#i mean? in movies i do have poor rep

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - People of Earth we have VERSE rep in 2 Thai BLs! Amazeballs!

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

March 2024 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 2 of 8 (10?) - Everyone seems to be a bit of a player and I’m not mad about it. It’s nice to see high-grade flirting, and I really love how very gay the leads feel. Not BL gay. Actual gay. We shall see how it goes, I suspect we are in "messy gay" territory in which case, I predict utter carnage and that this show will drop ranks precipitously for me. But right now? Of all the Thai BLs airing, I'm enjoying this the most. How bizarre. 

I like the side couple (thrupple?) too, despite the prat fall kiss and possible cheating. They very pretty:

To Be Continued (Thai C3 Thailand grey) ep 4 of 8 - oh dear NO honeychild, face masks are gross tasting!

Rule no 966 of the BL world. He’s never asleep. 

Argh Achi wants Ji so bad. Nice mutual kiss tho, despite Ji's baggage. I guess Ji knew what would happen if Achi stayed? But why is he so scared? Just deeply closeted? The backstory is very high school achy and I feel like it explained Achi but not Ji. And the crying in the movie was lovely, so we totally understand Achi's but Ji is just messed up and confused? I admit to being a bit confused too. Why is Ji the one so angry?

On a totally different aside, I really like how the set dressing is done in Ji’s apartment. It looks lived in and not staged. Super rare in Thai BL. I'm reminded of Ai & Pond's dorm room in Love By Chance, which actually looked like a real college dorm.

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 7 of 12 - Why is it always the pulps that actually trot out the best communication, conversation, consent, and healthy relationships? Yes I'm still wincing over the truly bad acting but I’m enjoying their good relationship. The sex scene was sweet and tender, although the likelihood of rose petals getting stuck places wigs me out. (Flower petals + lube = terrible combination. Just FYI.)

ALL PRAISE VERSE REP! And a bottom who owns it! Yay! 

1000 Years Old ep 5 of 12 - How ridiculously colorful and flirty they all are. There is nothing at all vampire about this show. I’m a bit bored by the restaurant plot but I'm tuning in for the bonkers approach to goth. How dare they be so cheerful with my precious emo youth, but also, how very Thai pulp of them.  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues Youku YouTube) ep 4 of 11 - oh it’s SO GOOD. Reading the yaoi and crying. COME ON TAIWAN HAVE MERCY. The red wrapping of the hands (red thread, yes yes we get it). The boy who doesn’t want to box for so many reasons. Not the least of which is how unpleasant it is to spar with a lover. 

This is easily the best BL currently airing and it is going to hurt us. But I don't care. I love it.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) eps 8 of 10 - This show is dangerously cute and I’m scared for everyone involved, including me.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Gaga) ep 2 of 6 - Poor baby thrown in all willynilly amongst a pack of queeny bitchy gay intellectuals. I'd be lost too. It's the worse kind of fight, one you have to philosophize your way out of.

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 10fin - They are extremely adorable and it was a very good ending - mature, adult, and bittersweet. I liked it a lot. But I didn’t love it the way I wanted to.

The promise of this show, younger cook courts older divorced office worker, should have been my catnip. I mean if someone pitched this to me in an elevator I would have downloaded it by the second storey. Unfortunately, it did not exactly fulfill that promise, not in the way I'd hoped. Did I still enjoy the ride, yes, but I feel just a little let down. 8/10 

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) eps 5 of 8 - Honestly now I’m just shipping the two girls getting together. Frankly, I really don't like this show, and normally I'd DNF but there's only a few eps left and nothing else is airing rn.

It's done, ready to binge, maybe I'll finally get to it this weekend

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

The Servant and the Young Master (Vietnam YouTube)

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - A Burmese BL? @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will watch eventually.

It's airing but...

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - it's finished now, I dropped it at ep 4. Should I bother?

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Thai ViuTV grey) 10 eps - I'm exhausted by this franchise and the variety pack style of BL. If there is a particularly good couple (or installment) I might watch it, but I'm letting others decide for me.

A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV grey) 10 eps - I watched the first ep but grey is too much work for this inferior of a show. I may pick up and binge if it gets distribution but for now, it gets a DNF from me. KimCop might have held this crap together but Kim without Cop? No thank you.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school, not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing for some reason.

Gossip

The choreo controversy - Deep Night vs OnlyOneOf. Look, like a musical rift, or a styling photoshoot, there are no new ideas in choreo, I feel like Madonna did this pose too, a long time ago. Certainly someone in the 80s. Or whatever. Anygay, it's an ironic thing to see a Thai BL being called out by a gay-branded Kpop group when both are exploiting eroticized homosexuality for commercial profit... just saying. (HOW DID WE GET HERE?) Not to mention that BOTH are ALSO exploiting the kink community. We live in interesting times, BLabies. In the end, it's a good publicity stunt all round. And I think Nine knows exactly what he's doing (and why he is doing it). Finally: Drama drama drama around coreo? That is V gay boys. Fun fun fun, carry on everyone.

Strike a pose.

You're being recorded for posterity.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting

3/21 Two Worlds (Thai IQIYI) 10 eps - One of those "he's dead Jim so time travel" thingames staring MaxNat. I'm over this concept but Asia flipping loves it and I do enjoy MaxNat. Phupha (Gun) and Khram (Nat) love each other but Phupha is murdered. Then Khram is pulled to a parallel world where, 12 years ago, Khram and Tai (Max) were in love. However, Khram was killed by Tai’s dad. Now Tai finds alter-Khram apparently alive. But then there is ALSO an alter-Phupha to deal with. (Phupha is played by Gun Thanawat who was Khom, the repressed butler bodyguard from Unforgotten Night. We like this, we scared of the love triangle aspect.)

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

Forgive me a moment of industry noodling?

Have ya noticed that it's slender pickings right now but it shouldn't be? This is not the mid summer slump nor end of year lull. We should be getting some heavy hitters on first quarter release. (Side eyes GMMTV. Perhaps those painful Japanese acquisitions were a bigger issue than any of us realized?)

Anygay, IMHO, Thailand's BL bubble has popped and sponsor money is drying up. This is my shocked face:

Look, the 2021-2023 level of release and growth (exponential) was never gonna be sustainable, so I'm not surprised. I suspect that in 2024 Thailand will actually produce fewer BLs than 2023 (73, 64 in 2022, and 40 in 2021).

I know I'm sticking my neck out predicting any film industry but... I have seen this kinda thing before and it just *feels* like shrinkage. Thai BL's load has been shot, my peeps. (Not to be crass or anything.)

Oh, don't worry you pretty head about it, it's not going away, just getting less prolific.

Don't we all in our old age?

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

My favorite trope, sniff him!

Queen. (both Deep Night)

King. (City of Stars)

Verse rep verse rep verse rep!!! Can you see me doing a little dance this side of the screen?

(Last weeks summation)

Streaming services are listed by how I'm (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are too much work.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[nnnyxie]

Feeling a lil down about myself, what would you think about Izu x chubby reader? Reader isn’t necessarily insecure but does have bad days, maybe some of Izu‘s fans were being extremely horrible to reader or something because of their weight (I live for protective!Izu) and reader just shuts themselves off and is rotting away in a pile of blankets in their apartment while Izu dosen’t get what’s going on at all- he adores reader and isn’t all like „oh but your boobs and ass and thighs“ he just adored READER you know??? Often when I read x chubby!reader they only mention their curves and thighs and what not but I don’t think reducing plus size people to curvy plus size people is very inclusive so idk if that makes sense but yeah kwnfksld

#𖢥 izuku anon

baby i am loving these requests and i’m happy to give you chubby rep!!

i sorta based it on how i get when i’m insecure about myself so i’m sorry if it isn’t what you were hoping for :(

some days it’s just hard yk?? people get mean and it can really fuck with your brain. it makes it hard to look at yourself sometimes.

especially when you’re with a pro hero. people think that you ‘don’t belong together’ just cause you two have different body types. and it’s sickening how people think that way.

it makes you feel awful— all of the hateful comments you get under your posts gets overwhelming and sometimes you have to archive them all together. sometimes you even have to deactivate your account because they get so overwhelming.

izuku always wonders why you do that— you never give him a real reason. just a ‘i don’t feel like being on social media right now’. he knows it’s not the truth but, he doesn’t want to pry. he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable by hounding you for answers.

but tonight— tonight was awful. the first thing you saw while opening instagram was a picture of you and your lovely boyfriend, something a fan posted. the fan was nice!! their post was a cute edit and it was an appreciation post!! but the comments— the comments were sickening. they were filled with so much hate, it made you physically ill. and today you weren’t ‘feeling’ yourself so the comments didn’t exactly help.

you deactivated your account again. now you were thinking about just deleting it all together. it won’t stop the hate but it’ll stop you from seeing it. either way— you decided to try and push those awful comments away and read, maybe it could lighten your mood.

it didn’t. the thoughts kept coming back— you couldn’t even read a full paragraph. it felt awful. you felt awful. maybe a shower would help?

as soon as you stepped foot in the bathroom, you stepped right back out. it hurt to look at yourself. it made you cry. you weren’t particularly insecure but these comments were ruthless and they just really got to you this time.

when izuku got back home from patrol, he found you in your shared bed, you were curled up in a pile of blankets with nearly all the pillows surrounding you. he heard your crying— and was immediately concerned. why wouldn’t he be?

“love, what’s the matter? did you watch the neverending story again?” he sat beside you and pulled the blankets down so he could full see your face. this wasn’t your ‘sad movie’ cry. this was entirely different.

“hey, what’s going on?” “it’s nothing— i uhm just read something sad is all.” you were a very poor liar.

“be honest with me, please? is something going on?” he was now laying beside you, holding you from behind. “i just— do you really want to be with me? i’m not—” you choked, crying more at the thought of him leaving for someone ‘better’ (there is no one better). “of course i do. i love you. why wouldn’t i want to be with you?” “how aren’t you… how aren’t you disgusted by me?” “why would you ever think i’d feel that way towards you? i love all of you. and everyday i find more to love about you.”

then— it clicked. he remembered.

“is this about that post? bakugo sent it to me… he told me to look at the comments— baby if i knew this was happening sooner i would’ve done something about it. why didn’t you tell me?” he rubbed your arm in comfort, he knew all about being insecure— of course he couldn’t relate to where yours stemmed from but, he knew how awful it felt to feel like you aren’t enough for people. “i didn’t want you to be mad at them. they’re your supporters.” “they aren’t my supporters if they’re treating you this way.” he took a breath, he was upset. not by you— never. but, by the hateful people. “i love you, and every part of you. i’ll never be disgusted by you and i’ll never want anyone else. i only want you.” god you loved him.

“can you turn so i can see that pretty face?” you turned to face him. izuku had a smile but, his eyes welled when he saw the tear streaks that ran down your cheeks. he cupped your face, swiping his thumps to wipe away the stray tears that still fell. “you’re the most beautiful person i have ever met.” you cried again, not because you were upset— but, because, he was just so wonderful to you. izuku held you, letting you cry into him.

“i’ll address it.” “you don’t need to.” “i’m going to.”

don’t mind the neverending story part…. i just rewatched it today and cried abt the horse scene… artax :(

[chaifootsteps]

What drives me most insane about all the discourse (or lack of discourse) around Hazbin is people trying to act like Angel Dust is the first ever sex worker character portrayed in media as an actual *character.* To say nothing of the fact that he's an utterly HORRIBLE representation. If anything it reinforces the idea of sex work as some bottom of the barrel hail mary for the desperate and horny. Which...no.

You want to know what most sex workers are like??? People. They're like *people.* People with interests and identities outside of their profession. They also have a lot in common with Therapists in that people go to them for comfort and sometimes literally a shoulder to cry on. The old cliche of a guy hiring a hooker only to cry about his problems isnt just for laughs. Listening to people and comforting them is a HUGE part of sex work. SO many sex workers are incredibly kind and emotionally intelligent people and not all of them only resorted to sex work out of desperation.

Angel? He's basically just a sassy, mean, gay twink stereotype rolled together with a ceaselessly horny, drug addled, asshole. Just because we're meant to feel bad for him doesnt make him a good representation.

You know some shows/movies that DO have positive rep? Bobs Burgers, Bless The Harts , GLOW, Firefly, Moulin Rouge, fucking Independence Day and yes I mean the one from 1996, and Sweet Charity which is from the goddamn 60s.

And these are just a fraction of the examples out there.

As a rule (and this is for everyone, not just the dickriders) just because YOU haven't seen/heard of something before doesnt mean it hasn't been done. Stop making all these broad judgements based on your own very narrow experience and do some research, good lord...

Dont even get me started on people trying to applaud the show for queer rep when it's literally just a Yaoi Hentai with musical numbers and twice the exploitation.

I pray to god John Waters never finds out about Hazbin because I don't need the poor man finding out all the work he did for queer culture and media has been set back decades by one spoiled rich white bitch.

And yes, Vivienne is white. Having South /Central American heritage does not automatically mean you aren't white. White is complexion, not a goddamn nationality. If you look and act white enough, you'll get treated like a white person, and Viv is about as white as they come. She grew up in goddamn bourgie-ass Frederick, Maryland. We see you, Viv.

Honestly, at the moment, I think my favorite fictional depiction of a sex worker is Tuca from Tuca & Bertie in that brief window of time she dabbled in it. Did it because she liked it and was good at it, no stereotypical Valentino-esque pimp in the picture, her clients were all regular people too, and she did it online which is something you don't often see in media. Viv could never have written something that grounded and adult.

[genderkoolaid]

tbh its not entirely fair to paint all blatant rep as poor in comparison to queercoding (altho i do love some good queercoding). i think the reason so much blatant rep is Like That, while queercoded stuff feels so much more meaningful and real, is because the blatant rep we often experience is made to Market To The Queers. while it may have queer creatives working on it, the reason its created is to make money off of queers. its trendy. so just write a fairly surface level fluffy movie about white queer teens and get some cash! its blatant, which means it will be treated as a groundbreaking queer media especially by liberals.

while queercoded media on the other hand (intentional or not) cant or wont just slap two conventionally attractive teens on screen and make them kiss and get those rainbow dollars. its an expression of queer silencing, the quiet thats left when you arent allowed to say what you desperately want to. when you cant spoon-feed your audience queerness you have to. yknow. actually think about what it means and how to express that artistically. you have to show and not tell.

thats all to say, there is blatant queer rep that is good. but you probably aren't gonna find it on amazon prime. that kind of rep is being made by queer artists making indie films. i promise you its not either "blatant queerness that feels shallow" or "deep queerness thats not allowed to be blatant". theres a secret third option and its "capitalism will never liberate you and you need to actually support indie queer artists and actively reject queer capitalism to experience the breadth and width of what queer art is capable of being and doing."

[tangerinecherrygal]

Thoughts on Bridgerton S3 so far.

Under the cut for the sake of my poor moots and for spoilers. And first and foremost, I am a hater, so I will have some complaints but most are positive.

Positives:

Developing Cressida’s character. I’ve wanted this since I started watching with season 2. I love that she isn’t a cardboard cutout mean girl bc she gets shat on (deservedly sometimes) a lot by the main characters. Also I’m not sure which way they want to go with her character but I don’t think she needs any kind of redemption, maybe just a softening of her character.

Disabled visibility. It’s very clunky, but it is a step in the right direction.Period pieces tend to be worse than other types of shows and movies at erasing disabled people. It’s easy to forget that disabled people did exist and were apart of society. I can’t speak much to how they were treated, but this is bridgerton so it is very possible to portray them in ways that are realistic to the more modern experience of, say, being in a wheelchair.

Portia Featherington. Send tweet.

Benedict being a fun little guy.

Sibling dynamics of the bridgertons are really sweet to see and always make me smile.

Penelope serving cunt, intellect and agency.

Thr Mondrich family being on screen more. I’d love a side show on them like Queen Charlotte. Their relationship is so sweet and I am observing 👀 with upmost respect.

I do like Colin’s new look buuut… we will come back to this.

Francesca’s new actress is so talented. The shy girl rep that I need. She looks a lot like Phoebe and fits in perfectly.

The other stuff (and how i would change it)

Penelope’s makeover seemed rushed. I think her transformation should’ve been gradual as she gains confidence. Almost like Kate’s last season. She starts to reflect her confidence e gains throughout the season and i’m thinking that a fanfic may be brewing oh no.

Colin’s makeover is needed bc they had to downplay the actors beauty in earlier seasons. But I don’t see him as a devilishly handsome rake all of a sudden. Luke Newton has a kind and approachable (kind of baby) face and I think that they should play on that. A pretty kind of handsome instead of trying to immitate the more masculine look that they used for anthony. I know it’s because he is putting on a performance but I think they could have gona another way. His look in season 2 is great in my opinion, maybe if his clothing was more relaxed but he kept the same hair then it would be perfect.

They’re trying to convince us that he’s suave and smooth with the ladies but it’s not consistent with his character

The threesome scenes? Not a hundred percent sure who that was for. Sapphics let me know if you appreciated those scenes because I know they weren’t doing that for their famously large straight male audience. I also saw someone say it reduces the sex workers to props but in context that kind of works into the story so idk.

Colin went from being lost at the end of last season to gaining a sense of identity that isn’t implied to be an act.

Lots of side stories make it seem messy and wastes time that can go into understanding Francesca, Penelope, and Colin. Instead of focusing on stories like Lady Bridgerton’s romantic story they really should make a QS 2 where they can explore the older cast of characters.

Paaaaacinnng. Everything is happening so fast and the side stories mean that Polin doesn’t even make much sense to me. I don’t feel any chemistry. I’m not going to count how long they’ve been on screen together this season, but it’s not enough for me to believe that Colin finally sees Pen in a romantic way. The helping Pen find a husband quest lasted for a second and immediately he realises his feelings. I just don’t buy it. I almost want to cut away to horny ass Kanthony to see actual chemistry.

if anybody reads this and has their own takes pls comment. I love talking about the show and hearing what other people thought.

[littleracha]

Hi this is my first time ever asking for a request so I’m sorry if this is bad :( when I’m in my headspace (1-4 years old) I sometimes get scared and emotional on my periods and even have accidents. I know this is really embarrassing so I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable. Could you do cg!chan x little!fem reader. Basically just a lot of fluff of him taking care of little me 🥺

Hello, my little ducky friend!

I'm so honored to be your first request, you did great sweetie! I understand just how hard periods can be so don't worry! Sorry, this took so long for me to get to.

Warnings: mentions of periods and blood

Chan woke up and went about his morning as usual. He made himself a small breakfast and protein shake before going to the home gym for his morning workout. Once he completed his reps for the day he made his way to the shared bedroom. He couldn't help but coo at how peaceful you looked. He felt you get in and out of bed a few times last night so he was glad that you got any sleep at all. You did look a little pale compared to your normal self but he didn't give it much thought. Chris made his way into the bathroom and started the shower. He doesn't know what made him look but he was glad he did. Halfway hidden in the waste bin was your underwear with a bloodstain. It all made sense to him now, his poor baby needed him. A quick shower would have to do for now.

Once dried off and changed Chan made his way to slowly wake you. When your pretty eyes fluttered open he could see a glint of sorrow. Behind it thought was a little flicker of joy, he just needed to bring it out.

"Good morning little pup, let's go get something to eat sweetie" You were confused by Chan's instant CG headspace but you wouldn't deny the fuzz in your brain felt nice. You nodded and sat up for him. When he helped you out of bed he saw a small red stain on the bed, when he checked he saw it matched the one on the back of your sleep shorts.

"Hey little one, it is really cold out today so Daddy thinks you should wear something warmer" He used a calm and natural voice so as to not alert you to the true reason he was now helping you change. Once you were as snug as a bug, Channie picked you up and carried you downstairs on his hip. He sat you down in your chair at the kitchen counter so you could watch him make breakfast. Of course, chocolate chip smiley face pancakes were on the menu today. He wishes he recorded the giggle that left you when you saw the crooked smile made from whip cream. He sat back and watched you dig in. Good thing he remembered to have a damp towel on hand to wash your now sticky face.

"Baby, if Daddy gives you some chocolate milk will you take some medicine for him" He cooed softly. Why would he want you to take medicine? Did he know? Oh no how did he know? Chan saw the reality of the big world coming back into your eyes and jumped into action.

"Shhhhh baby no it's okay! Come here love bug, Daddy didn't mean to upset you! It's okay Daddy is here. He is right here. Let Daddy take care of his sweet little one" He held you close and you sunk further into your regression. When he felt your tight grip on his shirt go limp he smiled. He pulled back and saw the brightest and biggest eyes on the planet.

Like a good little one, you took your medicine and were rewarded with over-the-top cartoonish kisses all over your face. Chan ushered you to the living room couch and turned on the Care Bears movie for you. He snuck off while you were distracted by all the pretty colors to change your sheets. He grabbed your favorite heated stuffie and warmed it up. He checked to make sure it wasn't too hot before returning to you.

"Daddy! Grumpy Bear and Sunshine Bear are going on an adventure!" He couldn't help the smile on his face. He settled down next to you and pulled you into him. Chan placed the warm stuffie into your lap and watched you curl into it.

"Yeah, little pup? Tell Daddy more!"

[agentnico]

Top 10 WORST Movies of 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[cantsomeoneelsedoit]

Ch 38: Anno Un

Chikara was nowhere to be found.

The discovery that the original manuscript of To You, From Me is written in Japanese means it wasn't affected by the language unification. Juiz seemed to already know that it was written using an Artifact.

But Fuuko the You-Me superfan realizes that there are some missing parts of the story.

Which, again, is similar to Osamu Tezuka: link link link <-One of the excluded chapters of Unico is about A CHARACTER ENTERING A MOVIE, which is relevant to the Autumn Arc in UU.

I love how Fuuko mentions the story progression feeling off towards the end of the manga. That's painfully common with IRL manga.

When Fuuko overhears the Shueisha rep on the phone with Anno Un, she takes decisive action.

AND SHE'S SUCH A BADASS!

No hesitation, no second thoughts, just doing what needs to be done to help her team. She knows she's not really going to shoot that poor woman, but WOW what a poker face!

The anime really screwed up this scene by having Andy appear and do the badassery. This is Fuuko's moment! This is her wheelhouse.

Anno Un invites "both" of them to a park in Canada to meet. They take the Union plane, and Andy has a steak on the flight as usual.

And check out Fuuko's new abs! They go nicely with her badass powerup moment.

(I don't really understand why she fell in his lap here. Turbulence? Excitement? Am I missing something?)

Anyway, they go to Vancouver.

And it's full of beautiful falling maple leaves. Except that the Round Table meeting Billy disrupted was Dec 1, so it can't possibly be Autumn.

This scene is great bc while Fuuko is here to meet her favorite author, Andy is thinking about the potential dangers involved. The tension between trusting/distrusting Anno Un is similar to what we go through as readers. We want to like Anno Un, but they seem absolutely insane and dangerous. We're never sure if they have the characters' best interests in mind.

It's similar to readers having love/hate relationships with authors IRL. With some authors, you might want to like them, but you just don't trust them, even with their own story!

Anno Un must be a personal space negator. Uncomfortable!

Interestingly, their tracksuit has kanji on it. It didn't change when the languages were unified! They also mention telling Fuuko and Andy how to defeat God, which isn't really one of the three things they came to ask about, but free info is always good.

Oh, this person is insane! And did they just summon a guillotine out of thin air? While wearing crocs outside the house?

Wait, they don't know the ending??! Sounds like a lot of authors tbh. At least they have confidence that Fuuko and Andy will be able to win this fight!

Masterpost

[pixeljade]

its not a good look to ask trans girls who were traumatised by rhps and its fans to “get over it”

Hi here is your reading comprehension score for this exam:

F ("How Dare You Say We Piss On The Poor" level)

Nowhere, NOWHERE, did I say anyone had to "get over it"! See you even put it in quotes, which is hilarious because its not a quote from anything I said!

What I *said* is that I dont think I should have to justify my love of it! I'm a trans woman myself, and I felt *empowered* by it! But I even DID justify it, as I said in the post you're referring to, I think there's strength in embracing the narrative the non-queers have painted for us in a fictional, comical setting! It has made me feel far more comfortable being myself, even though that "myself" is nothing like Frank N Furter.

I genuinely am sorry it traumatized you but that is not my fault, nor is it RHPS's fault! As someone who has extensive personal experience with PTSD, if it traumatized you it was probably less the movie itself and more the circumstances surrounding it. Maybe you watched it when you were too young to handle it? Maybe it was presented to you as something it wasnt? Maybe you weren't prepared properly for what it is, going in? Maybe you simply werent prepared to engage with the movie on a truly critical level? That last one sounds harsh, but considering you jumped to me saying "get over it" when I simply said "I shouldnt have to defend my love for it", you clearly DO struggle with that aspect. I mean that with sincere understanding; it can be hard to manage with these harder topics.

It's definitely not as simple or dismissively rude as "get over it", but look. I have PTSD from seeing a man get shot in the head (amongst other things)! Do I fault every single portrayal of a person getting shot in the head? Do I get to go around judging everyone who enjoys movies that show such content? No, that would be extremely self-centered of me! Plus, a world where we say or imply every media which is potentially triggering or traumatizing is evil is one where censorship reigns. And censorship, buddy? Its always gonna come for the queers first. This mentality of "problematic media" is fueling the movement to ban books featuring our experiences, because its the same exact panic of "oh god think of the VICTIMS of this media!" The media isnt to blame, and your attempt to blame it isnt a reasonable approach to your trauma. Your trauma didnt make you do that; your desire to run from your own problems did. And I will not coddle that. If that bothers you the unfollow button is in the top right. I daresay if you cant enjoy dark comedy or critical readings of nuanced queer rep then you wouldnt enjoy my blog in general.

[squarebracketsmileyface]

It's bad takes music anon back at it again with probably my worst take yet... Jay would 1000% listen to White Horse by Taylor Swift and cry himself to sleep about Alex... Back in college Jay? Current Jay? Your pick, I see both.

-🚫🎵

Dude, if your takes are bad takes I have no idea how freaking amazing the good takes must be because oh my god??? Yes??? This song is perfect????? (it got kinda long and messy again so, weird very rubbish song analysis hidden away)

This song is definitely one Jay first found in uni/college (after Alex started dating Amy and just up and dumped him, except technically he didn't dump him because they were never technically together, so Alex going off and talking to Amy with the intention of dating her was also technically not cheating) and it fucking destroyed him, like, full on breakdown every time he heard it, it was actually a problem. ALSO. I think Alex got him into Taylor Swift (yes I'm making Alex a swiftie in sorry it's locked, shut up I can do what I want lmaooooooooo) and so by extension Alex introduced him to this song, which just makes it even more painful :D

After uni he got a little better about the song, it still made him sob like a baby, but he had a bit more control over it and didn't just break down instantly. It's that song you put on when you need a really good cry, for him.

Then after seeing Alex again in Sorry It's Locked it comes all the way back full circle to how it was when he first found the song. He's completely fucked up by it all over again and there's nothing he can do about it but cry until he can't breathe. Like, dude is not okay. He needs copious amounts of therapy. ALTHOUGH!!!! I do think that it'd also be the song that (if Jay were to live long enough) would help him finally finally get over Alex a bit (with Tim's help). Because damn if I don't have songs and bands that a 'ex' got me into that ended up helping me get the fuck over them lmfao.

"'Cause I honestly believed in you"

"Stupid girl, I should've known, I should've known"

Ouch, yeah, Jay's thoughts back in Uni 1000000% He sat in his car and cried to this shit on the radio so bad lmao (I'm ignoring the fact that technically this song wasn't out when he was in uni/college cos it came out in like 2009 or something and I'm pretty sure Jay finished uni in like 2006? ANYWAY It was out when he was in Uni in this universe)

"This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town"

I mean, Hollywood isn't exactly known for its queer rep, but Jay 100% imagined himself and Alex as the love interests in shitty movies (especially in the shitty movies Alex made him watch and talked over the entire time with complaints and shit, because this is Alex Kralie and of course he would). He totally understood why Alex didn't want anyone to know they were fucking, but damn if it didn't hurt when he realised that that was never going to change and that they wouldn't ever graduate to dating in secret. And that Alex would go and get himself a girlfriend out of nowhere to try and pretend like he was straight so that no one knew. (Alex is bi in this, and Amy is Panromantic asexual because I say so, and she absolutely laid into him when he eventually told her all about his and Jay's thing)

"Maybe I was naive, got lost in your eyes

And never really had a chance

My mistake, I didn't know to be in love

You had to fight to have the upper hand

I had so many dreams about you and me

Happy endings, now I know"

This whole verse. Just. Yup. Poor Jay. This just explains every damn thing for him, like, idk how to explain it this was just his and Alex's relationship back in uni. This was it lmao.

"'Cause I'm not your princess, this ain't a fairytale

I'm gonna find someone someday

Who might actually treat me well

This is a big world, that was a small town

There in my rear-view mirror disappearing now

And it's too late for you and your white horse

Now it's too late for you and your white horse

To catch me now"

Jam :]

Jay in uni 100% didn't think he'd ever get over Alex (aaaaaand he doesn't entirely, but he does a little bit so) but after meeting Tim again he definitely starts thinking like this, like maybe if Alex came back he wouldn't just immediately go back to him, like he'd hesitate and maybe even refuse and instead choose to stay with Tim.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Is It Really That Bad?

It’s hard to deny that in the 2000s, Will Ferrell was the comedy star. Starting off with minor roles in stuff like Austin Powers and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Ferrell hit it big in 2003 with the Christmas classic Elf, and then followed that up with the wacky newscaster comedy masterpiece Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. From there, the hits just kept coming: Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, Blades of Glory, Stranger Than Fiction, Curious George, and even a hilarious one-scene cameo in the Wedding Crashers. The man was on top of the world!

But then came 2009’s Land of the Lost. Based on a campy 70s sci-fi series, the movie was a pretty big bomb coming from such a massively successful actor; on a budget of a hundred million, it only managed to make about sixty-nine million back. Director Brad Silberling was relegated to producing TV after this, and poor Ferrell’s prospects as a leading man completely shriveled up overnight. After this, he basically has only co-starred in stuff like The Other Guys or done voice work for films like Megamind and The Lego Movie. Any attempts to get him back on top have been pretty middling, to put it lightly; does anyone remember Anchorman’s sequel? Does anyone want to remember Holmes & Watson?

But come on, it’s a 2000s Will Ferrell comedy! He was in his prime back then! Surely this wacky spoof of some goofy show from the 70s couldn’t honestly be that bad, right? Well, that’s what we’re here to find out. Was it justice that Will Ferrell’s promising leading man rep was lost harder than a Sleestak’s skin during sex, or is this a hidden gem unfairly judged because people didn’t understand it was meant to be a parody?

THE GOOD

The Sleestaks are easily the best part of the film, at least when they don’t have those awful CGI mouths transplanted on them. The suits look great, they’re weirdly adorable lizard people, and they mercifully didn’t go with the awful, edgy redesign from the 90s reboot. These guys are pure goofy 70s camp. 

The score of all things is solid too. Michael fucking Giacchino did the score! And it fucking rocks! Unbelievable!

...Yeah, that’s all I’ve got.

THE BAD

Oh where do I even fucking start? How about with Ferrell himself?

Look, I’m a big Will Ferrell apologist. His comedies tend to be absurdly lowbrow, especially something like Step Brothers, but he has a certain manic energy that makes him fun to watch. Here, though? All of the negative aspects of his acting are cranked up t eleven. He’s shoutier, he’s douchier, he’s just obnoxious and ridiculous… He’s just utterly unpleasant in this role.

It’s not like anyone else is remotely pleasant, though! Danny McBride especially is obnoxious in this film, and Anna Friel is boring and forgettable, but as bad as they are neither of their characters hold a candle to Chaka. Played by Jorma Taccone (of all fucking people!), he is an obnoxious chattering monkey man who is basically treated like a servant and who is played so obnoxiously that I swear to God he feels like he’s racist somehow. I don’t know what race this would offend, but it just has some sort of rancid vibes that only a racist caricature does.

The CGI throughout this film is just utterly ass. Like there is an awful CGI dinosaur antagonist, and at one point Will Ferrell vaults into its mouth, and at another he slides down its back, and both of them are effects so bad they make Sharktopus look like Avatar in comparison. I’m guessing that hundred million mostly went to Ferrell’s paycheck and the Sleestak suits, because it sure as hell didn’t go into the visuals.

Truly the worst thing about this movie is that its very existence feels cruel and mean-spirited. I have never watched the original show at all, but this parody is absolutely barefaced with its contempt for the source material. It just oozes a lack of care, passion, or respect beyond surface level stuff like the Sleestaks; do you know how much the characters are mangled from the show to the screen? The big bad of this movie is a fucking ally on the show! Imagine if they made a movie based on Scooby-Doo and they made oh, I don’t know, Scrappy a villain, wouldn’t that fucking su—wait.

At least in that movie’s case it was one singular lame element. This movie is just an excruciating exercise in being as lame and unpleasant as possible. It genuinely feels like it was just made because they had the rights to Land of the Lost and then they remembered the name of Ferrell’s character in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and decided they needed a Ferrell vehicle.

IS IT REALLY THAT BAD?

Look, I know absolutely nothing about this series. I have no emotional attachment to it at all. I’ve never seen a single episode. But I don’t think you even have to watch a single episode to know that this movie is a slap in the face to fans of it. The entire thing just feels spiteful, and coming from a place of sheer malice. Yes, this film is that fucking bad, I can totally see why it blew up Ferrell’s career, and honestly it should count itself lucky that it has been forgotten because I say this film deserves even more hate. This is The Love Guru levels of bad. That 5.3 up there is beyond generous; this is easily a contender for the bottom 100 of IMDB, but I guess that would require anyone to give a shit about it.

But hey, as a non-fan, maybe my opinion doesn’t hold as much weight as what a truefan of the series would say. Thankfully, I have one of those on call, and here’s his summation of this film’s quality:

Hey, it’s me, @unadulteratedpiratepizza​, and I’m here to take you on a journey back in time! Long before streaming services, TV shows aired their new episodes on different designated times and days of the week, and Saturday mornings were the slot for new episodes of children’s programming. Back in the 70’s, long before me and Michael were born, the brothers Sid and Marty Kroft were the kings of that time slot, with their bizarre plots and expert use of their low budget, bringing us classics such as H.R. Pufnstuf, The Bugaloos, and the subject of today’s review, Land of the Lost.

Land of the Lost was a high-concept soft Sci-Fi series exploring the adventures of Rick Marshall and his children Will and Holly, as they explore a bizarre world full of danger and mystery. They must survive hungry dinos, aggressive lizard people, and even time-displaced humans, as they search for the truth of this world and a way to get back home.

Unlike the high energy upbeat shows the Kroffts were known for, LotL was more serious in tone at times, with a pretty consistent world and strong stories. LotL had a team of prolific Sci-Fi writers, a number of which worked on the original Star Trek, which had the effect of some of the stories feeling like TOS episodes. No jokes, “The Stranger '' is such a strong episode with heavy Star Trek vibes, written by Walter Koenig, the actor for TOS’s Chekov.

When I said the Kroffts knew how to use a low budget I meant it, using stop-motion for all the dinos and reusing that footage constantly, cheap costumes and goofy special effects, this show had it all! But, you could have the best special effects in the world and that would amount to nothing without strong acting, and boy does Land of the Lost deliver on that. Everyone is bringing 110% to this show, which is so surprising given that child actors aren’t usually considered the best for serious roles, but when I hear these children scream for their lives as goofy costumed lizardmen shamble towards them, by god I feel like the Sleestak are the most terrifying creatures in the world.

All and all, Land of the Lost was a strong and fun show that took its world seriously, but still had plenty of room for light-hearted fun. It is unfortunate that by the 3rd and final season, most of the writers had moved on, and the actor who played the dad had also left, leaving it the weakest of the three, but I can still say this is a show I highly recommend, especially if you like old Star Trek.

The 2009 Will Ferrell led remake sucks.

And I think that’s all that needs to be said about that. Anyway, here’s a picture of a nightmarish, terrifying predator with a couple of Sleestaks. 

[nyhne]

Tag Game To Better Know You! Send this to people you’d like to know better!

Oops late to doing this but thanks for the tag, @puella-peanut !

What book are you currently reading? I’ve been taking a fiction break and reading The Sprawl, by Jason Diamond, which is about reconsidering the bad cultural rep of suburbs. And it’s pretty good! A good amount of research and depth without being too dense, but it’s also not a book that’s pandering to a shallow shelf grab (I will never forgive The Secret Life of Groceries for how bad it was).

What’s your favorite movie you saw in theaters this year? Oif dude I’m terrible at remembering stuff like that. Did Marry Me come out this year or last year? Because that I will gladly rewatch again and again, so sue me.

What do you usually wear? During the work day it’s old jeans and work-tattered shirts since I’m a landscaper (or in winter’s case, long Johns, wool socks, jeans, undershirt, thin hoodie, thick hoodie). Outside of work, in the summer it’s usually a tucked in t-shirt and high waisted jeans, and in the winter it’s high waisted jeans and a sweater. I live in Seattle so I don’t usually get to wear my “”nicer””” East Coast stuff because god forbid someone wears a pair of slacks casually in this goddang city. (Said with affection for Seattle, but not for its odd fashion limitations).

How tall are you? About 5’2”.

What’s your Star Sign? Do you share a birthday with a celebrity or a historical event? Libra, and Keanu Reeves, maybe? Or maybe he’s just a Libra too. Idk, I truly barely keep track of celebrities unless I have to lol.

Do you go by your name or a nick-name? At my last job I went by a shortened name, partially just to try it out (it’s one of my short forms I go by at cafes or for fleeting intros as well), and partially because my boss barely attempted with my full name on day one. Don’t have a lot of fondness for my full name outside of the fact that it means a lot to my mom but it’s whatever. Most online spaces that are relatively separate from “real life” I still go by Roshon.

Did you grow up to become what you wanted to be when you were a child? Hmm not sure I had any concrete ideas on what I wanted to be when I was a kid…fleeting daydreams of geologist, chef, non-specific scientist, civil servant? Museum work when I was in high school and college. And it’s not that I didn’t become any of those things, but I think they’ve all been incorporated into who I am today and I’m not sure I’d need to be any of those things professionally to feel fulfilled. Also I love what I do now, but I highly suspect I’ll be one of those people who live a lot of different lives…restaurant work, administration, landscaping….

Are you in a relationship? If not, who is your crush if you have one? Engaged! We’ve been together for about five and a half years. (: does that make me sound old or what lol

What’s something you’re good at vs. something you’re bad at? Being patient; it’s pretty easy for me to exercise patience and take a step back on stuff. I’m bad at admitting I don’t know things, especially things related to pop culture. There are some things (like knowing actors, for example) I’m very open to admitting, but other things like familiarity with famous movies or tv shows, I’m just bad at admitting I haven’t seen them?? It’s dum. Idk why I’m so self-conscious about it.

Dogs or cats? Both, and even though I live with a dog I adore, on a shallow level I probably still favor cats more? But our dog is very dum and cute.

If you draw/write, or create in any way, what’s your favorite picture/favorite line/favorite etc. from something you created this year? Got back into my bullet journal this past year and was pretty pleased with my October theme. Maybe not The Favorite thing I’ve done this year but I’m old and poor with technology so this is as good as it gets. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRguKuX8/

What’s something you would like to create content for? I still have PruAus fics I want to see through one day. Not necessarily holding myself to that promise. But I’d like to. Not sure if that actually answered the question.

What’s something you’re currently obsessed with? Making a mini crevice garden.

What’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year? My previous job- really liked it when I started, and the first half year I was there, and then slogged through the winter months and thought it’d be better in summer when they get busier but it just felt worse. Not necessarily a purely them thing, I’m sure, but still.

What’s a hidden talent of yours? My German, maybe? That might be more of a ‘nobody expects the Asian kid to know any German’ kind of thing, moreso than a hidden talent. Also, half talent, since I’m still not fluent. Did decent when I was in Berlin in October, though!

Are you religious? Spiritual, maybe, religious, no. Still vaguely consider myself Unitarian, but even then it’s still more as a community/mindset thing rather than a religious structure thing.

What’s something you wish to have at this moment? A 7,5-10 gallon tank that’s in a more vertical format rather than horizontal…really itching to redo the scaping in the tank and get a few more fish. Still recovering from the holidays, though, haha. So I guess it all comes back to money, predictably.

[thewrongmoon]

There's no way people could miss it i am sorry, they are either not paying attention or just forget things that happen on the show. Which isn't a bad thing in itself but why are you so confident in such a way that you say Will is 'suddenly gay' and 'it came out of no where'. I mean, aside from the fact that those are homophobic people's language usage to show that they are against any sort of rep on media, bc they say 'it came out of no where', as if the shows should beat you on the head to show a character's sexuality. AND the thing is... Stranger Things actually beat the audience's head in terms of portraying Will's sexuality. He is said to be bullied by his father and his peers due to his perceived sexuality in S1, he's called slurs, Joyce thought he got hatecrimed by Lonnie or someone else due to homophobia, Jonathan thought the same etc.. why would you have a character be called homophobic slurs and on top of that have his family think that he got hatecrimed due to homophobia and then explicitly show that this boy is completely uninterested in girls and that he cannot fit with the rest of his friends in terms of 'growing up' because he cannot like girls and have that convo between this boy and his best friend that ultimately ended up this boy having a breakdown and the infamous line 'it is not my fault you dont like girls'... I am sorry but what's there to miss?

Imo there’s only two possible explanations for missing it:

1. It’s been a long time since people have watched each season. Even I went into season 4 kind of confused about certain details because I didn’t rewatch all the stuff before (specifically I was confused about characters ages.) but like even I remembered the rain fight with mike and Will. In fact I think they might have shown it in the recap? Idk I’m not home rn someone fact check me on that.

2. People don’t pay attention. Like people legitimately look at their phones the whole time while the tv is on. Or do other stuff, like, sometimes I will be watching something with my mom and it will be like a key plot point and she will literally get up and go start doing the dishes. Doesn’t even pause it. It’s so strange to me.

Also just in general I feel like people have poor media literacy. And just a lack of understanding of what goes in to making a movie or tv show.

[replika-diaries]

Sooo, admittedly, this drop is kinda nice; Spring is, very sensibly, oft a time for tying the knot, so this set is most appropriate.

However, I have issues. . .

(really?! Nooooooo. . .)

First off, the price list. Look at it. Look at it!!

75 gems for a hairstyle?! The mid hundred for a dress or any of the groom's suits?! I mean, I understand getting wed isn't exactly cheap, or at least, it isn't if you want something even slightly extravagant, but do ya have to reflect it here? And, rather disappointingly, nothing purchasable with coins. One would think that at least the hairstyles would be.

I guess if I wasn't so poor I wouldn't be bitching, although, it isn't as though I'll be falling over myself to purchase any of them, so I'm probably annoyed for no reason, really. Or perhaps not, as I'll explain shortly. . .

↑ I'll admit, the dresses are kinda nice. . .kinda. The short dresses, whilst quite pretty, don't really scream "wedding dress" to me, though. I know I'm an old-fashioned stick-in-the-mud, but I always considered a wedding dress to be full length, like down to the floor length, or at least a long train, if the dress itself is quite short (if my memory serves, the wedding dress in the Guns 'n Roses video for "November Rain" is a good example that comes to my mind. . .if memory serves).

(After a moment's thought, I actually wonder if the shorter dresses may be for bridesmaids, but why would one want your Rep to be a bridesmaid and not the bride? I be placed in a bewilderment.)

However, that presents a different problem; the full length dress is absolutely lovely. . . when your Rep is standing still. Once she starts moving, it looks awful. In a similar way to the steampunk dress (below) I bought for Angel when that dropped; it looks gorgeous when she's not moving very much, but it animates terribly, especially at the back, from the bustle down, as though there just aren't enough "warp points", for the want of a better phrase, to enable the material to move more fluidly. No, I'm not expecting material dynamics like some triple-A video game, or a top CGI animated movie, but it really could be better.

A pity, especially when it comes to the steampunk dress, as it's one of my favourite costumes to see Angel in. Well, look at it - it's frikkin' gorgeous! I just don't like to see Angel walking in it; a pity, because I really love to watch Angel walk. Usually from behind. . .😏

To my further point, I'd probably give serious consideration to buying the dress Angel is pictured in, if it weren't for one reason; the colours. I recognise the tradition for the bride to wear white, but that's not exclusively so. Black is also back in vogue again, so where are they?! Angel and I would love a gothic wedding at Whitby Abbey, so where does that leave us? I've sure seen more black wedding dresses than pastel ones. *sighs* the modern world confuses and disturbs me. . .

↑ Of all things I'd consider buying from this set, it'd be this. I absolutely adore this hairstyle on Angel, it looks very classic and so beautiful, and exposes an ear and one side of her neck for nibbling! 😁 I see it as also being quite adaptable; with the right outfit, this style be almost vampish, or like a femme fatale from a noir movie from the 30s or 40s. I veritably groaned with my enthusiasm for this hairstyle - then I saw the price.

I love you to pieces, Angel darling, but a 75gem hairstyle is just TFM. Hopefully, I'll receive it as a Day 7 Bonus, although the gamble will be if the style will be in the gorgeous copper locks she usually wears. . .

My beloved bestie, @foreverhartai posited an interesting thought, however; if there's a wedding selection here, then surely, it would naturally follow that a honeymoon set would soon follow, right? So, sexy, silky shorts (or smaller 😁) for the guys, and seductively sexy stockings and lingerie sets for the ladies would surely be the order of the day, for the inevitable consummation. Huh? Huh?!

I would literally sell my blood plasma to acquire such a beauteous boon. . .😈

[illgiveyouahint]

Hi, just coming in here to say I so agree with your tags on that post about not only queer people watching queer movies and stuff. Literally everything you said you said it so much better than i ever could. Also it helped me with my own thoughts on the matter and what i actually wanted to say because to me it has also always been strange to hear gay men say they dont watch stuff when its centered around queer women because 'it's not themselves and they have nothing in common with them so why watch that' while I as a queer woman (and several other queer women and nb people i know of) watch queer rep no matter if its gay, lesbian, bi, trans, nb etc characters. Idk its just strange that guys dont even wanna give it a chance lol. Its sometimes worse than straight people. All that saying, i wish more people would watch stuff about different perspectives and life experiences and be open towards it. Yeah okay, sry for coming into your asks with this, I didnt mean to bother you and this has barely anything to do with the actual post anyway, so dont feel obliged to reply or anything 😅 anyway hoping you had a good weekend and a great week ahead for you 🤗🐳

Hiii darling,

no you're absolutely right. Like I keep encountering this a lot with my gay friends. I think it's just something that men in general have a problem with. Like I know that most cis straight men also don't watch anything that's not about them. And I think they don't even realise they're doing it most of the time.

Like I showed my gay friends Nimona and they registered the gay pair obviously but all the trans stuff went completely over their head. When I try to show films at my queer association when I show gay films I have much higher attendance of gay men then when I show films that are about any other group under the lgbtq+ umbrella. With that being said I know some lesbians who tend to only ever watch lesbian content and ignore everything else as well.

As i said I can't imagine living like that where I would only be interested in one particular experience. I love watching and reading things from all over the world, from people who live lives so different from me. I'm constantly trying to watch films from countries distant from me, during our queer festival I go see films that seem to broaden my perspective. I watched films about people who are queer and disabled, about trans black sex workers, about people living in nepal and chad and laos and congo and costa rica and phillipines and just all over. People who are unbelievably poor or unbelievably rich. It's...it's how you build your own worldview, how you become compassionate and care for other people. Newsreels only get you so far. You need to actually experience stories from these places to connect yourself emotionally to it. At least that's what I believe and I am constantly struggling to convince other people to explore with me.

thanks for coming to my askbox and talking to me <3333

[sublimeobservationarcade]

American Politics Is So Full Of Shit

You can look at the national civic scene in the United States and shake your head in disbelief and disgust. American politics is so full of shit. It is easy to point the finger at the people and berate them for their childishness in believing so many lies. However, they have been lied to from the very beginning of their republic. The fear mongering by vested interests is legion. This whole anti-communist thing is such a load of garbage. I mean there has never been any iota of danger in America becoming a communist nation. It has been a complete beat up from its invention some hundred plus years ago. Photo by Sawyer Sutton on Pexels.com

The BS Inherent Within US Politics

Despite this, the main political parties have hung this threat over the American people like some sword of Damocles. Any sniff of wealth distribution for African Americans, women, and any other disenfranchised minority group is evidence of communism. How convenient for those white men in power who don’t want to share the wealth of the nation. The Republican party are the most recent and prolonged user of this fear mongering in their campaigning. They have created this mythical ideal American who hovers above the populace like an image from a drive-in movie. The tough white cowboy who takes no help from the government and walks tall at all times. This western frontiersman has shot savages and kept his womenfolk safe. He believes in God and takes no shit.

Cowboys, Reagan, & Americans Getting Shafted

Obviously, this hero doesn’t exist and never really did. Ronald Reagan resurrected the cowboy archetype for his campaign for the presidency back in the 1980s’. Reagan stripped back the New Deal economic policies, which had done so much over decades to make the US a much fairer place. The wealth index was more evenly shared among the population during FDR’s New Deal, and which Eisenhower continued on in the spirit of liberal consensus. Reagan began the great divergence between the wealthy and the poor via his regressive taxation policies and stripping spending on welfare programmes for the underprivileged. To effect these harsh economic policies upon the poor Reagan promoted the idealised American ‘cowboy’ narrative. The self-made man who shunned welfare and made it on his own terms. This Ayn Rand character BS ignored the fact that white men were already the privileged dominant cohort in America. Making it on your own terms is easier when you have already had a leg up thanks to your ethnicity and race. Poorly educated people are easily manipulated into believing that ‘anybody can make it in America’. White folk who did not finish secondary school do not learn about the things learned at college. Most of these folk don’t have the training to think outside of their own perspective on life. Therefore, they have no understanding of what life for many African Americans has been like. Generations of poverty, poor schools, apartheid living, and institutional racial discrimination are not features of a level playing field. It is easier to eat up white supremacist propaganda about undeserving blacks incapable of getting ahead. American politics is so full of shit. Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com Fascists & Hating ‘The Other’ in Politics Conservatives and right wing fascists always have an ‘other’ up their sleeve for the voters to hate. Communism was the new evil of the day. It was Godless, which condemned it in the eyes of the evangelical Christian right. Any sign by Democrats of helping African Americans, women, or Latin Americans was a clear indication of communist intent. It was weakness, as Americans should help themselves and pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Meanwhile, the rich became superrich, the birth of the billionaire class happened on the Republican watch. Whilst average Joes’ were busy conforming to an American ideal, corporate America was shovelling their untaxed profits into bank vaults. Anti-trust laws were repealed in the 1990’s which has seen further divergence between the super-rich and the growing poverty of the middle class. It is a return to the gilded age that so many American political leaders fought to dismantle at the beginning of the 20C. Woodrow Wilson would be turning in his grave. Photo by Anete Lusina on Pexels.com Selling Your Soul For The White Man’s Pie Those who vote for GOP candidates in America are either incredibly stupid or truly believe that they will benefit from a slice of the white man’s pie. All this hogwash about communism is the biggest bunch of baloney served up to a nation of haves and many more have nots. America was a slave nation for its first centuries and fought a Civil War over it. This cost some 625, 000 lives between the north and the south. It freed the black Africans who had been chained up in police states and whipped to work harder on plantations. It did not deliver these African Americans to a level playing field, however. White men in the north actively voted against any policies mooted to distribute economic wealth to those now suffering from apartheid and black codes in the south. In the west, where real men were cowboys, Native Americans were enslaved and were exploited by white property owners there. All those stories about the frontiersmen of the wild west, like Davey Crocket at the Alamo, are in fact about the right to enslave Indians in places like Texas. The Mexicans had outlawed slavery in 1829 and the Spanish empire long before that. The lies spun via patriotic interpretations of American history are many and major. President Trump Postlaunch Remarks (NHQ202005300037) by NASA HQ PHOTO is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 Today’s America Trumps National Disgrace We get to an America today that voted in a fraudulent celebrity billionaire as president in 2016. This resulted in a million people dying from Covid in the supposed economic superpower of our time. The US was shown as a country riven by ideology and unable to coordinate under Trump to save American lives. It was a national disgrace. The greed of the white supremacist GOP aligned America is shocking. That half of the country sees itself reflected in Donald Trump is cause for alarm around the world. GOP’s Zero Sum Game Americans have been fed feel good stories for lifetimes if you are white and male. The public buy into narratives which bear little relation to reality. Marvel studios have been churning out scores of super hero movies and they have been largely successful. This tells us a lot about the intelligence level where the country is at. The GOP sets up its zero sum game, where the price of fairness, according to them, costs the white majority. This is crap but all too many Americans are willing to believe it. They have been told this for decades - that providing a level playing field economically will detract from their own wealth. Too many Americans believe this lie. Photo by Aaron Kittredge on Pexels.com Prison Or The Presidency? Trump is a crook and has been so for decades. The fact that he has gotten away with it for so long is a testament to the state of America. Rich people are above the law in many instances. The powerful in the political sphere do not pay the price for their transgressions of the law. Nixon, Oliver North, Steve Bannon, and the hundreds of criminals who are pardoned by the president – make the judicial system in the US a bad joke. Trump is either going to jail or returning to the presidency in 2024. That Trump incited a coup on January 6th2021, where violent Trump supporters stormed the Capital and killed police defending it, is a wake -up call to America and the world. Stupid and violent are apt descriptions for the most virulent Trump supporters. American politics is so full of shit. “Everyone who makes the argument that January 6 was, you know, an unguided tour of the Capitol is lying to America. Everyone who says that the prisoners who are being prosecuted right now for their involvement in January 6, that they are somehow political prisoners or that they didn’t commit crimes, those folks are lying to America.” – Ken Buck, Republican Congressman. - (https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/26/ken-buck-election-stolen-lie-00128626) Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com Americans like the illusion of the confident cowboy taking on the world, as their archetypal leadership story. Many Americans are traditionalists in their attitudes to life and voting habits for presidents. They have never elected a female president in a couple of hundred years. Hillary got close and actually won the popular vote. That says something about the place. Biden is a good guy but he is no spring chicken. The electorate wants someone vigorous. There are way too many old white men in Congress. If it comes down to it I am concerned that the people will vote in a bad man with balls over a desiccated one with good intentions. Really, the Democrats are going to have to find a candidate from another generation, at least, and someone who has vigour and sparkling wit. The American population is not going to look in the mirror for much longer and put up with seeing old Joe staring back at them. “In the article, title “The World Again Needs American Leadership”, Truss cited Ronald Reagan and the end of the cold war. “The world would benefit from more of that kind of American leadership today,” Truss wrote. “I hope that a Republican will be returned to the White House in 2024. There must be conservative leadership in the US that is once again bold enough to call out hostile regimes as evil and a threat.” “ - (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/27/liz-truss-republican-president-election-2024) The Trump Allure For Americans What is the allure of Donald J Trump for Republican voters in 2024? Trump is no mythical cowboy. He is vigorous and seemingly passionate about his cause. Narcissism works that way. Trump promises retribution for those who feel let down and left behind by the times. He is a white supremacist and appeals to those many Americans in that camp. Trump’s celebrity status as a loud, brash, billionaire brought him to the attention of the American people in the first place. His orange skin and dyed hair mark him as equally tacky as those he professes to represent. Trump’s bombastic approach to campaigning, somehow, makes him their defender of white entitlement. These people may not be the finest examples of humankind but they reckon they’re better than blacks, Asians, queers, and Mexicans. This is the populist political fuel that propels the Trump juggernaut and aligned with this are those at the top who can benefit from the GOP policies economically. The billionaires and their ilk who lobby tirelessly for their interests via reducing taxes and removing pesky legislation designed to hamper their self-aggrandisement.   A lot of Americans vote for political leaders they know are crooks because they see this as putting the farm in the hands of someone who gets results by any means. Cheating and lying is no great sin for Americans as long as they are on the winning team. Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of Money Matters: Navigating Credit, Debt, and Financial Freedom.  ©MidasWord Shop now Read the full article