#i’ve been watching my favorite comfort show on Max.

[abiteofhoney]

i’m not religious but may god bless whoever runs archive.org

[5ivebyfive]

I’m heartbroken over the loss of Matthew Perry. But I’m seeing so many posts about him in Friends and not enough of his other awesome projects. 4 of his characters are in my list of comfort shows. I’ve been through so much, and watching my comfort shows with him, has been with me through those times.

Here are some other great roles I love him in.

Matt Albie - Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip

My favorite show he’s in by far. If you haven’t seen it you should find it and watch it! It’s only one season, but it’s soooo worth it. I don’t think it’s streaming anywhere without buying it, but if you’re talented enough you can find it elsewhere.

Joe Quincy - The West Wing

Just a fantastic show. Please watch it! It’s on Max.

The Good Wife and The Good Fight - Mike Kresteva

Two great shows!! And Mike is a fun character.

Fools Rush In - Alex Whitman

Romantic comedy. Very good! I’m not sure where/if it streams. I haven’t watched it in a while but it was always a favorite.

Three To Tango - Oscar Novack

Such a good movie! Funny funny and a great cast!

Ally McBeal - Todd Merrick

It’s a short guest spot for him, but he is great! Plus, it’s one of my top 5 shows and simply wonderful and fun.

Matthew Perry - Studio 60

Obviously, these are not all of his roles, but they’re among my favorites. He deserves to be remembered for his roles outside of Friends. I truly hope you check some of these out, because he was so great in everything he did.

[glittertomb]

Current Obsessions 🌸🍄🐸💜🌿🌼

(Haven’t done one in 3 years, I think, and I have half an ounce of energy right now but here goes)

Scavengers Reign… an animated science-fiction show about a beautiful but dangerous planet with unusual biological mechanisms… watch for free here

Winternight Trilogy… a historical fantasy series spun with Russian fairytales, old gods, and curious creatures… rent on Libby with a library card

The Boy and the Heron… I know the latest Ghibli got some mixed reviews, but I’m just giddy to have another super magical film from our favorite Japanese retiree, and understanding how this film relates to his legacy and his son makes it much more emotional for me… it will be on Max at some point or watch for free on fmoviesz.to

Southern Reach Trilogy… I realized that the Annihilation movie was loosely based off of these books, so I had to know more about this quarantined (but ever-expanding) area where strange and psychedelic phenomena occurs… these are probably also on Libby

The Scholomance Trilogy… re-reading one of my favorite magical series in which students navigate a deadly world where monsters and even their own school seem to be coming for them at every turn… the first audiobook is available for free with a Spotify premium account, or just find them on Libby lol

Dave the Diver… explore the deep seas by day, run a sushi restaurant by night, and more… I dunno, I play it at my sister’s house so go look for it on Steam

This last one is kinda random but I’ve been really into Ito En teas at the moment… I usually get the giant bottles of unsweetened green tea from my local Asian markets… I’ve also been drinking a lot of giant bottles of unsweetened Aloe because I’m a giant ball of inflammation but I couldn’t find my brand.

So, the end! I hope these give you comfort as we wait for spring! If you’ve been feeling gloomy, stir-crazy, or otherwise glum, remember to keep taking your vitamin D and keep your chin up, cause spring is so close we can almost taste it. 🌸 ~love, laue

[adrienneleclerc]

Rules for Requests

Hello, if you are thinking of requesting any fanfics from me, here are a few things you should know. I don’t think there’s much I won’t write about but I feel like this information would be “useful” to you.

I write about 8 drivers: Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Logan Sargeant are drivers I write about on my own and by request because that’s how my account originally was. I started writing for Charles, dabbled in the other 3, and asked if I should keep writing for them, the majority said yes.

Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz, and Daniel Ricciardo, as of right now, are REQUESTS ONLY (they’re the only ones outside the first 4 that have been requested) and are also included in the F1 x reader stuff I wrote like “Slam the door” which is very popular, and as of recently, “just a bunch of hocus pocus”. I, however, am working on a Carlos Sainz fanfic that has not been Requested BUT they are exes, it’s based on Becky G’s song COMO DIABLOS and I don’t know which driver she’ll end up with, because there’s Charles, the teammate and friend, Lando, the bestie on the grid, then Oscar, his enemy” so it will just be funny.

ANYWAY, Max Verstappen as of right now is on the F1 x reader stuff and of course “Just an Inchident” which I haven’t forgotten about, but I’ve been busy.

They are the only 8 drivers I feel comfortable writing about right now so if you want to request something about? Go right ahead. I would like to keep Daniel and Logan on because I truly believe they deserved to finish the 2024 season and it is unfair what was done to them.

I don’t write smut

Love to read it, but I can’t write it at all.

If you request anything based on a song, I will be listening to that song on repeat to get the vibe of the song and make it as accurate as possible. If you request me something based on a scene from a movie or TV show, I will look that up, I will watch the movie, I will watch the episode of the scene you requested to get the full context. Based on a TikTok? Send me the link and that TikTok will be added to my favorites so I can watch it on repeat.

The point is, I will try my hardest to make the fanfic as close to your request as possible. I will research about everything.

I won’t write neurodivergent! Reader because i am not neurodivergent and I wouldn’t want my writing to come out inaccurate or stereotypical, you know? I have depression so depressed! Reader is fine, plus sized! Reader is also fine, I also “model” Y/N after me when I am writing, but I describe Y/N physically at all in my writings so you could imagine yourself but with a little 🌶️SPICE🌶️ since I make Y/N Latina unless requested otherwise.

If you request, it will take some time to get it out, the last 2 weeks I was training for my new job so your girl is employed now, and of course I’ll need “inspiration” to write the request or write my own fic in general.

Hope this doesn’t deter anyone from requesting any F1 fanfics from me, I really am open to requests! ❤️

[lyranova]

(Shuffles in)

I’ve got questions for you, Lyra~! 🥰💖

4, 12, 13, 22, and 29!

Oooo yay I love questions 🥰💕!! Let’s see 👀!

4 What is your favorite book?

Demian by Hermann Hesse! I read it about…7 years ago because of a song and album that were inspired by it, and I need to re-read it again since it’s been so long! It was a short book but it was really good and kind of changed my interpertation of something which i really liked (it also changed my moms interpertation of the same thing!). I’ll post the summary here 😁:

“Emil Sinclair is a young boy raised in a middle class home, amidst what is described as a Scheinwelt, a composite word meaning "world of illusion," so his entire existence can be summarised as a struggle between two worlds: the show world of illusion (related to the Hindu concept of maya) and the real world, the world of spiritual truth (see Plato's cave and dualism). Accompanied and prompted by his mysterious classmate and friend 'Max Demian', he detaches from and revolts against the superficial ideals of the world of appearances and eventually awakens into a realization of self.”

12 Where is somewhere you'd like to visit?

Aaaahhhh i have so many places I would love to visit 😭! My top ones are Japan and South Korea, but I would also love to see various places such as the Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Finland, etc! It would just be so much fun to travel!

13 How do you de-stress?

These days when I’m trying to de-stress I go back to my comfort things that i used to enjoy (such as my favorite video games, tv shows, fanfics, etcs)! Like lately I’ve been watching clips of one of my favorite video games because, even tho it’s sad, the characters in it are so hopeful and make me hopeful and just aaaaahhhh i love it and its been making me happy these days 🥺!

22 What is your most prized possession?

My most prized possession is a stuffed rabbit my mom got my sister when we were 1 and 2 years old. Now, it originally belonged to my sister, but I kind of stole it and never gave it back to her because he deserved a better home imo 😆!

29 Favorite song lyrics right now?

Wish we could turn back time

To the good old days

When our mama sang us to sleep

But now we're stressed out

From Twenty One Pilots “Stressed Out”!

[rxin3akamallory]

Howdy!

(I am Taiga Aisaka irl lol)

I finally decided to make an intro on this account because it’s inconsistent as hell even though it’s my main one.

But yeah hello!

I’m Mallory (people call me Mal a lot) I’m a goofy ahh autistic 22 year old

She/Her are my preferred pronouns, but I’m okay with They/Them as well if it’s easier for you to use.

I’m biromantic/asexual

I’m not in college but I’ve been working for a year and a half now! It takes up half of my time but I’m still free decently often.

I like to draw, write, make OCs and self inserts, play video games, sing and listen to music. I sometimes post my art and characters occasionally but not often on here. (I should tho)

This is my main tumblr where I used to post strictly Finding Nemo related posts but my fixation had faded out since 2021 (I still love the movie and it’s sequel but it hasn’t been my main interest anymore)

Here are my other tumblrs if they’re interesting enough to take a look at.

Second tumblr: @rxin3srandomthoughts

Meme tumblr: @rxin3smemes

Aesthetic tumblr (kinda defunct now): @rxin3saesthetics

Stim tumblr (the one I use most often besides my main): @rxin3stims

I have a large DNI list on my stim tumblr, but I’ll put a general one here too. It’s also in my bio:

DNI if:

A nsfw/k!nk blog

Racist

Homophobic

Transphobic

Ablelist

And a personal one, if you romanticize serial k!ll3rs or sh00t3rs. Big on the latter because of personal trauma and because that monster has been romanticized here before and on other platforms on the internet and I find it not only disturbing and horrifying but also disrespectful to the victims, their families, and the survivors.

If you fit under any of this criteria, you will immediately be blocked.

A lot of my content is OC related, so here is a list of ‘em!!

Self Inserts (1)

Self Inserts (2)

Self Inserts (3)

Moodboards: 1, 2, 3

Self Insertmas 2023: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23

Self Insert Birthday Countdown 2024: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24

I also have a lot of special interests and fixations! Here’s a “small” list of a majority of them to get to know me:

Non film/tv:

Tennessee (Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge specifically!) Literally my comfort place. I love when I get to visit sm!!)

OneRepublic (My favorite band!)

Littlest Pet Shop

Bunnies!

Film:

Wreck-It Ralph (only the first film)

Frozen (mainly only the first film)

Big Hero 6 (also the manga and the tv series)

Encanto

Finding Nemo/Finding Dory

Cars (1-3)

Onward

Guardians of the Galaxy (and the tv series and the 2021 game)

Jurassic Park/Jurassic World

The Florida Project

Madagascar (1-3)

Rise of the Guardians

Ice Age (1-4)

Rio (mainly the first film)

Sing (mainly Sing 2 only)

The Mario Movie (2023)

Vivo

The Muppets (specifically modern, 2011-2015)

TV:

The Fairly Oddparents (Seasons 1-5)

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and Chaos Theory

The Powerpuff Girls (1998 only)

The Office (US only)

My Little Pony (I haven’t finished it Friendship is Magic, I mainly fixate on the 2017 movie and the 2021 film from Gen 5)

Bluey

Fish Hooks

Green Eggs & Ham (Netflix)

Smiling Friends

Thomas and Friends (before CGI era)

The Peanuts (I didn’t know where to put it so it’s here lmao)

Video Games:

Animal Crossing (Mainly New Leaf and New Horizons)

Mario Kart (Mainly 7 and 8)

Mario Party (Mainly Superstars and Island Tour)

Animal Jam

Detroit: Become Human (My favorite!)

Cuphead (I never finished the show but I should)

BlazBlue (Mainly Chronophantasma and Crosstag Battle. And the anime Alter Memory)

Arcana Heart (Mainly 3 Love Max!!!)

Five Nights at Freddy’s (I don’t think it counts because I never played the actual games but I’ve watched so many play throughs)

Anime:

Studio Ghibli in general (I’ve not seen every film though)

Cardcaptor Sakura

Tokyo Mew Mew (I need to watch the reboot!)

Lucky Star

Toradora (my favorite!)

Madoka Magica (I need to finish Record! And I can’t wait for the next movie!)

Smile Precure (watched it because Glitter Force sucked)

Himouto! Umaru-Chan

The Quintessential Quintuplets

Rent-A Girlfriend

BNA: Brand New Animal

Fruits Basket

My Love Story

Ouran Highschool Hostclub

Love Chunibyo and Other Delusions

True Tears

Wotakoi: Love is hard for Otaku

Maid Sama

(There’s more but this is all I got in in my head rn)

Ask Answers!!

★

★

Well that’s pretty much it!

I hope you like my account where I occasionally post actual stuff and mainly reblog things from my interests lol

[siminycricket]

Tag 9 people you would like to get to know / catch up with

ta

I got tagged by @alas-i-cannot-sim ! Thanks Rosie~

Last song: You’re Losing Me - Taylor Swift. If you haven’t had this song turn you into a emotional mess of a human being, I highly suggested! I haven’t stopped letting it wreck me since I first heard it 😅😭

Last show: The Simpsons, my late night comfort show. Aside from that, my bf and I have decided to watch Archer together from the beginning :P

Currently watching: I don’t watch a lot of TV/movies? The last real thing I binged with the first season of the House of the Dragon before my brother cancelled his HBO Max(or Max+ or wtf is it now) subscription.

Currently reading: While out with my mom in a Goodwill, I happened to find a pristine copy of my favorite book, The Time Traveler’s Wife, so I’ve been working my way through reading that. Its a great book, just a lot of sad parts that I can’t read without sobbing 😭

Current obsession: Does Taylor Swift count? I’ve been making lots of friendship bracelets of my August Eras Tour! Aside from that, playing lots of Stardew Valley..... maybe my new personal sims save? Its been nice to not focus on taking screenshots and just play for a change!

Thanks again for the tag! I’m not sure who has done this so feel free to skip if you want but I tag: @samssims, @simmancy, @bumblingbunny, @indigoelfinspirit, @silversims, @tainoodles, @nikatyler, @cawthorntales, and @simsandgiggles~

[thelonesomequeen]

Do you have any recs for books, films, or tv shows that are a comfort read/watch? Having a bit of a hard time rn and need an escape

For shows…

I’m currently watching The Last of Us (new episode day, YAY!) on HBO Max and I like it a lot. I’d also recommend The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or The Boys on Amazon Prime. If you want a limited series (one and done) my two favorites have been Chernobyl on HBO Max and Dopesick on Hulu

I’ve read quite a few books this year already but my favorites have been the Lovelight Farms books by B.K. Borison, Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (which will be a show on Amazon next month!), What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall, and Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall.

I haven’t watched movies in a while, I gotta get on that 😂🦎

[eldritchsurveys]

1219.

Are you afraid of the dark? >> I am not. I don't recall ever having a fear of darkness, in fact. Not even as a child.

Do you watch American Horror Story? >> I watched a few seasons (Murder House, Coven, Asylum, Apocalypse, parts of others) a long time ago. I liked some parts of Coven but found other parts insufferable. I did think Apocalypse was cool, iirc. I don't know, it's hard to like AHS; it feels like something I should enjoy -- lurid, pulpy, smutty, all my favourite adjectives are here -- but then I watch it and I'm just like *sighs heavily*. I don't know, man. It just hits too many wrong notes for me, and those notes are usually very prominent elements of the show (a main-character casting, for example) so I can't just ignore them.

Does your hometown have any urban legends/scary stories? >> I don’t know any urban legends about any place I’ve lived. I’m sure they exist, but I never thought to seek them out.

What’s the scariest nightmare you remember having? .

Are you medicated? >> Self-medicated, sure.

Does your family/friends have a nickname for you? .

Who’s some of your favorite YouTubers? >> I have a pretty sizeable subscription list, but it's mostly media analysers. I'll name three faves: In Praise of Shadows, Jacob Geller, and TheGamingMuse.

Do you have any bad habits? >> According to someone, I'm sure.

What did you get for Christmas? >> Raycon earbuds, a pillow, a weighted blanket, and something else I've forgotten. All things from my wishlist.

Do you have any phobias? >> I do not.

What’s one of your biggest pet peeves? >> Whatever goes on with my Internet where it'll drop for a few seconds and then come back online. It's very annoying when gaming. Are there any scented candles in the room you’re in? >> There is one scented candle in my room. Pancakes or French toast? >> Neither, ideally. But I've had some French toast that I've liked.

Did you have anything for breakfast today? >> The first meal I had was this pork carnitas microwave meal thing that I got from the food pantry. It was Great Value brand so I wasn't expecting much, and yeah it was pretty lame. Still edible. At this point, I'm just glad for the variety.

Are there any apps you’re addicted to? >> I am not addicted to any apps. Did you have a favorite stuffed animal as a child? >> I don’t think I was particularly attached to any of them.

Do you still collect stuffed animals? >> I enjoy plushies now way more than I did as a child, I think. I have like 30 of them.

How do you feel about Spongebob? >> I don’t like Spongebob.

Do you have any nervous habits? >> Maybe by someone's standards. I don't call anything I do a "nervous habit", so I couldn't say.

What drink do you normally order at Starbucks? >> I don’t normally order at Starbucks.

Do you shape/fill in your eyebrows? >> I don't.

Which way do you face in the shower? >> Facing the showerhead, always. I can't face the other direction, it freaks me out for some reason.

What’s your favorite comfort food to eat? >> So many, but I don't want to think about them right now because I can't have them.

What do you wear to bed? >> One of two pairs of pj pants, and a tank top or camisole.

Have you ever stolen/borrowed clothes from an ex? .

What’s the last movie you watched at home? >> Sound of My Voice.

What’s the last movie you watched in theaters? >> Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. I wish I could afford to see Longlegs.

Do you/did you ever have a Neopets account? >> I did not.

When’s the last time you were camping? >> October of... 2015? Something like that. I would die to go camping again. Have you ever had eggs cooked over a campfire? >> I have not.

If you do drink, what’s your favorite alcoholic beverage? >> I'm not sure now. Drinking is an expense I can never afford much anymore.

Are there any songs you’ve been listening to repetitively lately? >> I don't usually do that, no.

What’s your favorite coffee mug look like? >> It's white on the outside with a cute lil cactus design and it's yellow on the inside.

Do you have any pets? >> I personally do not.

Are you passive-aggressive? >> Not as a rule. It is a strategy I've learned from the myriad passive-aggressive people I've known, but I prefer more aggressive approaches personally.

Do you have social anxiety? >> I wouldn't say so. I'm easily triggered in social scenarios, so I can be anxious about the inevitability of that, but I wouldn't say I have social anxiety per se.

Have you ever had fried pickles? >> Sparrow likes them so I might have tried one if they ordered some. I don't recall.

Where’s your favorite place to go out to eat? .

Do you like plaid button-ups? >> They're all right, but I can live without them. There are plenty of other similar garments that I prefer.

Do you have any Valentine’s Day plans? >> I never have plans for that.

Have you/would you ever go bungee jumping? >> I mean, I could be tempted into it.

What’s the last theme park you visited? >> Disney World.

Cereal, granola, or oatmeal? >> I like all three.

[all-around-animal-kid]

About Me Post

Name: You can call me Stellaluna if you want. Any animal name or nickname would be fine though I think.

Pronouns: They/Them, She/Her, He/Him if it's hard for you to use neopronouns, no pressure if it is. Neos are Iv/Ivs (as in IVs in a hospital), My/Myo/Myotis/Myotisself. More fun neos are sniff/snoff.

IRL Age: 28

Small Age: 5-10 I think -shrugs- Will never actually know what age I am, just know what I like.

Animal Regression: Dairy Cow

CG's: I have two cg’s both my partners! One is Mum and the other is Techie! Techie is an alter in Mum’s system, and Mum is only my Mum in a certain fictionkin shift (Erin from You’re Next)! But I also consider Zoroark from Pokemon as a mother figure too!

Important Info: I'm physically disabled and have been since I was born. I don't mind talking about that though. Because of my disability I spent a good chunk of time in hospitals after surgeries. I find hospitals comforting, so medcore things will be on this blog.

I've also had anger issues since I was a kid. So tantrums, yelling and being angry was what I was like as a kid. And while I don't think I'll make that many posts of my own it's important that I don't hide those things from people. If you know Muffin from Bluey I basically would act like that if I didn't hide that part of myself because I don't want to frustrate another parental figure and make their lives harder like I did my actual parents. Hate rules and following them.

I've started having memory problems recently. Because of this, when I list my favorite things I won't just list 2 or 3, I'll list all of them because I don't want to forget them. I'll put the long list of favorite things at the end so that I can just update it as I feel like it.

DNI: NSFW blogs, racists, ableists, antis, your usual things

List Of Favorite Things (As A Kid) Animals: Bats are my all time favorite animal and always have been. Along with them I like snakes, tasmanian devils, komodo dragons, alligators, and crocodiles. But as my blog name is all-around-animal-kid, I like all animals.

Books: Stellaluna of course, The Little Puppy, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Chipmunk On Hollow Tree Lane, and A Dog’s Life: Autobiography Of A Stray

Colors: Light blue & pink (makes me think of cotton candy), Red, Blue, Yellow, Green (Primary colors), Orange/Black/Dark Brown (Halloween mix of colors), Pastel colors in the context of Easter, annnddddd silver! For stars and moon and stuff!

Holidays: Easter (I love all the colors associated with it and easter egg hunts) and Halloween (love black/orange colored things, and love the holiday in general)

School Stuff: Favorite subject is biology! I like animal anatomy stuff and animal science! But also probably kindergarten and preschool type stuff -shrugs-

Season: Autumn! I love the colors of the leaves changing and the weather!

Songs: All Shania Twain songs to start, Who Let The Dogs Out is my all time favorite song, the next few I’ll list are all from the same channel on youtube called ParrMr who does songs about different stuff you learn in school: Mutations Song, Patterns Of Behavior Song, Seasons Change, The Story Of All Life Evolution Song, Animal (Classification) Song, and my all time favorite Ecosystems Song! And it’s not technically a song but I’ll put it here anyways; the Lori’s Natural Foods commercial from...Apparently 2012 but I could swear it was earlier than that.

Shows: Top Favorite Shows: Meerkat Manor, The Most Extreme, Cyberchase, Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman, Wild Kratts, Zoboomafoo, Scooby-Doo, Chowder, Paw Patrol, and Max & Ruby.

Animal Planet back in its 'golden years' I'll call it, was always what I'd enjoy watching. Meerkat Manor and The Most Extreme were two of my favorites. But I also spent time watching Animal Precinct. Other shows include Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter, Pet Star, Planets Funniest Animals, It's Me Or The Dog, My Cat From Hell, and Lost Tapes.

PBS Kids was also what I'd watch a lot. Shows include classics like Arthur, Cyberchase which helped me with math, and Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman, Word World, the old Clifford The Big Red Dog, Sagwa, Between The Lions, Dragon Tales, Zoboomafoo, and Wild Kratts

Cartoon Network: Favorites from here are Pokemon, Camp Lazlo, Chowder, Ed Edd n Eddy, The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy, Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack, Krypto The Superdog, and My Gym Partner's A Monkey

Nick/Nick Jr.: Paw Patrol, Max & Ruby, Wonder Pets, Franklin, Oswald, Little Bear, Fairly Odd Parents, Drake & Josh, Rugrats, Spongebob, Little Bill, CatDog, ChalkZone, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Maggie And The Ferocious Beast, and Bob The Builder

Boomerang: A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Captain Planet, Baby Looney Tunes

Misc: Yes Dear, Home Improvement, Wishbone

Top Favorite Movies: Scooby-Doo And The Legend Of The Vampire, Kangaroo Jack, The Water Horse, The PAW Patrol movie

Movies: Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island, Scooby-Doo And The Witch's Ghost, Scooby-Doo And The Cyberchase, Scooby-Doo And The Legend Of The Vampire, Scooby-Doo And The Ghoul School, Pokemon The Movie 2000, Pokemon Heroes, Kangaroo Jack, The Water Horse, and the newest The PAW Patrol movie!

[mbdailynews]

WSJ Print Edition Readers Struggle to Make Sense of It All

We asked WSJ Print Edition readers how they are juggling streaming services, or whether they’ve found a simpler way to just watch TV. Cut cord, no regrets I cut the cord when I realized that I hardly watched anything on cable, so why pay for it? I do not miss it at all. Instead, I juggle streaming services and love the option of mixing, matching and dropping services repeatedly. Therefore, I stick with providers like Amazon, which connects me to services like Paramount+ which I’ll watch until a couple of favorite shows are done, then switch to Acorn for a couple of months, then move on to PBS. However, I also enjoy other providers like Netflix and HBO because of their original content. One thing is certain, I will never pay for cable again said to WSJ Print Edition. 100 channels of tedium We still have basic cable for local stations and currently subscribe to seven or eight streaming services and split our time between them fairly equally. A lot of what we watch is recommendations from friends and co-workers. Far and away, “Yellowstone” is our favorite must-watch. I really enjoy the streaming format that encapsulates a story in eight to 10 episodes and that I can watch entirely over the course of a few days. It seems to lend itself to much more dynamic storytelling than the old 22-episode season from the heyday of networks. This format leads to dull repetition, in my opinion. Much of cable TV is so boring. A hundred channels of tedium. The only time we watch the legacy networks is for local morning news and live sports. IT support for Mom We’re still trying to figure this out. We cut our DirecTV service and opted for YouTube TV. We also have Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and Apple TV. When “House of the Dragon” launched, I added HBO Max but then dropped it. I’ve also been helping my mother (who is 70) with her decisions for these services and recently convinced her to drop cable for YouTube TV. I let her use my subscription until she was more comfortable with it. I even helped her and her husband (age 80) buy two smart TVs and helped them load all of their streaming services. It was a lot of work, and I’m regularly on call for IT support. - Regan Fackrell, St. George, Utah Missing the old days We’re definitely juggling services and, frankly, I’ve lost track of the whole thing. Trying to find where/how to watch a particular football game makes me feel like I’m in a bad sequel to “The Da Vinci Code.” I actually had to research why “Yellowstone” season 5 wasn’t showing up anywhere even though we apparently have Paramount+, I guess through our Prime subscription? And I seem to remember watching it on Peacock (Why? Who knows?) but, of course, it’s on Paramount Network (what even is that?) and doesn’t show up on streaming until after the whole season (but not on Paramount’s service…huh?). This is all starting to make me pine for the days of cable. I used to complain about the lack of choice and the cost of cable. Ahh, how naive we all were! - Scott Campbell, Friendswood, Texas Generational divide We primarily use streaming declare Charles to WSJ Print Edition. We have a cable bundle for an older family member who isn’t comfortable using streaming as their primary video source. On the other end of the spectrum, our 10-year-old daughter has no concept of linear programming—her entire experience has been one of on-demand via streaming. - Charles Simonds, Los Angeles The cost is right…for now My wife and I juggle five streaming services at the moment, and we do not have cable TV as it is cost-prohibitive. In a situation like with the recent World Cup, we temporarily subscribed to a sixth service, but that is our limit. If at the end of streaming wars subscription prices rise, we would need to re-evaluate as right now the monthly prices for the services are quite reasonable, and we share the costs between us. - Bradley Collier, Daly City, Calif. On my parents’ dime As a young adult in my mid-20s, I have moved away from my parents and now live with a roommate. Still, we still take advantage of my parents’ cable account to enjoy sports and other television shows. To access local sports events, I utilize a VPN to pretend I am still in my parents’ state. I also have access to HBO through our family’s AT&T plan and still use my parents’ Netflix account. My only paid streaming subscriptions are for Spotify and Amazon Prime, as I receive Hulu through Spotify. If there are any other shows I want to watch, I simply sign up for a one-week free trial said to WSJ Print Edition. The only inconvenience is that I need to use a website to keep track of my progress, as I refuse to pay for numerous subscriptions. For now, I plan to stay on my parents’ accounts as long as possible. - William Pflueger, New York Limits of rural living Local TV is a dinosaur living out its last days, but I live in a rural area, 5 miles away from the end of high-speed internet lines so I have to pay for satellite TV and subpar internet. I love streaming. If I ever get good internet, I won’t ever watch regular TV again, said to WSJ Print Edition. - George Dean, Kittrell, N.C. Can I get a bundle? I hate all the different streaming services and separate logins and user interfaces. It would be nice if some of them bundled together in a master bundle. As much as I hate juggling so many services, I think it’s a much better value than most theater experiences in this day and age. - Jeff Vojta, Durham, N.C. A TV junkie I’m kind of a junkie. I have wired cable plus satellite TV subscriptions, and also a plethora of streaming services—all the big ones plus a few little subscription services that are hiding in the couch cushions. I also have Roku, Chromecast and at least two Apple TV boxes. - John Collins, Greenwich, Conn. Give me a la carte I dumped cable early on because the price was constantly marching upward and we were being forced to pay for channels we do not watch. Sadly, every one of the live-TV streamers also now keeps jumping the price and adding unwanted content. I, for one, would like to see if there is cartel-like activity going on. It sure looks like it from the consumer standpoint. I want an a la carte approach and have no problem with signing a contract to help the companies with churn. There are about 4-5 channels I actually watch, and I do not want or need the others. It is quite ridiculous in the streaming era to force bundles of unwatched and unwanted channels on consumers. It would be really nice to be able to pay a set fee and pick a limited number of channels that we actually watch instead of paying outrageous fees for dozens of channels of worthless drivel we do not. - David Gregory, Marion, Ark. Streaming for Star Trek We were early adopters of streaming, mostly Netflix and Amazon Prime, but there’s one additional service that’s a special exception. I recently subscribed to Paramount+ because all of the Star Trek series were pulled from the other streaming outlets. Each episode is about 40 minutes long, the perfect length of time for me to work out on my rowing machine. I am watching them in chronological order (by series), and this practice keeps me consistent and helps me row longer. I look at it as a healthcare expense! Since starting in 2019, I have completed 592 episodes, with 126 more to go before finishing the pre-2000 series. By then, several of Paramount’s more recent series will be available. - Bob McLeod, Orlando, Fla. Ad-free above all Baby boomer here. I cut the cord some time ago. Not a sports fan, but I subscribe to about six streaming services. I hate commercials, so I really enjoy streaming. Prior to the streaming era, I had a DVR to skip commercials. I’m always willing to pay for no-ad content. My cost per month? Still cheaper than Dish was. - Christopher M. White, Idaho Falls, Idaho Cost creep reafirmed WSJ Print Edition When we moved in ’21 we left cable for Xfinity internet and Hulu Live. The introductory rate for internet was $40 per month with another $60 per month for Hulu Live. This saved us $86 per month over our previous cable package. Now costs have risen, so we’re paying $84 a month for internet and $75 for Hulu Live. Time to reassess and find a new viewing solution. Somebody needs to go. - Gerry McCann, Manchester Township, N.J. Give me a good book I have not used a television per se for years. We never had a cable subscription. My kids only watched a few shows growing up. During Covid I watched all the great shows I missed for the last 20 years, but I watched them on my MacBook Pro, declared to WSJ Print Edition. I only have Netflix and Amazon Prime, but would sign up for others for a short period if there was a show I wanted to see. I still read three books a week, so I am not the usual suspect. - Peg O’Donnell, Kensington, Md. Progress? Not for me. The promise of a la carte was that the consumer could pick and choose the channels, content and services they wanted as opposed to the “all in one” cable buffet. What people are quickly learning is it now will cost MORE to receive LESS than we enjoyed with the traditional cable bundle, while adding complexity. It is not enjoyable to switch inputs, dongles and services in order to watch different things on different streaming services. Have you tried watching Amazon Thursday Night Football? It takes multiple buttons to be pushed to launch, and then the viewer must wait for it to buffer and display on screen. This is progress? With cable, you simply tune into a channel and the viewer gets immediate instant gratification. Be careful what you wish for… - Connor McOwen, State College, Pa. Serendipity of cable I have Xfinity cable and am pleased. I’m low-maintenance. I have multiple movie channels and enjoy catching movies I’ve watched for years. I don’t necessarily need them to start at the beginning. Therefore, I don’t like streaming, where I have to allocate a fixed amount of time. - Rick Spell, Memphis Need more old movies said to WSJ Print Edition I’m still relying solely on Netflix and Prime, but am getting increasingly frustrated at how few older films are available on these two streamers. Almost every title search provides results that require another subscription or an ad-supported service. - Ramond Ford, Hockessin, Del. Turned off the TV I cut the cord in February 2015 when I moved out of my home for a major renovation. I moved back four months later and never reconnected the cable. The TV is still in the box eight years later. So no streaming, no cable and I don’t watch many videos. I get my news via WSJ Print Subscription, online websites and talk radio. I go to a friend’s or family member’s house or to a bar to catch major sporting events, presidential debates, etc. So I used a major disruption in my life—the renovation—to live more intentionally. Since I have to go somewhere to watch TV, I’m much more selective about what I watch. And it gets me out into the world, rather than keeping me home in front of the screen. Nancy Nicodemus, Dunwoody, Ga. Read the full article

[heaven-surrounds-you]

Yippee I love tag games :D

3 ships: Lucas/Max (Stranger Things), Frankie/Draculaura (Monster High), uh that’s it I don’t usually ship characters that much

Last Song: Just Like Heaven - The Cure

Favorite Color: it depends, I like too many to choose

Last Movie: I genuinely have no idea, I haven’t watched an actual movie in forever. Probably either Saw or like Great Gatsby.

Currently Reading: uh I was reading Salem’s Lot but I left the book at my mom’s and lost my spot. Then I brought the book back home and I think it’s somewhere under my yarn pile atm.

Currently Watching: Seinfeld for when I crochet, ST for when I need comfort (I’ve watched it through so many times now), but I started Bridgerton last night. Idk if I’ll keep watching bc I’m very picky about my shows but we’ll see.

Currently Consuming: just had cheerios but now I have a sweet tarts candy cane

Currently Craving: my mango habanero kettle cooked chips. But I’m full so I will eat some again whenever I make my lunch.

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: I love food but generally it has to be spicy for me to really enjoy it. I keep a jar of crushed red pepper beside my bed so I can absolutely load up my pizza whenever I eat. 🧍🏼‍♂️

Relationship Status:

Last Thing I Googled: fuck man idk I was probably looking for yarn or some shit

Current Obsession: making this prototype sweater to recreate one I gave my friend in high school that is now falling apart bc she’s worn it so much, Stranger Things (like it has been for the past fucking year and a half), PALIA I LOVE PALIA, Michelle Jasek on YouTube I absolutely adore her, uhhh I think that’s it.

Tagging @deviltryhours - @siddunbi - @batemanofficial (if you wanna do it)

@sleepyhomosexual tagged me to do this thank you ray!!!! <3

3 ships: house/wilson, merlin/arthur, hannibal/will (i'm adding a fourth, crowley/aziraphale)

last song: pyramid of bones – the voidz

favorite color: forest green

last movie: the encounter (2010). see my letterboxd for more information as to why i watched that fuckass movie

currently reading: stonewall riots: coming out in the streets – gayle e. pittman, supernatural: writings on an unknown history – richard smoley, and wuthering heights (i'm trying to take my time with books more this year instead of just rushing through them!)

currently watching: supernatural, the witcher (took a brief hiatus but i'm going to start back up again soon), buffy the vampire slayer

currently consuming: nothing at the moment but i did tear into some sliced salami and provolone a half hour ago

currently craving: dennys or ihop... save me diners ...

sweet/spicy/savory: usually i prefer savory !! i can handle spice fairly well but i have a limited tolerance for sweetness and can only handle it in small doses

relationship status: love is all around me <3 um but i am currently sitting on my bed in a big-tshirt and no pants scrolling through tumblr on my laptop. happily 🫶

last thing i googled: "marvin gaye charlie puth"

current obsession: honestly since i just finished watching both house and merlin for the first time i can say i am thoroughly unwell in the head about these shows. i'm also obsessed with calling my cat ashy "fet cet" and i've been doing it so much that sometimes i'll say "fet cet???" out loud and he'll meow and walk into the room<3

no pressure but if you'd like to do this: @joanofarccoded @probablymoons @sleepyjim @weenhands @appendixsaucy @teddylou @snoopyisbisexual @loserville-ty @g1rlonl1ne + any of my mutuals who want to <33333

[erin-bo-berin]

Please write some soft Steve Harrington comfort with reader as they wait to hear news about Max?

OH MAN OH MAN. I hope you mean the reader comforting Steve because that’s how I imagined this blurb.

Also I’ve seen edits of that moment from 4x9 where Steve, Robin and Nancy hear the four chimes and assume the worst has happened to Max and where all the bad thoughts that’s probably going through his head at that moment just based on the look on his face. That poor boy definitely has a lot in his head that he doesn’t express/we don’t see often on the show. I just want to give Steve a big hug 😕 anyway, prepare for a bit of him being too hard on himself in this because I feel like he doesn’t express how own worries and fears enough.

“This is my fault. I should’ve been with them. They counted on me. I shouldn’t have let them go alone. I shouldn’t have let them go along with this, it was too dangerous.”

You watched Steve pace the waiting room floor in front of you, where you were perched on the edge of the seat.

The aftermath of your battle with Vecna was to put it bluntly, grim. He’d disappeared, but wasn’t for sure dead. Hawkins quite literally had split open like hell had come to earth, the Upside Down bleeding into the real world. Eddie was gone, Max was in a coma. There was no telling what Vecna would plan next and you had the awful feeling that he would strike when you and your group were the weakest, but you refused to let the asshole win. Especially not when he’d taken the life of one of your favorite people and the soul of another one of your friends.

Max was still alive, but in a coma. Somehow, maybe even miraculously, El had managed to bring Max back to life with her powers. But there was still no definite answers right now.

There was no guarantee she’d wake up.

No guarantee she would even be okay if she did wake up.

No guarantee that the Max you’d all known and loved was even still in there.

The possibilities were endless and terrifying.

Lucas hadn’t left her side since she’d been admitted to the hospital, reading to her as often as he could. Erica was often with him, offering any support she could.

You and Steve had just been in her room. After finding out what happened to her, Steve was rushing to the hospital, you in tow. Now, after seeing the condition she was in, everything had caught up to him.

He’d sank to the floor earlier, just down the hall, after seeing Max and cried like you’d never seen the man cry before. It was deep, guttural, soul wrenching sobs, his face buried in his fists as his shoulders shook.

It broke you heart to see.

You instantly fell to your knees, not caring if the linoleum hospital floor was uncomfortable and pulled your boyfriend into your arms. You sat and hugged him, letting him cry as much as he needed to. He clung to you like you were the anchor in this storm he’d been thrust into.

You couldn’t say how long you both sat in the hallway like that, but you sat quietly, holding him to you, stroking his hair.

You were upset and scared too, but for once, Steve shouldn’t have to be the strong one. You wanted him to know that he could decompress, he could let out all the grief, grief you knew had been compiling and building up inside his head, inside his heart for years. Maybe this was what had been his final straw.

He’d said nothing about the episode, only kissing your forehead as if saying thank you for just being there.

His face was no longer wrecked from his sobs, but his eyes were red, you could tell just from the distance where you sat. A mixture of tears and lack of sleep had turned his beautiful brown eyes that you loved so much, completely bloodshot.

“Steve,” you finally stopped him, grabbing his arm to slow his pacing.

He hadn’t even changed out of his fighting gear. Although he’d disposed of the tactical vest he’d had on, he was still in the camouflaging shirt, dark pants and brown leather jacket with the patches. He was bloody, bruised and injured. Specks of dirt and blood mixed in the dots of filth on his face. His choke burn and cut from demobats that seemed like eons ago was still present, yet to be cleaned. You ran fingers over it lightly, causing him to wince. You whispered an apology before you continued.

“None of this was your fault,” you tell him firmly, looking up into his face.

“But I’m supposed to be looking out after them. That’s my job. I promised to keep them safe. I always said I’d keep them safe and I didn’t. This time I didn’t.”

Steve had grown a close bond to the young teens after years of winding up looking after them on the craziest of missions, situations and all the weird Upside Down shit that Hawkins had the misfortune of going through. Even though it had been a joke amongst the group, Steve truly cares for these kids as if they were his own family. They were his own family. Steve was just the kind of person to sacrifice himself to save each and every one of those kids. He would’ve done it too in this instance, if it’d save Max.

“The only person responsible for this is Vecna,” you said, “No one else, okay? This is not on you.”

“But Y/N-”

“No,” you said firmly, sitting him down in a chair, you sitting in the one next to him, “You know Max. Even if you were there she would be stubborn enough to do it on her own. Even against your wishes. Remember when she drove you guys after you were knocked out by Billy? She was barely 13 then!”

He smiled faintly at the memory.

“Yeah, she is stubborn alright.”

“She’s also a fighter, Steve.”

You linked your fingers through his and squeezed his hand gently, letting him know you were there for him, in more ways than just being right next to him. He looked up at your words.

“I’m scared, Y/N.”

“I know,” you whispered, “I am too. But she would want us to fight this son of a bitch and that is what we’re going to do. When the time comes, we’re going to fight like hell. For Eddie. For Max. For all the other lives he’s taken, all the lives he’s destroyed. We’re going to fight, Steve. And you know where I’m gonna be?”

He shook his head, watching you.

“I’m going to be right there next to you fighting as hard as you are because I refuse to let Vecna ruin us or this town. Ruin anymore families, lives. I’m going to be right there next to you Steve okay?”

“Okay,” he whispered.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen to Max and I sure hope she’ll wake up. Maybe defeating Vecna will help her wake up. I don’t know. But we’re going to get through this alright?”

A tear escaped down his cheek as he looked down and you brushed it away before he could swipe at it himself. You rested your free hand on his cheek and he turned once again to look up you, slightly leaning into your touch.

“I know things aren’t okay. But we’re going to make it Steve, all of us, no matter what.”

The words seemed to center Steve, his lips pursing in determination.

“No matter what.”

[peggy-sue-reads-a-book]

Hi👋 how are you doing?

What's ur top 5 favorite characters in movies/shows and why?

Oh! Good morning, dear! Thanks for asking — still sick, but maybe the worst is over? Wow, only five this is gonna be hard. But I’ve been excited about this question! Im sure the minute I smash post I’ll think of someone I forgot. I do so love to read.

I’ll start with my comfort movie. Disney’s Robin Hood. If y’all didn’t cry when he said, “Marion, my darling, I love you more than life itself” you are sociopaths and don’t belong here. To be very clear, I never don’t wanna watch this movie. The fat, sassy bear is everything. There jaunty fucking little hats.

Have you ever read Winter’s Bone? It never picked up much of a fandom, which is an absolute crying shame. Exquisite pros. The heroine Ree Dolly is just such a friggin queen. So well developed. Amazing dialogue and pacing.

Dexter Morgan. What a guy. Fuckin love him. He’s so cute with his little face and his little murderous schemes.

Literally everyone knows this but Patroclus owns me. Any version. Aside from being half of a cute couple, I just stan him as a guy. Like this is someone I would cherish and admire if he were my friend. I want to be like Pat.

Max Vandenburg from The Book Thief. The little picture book he made for Leisel. His hair like feathers. Max, you guys.

Honorable mentions to L from Death Note and Spencer Reid since everyone already knows how I am about retro crime drama. I got really fucking into Nancy Drew and just escalated from there.

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 General Thoughts/Review (SPOILERS)

Just got done watching! Still reeling from the final 2 episodes! Had a lot of thoughts I wanted to share. This is just my opinion, so don’t take offense if you see something you disagree with. Chances are things might change when I get more time to think about the overall season!

WARNING: Major Spoilers from Episodes 8 and 9 of Stranger Things Season 4

1.) I don’t know if it’s too early to call, but these last two episodes will probably be in my Top 10 Favorite Stranger Things Episodes if I ever decide to make that list. It was an emotional rollercoster, and my stomach was in knots over what was going to happen to these characters. These will be episodes I rewatch in the future.

2.) Yay for Joyce/Hopper reconnecting. That was long overdue!

3.) I’m hoping we get a little more explanation about the Russian’s involvement with the Upside Down. I’m guessing they must have gotten the demogorgons and demodogs from when they opened the gate in Hawkins in season 3, but there’s a lot here that needs clarification. Specifically, I want to know how they managed to trap a piece of the Mind Flayer in that room. I also want to know more about the Russian’s experiments on the Upside Down monsters, and what plans they have for next season.

4.) I feel awful for Will. This show has stopped being subtle about Will’s feelings for Mike, and it’s depressing that he hasn’t been able to tell Mike how he truly feels about him. It’s nice that Jonathan seems to be aware of Will’s feelings and what Will’s going through, and that he was able to give his little brother some brief comfort.

5.) As a gay man, I’m not completely willing to dismiss the Duffer Brothers yet when it comes to queer representation. At the same time though, it’s frustrating that the show refuses to have the characters verbally acknowledge Will being gay despite dropping unsubtle hints this season about his feelings for Mike. It’s also frustrating that we had Vicky get introduced briefly as a love interest for Robin, and yet there barely was any focus on it. I’ve seen accusations from some fans about the show queerbaiting them, which.....................the jury is still out for me on that. There are things that could have been handled better when it comes to LGBT+ representation, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to completely dismiss the show. There’s still one more season to turn this around.

6.) Argyle’s become a favorite character. Love how he was able to identify the tire tracks that led to where El and Dr. Brenner were, as well as getting El the salt tub she needed. He’s a lot more perceptive than he looks. Here’s hoping we see more of him in season 5!

7.) Speaking of Dr. Brenner..............CALLED IT! I knew he was going to betray Owens and El. I didn’t buy for one second that he actually reformed and saw the error of his ways. For all of his talk about how he did everything for El, the truth is it was ALWAYS about him and his need for control (as Vecna put it). This man is arguably responsible for almost every shitty thing that’s happened on this show, and I am glad El finally had enough of his crap.

8.) What exactly happened to Dr. Owens? Is he in Colonel Sullivan’s custody? Did Sullivan kill him? And where is Sullivan? I’m guessing he’s still hunting El, but I’d have to imagine he knows about the “earthquake” in Hawkins and the gate between Hawkins and the Upside Down. We’ll probably see him again next season, and I am not looking forward to it.

9.) Love the callback to Max’s Michael Meyers costume from season 2, and how Eddie used her mask to cover himself. Lol! 😂

10.) I was never a fan of Jason to begin with, but that scene with him and Nancy at the gun store is where any shred of sympathy I had left for him evaporated. The fact he was okay implying to Nancy that he was planning to hunt down Mike was vile. He looked like he was relishing that, which was disgusting. I’m glad Nancy stood her ground.

11.) I like the way Brenner’s death was handled. You can tell El was sad in spite of how awful of a person he was. At the same time, I was glad she refused to grant him any absolution or forgiveness before he died, even he was begging her to “understand.” She did not owe him that.

12.) The ending where they play “Separate Ways” by Journey as the group prepared to put their plan to kill Vecna into motion was a beautifully haunting moment.

13.) It was nice seeing Lucas and Erica bond as siblings where they weren’t just throwing snarky remarks at each other. Yay for Erica showing up for most of Lucas’s games because she wanted to support her brother! Here’s hoping we get more sibling moments like this in season 5!

14.) Loved seeing the bonding the group did prior to the battle: Dustin and Eddie fooling around, Robin and Steve talking with one another, Nancy and Max working together. Moments like these make me love this show!

15.) Eddie playing guitar in the Upside Down was as badass as the trailers made it out to be!

16.) Steve having 6 kids while traveling around the United States in a trailer is something I want to see happen now! :) Potential Spin-off!

17.) Speaking of Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan.......................Look: I’ve tried to be as open-minded about this as I can, but I am not enthusiastic about the Duffer Brothers creating another love triangle between these three. I didn’t like it in the first two seasons, and I’m not liking it any better here. I don’t have an issue with Steve finding true love if that’s the direction they’re going with his character, but I have zero interest in seeing Steve get back together with Nancy. I wish they would stop pushing this. I’m also not thrilled about the writers chipping away at the Jancy relationship. I was pretty ticked at Jonathan lying to Nancy about his acceptance letter, and the lack of resolution over where their relationship currently stands. I get they didn’t have enough time to focus on that given everything else going on, but still..............

18.) Max sorting through her trauma and her complicated feelings about Billy has been one of the best storylines this season. There was a hard truth in her admittance that she wished for Billy to die and felt guilty about it. And no, I don’t think she’s an awful person because of that. There are sadly many real-life examples of abuse victims who have also felt that way about their abusers, who probably felt relieved when their abuser were no longer a part of their life and then felt guilty for feeling that way. I am grateful this show didn’t shy away from that: They didn’t try to pretend Billy and Max’s relationship was ever okay, or that Billy secretly had a heart of gold when it came to Max. They were very clear that he was ABUSIVE to her, and that the way he treated Max messed her up in a huge way.

19.) This is probably going to be a controversial opinion, but I was satisfied with the ending they gave Jason’s character. I was glad they didn’t pull the last-minute “redemption” for him, nor made any attempt to whitewash his behavior. Regardless of his reasons for doing what he did, or whether or not he knew the full truth of what was going on, the fact is he put innocent people in danger because of his actions. He was prepared to kill Lucas, even when Lucas was trying to explain to him what was happening. He was someone who was coasting on his own self-righteousness and refused to consider the possibility he might be wrong in his assumptions. People can complain all they want about how Jason would have been a “Nice Guy” if things didn’t go the way they had, but the truth is the current circumstances brought out Jason’s uglier qualities and revealed the kind of person he was: Self-Absorbed, Vindictive, Prejudicial, Irrational, and Self Righteous. His establishing character moment was that speech at the prep rally in the season 4 premiere where he took all the deaths that happened at the hands of the Mind Flayer (an event Jason knew nothing of the context behind) and made it all about him and how they needed to win the basketball game. Doesn’t get any more self-absorbed than that. I see his character as a deconstruction of the “Vigilante Hero:” Someone who takes the law into their own hands because they’re convinced of the purity of their cause, and doesn’t give a damn about the collateral damage they leave behind. In a day and age where we have people who behave like this (and have gotten others killed through their stupidity and arrogance), it’s refreshing to see Stranger Things call this mentality out.

20.) Lucas beating the crap out of Jason will go down as one of my favorite moments in season 4. Same thing with Erica kicking Andy in the balls after he threatened to break her arm.

21.) What is it gonna take to finish Vecna off? Steve and Robin burn him alive while Nancy shoots him, and it still doesn’t kill him? They should have used the axe to chop his head off.

22.) Eddie’s death hit hard. I had a sick feeling he was gonna be slated for death, but what hurts the most is how he’s still being vilified by the town for murders he was innocent of. He went down fighting as a hero, and I’m hoping Dustin manages to get his name cleared at some point in season 5. He deserves that.

23.) I'm hoping we see Enzo again soon. I loved his friendship with Hopper. Don’t care that much for Yuri though.

24.) Hopper chopping off the head of a Demogorgon is also another favorite moment for me! :)

25.) Here’s to hoping that Vickie and Robin’s relationship gets more focus in season 5.

26.) I hope Max recovers soon! 😢 

27.) The ending was haunting. I’m assuming Henry/One/Vecna is assembling his army off-screen and plans to invade in season 5. Now that the gate is wide-open, and the Upside Down is pouring into Hawkins, chances are the life expectancy in that town is about to plummet. I don’t blame most of the residents for packing their bags and leaving ASAP.

28.) I’m hoping we get more of an explanation about Vecna first got his powers. I still theorize that there was some kind of hidden gate between the Creel house and the Upside Down, and that some other malevolent force connected with Henry as a kid via the spiders or the grandfather clock and gave him the psychic powers he now has. Also, the show needs to explain more about the Upside Down. Time froze there the day Will disappeared, even though it’s speculated that the Upside Down has existed for over thousands of years. Here’s hoping season 5 provides the answers!

29.) I’m sorry Lucas, but if someone was in a coma, I would NOT be reading them a Stephen King book!

Overall, I enjoyed this season. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a fun ride, and it gave me a lot to chew on. I’ll be back for a rewatch, and will come back to edit this if I have anymore thoughts.

[yourheartonfire]

A continuation of the villain discovering the hero is their best friend/crush - and taking advantage.

First part here. Thanks to @gingerly-writing for the original prompt!

At first it was fun, tormenting the hero under the guise of being a loving and concerned partner. The villain plied their friend - their partner now - with affection and comfort, home cooked meals and help with chores. And then, at just the right time, they'd drop a reference to the recent uptick in supercrime, or leave their phone open to a crowd fund campaign for [Villain] 's most recent victims. 

It worked every time. The hero would go pale and drawn, the villain would make loud noises about pain and flutter about with Tylenol and pillows, and the hero would force a smile and lie, even as they clung tighter and tighter to the villain with every passing day.

But... well, it was one thing to see hero suffer. It was another thing to see their friend racking themself with guilt and frustration at being grounded. Especially when it was so very easy to make them happy-

"Surprise!" yelled the hero as they flung open their apartment door.

The villain jumped. The hero was on both feet, the cast gone - ah, there was a plastic brace on their ankle and a cane. Only then did the villain notice the trays of take-out sushi on the coffee table behind them. From the villain's favorite restaurant.

"My treat tonight," said the hero with a warm kiss to the villain's cheek. "As a thank you."

"You can't afford this!" the villain blurted out.

The hero rocked back on their heels, considered the villain a long moment. 

"Mm hm," they said finally, pulling the villain in and closing the door firmly behind them. "First of all, I'm aware whatever you do in banking pays more than grad school but I can budget for special occasions. Second, this is to butter you up. Because we do need to talk."

"Oh," said the villain cautiously as they followed the limping hero to the sofa. Through the plastic box lids, they could see the hero had gotten most of their favorite rolls and their extra wasabi. "What... is something wrong, sugar?"

The hero sat and took villain's hands. "You've been so amazing and supportive the past few weeks. And I need you to dial it back."

"What?" The villain blinked.

"Don't get me wrong, I love it when you take care of me." The hero smiled. "But you need to let me take care of you too. It's really clear you are exhausted and stressed to the max."

"No I'm not," the villain said automatically, trying to pull away. "I mean, I've been worried about you pushing yourself too fast-"

The hero sighed. "See, this is exactly what I mean. Every time I want to talk about your needs, you turn it back around to mine."

"My needs? I don't have any neeee..." The villain trailed off mid-word. The hero raised their eyebrows. "Oh," said the villain again, feeling uncomfortably exposed. 

Damn it, this was not supposed to be about them. The villain felt themselves going hot and furious again. How dare the hero lecture them when the hero was the liar!

"Look, I don't think it's a coincidence this started right after my accident," the hero went on, oblivious to the villain's building anger. "You must be, like, off the charts in 'acts of service' as your love language." The hero traced their hand along the edge of the villain's face, in that way that would've sent shivers down the villain's spine if this all wasn't a lie. "But that can't be the only dynamic in our relationship - you giving and me taking. Especially when I'm so close to getting this thing off."

"You still have a lot of physical therapy," the villain started. The hero gave them another look. "Right. I'm turning it around on you again." The villain closed their eyes and took a breath. "Okay. I'll do better. More dynamics. We'll be a dynamic duo."

"Starting now," the hero said, and swung their leg across the villain's lap, gazing adoringly down at them. "Tonight let me take care of you, okay?" They tilted the villain's head up into a soft kiss. 

This was much easier to handle. The villain let themselves relax as the hero took the lead. Their hand ghosted over the thin plastic shell around the hero's ankle. Still healing, still so fragile and vulnerable.

"You set me up," the villain murmured between kisses. "You knew I'd say something about the sushi, you could segue in..." The hero chuckled and the villain pulled them closer to nibble on their ear. "Another of your clever traps," they growled playfully.

The blow hit them across the chest like a train, knocking them back. The hero was on their feet in a crash of movement, eyes wide as headlights and fists clenched. "What did you say?" they gasped.

Oh shit. Oh fuck, fuck, fuck and shit.

"I... said, 'another of your clever traps?'" the villain replied, careful not to lower their voice this time, to make it sound a bit corny and staged. "Like that show you were watching about [Villain] last week, it was something they said, right?" they said, sitting up with their best puzzled expression, rubbing their chest where the hero had knocked them away. "Sugar, what's wrong? You're shaking like a leaf."

"Oh Jesus," the hero said, a hand to their mouth. "You sounded just like-" Belatedly they noticed the villain's position. "Oh my god! Did I hurt you? And - oh no!"

This last was directed at the coffee table, knocked upside down and the food scattered across the floor.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. I'm okay," the villain soothed. They reached out for their partner and the hero shied away.

"Let me go, uh, get something to clean this up," they said, backing towards the kitchen with hitched steps and a shaky smile. "Just... don't do that voice again, okay? You're scary good at it."

"Okay," the villain said. Their heart was hammering in their chest, even 10 minutes later after the hero finished fussing around and settled back at the villain's side, pale and drawn and tucking themselves close. That had been too close, unforgivably sloppy.

The next night their partner begged off their date, claiming extra papers to grade, and the hero was back out in costume and reinforced ankle boots. 

The villain was ready. Now things were really going to get interesting.

Part 3 here and part 4 here!