#i love the gay nutcrackers so bad

[appri-dot]

GOD I WISH I HAD NUTCRACKER YAOI TO BE INSANE ABOUT HELP ME

ITS EVIL ITS THE MINDKILL ER I HAVE TO STOP ITS AN ADDICTION GDHDGHJDGJGD FENCER N WOODY WOULDN'T EVEN MEET EACHOTHER PRACTICALLY AND YET AND YET A

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada

Source: Audiobook ARC from NetGalley

Release date: 6 February

Genre: young adult contemporary romance

If you like: queer coming of age, explorations of toxic masculinity, pop-punk, flawed protagonists trying to be better, Sk8ter Boy by Avril Lavigne but gay

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Synopsis

Stonebridge High’s resident bad boy, Wesley “Big Mac” Mackenzie, is failing senior year—thanks to his unchecked anger, rowdy friends, and a tendency to ditch his homework for skateboarding and a secret photography obsession. So when his mom drags him to a production of The Nutcracker, Wes isn’t interested at all . . . until he sees Tristan Monroe. Mr. Nutcracker himself.

Wes knows he shouldn’t like Tristan; after all, he’s a ballet dancer, and Wes is as closeted as they come. But when they start spending time together, Wes can’t seem to get Tristan out of his head. Driven by a new sense of purpose, Wes begins to think that—despite every authority figure telling him otherwise—maybe he can change for the better and graduate on time.

As a falling out with his friends becomes inevitable, Wes realizes that being himself means taking a stand—and blowing up the bad-boy reputation he never wanted in the first place.

Content warnings

Explicit language

Bullying

Alcoholism

Underage drinking

Racism (as experienced by a Black love interest)

Past domestic abuse

Childhood trauma

Smoking (cigarettes + weed)

Homophobia

Physical violence

Review

Why'd Wes have to go and make things so complicated 😔🤘

I hadn't expected to, but I found myself relating to Wes quite a bit. His experience of being labelled as a bad kid, and then only being seen as such without being given the chance to break that expectation, as well as his feelings of anger and fear and powerlessness, that no one wants to listen to him, that he can't open up to people, that he's inferior and will never amount to anything, took me right back to primary and secondary school lmao. (I'm so glad I'm not a teenager anymore.)

I also empathise with how awkward Wes feels around Tristan, or when he's trying to talk to people who aren't his friends; not knowing the right thing to say, or when he says something that comes off as angrier or meaner than he intends—that's literally me, baby!

A part I don't relate to is the bullying. Wes is like, a legit bully, like pushing kids into the lockers like in american high school movies kind of bully. While he's not the main aggressor among his friends, it still kind of hurt to read about how he hurt people in the past. I liked how his character arc developed, with him facing up to his actions and apologising to his victims, although I do think he was forgiven pretty easily; I personally would have held a grudge until I died, but good for them!

At the start of the book I was worried that this would be a whole "find a bf and magically all your problems are fixed!" kind of story, but while Tristan is definitely a motivating factor for Wes to improve himself, I really appreciate that Wes was the one who decided to take initiative and begin the first steps to becoming better.

There's layers of complexity to Wes and Tristan's relationship, because (a) Tristan is Black, and so deals with racism that Wes could never understand, (b) Tristan is out and Wes is not, (c) Tristan is a perfectionist and has a goal and life plans, while Wes is flunking high school with no plans to apply for college, (d) Wes had an abusive childhood, and Tristan has loving supportive parents, and (e) Wes is poor and Tristan is wealthy.

These are a lot of issues to handle in one book, and while I feel like the author does a good job discussing and resolving most of these elements, there's one point that I feel didn't get fully resolved, and that's the wealth disparity between them. Wes is super aware of this, he constantly notices the differences between the way they live, which makes him feel self-conscious around Tristan.

Spoiler warning, but at one point Tristan dresses Wes up in like a pricey cardigan and a polo shirt to meet his parents, and later Wes is furious and leaves early because he feels out of place and insecure, and that Tristan is trying to change who he is. Later, they talk and Wes comes to the conclusion that he was over-reacting, which, yeah, he was. But Tristan never apologises and is like "you know I would never have made you change your clothes if I knew it would make you feel bad!" He also makes fun of one of Wes's friends, and Wes wonders if part of the reason why he doesn't want to introduce Tristan to his friends was because he felt embarrassed.

I feel like this is a pretty big deal, and an obvious source of tension, that doesn't seem to get fully resolved. Most of Wes and Tristan's discussions about their relationship revolve around Wes apologising, but Tristan, even though he never does so intentionally, never apologises for making Wes feel inferior in this aspect.

I also feel that Tristan was kind of one-dimensional. From Wes's perspective, Tristan is perfect and flawless, and he puts him on a pedestal, while Wes is the one messing up. Tristan's only flaw, as far is I can tell, is that he struggles with anxiety, but he never seems to show it to Wes, for all that he encourages Wes to be emotionally vulnerable with him. I would have liked it if Tristan messed-up, or needed Wes to support him or comfort him in some way (Wes does support him, at near the ending, but that doesn't really count), to balance out their relationship a bit, instead of always having Tristan encouraging him, and having Wes mess up and make up for it.

The climax of this book gets really chaotic, huge shit goes down, like life-ruining shit. He manages to work it all out in the end, but I feel that it came way too easily, especially the problems he had with his friends. I feel like it got dismissed as some sort of misunderstanding, like Wes was the one making a big deal out of nothing. Afterwards, he and his friends talk it out very maturely, but where was all that maturity when shit was going down!!

I realise that a lot of my review sounds like I'm complaining, but this is really worth a read! The way this book discusses toxic masculinity, emotional vulnerability, dealing with trauma (because Wes is very clearly traumatised) is so well-done, and you can tell from the author's note that he put a lot of love and thought into this book. I would discuss this more but this review would get very spoilery.

To finish off this review, here are some nitpicks! These are minor details and do not affect the overall story! Some of these are purely personal issues I have that may not apply to other people!

Wes is stated to be a punk, and a lot of this book (the title, the chapter titles, the marketing) is about pop-punk, or scene music in general. But Wes doesn't seem to listen to pop-punk? The only band he mentions listening to is Metallica, which, last I checked, is a metal band. He wears a Linkin Park t-shirt once (huge slay) and mentions the My Chemical Romance reunion (double slay), but that's about it. He seems to be more of a metalhead tbh, which there's nothing wrong with, but I was hoping for more pop-punk references. (This sounds greedy, since almost every chapter title is a pop-punk reference, and I did appreciate that, but I wanted more!!)

I didn't vibe with the audiobook narrator. I'm kind of (very) picky about audiobooks, so the fact that I didn't dnf shows that he did a decent job at least, but I feel like he missed the mark on narrating the dialogue. Sometimes I couldn't tell the difference between Wes's internal narration and when he was actually speaking which was confusing, and the narrator also read everything in this sad, hesitant sort of voice, which works for the overall vibe of the story, but makes the happy, lighthearted moments in the book feel sad as well.

Minor spoiler, Wes's mom got him and his friends tickets to see Metallica, but later they start growing apart and the concert is never mentioned again (unless I somehow missed it?), so its unclear if they did go to the Metallica concert. I need to know if they went, because if they skipped out on it due to their beef, I will be very sad on their behalf.

[princesssarisa]

Sleeping Beauty Spring: "Faerie Tale Theatre: Sleeping Beauty" (1983 TV series episode)

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre is a cult classic among children of the '80s and '90s. So many of us grew up enjoying this TV series of hour-long fairy tale adaptations, with their celebrity casts, visuals inspired by the work of famous artists and illustrators, slightly cheesy special effects, and a blend of sincerity and quirky irreverence. I saw nearly every episode in its '90s reruns on The Disney Channel, or else on VHS with my friends at school during our parents' PTA meetings.

Sleeping Beauty is the fifth episode of the series. It stars Bernadette Peters and Christopher Reeve, who not only play the Princess and her Prince, but show off their acting range by also playing each other's unsavory romantic false leads, the "bad girl" Princess Debbie and the silly, spoiled son of King Murray. The rest of the cast includes Beverly d'Angelo as the sassy villainous fairy Henbane, Carol Kane as the slightly goofy yet sweet Pink Fairy who softens Henbane's curse from death to sleep, René Auberjonois and Sally Kellerman as the Princess's parents King Boris and Queen Natasha, and George Dzundza as the Woodsman who narrates the story.

Rather than the standard Western European country, this version of the story is set in Russia – mot likely in tribute to Tchaikovsky, whose music, not only from The Sleeping Beauty but from The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet, is heard in excerpts throughout. This creates a beautiful and unique visual aesthetic, inspired by the fairy tale illustrations of Kay Nielsen. The bulk of the story is told as a flashback, narrated by the Woodsman to a prince and his squire. Midway through (although the twist is predictable from the start), the "squire" is revealed to really be the Prince, and vice-versa. They've switched places so the Prince can better observe the moral character of the princesses he meets: a lesson he learned some time ago, when he was nearly ensnared by the seductive Arabian princess Debbie, who turned out to be the evil fairy Henbane in disguise.

The Woodsman's tale reveals that once upon a time, Queen Natasha longed for a child, but neither she nor King Boris knew how to have one, until a tiny fairy gave them some much-needed, discreetly whispered advice. When their daughter is born, they invite six fairies to the christening: distinctly Russian-looking fairies in white gowns and ornate headscarves, who all have strange-sounding voices and bright-colored skin. (Furthermore, one fairy is male, but dresses just like the female fairies and has the mannerisms of a sassy gay man.) Villainous Henbane has gray skin, while her sweet, lisping younger sister who softens her curse is pink.

Twenty years later, the Princess has grown up to be a kind, graceful beauty, who cooks food for the poor and expresses her longing for love with the classic Judy Garland song "I'm Nobody's Baby." (A jokey anachronism, yes, but also a showcase for Bernadette Peters' famous singing voice.) In a choice that recalls the Czech film How to Wake a Princess, her parents have arranged for her to marry the son of the visiting King Murray, in hope that in his kingdom she'll be safe from Henbane's curse. But the foreign prince turns out to be a foppish, cowardly snob. Horrified by the thought of marrying him, the Princess flees to a secluded tower... where, of course, Henbane waits in disguise as an old woman with a spinning wheel.

After the sleeping Princess is found, the Pink Fairy arrives, puts the grieving King and Queen to sleep, and freezes the rest of the court like statues. But not to be outdone, Henbane surrounds the castle with "man-eating briars," which move like snakes to grab their victims, and changes herself into a reptilian, fire-breathing giant (not quite a dragon like Disney's Maleficent, but close) to prevent any prince from breaking the spell. But of course, a hundred years later, these obstacles can't deter the Prince. Running off with the Woodsman's axe, he chops his way through the briars, then battles the gigantic Henbane and slays her by throwing the axe at her. Then he wakes the Princess with a kiss, and everyone lives happily ever after... except for the Woodsman, who never gets his axe back and is left trying to chop down trees with a knife.

Children will enjoy this Sleeping Beauty as a colorful retelling of the classic tale. Adults will enjoy it as a lightly fractured fairy tale, with quite a few grown-up jokes and innuendos, yet which strikes a good balance between silliness and sincerity. Either way, it's a memorable retelling, and a standout episode of the Faerie Tale Theatre series.

@ariel-seagull-wings, @thealmightyemprex, @faintingheroine, @reds-revenge, @comma-after-dearest, @autistic-prince-cinderella, @paexgo-rosa, @thatscarletflycatcher, @the-blue-fairie, @themousefromfantasyland

[smileymaste]

Barbie Movie Tier List

My opinions are fact and I will not take constructive criticism (lol jk this is all subjective don’t hate me if I hate your fave)

Also this is a work in progress because I decided to keep watching the movies beyond where I stopped watching as a kid so I will add more as I get to them

Here we go (below the cut)

Nutcracker- D+

It was the first movie, it was 2001,, It’s okay. The music really did it for me but I can’t give points for that because that’s all Tchaikovsky. The dizzying camera pans did not help. The plus is for the Sugarplum Fairy reveal because I had the doll and relived my childhood in that moment.

Rapunzel- A-

She’s an artist, she’s willful, she references modern art centuries ahead of its time, what more can I say. I know it’s still rough as the second movie but as someone with hair past my knees I’m legally obligated to love this movie. Minus for the ugly ferret, bonus points because I had the Rapunzel doll as a kid.

Swan Lake- C

Odette doesn’t... Do anything. I haven’t watched any other adaptation of Swan Lake so I’m not saying this is a Barbie thing in particular, but she just isn’t as cool as Rapunzel (but who is tbh) Loved the music again, but that’s Tchaikovsky. I enjoyed the little hedgehog guy and skunk girl.

(P.S. Does anyone else remember a Swan Lake computer game? Because that was all I could recall about the movie before I rewatched it)

Princess and Pauper- A

I’m just like you, you’re just like me. Phenomenal. I’m a sucker for a good musical and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from start to finish. I will be rewatching it again because I liked it just that much. Serafina and Wolfie are amazing (bonus points because I had a Serafina toy), and even though Preminger is gross, his song is kind of a bop. How could I refuse to give this movie an A?

Fairytopia- B-

The beginning of the iconic Bibble... The Fairytopia movies only get better, so to start with a B- isn’t bad. I wish they explained more about the rainbow in her eye? And Laverna’s end is confusing because she just... disappears, and her fate isn’t explained until the next movie. All in all though, a solid movie.

Magic of Pegasus- B

We love a figure skater, we love a girl who refuses marriage to a weird magician. We don’t love Shiver just causing problems and not even being that cute. Bonus points for Annika being sassy as hell.

Mermaidia- B

Gay mermaids gay mermaids gay mermaids you can’t convince me otherwise. How come the fungi could leave the wastes but Laverna couldn’t (until...)? Elina sacrificing her wings to become a mermaid was a great moment, as well as when both Elina and Laverna ate the berries that showed their true selves. Bonus points for mermaids because I love mermaids.

Diaries- F

Why. Completely insipid and vapid and shallow and stupid as hell. Barbie being a curve-wrecker should’ve been a crowning moment but it wasn’t and I just can’t abide by a movie teaching kids that being good in school is bad. I must have erased this movie from my childhood memory because I didn’t recognize it at first. Bad movie.

12 Dancing Princesses- A+

A breath of fresh air after Diaries. I LOVE the 12 Dancing Princesses and (as of the writing of this post) it is my Favorite. I had the Genevieve doll, I named both of my (male) betta fish after Genevieve, and I named at least a couple of my Webkinz after other princesses too. The music is amazing, the story is amazing, the princesses are amazing (I don’t wanna hear anything about them being under-developed, there’s fucking 12 of em and it’s only 81 minutes long). Great movie. Best movie. Love this movie.

Magic of the Rainbow- B+

The finale of the Fairytopia trilogy, and the best one at that. Gotta love a totally-in-your-face rainbow motif, and I do. I don’t totally get how Laverna was able to leave the wastes if her punishment was to be trapped there but okay. I also don’t get how the Flight of Spring succeeded if Elina and Sunburst weren’t even participating most of the time but okay. Laverna trapping and assuming Sunburst’s identity was great villainy right there. I like Glee’s design :3 Bonus points for rainbows.

Island Princess- B

Admittedly, the video I watched of this movie seems to have had some parts cut out cuz there were some weird cuts, but I will judge thusly. Love me a musical, love the talking (to) animals, love the knowledge of medicinal plants. Otherwise too colonialism for me. I originally watched this movie during my “learning to survive on a deserted island” phase, so it holds a special place in my heart.

Mariposa- B+

I watched this movie to death as a kid, but I think that was mostly because it was the only movie we had unpacked while we were moving. Interesting change of pace having someone other than Barbie be the main character. I like Mariposa. I like her interest in constellations. Rayna and Rayla were kind of annoying but okay by the end (character development). Why are Zinzie’s ears backwards. Bonus points for the scene with The Fairy in the Cave of Reflections.

Diamond Castle- A

This is the first Barbie movie that I haven’t watched as a kid, so I’m watching this with fresh eyes and no nostalgia points. As always, musicals get bonus points with me. Alexa and Liana are gay you can’t change my mind (they invented the bi and lesbian flags with those dresses at the end). The twin dudes are just their boy toys, and I’m glad nothing really happened with them besides a dance. I would die for Sparkles and Lily and their dance moves.

Christmas Carol- B-

Another change of pace with Barbie not being the main chara, though I guess she can’t all of a sudden be British lol I’m glad that Barbie is raising money for hospitals irl (Barbie is real don’t fight with me) and that the orphanage in the story got funded as well. Good message. But gonna be real I’m not the biggest Christmas Carol person, so this movie didn’t stand the greatest chance with me. I like Catherine.

[phanfictioncatalogue]

One-Shots (6) Masterlist

part one, part two, part three, part four, part five

A Match A Day in 1965 - nebulous-frog

Summary: Phil works at a diner with a sign that says "Matching soulmates daily since 1965” and he never really understood it until one day, he did. 

A Perfect Pair (ao3) - husbants

Summary: Dan, a struggling actor who works retail by day, and Phil, an ex-YouTuber-turned-porn-star, end up matched together on the new reality show, Perfect Pair.

Barbie Horse Adventures (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Sometimes friends force you to get over your worst fears, sometimes you meet your soulmate in the process.

basically he’s gay (ao3) - waveydnp

Summary: dan posts his video and phil has a lot of feelings about it. they both do.

Beautiful Liar (ao3) - withawhimper

Summary: A devastating revelation from a cute stranger sitting in the bar where Dan is supposed to be meeting his boyfriend rocks Dan's world- but it turns out that might not be such a bad thing

Broken Like You (ao3) - TearDrop1234

Summary: Dan and Phil meet at a theater in a nowhere town. Their friendship is instant, but the rest not so much.

Cact us - dnpgays

Summary: Space!dan gets a new neighbour who just happens to be a cute boy with a love for plants.

Chez Nous - cityofphanchester

Summary: Dan’s stressed, Phil’s comforting.

Christmas Coming Out (ao3) - FandomFeels17

Summary: He didn't intend to come out to his mum in his future mother in law's kitchen at Christmas... But here he was, doing exactly that.

comedy = tragedy + time (ao3) - danisnopeonfire

Summary: He’s messy and bright and fantastic, and he is probably the best person to not-survive an apocalypse with.

dan is not a pianist (ao3) - Marranje

Summary: How Phil went from watching the pianist and youtuber Dan from afar to being by his side through the most important moments of their lives.

Dress Me Up & Watch Me Go (ao3) - phandomsub

Summary: Dan is sick of Phil's grumpy mood, so he takes matters into his own hands by pulling out a pair of pretty rompers.

envelop the lonely places (ao3) - cityofphanchester

Summary: Dan in his arms is like remembering how to breathe.

(reunion fic, dec '22)

every kiss is a cursive line (ao3) - phantasticworks

Summary: Iydlmp Dan and Phil through the months of trials and tribulations it takes to plan a wedding… and the wedding itself. (Sort of)

family (found) (ao3) - huphilpuffs

Summary: Dan reflects on his friendship with Martyn.

four hotel walls (ao3) - watergator

Summary: dan and phil are paranormal investigators from the 90s

(from the wings) i'll be watching (ao3) - moonanonymous

Summary: Phil is the assistant lighting director. Dan is the nutcracker prince. It's going to be a long day.

Little One - tinylester-blog

Summary: In which Dan falls in love with a tall boy that likes coffee and calls him 'little one'.

Oswald (ao3) - philsmeatylegss

Summary: Dan is an asshole, Phil goes through a tragic accident, and this somehow brings them together.

Also Phil owns a pancake restaurant.

Ripple - cafephan

Summary: Phil has a cheating boyfriend. Dan is a poet with a crush, facing an ultimatum.

sensitive (ao3) - intoapuddle, jestbee

Summary: "Do you like it?" Phil asks again. He doesn't know why he wants to hear Dan say it, but he does.

"I like it," Dan nods, tipping his back to bare his neck to Phil's teeth

Speak Now - phanlight

Summary: teenage!phan are best friends and phil has a crush on dan. phil also has a parrot and one afternoon when dan's at his house the parrot says "i love dan"

Stay (ao3) - Nefertiti1052 (Succubusphan)

Summary: Dan was mesmerized by the cute guy with the flowers he saw on the tube. Was it a bit much to search for him time and time again after that? maybe, but sometimes working hard for something works out in the end.

Stop - jilliancares

Summary: Dan and Phil are about to have sex for the first time but Dan gets nervous.

Stranger Danger (ao3) - intoapuddle

Summary: Dan thinks he's the most awkward guy on the tube until he spots a guy that seems to be in an even worse condition than himself.

the etiquette of a farmer’s market (ao3) - Fictropes

Summary: It starts with Phil destroying a supermarket shelf, it ends with the hot guy running the cheese stall.

The Urgency of Now - transdimensional-void

Summary: goth!Dan loves making out to music, and nerd!Phil is trying to figure out what it all means

trouble between you and i (ao3) - calvinahobbes

Summary: Phil can't stand the silence for another moment. "I don't want to break up," he says.

Uncle Dan (ao3) - Ragopamplina

Summary: Dan is a Lester. He knows it, but still, he enjoys little reminders.

We Could Never (ao3) - danielshands

Summary: Dan navigates the world while also contemplating coming out.

Yellow - washedoutgay

Summary: Please stop picking flowers from my garden au/ Dan really likes yellow and his cat really likes Phil

you look so good it hurts (in my favorite t-shirt) (ao3) - phantasticworks

Summary: Phil is gifted with a "Mega Dilf" shirt. Guess who picked that shirt out?

[msfbgraves]

Since Hollywood also is churning out nothing but sequels, reboots and remakes, what now?

This makes me think of my fourth year in Berlin. The first two years I was on a theatre frenzy. I can't hold much booze or dance for very long, so since I wasn't drinking my money, I went to the theatre. I mean the tickets were €8!

Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Hänsel und Gretel, Entführung aus dem Serail, Threepenny Opera, Cats, Oscar Wilde, Norma, some Schiller I didn't care for, all the Hollywood flicks for 4 euros on Tuesdays. I found the Philharmonie a bother to get to, spoiled brat that I was. European films from the Berlinale it was, yet more ballet.

And then I started to notice that a lot of the big things I'd already seen?

This is how you get to the experimental things.

Hollywood's crap, new TV is bad fanfic, mostly.

So, after burning off some of the good, as I of course haven't seen everything yet -

Time to get experimental again.

Now, I've seen some bad plays in my later Berlin years. Just, y'know, godawful. But some things have stayed with me, if only through a lingering sense of bewilderment. I can't even really name one specific play they were often so strange. But it did wet my appetite for simply going and seeing what happened.

It seems that tv is forcing us, together with Hollywood, to do the same thing. Ghibli may not appeal to me much, aesthetically, but if there's nothing new to be had I might discover something. Maybe I'll watch Jupiter Ascending for the extreme weirdness of it.

Honestly, this is how this happens, Hollywood. It's simply people with a ferocious appetite for story not finding anything. Weird story is better than bad story, ok? You're driving people like me, who would have been perfectly happy paying €8 a pop to see a 90 minute medium budget Matt Damon movie for years on end, right underground, because there are none around anymore. I am not the target audience for Quentin Tarentino or Brian De Palma, dafuq are you doing making me watch Scarface instead? If you don't want Venom to be a love story, you need to give teenage girls something else to watch. I thought you had some indoctrinating to do, too, huh? You are not helping the capitalist US military agenda by driving me into the arms of a gay junkie NYC playwright of Russian descent, man. That's what you get for limiting people's options. Ralph Macchio could have been a perfectly fine 80's and 90's leading man, but no, you had to drive him to the weird stuff, didn't you? And if you don't want a feminist critique of Heat, I guess you're outta luck because I've watched it now, and The Aviator's next. O, and Everybody's Fine is one of De Niro's best films even if it isn't award cinema and a total cash grab. I would have never found that movie if you'd put something decent on, but nooooooo.

Because I know it's bad. If you're unironically enjoying The Karate Kid part III more than, well, anything else on, it is bad.

But boy. If you thought we were weird now...

[iimr3]

other best Barbie movies in my professional (I am watching every single piece of Barbie media):

nutcracker: surprisingly good for being the first modern movie! I thought it was a really enjoyable adaptation, good story and writing, and wasn't really annoying at all!

12 dancing princesses: really well deserved hype, the story and characters were truly interesting. only annoying one was the weasel who's a bad guy so you aren't expected to like him

princess and the pauper: yeah it's the most famous. yeah it's good. just all around good imo even rewatching it I love it! the music and the characters and the transgender cat and the "nothing actually queer happens but there are still strong Vibes",

diamond castle: speaking of queer vibes except this time it's much stronger. I just have really fond memories of this one and it makes me :) every time I see the little heart stones. there are technically male love interests but the two main girls come across less "we have crushes" and more "let's use these two idiots to get what we need and maybe be friends". ALSO THE VILLAIN TRIES TO MAKE THEM KILL THEMSELVES VIA MIND CONTROL MULTIPLE TIMES??? which is a bonus for me I love weird shit like that.

christmas Carol: HOLE EE SHIT THIS IS MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE (along w the muppets version) oh my god. literally idc if you don't like Barbie movies you should watch this. they change so much of the plot of a Christmas Carol and kind of make it better. there's a surprisingly good representation of childhood abuse and it's effects, and SO MUCH sapphic energy despite there technically being a love interest for the bob cratchet main character lady. but like there honestly could've been a gay kiss and it wouldn't have felt the slightest out of place. just a banger movie I was blown away because I barely remembered it and was prepared if it was bad. it isn't.

the barbie diaries: technically not a barbiesona movie but instead, it's. basically Barbie mean girls. and it's stunning. I mean it's not the animation is Extremely Questionable but I think the hilarity of this one makes up for everyone personally. watch for a laff

[dykeseinfeld]

smh as things me and/or my roommates have done

bitty: interrogated the rest of us one by one bc she was convinced someone had been snacking on her baking chocolate (it was me)

jack: when we played charades for some reason none of us could think of any answers except louis and clark, so we turned it into american history centric charades, which is still 70% louis and clark

shitty: had never thought abt gender theory until last year and now is absolutely fascinated and he will talk abt it w anyone who will listen, which is mostly limited to me

lardo: semi-regularly have arts and crafts nights where we get drunk and do arts and/or crafts (paintings, abstract tin foil sculptures, etc)

ransom: brought a mortally wounded rat into our apartment to nurse back to health bc “i’m a pre-med guys”

holster: whenever our upstairs neighbor starts playing their piano he starts ranting about how they’re just playing the same few basic pieces over and over and that’s no way to actually improve your playing

dex: “i only think i’m gay when i’m drunk so i’ll just stick to smoking from now on”

chowder: spent a whole day walking around to every hotel in the neighborhood to ask for free maps as a christmas present bc he knows one of our roommates loves maps almost as much as he loves free things

nursey: “bro these glasses are indestructible i bet i could throw it on the ground and it wouldn’t even break” *shattering sound* “it broke”

whiskey: offers coffee to guests and assumes that everyone knows that means they should immediately leave right that second and gets offended if they don’t

tango: managed to machiavelli his comp sci study partner into taking the fall for cheating on the final when he had cheated too

ford: produced and directed an entire virtual production of nutcracker from our apartment

louis: did ketamine and made fairy bread to celebrate australia day, which was over 2 months away

hops: somehow literally always loses hide-and-seek, even though every single one of us just hide in his closet every single time we play

bully: has a girlfriend

BONUS:

wellie: brought home actual bear meat, to cook us actual bear for dinner, which did not taste that bad tbh

[sweeethinny]

FIC COLLECTION

 First of all, I'd like to say that here are all my fics - at least the ones that I tagged correctly and managed to find - and since there are many, I had to put them all bellow the cut, I hope it gets better this way :) 

The fanfics with ** in front, are fanfics that I wrote recently

HP HEADCANON

HAPPY HOUR - HBP MISSING MOMENTS: One of Hinny's happy hours during HBP (T)

THE LAST MOMENT: What happened the day before Harry left - for the last time - with Dumbledore (M)

CHRISTMAS MAGIC: It's Hinny's first Christmas after the Battle, and they find a different way to celebrate (M) AO3

WHERE’S HARRY AND GINNY? :  Harry and Ginny have spent some time away, so when they finally have time alone, they enjoy it until the last moment. (M) AO3

**LAST NAME:  ‘I will be Mrs. Potter finally. You will no longer be the only Potter in the world. How do you feel about that? Ready to share your last name?’ (T) AO3

LAZY DAY: It's just a lazy day at the Potter house (G) 

**PETITE:  'I read in a gossip newspaper that said that you are too big for me.’ (G)

THROUGH OTHER EYES: We see them... but through other eye (T)

COMFORT: Harry was never hugged or comforted after a nightmare, so when one of the children asks for it, he doesn't quite know what to do. (G)

GREEN EYES: Ginny always wondered what was behind those green eyes. (G)

SUCCUMBING: Harry can't get his beautiful and creative wife out of his mind. (M)

THE FIRST TIME OF THREE: How Harry found out he was going to be a dad. for the first time (G) THE SECOND TIME OF THREE: How Harry found out he would be a father a second time (G) THE THIRD TIME OF THREE:  How Harry found out he would be a father a third time (G) AO3

TELLING THE NEWS: Harry knows that now more than anything, he cannot die, not when he will become a father, and for that, he needs to tell Ron the news (G)

GIN-GIN IS THE BEST: Gin-Gin is the best godmother Teddy could have (T)

THE FIRST POTTER:  The first - of three - Potter babies to be born! (T)

**SKIN: Harry wanted to be able to show Ginny, through his eyes, how beautiful she is, and how all this insecurity with her body after giving birth to James is not necessary. Since he cannot do this, he tries in other ways. (T) AO3

**FEAR: 'Doesn’t it bother you?’ Ginny looked at him. 'Doesn’t it bother you to think that… that the world is so big and everything is so much bigger than James? That we are like two giants to him? Our garden must seem infinite through his eyes.’ (G)

JAMES AND HIS 15TH MONTH BIRTHDAY: Ginny is distraught when she realizes that her son will be 15 months old. The same age when Harry became an orphan (T)

THERE’S STILL A LOT OF SPACE: James Sirius is growing up, and Ginny wonders if there is still room for her, in his heart (G) (FLUFFFFF)

JAMES’S SICK: James is sick, and this is disturbing Harry's peace (G)

**GOLDEN DRESS:  'I feel like today is going to be different,’ Ginny promised, holding Harry’s hand and making him look at her. ‘And maybe we can do everything you wanted to do when you saw me in the gold dress for the first time?’ (T)

DEVIL IN DISGUISE: Ginny talks like an angel, walks like an angel, and acts like an angel. But Harry knows that she is the Devil in Disguise (T)

HARRY'S PROMOTION: “You know that if I’m getting this promotion, it’s thanks to you, don’t you?” (T)

**DISNEY: Draco and Astoria go to Disneyland, and Draco proves to be a man who doesn't like roller coasters (G) AO3

**THE COUPLE OF THE YEAR:  The two were arm in arm, walking in silence like two kings, without even seeming to notice that everyone stopped to watch them pass (G)

HAPPY B-DAY GINNY POTTER:  On Ginny's 39th birthday, she couldn't be happier to be alive. (G)

HARRY’S PENSIEVE: James S. travels through his father's saddest memories (T) (TRIGGERS FOR: DEPRESSION, DEATH, BLOOD, SELF-MUTILATION)

HARRY IT’S SUCH A GOOD FATHER: Harry can’t say no to his children, especially when they are bored (G)

MOM’S ADVICE: James has questions to ask, and who better than his mother to help him? (G) (cofcof my favorite by far cofcof)

BECAUSE IT’S THE GODFATHER’S JOB: Ron has a mission as a godfather, and he couldn't leave his godson helpless (T) PART II

I MUST NOT TELL LIES: Just a normal Potter day, when Lily Luna asked about Harry’s scar (G)

THE WORST / BEST BIRTHDAY: Some things have changed since he was 12 and lived with the Dursleys. Harry now has a family, and birthdays are not so lonely anymore (G) AO3

**INTIMATE PROBLEMS:  ‘Harry.’ Teddy cried when Harry opened the door to their room, still wearing his pajamas and looking sleepy. If it weren’t for the look of panic, he would have thought the boy was sleeping on his feet. ‘My balls hurt.’ (T)

TEDDY IS DISCOVERED: Bill can be an understanding and calm guy ... but that doesn’t include when his daughter is with someone hiding in the room (ted x victorie) (T)

HARRY IS THE BEST FATHER: Moments in the life of James and Harry, where Harry proved to be the best father (T)

STILL INTO YOU:  Some things just  make sense, and even after all this time I'm into you... Baby not a day goes by that I'm not into you (M)

ADVICES: James Sirius makes an urgent call with his father; he needs loving advice. (G) AO3

**MISTLETOE: How could he find his best friend beautiful? How was he capable of that? (G) (James Sirius x OC)

**I’M SORRY:  Mira was one of those fall that was worth it. (G) (James Sirius x OC)

**NO, I DON'T WANNA FALL IN LOVE: James Sirius faces his first broken heart (T) (James Sirius x OC)

**BAD NEWS: 'What happened?’ James asked.'The worst.’ Teddy said. ‘Vic is pregnant’ (T)

**KISSES: It felt so good to kiss him. Mira had already kissed other boys, and girls, but there was something about James that made him much better than everyone else (T) (James Sirius x OC)

JAMES IS DATING part 1 | 2:  “James is dating.” Harry said, no longer holding on to the secret, remembering non-stop the scene of his son kissing the blonde warmly, in the back of their house. (T) AO3

I’M SORRY  (Drastoria with a bit of Potters): Draco would do anything to see his son happy, even to apologize to ... someone. (G) (PART II)

GRADES: They are not at home when the bird arrives with James’ OWL grades.orJames Sirius is concerned about his future and the parents’ reaction to his idea (G) AO3

A PROTECTIVE FATHER: Harry is a concerned father, and when James decides to go to a party, he begins to doubt that that is the best option. (T)

ALBUS CAME OUT - PART I:  Albus has something to say to James. Or, the one where Albus comes out gay to his brother and they have a conversation about it (T)

**BROTHERS: Albus and James' relationship over the years (T)

PLEEEASE?: Lily Luna just wants to be with his older brother and his 'cool' friends. Who could judge her? (G)

**INSECURITIES AND LONELINESS:  Lily faces problems on her first year, problems that Ginny knows very well and knows that she will need to talk about - almost - everything about her own first year. Things are almost never easy in the beginning.(T) AO3

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HP AU

**JUST FRIENDS:  'Have you never been curious to know if you kiss well? Or if kissing a boy is different from kissing a girl?’  (T) (James x Sirius) AO3

EVEN AFTER THE END: They were alive. Right here, with Harry. Even after the end. (T)

IT’S CHRISTMAS!: It's Christmas and Harry can finally win the special gift that James kept so dearly (G)

**MUM: ‘Place your hand in mine,’ Lily said softly, ‘please hold my hand.’ (T) AO3

SIRIUS IS IN LOVE: "Do you always look at others like that?" (G)

NOBODY BUT YOU: For Sirius, at that moment, nothing the world exists but Hestia (M) 

ALL ABOUT LOVE (SIRIUS X HESTIA): Sirius is this guy that everyone thinks kisses everyone, when in fact he is much more reserved and is afraid to connect with people. But then, when he starts going out with Hestia, he feels the happiest guy for the first time in ages (T)

DRUNK IN LOVE: ‘’I’m going to declare myself to her!’’ “You are drunk!”  “Is there a better time than now?’’ (Jily + Sirius x Hestia) (T)

**ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS:  'I was the one who told him to be the secret keeper.’ Sirius sighed, his eyes watering, hugging her back and this time he hid his face in her chest. 'If they had died… Because of me.’ (Hestia x Sirius) (M)

BETTER THAN FIREWHISKY: What if Harry had realized that he loved Ginny in book five? (T)

FINALLY ALONE:  ’You’re a big mama’s boy, aren’t you?“ She laughed. ‘’Lily taught you the rules well, thankfully you have me and I’m more than willing to distort you.’ (T)

TRICK OR TREAT, SWEETIE? : Halloween Special - Hinny faces a very unusual - and scary - situation on the night of the 31st (T)

WE WERE LISTENING TO THE WEEKND AND I HAD TO ASK YOU TO MARRY ME: There are things that need to be said at that moment (T)

**THE NUTCRACKER: All Harry wanted to do was take his daughter to watch The Nutcracker, but he didn't expect one of the dancers to mess with him so much. (T) AO3 

**BOSS’S SON: Ginny is an auror in training, with few hours of fun in her schedule, but when one night she decides to go to a guy’s house and enjoy her youth, she is surprised by the discovery that she had sex with her boss’s son (T) AO3

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LILY!:  Happy birthday to the woman who deserves all the happiness in the world. And for that, here’s an au where Jily lives, and Lily can celebrate her 61st birthday with her grandchildren and the whole family (G) (FLUUUUUF)

** HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRONGS!: ‘Now who’s the old here?’ ‘It’s still you, Lils, you’re older than me… I’m like wine, every year better.’ Happy birthday my boy! (G) 

REPUTATION:  Harry and Ginny don't have the best reputations, which is exactly why the two get along so well. (M)

AO3 | 1 |  2 |  3 |  4 | 5 | 6 | 7

YOU’RE THE RIGHT ONE:  James discovers that some friendships can be something more. He just doesn't know how to handle it all.  (next gen hp) (M) AO3 | 1 | 2 |

A LITTLE PARTY NEVER KILLED NOBODY:  Harry would let her end her life without even complaining (T)

EASY:  “Easy” by Camilla Cabelo (T) PART II (T)

THE ONE:  Because when Harry realizes that Ginny is The One, he needs to do something about it. Even if it is risky, because his godfather always alerts him; “What is a life without a little risk?” (T) 1 | 2

THE DUKE:  Some time ago a prophecy was made, one that said about two powerful and strong souls who would be able to defeat even the strongest of wizards, bringing peace that the Wizarding World has not seen for centuries. But for that to happen, they would have to be entwined through marriage. Everything was going well, the children were born healthy and were promised to each other, until one of them was kidnapped. (M) AO3 | FF.NET. | SIYE | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | **8

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JILYTOBER

JILYTOBER: Trapped in a broom closet (T)

JILYTOBER: Lily denying she fancies James (T)

JILYTOBER: Jily first kiss (T) (part two of the prompt where Lily denying she likes James)

JILYTOBER: At a Quidditch Match (G)

JILYTOBER: [text] [2AM] “I’m here. Come outside” (M for just a small detail that no longer has T)

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PROMPT

PROMPT JILY:  With your fantastic ability to get into trouble, it doesn’t shock me to find you here (T)

PROMPT JILY:  This is a shitty idea, do you want my help? (G)

PROMPT JILY: I want more than all of this, I want longer than forever with you. I just wanna love you. And take you on dates. And fuck you. And hug you (T)

PROMPT JILY: Simply Jily Muggle, and big declarations of love - and a runaway bride (G)

PROMPT JILY:  Banana pancakes by jack johnson (G)

PROMPT JILY:  Just… just talk to me. Please (T)

PROMPT ROMIONE: Sleep, I promise tomorrow will be better (G)

PROMPT SIRIUS x HESTIA:  Hestia realizes there’s more to Sirius than just a bad boy image (T)

PROMPT SIRIUS X HESTIA: Sirius/ Hestia as a couple in hogwarts (T)

PROMPT SIRIUS x HESTIA: Sirius and Hestia during the years at Hogwarts (T)

**PROMPT SIRIUS X HESTA: Closing his eyes and hiding under the cover like a child, Sirius allowed himself to be miserable. It was horrible to like someone, he thought, he would rather die than have to feel it again. (T)

PROMPT HINNY:  I actually wanted to get your number…(G)

PROMPT HINNY: Do you always stare at others like that? (T)

PROMPT HINNY:  A new caffe has been opened near his house and Harry is besotted with the red headed barista (T)

PROMPT HINNY:  Ginny thinks they’re doing a great job keeping their house plants alive but actually, Harry has secretly replaced them with identical-looking fake plants so Ginny can’t kill them (G)

PROMPT HINNY: Kissing in a vehicle for lust (T) (with mild mentions of sex)

PROMPT HINNY:  This is definitely not my most attractive moment, but I promise I really am fit (M)

PROMPT HINNY:  (plus Romione) Let me explain. I was bored and you left me alone. (G)

PROMPT HINNY:  What Ginny would smell in her Amortentia. (G)

PROMPT HINNY:  Ootp Sirius accidentally stumbles upon Harry and Ginny talking and accidentally thinking that it’s Lily and James (G)

PROMPT HINNY:  Harry and Ginny come into the common room after quidditch practice and Ginny’s trying to make a bet with Harry that she can do a certain trick/trickshot in their next quidditch match (G)

PROMPT HINNY:  Lily, James and Sirius react to hinny first kiss in the after life (G) 

PROMPT HINNY/JILY:  Hinny in an au where Jily and Sirius are alive (T)

PROMPT HINNY:  Cho being jealous of Hinny in 6th year (G)

PROMPT HINNY: Ginny being jealous of Cho in 6th year (G)

PROMPT HINNY: How far did Harry and Ginny go in Half Blood prince? (M)

PROMPT HINNY: Harry and Ginny talk about their relationship after the Battle of Hogwarts (M)

PROMPT HINNY: Harry watching Ginny’s first league match (G)

PROMPT HINNY:  Kissing in the rain after a declaration of love (G)

PROMPT HINNY:  Jily were alive and James finding out that his daughter in law got a contract to be a professional quidditch player (T)

PROMPT HINNY:  Please don’t die … If you die, I swear I will hunt you down in hell and bring you back (M) (For reasons of having description of blood and injuries)

PROMPT HINNY:  Ginny was a woman who kept her cool, at least most of the time, but sometimes her Weasley blood boiled like a bubbling cauldron, and when that happened, she felt out of control and took the least rational attitude of all time. And that was how Petunia was attacked by a Bat-Bogey Hex as soon as she opened the door to the house. (G)

PROMPT HINNY:  If you’ll excuse me, I’ll get my drink and leave you alone in your bad mood. I’m sure you’ll find someone better than me /  you have 5 seconds to get off me (T)

PROMPT HINNY:  Hinny kissing in a bar because they missing each other (T)

PROMPT HINNY:  Harry winning Witch Weekly’s sexiest wizard alive (T)

PROMPT HINNY:  The first time Harry is called dad (G) (fluffffffff)

PROMPT HINNY:  Hinny taking 6 years old teddy to a Disneyland (G) (highly fluff)

PROMPT HINNY: Hinny and Teddy wearing matching costumes on Halloween (G)

PROMPT HINNY: Ginny's last days pregnant (G)

**PROMPT HINNY: Ron watches Harry and Ginny being new parents (G)

PROMPT HINNY:  Harry and Ginny enroll their kids into a muggle Primary school the kids have a science fair, Harry helps them with it, Ginny and Arthur just being embarrassing muggle fanatics (G)

PROMPT HINNY:  Have you ever died? I did a few times, it was actually quiet painful but you know what they say, no pain, no gain. (G)

**PROMPT HINNY:  He and Harry had a fight last week... James said he didn’t like him anymore.’’ Ginny looked at her mother, looking a little sadder now. ‘’Harry cried.’ (G)

PROMPT HINNY: You’re safe now. I’m with you (T)

PROMPT HINNY:  Hinny dropping off James Sirius for his first year at Hogwarts (G)

PROMPT HINNY:  The boys and their dad vs Ginny and little Luna over having a sleepover with her guy friends (G) 

PROMPT HINNY: Do you think the moon is jealous of how pretty you are? (T)

PROMPT HINNY: Dudley reviewing Harry - now, with his own family - for the first time in a few years (G) PART II 

PROMPT HINNY: Blaise's son and Lily Luna start to date, and the Potter family doesn't handle the news very well (G)

PROMPT DRASTORIA:  Death bed (coffee for your head) by Powfu for Drastoria (T)

[wlwdarlingcharming]

Hii do you have any bios for your eah oc's?? I'm so interested to know more about them!!!

yes my dear <33 these are very messy and i tried to keep some outline but oh boy did it go downhill after godiva.

elias wykkyd, son of the wicked witch of the west and the good witch of the south: he/him/they/them. bisexual. wants to protect the family secret (their mothers were not supposed to get together and if grimm found out, he would lose his shit) but his sister’s outbursts make it very hard. he’s very stressed all the time and would benefit greatly from a nap. they like to hangout with raven queen and thinks she’s pretty chill. he loves the other oz kids, but sometimes they are too much for them. he really, really doesn’t want to fight his sister or try to kill rowan. they don’t know that his destiny is to be the next good witch of the south. rebel.

godiva southgood, child of the wicked witch of the west and the good witch of the south: she/her/fae/faer. lesbian. very crazy. loyal to faer brother, but to no one else. has a “it’s me or them” mentality. believes she’s the hero and everyone against her is a villain. has too much power and probably (definitely) doesn’t use it for good. wishes her brother would understand what fae’s going through instead of blaming fae for everything. has a crush on farrah goodfairy. fae doesn’t know that her destiny is to be the next wicked witch of the west. royal.

rowan gale, son of dorothy: he/him. ace & gay. he’s passionate about photography and is on the bookball team. he never knew his mom, because he was taken away from her as a baby (👀). besides the ozians, he’s very close with alistair wonderland and would go far as to say that’s his best friend because he understands how hard it is to be a leading man. rowan is very scared for his destiny, because he doesn’t want to fight elias (godiva) and almost die. rowan is very sure of himself and has a god complex mixed with deep insecurity. people look up to him which defintely fuels his ego, but it makes him feel more insecure himself because “what if i just disappoint everyone more?”. he also feels like a disappointment to his mom but aggressively covers that up with false confidence. he gets bored easily and looks uninterested a lot. he doesn’t mean to, but school just can’t capture his attention. his destiny is to be the next dorothy gale. roybel.

valora de lioncourt, child of the cowardly lion: she/her/they/them. bi disaster. local furry. GORGEOUS. hangs out with cerise, ramona and rosabella. will do anything that anyone asks of them. gets into many hijinks with the other oz kids. plays for the lacrowns team and is surprisingly good. everyone always assumes she’s really shy and scared all the time (which in their opinion gets really annoying), but she’s very confident in herself. their destiny is to be the next cowardly lion. royal.

tinnafy manns, daughter of the tin man: she/her. panromantic asexual. total party girl. doesn’t sleep, ever. gets called a robot a lot and it hurts her feelings. hangs out with briar, melody and siobhan. close with her dad, but he doesn’t approve of her party lifestyle. rebel.

felix crowfield, son of the scarecrow: he/him. pansexual. coolest guy ever. literally so chill. how does he do it? it’s because he has dealt with godiva and elias’s screaming matches for years and has learned to tune them out. he loves creating costumes, as well as acting, and is apart of the ever after high players. doesn’t want to be the next scarecrow and would much rather make costumes thank you very much. his destiny is to be the next scarecrow. rebel.

lilith whiteford, daughter of the white queen and the white knight: she/her. ace lesbian. badass knight princess. has a cold exterior, but once you get through that, she is one of the most kind and caring people. loves her brother and her parents. loyal to a fault. wanted to be the next white knight of wonderland, but later decides she wants to date the future white knight of wonderland (one darling charming). was taught by her parents to never speak unless spoken to, so that’s how she talks to others. people think she’s just a scary knight princess, but she’s really not. secretly a huge nerd. older twin. royal.

lysander whiteford, son of the white queen and the white knight: he/him (ftm). gay. sad boy. sad, rich boy vibes. makes everyone think he believes he’s above them, but he is so insecure about everything. he wants to be the next white queen (king) more than anything. doesn’t like his mother or his father, but loves his twin lilly. he pretends to be a pompous jerk to everyone, and it pains him to act that way, but it’s the only way he knows how to talk to others. younger twin. royal.

coraline sirenowitch, child of the sea witch: she/her/they/them. lesbian. egirl energy. looks mean, is actually very nice. very, very powerful. besties with faybelle, actively tries to avoid meeshell. hates forks with a burning passion. (coraline: they’re like tRiDeNtS, fAyBelLe) likes to make their own jewelry. vegan. their destiny is to be the next sea witch. rebel.

eira nordskov, daughter of the snow fairy: she/her (mtf). bisexual. oh BOY she is my BABY. her story has developed wildly over the past year. she’s very shy, has limited snow powers and loves ballet and ice skating. friends with justine and duchess. she loves sugar plums (much to siobhan’s dislike). gets very angry really quickly, which causes some mild changes in weather. hate hate HATES her roommate, crystal winter and they have the biggest rivalry. has the biggest crush on nathaniel nutcracker (who i have also adopted from the books). her destiny is to be the next clara. royal?

siobhan plumfairy, daughter of the sugar plum fairy: she/her/they/them/he/him/xe/xem. the coolest out of the nutcracker kids. hangs out with briar, melody and tinnafy a lot. basically only talks to nath, cordelia and eira because they’re all childhood friends. IS the life of the party. wants to be anything other than the sugar plum fairy. has a good control on xer magic, but uses it to make decorations, clothes and lights for briar & mel’s parties. very insecure about their wings and doesn’t like to talk about her parents. uses his “cool girl” connections to get himself things. rebel.

cordelia mouse-king, daughter of the mouse king: she/her. very smart when it comes to sciences. likes to make potions and other concoctions in chemythstry and prides herself on getting good grades. likes to talk to cupid, because cupid’s old school is near where her cousin mouscedes lives. also friends with ashlynn and dexter. very short and small, but can be very scary. has a bad relationship with her dad, and usually spends break with her cousin or siobhan. super awkward around nathaniel and doesn’t like when they all hangout. rebel.

nathaniel nutcracker, son of the nutcracker: he/him. disaster bi. LOVES DANCING. absolutely loves ballet and literally any type of dance. good friends with justine. mostly hangs out with the other nutcracker kids. very uppity and preppy. scared of cordelia’s dad and refuses to hangout with cordelia outside of school, which makes group hangouts really awkward. royal.

jocelyn “jj” hook, daughter of captain hook and the big bad wolf: she/her. pirate lesbian. mostly hangs out with ramona, cerise and winnie. (as well as the hypothetical ever after high fight club) thinks of little red as her mom. refuses to talk to jamie (her mom). has a pirate ship. rebel.

winona “winnie” darling, daughter of wendy darling: she/her. bisexual. badass pirate queen. in love with jj and would fight anyone for her. hypothetical head of ever after high fight club. short queen. very shy, but once you get to know her you won’t be able to get her to shut up. rebel.

[gaybarbiegirl]

00s Barbie rewatch - Rapunzel (2002)

Is it bad that I always found this movie kinda boring?

That opening sequence, though

Going inside the pencil sharpener in first person, amazing

Storyteller Barbie, my beloved

THE LITTLE PENELOPE PAINTING IN THE BACKGROUND 🥺❤

Ok, I think its kind of iconic that Barbie made "Rapunzel loves painting" so ingrained into Rapunzel canon that all other mainstream adaptations of this fairytale since have decided to keep that in

Like, that was NOT a thing in the original fairytale, the thing Rapunzel loved/was super talented at was singing. Barbie really changed the public perception of a story that already existed for hundreds of years. Amazing

Why does Rapunzel have super long hair in this version of the story? She doesn't live in a tower, she lives in a castle, and Gothel just walks in through the front door every day. What was the point of the hair?

Listen. Listen. I can take a lot when it comes to gay coded villains. But you gotta draw the line somewhere. And a gay coded horny evil ferret crosses that line

Penelope is baby

How did no one ever find that passage before? Rapunzel presumably cleans this room regularly, how did she never touch that statue? If a spoon was heavy enough to open it, I'm sure her hand would be too

Penelope's relationship with her dad is the plotline I care about the most in this movie

"Does he ever smile?" "Not around me..." 💔

Rescuing that little girl was the PERFECT opportunity to have Rapunzel use her hair, are you kidding me?

Rapunzel's dad really was ordering traps to murder children... Yikes

The amount of times I'm forced to hear a ferret moan in this movie is criminal

Barbie really had the best lullabies, though. I 100% plan on singing constant as the stars above to my future nieces and nephews

THE MAGIC PAINTBRUSH!!!

BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, ICONIC

How are these two in love already? They literally know nothing about each other

I know this is a fairytale, but still, in most Barbie movies we actually get to see a bit of the process of the characters falling in love, or at the very least we get a reason as to why they're into each other. In this movie these two just like each other overnight for no good reason

Ok but why is her hair long? There's genuinely no reason

The name's Penelope, bucko 😡

NOOOO I can't believe I was subjected to this again

THE MAGICAL DRESS SCENE ❤

Ok, we all know this scene is beautiful and magical, but does anyone else think that all of these dresses were kind of ugly? Like, including the final one?

I feel like that haircut could have been more dramatic

Stefan, my man, you just saw her face. That is very clearly not Rapunzel, why are you still following her?

YES PENELOPE IS THE MIGHTIEST DRAGON

I don't care, Penelope is the real protagonist of this movie

Wow, Gothel has really bad aim. How has she been missing Stefan for this whole time?

Here comes Rapunzel's dad's murder army to kill a bunch of civillians

Why is Gothel confessing like this?

How long has Rapunzel been standing there to understand the whole context of the fight + Gothel's backstory?

Rapunzel's murder dad can fuck right off with his half assed apology

Honestly, why did Stefan's dad forgive Rapunzel's dad? He very much attacked his kingdom unprovoked and tried to kill civillians, even if it was because of a misunderstanding

That ending with Kelly is really cute

Final thoughts:

I'm gonna be honest, I'm actually surprised with how much fun I had with this one. For pretty much my whole life, Rapunzel has been my least favorite out of the original 3 Barbie movies, but I'd say I enjoyed this rewatch even more than I enjoyed rewatching The Nutcracker. Actually, I think I enjoyed it more than any other viewing of this movie I ever did before.

I think the main issues I have with this movie are that I always thought Rapunzel and Stefan were pretty boring characters, so it's hard for me to root for them, and also that the movie has a lot of plot holes, like, way more than in your usual Barbie movie. And while I still agree with all of that, I think typing out my frustrations here instead of bottling them up for the whole movie helped me not get too stuck on them and enjoy the good parts of the movie more. Because don't get me wrong, even if this movie has some flaws, it still has a lot of goods parts. I love Penelope with my whole heart, love the magic paintbrush, really like the soundtrack, really like the 'listen to your dreams' message, etc. Rewatching this was a great time, and I love that all these years later, my opinions about the Barbie movies are still changing and evolving.

[shakespearefreak]

Christmas Crushes

I realized this year that I have “Christmas crushes,” like, of the fictional variety. Characters who I fall deeply, desperately, and hopelessly in love with (or simply really, really want to fuck), but only in the month or so surrounding Christmas. Here’s my list so far, in chronological order of when I fell for them (fair warning, if you think people shouldn’t be sexually attracted to characters from children’s media, you’re gonna have a bad time with parts of this post):

Jacob Marley (A Christmas Carol, pretty much all versions)

Pictured: Michael Hordern in Scrooge (1951)

I’ve been in love with this man since I was tiny. And yes, I do headcanon him as gay, and in a very committed relationship with Scrooge. And yes, I also kin him, so I’m aware having a crush on him is therefore narcissistic AF. Somehow, these facts don’t alter my feelings, like, at all. There’s this moment in the 1951 Scrooge movie where he and Ebenezer have cornered some of their business associates into giving them financial control of the company, and he gives this satisfied grin, like a cat who’s just eaten a bird, that drives me wild.

Clara Staulbahm (The Nutcracker 1977 TV movie)

Gelsey Kirkland’s Clara may well have shaped my image of female perfection. Slender and graceful, with wide, wondering eyes and pointed features, she reminds me of a doe. As a child, I didn’t know I could have romantic feelings for women; I just knew that I liked watching her dance. So my first time watching this version as an adult, I was surprised to feel my face flush and my heart speed up as I watched her flowing, translucent costume swirl around her willowy frame.

Note: I am aware that Clara is a problematic character to crush on, as her age is ambiguous in the ballet, but given Kirkland was 25 when she danced the role, I tend to think of her Clara as a young adult.

Mr. Jonathan Teatime (Hogfather novel and TV movie)

This fucker. This fucker here. A few years ago, a friend recommended Hogfather to me, and every December since, this man has driven me half-mad with wanting. There is no logical reason why, but I’d let him do absolutely whatever he wanted to me. He could torture me (and probably would) and I’d say thank you, more please.

Gustafson (Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey)

The eyes. The smile. The style. The voice. Holy frick, I adore this man. His cocky attitude in public. His 🔥 dance moves. The lingering guilt that haunts him in private. I want to hold him and kiss him gently when he’s insecure, and I also want him to dominate me in bed when he’s confident.

[teal-skull]

Pride special! Historical figures who were LGTB (edited with pride flags)

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) - A famous Irish poet and playwright best known from his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Homoerotic subtext was featured in some of his works. He was very flamboyant and had multiple affairs with other men. One of these affairs was with his friend and lover Lord Alfred Douglas while being married with two sons. This relationship ultimately lead Wilde to be arrested and put in trial for sodomy which he was found guilty. In 1895 he was sentenced in two years of hard labour. After his release from prison, he moved to France and lived in mid-1897 with Ronald Ross. Later that year he met with Douglass and they lived in Naples but separated because of the financial pressure from their families (who didn’t accept their meeting) and personal reasons.

Alan Turin (1912-1954) - British logician, computer scientist, and mathematician. His most influential work is Turing Machine which can be seen as a model of a modern computer. In 1952 he was charged with gross indecency after admitting his sexual relationship with Arnold Murray. Homosexual acts were illegal during that time in the United Kindom. He was given a choice to either go to prison or parole including his agreement to undergo hormonal physical changes designed to reduce libido. He chose the later and the treatment caused impotent and gynecomastia.

Pjotr Tšaikovski (1840-1893) - Classic Russian composer. He composed many masterpieces such as Swanlake and The Nutcracker. He suffered from bad mental health and was reclusive and shy. It is under debate that Tšaikovski might have had a hard time accepting his own sexuality. Sergey Kireyev was his first, and according to his brother’s diary his “strongest, longest and purest love”.

Frida Kahlo (1907-1953) - Mexican painter who is known from her colourful, yet dark-themes paintings. Based on her own experience, women’s harsh life and pain are expressed in her art, making her almost a feminist cult person in the 90s. She was openly bisexual and was friends with Pablo Picasso.

Joséphine Baker (1903-1975) - American-French dancer, singer and stage artist. She was openly bisexual and very famous in her time for her revealing costumes, dance performances and exotic beauty. She was also an activist against racism and worked as an honourable correspondent for France during World War II, gathering information about German troop locations. Baker was openly bisexual.

Anne Lister (1791-1840) - Considered to be the first modern lesbian for her openly gay lifestyle, Lister was an English landowner and diarist, who wrote about her life in detail, including her lesbian relationships containing intimate details about them (these parts written in code) to her diaries that are over 4 million words long. She took care of business and travelled a lot during her life. Lister was in a relationship with Ann Walker and in 1834 they took communion together in Holy Trinity Church and thereafter considered themselves married. A Historical drama series Gentleman Jack was released this year and it tells her story based on her diaries.

Chevalier d’Éon (1728-1810) - A French diplomat and spy who was also a soldier in the Seven Years’ War. While working in London as a spy, d’Èon was rumoured to be a woman despite wearing dragoon’s uniform and serving the king as a man. People started betting on d'Éon true sex. D'Éon declined the invitation to be examined for it would have been dishonouring whatever the result. Later on, d'Éon was in political exile in London (after a series of events), unable to return to France but after the death of Louis XV d'Éon tried to negotiate on his return to France. D'Éon was allowed to return but with the condition that he would turn over the correspondence regarding the secret du roi (King Louis XV’s secret channel of diplomats d'Éon worked in) D'Éon returned but claimed to be born as a woman and raised as a boy. D'Éon demanded to be recognized as a woman by the government. The government accepted this but demanded d'Éon to wear appropriately female clothing. D'Éon agreed and returned to France and lived as a woman until death. D'Éon’s dead body was examined and confirmed to have had male organs yet having feminine characteristics. This might be evidence to d'Éon being intersex.

Dr. Alan L. Hart (1890-1962) - An American physician, tuberculosis researcher, radiologist, writer and novelist who was one of the first trans men to undergo hysterectomy and gonadectomy in the USA (1917-18). He pioneered x-ray photography which was used to detect tuberculosis. Dr Hart also wrote short stories and four novels during his career. Gay men and gender dysphoria are portrayed in his writing.

Roberta Cowell (1918-2011) - A British racing driver and a fighter pilot in World War II. Cowell was the first known trans woman to undergo sex reassignment surgery. In 1940 she was commissioned in Royal army service corps. While serving as a pilot officer in Germany Cowell attacked enemy targets on the ground but crash-landed and was captured by German troops. Her too escape attempts failed and she was eventually taken to Stalag Luft I where she remained as a prisoner for five months until the camp was abandoned because of the pressure from Red Army. After the war, Cowell began her transition and became friends with Michael Dillon.

Queen Christina (1626-1698) - Queen of Sweden from 1632 to 1654. One of the most educated women in the 17th century, who was interested in books, painting, sculptures and manuscripts. She even called great philosopher Rene Descartes to teach her. Christina never married which was considered scandalous. She also felt strong loath towards actives that were considered feminine during her life time and preferred hunting, fencing and riding instead. Her sexuality is under debate, but some historians consider her to have been lesbian.

(fun fact, I’ve seen this portrait life recently)

BONUS: Leonardo Da Vinci in pride colours

These are only few amazing people I have mentioned and there is plenty of many others so don’t be afraid to add people who are not mentioned or correct me if I have errors

[vergilboyfriend]

You should do all of them questions and 90 is true

I love you!!!!

1. Favorite instrument?

I work at a music store u can’t just ask me this. When my coworkers play it’s the saxophone or the flute, when the boys in the repair shop are testing repairs and they harmonize with each other or try to outplay one another it’s the bassoon or the trombone or whatever they’re fixing at the moment. When I hear 🎺 give his lesson on Wednesday afternoons it’s the trumpet, and when I think about middle school it’s the clarinet, the flute, the French horn. When I hear the nutcracker pas des deux is the oboe and when I hear edith piaf l’accordeoniste it’s the remarkable human voice. Really my favorite instrument is all of them, it just depends.

2. Favorite fic trope? Mutual pining 🥺

3. Sport you played for the longest amount of time? LMAO I wasn’t a sporty kid but I did ballet

4. Shoe size? 10-11

5. Most recent (good) dream? Uhh I had a dream last night about my coworker 🎹 it wasn’t bad though I can’t really remember what it was about

6. Last person in your DMs? smugg

7. Can you do a handstand? Nooo nooo lmaoo nooooo

8. Unpopular food opinion I don’t like oranges or red meat

9. Conspiracy you believe in? There’s some kind of weird weather dome in my hometown around the military base that makes most storms pass around us

10. Is your hair its natural color/style? Most of it is I dyed the bottom layer of my hair tho so it’s blonde rn

11. state a useless fact all that’s coming to mind is outright lies rn hold on. The inventor of pringles is buried in a pringles can that’s so fucking nasty omg

12. most interesting gossip you’ve heard? Idk I don’t really care for gossip uhhhh have u heard tho rin dippindogs is a huge gay hah she uhh she like men AND women lmao gaaay gaaaay

13. Middle name? Carolyn

14. Sexuality? Bisexual

15. Amount of sleep you got last night? Idk actually I think like 9-10 hrs tho I slept in until 11

16. Opinion on ice cream cake? Tasty!!!

17. Opinion on (cup)cake frosting? It’s depends buttercream is usually too sweet for me in large amounts so I prefer whipped cream frosting

18. Last board game you played? Idk??? We played hunt a killer tho last Thursday me n my family I guess that counts kinda

19. Project you want to start? I need ideas first baby

20. Project you’re working on right now? HAHAHAHAHAHA

21. TV show you’re watching? nothing rn I just rewatch bojack a lot if I watch anything

22. Last movie you watched? Lego batman I think

23. Ever left anon hate? Not legit hate

24. Ever left anon love? Yes all the time. Sometimes to strangers it’s my favorite thing to do

25. Best Disney movie? The princess and the frog

26. Best Pixar movie? Soul or Up I can’t decide

27. Best Star Wars? Um. Empire strikes back

28. Last thing you consumed? Fuit gumy

29. NoTP? Idk I don’t really hate ships unless they’re gross like pedophilic gross

30. story behind your (nick)name? When I was a fetus my great grandfather had a dream that my name should be Carolyn Marie but my parents were huge dweebs so they named me Marina after the actress of Deanna Troi in Star Trek. Idk about my nickname ive just always been Rina/Rin as long as I can remember

31. ice cream order? Lately it’s lemon sorbetto I know it’s SO high in sugar but I love it

32. describe your blog in <5 words I love you

33. how many blogs do you follow? 436

34. Describe your voice it depends usually I sound like a sick child but my customer service voice is really pleasant

35. Describe your smile it’s cute :)

36. What is the place you live known for? LMAOOO LMAO we have a military base nearby and like. I could go on abt that one but also like. There’s a lot of gang violence and a lot of the other consequences of poverty. People from the cities around us see us as “””ghetto””” or violent but it’s just. It’s more than that it’s always more than that. And idk what else there’s nothing really particularly special about this town except that we’re all here and not anywhere else

37. What is the place you’re originally from known for? (if they’re different)

38. pronouns? she/any idc

39. Languages you speak? English

40. first friend you made through tumblr? Idk. I probably don’t talk to them anymore :(

41. Person on tumblr you know in real life? my brother

42. First dog breed you think of shih tzu I have 2 next to me rn

43. room wall color? Purble!!!! The paint color is called grape juice that’s why I picked it!!!

44. Song that’s stuck in your head right now? It’s tricky to rock a rhyme to rock a rhyme that’s right on time it’s trickyyyyy

45. Favorite number? 5, 34

46. Color you associate with your name? Red

47. Favorite jolly rancher flavor?watermelon

48. Pets? 2 dogs rocket and groot and 4 cats loki danni who r from the same litter and we raised from kittens, miss kitty who we adopted from a shelter after my boy blue moon passed away and ben (his real name is Kylo Ren thanks to my mom but I refuse to call him that) he is my little baby and he has 7 toes on his front paws

49. Collections? Hot wheels

50. Character outside of your fandom you’d marry? Girl what lmaooo idk

51. Character outside of your fandom you’d kill? That’s mean :(

52. Have you met any celebrities? NO thank god id have to kill on sight

53. Favorite time period in history? Itslian Renaissance & Romantic Era

54. What time is it right now? 2:35 am oops

55. History or future? Future but like . A good one. Or prehistory

56. Space or ocean? Space

57. Fears? Abandonment

58. Command + v and post. It’s this list of questions u don’t want that

59. Favorite season? Spring

60. Describe your aesthetic. Messy just a mess, neon and old buildings and things, antiques, countryside if there weren’t so many trump pence flags still lmaoo give uppp give up, nature just al of nature and space and places humans can’t touch and places they used to touch but can’t anymore

61. MBTI? Infp but I haven’t taken it in a few years

62. What’s your relationship with your family like? Normal.

63. “Biggest fan” in your tumblr activity? I’m in mobile hold on acc to tumblr it’s akky

64. Favorite musical? Sweeney todd

65. Comfort book? Idk how to read 💔💔💔 wuthering heights tho

66. Comfort movie? Whisper of the heart

67. OTP? Girl idk

68. BroTP? Joey and Tristan yugioh

69. AUs or canon compliant? Canon ig idk

70. Opinion on the person who’s sending the ask? It’s an anon!! But I love them

71. FMK + 3 characters anon didnt leave any characters and I was going to say something very bad but I won’t

72. Dream date? I’ve wanted to do this for a while but ideally it would be after we’d been together a while maybe even engaged or whatever, I wanna go to like a Home Depot or a furniture store and pretend to be married and looking for house paints and furniture and plan what our home is going to look like I wanna do that so bad. But idk for a first/early relationship date i really want to go to the zilker botanical garden it’s one of my favorite places, we could also go to the natural gardener which is a plant nursery in Austin I really love it there too and it’s not that far from zilker.

73. Relationship status? Single

74. Ever dyed your hair? Do you plan to? Yes and perhaps. Maybe

75. Dream job/career? Idk anymore I used to have big girl goals and I haven’t had any in a while. But when I was younger I wanted to be a game warden

76. Favorite band/singer? Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

77. Something that makes you soft/that you find adorable? My cats

78. The first thing you would do if you won the lottery? Buy a house

79. Are you superstitious? Yes

80. Character you project onto? Shizuku tsukishima

81. Fictional character you’ve had a crush on? Vergil devil may cry. Forever husband

82. Celebrity crush? LMAO

83. Person on here you’d date? my mutuals

84. Person on here you’d marry? 🥺 my mutuals

85. Person on here you’d throw into the void? Smugg

86. Other social media you have? I’ve got a photography insta that I barely use and a Twitter that’s just nintendo switch screenies that’s it

87. Finish the sentence: Due to personal reasons, ___________i will be passing away

88. Bad habit? I find it rlly hard to say no or like to say when and why I’m upset I don’t feel like for the latter I don’t feel like I should bring something that’s upsetting me up because I know I’ll get over it on my own and I don’t really trust myself to be upset about rational things. Idk I’m working on it

89. Three things you like about yourself? I’m hot, I’m kind, I’m resilient

90. Ily and you deserve the world I love you!!!!! YOU deserve it too!!!

[corvid-moon]

rating all the barbie movies ive seen* by how gay they are

*disclaimer: i havent watched any past barbie and the secret door

Barbie, the Nutcracker

A very good movie, captain candy and major mint have big enemies to lovers energy 4/10

Barbie, Rapunzel

Nothing really exudes Gay Energy, but its been a while since i watched it 1/10

Barbie, Swan Lake

Theres just not enough characters in these early movies for there to be much gay 1/10

Barbie, the Princess and the Pauper

the sheer lesbian energy radiating off of this movie is so strong that every time i watch it now i nearly pass out 10/10

Barbie, Fairytopia

Again its a good movie, but not much gay. 3/10 because of azura's big bi energy

Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus

5/10 brianna's gay

Barbie Fairytopia; Mermaidia

strong gay vibes from nori 7/10

Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses

while most of the characters are related, theres 12 sisters and statistics show that theres got to be at least two gays in there somewhere, so ill give it a 4/10

Barbie Fairytopia; Magic of the Rainbow

i mean. its in the title. also the fairy who was mean at first and then was laverna for a while definitely had a crush on elina 8/10

Barbie, Island Princess

from what i remember luciana is big ace energy and i respect that 6/10

Mariposa

mariposa gay 5/10

Barbie and the Diamond Castle

i have no words because this is literally the domestic lesbian romance you hear only in fanfiction and thats valid 10/10 those girls are livin the dream

Barbie in a Christmas Carol

this one was weird and i dont feel qualified to give it a gay rating bc i dont remember much

Thumbelina

saving the enviroment is very gay of you 4/10

Barbie and the Three Musketeers

BARBIE SAID POLY RIGHTS 8/10

Barbie in a Mermaid Tale

uhh you know those 2 mermaids that had a clothing (?) store or something? they were married 6/10

Barbie, a Fashion Fairytale

uhh this ones pretty het but aunt millicent was too active of a woman to be straight 5/10 for the lesbian aunt

Barbie, a Fairy Secret

ok i know this one barbie has to go after ken and save him and she becomes friends with rachelle, but what if. that scene in the jail? its the same but they confess their feelings for each other? ive been thinking about this since i was 10 years old 7/10 also bc all of the fairies are pansexual

Barbie, Princess Charm School

blair's room mates? gay. 7.5/10

Barbie, the Perfect Christmas

ehhhh these christmas ones dont have enough substance to accurately rate the gay

Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2

ultimate rivals to friends (to lovers?) idk but mattel never gave merlia a love interest in these movies so i suggest she get with kylie 6/10

Barbie, Princess and the Popstar

the bad reboot of princess and the pauper i guess its still a little gay u know? 4/10

Barbie and the Pink Shoes

i havent watched this one much but those two guys who for most of the movie were trying to find giselle? they had feelings for each other and didnt know how to deal with it. also barbie's spunky friend was bi. 7/10

Barbie, Mariposa and the Fairy Princess

forbidden romance that ultimately unites two kingdoms. very lesbian good job barbie 8/10

Barbie and Her Sisters in a Pony Tale

no gay just horses 2/10

Barbie, The Pearl Princess

not enough other female characters, but the shark guy's son might be ace aro 3/10

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

Barbie and the Secret Door

the fairy and the mermaid were fuckin 9/10

this is it i stopped watching barbie after the secret door and tbh i probably need to watch some of the newer ones. i will update as soon as i watch

[artificialqueens]

Tree House Kisses, Chapter 29 (Adorney) - Scorpio and Veronica

A/N: Click here for previous chapters. xoxo!

Chapter Summary: The summer continues as Courtney tries to face her feelings, and Adore finds a place where she is fully accepted.

TW: gay slurs (used by gay people)

Chapter 29: The Game of Love

Music blasted through the Delano’s household, vibrating the walls; Adrian was enjoying his summer break on the couch, stuffing his face with junk food and playing video games, while Adore and Courtney lazed around upstairs.

Courtney lay across Adore’s bed, a pillow snuggled to her chest and a smile stretched across her face as she watched her best friend dance wildly around the room in a ripped t-shirt and boy-shorts, headbanging and letting loose to the music.

“C’mon Court,” Adore yelled, launching on the bed, jumping up and down as she sang along to American Idiot at the top of her lungs.

Courtney laughed as she tried to stand, legs wobbling against the unsteady bed. She grabbed Adore’s hands and the two of them bounced around the bed, fingers intertwined, singing at the top of their lungs. And when Adore jumped backward off the bed, missing the landing and falling back on her butt, Courtney followed after.

The two girls lay on the floor, chests heaving, giggling and reveling in the moment. Courtney rolled over, nearly on top of Adore; the sun shining through Adore’s window highlighting big hazel eyes and a bright smile staring up at her. Caught in the moment, Courtney reached out to brush her dark hair out of her face, running her fingers through the untamed mane; causing Adore’s heart to go into overtime.

“You’re so beautiful,” Courtney smiled. “How do you do it?”

Adore just barely heard her over the too-loud music, but she did. She scoffed playfully, then sat up, willing herself not to ruin the moment.

“Thank you. I call it, jelly stains from breakfast on an old DeBarge shirt that used to belong to Angie and I haven’t washed my hair in three days.” Adore stood, extending a hand out to Courtney who gladly accepted it, rising to her feet.

Adore turned to walk away, but was tugged back by Courtney. She laughed when big green eyes blinked at her expectantly.

“You look beautiful, too, Court. A true princess,” she said, then proceeded to spin Courtney around.

“Thank you,” Courtney curtsied, giggling, slightly dizzy. She knew that she was acting like an idiot. It had been like this all summer. Adore had made it perfectly clear, over and over, that she didn’t want to cross any kind of boundary with her, but suddenly, Courtney didn’t care anymore, and words were tumbling out of her mouth recklessly. “And you could be the rebellious princess from the neighboring kingdom. Who refuses to marry the prince that her parents wants her to because she fell in love with me- even though I’m not exactly your type.” Courtney smiled, stepping closer, playing with the frayed ends of Adore’s shirt.

“Courtney…” Adore started. But when the song changed to The Game of Love, the entire mood changed in the room.

Courtney pulled Adore into something between a waltz and a salsa, singing along to the music.

Courtney let her hands settle on Adore’s hips as she led the dance. Adore quickly relaxed underneath her touch, giggling as she tried her hardest- and failed- to not step on Courtney's feet.

“You’d have to get a few dance lessons before our wedding though,” Courtney said lightly, trying not to push too much, and Adore tripped, flustered.

Courtney pulled Adore closer, closing the small gap between them. She watched as Adore’s eyes looked everywhere else but her. Suddenly it felt like she had swallowed a handful of dry sand as thoughts of closing that space and pressing her lips to Adore’s replayed over and over in her mind, while they moved around the room. She decided to test the waters, heart pounding.

“And... at the end, we’d kiss and the crowd ‘d go wild…”

Courtney spun, before “falling” into Adore’s arms. She leaned toward her, eyes fluttering closed, Adore’s warm breath on her face, but before their lips could touch, Adore snatched away from her, sending the blonde with arms flailing to the ground.

“I-I, I’m gonna grab a snack. Do you want anything?” Adore asked. She headed to her door quickly, heart beating rapidly in her chest as her mind swam with a million thoughts and questions. First and foremost: why did Courtney always fuck around like that? Didn’t she know that this wasn’t a joke?

“Um, some water,” Courtney sat up on her knees, nails digging into her thighs as she tried to keep a straight face, not wanting the hurt of rejection all over her face.

-

“I read that this is supposed to be sooo good for our skin,” Fame hummed as she brushed the cinnamon and honey mixture over Violet's face.

“If this breaks my face out more, I'm gonna murder you,” Violet said, twitching her nose at the slight tingling. “Is it supposed to… feel like this?”

“Yep, we're burning off all the dead skin and bumps and stuff that's clogging our pores.” Fame said as she watched Violet’s nose twitch again. “It's gonna sting at first but it's supposed to go away. Then we're gonna put aloe vera on our faces after, to soothe the skin.”

Violet huffed, but continued to let Fame spread the mixture on her face.

“So… how’re things going…you know, with Patrick,” Violet tried to sound casual.

“Uhm…” Fame bit her bottom lip. “Actually, we uh…we broke up.”

“What? When?”

“Last night,” Fame said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

“Oh. Do you want to talk about it?” Violet asked, reaching over, placing her hand over Fame’s, thumb rubbing her soothingly.

“No, I'm fine. A night with you is all I need,” Fame gave her a soft smile and Violet felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach start to flutter. Just when Violet thought she was immune to Fame’s antics, the blonde did something to remind her why she fell in the first place.

It was weird because the two were so different. Violet was eyerolls and scoffs, difficult to get to know and smart comments. Fame was kisses on the cheek and stroking hair away from someone’s face. She always talked about positive thinking and the future and everything the world had to offer.

They were nearly polar opposites.

When Violet first fell for Fame, she convinced herself that she had just found someone with similar interests in vintage fashion and old movies. Then she told herself it was just admiration, but Fame was beautiful inside and out and soon it was impossible to deny the truth. Loving Fame was the easiest thing Violet had ever done; it was getting over her that caused Violet trouble.

Violet scrunched her nose, trying to ignore the growing burn all over her face as she searched to find the perfect words to comfort Fame.

“Well, everything happens for a reason. It's probably for the best, yeah?” Violet finally got out.

Fame shrugged as she mixed more of the ingredients in the bowl for herself.

“We can go to the store and get a bunch of snacks,” Violet offered. “And then maybe watch Rear Window or All About Eve? Plus, I'll let you try that hairdo you've been wanting to, on me… if you want.”

Violet smiled, hoping she’d be able to brighten Fame’s mood. Blue eyes raised to meet hers, a smile spreading slowly across her face.

“Yeah, a movie, snacks and cuddling sounds just about perfect.”

Violet nodded, reaching forward to grasp Fame’s wrist, giving her a reassuring squeeze, before tears blurred her vision and she realized that her eyes were watering.

“Shit, this shit really burns, Fame. Like, fuck.” Violet squeezed her eyes shut.

“That means it's working. It should fade soon.” Fame assured the brunette.

Seconds later, Violet was scrambling off the bed and running to Fame’s bathroom, unable to take the burning licking across her skin.

Fame chased after her into the bathroom, scouring the shelves for a gentle cleanser to hand over.

Violet bent over the sink, first splashing cold water on her face and then using the cream cleanser to wash it off, whimpering and whining the entire time. Fame found a clean towel and stood by nervously, hoping she’d be okay—and not too angry.

Fame grimaced as she finally raised her head, turning the water off.  

“Here,” Fame said, shoving the towel into her hands. “Pat. Don't rub.”

Violet did as instructed. When she pulled the towel from her face, her usually pale skin was red as a tomato.

“Fame… what the fuck,” Violet said through her teeth, leaning forward on the counter to examine her face.

“It doesn't... look that bad,” Fame said hesitantly.

Violet’s head snapped towards Fame, her dark eyes narrowed into slits.

“Kristen Mikkelson-Gutierrez, look at my face!”

Fame jumped at the sound of her birth name, shifting back nervously. “I'll go get the aloe… to help soothe your skin.”

-

Wind whipped through Fame’s old beat-up station wagon as it sailed down the 5 freeway towards San Diego and the gang’s very first Pride celebration. Excitement was palpable in the car as the music blasted through the speakers.

Violet sat in the passenger seat, feet propped on the dashboard, smacking away any hands that dared touch the radio. Pearl and Adore sat in the middle, snacks scattered across their laps, hair flipping and playfully serenading each other, while Willam and Trinity were in the back gossiping and adding more glitter to their eyelids.

“Someone pass me the peanuts,” Violet reached back without turning around. Pearl and Adore, lost in their performance of ‘Hollaback Girl,’ failed to respond. Violet lowered her sunglasses and glared at them both. “Hey! I’m talking to you, assholes! Pass the fucking peanuts!”

Adore stopped singing. “Jeez, Vi. Way to get into the spirit.”

“I don’t like being ignored.”

“Bitch gets cranky when she’s hungry,” Willam piped up from the back.

“Shut up. I’m borderline anemic.”

“Once, when we were 12, we were at a Nutcracker rehearsal that ran long and she nearly knocked some girl’s tooth out to steal her Cheez-Its,” he reminisced with a sigh. “Good times.”

“I needed them more than her!” Violet screeched.

“Alright, can you please calm down?” Fame asked. “I’m trying to drive.”

“They’re picking on me,” Violet whined, fluttering her lashes at Fame.

“Everyone be nice to Violet. Remember today is about love!” Fame lectured.

“Just turn up the radio,” Pearl requested, shaking her head and making a goofy face at Adore.

“Let me hear you say, this shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!” Adore sang.

“Who wants a rainbow tattoo?!” Trinity asked, leaning over the seat.

“Ooh cute!” Adore craned her neck to look at the selection of temporary tattoos that Trinity held out for her.

“Aren’t you dykes glad I have a straight cousin who thinks of shit like rainbow tattoos?” Willam slung an arm around Trinity’s shoulder. “She’s so smart.”

Trinity laughed. “Glad I can prove my value here.” She carefully cut out the tattoo that Adore chose and wet some paper towels with a water bottle, pressing it to her cheek.

“You know we love you, Trin,” said Pearl.

“Okay, then try to slip Violet this CD I made,” Trinity murmured. “That radio station is very hit or miss. Use your charm. And cleavage.”

“I got you, girl,” Pearl whispered back.

-

“Where should we sit?”

“There’s a good spot!”

“Yeah! Lead the way!”

The group made their way through the crowd to a sunny spot on the curb where they could see the parade, holding hands, anticipation building for the fun to begin.

“Omigod, it’s so hot and it’s only 10 am,” Violet whined.

“Can you please quit bitching, bitch? We literally just got here,” Willam said, thumping her on the arm.

“Yeah, seriously,” said Pearl. “Fame, give her a juice box or a granola bar or something.”

“Good idea.” Fame dug in her bag and handed Violet a Nutrigrain bar. “Here, babe.”

“I’m not a child.”

“Well, your blood sugar is low and you’re being a brat again, so…”

Adore laughed, as Trinity hugged her around the waist.

“Are you excited? Our first pride!” Trinity sighed.

“I’m actually super excited,” Adore admitted.

“Look! I see a float!” Fame exclaimed, clapping her hands. “Omigod it’s so pretty!”

“Omigod!” Violet mimicked her in a mocking tone, earning a shove from Pearl.

Trinity nudged Willam with her elbow. “Bill, look up from your phone, the parade is starting.”

“Yeah, I know, but I’m trying to message this trick I got lined up later…”

“Whore.”

“Yup.”

-

The group held onto each other as they dipped and squeezed through throngs of people, on their way to the festival.

“Fuck!” Adore cried out, stopping suddenly.

“What’s wrong?” Fame was the first one to turn around, Violet bumping into her shoulder.

Adore shrunk in embarrassment as people surged past them on all sides. “My...strap broke,” she admitted, showing them where her top was hanging down.

“Aw, shit!” Trinity sympathized.

“Is that all? Who cares?! Throw on a rainbow lei and let’s keep moving!” Willam said, rolling his eyes.

“I like the way you think, Belli!” Peal laughed, high fiving him.

Violet had already stepped forward and was busying herself tying Adore’s top back together, fashioning into a sort of asymmetrical halter.

“Thanks, Vies.”

“Finally, all my years of ballet costume malfunctions can be put to good use,” she said.

“Violet, what are you doing? This is homophobic!” Pearl complained.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“It’s Pride!” Pearl exclaimed. “Her tits obviously wanted to come out! Why can’t we just let them be out?!”

Violet rolled her eyes. “Pearl…”

“What?”

“Shut up.”

“Oooh, that looks cute!” Fame said, draping her arm over Violet’s shoulder and nodding approvingly.

“Super cute!” agreed a nearby muscle queen. “Can you make one in silver?”

Violet scoffed, but Trinity and Fame turned and flashed bright, friendly smiles.

“Hi!” Trinity said, holding out her hand. “Are you guys heading to the festival?”

“We are, gorgeous!” he said, kissing her hand and then offering her an arm. “Come on!”

-

Adore’s heart burst with joy as she danced, hair flying, surrounded by her friends, in a sea of exuberant strangers. She twirled and laughed, watching Trinity get lifted into the air by her new muscle queen BFF.

Even Violet was having fun, finally, arms around Fame’s shoulders, shimmying to the music.

“Omigod, look!” Fame squealed, grabbing Pearl’s arm. A group of sequin-covered, stunningly gorgeous drag queens were making their way through the crowd to the stage.

“Daaamn,” Pearl replied. “Hey Will, you should really try doing that with your...where’s Willam?” She looked around, puzzled, realizing that the blonde had vanished from sight.

“He said he’d be back in like an hour,” Trinity said, giggling as her dance partner dipped her low.

“Are we sure that’s the smartest-“

“Ugh, no one cares!” Violet groused, taking Pearl’s hand and spinning her around. “Just dance, you idiot!”

Adore laughed, wrapping her arms around Fame’s waist and tilting her head to the sky as a shower of rainbow confetti rained down.

-

“Thanks!” Adore took some change from the tattooed woman with turquoise hair in the food truck, turning to Pearl with a grin. “How rad is her hair?”

“Pretty rad.”

“Do you think I could pull off hair that color?”

“Totally! You’d look badass. Do it.”

Adore giggled, twirling a lock of hair around her finger and leaning against the truck while they waited for the food to be ready.

“So...I haven’t heard you talk about your ‘secret girlfriend’ in awhile. What’s up with that? Everything okay?”

Pearl grimaced. “Yeah, I uh, think that’s sort of over.”

“Sorry,” Adore said. “I didn’t mean to be a buzzkill.”

“No, it’s okay. I mean we’re cool and all. But...like, she’s not out. Which was fine, I wasn’t trying to push her. But, so we could never do anything in public, because, obviously. And at her house, we had to keep a safe friendly distance. And she was really worried about her family catching on, so it was very…”

“Unsatisfying?” Adore asked with a smirk.

“I mean I get it. I'm not trying to judge her. But for me, I just feel weird using the word ‘girlfriend’ when she won't even walk down the block with me to 7-11 for nachos.”

“The horror.”

Pearl laughed. “Hopefully we’ll stay friends. She’s really cool.”

“So...got your eye on anyone else?” Adore raised an eyebrow.

“I dunno...maybe…”

“Violet?”

Pearl scoffed. “Yeah, no. I mean, as much as I love Fame, I really don't want to live inside of her asshole. So I think I'll pass on that one.”

Adore burst out laughing. “Copy that.”

Pearl brushed a strand of hair from Adore’s eyes. “How come you and I have never hooked up?”

Adore rolled her eyes.

“Seriously! You're so cute…” Pearl grinned charmingly, wrapping her arms around Adore’s waist. “I love this blue lipstick.”

“Get offa me, you horny bitch,” Adore shoved her away, giggling.

-

“You could have gotten killed,” Fame lectured Willam, as the car pulled out of the parking lot. “You should never have run off like that!”

“Eh, it was fine,” Willam laughed. “Chill out, half breed.”

“Yeah, whatever. Eventually he’ll just end up dead in an alley or have his organs stolen and then he’ll learn his lesson,” Violet said nonchalantly.

“Jesus, Vi. You’re so morbid.” Trinity thumped her on the shoulder.

“I can take it,” Willam assured her. “I got some great dick. Well worth the drive down here.”

“You mean Pride with your best friends wouldn’t have been worth it?” Adore pretended to be offended.

Willam snorted. “Shut the fuck up, you goddamn lesbian.”

Adore kissed Willam on the cheek. “I love you, too.”

-

Courtney peered into her fridge, looking for something to eat more out of boredom than hunger, when she noticed the lights from Adore’s tree house. She grinned and shut the fridge, skipping happily out the door towards Adore’s backyard.

She paused briefly to knock on the trap door, just to make sure she wasn’t interrupting any kind of illegal or debaucherous behavior.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Come in!” Adore’s voice sang out.

She pushed open the trap door and hoisted herself inside, deflating a little when she saw Violet, but perking up at the warm welcome from Adore and Pearl, who helped her inside.

“Heyyyyy!” Adore cooed, coughing a little, passing a joint to Violet. She was wearing a flower crown and rainbow stickers, overall looking sunburned and happy. Pearl and Violet were decked out in similarly festive attire, all of them covered in glitter and confetti.

“Hi. Wow, you guys look...awesome. Where were you today?” Courtney knelt down beside Adore, reaching into the bag of chips in her lap.

“San Diego Pride,” Adore answered, smiling sleepily.

“Shit, I think there’s glitter in my bra,” Pearl said. “Oh god, it’s everywhere...”

Violet and Adore dissolved into a fit of giggles. Courtney blinked for a moment, an emptiness tugging at her.

When Adore turned back to her, Courtney frowned, asking, “Why didn’t you ask me to come?” She regretted the words the second they left her lips, recognizing the way they must have sounded.

Of course, Violet was the one to reply first, throwing out a snarky, “Maybe she didn’t want a clingy parasite glued to her the entire day!”

Courtney tried to mask the grimace that flashed across her face, deliberately avoiding Violet’s eyes. It was bad enough that she could feel that smirk, those beautiful dark eyes flashing with laughter. Adore reached for her hand, shaking her head.

“It wasn’t like that! I just...didn’t think it would be your thing.”

“You didn’t think rainbows and glitter would be my thing?” Courtney asked, trying to make her voice light.

“...fair point,” said Adore. “I’m sorry, I just-”

“Rainbows and glitter? Wow. Way to miss the entire fucking point of Pride, dude,” Violet sneered.

“Hey Court, catch!” Pearl tossed over a few strands of colorful beads, rolling her eyes at Violet in the process.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Pearl smiled.  

Courtney touched a sparkly rainbow tattoo on Adore’s cheek.

“Well...did you have fun?”

“Best day ever!” Violet interjected, earning a groan and a shove from Pearl.

“Oh please. You complained the entire time.”

“It was really cool,” Adore told Courtney with a sleepy grin. “You’ll come next year. I heard LA is way more fun, anyway.”

Courtney nodded, heart fluttering slightly. Adore was still holding her hand, thumb running over her knuckles lightly.

“Ugh, just what we need. A straight bitch to babysit.”

“Omigod, shut up, Violet!” Pearl was now sitting on top of her.

As the two of them struggled, Adore looked up at Courtney with laughter in her eyes, shaking her head slightly. “Animals,” she mouthed, and Courtney giggled. “Come here,” Adore then whispered, pulling Courtney down to snuggle against her.

Courtney knew that it was probably the alcohol, or the weed, or having spent all day in the sun - or maybe some combination, that was making Adore so uncharacteristically affectionate in front of her friends. But in that moment, she didn’t care. She leaned against her shoulder and let warmth wash over her, safe and happy. Pretending, if only for now, that this meant something more.