#i think a majority of these are hallmark as well

[chiffonfluff]

Those vintage animal valentines cards are so cute I wish I could replicate this art style in my art like…there’s something about them that’s so appealing to me; examples:

[navree]

i don't involve myself in the "how dare scorsese say that comic book movies aren't high cinema" because he's just unambiguously right (and i say that as someone who enjoys comics and liked watching the batman) but the funniest part of all the people trying desperately to refute him with "chris nolan directed batman movies" is that a) he was allowed to keep his own style and distinction which is a Big sticking point in the discussion of how fucking bland mcu stuff looks right now and b) nolan's batman movies are good as movies, but they absolutely fucking suck as batman movies specifically so the whole point is kinda moot anyway

[prokopetz]

this ask came to me in a dream and i must speak on its behalf: what do you think about homestuck beyond canon

I think it's too early for me to have a well-formed opinion at this point, for a very specific reason.

I basically agree with the majority opinion that the post-epilogue story which would eventually become Beyond Canon is characterised by a whole lot of spite toward its target audience. Where I differ is that I don't think this is anything new; a certain sneering contempt for their audience has always been a hallmark of Andrew Hussie's work, and it's present in Homestuck right from day one. At most, Hussie getting burnt out from the Hiveswap fiasco resulted in a text that's somewhat less willing to entertain the polite fiction that its readers are in on the joke, but that's not a change – it's just saying the quiet part out loud.

The interesting part is that this contempt isn't merely undirected bile: it's motivated by a particular stance regarding the purpose of fiction. Writing a story which invites emotional investment, then turning around and calling you a stupid baby for actually becoming invested in it is one of Hussie's favoured narrative sleights of hand, but it's not the Charlie Brown-esque football pull it appears to be – or, rather, it's not only that. Lurking under it is the insistence that fictional characters are, ultimately, objects: tools for exploring a narrative space. Ironic detachment is the only "correct" way to approach works of fiction, because when you emotionally relate to a fictional character (or, heaven forfend, actually identify with one), you are fundamentally committing a category error – like you've mistaken a hat for your wife.*

To what extent Hussie actually believes any of that, and to what extent it's just a very committed bit they're doing is a fair question, but that's not important here; sincere or not, the opening stages of (what was not yet) Beyond Canon are dyed in the cloth with it. Care of the comic has subsequently been handed off to a separate creative team who, to all textual evidence, don't buy into this notion of what-fiction-is-for at all, but they're building on a foundation that's steeped in it. What we're looking at now is a serialised narrative which disagrees with its own premise. I genuinely cannot imagine what sort of flower they're expecting to grow in the soil they've been given, and I don't think we're far enough in to draw any well-supported conclusions just yet.

All of which is a very complicated way of saying that I'm just here for the show!

* With apologies to Oliver Sacks.

[pargolettasworld]

So, because I am incurably, morbidly curious, I watched Jessie Gender's four-hour-and-seventeen-minute-long video on . . . well, the title suggests "Zionism, Antisemitism, and the Left." To her credit, Gender does touch on all three of these topics, though not with the same degree of skill, graciousness, or understanding of the topics at hand. I've just had a very nice dinner, and I'm feeling generous, so let's see how this video stacks up. Strap in. This is going to get long.

I should admit right off the bat that I'm only a casual, occasional watcher of Jessie Gender. I'm not a deep fan, and I'm sure there is Jessie Gender Lore™ out there that I'm not aware of, but I think I've seen enough of her videos to get a general sense of her house style. This video hits a lot of the hallmarks of her style. She speaks very fast and very passionately, occasionally trips over her own words (something that I've done many a time, so I really do feel that), and is inordinately fond of nominalizations. She's especially fond of the word "ostracization," for some reason, which drives me nuts because "ostracism" is right there. So, in style, it appears to hew to the Jessie Gender House Style pretty well.

On to the video itself. The first thing I will observe about it is that it is in every possible way a meeting that could have been an email. There was no need for this to be the same length as the Extended Edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). There's a lot of padding, significant digressions, and a certain degree of repetition. It's easy to forget the beginning of the video by the time you're an hour into the thing.

The major question that hangs over this opus is: Why, and for whom, was it made? I'm honestly not sure who the intended audience for this thing is, nor why Gender felt that she had to make it. She alludes in the first half hour to feeling like she's lost the trust and support of some of her Jewish fans/friends/acquaintances/Patreon patrons, and she chalks it up to a previous video that she made (which I have not seen, and which I am not inclined to seek out). But neither the structure nor the thesis nor the conclusion of the video seem like they would win back any of these folks.

I don't think that Jewish viewers are her intended audience -- certainly not with the way she talks about Jews throughout the video. I'm also having a hard time believing that really committed leftists are her audience, either, since I don't think she's really saying much that leftists haven't already heard, or offering new perspectives on her topic(s). And anyone who has made it this far into the year of 5784 and is still undecided about the contemporary iteration of The Jewish Question is probably not going to be interested in sitting through nearly four and a half hours of relentless lecture. So I'm still left wondering why, and for whom, did Jessie Gender make this video?

Gender assures us, her viewers, of several things that are meant to be reassuring. She's done lots and lots of research, for one thing. And she's asked some-of-her-best-friends-who-are-Jewish to be sensitivity readers. We're given to understand that we are hearing the nitpicked, edited, and polished version of the script. I'd hate to see what the first draft looked like . . .

She also tells us that there are going to be lots of Foreign Words And Names, and that she and her mouth-hole have A Hard Time pronouncing Foreign Words And Names. Her loyal staff have made her a pronunciation guide -- which appears to have been used perhaps as a drinks coaster, since there are some howlers here. The Jews originating from the MENA regions are the "Misrai" (Mizrahi) Jews, the first Prime Minister of Israel was "David Ben-Gron" (David Ben-Gurion), the Revisionist Zionist leader was "Zeeeeeeeeev Zarbinsky" (Ze'ev Jabotinsky), and the Palestinian uprisings of 1987 - 1993 and 2000 - 2005 go by the name "Infitada" (Intifada).

You know that phrase "If white people can learn to say Tchaikovsky and Schwarzenegger, they can learn to say [your name from an African or Asian language]?" I agree completely with the conclusion, but I question the premise. Jessie Gender makes me question the premise harder. If she had any real interest in the topic, she would have practiced those names, but I don't think she does, so she didn't.

Moving on to the actual content of the video. It's . . . weird. Jessie Gender begins the video believing that Zionism is an evil force for colonialism, White supremacy, oppression, and genocide. She ends the video believing that Zionism is an evil force for colonialism, White supremacy, oppression, and genocide. But along the way, she's confronted with quite a lot of inconvenient facts that threaten to complicate this perspective.

Gender devotes roughly two hours and fifteen minutes of her video, a smidge over half of the runtime, on three segments that offer a history of Zionism, the iterations of Zionism as a political ideology, and what she calls "Zionism as emotion," which is a condescending way to refer to the importance of Zionism to Jews. I'd guess that her research for these segments might have surprised her. It turns out, per Jessie Gender, that there is both a reason behind and a context for nineteenth-century Zionism, quite a lot of logic behind why the Jews wanted to go to Israel, and ample evidence that a majority of Jews have some kind of stake in both Israel and some variation of Zionism.

The reason I think that this research might have surprised her is that she ends each of these segments with a small diatribe about the evil colonialist, capitalist, oppressive, genocidal force that is Zionism, even as the segments suggest nuance, logic, and reason behind the philosophy. We can't have that on a good lefty video, though, can we? The more Gender confronts evidence that there is more to Zionism than meets her eyes, the more she doubles down, digs in her heels, and refuses to accept even the barest shreds of non-negativity about Zionism. Every now and then, she comes up with a lovely sentence or two that shows some understanding of a Jewish perspective on the world, but then furiously backpedals -- we mustn't forget that this Jewish perspective of oppression, mass murder, and international blame has only led to the Evil Of Zionism, after all.

What's really fascinating is how hard she works to avoid blaming actual Jews for all of this evil. I think she's doing this with the best of intentions. A for effort. C for effect. She wants to make a distinction between "Zionism" and "Judaism," in the sense of "Zionism does not equate to Judaism, so being antisemitic to Judaism because you hate Zionism is bad." She tries so hard that she loses sight of the actual people involved. There are a lot of places where she talks about "Judaism" where what she actually means is "the Jews." Or, as she calls us, "Jewish people." Which isn't bad, and it isn't really wrong, but it doesn't quite communicate the sense of Am Yisrael that is at the heart of Zionism.

In fact, she's so desperate to separate Zionism from Jewish people that she starts to talk about it almost as an individual character in the story, with agency, desires, wishes, and goals of its own, totally disconnected from the people who created it. Zionism demands the genocide of Palestinians, Zionism needs colonialism, Zionism has a nice lunch date with neoliberalism and spends the afternoon browsing department stores with capitalism. In effect, Zionism becomes the dragon, and Gender really wishes that the passive, easily-led Jewish people would unite behind some White Knight and slay the dragon so everyone could be happy and free and leftist. Despite the two hours she spent on her deep dive into the history and meaning of Zionism, she cannot fathom why the Jewish people don't just do this.

I said earlier that quite a lot of this video consists of padding. Gender identifies herself as a lefty anarchist, opposed to nation-states, capitalism, neoliberalism, the United States, the British Empire, Israel, Joe Biden, "Ka-MAH-la" Harris, transphobia in Western societies . . . the usual suspects. Frequently, especially in the back half of the video, she'll wander off into long fantasias about the crimes against liberty perpetrated by the West at large, as well as their character Capitalism, and then remember that this is supposed to be a video about Zionism, and then finish with the equivalent of "Peter Rabbit did sort of that kind of thing, too."

One of the alleged purposes of this video is to discuss Antisemitism On The Left, but Gender . . . pretty much elides doing that. She gets close a couple of times, and she does grudgingly admit that some leftists coming from some branches of leftism might sometimes say things that might be antisemitic, and that's Bad, and it makes Jewish people feel Unsafe and Not Inclined To Agree With Leftists that The Dragon Known As Zionism Must Be Slain Heroically. But don't stress about it. The important thing is that Israel Must Stop Its Genocide and Palestinians Should Have Self-Determination (which is only withheld from them by Israel -- excuse me, by Zionism -- and certainly not by those eminently-justified-if-a-little-uncouth plucky fighters, Hamas.

There are quite a lot of lengthy quotes from Sources, read by guest stars, which is a nice touch to break up the video. The vast majority of these Sources -- especially the ones in the "history of Zionism" segment -- are not actually written by Zionists. You get a lot of academic pontificating about the failures, shortcomings, and nefarious activities of Zionism, but you hear almost nothing from actual Zionists, especially contemporary Zionists. This does not look nearly as good or as well-researched as it's meant to look.

So what do we get in the end, after four hours and seventeen minutes of watching this? Honestly . . . not much. Gender gives enough background on the history of Zionism, antisemitism, and Jewish attitudes toward Israel that hardcore leftists watching will be more annoyed than convinced. She condescends to both Jews and Arabs, mentioning repeatedly that she, as a White Gentile, really doesn't have any business butting in on these complex questions -- but that's not going to stop her from butting in like the lefty shiksa she is! She's too mealy-mouthed to come right out and say anything blatantly antisemitic, but disdain for Jewish concepts of homeland, belonging, origin, and self-determination pervade the whole thing.

I don't think that Jessie Gender is an idiot -- she seems to be pretty smart, and has both a firm sense of her own political philosophy and the stick-to-it-ive-ness to do far more research into things like the development of Zionism and the history of antisemitism than one might expect. But the video really is, to bring up a playwright from the hated West, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

[thesirencult]

X-MAS WITH YOUR FS.

PART 1 : UNDER

THE MISTLETOE

Kisses With Your FS

---------------------------------------------

We are in a holiday mood ladies and gents! I decided to create a series of holiday readings centered around our FS. The kiss under the mistletoe, what gift your future spouse would buy you, spending holidays with them, a Christmas getaway etc.

Sit back with your hot cocoa and relax !

Santa came early this year 🦌

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PILE 1

Kissing with your FS feels like home. Their hands wrapped around your waist remind you of hallmark movies you watched when you were a young kid, fantasizing about that kiss under the mistletoe.

Your FS is gentle and caring. They are all sugar, no spice and their kisses show just that.

Love, adoration and dedication. Your FS will kiss you slowly. Sometimes they will steal a kiss while putting up the lights and while you are baking cookies. They will always keep it PG, especially if others are present.

Your FS reminds me of Ryan from Castle. He is honourable, simple and affectionate yet super smart and ready to kick some a$$ if he needs to. They could actually look like him or if they are a woman they will be fair skinned and have light eyes, even if they are brown they will be on the lighter side. Also, if they are a woman they would be a lot like Sookie from True Blood.

Remember what I said about the spice? I take it back, a tiny bit. They can get spicy but in the most sweetest way. They are good boys/girls/theys. The type you take home to mama. They could even work in the military/fire department/police force.

Kissing them will make you feel safe and secure. No one would ever be able to take that feeling away from you both. Give em a peck from me too. They for sure deserve it !

Under the mistletoe they will get giddy and excited. Their smile is amazing, like Colgate type of smile and you will love seeing how happy they get around you and right before they kiss you. They will look like a schoolgirl/schoolboy, a kid stealing a cookie from the jar. Stealing kisses is how they will show how naughty they are. I just know who wears the pants in this relationship and news flash, it is not them, lol.

PILE 2

I can tell you one thing before I say anything about kissing.

Your FS finds you adorable. See that cat in the picture ? All cuddled up, not a care in the world, not a single thought behind those sleepy eyes.

Within every room you are the main event, at least for them. Actually, your FS will love kissing you when you are sleepy.

In general, the way you will find safety in their arms and ignore the whole world will drive them crazy. This shows me that your the way your FS kisses will make you feel loved and safe. It will also make you feel like a playful kitten. Your FS could be masculine (doesn't have to be a man) and they will make you feel safe to express your vulnerability and femininity.

They will not only love kissing your lips, they will love kissing your whole face and your hands/fingers. They will want to eat you up.

For them it will be pretty funny you melt into their arms cause you could be a very feisty person but with them you turn into a big baby.

I'm seeing a meme with a cat fighting with another cat and then going back to their mother and cuddling up like a baby.

Others will be like "Girl/boy/they who are you trying to fool?" And your person will say "Shhh they are sleeping. Don't mess with my baby." Meanwhile, over their shoulder you give the other person a hiss, lol.

Are you my "black cat 🐈‍⬛ energy" pile ? Well your person might be a whole tiger cause they seem to be thinking you are harmless and deserve every little kiss. This is giving "I'm a bad boy but I'll be good only with you." trope. Also, major Morticia and Gomez vibes. Height difference might be huge.

(Yup, that below is indeed you.)

[arminreindl]

Pachycetinae: The Thick Whales

Oh look I'm way behind not only on my work with wikipedia but also in regards to summarizing it on tumblr. Good thing, three of the pages I've worked on these past few months can just be summed up in one post because they are all one family.

So Pachycetinae, at the most basic level, are basilosaurid archaeocetes, the group that famously includes Basilosaurus and Dorudon. Reason I've picked up the articles in addition to my usual croc work, basically a friend and I noticed how lacklustre many pages are and stupidly decided to start revising all of Cetacea (pray for me).

Currently theres two genera within the group. Pachycetus aka Platyosphys aka Basilotritus, which is a whole mess I will get into at the end for those interested, and Antaecetus, which I'll just call "the good one" for now. Among those are three species. Pachycetus paulsonii (or Basilotritus uheni) from continental Europe (Germany and Ukraine mostly), Pachycetus wardii (Eastern United Staates) and Antaecetus aithai (Morocco and Egypt)

Picture: Pachycetus and Antaecetus by Connor Ashbridge

So the hallmark of Pachycetines, as the name would suggest, is the fact that their skeletons are notably denser than that of other basilosaurids. The vertebrae, the most abundant material of these whales, are described as pachyostatic and osteosclerotic. The former effecitvely means that the dense cortical bone forms thickened layers, while the latter means that the cortical bone, already forming thickened layers, is furthermore denser than in other basilosaurids with less porosities. The densitiy is increased further by how the ribs attack to the vertebrae not through sinovial articulation but through cartilage, so adding even more weight to them. Overall this is at times compared to manatees, famous for their dense skeletons.

Pictured below, the currently best preserved pachycetine fossil, an individual of the genus Antaecetus from Morocco.

Now there are some interesting anatomical features to mention that either differ between species or just can't be compared. For example the American species of Pachycetus, P. wardii, shows a well developed innominate bone, basically the fused pelvic bones. This is curious as one would think of it as a more basal feature, with derived whales gradually reducing them. The skull is best preserved in Antaecetus and has a very narrow snout. One way to differentiate the two is by the teeth. Pachycetus has larger, more robust teeth while that of Antaecetus are way more gracile and is thought to have had a proportionally smaller skull (in addition to being smaller than Pachycetus in general).

All of this has some interesting implications for their ecology. For instance, why the hell are they so dense? Well its possible that they were shallow water animals using their weight as ballast, staying close to the ocean floor. This would definitely find some support in the types of environments they show up in, which tend to be shallow coastal waters. There are some Ukrainian localities that suggest deeper waters, but that has been interpreted as being the result of migration taking them out of their prefered habitat.

Now while pachycetines were probably powerful swimmers, their dense bones mean that they were pretty slow regardless. And to add insult to injury, they were anything but maneuverable. Remember those long transverse processes? Turns out having them extend over the majority of the vertebral body means theres very little space for muscles in between, which limits sideways movements.

From this one can guess that they weren't pursuit predators and needed to ambush their prey. What exactly that was has been inferred based on tooth wear. Basically, the teeth of Pachycetus show a lot of abrasion and wear, not dissimlar to what is seen in modern orcas that feed on sharks and rays. And low and behold, sharks are really common in the same strata that Pachycetus shows up in. Now since Antaecetus had way more gracile teeth, its thought that it probably fed on less well protected animals like squids and fish.

Below: Pachycetus/Basilotritus catching a fish by @knuppitalism-with-ue

The relationship between pachycetines and other basilosaurids is wonky, again no thanks due to Pachycetus itself being very poorly known. Some studies have suggested that they were a very early branching off-shoot, in part due to their prominent hip bones, but in the most recent study to include them, the description of Tutcetus, they surprisingly came out as not just the most derived basilosaurids but as the immediate sister group to Neoceti, which includes all modern whales. Regardless, in both instances they seem to clade closely with Supayacetus, a small basilosaurid from Peru.

And now for the part that is the most tedious. Taxonomy and history.

Remains of pachycetines have been known for a while and were first described as early as 1873 by Russian scientists. To put into perspective how old that is. The material's history in science predates both World Wars, the collapse of the Russian Empire and even the reign of Tsar Nicholas II. Now initially the idea was to name the animal Zeuglodon rossicum, but the person doing the actual describing changed that to Zeuglodon paulsonii reasoning that it would eventually be found outside of Russia (something that aged beautifully given that Ukraine would eventually become independent).

And this is where the confusion starts to unfold. Because at the same time people unearthed pachycetine fossils in Germany too, which would come be given the name Pachycetus (thick whale) and be established as two species. Pachycetus robustus and Pachycetus humilis, both thought to be baleen whales.

Pictured below: Pierre-Joseph van Beneden who coined Pachycetus and Johann Friedrich Brandt who described Zeuglodon paulsonii. Beneden easily has the better beard.

These latter two names however were later rejected in 1935 by Kuhn and lumped into other species, whereas Zeuglodon paulsonii was elevated to a full on new genus by Remington Kellogg in 1936. For those curious, Platyosphys means "broad loin", in combination with the species "Paulson's broad loin" to the amusement of some friends of mine.

And then people stopped caring and we have a nearly 70 year research gap. Eventually Mark D. Uhen found fossil material in the United States, but interpreted those fossils as being part of the genus Eocetus, naming them Eocetus wardii, a move that many following researchers disagreed with.

Then in 2001 a new species of Platyosphys, P. einori, was named. It's bad, moving on. More importantly, we got the works of Gol'din and Zvonok, who attempted to bring some clarity into the whole thing. To do so they rejected the name Platyosphys on account of the holotype having been lost sometime in WW2 and picked out much better fossil material to coin the genus Basilotritus ("the third king" in allusion to Basilosaurus "king lizard" and Basiloterus "the other king", isn't etymology fun?). They erected the type species Basilotritus uheni and then proclaimed Eocetus wardii to also belong into this genus, making it Basilotritus wardii.

This move was however not followed by other researchers. Gingerich and Zhouri maintained that regardless of being lost, Platyosphys is still valid and can be sufficiently diagnosed by the original drawings from the 19th and early 20th century. And to take a step further they added a new species, Platyosphys aithai (weird, why does that name sound familiar).

Then Van Vliet came and connected all these dots I've set up so far, noting that the fossils of Platyosphys are nearly identical to those of Pachycetus. This lead to the fun little thing were "paulsonii", applied first to Zeuglodon in the 1870s, takes priority over "robustus", coined just a few years later, BUT, the genus name Pachycetus easily predates Platyosphys by a good 60 years. Subsequently, the two were combined. Platyosphys paulsonii and Pachycetus robustus became Pachycetus paulsonii (simplified*). Van Vliet then deemed humilis to be some other whale and carried over Basilotritus uheni, Basilotritus wardii and Platyosphys aithai into the genus Pachycetus. *Technically Pachycetus robustus was tentatively kept as distinct only because of how poorly preserved it was, making comparisson not really possible.

Then finally in the most recent paper explicitly dealing with this group, Gingerich and Zhouri came back, killed off P. robustus for good, sunk Pachycetus uheni into Pachycetus paulsonii for good measure and decided to elevate Pachycetus aithai to genus status after finding a much better second skeleton, coining Antaecetus (after the giant of Greek myth).

And that's were we are right now. Three species in two genera, but only one of them is actually any good. So perhaps at some point in the future we might see some further revisions on that whole mess and who knows, perhaps Basilotritus makes a glorious comeback.

To conclude, sorry about the lack of images, despite the ample history theres just not much good material aside from that one Antaecetus fossil and I didn't want to include 5 different drawings in lateral view. Obligatory Wikipedia links: Pachycetinae - Wikipedia Antaecetus - Wikipedia Pachycetus - Wikipedia

Ideally Supayacetus will be the next whale I tackle, distractions and other projects not withstanding (who knows maybe I'll finally finish Quinkana)

[cryinginmyroomsposts]

Svt as specific tropes cuz I am in a writer's block

a/n: these are purely personal opinions/ imagines. not proofread!

Scoups: enemies to lovers (I'm talking dagger to the throat enemies to "who hurt you" pipeline. scoups and his competitive petty ass would be perfect with an equally competitive and hot-headed oc. I'm talking sizzling chemistry, extreme frustration to tooth-rotting fluff)

Jeonghan: Frenemies to angst to friends to lovers (light-hearted frenemies until one day Jeonghan takes the joke a little too far which leads to angst and years of no-contact. A chance encounter during lowest times leading to a soft adult friendship evolving to a soft and chaotic lovers pipeline)

Joshua: strangers to comfort person to lover (he gives me a feel-good coming of age feels so I'll take a storyline with the heartbroken or worn down oc finding comfort in Shua who could be a stranger or a kind colleague. a full "we helped heal each other" and then moving away due to circumstances only to realise that you need your comfort person)

Jun: holiday romance (nana tour Jun vibes. two strangers in a random city who decide to spend a week having the utmost fun and never meet again... but of course fate brings them together and the angst of reality to eventually finding a balance in the paradise of their holiday whirlwind and reality... it's giving romcom)

Woozi: Best Friends pining for decades (A very soulmate-ish friendship. Woozi and oc are so extremely obvious about their feelings but are oblivious to the reciprocation- it's also obvious to everyone around them. The angst of "what-ifs", and ofcourse songs written abt the feelings, to angry confessions and happy endings. this one includes a lotttt of angst and dozens of bangers mixed with peak domestic behaviour and two ppl so attuned to each other like old married couples)

Hoshi: Accidental dance partners Hoshi and oc (might sound basic but I'm a dancer and it's a very indulgent trope... so yeah! I'm thinking college team dancers in competing teams are forced to pair up for a competition. Out-of-the-world chemistry- can't keep eyes and hands off each other, late night talks, "non-date" date nights and ofc anger issues(performers, duh!). Lots of parties, angst and eventually confessing. She falls first but he falls harder)

Wonwoo: second-chance romance (I think Wonwoo, I think angst(sorry wonu) and second chance. oc and wonu having whirlwind honeymoon phase until oc pushes him away. lots and lots of angst- confused wonu not knowing how to help oc. both of them miserable without the other... until Wonwoo can't take it anymore and makes oc lean on him for support. very gray and grounded in reality romance)

Dokyeom: Small-town romance (sunshine Lee Seokmin as a charming small-town business owner helping big-city-return troubled oc deal with life and falling in love? sign me up for the hallmark movie! Seokmin and his golden best boy smile healing hearts as always)

Mingyu: Arranged Marriage Trope (once again, a very self-indulgent imagination...Oc who doesn't believe in love after a heartbreak, Mingyu who accepted his destiny and never loved anyone. A very practical arranged marriage with both consenting parties. An agreement to stay "partners" and "friends" because they "Can't force feelings". Domestic life leads them to break every rule- written and unwritten... angst rising due to pasts and insecurity... oc's fear of abandonment, Mingyu's fear of attachment... a minor separation and major realisation... their very own happy ending at last! Mingyu Best Husband Agenda forever)

Minghao: Rival Artists with secret identities dating each other (Minghao dates the pretty stranger on a dating app, agree to keep things casual but lo behold they are falling fast and hard... all is well except both have secret identities as artists who are rivals. they love each other but hate the other's alter-ego... ofc this leads to miscommunication and angst, lost ways and breakups. but this is my imagination so they end up together after everything and conquer the art world)

Seungkwan: Celebrity Fake dating trope (Seungkwan would eat that shit up! Two A-list celebs: Seungkwan and oc, who appear together in a show and fans go crazy for their chemistry but they don't pay head. oc gets caught in a false accusation, needs a distraction- agencies make oc and Seungkwan fake date... on-camera they r perfect but off-cam it's all awkward... planned appearances to becoming friends, trauma bonding... sexual tension rises, life gets complicated, lots of angst later they end up dating happily)

Vernon: Falling without meeting each other (two online friends, fake names but authentic friendship across continents fall for each other without ever meeting other. against all odds they end up seeing each other eventually and staying together... this gives me old cinema vibes but in modern times, Vernon is so Vernon that only he'd be fitting)

Dino: High school fake dating (imagine Dino as Peter Kavinsky from To All The Boys I've Loved Before... a popular softie boy agreeing to fake date the silent girl, the only twist is Dino has been in love with her since middle school, he fell first and harder- a full simp! Very romcom coded angst and happy endings ofc- i just know Dino will make a perfect romcom male lead)

[magnetothemagnificent]

My full thoughts on 'You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah':

So first off, going into it, I didn't think I would like it. I don't really watch the tween-angst genre of movies, and the promotional material for the movie made it look like it was just gonna be a movie about Jews having an extravagant and expensive party, which is obviously problematic.

But the movie.....it blew me away. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Things I loved:

-The typical Jewish stereotypes you see in every movie about Jews weren't present. I really expected Adam Sandler's character to be another nebbish pushover Jewish dad stereotype, but he wasn't. He was goofy and soft but also he was strong and passionate about Judaism and his family. When he got really, truly angry at Stacy, I almost cheered. Of course all the characters in the movie are on the upper middle class end, but upon reflection, that's just the genre of movies. There's a genre of tween and teen movies about extravagant birthday parties where the characters live in a world free from poverty, and well, it's nice to have a movie in that genre for ourselves. It's escapism.

-The characters all loved Judaism and being Jewish. Jewish religious practice and belief wasn't treated as a joke or an afterthought. The kids would actually look forward to Hebrew school, and Hebrew school wasn't depicted as boring and stuffy. The religious aspect of a Bat Mitzvah was front and center- it drove the whole story, from Stacy practicing her Maftir (not "Haftarah" as the movie got wrong) as she comes up with her worst mistake, to Stacy working on her Mitzvah project.

-Because the majority of the story occured at the characters' homes and in Hebrew School and Temple, antisemitism wasn't a player in the story, and I liked that. We have so many movies about Jewish pain and suffering, and it's nice to have a light-hearted movie. It doesn't pretend antisemitism doesn't exist, but it's just not relevant to the story.

-Even though it was a movie about a tween girl and all her struggles and insecurities, she was never once insecure about her Jewish features. They could have very easily slipped into the old "Jewish girl hates her nose" but it didn't. And I hope that if Sunny Sandler gets serious about acting as she grows up, she won't feel pressured to get a nose job like so many other Jewish young women do.

-It doesn't pander to goyim and take time to explain every single Jewish word and reference like Hallmark Hanukkah specials do. It's a movie made by Jews for Jews, and it doesn't edit itself to be more palatable to goyim. And I loved that.

Some critiques:

-My biggest criticism is the portrayal of Jewish tween boys. I get that the movie is from Stacy's POV, so as a tween girl she might see all boys her age as gross and as assholes, but I find it problematic that all the Jewish boys were depicted as nasty, while the only boy depicted as nice and polite was not Jewish. I think it plays into stereotypes of Jewish boys and sends a harmful message.

-I loved Rabbi Rebecca, but I think that at times her character went from endearingly awkward to just gross and inappropriate, such as when she talked about her yeast infection in front of her students. I think just a bit of editorial tweaking would have been beneficial for her character.

Overall rating: 9/10, would definitely recommend it to my Jewish friends. Goyim, you might enjoy it, but it really isn't made for you so you might be lost at times. Just accept you're not the target audience.

[cat-in-a-box13]

Twisters HC Part 2, electric boogaloo

ft. my attempts to make a coherent timeline based almost entirely on vibes

Kate and Tyler take an excruciatingly long time to get together. If the movie is set is June (which is what I'm going with based on when tornado season starts and the fact that it makes the most sense for the movie to start a little after the beginning of tornado season), they dance around each other until August after the last chase of the season.

However, by the end of the first week, the Wranglers are sick of their shit. Boone dreams of locking them in a closet together. Javi and Lily actively scheme to make them room together. Dani sticks a post-it note to Tyler's back that says "kiss me" and shoves him at Kate. Dexter intentionally sets their sleeping bags together every time they chase overnight. Nothing works until Kate finally just walks up to him after the last chase of the season and asks if he plans on kissing her, and Tyler responds by dipping her in the sappiest Hallmark kiss you can imagine. No one is sure whether to cheer or groan, because from here on out they will be even more insufferable.

Two weeks after she starts dating Tyler, Kate wakes Javi up in the middle of the night sobbing about how she's going to get him killed just like she got Jeb killed. Javi just silently calls her mom and hands her the phone. Cathy provides expert advice, and Javi provides hesitant head pats because what do you say to that?

Javi and Kate fight like siblings. The first time Javi steals Kate skittles and she full on tackles him, it surprised the Wranglers. The third time, no one even looked up. The seventh time, Tyler just called Cathy and put her on speaker.

Javi's mom left when he was a toddler, and his father traveled a lot for work. When Javi and his dad moved to Sapulpa, they became the Carter's closest neighbors. Rural neighbors, which means there's about a mile of the Carter's farmland in between their houses, but Javi and Kate met when Kathy dragged her over there to deliver a welcome pie.

Because Javi's dad traveled so much, Javi spent a ton of time over at Kate's house, to the point where Kate started calling the guest room, "Javi's room".

Javi's dad died unexpectedly a few weeks after Javi's 18th birthday. Cathy offered to let Javi move in with them, at least until he graduated high school, but Javi insisted on staying at his house, and his room at Kate's house went back to being the guest room. Of course, it didn't stay empty; there was almost always at least one Tornado Tamer that needed a place to crash and now, five years later, Cathy finds herself with a new group of kids (because they're all kids to her) crashing in her guest room and raiding her fridge.

Kate left town a few weeks after the funerals finished. She didn't go straight to New York but instead worked her way up the East Coast for about two years before she landed her meteorology job in New York 3 years before the start of the movie.

Javi drifted aimlessly for about six months before he served four years of active duty in (insert whatever military branch is the most likely to do whatever it was Javi was doing because I don't know how the military works) and is now an IRR for the next four years (I think this is how it works?). He got off active duty about six months before the events of the movie (based on his hair has somewhat grown out of military regulations at the start of the movie, but he still gives off military vibes).

Tyler and his team have been chasing unofficially for about six years, but it wasn't their full-time job until about two years ago, shortly after they brought Lily and her drone on-board.

They don't livestream every chase. Instead, they film for the majority of tornado season and try to get enough footage to be able to release weekly videos through the off-season, in addition to making more educational-type videos about tornadoes and what to do if one is coming for you, as well as showing behind the scenes kind of stuff, like what modifications they've made to the truck and stuff like that. The Wrangler's family dynamic is as much a draw for their audience as the tornadoes are and they know it.

Boone has absolutely stuck a Lego up his nose on a dare, and Dexter yelled at him the whole way to the ER when it got stuck.

Dexter thinks he's the only sane person on the team, but in reality, he gives off serious mad scientist energy when he gets going. He also thinks he's the Team Dad, but it's really Tyler. Dexter is the fun childless uncle that bought you toys your parents hated at Christmas and let you drive the ATV before you were old enough to.

[flightofthejackdaw]

I just had a potentially beautiful potentially horrifying brain blast about KH4.

So Riku's trip to Quadratum has a lot of hallmarks of Cinderella this time, including being sent by Fairy Godmother and his Prince potentially not recognizing him. This is something you're probably already aware of.

The Kingdom Key and Kingdom Key D are based on the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven from Catholicism. They also were created by Riku's heart and now belong to Mickey Mouse (Realm of Light) and Sora (Quadratum.) This is probably something else you probably already know.

The Master of Masters has the ability to summon someone else's keyblade into his own hands, as seen with Young Xehanort in Dark Road, implying that he might be able to steal keyblades. You probably already know this as well.

Do you know how the song at the end of Cinderella goes? The one that plays when Cinderella and Prince Charming dance together after finding each other and confessing their love? The song is "So This is Love" and it's very short, but it contains this sweet little line:

"The Key to All Heaven Is Mine"

I think that, at the end of KH4, either Riku or MoM will have either the Kingdom Key or the Kingdom Key D. Probably the Kingdom Key. Probably MoM, since he needs a Keyblade. And poor Sora will have to contend with his self-worth issues about not being important if he doesn't have his Keyblade to save people. We might get a Riku confession, or at least a Riku admitting to himself that he's in love... but the counterbalance might be Sora's self-worth.

What do you think? Am I maybe reaching a bit too much?

Wow, that is amazing! I’ve definitely thought about the Kingdom Key D but wasn’t sure if it was ever going to get brought up again. But you’ve just cracked open a major can of worms there, and it MAKES SENSE!

Also the thing with MoM being able to summon others Keyblades helps a pet theory I have that No Name was never his Keyblade but was always Luxu’s. That either MoM has a different Keyblade or doesn’t have one at all, which would be interesting

It does sound like reaching, but this is Kingdom Hearts we’re talking about and this kind of insane depth is to be expected and this “reaching” is exactly what Nomura wants us to do. As overanalysing and looking deeply into what he has written is such a big part of what makes Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts!

I’ll be keeping this idea of yours in mind when we get KH4. If you’re right you are so insanely smart, and we’re about to get our own hearts completely trampled over if this ends you being true

[honeysuckleharringtons]

"Forever Valentine" ~ E. Munson

Summary: When you aren't feeling yourself one Valentine's Day, Eddie is determined to make you feel better and let you know that you are his forever valentine.

Pairing: Mechanic!Husband!Eddie Munson x Wife!Reader (no pronouns used but Reader is called Wife)

Word Count: 938

Content Warning: Reader is lowkey depressed, mentions of food, sorta implied smut but not really?

Genre: Hurt/Comfort and some Fluff

Extra Notes: NAWT THE BAD SUMMARY AGAIN 😭

Based On the Request: "I've been feeling quite sad and not like my usual self. Do you think you can make a comfort/fluff of reader feeling similarly and Eddie helping with cuddles and snacks and whatever else you think of?" (requested by @rupsmorge)

Originally Written: 02/14/2023

Beta Read By: @dungeons-are-too-cold

honeysuckleharringtons masterlist can be found here!

honeysuckleharringtons ask box can be found here!

It was four p.m. on Valentine's Day, and to say that thus far it had been underwhelming… Well, that was a major understatement.

It hadn't been all bad. Eddie had woken you up at the crack of dawn with a kiss on the forehead, whispering promises of a surprise when he got home from work that afternoon. When you'd finally forced yourself out of bed at around noon, you walked into the kitchen to see he'd left you a bouquet of red roses and a note that read,

"I'm not good with words, but to be fair, I don't know if there are words to tell you how happy I am to be your forever valentine. Happy first married Valentine's Day, my love." - Ed ♡

And sure, those things made you happy. You yourself couldn't believe that it was the first Valentine's Day you were spending as a married couple. But no matter how many chocolate hearts you ate or bottles of champagne you popped, it couldn't change the fact that you'd been in a horrible funk lately and had no clue how to fix it.

So, instead of asking for help, you did what any normal human being would in this situation—turned on cheesy Hallmark movies, wrapped the teddy bear that Eddie had given you last year in your arms, and ate strawberry ice cream straight out of the container.

You hadn't even realized that you were on your third rom-com of the day until Eddie crept into the house, left a ghost of a kiss on your ear, and commented, "Is this really what you do when I'm at the shop?"

You gave him a sideways smile, putting on your best show of happiness for him. Valentine's Day was one of his favorite holidays, because there was no way you could fight him on spoiling you for the day.

"Not always," you answered, "only on special occasions."

"Speaking of special occasions," he said, leaning down for a kiss on the lips, "happy Valentine's Day."

As he pulled away, he held out his hands, revealing the handiwork of what he'd been doing during the overtime he'd been working the past week.

He held out a metal rose, with "Eddie + YN" engraved in one of the petals. Sure, it wasn't the most practical of gifts, but to you, it meant the whole world. Eddie using his talents to make meaningful trinkets just for you? Swoon.

Tears poured down your cheeks as you took the hunk of metal from his hands, holding the material close to your chest. "Thank you, Ed," you managed to say through sobs, your chest heavy with some odd mixture of love and guilt.

Eddie almost immediately picked up that those weren't tears of happiness, prompting him to pull you into his embrace. His curls fanned out around you as he held your head against his chest, leaving soft kisses on the top of your head.

"What's wrong?" he asked, rubbing small circles on your back.

"Nothing," you lied, attempting to slow the flow of your tears. "Just super happy that you made this for me."

He let out a deep sigh, holding you close as he led the two of you down to the couch. Pulling you into his lap, he turned you to face him and pushed your now wet hair away from your cheeks. "I can't fix the problem if I don't know what it is," he told you. "Please, tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," you insisted. "These are happy tears."

"If I said or did something-" he started to say, but you stopped that thought before he could even finish thinking it.

You placed a loving hand on his cheek, your thumb gliding softly against the stubble growing there. "You could never do anything to upset me. Well, except for when you leave your grease rags lying around."

He chuckled before leaving a long, soft peck on your forehead. "I love you. So much. Please come to me if you ever need me. There's a reason I asked to be your husband."

You melted into his embrace, tossing your legs over his and wrapping your arms around his neck. "I just…" you started, pausing to consider your words, "I've just been in a small funk lately."

"Whatcha mean?" Eddie asked in a whisper, placing his large palm in the center of your back.

"I've just been really sad. And tired. And I just feel off. I don't even remember how it feels to be my normal self," you explained. "I didn't say anything because I knew you were busy with work."

"Hey, hey, hey," he stopped you, his hand moving from your back to your hair, his fingers softly tugging at the ends, "never hesitate to tell me things just because of work. Work can wait. The second you slid this ring on my finger and I said, 'I do,' you became my top priority."

The two of you stayed like that for a while, enjoying the comfort of one another's embrace. He held you tight against his chest, whispering quiet "I love you's" against the shell of your ear, and trailing kisses along your neck.

"I love you too," you answered eventually, giving him an actual smile this time.

"Since it's Valentine's Day," he said as a smirk appeared on his perfectly plump lips, "can I show you just how much I love you, my beautiful, *kiss* amazing, *kiss* wonderful wife?"

You giggled, a smile sitting on your lips as they landed on his for a passionate, slow, strawberry-flavored kiss. "I *kiss* would love *kiss* nothing more."

Aaahh, happy belated Valentine's Day, lovers!! I tried so hard to have this up on Valentine's Day but alas, good things take time and I had to wait. But, I hope it was well worth it because I absolutely love how this turned out!

Thank you so much to @rupsmorge for this lovely request!! May everyone's sweetheart Eddie make you feel better and give you a lil comfort 🫶🏻💗🫂

-> Taglist: @dungeons-are-too-cold @ducky-died-inside @awkotaco24 @princesseddie @aftermidnightwriting @manuosorioh @hereiamhereigo @esoltis280

[dayenurose]

I know this is a bit late in coming, but it is here (at last!). For @roguegambitweek Day 3 - MojoWorld.

I decided to do something a bit different this year for my annual Romy fic rec list. Instead of simply making a list, I decided to write a fanfic fic rec fic. This layers within layers effort was certainly a stretch of creativity, but I think it turned out rather well. I hope you enjoy!

TGIRomy by DayenuRose

Summary:

Rogue and Gambit receive a mysterious invitation to a movie night. Will the accept the invitation, or is it a trap? Will Rogue, Remy, Jubilee, Kitty and Logan agree on what to watch? And, why is no one paying attention to the commercials? Find out all this and so much more when you tune in for TGIR!—Thank God It’s Romy! Fridays at 8/7 Central.

(Read on [ao3])

And now for the main feature…

T.G.I.Romy - A MojoVerse Fic Rec List

The premise of this rec list is relatively simple–fics which could be a show on Mojo-verse TV. Most of these are some variety of AU or crossover, although a few are a bit more ‘canon compliant’. I’ve broken the list into two. The first half are the ones which appear in my fic rec fanfic. The second are those fics which fit the topic, but I wasn’t able to include in the fic. I hope you enjoy these fics.

Reality TV

Beauty and the Geek, X-Men Style by Chellerbelle @chellerbelles [ao3] [ff.net]

Rating: T | Universe: Evo | Words: 73,969 | Status: Complete

Summary: AU: The cast of X-Men Evolution does the reality TV show Beauty and the Geek. Can ten beautiful women and men, and ten intelligent men and women learn to become a whole lot more?

Notes: Chelle created a fun opening credits of the show. There’s a link in the first chapter “Notes.”

Sitcom/Holiday Special

Everyone Loves ROMY! - HOLIDAY SPECIAL Episode by NicoPony @nicopony79 [ao3] [ff.net]

Rating: G | Universe: Comics | Words: 12,610 | Status: Complete

Summary: It’s Christmas Eve on Krakoa with Mr. & Mrs. X. What holiday surprises are in store for our favorite couple and their family? It’s up to one merry Elf to make the season bright! Guest appearance by the Man in the Red Suit!

Notes: Written in script format.

Hallmark Movie

Chapter 5 - Day 4: So Close to Reaching That Famous Hallmark End of Fourteen Ways to Fall for You by lettersfromnowhere @lettersfromn0where [ao3] [ff.net]

Rating: G | Universe: X-Men | Words: 2,549 (Chapter 5) | Status: Complete

Summary: Day 4: this is why you should never give aliens access to TV movies - you’ll probably end up with a simulation somewhat like this over-the-top royal-and-commoner AU straight out of a Hallmark movie.

Notes: Each chapter is a different ‘genre.’ Chapter 5 focuses on our Hallmark Movie theme, though the whole story is a fun read. While the chapter begins (and ends) with a framing device which is part of the greater story plot, the chapter does work as a standalone.

Western

Gambler’s Bounty by Sandmans_Raven @sandmansraven [ao3]

Rating: T | Universe: X-Men | Words: 31,150 | Status: WIP

Summary: Shady things are afoot in Colorado. Who is Dr. Millbury and what does his miracle elixir actually do?

Notes: All of Sandmans’ fics are a great read. I highly recommend all of them.

Heist

Lebeau’s Eleven by IlargiKat @ilargikat [ao3]

Rating: G | Universe: Comics | Words: 14,182 | Status: WIP

Summary: Planning a heist is not easy, especially when you need special skills to pull it off. The luck of being an X-Men is that the skills are within reach, maybe not people willing to commit a heist.

Notes: While the G Rating is fine for the majority of the story, Chapter 5 is really more of a M rating.

Sci-Fi - X-Files

Strange Encounter by Valerie J [ff.net]

Rating: T | Universe: Comics | Words: 16,662 | Status: Complete

Summary: When a strange woman falls out of the sky without being harmed, Mulder and Scully are sent to investigate. X Men X Files crossover.

Faith and Dreams by Valerie J [ff.net]

Rating: T | Universe: Comics | Words: 64,232

Summary: Sequel to Strange Encounter. Dana Scully never really expected to see the mutants again. But when tragedy strikes, Dana finds herself embroiled in an alien conspiracy that threatens not only her world. But the Xmen’s as well. X Men X Files crossover.

Notes: Here’s two episodes for the price of one.

Special Features

Heist - Round 2

Counting Drinks by Sandmans_Raven @sandmansraven [ao3]

Rating: T | Universe: Comics | Words: 2,092 | Status: Complete

Summary: It’s a hot one at Gus’s Saloon.

Notes: If I could choose the way Rogue and Gambit the live action universe, it would be in a Leverage-esque series where Rogue and Gambit pull off heists and cons in order to help those who get taken advantage of by the rich and powerful. From time to time, they are joined by the Thieves Guild and their closest friends—Storm, Nightcrawler, Wolverine (Laura and Logan). When I read this fic, I felt like it would be a perfect episode of this show.

Bonus Heist Non-Fic

Playing for Keeps by NickBateman [YouTube]

FanFilm: (no summary on site) - Gambit is invited to an exclusive poker game featuring the worst of the worst. When the stakes are this high, did anybody actually expect this to play out differently?

Note: Who said all fan creations must be fanfics? Enjoy a fanfilm. This heist/con would also fit for an episode of my imagined series.

Sci-Fi - Matrix

Chapter 4 - Real Love of Threads by Ludi_Ling @ludi-ling [ao3] [ff.net]

Rating: M | Universe: X-Men | Words: 11,176 (Chapter 4) | Status: Complete

Summary: Whilst on a mission Rogue and Gambit become stranded in a world where the very reality of their love is tested. Movie-crossover.

Notes: Like “Fourteen Ways to Fall for You,” each chapter is a different universe. This was also another fic I read early in my Romy journey. It introduced me to many different worlds where we might find Romy (some worlds are comics adjacent while others are created out of whole cloth for this fic).

Quick content warning for the Matrix chapter - there’s some Rogneto and cheating. The OTP is definitely Romy, but Rogue is ‘technically’ in a relationship with Magneto, so your mileage may vary.

Sci-Fi - Pacific Rim

Compatible by DayenuRose @dayenurose [ao3] [ff.net]

Rating: T | Universe: Comics | Words: 2,891 | Status: WIP

Summary: Rogue is a former Jaeger pilot who has no interest in finding a new drift-compatible partner. Gambit is a potential Jaeger pilot who is unable to find a drift-compatible partner. Sparks fly–both figurative and literal–when these two meet. She wants nothing to do with him. He wants to understand her. WIll Rogue and Gambit be able to help each other gain control of their powers and reach their full potential in time to help save the world?

Sci-Fi - Star Wars (Clone Wars)

A Long, Long Time Ago: X by Seagull18 (crossoverqueen9703 on ff.net) [ao3] [ff.net]

Rating: G | Universe: Evo | Words: 22,928 | Status: WIP

Summary: “Routine missions” are a joke to anyone remotely connected to a Skywalker, but if really shouldn’t include Anakin and Ahsoka getting caught by pirates and escaping with the master bounty hunter that caught them in the first place.

Or: Remy Lebeau, better known as Gambit, had never been one for subtlety; when he wants something, he rarely lets petty things like laws and common sense get in his way. If common sense said kidnapping Jedi and selling them out to pirates after siad pirates tried to kill him for cheating at gambling was a bad idea, he had no intention of listening to it.

Or: The only people with worse luck than the Skywalker lineage are X-Men. Rogue planned on spending her week freeing prisoners, test subjects, and slaves from a bunch of lame space pirates. The plan did not work.

Or: Post X-Men: Evolution Gambit and Rogue in Clone Wars.

Notes: This fic appears to end at Chapter 17, but the fic is marked as a WIP. Take that as you will.

War Film/Period Piece

Uncanny X-Men 1943 by stellarose [ao3]

Rating: M | Universe: X-Men | Words: 44,114 | Status: Complete

Summary: X-Men AU. Emma Frost runs Division X, a classified squad within the secretive Special Operations Executive based in London. It isn’t their job to win the war, only to save those they can. Emma’s squad of Psylocke, Angel, Logan, and Fantomex set out [to] rescue three mutants trapped in occupied and increasingly hostile France. But when the mission takes a turn for the worse, Emma and the team must decide if they cut their losses, or fight twice as hard to bring everyone home.

Notes: Romy is a secondary couple in this fic, but I do enjoy and highly recommend it. I read this early on in my Romy journey and this fic has always stuck with me.

[wttcsms]

balancing act fan anon here again 👋🏼 girl…… i will take anything that you got for this fic (i really may be the only feral gojo fan u got in ur fanbase 🥲)

one of my favorite parts abt writing balancing act is the idea that reader is seen as this total girlboss (in the least cringe way, i swear 😭) so she’ll sometimes be described as - or even describes herself - as that annoying antagonistic evil woman in the hallmark movies. you know, the one that the businessman male lead is engaged to but ends up dumping in favor of choosing the sweeter, nice small town girl instead. but a major part of balancing act is emphasizing how in relationships, there's sort of a part we choose to play when we enter them. so, we get a glimpse of this in the first chapter when reader is talking to utahime, and in the narration, it's mentioned that reader cannot believe that utahime's ex boyfriend broke up w her because he considered her to be "shy" and "demure" but it's commented that reader recalls utahime drunkenly choking out gojo during karaoke night when they were in college; there's nothing shy or demure abt that. and so u wonder (but never ask) about how utahime presented herself in that relationship.

some fun scenes + notes that i took for balancing act:

reader and gojo make intense, intimate eye contact and reader gets nervous, dare i say, thrown off balance, and he thinks you're going to say something sweet and you are thinking of saying something nice and genuine to him but what comes out is "you need to get some brown contacts. seriously." and then u walk off and ur like what the actual fuck did i just say that, why did i say that. he's thinking wtf too

reader is kinda ass at cooking, so u go to a convenience store nearby ur apartment but that one closed down (a recurring anecdote LMAO), so u resort to going to a 7/11 that GOJO happens to go to often and you know how there's like a section where u can cook the ramen or food u purchased and ur just sitting there eating, decompressing after work, and out of the corner of ur eye, who do u see? GOJO

cue awkward, accusatory "what are you doing here?!" against his "me? i live like two blocks from here, and i'm here every week, what are you doing here?" and ur like "every week? that is so not the brag you think it is." despite the fact that reader's dinner like 3x a week is instant ramen heated up in a convenience store microwave

and reader is kind of embarrassed bc u feel like this is something lame of u, almost shameful, because again, appearances to u matter. but gojo is fucking loaded and u see the fancy takeout he gets for lunch in the office so ur confused as to why he's eating instant spicy noodles and using the same public microwave you just used, and he's like, well, the food here is really cheap

and ur like "yea cause it's packed w preservatives and chemicals." and hes like "well u seem to be enjoying ur preservatives and chemicals." and ur like "yes. they say u should eat ur skincare. this is cheaper than botox. im gonna be so preserved, i'm going to look this way forever." and now, ur once a week ritual is to sit next to each other and eat instant ramen

blah blah blah, this is abt how there is no performance when it comes to each other; although, maybe it'll be touched on/mentioned that in the beginning stages of you two being in the process of opening up to each other, there is still a level of performance going on (re: reader immediately trying to turn the embarrassment u feel abt herself by "shaming" gojo for doing the same exact thing only to end up enjoying his company and doing said activity together. maybe something abt how u two always exchange this performance (insulting each other) like it's a type of pleasntry; their own little version of a "hi, how are you" type thing)

short scene immediately after is a convo w him and geto, where geto asks whats got him so happy and gojo is like "we're getting botox together."

and the whole point of ur relationship and why it’ll work and why it’s just so different is that between the two of you, y'all have both always been performative in ur respective romantic relationships (to a certain extent)

but w gojo, reader is unabashedly and sometimes even embarrassingly yourself, your full self, in front of him and when we finally get to month three of the story, you're trying to seduce him, so u get all dressed up

and gojo knows ur trick and he stays strong but what gets him to snap and give in

is when he sees u in the morning, making coffee, no makeup, messy hair, wearing his shirt

ALSO, u tell gojo he's annoying bc he makes u laugh all the time which makes ur makeup crease around ur smile lines + gojo says softly, hidden by the sounds of ur laughter, "but i like ur smile lines. i like your smile"

gojo can be a sweetiepie, reader just needs to have a breakdown in front of him

i wouldn't say it's angst, i think both need to have their own moment of self reflection to be like ok damn, this is who i am as a person. and again, you're both used to being performative people

you'll have a moment where you're close to each other, and the conversation turns serious and maybe even oddly sweet, and reader's "instincts" just kick in and so u back away, both physically and figuratively, trying to change the subject

and i think an important aspect is that this is out of gojo's comfort zone as well; he can joke around, he can be a (poor) flirt, he teases, and so he's putting himself out there by also engaging in serious convo w you, in being the most open about himself

and so it's v hurtful to see the light at the end of the tunnel, to believe that you can really let him in and that it's worth putting himself out there

and so, rationally, he can only handle being shut out (while also feeling like he's being thrown aside) for so long

so cliche, he's drawing back and now you're the one who has to do the pulling him in while he's somewhat pushing you out

just, moral of the story, u can't expect someone to love u unless you show up with your full self in tow and allow them to know you

and being a #corporategirlboss isn't as much fun as buzzfeed articles will have u believing

and so i think you are v focused on ur looks as well

and u two go on a business trip

and ur luggage goes missing which contains ur makeup bag

and ur like tweaking tf out LMAO

[sergeant-angels-trashcan]

One thing I love about the Hatchetfield Cycle is that, even though they are fun and camp and deeply moving, they do not have happy endings. In TGWDLM and NPMD it's a classic bait-and-switch, we think we're getting a sweet ending and then someone bursts into a song that makes you go "oh. They're evil now." And BF presumably ends in nuclear winter but we do see a moment when everyone is reunited and preparing to escape the mall.

There's also levels of self-awareness and breaking the third wall. TGWDLM is obvious, but BF has General McNamara chastising the audience for being obsessed with their phones in "Monsters and Men" as well as Tom and Lex moving boxes for a scene change. NPMD has the least instances of this, and less obvious, but in "Hatchet Town" the crowd sings about how singing is simply creating opportunities for their children to get attacked, but they keep singing.

This is incredibly Brechtian and all three musicals are in the tradition of epic theatre (epic being the school of theatrical theory and not in reference to scale). A hallmark of epic theatre is denying the audience catharsis. The end of the play is not supposed to be tied up into a neatly packaged message, and you're not supposed to get lost in the story of the play. You are supposed to remember yourself so that the commentary that is happening on stage (and there is always commentary, epic theatre is deeply political) and see how it pertains to your life, the world around you. I'd argue all of Starkid's major musicals have a political point and rarely is it as subtle as it is in NPMD. I can think of three songs right now that are explicitly about being American and American cultural hypocrisy.

They also look at government, and how government fails us (very Brechtian).

Utilizing the audience and the entire theatre is often funny, but it keeps the audience from getting complacent. One of the actors hands you his half-eaten apple, that's jarring. The world of the play isn't separate from your world as an audience.

It's easy to be taken with the lore of the universe (I have theories about the Black and White, let's talk) and how great the songs are, and it's easy to say that they're good. But like. They're not just good. They're absolutely incredible modern examples of epic theatre or the next stage of epic theatre (because they do give us moments of catharsis, they just don't close with it). I don't understand how colleges are not frothing for rights to perform these plays. I have a lot more thoughts but I just wanted to get that out. It makes sense since they're all theatre kids--even if they aren't thinking "Brecht Brech Brecht" the entire time, that cathartic denial and incorporation of the audience are absolutely purposeful and not just because it's fun. These shows are amazing.

[fluentmoviequoter]

The Artist and The Art

Pairing: Dalton Lambert x fem!reader

Summary: While you hide your feelings for Dalton, his life changes and suddenly you don't know where you fit.

Warnings: angst to fluff with some hurt/comfort

Word Count: 3.0k+ words

A/N: This is inspired by a Hallmark movie (Chance at Romance / Friend Request), so just prepare for that.

Dalton Lambert Masterlist | Request Info/Fandom List

Whoever made the map handout for JPU has apparently never walked the campus. With no legend or compass to orient yourself, it’s easy to get lost in the labyrinth of identical buildings. There’s a small mark on the building you’re supposed to go to, which would only be helpful if you knew where you were standing now.

Sighing, you look up from the map and search for a friendly face. Dozens of people are walking around, but most have their heads down or are talking to the people beside them. Finally, you see a boy walking by himself. He glances up and sends you a closed-lip smile.

“Hi, sorry,” you say, stepping toward him. “Can you help me? I’m trying to find my class and I have absolutely no idea where I am going.”

He chuckles, pointing at the map in your hand. “That certainly isn’t helping.”

“No, it is not.”

He holds his hand out for it and squints at it before handing it to someone else as they pass. They take it without a word, and you laugh. The boy smiles and moves beside you, facing the same way as you.

“Okay, so you’re going to walk down this sidewalk until you get to the arch. Turn left before the arch and you’re there,” he explains.

“Thank you so much.”

 “No problem. I’m Dalton, by the way. Maybe I’ll see you around. Good luck.”

“Nice to meet you.”

After introducing yourself, you turn away and walk toward the arch (which wasn’t on the map, you think). Dalton watches you walk away and brushes his hair back, smiling as he hopes to see you again.

✯✯✯✯✯

Sitting on a stoop outside the library, you keep your head down until someone calls your name. Looking up, you smile when you see Dalton walking toward you.

“Hey,” you reply, standing up. “Good to see you again.”

“Again?” the girl beside him asks, smiling at him. “Well done, Dolphin.”

Dalton rolls his eyes, whispering for her to stop before apologizing to you. “This is Chris.”

“We’re going out for coffee. Want to come with?” Chris invites you.

You look at Dalton, and when he smiles, you agree. Gathering your things, you fall into step beside Dalton.

“What’s your major?” he asks.

You tell him, then ask, “Art?”

Dalton looks over at you with wide eyes, his jaw dropped slightly.

“You were outside the art building when we met,” you explain. “And you have charcoal all over the side of your hand.”

Glancing down, Dalton nods when he sees his hand.

“Dalton needs a model,” Chris interjects. “Care to volunteer your time and face for his artistic pursuits?”

“Chris,” Dalton chides.

“What’s the model for?” you ask, ignoring Dalton’s awkward reaction.

“We’re supposed to find something to draw that is different than us.”

“And that’s me? You don’t even know me,” you point out, smiling as you open the café door.

“If I say I’d like to?” Dalton mumbles, looking down before glancing back up when he sees your smile.

“I would tell you that I’d like to get to know you too. Although I’m not sure I’m model material.”

“Oh, you are,” Dalton promises, his cheeks growing warm when your smile widens.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Can you turn your head to your right? Sorry, my right,” Dalton requests, looking at your face with his head tilted to the side.

“So, how many other models did you ask before you got to my name?” you tease.

“Funny. All of them, actually,” Dalton replies, playing along.

You smile, falling silent as you try to stay at the angle Dalton needs.

“Tell me something,” he requests.

“Tell you what?”

“Anything, just talk.”

You nod, thinking of something you haven’t shared with many people. “There’s a lake in a forest about 40 miles north of here. When I was a kid, I went with one of my friends and fell in love with the area. As soon as we got back, I asked my parents to take me, but they were always too busy or couldn’t afford the trip, something. I got older, and that friend moved away, but the memory of that lake, the peace that I felt while I was there, never left me. The day that I got my driver’s license I drove up there and it was- it was as perfect as I remembered.”

“Have you been recently?” Dalton asks, lifting his pencil from the paper.

“No, but I’d love to go again soon,” you answer. “Maybe you could come, too, if you want.”

Dalton smiles as he sets his sketchpad aside. “I’d love to.”

✯✯✯✯✯

You’ve known Dalton for a week, and you’re falling for him. Hitting it off with him was easy - effortless, even - but you didn’t expect things to escalate so quickly.

Despite the growing affection for him, you think you’re destined to be friends, so you hide your feelings. You support him and your art as an outlet for your emotions, using the veil of friendship to keep your heart intact.

Unknown to you, Dalton is falling for you, too. Each kind comment you give him, your pretty smile, and your soft touch make him fall deeper. He has a sketchbook full of pictures of you and things that remind him of you, hidden behind his bed where you can never stumble upon it accidentally.

While you pretend to be content staying friends, both of your lives change in a moment, and you’re no longer sure if you can have any future with Dalton Lambert.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Dalton, a moment,” Professor Armagan asks as she dismisses the class. “I have some news to share with you.”

Dalton nods, wondering what news she could be referring to.

“I showed your recent piece, the difference project, to one of my colleagues. He loves it, and wants to write an article about you and your work.”

“Why?” Dalton asks, unable to comprehend what he is hearing.

“It is very good, Dalton,” she answers. “Perhaps the best you’ve done; whatever the inspiration was, it would be wise to keep it around if possible. Art journals are a great way to grow as an artist, to jumpstart your career.”

“I mean- it’s an honor. Thank you,” Dalton responds.

“So, you will do it?”

“Would you?”

“Absolutely. But you are not me and this is your decision, Dalton.”

“Yeah, I’ll do it.”

“Great, Mr. Lambert. I will give him your contact information. There is likely an art show in your future, so continue the good work.”

Dalton rushes out of the art building and to your dorm. Knocking until you open the door, he walks into your room before you have time to say anything.

“Professor Armagan showed one of my pieces to one of her artist friends and now he wants to interview me for an article in some renowned art journal,” he explains quickly.

“Dalton, that’s amazing! Congratulations!” you cheer, pulling him into a hug.

He sighs, relaxing in your hold as your presence calms him.

“Thank you,” he murmurs against your shoulder, wrapping his arms around your waist.

You pull back too soon, trying to maintain your cover of ‘just friends.’ “I knew you were a great artist, Dalton.”

“Thanks for believing in me.”

✯✯✯✯✯

Within a week, you feel like you’ve been pushed to the sidelines of Dalton’s life, watching something you are no longer part of. After the first interview, he scheduled another one with a magazine and started planning his debut art show. The art world knows his name now, and though you’re happy for him, you’re also heartbroken at the idea of losing him.

“Hey,” Chris says, falling into the seat beside you.

“Hi,” you answer, looking away from Dalton, where he is talking to a group of art students.

“When’s the last time you talked to him?”

“Um, last Friday I think? Right before the second interview.” You sigh, leaning back.

“He’s not forgetting about you,” Chris says kindly. “He’s adjusting to a new life, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want you in it.”

You look over at her, and she adds, “You’re not as good at hiding it as you think you are. Neither of you are.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?” you whisper. “Because I feel like I’m an observer, not a participant.”

“He invited you to the art show, right?”

“Yeah. Gave me a VIP ticket and asked me to come by early.”

“Well, that sounds like a chance to me. Dalton is, well, he’s Dalton, and you already know that he’s not the extrovert he’s being right now. This is an act for him, just like being his friend was an act for you. And neither of you can keep those facades up for long.”

“You’re saying that he’ll go back to normal someday and I’ll expose myself as being in love with him, too.”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Chris answers as she stands. “Just don’t wait too long. I’d rather not find out if artists have groupies or anything.”

You laugh, and Dalton looks up. He may be distant, but he never took his eyes or his mind off you. Able to find you in any crowd, Dalton smiles, and you think things may be looking up.

✯✯✯✯✯

As you prepare for Dalton’s first art show, you attempt to convince yourself that Chris is right. Hoping that the perfect moment presents itself, you plan to tell Dalton the truth: that you’re falling for him and want to be with him.

Adjusting your outfit, you take a deep breath before you walk into the art gallery. The show doesn’t begin for a few more minutes, but artists and professors are present when you enter.

You expected to be impressed by the pieces Dalton chose to display, but your breath catches when you see that many pictures are of you. Forgetting about your plan to find Dalton, you’re enraptured by his art and begin walking around the gallery and looking at each piece. Some of them you modeled for, others are from memory, or he drew them while you weren’t looking. Smiling at the first picture he drew of you, you remember that Dalton is around here somewhere and set out to find him. This many pictures has to be a good sign, you think, a chance that he feels similarly.

Turning a corner, you finally find Dalton and your smile falls. He’s talking to another girl, tracing a gentle finger over her face as he explains how to draw the angles of bone structures. He’s treating her like she is the art on display, and you feel tears gathering in your eyes before you turn and exit the gallery. As the tears fall, you get in your car and leave; leave the show, pass JPU, and then leave town. There is only one place where you can go to feel better, to feel whole again, and you hope it’s enough.

✯✯✯✯✯

Dalton looks up suddenly, dropping his hand to his side.

“Are you okay?” the woman beside him asks.

“Was there a girl standing there a minute ago?” Dalton asks, pointing to his right. “Really pretty? Maybe looking at me?”

“Uh, yeah,” she answers, nodding. “She looked kind of upset, though.”

Dalton clenches his jaw, looking around for Chris or Professor Armagan. He finds Chris first, rushing to her side as he says your name.

“What about her?” Chris asks.

“Where is she?”

“Here, I thought.”

“No, she-“ Dalton tugs his hair in frustration. “She saw me talking to a prospective manager, and I’m so stupid… She left and I don’t know where she went.”

“I’m not disagreeing, but how are you stupid?”

“I was touching her face to explain the angles when drawing.”

“Dalton! You knew she was coming early to see you, what were you thinking?”

“I don’t know! But I have to do something, Chris.”

“You can’t leave.”

“Yes, I can.”

“No, you can’t,” Professor Armagan says, walking to Dalton’s side. “Unless it’s some kind of emergency.”

“It is,” Dalton promises. “The girl that I- the girl in all the pictures was here and then she left. I need to find her and explain something to her.”

“Go,” Professor Armagan says, passing Dalton her keys. “I will cover for you. You are lucky that artists are dramatic, they will love this.”

“Dalton, where are you going to go? She won’t go back to her dorm,” Chris points out, following him to the front door.

Someone calls his name, and he turns to Chris, ignoring his new fans and art collectors. “I know where she’s going.”

Chris nods. “Be careful. And find her.”

Dalton finds Professor Armagan’s keys and starts the car, glad to see her gas tank is full. 40 miles separate you and him, and he plans to close that distance forever.

✯✯✯✯✯

You don’t care about your nice, new outfit anymore as you sit on the sand. The waves lap up onto the shore as you stare out over the water; it reflects the trees and the moon in the sky above. It’s still peaceful, but as you wipe your tears with the back of your hand, you can only think about how Dalton said he’d like to come with you someday.

After a few minutes, you give up on holding your tears in and let yourself feel everything you’ve been keeping buried. You go through the emotions of falling for Dalton and losing him at the same time, your sobs mixing with the sound of the water and the wind blowing through the trees.

“It was just supposed to be a picture,” you whisper to yourself.

“But it wasn’t.”

Turning quickly, you don’t expect to see Dalton standing behind you. Your face is still wet with tears, and seeing him doesn’t help them slow.

“What are you doing here?” you ask, looking away from him.

“You were gone.”

Dalton sits beside you, his hand extended between you as he traces something in the sand.

“How’d you even know I was there?” you mumble.

“I can find you anywhere. It’s easier when you’re always on my mind.”

“That’s not a reason to leave.”

“Yeah, it is, a good one. I need my model, my good luck charm, my best friend.” You nod slowly, before he adds, “The girl I’m falling in love with.”

You laugh sadly as another round of tears breaks free. “Don’t do this,” you beg.

“What am I doing?”

“Trying to make me feel better. I know we’re just friends, Dalton. You don’t have to lie to make me stop crying or go back with you.”

“I’m not lying, and I don’t want to just be friends. Do you seriously think I would have sketchbooks full of pictures with you if I didn’t have feelings for you? Every piece in that art show is inspired by you.”

“But-“

“I know how it looked, me talking to her and touching her. I didn’t think about it before I did it, and I’m sorry.”

“Who is she?”

“Someone who wants to be my manager.”

Your hand moves closer to Dalton’s, and he smiles.

“I said no,” he adds.

“You really followed me because you noticed I left?”

“I didn’t follow you. Just knew where you’d go. But I would follow you anywhere.”

“I don’t know if I can do this, Dalton. There’s so much going on and I don’t want to get in the way of what you love.”

“You are what I love,” Dalton argues. “And I promise to keep you by my side and in my sketchbook no matter what happens. If you’ll let me.”

You look over at Dalton; he looks like he did when you first met, shy but glad to be talking to you. Though Dalton got famous practically overnight, how he looks at you and treats you has never changed, and you believe everything he has said.

“I want you to,” you whisper, pushing your hand into his as you move toward him. “And I promise to stay there; by your side more than in your sketchbooks, preferably.”

“Pretty models have to be drawn.”

“Fine,” you concede, laughing as you lean toward him. “I promise to stay by your side and in your sketchbook no matter what happens.”

Closing the distance, you kiss Dalton for the first time. His hands move to your waist as you lay yours against his chest, neither of you concerned with the sand covering your clothes. When you pull back and smile at Dalton, you kiss his cheek when you see the moon reflected in his eyes before you stand up and wait for him to join you.

“Next time we come here, can it be for a better reason?” you request.

Dalton laughs, then suddenly looks down at the sand on his suit.

“Is that a rental?” you ask, biting your lip to keep from laughing.

“No, it’s mine. The, uh- I brought Professor Armagan’s scarily clean car, though.”

“Well,” you say, smiling as you pat his chest. “Looks like you’re staying here or selling a picture to pay to get it detailed.”

“You would leave me here?”

“Not for long.”

Dalton wraps his arms around your waist, turning you to face the water with him as you lean against his chest.

“When we come back, can I draw you here? You were right, it is peaceful, and I like that you’re happy here,” Dalton says quietly.

“Sure. But, just so you know, I’m happy when I’m with you. Whether we’re here or with Chris or just sitting in your dorm, I like being with you.”

“Prove it,” Dalton begins, “come to my next art show and stay with me.”

“Buy me dinner after and I’m in.”

“Anything for the art.”

“If I’m the art, and you’re the artist… you get way more credit than me.”

“But you’re way prettier.”

You laugh, and Dalton turns you in his arms to kiss you again, and you find that being the art to his artist is a much better deal than pretending to be his friend.

[rahleeyah]

I didn't watch the txf revival when it came back - at the time I didn't have cable and was short on time and disinterested in fighting to get my hands on it and I possess an inborn distaste for revivals in general - but 🐝 was determined that if we were going to watch the show we were going to watch the whole show. I know a bit about the major plot points and was concerned about whether I'd actually enjoy it, but we started it yesterday and binged 4 episodes in a row (🐝 had a medical procedure on Friday and we aren't doing shit this weekend while she recovers). Usually I tap out of TV watching around 9 or 10 pm but I gladly stayed up well past midnight to keep watching. I was struck by how well they recaptured the tone of the original series. The humor, the whimsy, the heart. One of the standout hallmarks of the show in the original run was the elevated, poetry-prose of the dialogue - more especially the voice over monologues, but it certainly appears in the dialogue; my touchstone, my constant - no one talks like that!! But it works, bc it's a show completely unconcerned with carefully reconstructing reality as it is and instead focused on ideas, and that, too, is present here. Conceptually the revival has, within the first 4 episodes, made itself a natural continuation of what came before. It isn't trying to remake itself in the style of the times; it has, so far, remained true to the heart of what came before.

Even breaking up MSR, while I was at first pissed off about that choice, feels in harmony with the original run. They weren't ~together for 1-9; they obviously fucked - shout out to all things - but mulder was gone for most of two years afterwards! He was gone and then suddenly he and Scully have to learn to live together while he's hiding out. They are fraying in I want to believe; Mulder has always struggled to live with himself when he doesn't have a purpose, and he's hard for Scully to live with when his purpose blinds him to everything else. She tried to leave him in the movie!! They were already coming apart. And I think that makes sense; she has a job, a life, is trying to put the past behind her, and Mulder is hungry for the past and the meaning it gave him. They weren't united in a common goal, anymore. And their relationship has always been difficult; how often in 1.0 do they argue and snipe at each other, rub each other the wrong way? They're complicated people, and it's not outside the realm of possibility that they fell apart without common purpose.

And their breakup is part of what makes 2.0 so resonant with the first 9 seasons. The affection and the deep care is there, colored by the strain of two people who aren't in what we'd consider a traditional romantic relationship. They love each other, they want each other, but they're at odds with each other. That tension is compelling to watch.

So idk. I may change my tune as we get deeper into it but so far I'm really enjoying the revival.