, Indigo used Lloyd a lot more."

what i feel is more foreshadowing to why the change between lloyd and rambley was made, however, comes from this sign that's also in the mane stage's backstage. it's sideways and the screengrab isn't the best, but it reads "Lloyd's Limos".

(ID: screenshot from Youtube playthrough, where a dirty sign reading "Lloyd's Limos" can be read between the bars of a metal frame shelf)

the idea of a limo ride immediately reminded me of Disney's California Adventure's infamous Superstar Limo which, to make a long story short, sucked ass. it was such a monumental failure of a ride for quite a few reasons and i'd recommend Defunctland's video on why it all went tits up, but the tl;dr for our purposes is just that it sucked. it was not received well by park attendees and was closed in less than a year after opening.

the comparison makes me really curious to know just what kind of ride lloyd's limos was, but knowing that lloyd had a ride that then flopped feels as if he was the main mascot until he flopped. similar to superstar limo, the entirety of california adventures was received pretty poorly upon opening.

maybe a similar expansion or rebranding was done at indigo park, while lloyd was losing popularity, and that's what prompted the switch? and maybe there's now a return to retro happening for indigo fans, as suggested by the retro lloyd plush (but not of other characters)?

either way, i feel like i haven't seen a lot of people point out the Lloyd's Limos sign and its potential ties to the old Superstar Limo ride, but i do feel like that's hugely intentional. same as the handshake painting's clear nod forward the owl and mr toad painting at the parks. im interested in seeing how these similarities might be foreshadowing or otherwise connected to the lore!!

[agentnico]

Top 10 WORST Movies of 2023

For every good movie there’s always a dozen stinkers, and 2023 brought out a lot of turkeys, and I’m not referring to all the poor birds that ended up in our bellies this Christmas season. It’s become a tradition for me every year to do a top 10 best and worst movies of the year list, and I tend to leave the top 10 best list till later as I catch up will the awards potentials, however with the bad list I get right on into it. There are of course many bad movies this year I didn’t see, as I don’t actively seek out to watch the bad ones, but I have heard that these following haven’t been the best: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, The Marvels, Indiana Jones 5, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Expend4bles, Children of the Corn, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey…… damn, a lot of films got a bad rep this year. Yet I have 10 other ones that I’ve seen that I thought were crap. Don’t worry if a film you loved ends up on this list, it will simply mean your opinion is wrong and your have to live with that. With that in mind, here’s my humble list of the shit-fest Hollywood had to offer in 2023…

10) ANT-MAN & THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA - Everything that is wrong with the current state of Marvel is exhibited on full display here. Lacking a sense of direction and exploiting the idea of the multiverse just for the sake of it, the movie is a dud. It feels like whilst trying to focus on going bigger and bolder, the movie lost the sense of fun that elevated the earlier instalments in the tiny hero’s franchise. Paul Rudd is still as charming and likeable as ever, however the introduction of Kang as the next MCU Big Bad is pointless seeing as this big baddie can be defeated by a bunch of ants. Don’t make no difference now anyway with Jonathan Majors losing the court case, but who in the first place thought “oh yeah, Kang is a badass who killed many Avengers, but a giant head of Corey Stoll should weaken him no problem”. Look, there’s no sugarcoating it - this movie is bad. Also, Bill Murray appears in this because…?

9) THE BEANIE BUBBLE - Zack Galifianakis without any facial hair is truly a sight to behold, but that’s not enough to make this fluffy yet bland behind-the-scenes look at the famous Beanie Babies toys even remotely interesting. It’s as if this film can’t bear (thank you) to show the creepier side of these toys, as this should have been a more darker and messed up tale, especially with the lightly implied institutional sexism. Oh well, that’s that then.

8) WE HAVE A GHOST - If ever there was a movie that fit more to the phrase “Netflix & Chill” then this is it, as you will be too busy banging your partner or your sock than caring about a silent speechless David Harbour creeping about Casper-like and being all quiet and mysterious. To be fair he’s the only redeemable quality as the rest of the movie is a mishmash hodgepodge of genres that is neither funny, nor effective in its family drama dynamic. At least seeing Jennifer Coolidge jump out a window was mildly amusing. Mildly. Anyway, where’s that sock?

7) THE OLD WAY - It is truly fascinating that after starring in over 100 films, this is Nicolas Cage’s first ever western. Aside from that mind boggling revelation, this movie comes out with less than a bang. I don’t know, I was hoping for something a bit more mad, especially with Cage’s involvement. Heck, in the movie’s opening sequence Nicolas Cage is introduced with a sprawling Poirot-like moustache, and immediately I assumed that I am in for something ridiculous. However following that scene the movie cuts to 20 years later, and with that both the moustache and the hope for something exciting or weird is diminished to singular unseen atoms.

6) FOOL’S PARADISE - The directorial debut from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Charlie Day (who also writes and stars), misfiring Hollywood satire Fool’s Paradise wastes a strong ensemble cast that also includes Adrien Brody, Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, Kate Beckinsale, Ken Jeong, Common, John Malkovich and the late Ray Liotta. Look, in a way I feel bad about including this film on this list, as you can tell this is a true passion project for Day and one that has good intentions by attempting to go back to the old-school slapstick Charlie Chaplin-era of comedy, with a lighthearted satire on the way the film industry works. In this case the result is neither sweet nor funny enough, and as such it’s an unfortunate misfire, but easily the most disappointing inclusion on this list.

5) GHOSTED - Adrien Brody’s crappy French accent in this movie I could have forgiven, if only I have not seen John Wick: Chapter 4 a couple of weeks prior where I experienced the most delightful Parisian mouthing of Bill Skarsgard’s villain, so now Brody’s French-ish slur sticks out like a sore thumb. What else sticks out is that Ghosted feels like a film from the early 2000s, featuring every cliche of the genre and with a romantic pairing of Chris Evans and Ana de Armas whom share zero chemistry. Their kissing scenes reminded me of that Andrew Garfield/Emma Stone SNL sketch where they don’t know how to kiss on camera, only in this case it’s unintentional. Also featuring a slew of pointless cameos, and I do mean pointless, this is a throwaway campy spy-action flick that is destined to be forgotten.

4) THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER - Billed as the true sequel to William Friedkin’s original horror masterpiece, it really shouldn’t have strived for that. Ellen Burstyn’s return is a waste. For those excited to see her, she’s only in 3 or 4 scenes total, and the creative choices made with her character are such a disservice to the original movie. Without spoiling, it’s a choice that seems to be inspired by the modern woke culture, with Burstyn’s Chris having being studying the art of exorcism ever since the events that transpired with her daughter, and then when questioned about why she herself did not partake in her daughter’s exorcism she blames the patriarchy. The choice of bringing her into this narrative and then what happens to her…it’s basically taking a classic character and making them dumb. I must say though that the only actual shocking moment in the movie comes in a scene involving her character, and though that moment itself is memorable, the build up towards it is so stupid. Also, with the return of Burstyn it comes as no surprise within the movie when a certain other character pops in for a cameo. Does it add anything to the movie’s story? No, it’s just there for cheap fan service. As for the movie itself, the horror hardly works. It’s not scary at all and you really shouldn’t believe in this one.

3) THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE - Yeah, I know, my inclusion of this film on the list will rattle some feathers, but I don’t care, as for any of you pricks out there thinking that stupid “Peaches” song deserves an Academy Award nomination, you guys are stupid and must be high on some very powerful shrooms. If so, I hope you’re having a great trip, but the fact stands that this movie is bad. Simply doing fan service for the sake of fan service don’t make for a good narrative. Me and my friend were bored throughout, as this movie is 100% for kids. There are nostalgic elements to it all, but I do believe that Illumination and Nintendo should have followed more in The Lego Movie’s footsteps and targeted the film for audiences of all ages, due to the fact that many who grew up with Mario are now adults themselves.

2) LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND - So much wasted potential. A long drawn-out slow shuffle to Nowheresville. A movie that offers so many ideas, plot points, and thread lines that are never answered or go anywhere. In Leave the World Behind things are truly happening under the motto “just because” and “why the hell not” and it makes the viewing experience immensely frustrating. Especially when the movie is nearly 2 and a half hours long and the anticlimactic abrupt ending is a slap to your face for wasting your time. Oh, and if I weren’t a fan of the Friends show before, now more so than ever.

1) 65 - Right ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to ask you all so kindly to rise up from your seats and give a humongous round of applause to 65 - the 2023 film to exhibit qualities of a top contender of the worst movie of this year. Look, I’m disappointed as you are. Adam Driver fighting dino-dinos’?! You’d be a madman to not want to see that! However here’s 65′s first mistake: there actually aren’t that many dinosaurs, let alone fights with them. I know right, I can sense the resounding aura of you, my kind audience, in unison thinking “what the f***?”. Exactly, what the fudge indeed. No, instead what we get is a couple of somewhat thrilling dinosaurs interactions, but overall the movie is just Adam Driver and this little girl walking. Just walking. Walking and whistling. Bunch of jackasses.

That’s it - we did it! Now I can happily forget I ever watched any of these and mentally prepare for what wonders of stupidity 2024 will bring to the big screen. As for my Best Movies of 2023 list, don’t worry, it’s a-coming. Still need to watch The Boy and the Heron and Poor Things and then all will be revealed…

[deathsplaything]

A Good Neighbor Indeed || Alistair, Daiyu, & Winnifred

LOCATION: The Sugar Pot TIMING: Late February PARTIES: Alistair (@deathsplaything), Daiyu (@bountyhaunter), & Winnifred (NPC) SUMMARY: Winnifred calls upon Daiyu for an interview for her to join the inner circle of the Good Neighbors. Alistair plays witness. CONTENT WARNINGS: Abuse (mentioned)

After a long day at the Sugar Pot, Alistair wanted nothing more than to curl up on their couch and take a nap. That’s not what the day had in store for them, however. No, Winnifred wanted Alistair to oversee a meeting between them and a potential recruit for the Keep; Daiyu. She was a proven hunter and had brought in a lot of people and creatures over the last few months. Over the years he’d known Winnifred, Alistair knew there was very little when it came to dissuading her from a decision she’s already made. After they’d closed the shop for the day, Alistair waved their goodbyes to Melody and crew, letting out a deep sigh as they waited for Winnifred to show up. 

Brutus was off in the corner on his bed, looking up at his owner with his big brown eyes, tail wagging as Alistair knelt beside their dog and began to pet them. Brutus was always good for centering him. “Let’s make sure this goes smoothly.” They told their dog, who earned a lick on his nose. “Al! Darling!” A voice rang out, grabbing their attention to the front of the store. “Winnie!” Alistair responded with a smile. “Glad you’ve made it.” They outstretched their arms, and the woman quickly enveloped her old friend in a big hug. Winnifred Williams if nothing else was big on hugs. 

“Daiyu should be here any minute,” Winnifred told Alistair as soon as she’d released them from the hug. “She’s a damn good ranger, been bringing in people left and right since she joined.” Alistair heard tapping, indicating that Winnifred was tapping away on her phone. “I’ll be doing the talking, but I want you to be paying attention to her from Brutus’s point of view. See if there’s any slipups, ‘kay?” Alistair wanted to protest but knew better than to do so. “On my honor, Winnie.” They responded with a mini salute, then took the seat closest to Brutus’s bed. “Ready for some work?” He spoke to his dog, who panted in response. “Good.” 

Winnifred walked over to the seats in the corner of the shop and sat down next to Alistair, waiting for the girl to make her appearance, one leg crossed over the other as she continued to tap away on her phone, looking up every so often at the front door to keep an eye out. “Volkovs are a big deal, you know?” She spoke idly, drawing Alistair’s attention over to her. “She’d be good to have on the inside.” Alistair shrugged a shoulder and hummed boredly in response. “If you say so,” he muttered, hand still petting their dog.

To do something good. It was a notion that should fit a hunter like a glove, except the Volkovs had long ago corrupted themselves — but Daiyu had always been a bleeding heart compared to them. Back when she’d still cried freely and with a certain level of regularity, she’d wept over spilled blood like another child might over spilled milk. But she’d hardened under the hard hand of her father and grown into something, surely. Whatever that was she couldn’t tell you, but it was spiked and hard enough to have made it here.

But the child inside is hard to kill, especially when repressed from an early age. And so the childish desire is still there — to do something good. It was another hunter who’d suggested it to her, dragged into a corner of The 3 Daggers, saying something about a well-paying gig. Steady. Better than this shit, something that’ll give you actual purpose. And wasn’t that what she wanted on top of the autonomy she’d been gathering? Purpose. To not just feel like something spiked and hard and ruinous.

So since her arrival in Wicked’s Rest she’d been going on patrols with unassuming humans, which had felt useless but … nice. The humans were so sweet in their wish to do something in the town, so set on helping their community. Daiyu didn’t fully understand it, but she liked it. She’d not gotten paid for those outings, but when she’d knocked out a werewolf and hand-delivered it to what she assumed to be another hunter, she’d collected a small stipend. The same went for some other beasts. She hadn’t asked questions after realizing there wasn’t any space for questions, had taken her money and moved on. As was the way for a bounty hunter. Now, however, she was a bounty hunter with a returning client! 

The invitation to meet with Winnifred Williams (double-double-u in Daiyu’s mind) outside one of the meetings had been met with a yes from her end. She wasn’t sure what it’d be about, wasn’t sure what to expect from the teashop (different from the basement that smelled distantly of cabbage) but adventure was always met with nothing but determination. And so she arrived, only two minutes late, at the Sugar Pot. She gave a knock, glanced inside and pushed the door open. “Hi,” she said, taking stock of the three individuals in the shop. One was a dog. This was a good sign. “Good evening, Winnifred! And hi, I’m Daiyu.” They said this to the stranger, not the dog — it was supposedly polite to greet humans before dogs, even if she was of the opinion that dogs reigned supreme. “Th– I appreciate the invite. What’s up?” What’s up, what a stupid way of voicing her curiosity. She remained standing, eyes flicking to the dog. She resisted the urge to ask their name. “I hope all’s good.”

Alistair listened as the door opened, and they slumped back in their seat a bit more as they realized there was truly no getting out of this. As soon as Daiyu entered the store, Alistair began to look through his dog’s eyes. They stood perfectly still, and the dog looked around the room as he usually would, though fixated on Daiyu as she came closer. “Fuirich,” Alistair spoke to their dog in a calm tone, which caused Brutus to continue sitting at Alistair’s feet, though his tail was wagging a mile a minute to express his happiness at the sight of a new person. 

“Daiyu, good to see you!” Winnifred exclaimed, waving happily at the woman with a large smile plastered over her face. “This is Alistair. They’re one of my excellent friends.” She reached over and pinched at Alistair’s cheek, which caused them to flinch and push the hand away on instinct. They made a face but quickly corrected it into an uncomfortable smile. They had a job to do, so they kept silent, nodding their head as they were introduced. 

“What’s up?” Winnifred responded with a giddy expression. “What’s up I want to congratulate you on being so awesome!” She waved her hands in front of herself, then let out a little “Woo!” Alistair slipped further down in their seat, embarrassed for her. “How would you feel about getting to know a little more about our organization? Maybe a bit of a promotion, so to speak?” Winnifred wiggled her brows playfully, patting the seat across from her. “Sit! I want to talk with you!” She looked to Alistair, who was carefully watching the girl through their dog’s eyes. “Would you make us some of that wonderful earl grey you make?” She pleaded to the redhead, who broke the connection with Brutus, to stand up. “Fine.” They grumped, pushing themselves up from their seat and over to the counter.

Winnifred was a woman of great fervor, Daiyu had learned. Personable and excitable and so very devoted to her cause, pushing into personal boundaries with little thought. She wasn’t used to these kind of people — her own people were the distant and cold type, touch mostly used as a means of control. She’d always been considered fiery among her kin, but here she felt as frozen as the rest of her family.

“Good to see you too,” she said, giving a smile. It wasn’t bad, she found. To be around someone so energetic, so glad to see her. It was a little infectious, even if also unfamiliar. Daiyu wondered how many people just went through life like this, exclaiming everything as if it was the most exciting thing. Living for their community, driven to keep them all safe. It seemed like a nice existence. Even if her house smelled of cabbage. 

And so as Winnifred went on about how awesome she was, she wasn’t sure how to stand. Daiyu could feel her cheeks growing round with the slight, true smile that sneaked on her lips, even if she thought it was a little cringe. “That’s … awesome, that you think that way. I’m always down for more.” The Good Neighbors didn’t fit her. It was all in the name: she wasn’t good. She was barely even a neighbor, with her nomadic way of life and how she struggled to really invest in the people around her. But she liked the idealistic, ignorant humans. She liked the flow of money, too. And so she sat down, gave a small nod to Alistair and looked at the woman. “So, what more is there to know?” There always was more to know. Information, too, was used as a means of control. “I’m all ears.”

Winnifred’s eyes seemed to twinkle in delight as Daiyu seemed to get on board with what the woman was throwing her way. “Excellent! Well for one, I’m happy to see how devoted to the cause you are,” she began, scrolling through her phone as she looked through a document. “You’ve one of the highest catch rates of the organization, not to mention your own reputation from your family!” Winnifred waved a hand, not wanting to get too ahead of herself. 

Alistair continued to watch Daiyu, noticing how she seemed to be receptive to Winnifred’s words. Man, they weren’t built for this. They were supposed to just get the person and be on their way. But Winnifred, as she does, saw potential in Alistair whether they wanted it to be there or not. She saw a friend who because they played their cards right, was doomed to follow the woman wherever she went. They hated it. They liked it. They hated that he kind of liked it.

Taking a deep breath, Alistair crossed their arms over their chest and kept quiet as Winnifred continued to speak. “As you well know, we don’t kill our captured friends,” Winnifred explained. “Instead, we keep them in a holding block, if you will.” Her gaze watched Daiyu closely for her reaction. “We don’t kill people. Because they are people. They’re just… dangerous people. And we don’t want to let the dangerous people out among the innocent, do we?” 

She had a strange relationship with praise, as was to be expected when raised by the likes of Alexei Volkov. Praise was given for particular and creative cruelty, for an ice-cold and vicious approach, for knives sunk in backs. To be praised was to be good at what she was born to be, but it also meant something had to be rotten about her, as to be admired by such a man was surely no good sign. Daiyu felt herself halt and tense at the statement that she caught a lot, balked at the mention of family.

Her expression grew darker for a moment, like the shadow of her siblings was cast over her. Most other hunters were more tactful about these things. “Right. Well, I’m good at what I do,” she said tersely, not adding that it was because or in spite of her family. She pushed herself up in her seat, remembering that Volkovs weren’t supposed to slump. (They also didn’t collaborate with neighborhood watches, though.)

She listened to Winnifred speak, feeling as if she was being addressed like a child who needed justification. Calling shifters and whatnot people, but dangerous ones. Explaining that she was taking something like the law into her own hands. Daiyu pressed her lips together. Winnifred would do well among certain hunters. Plenty of others would spit on her for talking about these creatures as if they were humans deserving of a kind of mercy. Was it mercy? To lock them up? She wasn’t sure. She was trying to grasp what kind of person Winnifred was. A concerned human, a citizen who took matters into her own hands — or something more sinister? She looked at the other person in the room with them, trying to get what they were about. Sadly, Daiyu had never been very perceptive or understanding of others.

“Right,” she said. “No killing, just capturing. And then? You keep them there indefinitely, permanently? I am not interested in being a jailer.” She thought of the cages at home. Beasts scratching at bars, her father’s hand tense in her neck so she wouldn’t look away. There was no looking away, no matter how many miles she put between herself and Seattle. “I’m aware of the risks certain shifters and whatnot are to humans.” There remained a tenseness in her voice. “And I don’t mind taking those out of the equation. For a prize.” The money. She needed to let the money dictate what she did. She couldn’t be moved by memory or heart, by distaste or glory. She could be steely and greedy and let that be it. “What else would you want me to do?”

Alistair wasn’t sure how they felt about Daiyu’s reaction to the idea of keeping the supernatural locked up. In truth, Alistair wasn’t either. But it’s what they did to keep others alive, so they had learned to accept it. Winnifred allowed them to be taken by the necromancer for their healing, so they had learned to keep their mouth shut and their opinions to themselves. They were sure Winnifred liked it that way, though she kept that all-too-chipper exterior about her. It unnerved them. Finished making the tea, Alistair brought the two hot cups of lavender Earl Grey tea to the table and set them down for the two to grab at their leisure. “There.” They spoke curtly, keeping to their observer role rather than a talkative one.

“No killing, that’s right!” She replied with a bright smile on her face. “We keep them where they’re kept alive, and the innocent humans of our town are kept safe and away from the craziness that is our town.” Winnifred took a long sip from her drink, then made a face of pure bliss. “Ah, this is perfect, Al. Thanks!” She took another drink before putting the cup back down. “As to what you would be doing,” she began, pulling out a phone. Nondescript and simple. 

“You would be in the field finding threats.” She began, holding to phone out to her. “It’s programmed with one number, and that’s the headquarters. You call that number, report a threat, and the rest of the team dispatches whoever would be most appropriate to deal with it.” She gave a bright smile, having all of this figured out from the very beginning. “I see your drive, your tenacity! I like it and want it on my team. I want you on my team.” Winnifred was leaning toward Daiyu with a bright smile on her face. “You can help make our town safe from the supernatural. You can help make our town normal.”

She wondered what Winnifred motivations were. Daiyu wanted them to be as plain as she presented them to be — she was a protector and went to the end of the earth to protect. It would be nice, wouldn’t it? If someone did these kinds of things not out of greed or power, but because they wanted to look after their community? There were plenty of hunters who spoke of codes and morals, but she always found that they fell short. At the end of the day plenty of them reveled in the hunt and the kill. She reveled in it, even if there was a dark shame in her gut.

She wanted that Winnifred was this simple. That humans were this simple. And maybe they were — maybe humans that hadn’t been raised in a family as her own could be that simple. Even if there was something misguided about it all. Wasn’t murder mercy sometimes? Wasn’t a definitive end better than a cage? But it was hard to imagine the other as something as dark and calculating as her father. It sounded good, at face value. Misguided, maybe, but good. And who was she to judge, anyway? She took bounties from strangers not knowing what motivated them. She hardly knew what motivated her these days. 

Money. Right. Money.

Daiyu took the phone, didn’t offer the cup of tea a glance. “Alright,” she said. She could locate threats. “Sounds good. Any kind?” She turned the thing over in her hands, looked back up to Winnifred. She felt her chest grow tight as she leaned toward her. She wanted this warmth to be real and she let herself be swept up in it for a moment. The thought of being wanted, of cooperating on a team that served to protect, of not having to compete or fight tooth and nail. “I’d like to help.” She slid the phone in her pocket. “To keep the people safe. I’m in.” The tightness didn’t leave, but there was something else there too. She didn’t dare call it by its name, for optimism was always met with disappointment. “So what’s next? I’d like to see headquarters, sometime. Are there more team members to meet?” She seemed more eager now. She turned to Alistair, curious, “I assume you’re one? What is it you do?”

As Daiyu asked Winnifred if they were to locate any kind, Winnifred nodded her head. “Yep, any kind that you think disrupts the normal day-to-day goings on of this town.” She replied, clapping her hands together. Alistair struggled to keep themselves from rolling their eyes. Helping people, keeping people safe. There was none of that here. Winnifred from what he’d come to learn, was obsessed with normalcy. Anyone who disrupted that was unsafe in her mind. Alistair only did this for the free access to people. People they could use to heal those who came into their shop. 

Winnifred nodded her head enthusiastically. “Yes, I’ll be sure to schedule a whole tour for you to see the keep.” She replied, plucking up her phone and scrolling through her calendar. “I’ll schedule that with you at some point.” Her voice trailed off as she began to think of logistics. “Great! You’ll do great things with us, and the people you’ll keep safe may not know to thank you, but they’d thank you if they knew.” She gave Daiyu a bright smile before turning to Alistair as they were asked a question. 

“I’m a spellcaster,” he answered, severing the connection he used to keep an eye on Daiyu. “If they’re undead, that’s where I come in.” They explained, wanting to keep it vague. “Necromancer.” They finally said, knowing that if he were going to be working with the girl, she’d figure it out eventually. After all, they were in charge of them whether they liked it or not. “Been with Winnifred since close to the inception of her group.” Alistair wanted to frown. The idea that they were part of anything of this caliber was enough to make their skin crawl. 

“As for team members,” Winnifred piped up, saving Alistair from having to talk about themselves even more than they already had. “There are a small amount of us. There’s Alistair here, myself as the head, and a handful of others. When you get the tour of the keep, you’ll meet them. I’ll make sure everyone’s schedules align.” She smiled again, looking between the necromancer and the ranger. “Anything else that you’d like to know before letting you go? I’ll send an email of contacts you’ll need and all the logistics. Stuff poor Alistair doesn’t need to be reminded of.” 

It seemed Winnifred was hooked on the idea that the town should be a normal one, which was a bit of a hilarious thought. Daiyu had been in many a town and city over the past years, and not many were supernatural hotspots in the way Wicked’s Rest was. There really was a supernatural magnet in the earth here, or something. “Sounds logical enough,” she confirmed. She wasn’t sure how to start judging these things, as the Volkov code on who should be hunted was pretty simple: any creature. 

She was overthinking it all a bit, trying to imagine that this keep should look like when something Winnifred said caught her attention. People would thank her if they knew, people would be kept safe. Wasn’t that what hunters were supposed to do? Sure, the creatures Daiyu hunted often posed a risk for animals, but she targeted them because of their bounty’s pricetag, not because she was very concerned with strangers she kept at more than an arm’s length. Or so she figured she ought to live, at least. “Awesome. I’ll just have to imagine the thank-yous, but knowing I’ve helped is great.”

She eyed the spellcaster with a hard to define look, somewhere between awe and distaste. She sometimes worked for spellcasters, getting them the things they needed for their potions — but the whole raising people and such from the death thing was wrong. Generally speaking magic made her uncomfortable, though. “Cool,” she replied, “Makes sense. Nice to meet you, then.” She offered a grin.

As Winnifred spoke of email addresses and schedules Daiyu felt a mild urge to run. It sounded very bureaucratic. She hoped she didn’t need a desk. “Nah, everything’s clear,” she said. “If I’ve got any questions I know how to reach you. I’ll get started on my new tasks as soon as possible.” She hesitated a moment. “Thanks, for trusting me with this.”

Alistair watched Daiyu’s discomfort through Brutus’s eyes. They weren’t hurt or surprised, it was the reaction they always expected. They simply nodded their head in response. Winnifred continued to type in her phone, probably scheduling something or other, and then put her phone down with a bright smile on her face. “Welcome to the inner circle, then!” She pushed her hand out and then took Daiyu’s shaking it vigorously before dropping it and going back to her phone. “We will be in touch. We ask that you keep this the utmost secret. The last thing we need is people thinking we’re the bad guys.” She stared pointedly at Daiyu, searching for any piece of distrust in her. When she was satisfied that she’d found none, she nodded her head with a satisfied smile. 

“Well, we don’t want to keep too much of poor Alistair’s time!” She suddenly announced, clapping her hands together and causing Alistair to jump slightly at the sudden noise. Alistair made a face in response to their own fear. They severed the connection with Brutus, a wave of exhaustion hitting as soon as the spell stopped casting. Brutus seemed to relax a little as well. They hated channeling that spell for longer than necessary. Even more so, they were glad that Winnifred decided to leave before she got a new idea that the new hub of operation should be Alistair’s shop. That was something they’d never allow.  “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Daiyu,” Alistair spoke with a polite smile. Though it didn’t reach their eyes, it was hidden away behind their sunglasses. They grappled with the fact that this operation was getting bigger and bigger, but at least there was someone else who was able to take a little of the weight off of their own shoulders. The less responsibility there was for this band of vigilantes, the better they seemed to feel about it. Anything for their own bottom line, they kept reminding themselves. They just hoped that Daiyu was someone Winnifred could genuinely learn to trust.

[retrodisneydaily]

as someone trying into get into older disney, which 5 (or more) movies would you recommend? thank you!

Hi! Thanks for the question! I'll give you some suggestions here, but I suppose it depends on if you're trying to get into the animated films or the live-action films! I'm also not sure what you've seen, so I apologize if I list something you're already familiar with. I'm going to make this list based off the assumption you're approaching this with a fully clean slate!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs -- this one might be obvious and as it's a princess movie you've likely already seen it, but I do think of it as essential viewing! you can see so much of what the Disney movies would become while watching this, and can also see the inspiration from the Silly Symphony shorts in how the film is put together! And as the very first feature length animation, it's an important part of film history! Especially if you haven't seen this in a long time, I'd recommend it.

Fantasia -- not my favourite film, but another one that I do think is essential! It's truly a masterpiece in animation, and shows off Walt's imagination in a brilliant way. He was always shooting for the stars, even if things didn't always pay off or work the way he imagined (Fantasia was supposed to be always changing and growing, adding in new segments while removing the old). This film also helped to revolutionize theater sound systems, so again another important part of film history!

The Reluctant Dragon -- I discovered this one back when Disney+ first came out and I think it's a really interesting one! The title short itself leaves a bit to be desired in my opinion, but the first half of the movie is a quasi-documentary of a tour around the Walt Disney studio and teaches a lot about how the films were made! It specifically provides some previews of Dumbo and Bambi if I'm recalling correctly. Really really interesting viewing if you're into behind-the-scenes things like that!

Peter Pan -- this one is my favourite of the classic Disney era, so I have to recommend it! Not much to say here other than it's a fun film, with wonderful animation and some catchy songs! (Content advisory for elements of racism)

Mary Poppins -- another of my personal favourites, and for good reason! Julie Andrews is incredible, the songs are fun, and there's some really great work melding live-action with animation! This one was also nominated for Best Picture, and Julie Andrews won the Oscar for Best Actress! A very important film in the Disney catalogue, and one that always fills me with a warm, fuzzy feeling!

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh -- Winnie the Pooh is such a staple of pop culture nowadays, so it's fun to go back and look at his beginnings with Disney! This is another one that is good to give you warm, fuzzy feelings inside!

The Black Cauldron -- this is far from the best film that the Walt Disney studios has ever created, but I do think it's interesting and worth a watch! This is the film that almost completely bankrupt the studio and the animation department before The Little Mermaid ushered in the Disney Renaissance. I also think this film has a lot of potential (not always lived up to, unfortunately) and is a bit of a hidden gem! It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but again I think it provides for an interesting viewing experience

Thank you so much for the question, and I hope I provided good answers for you! Followers can feel free to chime in with their own thoughts as well, but honestly I feel like you can't go wrong with any of the Disney films! Especially the ones released in the Golden Age (1937-1942) and the Silver Age (1950-1967)

[breesays]

c'est comme ça / admit

I hate to admit getting better is boring

But the high cost of chaos, who can afford it?

A few months ago came upon an ace blog on Tumblr, an entry that said the person didn't want to read anymore about the "ace experience" because they were living it, and spent a lot of time assuming everyone was just like them. I, on the other hand, would love to and am actively searching out more ace experiences to read and hear about. You know what I am NOT curious about? The allo experience. That was one of my biggest problems during the very brief stint we had with a sex therapist. She was pushing "non judgemental curiosity" on my part. Por que? The allo experience, in all it's many forms and narratives, has been effectively shoved down my figurative (um and maybe literal) throat since I was a teen. From having to (over)hear hormonal peers pine pine pine to sex scenes in books ("he entered her" VOM) and movies (I'm in love with TWs) and like every TV show ever UGH, I have truly had enough. While everyone is shipping fictional characters my suspense is that I hope it WILL NOT hit that physical tipping point. Watching Wednesday I definitely felt her ambivalence about her admirers/supposed love interests. Or her being strategic about hanging out with them. I know I'm projecting, but it's so draining to have someone you're fond of look at you and also search you for MORE. I filled teenage journals to the brim with that theme.

What a thing to admit / That when someone looks at me with real love / I don't like it very much / Kinda makes me feel like I'm being crushed

I was thrilled that in the Marvel movie Shang Chi that the main characters relationship with Awkwafina's character remained platonic. THAT is what I want to see more of, hear more of.  I just finished Claire Kann's "If It Makes You Happy" and while it was not a page-turner or the kind of book that had brilliantly crafted sentences that stunned you into awed silence, it had SO many things other books did not.

A fat main character who did not care to lose weight, or have self esteem issues

A QPR - not without it's issues, but still

Polyamory - a soon-to-be college student who didn't necessarily identify as such but who knew she could be in a relationship with more than one person

That said, it wasn't easy to get into. Winnie is not a super likeable character (but also she wouldn't care that I said that) and it takes awhile for you to get the gist of allllll the relationships she has - family and friends. But this work of fiction is important for the sheer amount of representation that is not so easily stumbled upon. I can't even fully express how much that means to me, but when I get around to articulating it, I will write my own book. Thank you, Claire Kann.

Just realized that was a book review, so all that is on my GoodReads and I only write like 3 reviews a year. Why? The same reason I don't write music reviews - it's personal. What it means to me has everything to do with what I need, who I am at any given moment. It's a prescription. Doled out in strings and timbre and lyrics.

Realizing so much of my love has been platonic and somehow that was offensive. Two of them asked, "You think I'm cute, like a puppy?" (Yes?)

Thinking about dividing up my blogs - keeping breesays for the daily (ok, monthly?) life stuff, toddler life moment recording and then putting all my ace experiences on a different domain. It all intersects, sure, but there's potentially some darker themes in the ace stuff, and I don't know who wants to go there. breesays - love and light and parenting and recommendations and culture. littlespooncrimes - "People talk to me, and all their faces blur / But I got my fingers laced together and I made a little prison / And I'm locking up everyone that ever laid a finger on me" knife emoji x3

At this juncture in my life I am NOT doing a lot of exploring of that aspect of my identity. I did pre-order all the ace books. I'm listening to a lot of science podcasts on longevity, working on my meditation practice - kind of grounding myself before I go back into excavate some of this stuff. Some of it is humorous in retrospect, some of it physically pains me. I want to be able to rip open old wounds, sure, but I also want to make sure I can recover. I'm not asking for Wolverine-level regeneration, just being able to breathe through a memory and go on living life as opposed to needing 3 hours to be catatonic. See also: cold showers.

Can I recommend another book for you? Elissa Bassist's "Hysterical" - now THAT one had some sections that stunned me into silence. Also rage. And tears. But I read it on GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS so none of my goddamn notes were saved.

Sometimes I get caught up in wondering what kind of havoc I wreaked on ex-whatevers. What is it like to encounter an ace in the wild, when she doesn't know what she is? When she's faking it (but not well) and taking secret shots in your kitchen? When she would love nothing more than to be little spoon but if that was a breadcrumb to sex let's just off ourselves right now. Die inside, by suicide. No blue moons. Crush the stars they can't align.

They're OK. The rest of the world was designed with them in mind.

[kierancampire]

Even though this is my fourth time doing this, I only remember from looking at my memories. Once again a short reminder, I started this in 2020 cause it was such a shit year, and this year's have been difficult over all, that I needed to remind myself that good can still happen and I need to focus on that at least as much as the bad

In no particular order:

At the start of the year the girls both got spayed, and although both had complications, they both healed well and it went fine in the end! It was such a nice peace of mind having them done to stop all the issues! And they did love on me hard after the spays!

I won the Ombudsman case, a process that had taken almost 2 years and took everything from me, but winning the case was such a huge achievement. Swan still haven't sent me my apology, or dealt with the roof/mould, but at least I won the case, showed they are awful people, and got partially compensated for the heavy toll this all took on my mental and physical health

With that compensation obviously I got the PS5 which was a great treat for everything! It is such a lovely console and I am having so much fun with it! Then I also got my two tattoos, which the cat one I originally designed in 2017 so getting that done finally was a huge thing, plus the Winnie the Pooh one means a lot to me and I really do love how both came out thanks to Peyton

This year we finally did my living room, and while the rest of my flat needs doing, it's so nice to just have one room sorted and how I planned, I still constantly look at it and smile, it's nice to stay in here and imagine I actually like my home

Due to the Ombudsman, I finally got a new front door which has improved things drastically, sound and air no longer pour through a warped door. Then I also got a new bathroom essentially! I got a new shower, a new toilet that is no longer caked in mould, and a sink that I can actually clean and is no longer perpetually disgusting! It also got painted for me so it is no longer that god awful electric blue!

This is the year I finally got all my ornaments back, something that was unexpectedly painful and bittersweet. But it's so nice having them all back, especially my Baron Von Humbert Gikkingen music box! I love that one!

Then this also is the year I *FINALLY* started the autism process, after trying and failing for years, I am finally on the waiting list to get an autism diagnosis!

There potentially is more, but these were the things off the top of my head. Honestly, this year was hard again too with making this list, outside of the Ombudsman I had no huge victories, I met no friends, partially in purpose this ignores a lot of bad, also, seeing all the UC stuff and how I tick all the boxes for it being taken from me, I am terrified of 2024 and the coming years, I literally get so anxious I feel sick whenever I think of it, I am so incredibly scared. But I guess this is why this is so important, even through suffering in the year and fear of the future, good still happened and I need to remember that good, no matter how big or small that good is, as that's what keeps you going. If I remember anything else I'll edit it on later, but yeah, I just wanted to do this while I remembered

[ranchthoughts]

Feeling like:

Excuse how awfully formatted this is (people with asterisks next to their names appear else where on the chart):

TLDR:

There's a lot of nonsense under the cut, so to summarize:

I enumerated 15 possible universe set ups before I started to lose it. I believe there are more, especially since I didn't account for if some of the shows were just their own universe, irrespective of whether they had to be given the layout of the other shows.

The fewest possible universes are 5, the most is 12 (if each show was it's own universe, except for Bad Buddy and ATOTS which we know are together, and Vice Versa spans 2 universes as we know it does).

5 universes: au!Vice Versa, Bad Buddy/ATOTS, MSP, Moonlight Chicken, and The Eclipse// OR au!Vice Versa, Bad Buddy/ATOTS, MSP, Moonlight Chicken, and Vice Versa

6 universes: au!Vice Versa, Bad Buddy/ATOTS, MSP, Moonlight Chicken, TOL and The Eclipse// OR au!Vice Versa, Bad Buddy/ATOTS, MSP, Moonlight Chicken, TOL and NLMG// OR au!Vice Versa, Bad Buddy/ATOTS, MSP, Moonlight Chicken, The Eclipse and NLMG

7 universes: au!Vice Versa, Bad Buddy/ATOTS, MSP, Moonlight Chicken, NLMG, TOL, and The Eclipse

Central to this attempt is my assumption that Drake playing 2 characters in one universe (Korn in Bad Buddy and Rang in ATOTS) is an outlier and that he is the only one to ever do that. If not, well then I weep to think of the number of potential universe arrangements that have been added. Any one good at math?

Initial Notes:

No show can be in au!Vice Versa's universe because gay marriage is legal there and it isn't legal in any other show (though there are several shows where this is not confirmed/explicitly said - please correct me if I'm wrong)

Also to consider with regards to au!Vice Versa: Mix is a veterinarian, Tay Tawan is a delivery driver, Perth is a director, and Gun is a screenwriter named Third (thanks to @benkaaoi for reminding me - though TOL cannot exist in the same universe as au!Vice Versa unless they have gay marriage and I don't know if it is confirmed they do?)

The presence of First implies Moonlight Chicken, The Eclipse, Theory of Love, and Not Me do NOT all take place in the same universe (barring a Drake Korn/Rang situation - let's assume Drake is an outlier). This is further confirmed by the presence of Off and Gun in both Theory of Love and Not Me, and Papang in Moonlight Chicken and Not Me.

The presence of Earth in Moonlight Chicken, Bad Buddy/ATOTS and TOL imply these shows can NOT be in the same universe.

The presence of Mike in Theory of Love and A Boss and A Babe (ABAAB) implies these two shows do NOT take place in the same universe.

The presence of Satang and Winny in MSP and A Star in My Mind (SIMM) implies the two shows do NOT take place in the same universe.

The presence of Satang and Dunk in Bad Buddy/ATOTS and SIMM implies the two shows do NOT take place in the same universe.

The presence of Force and Book in ABAAB and Enchante implies these two do NOT take place in the same universe.

The presence of Mike in ABAAB and Theory of Love implies these two do NOT take place in the same universe.

The presence of Neo and Pawin in The Eclipse and Never Let Me Go (NLMG) implies these two do NOT take place in the same universe.

The presence of Neo in au!Vice Versa, The Eclipse, NLMG and Vice Versa implies these shows do NOT all take place in the same universe.

The presence of Perth in au!Vice Versa and NLMG implies these two do NOT take place in the same universe.

Because TOL, SOTUS, and 2gether are shows in the Vice Versa world, they cannot exist in the same universe.

I haven't even looked at Dark Blue Kiss, Fish Upon the Sky...

Therefore:

SIMM (=/= Bad Buddy/ATOTS, MSP, au!Vice Versa; could be in Moonlight Chicken)

NLMG (=/= The Eclipse, Vice Versa, au!Vice Versa; could be in Bad Buddy/ATOTS or MSP but not if The Eclipse is)

The Eclipse (=/= NLMG, Vice Versa, Not Me, au!Vice Versa; could be in Bad Buddy/ATOTS or MSP but not if NLMG is there)

Vice Versa (=/= TOL, au!Vice Versa; could be the same as Enchante or MSP)

Not Me (=/= TOL, Moonlight Chicken, au!Vice Versa; could be the same as Bad Buddy/ATOTS, MSP)

Enchante (=/= ABAAB, au!Vice Versa; could be in the same as Vice Versa or MSP)

ABAAB (=/= TOL, Enchante, au!Vice Versa; could be in Moonlight Chicken, Bad Buddy/ATOTS or MSP)

TOL (=/= Vice Versa, Not Me, ABAAB, Moonlight Chicken, Bad Buddy/ATOTS, au!Vice Versa; could be in MSP but only if Vice Verse is not)

Therefore:

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (could include ABAAB and/or Not Me and/or NLMG OR The Eclipse)

MSP (could include Enchante and/or Not Me and/or Vice Versa OR TOL OR ABAAB OR The Eclipse)

Moonlight Chicken (could include SIMM and/or ABAAB)

au!Vice Versa (cannot include any other show unless they have gay marriage, there is an argument to be made for TOL existing in this universe due to Gun)

If NLMG is part of the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe and TOL is part of the MSP universe, then The Eclipse is its own universe.

If The Eclipse is part of the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe, NLMG is its own universe.

If TOL is part of the MSP universe, Vice Versa is its own universe.

If ABAAB OR Vice Versa is part of the MSP universe, TOL is its own universe.

Ok now to brainstorm different options for universe set ups:

Option 1A (5 universes, The Eclipse is one; ABAAB is in the Moonlight Chicken universe, Not Me is in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe):

au!Vice Versa

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM, ABAAB)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes Not Me, NLMG)

MSP (includes Enchante, Vice Versa, TOL)

The Eclipse

Option 1B (5 universes, The Eclipse is one; ABAAB is in the Moonlight Chicken universe, Not Me is in MSP universe):

au!Vice Versa

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM, ABAAB)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes NLMG)

MSP (includes Enchante, Vice Versa, Not Me, TOL)

The Eclipse

Option 1C (5 universes, The Eclipse is one; ABAAB is in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe, Not Me is in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe):

au!Vice Versa

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes ABAAB, NLMG, Not Me)

MSP (includes Enchante, Vice Versa, TOL)

The Eclipse

Option 1D (5 universes, The Eclipse is one; ABAAB is in the Moonlight Chicken universe, Not Me is in the MSP universe):

au!Vice Versa

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM, ABAAB)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes NLMG)

MSP (includes Enchante, Vice Versa, Not Me, TOL)

The Eclipse

Option 2a (6 universes, TOL is one, The Eclipse is one; ABAAB and Vice Versa are in the MSP universe, Not Me and NLMG are in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe):

au!Vice Versa

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes Not Me, NLMG)

MSP (includes Enchante, Vice Versa, ABAAB)

The Eclipse

TOL

Option 2b (6 universes, TOL is one, The Eclipse is one; Vice Versa is in the MSP universe, ABAAB and Not Me and NLMG are in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe):

au!Vice Versa

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes ABAAB, Not Me, NLMG)

MSP (includes Enchante, Vice Versa)

The Eclipse

TOL

Option 2c (6 universes, TOL is one, The Eclipse is one; ABAAB and Vice Versa and Not Me are in the MSP universe, NLMG is in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe):

au!Vice Versa

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes NLMG)

MSP (includes Enchante, Vice Versa, ABAAB, Not Me)

The Eclipse

TOL

Option 2d (6 universes, TOL is one, The Eclipse is one; Vice Versa and Not Me are in the MSP universe, ABAAB and NLMG are in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe):

au!Vice Versa

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes ABAAB, NLMG)

MSP (includes Enchante, Vice Versa, Not Me)

The Eclipse

TOL

Option 3a (6 universes, TOL is one, NLMG is one; ABAAB and Not Me and Vice Versa are in the MSP universe, The Eclipse is in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe):

au!Vice Versa

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes The Eclipse)

MSP (includes Enchante, Vice Versa, Not Me, ABAAB)

TOL

NLMG

Option 3b (6 universes, TOL is one, NLMG is one; ABAAB and Vice Versa are in the MSP universe, Not Me and The Eclipse are in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe):

au!Vice Versa

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes Not Me, The Eclipse)

MSP (includes Enchante, Vice Versa, ABAAB)

TOL

NLMG

Option 4 (6 universes, NLMG is one, The Eclipse is one; ABAAB and Not Me and Vice Versa are in the MSP universe, NLMG is in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe):

au!Vice Versa

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes TOL)

MSP (includes Enchante, Vice Versa, Not Me, ABAAB)

The Eclipse

NLMG

Option 5 (7 universes, NLMG is one, The Eclipse is one, TOL is one; ABAAB and Vice Versa are in the MSP universe, Not Me is in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe):

au!Vice Versa

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes Not Me)

MSP (includes Enchante, Vice Versa, ABAAB)

The Eclipse

NLMG

TOL

Option 6 (5 universes, The Eclipse is one; TOL is in the au!Vice Versa universe, ABAAB is in the Moonlight Chicken universe, NLMG is in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe, Vice Versa is in the MSP universe)

au!Vice Versa (includes TOL)

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM, ABAAB)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes Not Me, NLMG)

MSP (includes Enchante, Vice Versa)

The Eclipse

Option 7 (5 universes, Vice Versa is one; TOL is in the au!Vice Versa universe, ABAAB is in the Moonlight Chicken universe, NLMG is in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe, The Eclipse is in the MSP universe)

au!Vice Versa (includes TOL)

Moonlight Chicken (includes SIMM, ABAAB)

Bad Buddy/ATOTS (includes Not Me, NLMG)

MSP (includes Enchante, The Eclipse)

Vice Versa

This is when I started to lose it... So there are more. I think. Also this doesn't account for "what if some/all of the shows just were their own universe?"

If all the shows were their own universe, there would be 12 universes.

so Bad Buddy exists in the same universe as A Tale of a Thousand Stars

and MSP exists in a universe where Bad Buddy and ATOTS are shows (along with He's Coming to Me) that the characters watch

Fourth and Gemini were students in Bad Buddy, but those were not Gun and Tinn (MSP does not happen in the same universe as Bad Buddy does)

Prom, Mark, and Lotte are students in Bad Buddy, but those are not Phat, Tiw, or Yak (MSP does not happen in the same universe as Bad Buddy does)

Ohm must be an actor in MSP's universe (he stars in the shows Bad Buddy and HCTM)

Drake is two people in the collective Bad Buddy/ATOTS universe (Korn and Rang) - let's ignore this for now

clearly, Moonlight Chicken does not exist in the Bad Buddy/ATOTS or MSP universes (unless its a Drake Korn/Rang situation) - Earth and Mix/Fourth and Gemini/Kahotung/Mark are not Phupha and Tian/Gun and Tinn/Longtae/Saleng in Bad Buddy/ATOTS or MSP

Vice Versa has two universes so I will handle them separately: in Puen and Talay's regular universe [Vice Versa] SOTUS and 2gether are shows. In the alternate universe Puen and Talay travel to [au!VV], Enchante exists (we see AkkTheo) but this is ALSO an alternate universe for Enchante as Akk and Theo are able to get married in this universe (gay marriage is legal). HOWEVER - are Akk and Theo from Puen and Talay's original universe (Vice Versa) and Puen and Talay just don't know them? Or are they from another universe?

Singto is in SOTUS and HCTM - therefore in the Vice Versa universe Singto could be an actor - is the Vice Versa universe the same as MSP's (where HCTM is already a TV show)?

If the Vice Versa universe is the same as MSP's, then Enchante is potentially in the same universe as MSP as well

Therefore I posit at least 4 GMMTV universes: Bad Buddy/ATOTS, MSP (where Bad Buddy, ATOTS, and HCTM are tv shows), Moonlight Chicken, and au!Vice Versa; with the potential for a Vice Versa universe (where SOTUS and 2gether are shows, if it does not take place in the MSP universe), and a Enchante universe as well (if it does not take place in the Vice Versa or a Vice Versa/MSP universe).

I know this barely scratches the surface (GMMTV has so many shows and a dozen actors) but I'm already all over the place

intertextuality????

[elysianrey]

i’ll come to thee by moonlight

(a/n: this is basically the story nobody asked for but I somehow wrote? all it takes is seeing Anne with her own two eyes for Winnifred Rose to quickly understand Gilbert’s undevoted attraction toward her. Minor spoilers related to season 3. content rated G+)

Winnifred Rose sat snuggly between a tall blonde boy, of whom she noticed dressed quite fashionably and exquisitely for someone of his age, and her dear friend, Gilbert Blythe. She glanced curiously about the luxurious garden in which they sat at, as the beautiful blooms gently swayed from the early afternoon summer breeze on the island. She suddenly startled as her attention was swiftly refocused on the dainty, soft girl raising her voice in passionate cry as she finished the end of her poem. The crowd gathered around the small platform before them clapped in admiration at her performance, and she heard a loud ‘whoop’ from a group of boys seated in the section of chairs to their right. She clapped politely along with the others from Avonlea. The small freckled girl smiled shyly from her spot on the stage and gave a curtsy bow before exiting and seating herself in the front row next to a familiar head of auburn hair.

“Next, we welcome to the stage, Miss Anne Shirley-Cuthbert. Miss Shirley-Cuthbert will be reciting The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes.”

Winnifred watched as the young woman made her way from her chair up onto the stage. To her right, she sensed Mr. Blythe shift in his seat, slowly leaning forward in anticipation. Had it not been for this fundraiser organized by the spirited Anne herself, Winnifred would not be seated where she was today. Gilbert had expressed his excitement for the fundraiser in his last letter, urging Miss Rose to attend with him in order for her to finally meet this Anne he had fondly spoken of many times in the past.

Anne gracefully took her place in the center of the flower-adorned platform and clasped her hands together in front of her chest. Gilbert’s body inched even closer to the edge of his seat as the girl dressed in a luxuriously deep blue satin dress began to speak. 

“The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees.   

The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.   

The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,   

And the highwayman came riding—

         Riding—riding—

The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.”

All around her, eyes that were nodding in tiredness or looking elsewhere quickly became fixed on the redhead’s delivery of the famous poem. It was as if a spell were overtaking the crowd, herself included in the magic this faerie was casting over them. Winnifred could not help but glance over at the curly headed boy. Wonder and awe were written clearly on his features, yet his own eyes held a secret that he had never revealed in all the time she had known him. Gilbert was in love. No, perhaps love was too light of a word. He was smitten, captivated, and completely bewitched by Miss Shirley-Cuthbert. A hidden smile made the corners of her lips turn upward at the realization. 

As the poem drew to a close, Winnifred understood why this enchanting young woman had captured the heart of her close friend because she had been drawn into the same allure. Why Anne had no sooner breathed the final words of the poem than Gilbert was already on his feet clapping fervently with the crowd and shouting, “Encore!” The crowd seemed to follow suit and the tall blonde boy next to Winnifred joined in Gilbert’s pleas for more from Anne. Miss Rose saw the redhead glance purposefully in their direction as she beamed and bowed for those cheering at her magnificent delivery. The color creeping up her cheeks began to match that of her hair as Gilbert whistled and smiled so widely his dimples dotted his cheeks. 

After an encore performance from Anne, the poetry reading ended and those attending the fundraiser dispersed and headed toward the refreshments located in another section of the majestic garden. Winnifred trailed behind Gilbert and the tall boy who had been sitting beside her, of whom she learned was also a friend of Anne’s, named Cole. They found Miss Shirley-Cuthbert surrounded by an entourage of men, women, and children alike, complimenting and commenting on the zeal they had experienced from her performance. Waiting patiently as she graciously accepted and thanked their praises, she suddenly came bounding over to them, smiling eagerly and laughing happily.

 She threw her arms around Cole first and he spun her around once before placing her firmly back on the ground. “Oh Anne!” he exclaimed proudly, taking her hand in his own.

Miss Rose observed the interaction between the pair rather quizzically and stole another glance at Gilbert, who did not appear taken back by the gesture.

“You were simply marvelous! The way you proclaimed the last stanza nearly had me in tears!” Cole clutched at his heart for added dramatic effect and Anne nearly doubled over in laughter.

 “We have both come a long way since our days imagining up all kinds of stories in my room at Green Gables, have we not?” Anne stated, catching her breath, and turning away from Cole to Gilbert and Winnifred.

 Winnifred watched as Gilbert opened his mouth and his hand began to gesture in her direction when Anne abruptly cut him short by enveloping him in a tight hug. He appeared taken back as he nearly lost his balance, but his arms soon found their way around her petite waist.

 “Thank you for coming!” she cried as they broke apart. “Really and truly, Gilbert. I daresay I might not have been on that stage if it had not been for your dear companionship after school these past weeks.”

 Gilbert looked down at the ground, flustered at the unexpected recognition from Anne, a blush crawling up his neck from beneath his collar. “You were remarkable, Anne. I was only an outlet for your creativity and talent,” he said fondly, his eyes meeting hers as the two shared a moment in which Winnifred felt like she was intruding upon.

 Anne was the first to break the trance by turning to Winnifred and taking both of her hands in her own. “You must be Miss Rose. I was so pleased to hear that you were attending the fundraiser. I hope you have enjoyed Avonlea. Before you leave, I simply must show you The Lake of Shining Waters. It would be a shame to miss such a glorious sight at this time of the year,” said Anne with nearly as much fervor as the poem she had just recited.

 Taken aback slightly by her enthusiasm, Winnifred returned the offer with a genuine smile herself and squeezed the redhead girl’s hands, declaring, “How could I pass up such a lovely proposal for adventure, Miss Shirley-Cuthbert? Perhaps while we are there, you could read another poem? I do not think I can take another conversation about the latest medical practice from Mr. Blythe.” She shot Gilbert a teasing look and he shrugged in return.

 Winnifred feared Anne was going to burst from elation—quite literally—after hearing her proposal and the redhead squealed delightedly. “Yes of course! I—”

 However, before she could finish her next thought, she was being ushered away by a short, stout, grey haired woman who had been calling her name and informed her that she must meet one of the biggest donors of the fundraiser. Anne turned and waved, mouthing ‘Good-bye’ to the three of them as she disappeared in the flock of people.

 “I think I know where your passion lies, Gilbert,” she smirked as he stared after the satin outline of the girl. He turned, giving her a puzzled look and she continued. “Oh please, dear friend. You may deny it until you are blue in the face, but your eyes tell me all that I need to know. Perhaps anyone for that matter. You mustn’t let someone like her slip away from you. She’s a rarity in this big world.” Winnifred would know, seeing as she had met many people from all kinds of places thus far in her short lifetime.

 Gilbert stood there, his brow furrowed after listening to her words, his brain making an obvious effort to understand everything she had spoken to him. Then, it was as if a new dawning had just occurred to him, and the lines in his forehead smoothed. He put his hand lightly on her shoulder and uttered a ‘Thank-you’ before turning on his heel to go find the auburn-haired girl she assumed.

 She stood there, arms crossed, feeling rather smug with herself for helping a friend in need. Perhaps one day, she would find an equal partner in life like Gilbert with Anne, but for now, she was content in experiencing more that this world had to offer. She was awakened from her reverie when Cole, who she had nearly forgotten was still standing beside her, spoke.

 “I think you and I are going to be good friends,” he said with a glint in his eye that said, ‘I have been telling them the same thing for years.’ Miss Rose grinned up at him and accepted the gentlemanly arm he extended.

“Shall we drink to prosperity or continued foolishness?” she questioned as they arrived at the beverage table, handing him a glass of punch and taking one of her own. 

“Both!” he chuckled, as they clinked glasses and each took sips of the sweet, orange liquid.

Winnifred would later learn that his toast would reign remarkably true.

[ideahat-universe]

Listen guys, we have to have a talk. Or should I say, I need to have a talk with you guys about this thing where we deconstruct everything to get some maligned meaning out of it that we mistake for value.

I have a vision and it has a name and it's name is Meta-Modernism. That's right. I have an initiative to embrace the uncomplicated and to take things as they are or at the very least celebrate the essentials of how something is typically portrayed.

That's kind of what I'm doing with the Pony RPG. On one hand I amplify the action and the potential for violence that MLP oddly embraces in it's own way while also keeping other elements like friendship, a light hearted tone, and a sense of adventure.

And I say this because during the height of MLP G4 fandom I found a lot of popular fan art erased elements of MLP rather than amplify.

For all the humor in it. Dawn Somewhere's MLP cartoons embrace a level of cynicism that appears to have contempt for the franchise rather than acceptance.

And speaking of cynicism, I'm pretty tired of the Winnie the Pooh mental illness theory.

This too drastically misses the point of the book (and the show for that matter) and its characters and its general theme in order to promote the obsession with defining behavior with a specific illness to the point where you have to ask if having a personality is synonymous with having a mental illness.

If you go back and actually watch The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh or even the first film you'd recognize that they are pretty normal and more well rounded than people give them credit for.

Winnie the Pooh, at its best mixes the fantastic with the grounded to create this world that exists in the mind of a child who (and this is my meta-modern theory time) is anthropomorphizing his own suburban neighborhood.

The 100 Acre woods is just a neighborhood and the residents there are people living their own lives in the ways they've grown accustomed to. The actions of adults from a child's perspective.

Do those adults have mental illnesses? Maybe. It's clear that Piglet has some sort of anxiety issues and that Eeyore is a bit depressed but perhaps there's a reason for it and it's never debilitating. There are shades to even Eeyore's behavior that doesn't imply he's clinically depressed, merely grounded with what he considers sensible outlooks on a situation.

Beyond that I take umbrage with every other definition.

Classifying Pooh as nothing more than a gluttonous honey eating machine grays out the specifics of how he behaves and interacts with others.

Owl being defined as a narcissist implies that one can't have confidence in their own intelligence and lived experience without that person being extremely self involved.

Or Rabbit being obsessive compulsive. Being a homemaker means you have OCD I guess. Rabbit does not have a pristine and immaculate home nor does Rabbit have physical or emotional ticks. They get annoyed when their stuff is being damaged or stolen and they like the stuff that they have. That's completely normal.

Tigger being labeled with ADHD is fairly problematic as it's probably the most over diagnosed condition you can apply to a person. "Oh, they have a lust for life and like running head first into adventure which makes them feel happy and alive? Well that person has a mental illness!"

The worst is the one I saved for last. To decide that you need to call a child with an imagination Schizophrenic is terribly disgusting. Every child that make believes something has Schizophrenia? Because Christopher Robin doesn't have any other traits of Schizophrenia but he does pretend that his stuffed animals are people that live in a forest near his home.

There's a reason why Christopher Robin is portrayed as some sort of authority figure in the 100 acre woods and that's because from Christopher's perspective the residents of the woods are silly people living slightly off kilter lives and he is the straight laced adult that understands the world and can solve the simple problems that these characters have.

Why? Because Christopher Robin wants to imagine himself as a responsible, intelligent adult who can be depended on and trusted which is what a well adjusted child pretends to be.

That's why almost all the characters in the woods are odd people with simple problems and flaws because Christopher based them on real people he knows in his neighborhood but doesn't know the long back story that formed their character or what their actual problems in life are so they have simple problems that he understands and can on addition solve because it's his make believe story.

Winnie the Pooh is just a child having fun in the woods. That's all there is to it and that's the best thing about it.

[mercurygray]

So, I Hear You Liked: 1917

More World War One Films

I was very excited about 1917 when it first came out because it almost perfectly coincided with the 100th anniversary of the First World War, a conflict that I love to read about, write about, and watch movies about. This period is my JAM, and there's such a lot of good content for when you're done with Sam Mendes's film.

Obviously there are a lot of movies and TV shows out there - this is just a selection that I enjoyed, and wish more people knew about.

Note: Everyone enjoys a show or movie for different reasons. These shows are on this list because of the time period they depict, not because of the quality of their writing, the accuracy of their history or the political nature of their content. Where I’m able to, I’ve mentioned if a book is available if you’d like to read more.

I'd like to start the list with a movie that isn't a fiction piece at all - Peter Jackson's They Shall Not Grow Old (2019) is a beautifully produced film that allows the soldiers and archival images themselves, lovingly retimed and tinted into living color, to tell their own story. It is a must watch for anyone interested in the period.

Wings (1927), All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), A Farewell to Arms (1932, 1957), The Dawn Patrol (1938), Sergeant York (1941), and Paths of Glory (1957) are all classics with a couple of Oscars between them, and it's sort of fun to watch how the war gets changed and interpreted as the years pass. (The Dawn Patrol, for instance, might as just as easily be about the RAF in World War 2.)

All Quiet is based on a famous memoir, and A Farewell to Arms on a Hemingway novel; both have several adaptations and they're all a little different. Speaking of iconic novels, Doctor Zhivago (1965) based on the Pasternak novel of the same title, examines life of its protagonist between 1905 and the start of the second World War.

I think one thing historians agree on is that the start of World War One is worth discussing - and that there's a lot of backstory. Fall of Eagles (1974), a 13 part BBC miniseries, details the relationships between the great houses of Europe, starting in the 1860s; it's long but good, and I think might be on YouTube. The Last Czars (2019) takes a dramatized look at the Romanovs and how their reactions to the war lead to their eventual demise.

As far as the war itself, Sarajevo (2014) and 37 Days (2014) both discuss the outbreak of hostilities and the slow roll into actual battle.

The Passing Bells (2014) follows the whole war through the eyes of two soldiers, one German and one British, beginning in peacetime.

Joyeux Noel ( 2005) is a cute story - it takes place early in the war during the Christmas Peace and approaches the event from a multinational perspective.

War Horse (2011) is, of course, a name you'll recognize. Based on the breakout West End play, which is itself based on a YA novel by Michael Morpurgo, the story follows a horse who's requisitioned for cavalry service and the young man who owns him. Private Peaceful (2012) is also based on a Morpurgo novel, but I didn't think it was quite as good as War Horse.

The Wipers Times (2013) is one of my all-time favorites; it's about a short lived trench paper written and produced by soldiers near Ypres, often called Wipers by the average foot soldier. The miniseries, like the paper, is laugh out loud funny in a dark humor way.

My Boy Jack (2007) is another miniseries based on a play, this one about Rudyard Kipling and his son, Jack, who served in the Irish Guards and died at Loos. Kipling later wrote a poem about the death of his son, and helped select the phrase that appears on all commonwealth gravestones of the First World War.

Gallipoli (1981) is stunning in a way only a Peter Weir movie can be; this is a classic and a must-see.

Gallipoli is a big story that's been told and retold a lot. I still haven't seen Deadline Gallipoli (2015) an Australian miniseries about the men who wrote about the battle for the folks back home and were subject to censorship about how bad things really were. For a slightly different perspective, the Turkish director Yesim Sezgin made Çanakkale 1915 in 2012, detailing the Turkish side of the battle. Although most of The Water Diviner (2014) takes place after the war is over, it also covers parts of Gallipoli and while it didn't get great reviews, I enjoy it enough to own it on DVD.

I don't know why all of my favorite WWI films tend to be Australian; Beneath Hill 60 (2010) is another one of my favorites, talking about the 1st Australian Tunneling Company at the Ypres Salient. The War Below (2021) promises to tell a similar story about the Pioneer companies at Messines, responsible for building the huge network of mines there.

Passchendaele (2008) is a Canadian production about the battle of the same name. I'd forgotten I've seen this film, which might not say very much for the story.

Journey's End (2017) is an adaptation of an RC Sheriff play that takes place towards the end of the war in a dugout amongst British officers.

No look at the Great War is complete without a nod to developing military technologies, and this is the war that pioneers the aviation battle for us. I really wish Flyboys (2006) was better than it is, but The Red Baron (2008) makes up for it from the German perspective.

One of the reasons I like reading about the First World War is that everyone is having a revolution. Technology is growing by leaps and bounds, women are fighting for the right to vote, and a lot of colonial possessions are coming into their own, including (but not limited to) Ireland. Rebellion (2016) was a multi-season miniseries that went into the Easter Rising, as well as the role the war played there. Michael Collins (1996) spends more time with the Anglo-Irish war in the 1920s but is still worth watching (or wincing through Julia Roberts' bad accent, you decide.) The Wind that Shakes the Barley covers the same conflict and is excellent.

The centennial of the war meant that in addition to talking about the war, people were also interested in talking about the Armenian Genocide. The Promise (2016) and The Ottoman Lieutenant (2017) came out around the same time and two different looks at the situation in Armenia.

This is a war of poets and writers, of whom we have already mentioned a few. Hedd Wynn ( 1992) which is almost entirely in Welsh, and tells the story of Ellis Evans, a Welsh language poet who was killed on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele. I think Ioan Gruffudd has read some of his poetry online somewhere, it's very pretty. A Bear Named Winnie (2004) follows the life of the bear who'd become the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh. Tolkien (2019) expands a little on the author's early life and his service during the war. Benediction (2021) will tell the story of Siegfried Sassoon and his time at Craiglockhart Hospital. Craiglockhart is also represented in Regeneration (1997) based on a novel by Pat Barker.

Anzac Girls (2014) is probably my favorite mini-series in the history of EVER; it follows the lives of a group of Australian and New Zealand nurses from hospital duty in Egypt to the lines of the Western Front. I love this series not only because it portrays women (ALWAYS a plus) but gives a sense of the scope of the many theatres of the war that most movies don't. It's based on a book by Peter Rees, which is similarly excellent.

On a similar note, The Crimson Field (2014) explores the lives of members of a Voluntary Aid Detachment, or VADs, lady volunteers without formal nursing training who were sent to help with menial work in hospitals. It only ran for a season but had a lot of potential. Testament of Youth (2014) is based on the celebrated memoirs of Vera Brittain, who served as a VAD for part of the war and lead her to become a dedicated pacifist.

Also, while we're on the subject of women, though these aren't war movies specifically, I feel like the additional color to the early 20th century female experience offered by Suffragette (2015) and Iron-Jawed Angels (2004) is worth the time.

As a general rule, Americans don't talk about World War One, and we sure don't make movies about it, either. The Lost Battalion (2001) tells the story of Major Charles Whittlesey and the 9 companies of the 77th Infantry division who were trapped behind enemy lines during the battle of the Meuse Argonne.

I should add that this list is curtailed a little bit by what's available for broadcast or stream on American television, so it's missing a lot of dramas in other languages. The Road to Calvary (2017) was a Russian drama based on the novels of Alexei Tolstoy. Kurt Seyit ve Şura (2014) is based on a novel and follows a love story between a Crimean officer (a Muslim) and the Russian woman he loves. The show is primarily in Turkish, and Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, who plays the lead, is *very* attractive.

Finally, although it might seem silly to mention them, Upstairs Downstairs (1971-1975 ) Downton Abbey (2010-2015) and Peaky Blinders (2013-present) are worth a mention and a watch. All of them are large ensemble TV shows that take place over a much longer period than just the Great War, but the characters in each are shaped tremendously by the war.

[nightingaelic]

NV companions reactions to taking the courier’s place in OWB

"Here and now got its ups and downs, but... focusing on the past, like it was any better? That's just Old World Blues." -Blind Diode Jefferson

Arcade Gannon: Being whisked off to a pre-war scientific research haven and adopted by a group of five floating brains in jars was actually a dream Arcade had once, but he was pretty sure it didn't involve losing his own brain along the way. Conversation with the Think Tank would leave him amused at first, but increasingly more horrified as he learned the secrets of Big MT and realized just how much chaos they could create if they weren't busy playing in their Mojave sandbox. The most intriguing part of Big MT for Arcade would, of course, be the Sink. The Biological research station, the light switches, the Sink Central Intelligence Unit and all the others would fascinate him, and he would do his best to figure out their components and try to replicate them in New Vegas for the Followers of the Apocalypse to use. This leads to more than a few circular conversations with Doctor Klein and, once he meets him, Doctor Mobius. I think Mobius' side of the story would leave Arcade depressed about the state of Big MT and the various things roaming its landscape that used to be people. His argument with his own brain, on the other hand, would be worthy of any pre-war sitcom. Though sorely tempted to destroy the Think Tank for good and prevent their wild experimentation ever escaping the crater, I think Arcade would weight the potential good their technology could do much more heavily and convince Doctor Klein to partner with him as a new head researcher.

Craig Boone: Given Boone's hatred for the Legion and their enslavement practices, the Think Tank would seal their doom as soon as they stripped him of his brain and his ability to fight back. And once he found Little Yangtze and its total pacification collars? Oh, it's on. I don't think Boone would be sly about his anger either, but given the Think Tank's flippant attitude toward their lobotomites, they probably wouldn't pick up on just how furious he was until it was too late. There are two things Boone would form attachments to while sneaking around Big MT: Roxie, the ever-loyal cyberdog with a heart of gold, and the Stealth Suit Mk II, which compliments Boone's combat style with minimal commentary. While I don't think Boone would have any strong feelings either way toward Doctor Mobius, I don't think he would kill him unless he had to. Mobius would probably be tickled by his stoic countenance, and would attempt to shower him in Mentats as a way of loosening up. Boone's brain would be a bit like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, reveling in its own sadness for once because Boone always shoved those feelings out of sight and out of mind. Their main argument would be over a compromise to confront that deep sorrow once reunited. When the Think Tank is dead, Boone zaps Roxie and himself back to Nipton, then smashes the Big Mountain Transportalponder! on the nearest rock.

Lily Bowen: I think we could class Lily's reaction to being kidnapped and experimented upon by the Think Tank as utter confusion. She would still be as benevolent as ever, trying her best to soothe the over-inflated egos of the various doctors as they debated what to do with this creature that had thoroughly stumped the Auto-Doc upon recovery, but I think she would start looking for the exit as soon as they suggested a full dissection. Lily's experience in Big MT would be very different from the other companions after that, with the Think Tank sending wave after wave of lobotomites and night stalkers after her in an attempt to regain their new test subject, and Lily beating each attack back with her trusty vertibird blade and the growing pile of new gadgets she accumulated with every location visited. I think Doctor Mobius would watch this play out with interest, and would send a few packs of robo-scorpions to herd her toward the radar fence, then surreptitiously lower the barrier long enough for her to stumble outside. The story of her time in "the Big Empty" would become a fireside hit in Jacobstown, but few would believe that she had actually found the place where all cazadores and night stalkers come from.

Raul Alfonso Tejada: Raul is already missing a few body parts, so what's one more? The old ghoul would be somewhat exasperated at finding himself in another situation of imprisonment and being forced to do work for others, but at least it's not as boring as Black Mountain. Big MT, on the other hand, is a heck of a lot more deadly than the State of Utobitha, but all Raul can do is roll his eyes every time he spots another band of lobotomites chasing him down or robo-scorpions crawling over the horizon. Like Boone, Raul grows fond of Roxie, though his favorite acquisition from Big MT's tech piles would definitely be the proton axe: He just likes the way it looks and feels when he's swinging it around. Confronting Doctor Mobius would come when the old ghoul is reaching the end of his patience with the Think Tank, though he would spare the mad scientist some time to listen to his sad story and ponder the fate of Big MT. I think Raul would be the one most in tune with his disembodied brain, and they would greet each other as old friends that share a rocky history, but have accepted each other's flaws. As for the Think Tank, Raul would leave the decision of what to do with them up to Doctor Mobius: After all, they're not his mess to clean up.

Rose of Sharon Cassidy: Oh boy. Cass is no one's errand girl, but she's also rather fond of her brain, pickled in liquor though it may be. She would blaze a deadly trail through Big MT, marked by the wrecked bodies of robo-scorpions and Y-17 trauma override harnesses (a personal scourge for the former caravan owner, maybe her teams wouldn't have been killed if she'd just had some goddamned walking suits to do the job) and the never-ending stream of curse words floating on the crater's breeze. The lobotomites would quickly learn to stay out of her way, and every new acquisition for the Think Tank would be tossed unceremoniously on the floor of the sanctum with a clatter. Doctor Dala loves the caravaner, but the others all hate her, and Cass can't help but find the feeling mutual. Doctor Mobius would not be able to sway her from high-tailing it out of Big MT as soon as possible, and like Raul, she would not see the Think Tank's containment as her responsibility. Her brain, on the other hand, would berate her for her internalized guilt and bully her into doing the right thing - which, in her case, is eliminating the Think Tank's threat once and for all.

Veronica Santangelo: The main challenge for the doctors of the Think Tank upon capturing Veronica would be prying her away from their sanctum long enough to set her on the path to retrieving tech for them. Like Arcade, Veronica would be fascinated by the Sink and everything in it, but she would be equally fascinated with the scientists themselves and their varied personalities. She would prod Doctor Klein for details about his work, decode Doctor 8's speech patterns, and roll her tongue around in her mouth for Doctor Dala's recording equipment. Getting her brain back would take a backseat to just wandering Big MT, taking in the crazy inventions from a world long gone and wondering which ones she could bring home to Elder McNamara to show him how remaining set in his ways has put the Brotherhood of Steel on a path to irrelevance. This desire would stay her hand after meeting Doctor Mobius, and would lead her to convince the Think Tank to abandon their escape attempts and return to testing silly hypotheses. Her most important discovery would be the clues left behind by Father Elijah, well on his way to becoming a mad scientist himself, and Christine, hot on his trail for the Brotherhood of Steel. All in all, the experience would leave Veronica hungry for more adventure and send her sprinting toward the Sierra Madre and an uncertain fate.

ED-E: As a robot, the Think Tank would be disappointed with the little intruder and would likely argue about whether to toss it in the scrap pile. Doctor 0 would be absolutely disgusted by the intrusion of Robert House's technology into Big MT, but Doctor Dala would become attached to the eyebot and adopt it, cooing about the elegance of its design while simultaneously bemoaning its lack of biorhythms. ED-E, confused, would humor her for a while before striking out to explore the crater and its many wonders. After its first run-in with lobotomites, the eyebot would flee in fear, straight past the X-42 giant robo-scorpion and into the clutches of Doctor Mobius. The self-proclaimed villain would take pity on the robot and release it outside the radar fence with an escort of robo-scorpions to take home.

Rex: Cyberdogs are a well-known quantity at Big MT, so the new arrival from outside the radar fence is immediately handed over to Doctor Borous for his X-8 project. With a fresh new brain, some grease on his joints, and a competent pack addition named Roxie, Rex is ready to take on any obstacle courses in the X-8 research center. Once the two cyberdogs grow bored of tearing through night stalkers and avoiding Gabe, they make their escape and lope off into the Mojave to have a litter of Boston terrifiers together.

[twistedtummies2]

So we know you like Disney and it’s apparent you like the movies but what about the shows? Have any fondness for any of the live action or maybe past/currently airing cartoons?

Well, as far as live-action goes - not counting things for the MCU or Star Wars - I've never really been a fan of the Disney Channel teen/youth sitcom variety of things. I watched a few of them growing up, but even back then, I mostly watched them because my brother (who is five years my junior) really liked them, and there was nothing else of note on whenever we had a chance to see things, so to speak. So if you're hoping for one of those...well, I kind of liked the Zack and Cody shows when I was a lad, but even those I wouldn't defend TOO strongly. Beyond that in live-action, three series spring to mind, all of which are no more: "Once Upon a Time," its sister show "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland," and the 90s TV show "Adventures in Wonderland." As far as "Once" goes, I always felt the show was something of a hot mess, but it was a really fun and interesting hot mess: not everything in the series was brilliant, but the stuff that was good was really, REALLY freaking good, and a lot of characters in there are among my favorite interpretations of those characters. It's sister series was highly underappreciated, in my opinion: it wasn't perfect, either, but I think it's primary problem was that the pacing was all wrong. It only had I believe twelve episodes to tell its story, and you can tell they were really, REALLY struggling with that limited amount of time. I would have liked the show to go on longer, for at least another season (or, you know, just have a longer season to begin with), but que sera sera. As for "Adventures in Wonderland": an obscure series nowadays, but I always felt it was a really smart, fun, sweet series, and one of the few more kid-friendly takes on "Alice" and its universe to really work to its full potential. It had a HARD job to do, because most takes on Wonderland that are more "kiddified" tend to feel very pandering and fluffy. Even the ones that do work usually feel a bit off, if that makes sense; they're just not as fun to watch for adults as they are for kids. "Adventures" manages to somehow create a Wonderland that is safe, sweet, funny, and yet never feels like it's talking down to anyone, and has takes on the characters that stand among the best. And when it comes to the cartoons...there are a LOT I enjoy from Disney, or at least have seen. I will confess that a lot of the more recent stuff I'm not really familiar with; most (not all, but MOST) of the shows I like were from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. That's just kind of the era of animation I grew up with. For example, I know that apparently "Gravity Falls" is a HUGELY popular series...and I have not seen it, nor do I honestly have any strong desire TO see it. (Sorry, Falls Fans.) That's not to say I haven't seen any more modern series, just not a whole lot. With that in mind, I'm going to list just a few of my personal favorites; these aren't all the shows I've seen, but they're the ones I have the strongest and fondest feelings for. In no particular order... Darkwing Duck Ducktales (both versions) TaleSpin House of Mouse Aladdin Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure The Lion Guard Tarzan Gargoyles

Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers (haven't seen the movie yet) Phineas & Ferb The Book of Pooh The New Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh

Lilo & Stitch American Dragon: Jake Long (this one I haven't revisited properly in years, but I loved it when I saw it as a kid, and the few clips I HAVE returned to in years since have given me no reason to not include it here)

[figureskatingandrainbows]

This was so much better than the ladies’ free skate! Everyone in the last two groups did so well, and this event was honestly so much fun to watch! Anyway, here are my thoughts on the top ten.

Nathan Chen

Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of his programs this year, but his free was way better than at Nationals. His jumps were excellent, his spins were good, and he seemed way more confident than in the short. His program was a little lackluster until after he landed his 3A, and then we got to see the best of Nathan. He literally exploded off of that landing into his choreo sequence. If he gave all of his program that much energy and fire, he would set a new world record. He’s made loads of improvements in his spins and skating skills, and while he’s still not the best at either, his improvements are all super positive.

Yuzuru Hanyu

After the event, Yuzuru commented on how he felt “off balance” and that’s why his jumps were so mediocre. There are theories that he was late to the rink, had an asthma attack, was working too hard on the 4A, bombarded by ISU-hired hitmen, threatened, and/or had a nightmare about giant Winnie the Poohs, but in reality, he just had a bad day. Everyone has a day where their jump axes are off and they just don’t feel nearly as confident. And Yuzuru is hindered by these new programs. His free has loads of potential, but programs like Seimei are incredible in part because Yuzuru has perfected the choreography. His Heaven and Earth program needs more practice to be incredible. His performance here was also not nearly as good as in the short. Again, bad day, new program, bad jumps, no audience. I’m not worried for him, and I would love to see his free skate again with even better choreography.

Yuma Kagiyama

I’ve been on the Yuma train since October, and he really didn’t disappoint here. His skating was really good. His quads were beautiful, his programs well-executed, his spins and step sequences all level-4. He has such good speed and flow across the ice, a beautiful knee bend, and excellent edges and basic skating skills. I think the only thing I can say his how impressed I am. Yuma had a really difficult program with three quads and two 3A, as well as a tricky 3Lz-3Lo combination. He made two errors at the end of his program, but they weren’t detracting at all. It was his Worlds debut, and he posted all personal bests.  He went into the free after Nathan Chen, who just skated a clean, incredible free skate, and had no nerves in his skating at all. And he attributes that to Yuzuru’s pep talk after Japanese Nationals. (: 

I know many people say Yuma is the future, but I will second what Nathan Chen said. He is the future and the now. He’s consistent, confident, and a tiny little ray of sunshine. 

Shoma Uno

I don’t care about the mistakes in the short or the free. He got all his quads off and skated beautifully. He made his return at the international scene and placed fourth. He’s bounced back so much, and it makes me so happy. There’s so much joy about him now, and I love watching him skate now. Shoma really needs a bit more fixing in his sloppiness, and he’s right back as an Olympic medal threat. As long as he keeps fighting for the triple toes, I think we’ll keep on seeing improvement. 

Mikhail Kolyada

Again, another brilliant comeback. He also got all of his quads off. His free skate is a masterpiece, and he skated really pretty well. It wasn’t as amazing as some of his other performances, but Mikhail has proved he can hold up under pressure. His bounce back from obscurity to another potential Olympic medal contender is fantastic. 

Keegan Messing

So proud of Keegan! He was under the most pressure here. He had to secure two spots for the men of Canada, and he did. He put out two clean skates, both of which were emotional and enjoyable. His quads were gorgeous, and his skating skills are always something to behold.

Jason Brown

Jason wasn’t at his 100% best here, but he’s still show-stopping no matter what. His jumps were a little bit rough, but he got the quad salchow landed only on the quarter. That’s a huge improvement for him. His short program is a masterpiece, and his free is really good as well. Watching him skate is a pleasure and he was as amazing as always. He should be sent to the Olympics. A fan favorite who usually finishes in the top ten? Where can you go wrong?  

Kevin Aymoz and Junhwan Cha

Kevin had several mistakes on his jumps, but he refused to fall. His choreography was as wonderful as always, and even though he had some problems, he was still a pleasure to watch.

Junhwan just needs a little more power in his jumps. Borser has instilled him with good technique at the expense of rotation, and once he fixes his UR problem, he’ll shoot up higher in the men’s ranks. He’s always very relaxing to watch, and another well-rounded skater with so much potential. 

Evgeni Semenenko

He didn’t fall apart! He wasn’t a bad choice at all from FSR. His skating isn’t that impressive to me, but his quads are solid. He needs a lot more time to develop as an individual skater and work on his PCS, but going to Worlds and doing so well will do wonders for his confidence and I think we will be seeing a lot more of him. 

Yikes, Boyang and Vincent

22 and 25, two of the most unexpected placements of the event. These were some seriously rough skates. Vincent didn’t make the free and Boyang cost his country two Olympic spots. As always, in figure skating, you will have the one person who splats, but no one expected a favorite for the bronze and a favorite for the top ten to both finish so near the bottom.