#it's a show on netflix called 'love after music' though it's actually 'love after love'

[otterandterrier]

che alguien vio la serie de fito acá?

así estoy

[carinavi5]

Last night I finished Hilda, a Netflix cartoon based on Luke Pearson's graphic novel also called Hilda.

I've been watching it with my parents after lunch and dinner, but because I've been out for like a month I had the last chapter there waiting for me.

Even though I've watched most chapters with a big time gap between them, I've been equally excited every time to sit down on the sofa and enjoy another one. An etertaining, cozy and easy to follow story that has kept me hooked until the very end.

The art of that story too, very VERY worth mentioning. The graphics, the color and animation and everything is so so pretty. And the music too, I've had each seasons playlist running every time I'm doing some kind of house chores, even when I'm doing archery sometimes. Love it.

I love the story and the characters so so much. I have some thoughts but I want to listen/read some analysis and criticism from other people before saying much. I actually do that with every cartoon I watch haha, once I finish it I listen to people on YouTube analysing the show. It's part of the magic.

[redge]

【OSHI NO KO】 Season 2 Episode 18

(I am writing this while Episode 20 is already airing haha)

I will never stop wishing that this character keeps on smiling and finds happiness when this manga ends. Everyone deserves to be happy but I want this character to be happy even more. Please, Akasaka-sensei I beg you. 🙏

"actors who've been at it their whole lives" There's sadness in those lines. Arima Kana really clings to this harsh world of the entertainment industry. 💭

I will miss this Shinjuku faction when the Tokyo Blade ends (which is today's episode I think [episode20])

Look at these two watching each other's acts! They won't admit that the other is better than themselves but you know deep down they both acknowledge each other's talent for acting. (this is further proven after the Tokyo Blade play, I hope it will be animated in today's episode)

The voice acting in this script was spot on!

Tokyo Blade theme is so beautiful! I loved reading this arc but the music just really adds angst to the play. Even that Sayahime music was so good (Tumblr says I am only allowed to post one video so go watch the episode if you're curious haha) I hope they release these tracks officially 😁

"What is it she doesn't like about me so much?"

HAHAHAHA oh my gosh I don't remember Netflix having this sub but I remember so many accounts who don't like Kana to the extent of unhealthily hating on her like where are you all coming from what did she do to you 😅

I will never understand how some fans of Akane hate Kana when in fact in the manga, and now in this episode, it was so clear that Akane started her footing as an actress because of Kana. It was not the best experience but from that encounter, Akane started to study the psychology of other people which we see as a huge part of her personality. The actress that she is now is due to her hard work and talent but she wouldn't have even started if she hadn't seen Kana act. If her parents had not encouraged her to try acting, even persuaded her with "you might even become friends with Kana-chan.", we wouldn't have seen the actress that she is right now. In the OnK universe, Akane does not even hate Kana. I mean, do you actually hear an ounce of hate on the way Akane calls Kana "Kana-chan"? Because I don't. 🤷‍♀️ (It's because of hating on characters that I don't really enjoy interacting with people in this fandom. Some Akane fans hate Kana. Some Kana fans hate Akane and it's making the series less enjoyable. 💭)

Young Akane is so adorable! It was narratively satisfying to see the effect of the Bell Pepper Exercises on other kids, from a different perspective than Kana. Kana hated bell peppers but she was able to convince Akane to eat them. If that's not good acting, then I don't know what is. 😹

How can anyone hate these two when they're the characters who understand each other so well?! Remember how in season 1 episode 8, Kana talks about Akane saying "She thoroughly prepares for roles, displaying deep consideration and insight into the parts she's given. Her natural talent allows her to assume those roles with perfection. Though her personality might not be suited for reality shows, as an actress, she can only be called a genius.".

And this season, we get this from Akane. They both acknowledge each other's talent so really I don't get where the hate energy comes from. Maybe I'm too old for fan wars that I don't get them anymore. 😅

I just noticed that the hand guard of Sayahime's sword is crescent moons assembled together. Interesting detail.

These frames were so good! The symbolism of Sayahime turning into young Akane as she is inviting Kana to act with all she's got because that's what young Akane loved about little Kana-chan: her acting that devours everyone. What an adaptation. I hope Akasaka-sensei and Mengo-sensei feel the same as Kichijouji-sensei when they saw Melt's acting improvement, or as Abiko-sensei when she's watching this play. I hope they both feel the satisfaction of the anime adaptation of their manga because it's been really doing a great job this season. ♥

The way Kana sees herself is so pale in comparison to Aqua's "She shines brightest when her face screams "Look at me!". 😭 And it's so curious that most of those frames are just from normal conversations he's had with Kana and then the anime goes extra as to include frames from the Full Moon music video 😂 Even more curious that that first encounter as a child actor also comes to mind when Aqua remembers how he wanted to kill the arrogant child actor Kana 😂 Anime prod why are you doing this to me I love Kana enough no need to show these frames to me, please. Ah. I just want Kana Arima to be happy. T_T

The way these two believe in Kana while Kana does not even think of herself as someone who deserves anything. The relationship of Kana, Aqua, and Akane is so interesting. I don't hate anybody in this universe. 😁(except Himekawa Airi sorry Taiki)

This post got longer than expected 😂

[escapetothelake]

Was Laura and Bob already submitted? If no, can you please do? 🤲

sorry this took a hot minute!!

angst under the cut

who made the first move: robert approached laura first when he saw her sketching on the bench. he found her mysterious nature intriguing, and invited her to a bookshop cafe where they could talk more, surrounded by soft music and nice art.

who kissed who first: i think their first kiss was mutual. robert was sitting next to her on a park bench, his arm nervously placed around her. she looked up from her book, they locked eyes, and they both leaned in.

who started the relationship: after they went out a few times, they just kinda.. became exclusive?? robert because he genuinely felt a connection with laura, and laura for the same reason, but also because robert's presence brought her peace of mind and didn't add hassle to her life. it's nice to not be alone with your own thoughts.

who remembers things: laura has a great memory. robert is well-meaning, but can be a little forgetful when it comes to smaller things. laura gives him a notepad and a pencil and tells him to write down things he needs to remember, and sooner or later, his workspace, the fridge, and the doors in the house are littered with them.

nicknames for each other: laura goes for "bob", "rob", "robbie", or "bert". sometimes she says his name with a french accent—it's an inside joke they have. robert calls her "honey", "babe", or "my girl".

who is more likely to pay for dinner: robert has pretty steady employment, so he usually pays.

who normally cooks: laura's a better cook than robert. he likes it when she teaches him, because she always says that he has the capabilities to become better if he puts his mind to it.

who remembers anniversaries: they both do.

what would they get each other for gifts: robert likes to get laura flowers, books, or art supplies. he also gets her music pieces, records, or tapes. laura's the kind of person who gives drawings or works of art for gifts. she has a bunch of old books as well, and she learned to make art pieces with them.

most trivial thing they fight over: not that this is trivial, but laura tends to isolate herself, or "wander off" for a while and not leave any notice or tell robert where she's going. robert gets concerned, and laura feels that he's being overbearing.

how often do they fight: they're both pretty chill, so they don't fight that often.

who uses all the hot water: laura loves a good bath. her and robert sometimes bathe together, too.

who calls up the super/landlord when the heat’s not working: laura has to, or bob will try to fix it himself.

who leaves their stuff around: laura kinda shoves her stuff into drawers, but keeps a pretty neat and minimalistic house. when robert's stressed, he'll leave his stuff laying around.

who remembers to buy the milk: when robert's going out for work, laura will usually say, "bob, we need milk." she just hopes he'll remember to actually pick it up.

who controls the netflix queue: they're the kind of couple to watch the same shows—usually one or two episodes a night. robert mostly adapted to laura's tastes, though. i could see them watching thrillers, mystery, drama, documentaries, and the like.

who steals the covers at night: laura. robert sleeps pretty still. sometimes she'll wake him up by accidentally kicking him in her sleep.

who cusses more: if laura's really irked, she swears like a sailor. she's pretty chill most of the time, but she has mild road rage tendencies. there have been a couple of times that robert had to stop her from getting into a fight.

who does most of the cleaning: they try to split domestic tasks, but since bob works more, laura usually takes over.

what’s their favorite non-sexual activity: doing artistic activities together. sometimes they'll draw each other, or read with their legs all tangled up together.

who’s the cuddler: robert. sometimes, he holds laura like she's gonna go somewhere. laura doesn't really mind his clingy tendencies, so she kinda just lets him hold her.

who’s the big spoon/little spoon: usually it's robert big, laura little.

who’s more dominant: mostly laura. robert will do anything she asks, in and out of the bedroom.

who is the dirty talker: bob mostly uses affirmation/praise phrases. laura is more of the "dirty talker".

what do they do when they’re away from each other: laura's pretty independent, so she doesn't mind being away from bob all that much. in fact, she actually enjoys having alone time every once in a while, especially because it helps her creatively. on the other hand, being away from laura makes bob a little uneasy. he likes to call her every so often, just to check in.

what would they do if the other one was hurt: bob kinda likes being taken care of and "babied" by laura because it makes him feel safe and wanted. in that sense, when she's caring for him while he's sick and/or injured, he enjoys the attention. if laura were sick or hurt, bob would be a little more distressed, but he likes to have the chance to cook for her and care for her in return. he sees it as an opportunity to show his affection.

a headcanon: occasionally, laura will leave little drawings around for bob. it's almost like a game at this point—he likes to see if he can find them all. sometimes she'll doodle on a sticky note and slide it in his notes, his books, in his coat, his shoe, his lunch, or some object in the house. she really enjoys the excitement he expresses when he find them. in return, he began to write loving little notes on the back of the drawings and re-hide them among her things. at first, it was pretty surprising to laura, but she keeps them all.

after her death, dale finds a box in her house full of little notes with drawings on one side, and affectionate phrases on the back. he puts two and two together and realizes that they were co-made with robert, and his realization is confirmed after a handwriting analysis. after robert is cleared of suspicion of murder, dale gives him back a number of laura's possessions, the box with the notes included. dale excuses himself from the room, but not before he hears the box open and robert begin to sob.

[sunjaesol]

Love is Blind x Juke

For the past two days @thedeathdeelers and I have spiralled into a Love Is Blind x Juke fanfic in the dm's and this is what came out of it. So, a co-written Imène and Ophelia special for Juke Jeudi. Ta-da!

///

“Hi,” a voice called out from the other side of the Pod. This was it. The start of this mess. 

Luke perked up. "Uh, hey, I'm Luke."

"I'm Julie." A pause. Then a laugh. "This is really weird, huh?"

Luke laughed as well, the tension of the last twenty-four hours slipping away. One second he was drunk in his apartment with his buddies on the Netflix website, the second he was on a flight to San Diego for a freaking reality dating show. Or rather: a marriage show. Insane. But whatever. It wasn't like he was actually going to find someone. He was just gonna lay low, write some songs, and then dip after ten days.

"So, Julie, what made you sign up for this thing?" he asked, draping himself across the couch. A cup of rum and coke dangled in his hand.

"Um… I guess I wanted to do something I'd never do. I'm always waiting for love, you know, instead of… just going for it. So here I am. What about you?" Her voice was pretty, slightly raspy, yet melodic, and he felt himself listening to her intently.

"I'm here to write songs," he replied, blunt.

She laughed. "What?"

"Yep."

"You're here… for songs?"

"Don't take this the wrong way," he said, "but this is like a retreat for me."

"Well, that's excellent, actually," she replied, smooth. "Because I happen to be a songwriter."

***

Julie went into her second date after an hour long conversation about music and their favourite bands with Luke. She felt giddy, but knew a first impression didn’t mean anything in an experiment like this. Sitting down, she called out: "Hello?"

"Hi, I'm Nick," a male voice said.

Julie smiled. "I'm Julie."

"Julie," he repeated, and she heard the scribbling of paper. "So, tell me about yourself, Julie."

"Um… what do you wanna know?"

"Where are you from?" he asked. 

Easy enough. "I’m from Los Feliz."

"No way!" He laughed. "Me too!"

Her brows raised. "Really? Where did you go to school?"

"LF Public High."

"Ah," she sighed, "I went to the arts school. It would be crazy if we've met each other before."

"Or maybe it's fate," he teased.

An amused smile twitched on her lips. Guys that flirted with the word ‘fate’ to wrap a girl around their finger; she’s met those before. "Yeah, who knows."

***

After three full days of jamming and creating music with Luke, somehow able to connect on such an intense level with a shimmery wall between them, they found themselves in amiable silence. It wasn’t awkward, somehow. The song they worked on had been rather emotional, about family and history and regret. It brought back memories she hadn’t dared to discuss in the Pods. But now… 

“Not to like, um,” she licked her lips, “dump all my trauma, but—”

“It’s okay,” he whispered.

“My mom, uh, died… two years ago.” Julie took a steadying breath, though let the tears roll as they came. He didn’t see her. She could cry. “She’d been sick for a while—terminal cancer—so we were prepared, but… nothing actually prepares you for it.” She heard him hum, encouraging her to continue. “And that’s why I applied for the show. The day she died, I felt like I died with her. I’ve just been on auto-pilot. So, ‘Love Is Blind’ was honestly this, like, desperate attempt to feel again, but I didn’t think I’d actually marry someone. I just wanted to break free of this dead feeling… if that makes sense.”

After a beat of silence, Luke said, “It does. Trust me, it does. I’m sorry, Jules, for your loss. That’s the worst thing that could ever happen, I��” A curt laugh left him. “I wish I could hug you right now, fuck.”

“It’s okay,” she sniffled.

“You’re probably the strongest person I know, not gonna lie,” he continued. “Trying to keep living after that… you should be so proud, Jules.”

Julie’s lip wobbled as she sank to the carpeted ground and shuffled to the shimmery wall, pressing one hand against it. She hadn’t had a sip of alcohol today—even though the producers wanted her to—so she knew all she felt was pure.

“I am proud,” she agreed. “Only a crazy alive person locks themselves in a Pod for seventeen hours a day.”

A laugh barked out of him. Jumping off the couch, he sat cross-legged in front of the shimmery wall. His heart hammered a nervous beat. “I, uh, relate, to be honest, to, like, mom stuff.”

“Oh?”

“My mom hasn’t died, fortunately, but… when I was seventeen, we got in a really big fight. Like, we said some nasty stuff to each other. I ran away. I didn’t speak to them for six years.” He shook his head. “And I know it’s not the same. Trust me, I know. I left by choice. But it felt like the death of my bond with them. I felt like I was dead to my parents. They never tried looking for me. Maybe because they knew where I was, but… they never tried reaching out. Until I did it at twenty-three.”

Julie sighed, “I’m so sorry, Luke.”

“It caused me to produce some fire songs, but… I don’t know if it was worth it.” He chuckled, tears rolling down his cheeks in surprise. “I don’t think I ever told someone that before.”

Julie smiled. “I’ll keep it a secret. Thank you for sharing that with me, Luke.”

“No problem,” he tried to sound nonchalant, but to him, it came off infinitely grateful.

“How’s your relationship with them now?” she asked.

“It’s… it’s alright. It’s not perfect in the slightest, but, you know, I come around for dinner or lunch at least once a month, I keep them in the loop, they keep me in the loop, they’ve attended one of my concerts…” He trailed off. “We’ve come a long way.”

“That’s great to hear,” she smiled. “Family is so important to me, so I would’ve felt so bad if I wouldn’t be able to—” She paused, warmth spreading in her body and face.

Luke frowned. “What?”

“If, um, if I wouldn’t be able to, um, meet them,” she uttered awkwardly. They had come to the silent agreement that they wouldn’t marry and simply be each other’s confidante for the ten days in the Pods. Julie has never felt like this before though. She felt… she was in love. Which was crazy, but how else could she explain the feeling in her gut?

A smile grew on Luke’s face. “You wanna meet them?”

“Don’t goad me like that!”

Luke laughed. “I’m not! I’m not! It’s… it’s cute, Julie, that you wanna meet them. Y’know, I wanna meet your dad, too. He sounds cool.”

Julie smiled. Her heart felt like bursting. “He is.”

***

The next day, Julie stood in the kitchen of the women’s quarters stirring a carrot and bell pepper soup on the stove. Luke’s favourite. If they ever were to meet in real life, she’d introduce him to other, way better, soups, but this would do for now.

Suddenly, Carrie—another contestant—appeared beside her. “You’re talking with Luke, right?” Carrie asked. 

Julie looked up. “Yeah, why?”

“Well,” she shrugged, haughty, “he's my number one, so.”

Julie frowned. Luke’s her number one? Since when? She had never heard Carrie speak about him. Did something happen in the Pods that she wasn’t aware of? “I thought Nick was your number one.”

The woman rolled her eyes. “Nick is so passive. I like Luke a lot more. I mean, musicians are hot, right?”

Carrie was baiting her, Julie realised, replying with a weak: “I… I guess…”

“Yeah,” Carrie affirmed, “so he’s my number one. I heard he’s yours, too.” The blonde tried to pull off an air of nonchalance as she inspected her perfectly manicured nails, but Julie didn’t bother with an answer and chose to add a pinch more paprika to the soup instead. She smiled; yeah, he’d like that.

Aggrieved Julie didn’t respond, Carrie continued: “So, why are you making soup?”

Julie threw a disbelieving look at Carrie. “It’s for Luke. For his birthday?”

Carrie, who had already lost interest in the conversation, suddenly whipped her head back towards Julie, hair flicking with the motion. “It’s his birthday? When? Since when?”

Julie rolled her eyes at the girl, and shook her head. Deciding to make a dig, she said: “I thought he was your number 1?”

Carrie frowned and pointed at the pot. “Can I give him some, too?”

"No,” Julie puffed, in disbelief that the woman even dared to ask her that. “That's honestly weird for you to ask, Carrie. It’s disingenuous."

"Okay, whatever," she grumbled and skulked away to talk to Kayla.

***

"So... I talked to Carrie..." Julie brought up after Luke had accepted and had taken a swig of her homemade soup. It had to be their sixth date at this point, but it has felt like forever. 

The man looked up from his guitar in confusion, wracking his brain for the last time he spoke to Carrie. "Okay?"

"She said you're her number one."

His frown deepened. "What? Really? We've spoken maybe twice."

"Oh." A relieved laugh left Julie. "Oh, wow. Then she's super jealous, or something." Her cheeks felt warm. "I was a little worried for a second, to be honest."

Luke grinned. "Yeah?"

"Mh-hm..."

"Y'know, I was worried about Nick," he confessed.

That surprised her. "Really? Why?"

"‘Cause I know you did have a connection with him."

"Yeah," she admitted, "but not in the way that we connect. Nick's like... a friend. That's all."

"Then you should tell him that," Luke said, amused. "'Cause he thinks you guys are fated."

Julie rolled her eyes. "Oh, jeez."

***

It was his favourite time of the day—sprawled across the sofa, snacks littering the floor—as he scratched out a chorus to Sunset Curve’s new song.

But that’s not why it was his favourite.

It was his favourite because he could just about hear Julie scribbling in her own journal right across that damn shimmery wall separating them, almost picturing frown lines between her brows. Which was weird, ‘cause he had never actually seen her.

It was weird, right?

But that didn’t stop him. Luke felt a silly grin taking over his features as he hummed along what he imagined would be the pre-chorus, leg swinging over the armrest—

And then he froze, stopping all movement.

Because he could be hallucinating, but he swore he just heard singing coming from the other room. The one that contained Julie. The human wrecking ball that had already captivated him before he had ever seen her.

Or heard her, apparently.

Holy shit. Holy shit. 

Luke nearly fell off the couch as he stumbled into a sitting position, jumping from his spot to the shimmery wall. He splayed his fingers as he pressed his palms against the damn thing keeping them apart, and then placed his ear against it.

He stopped moving; stopped breathing. She was singing. And it was fucking beautiful.

Shit. He was fucked.

He remembered Julie telling him about her complicated relationship with music; how she hadn’t sang in over a year. But now she was singing, here, with him, and he was finding it so hard to keep himself in check. He could clearly hear Alex’ voice in his head telling him to ‘cool it, Patterson. You’re going to scare her off.’

And that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Afterwards, Luke barged into the men's quarters and yelled: “I'm marrying Julie!”

Dean barely looked up from his paperback. “Yeah, we know.”

"You haven't talked about anyone else," Seth added.

"Oh," Luke said, scratching the back of his head. "Well, yeah. Now I'm gonna do it."

"Cool, man," Garrett grinned. "Get that woman!"

***

On the tenth day, Julie wore her prettiest dress. A purple number, nothing too special, as she hadn’t actually thought to get married on this show. The other women had ornate dresses, but she’d have to do with this one. 

Then again, she wasn’t actually sure Luke would propose. He told her he loved her, but that didn’t mean he wanted to marry her in a month; that didn’t mean he wanted to go through with the experiment; the reality show. 

Opening the door to the Pod, she heard Luke already pacing on his side. 

“Hi,” she said.

“Oh!” he exclaimed. “Hey!”

She paused at the wall. “You’re nervous?”

“It’s the tenth day, so, uh…” Luke shook his head and stared at the silly velvet box in his hands. This was ridiculous. Insane. Every other synonym for that word. He wasn’t marriage material. He was a guy from an underground rock band that came here to get inspired and write. But here he fucking was.  

“I don’t wanna say we’re fated, ‘cause I don’t believe in that shit,” he suddenly continued, the words flowing out of him. 

Julie smiled. “Me neither.”

“But I do—I do think you’re my person, Julie. That we should be together outside of the Pods. When we make music it’s like–like–”

“Magic,” she finished, her smile widening and her hands pressing against the wall. 

“Yeah,” he breathed. Sinking onto both knees, he kept his eyes on the box. “We’re magic together, I think. And I love you. I know that. I love you.”

Julie let her forehead drop against the wall as she giggled. Nothing about this made sense. No one would be able to understand what she felt right now. “I love you, too.”

“So… Julietta Rose Victoria Marie Molina…” He took a steadying breath. Now or never. “Will you do me the honour of marrying me?”

An elated sob left the woman, nodding profusely despite him being unable to see her. “Yes!” she exclaimed. “Yes!”

***

The white doors slid open in a swoop and their identities were revealed. Luke took a step forward and found his jaw falling slack at the short woman several feet away from him. She… was perfect. Down to those cute, scribbled-on sneakers.

Julie laughed, showcasing a gap between her teeth, and waved at him. "Hi."

"Hey," he grinned, his walk turning into a jog—he had to get to her—and grabbed her into a hug. "Holy shit."

"I know," she laughed, latching onto him. "Neither of us had a proposal outfit packed."

"Julie–Jules, you–" Pulling away slightly, he felt moisture building in his eyes from the shock and tension. His hands cupped her cheeks. "You're–wow."

"Thanks," she giggled, her eyes also wet. "You're wow, too."

***

After the couples arrived in the resort in Mexico, Julie and Luke settled into their suite. They unpacked their suitcases as they chatted about their flight, rosy-cheeked and happy. The camera flipped to Julie in the confessional, seated on the terrace in a pretty blue dress.

"Luke and I have arrived in Mexico," Julie said. "And it's definitely weird, suddenly, like, being able to touch him and see him, but it also feels so natural. We're just really excited to continue growing what we have and make more music."

"Julie's gonna do the speaking for me this vacay," Luke added next in his confessional, a big smile stretched across his cheeks. "I'm twenty-nine, guys, I've forgotten 10th grade Spanish, y'know."

“Yes, we’ve kissed,” Julie continued, shy, “on the plane. We wanted to do it away from the cameras, and um… it was–it was good.” Her eyes averted as her smile grew. “It was really good.”

Luke plopped down on the bed. “What do you wanna do first? Check out the pool? The beach?”

“The buffet,” she emphasised. “I’m super hungry.”

He laughed. “Sounds good to me.”

Julie slid beside him. “I also wanted to talk to you about something, now that we’re here…”

Luke nodded. “Okay.”

“Um… so we’re now sharing a bed…”

“Yeah.”

“I’d like to wait until after the wedding before we have sex,” she admitted. His face gave nothing away, simply listening to her. “It’s not that I’m not attracted to you, I am, but it’s something I want to honour, you know?”

“Of course,” he whispered. “I can wait, Julie, don’t worry about it.”

“Yeah?”

“Sex isn’t that important to me,” he said with a shrug. “It’s great, but it’s not everything.”

“Duh,” she deadpanned. “Music is.”

He laughed. “Exactly, you get it.”

The woman let out a relieved breath. She didn’t think Luke would be appalled, but she hadn’t been totally sure. Now, she could sleep beside him without the stress. Kissing his cheek, she said, “Besides, we can do other stuff.”

He wiggled his brows, mischievous. ��‘Other’ stuff?”

With a roll of the eye, she pushed him away and got up. “Let’s get food.”

“Yes, Boss!”

***

The next day in Mexico, all the couples met up at the pool. It was the first time they all could see each other and properly meet. Neither Julie or Luke were worried their affection would sway, but they were nervous to approach Carrie and Nick. Both had claimed a connection, but now they were a couple themselves.

It especially bothered Luke, if he was honest. Julie was… incredibly beautiful, especially in that purple dress she wore tonight, and he wasn’t blind to the eyes Nick had been giving her. 

Afterwards, Julie and Luke sat on the bed curled towards each other, discussing the events of the night.

"So... what did you think of Nick?" Luke asked, feigning nonchalance.

Julie smirked at his obvious attempt to seem cool. "He was… nice."

"Yeah? Got a crush on him?"

"Sure," Julie deadpanned, "and that was why the conversation ended after, like, two minutes, and I stayed by your side for the rest of the night."

Luke grinned and placed a hand on her knee. "Yeah?"

"Mh-hm." She caressed his tattooed arm. "Don’t worry. I... there's not a shadow of doubt it's you, Luke. Trust me."

Luke's smile melted into fondness. "I trust you."

***

After Mexico—where one of the couples devolved and split up, leaving four couples left—they all returned to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, they couldn’t move back into their regular apartments, but all had to share the same complex. Julie and Luke lived on the third floor in a shiny, white apartment. It was the furthest thing from Luke’s actual place.  

On a positive note, they could finally introduce their partner to their friends and family. Like now. 

"Today, I'm meeting Luke's friends and band members," Julie said to the camera, standing outside of Luke’s studio in the heart of Mar Vista. "I've talked with them on the phone a couple days ago, but this'll be the first time we'll be face to face."

Luke drifted on his heels as he barely looked at the camera, clearly addressing Julie. "I'm not worried. Julie's, like, the puzzle piece we've been missing. And I fucking love her. So. Yeah."

Julie and Luke walked in where Reggie and Alex were already seated in an old, leather couch. Reggie seemed nonchalant, but Alex often flitted his eyes to the camera.

"Hi," Julie greeted. "I'm Julie!"

"Ooh," Reggie cooed. "You're even prettier IRL!"

Alex eyed her in disbelief. "Yeah. Blink twice if you wanna escape our Luke."

"Awesome support, guys," Luke grumbled.

Julie worried that the boys perhaps thought that what she and Luke had was too good to be true—that it wouldn’t last—and all it would do was interrupt their music career. She didn’t stop worrying until Alex gently pulled her away from the guys mid-practice session, and took her on a short walk around the garden.

Somehow, he knew exactly what was on her mind—and exactly what to tell her.

“Luke’s a pretty open book with just about everyone, or that’s what people think. He likes to show everyone all the good sides to him; the music, the cheerful attitude, the constant pep-talks. But he’s never, and I mean never, talked to anyone about his mom as openly as he did with you.” Alex stopped to turn and face Julie. “He’s always worried about dumping all his problems on others and it’s been his thing ever since we’ve known him. He just hides it all to himself, until he explodes and writes a song about it.”

He shrugged, though Julie could see the worry in Alex’ eyes. “But the fact that he shared some of that stuff with you, let you hear ‘Unsaid Emily’… Julie, you’re it for him. And if you’re it for Luke, you’re it for us.” Alex grimaced at his choice of words, but didn’t correct himself, choosing instead to smile encouragingly at Julie.

A moved Julie nodded in relief and pulled the drummer into a tight hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. 

That evening, it was time for Luke to meet Julie’s family, namely: her father, brother and aunt Victoria. The rest of the family would attend the wedding. Which, according to Julie, was ‘a lot’. She’d prepped him for tonight, but she still seemed nervous as she rang the bell and waited for the door to open. 

“What’s the prob?” he asked. 

“Well—”

The door flung open and an older woman in athleisure squealed at the sight of Luke. “Lukas! Come in, come in! Oh, mija, you did such a good job picking him!”

“Tia—”

“My name is Luke, actually—”

Victoria continued unperturbed and ushered them inside. He barely had time to soak in the interior as she continued babbling on. "Thank you, Lukas—" Victoria gushed.

"It's Luke—"

"—for taking my Julie off the street. Twenty-seven! Who would've thought!"

"Ah, yes," Julie drawled beside him, slightly peeved. "The old crone's age of twenty-seven."

“I think she was the one who took me off the street,” he said, throwing a smirk Julie’s way to ease the nerves a bit.

Her father and brother popped in from the kitchen, the former with a wide smile and the latter rather sceptical. “Is that my daughter’s fiancé I hear?”

***

"Luke is meeting my best friend, Flynn, today," Julie said outside of a bar. "I'm a little nervous, because Flynn is super protective of me, but I think it'll be fine!"

Luke smirked. "People love me. Everything will be great!"

That was, until Flynn said a quick hello and then shoved a ten-page questionnaire in his face. She smirked. “Just to see you’re not a serial killer and won’t break my friend’s heart.”

“Because those two are mutually important,” Julie replied, sarcastic. 

Luke scratched the back of his head as he thumbed through the pages. “I–I have to do this now?”

“Why? Scared?” Flynn pressed. “Also—” She whipped a cotton swab from her pocket and grabbed Luke’s face, pushing his mouth open. "Just the usual," she muttered and swabbed the inside of his cheek. "Just normal DNA things…”

After the horrible bar situation, Julie paced along the kitchen island continuously apologising for her friend’s behaviour. “I swear she’s usually not like this, I’m so embarrassed, like she’s protective, but not—”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Luke grabbed her shoulders to stop her from pacing with a relaxed smile. “Yeah, it was weird, but it wasn’t the end of the word.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “You have a Flynn, I have a Reggie and Alex," he soothed. "It's all cool."

***

As Carrie and Nick argued for the umpteenth time at the Cheese Tasting Date, Luke and Julie were bent over Luke's songbook, scribbling and discussing the bridge of a song.

"No, no, there should be an inverse and then, like, the reveal, that he was never there at all," Julie said.

"I don't wanna write a sad song, Jules. It's a love song," Luke bounced back.

"I mean—" She popped a piece of brie in her mouth. "---it is a love song, just not a happy one."

A grin ticked up his lips. "Is it about Nick and Carrie?"

Julie swatted his arm. "Luke!"

"What! C'mon, Jules, look at 'em." He nodded at the pair currently shouting at each other outside, two cameras on them. "They're not exactly soulmates."

Another pairing, Vivian and Dean, joined them at their table. "Oh my God," Vivian said, "can Carrie and Nick just end it already?"

"Carrie wants those followers, she can't leave just yet," Dean added with a roll of the eyes.

"Yeah," Julie trailed, "it's... a lot."

"What're you working on, dude?" Dean asked.

Luke grinned. "A song, obviously."

Viv sighed dreamily. "It's so romantic, honestly, that you guys have, like, a 'thing'."

Dean frowned. "We have a thing."

His fiancée's brows raised, challenged, and Luke and Julie recoiled into their songwriting shell again.

***

The wedding was a no-brainer. After a teary-eyed dress fitting and a fun bachelorette party with the girls—where Carrie tried to disrupt her happiness one final time—Julie found herself in the hotel room of a beautiful ranch where she and Luke would officiate their marriage. Somehow, the month felt like a year and her relationship with Luke felt like a decade. 

“Are you nervous?” Flynn asked, buttoning Julie into her dress. 

She shook her head. “No, just healthy jitters.”

“Good.” The two stared at each other in the mirror. “You deserve this, girl.”

Victoria came in with glasses of champagne. “Well, I’m nervous, so drink up, my loves.”

On the other side of the hotel, Luke, Alex and Reggie sat in the plush chairs, ready for the wedding. Luke’s foot bounced up and down in anticipation, ready to hold her and kiss her and be hers. He knew he was a romantic, but he never thought it could get this deep. 

“Do you think she’ll say yes?” Alex asked. 

Luke nodded. “Yeah. There’s honestly not a doubt in my mind, dude.”

“But what if she does?”

“Then…” Luke took a swig of his beer as a salute. “Then we’ll have a killer album in no time.”

Soon after, the ceremony began. Luke first went down the aisle where he smiled and nodded at all his friends and family. His parents sat in the front and smiled proudly at him. 

And then came Julie. Julie, in a beautiful gown and a shimmering face, taking his breath away. It felt like he had tunnel vision. She, too, couldn’t look anywhere but him, and felt her racing heart calm down the second he helped her up the steps. Her father had tears in his eyes as he gave her away. 

“Hi,” she whispered. 

“Hey,” he whispered back, smiling, “you look gorgeous.”

“Thank you.”

The officiator began his speech, Luke and Julie exchanged quick vows—though most has been said in the countless lyrics they’ve written together—and they sealed it all with a kiss. They were married. Forever. 

For the final time, Julie spoke to the camera with shiny cheeks and sparkling eyes. “How do I feel? I mean, I think you can guess.”

Luke jumped into frame and picked her up, bridal-style. “You’re looking at Miss Julie Molina-Patterson, Netflix! Hell yeah!”

***

At the reunion, they were the only couple left standing. Obviously.

***

[l-in-the-light]

♥️ Your account. Wanna tell sth about yourself? 😋👀

Thank you for liking my account and enjoying its contents! ❤ Say something about myself... um, yeah, sure? So... what should I even say? I'm probably just gonna infodump some facts and interests of mine, and it will turn into a mini essay. I'm sorry, I'm just bad with things like that, but I tried! 😭

I won't be namedropping mysef, but you can call me anyway you like and use any pronouns you want for me too. My zodiac sign is Aquarius. I'm asexual, usually way too blunt (I try my best not to be though) and I'm a rather anxious person in general welp. I was born and lived my whole life in Poland (that forgotten European country, yep), but I'm in love with Osaka ever since I first visited it. I studied philosophy and anthropology at uni (I had also a short two-semester course of psychology).

I have been a manga&anime fan since elementary school back in the 90s. That's when I learned Sailor Moon is a Japanese anime and then I realized most of the animated shows I watched in kindergarten were also Japanese, like Yattaman, Kaiketsu Zoro or General Daimos. You could say I somewhat grew up with animes while not having any idea about it (I did watch other cartoons, but I didn't love them as much as the ones I mentioned. Animes were always captivating on a completely different level to me. The exception was some Disney movies, I was totally crazy over The Lion King). As a child I dreamed of being a superhero and to be able to read other people's thoughts, I blame Yattaman for that somehow lol.

My love to animes slowly grew over the years into fascination with the country of their origin itself. That means I devoured more and more Japanese (pop)culture like music (from anime openings, visual kei to Japanese idol groups; I started from L'arc en Ciel and Gackt, but my biggest love is Kinki Kids), books, movies and live action series, food etc. I fell in love with sushi after tasting it in the first ever opened sushi restaurant in my town. The first time I tried Pocky (I still remember it was strawberry flavour!) was when a friend brought me a single package as a souvenir from their trip, haha. I have been totally crazy about Japanese snacks for a while now. Anything with melon cream soda flavour or any senbei crackers would be easily my favourite, but I also wouldn't chicken out from trying really odd flavours (takoyaki or wasabi flavoured sweet carbonated drink? Count me in! Also wasabi is awesome).

I used to read tons of mangas and watch lots of animes; I have many more-or-less recent favourite series (like Assassination Classroom, Angels of Death or The Way of the House Husband), but over the years there are only some of them I always end up coming back to, no matter how many years have passed. Those are: all Clamp titles (Tokyo Babylon and Card Captor Sakura especially), Death Note (I used to read it when it was just starting coming out, crazy), Saiyuki by Kazuya Minekura, Please Save My Earth, some Ghibli movies (my favourite is Spirited Away), Slayers (anime), Rurouni Kenshin. One Piece now joined the parade of my all time favourites :D

I actually watched and read One Piece for the first time was when I was in high school, then came back to it at uni, then had a decade long break till my friend kicked my ass and told me to finally catch up and move on from Thriller Bark (which is where I stopped that decade ago, lol). I'm glad he made me take on the challenge, it was a while since I got so hooked and engaged in anything. It's also partially thanks to the Netflix's live action, it reignited the love for the series in me again as well. Yes, that means I caught up to be up to date rather recently, I believe it happened in January of this year only, lol. Have been pretty much obsessed ever since.

My favourite writer is Neil Gaiman, my fav book of his is Good Omens. If I had to choose only one movie to save for the future of mankind, it would be Battle Royale (has nothing to do with Fortnite btw lol). I love escape rooms and board games, but I have only one friend who sometimes likes to do them with me (you know who you are :D). I'm also a gamer, but I have a very peculiar game taste, I enjoy what most people wouldn't even touch with a stick, which is niche indie games, walking sims, puzzle games and horror games (especially, sometimes really obscure, Asian ones). Silent Hill 2 is gonna always be my most favourite game. The only multiplayer game I play is Dead by Daylight.

My favourite youtuber is John Wolfe, it started because of his series of random horror games, it ended with me just enjoying his vibe in general~ lately he does some ghost debunking vids too, it's so entertaining :D

My favourite holiday is Halloween, even though we actually don't celebrate it here so I could never go trick or treating myself, sadly. I'm kinda a tea addict, I love black teas (especially with aromas and things like petals or fruits in it), green teas (sakura green tea ❤), white teas (my favourite is with rose), darjeeling... the only teas I don't like at all are irish cream and earl gray, I'm sorry xD I also don't drink coffee or alcohol because they're too bitter for me, I have a sweet tooth (my hyperfocusing brain mode runs solely on sugar). But if Law joins the Strawhats, just like I predict will happen, I *will* make an exception and drink to that. A freaking rum, even, because arrrr! :D

I also love cats and have one currently, he's called Felix and he is adorable and silly, typical short-haired, white and gray fur cat :D

[geekyhistoriansunite]

Man Suang is a pretty good and solid movie!

Ok, putting out there. I got involved in Thai drama due to Kinnporsche the Series, no I have no shame about it. It was fun, it had good looking dudes, and even though it initially seemed over the top in acting effort, the actors started to flow into their characters better and it was a fun show. Kinnporsche had amazing behind the sceens stuff that actually got me interested in the actors, especially Apo and Mile, who are freaking cute together. But all good things must end and so did the series.

But then there was a ray of hope! A glorious teaser was released.

Please note: Absolutely none of this teaser was in the movie, which I find both exasperating because I love every bit of it and the music, but also hilarious, because they caught your attention.

Please note pt. : All the BL lovers from Kinnporsche were salivating hard and if they said they weren't they're lying liars who lie.

So attention was given. And it took a long while, but then they released on official trailer at the Cannes Film Festival! Oh shnap, we got some extreme legitimacy here. This was not going to be cheap film, this was going to be quality. And all the BL lovers are still crying in anticipation at seeing their boys back together again.

Please note pt. 3: We still have NO idea what this movie is about. Just have the visual, which are gorgeous and a couple written lines teasing, but still no actual plotline. That's ok, the interest is still strong.

And one thing Be On Cloud does VERY well, is know how to advertise and keep people's interests. And it finally releases almost a year later. And lots of people cry. Not because it's a bad movie, but because there's no blatant BL storyline. There are hints, teases, looks, but that is not the main storyline. People are crying online, they've been deceived, there's no BL!

Please note pt. 4 (I'm having way to many please notes): Be On Cloud NEVER said it was BL. It was inferred since both Apo and Mile were pared in a movie together and the fact that Bo On Cloud only had the one series with mega BL plotlines.

The only reviews I could read (In English, which is all I read. I know, I should try other languages but I legit have tried 4 languages and I just can't) mostly complained about the lack of BL storyline and that it was slow at times. No synopsis, no breakdowns. Full stop. I was sad. I kept checking on my tried and true Tumblr, which normally doesn't disappoint, but nada, bupkis. I was sad. Again. There was no release date I could find with English subtitles. Again, sadness ensued.

But finally, glory be, it was announced that Man Suang release on Netflix. Today. Yay! And after work I sat and watch it all, and here is my review...finally.

Man Suang is actually a pretty good movie. Most of my knowledge of Thai culture comes from BL shows, which helped a little but I did have to pause occasionally to look something up (the betal nuts for example) and I'm sure I missed a lot of things, but I got a pretty good understanding of everything. The pacing was a bit different from movies in the US, and that could be jarring, but I got used to it. Overall it was a good movie. I'd watch it again (which is a big deal for me, I watch once and then remind myself with fanfiction).

Thoughts (spoilers below):

Everyone was in a fucked up position. Except, Tiang, fuck him.

Khem: Sweetheart, just trying to take care of his friend. The finale probably fucked him up a bit. I like to consider Chatra comes back and gives him some comfort.

Please note (Please don't ask me what number this is): There's now going to be a BL series called Shine which is going to follow their relationship. See? Just had to be patient.

Chatra: Yeah, I'd be concerned if my father was a traitor and my whole family was going to pay for it. (On a side note: What is the Thai repercussions for that? Ancient China had death of the whole family for so many generations, but I'm not sure what they are in Siam.)

Wan: Baby...honey...that was fucked up. I get where you were coming from with your severe PTSD but trying to blow everyone up is not the answer. But I do hate that he felt betrayed by Khem.

Hong: Look at my sheltered little man turn into a Bossman! I see good things in his future.

All the aunties and women in the show: Couldn't have done it without you and I love seeing all of you. Especially auntie who put the mean boss in his place while trying to feed the two newcomers. (Boss: Don't flirt with my woman! Auntie: I flirt with who I want to, go sit in the corner until you're repentant! Boss: Yes, ma'am).

And finally: Absolutely gorgeous set design and costumes. Like, super wow. Loved it all! It was interesting to see the crossover of Thai and western design, like Chatra's suit and cravat top/traditional pants combo at the end. Jarring, but I imagine that time period was jarring with all the different influences happening as well. Much like the differences in hairstyles which helped you identify Chinese descent from Thai descent (using the Queue hairstyle instead of fully or partially grown out hair).

Overall, solid job on Man Suang, I recommend it to anyone who is interested in new cultures, pretty people, and just an interesting storyline.

[lyralu91]

I've yet to watch Taboo, but I remember wanting to on account of Tom Hardy not wearing much! 😂 I knew of Jessie Buckley before, like I had heard of her, but didn't pay that much attention until I listened to the 2021 London soundtrack of Cabaret and fell in love even more when I saw Wicked Little Letters! I'm hoping to use her version of Don't Tell Mama if I do a solo burlesque performance at some point, too. And I'm also hoping to see Cabaret in London as well later on this year.

I researched after and realised she's in a lot more than I realised, like she's also Belle in the Netflix version of Scrooge (criminally underrated) and again, she's so good in that!!! I remember as well when that film came out and loads of people on tiktok were shocked that Luke Evans could sing like that and I'm just like "Uh, yeah? Haven't you seen him as Gaston?"

JB actually got her start on a talent show called I'd Do Anything, where they were looking for the next Nancy in Oliver!

OMG... GO DO IT NOWWW!!! Tom/James does indeed show a lot of skin 😌 - and Jessie/Lorna is such a confident and clever character ❤️

I've written a book length fanfiction about her and Tom Hardy's character that I highly recommend if you enjoy their "pairing" in the show 😘 (still got a few chapters left to go!)

PLEASE let me know what you make of Taboo if you watch it - WHICH YOU BLOODY SHOULD! 🎩❤️

I haven't actually heard the Cabaret soundtrack but I can imagine she's amazing in it! I've listened a bit to her music with Bernard Butler though 👏🏻 Oh and I know about Wild Rose, of course - but it's not really my type of film (sorry, Jessie! 🫣). Haven't seen the animated Scrooge either but YES - Luke Evans can sing yo!

I'm actually gonna watch Wicked little letters TONIGHT! So excited! 🤩

Yessss, it's so cool! She's so frikkn talented 🥹❤️

[tentative-wanderer]

Reviews: Homophobic Cop Marries Gay Ghost, President’s Son Gets Together with Prince

Recently watched 2 movies with gay main characters in different genres. One was Red, White & Royal Blue (available on Amazon), one was 🌟 Marry My Dead Body 关于我和鬼变成家人的那件事 (available on Netflix). Spoiler-free thoughts below 😊:

❤️🤍💙 Red, White & Royal Blue is an American romcom. It has a 10/10 trailer—incredibly inviting. The movie depicts many women in power, I love that! Many witty jokes, nice! The movie might be better if it were a drama series instead; to save time, it zoomed through the falling-in-love part with the use of text messages—the production team packaged that as well as they could, but it was still too rushed. The ending left me wondering if there could’ve been a tiny bit more to make it feel more complete. Though the movie doesn’t score as highly as its trailer in my opinion, it’s still a decent movie.

(That reminds me of how That Musical Montage in episode 1 of the Heaven Official’s Blessing donghua made me super keen to watch the rest of the series, but it turns out that that was the best part. Quality-wise, Red, White & Royal Blue is overall better than the TGCF donghua though.)

👻👮‍♂️💓 Marry My Dead Body is a Taiwanese mystery + comedy + supernatural movie. Let me copy the blurb from Google: “Wu Ming-Han, a straight policeman who is homophobic and ghost-phobic, accidentally picks up a red wedding envelope while collecting evidence. He finds himself betrothed to the envelope's owner Mao Pang-Yu, a gay man who died under mysterious circumstances. The duo must work through their differences and join forces to solve the case, seeking justice for Mao.” (Real-life context: marriages between dead people and live ones are/were an actual thing in Chinese culture.)

I’ve just finished watching this movie, love it! Let me get the “con” out of the way first: I wish the movie ended differently! The ending was not unsatisfying, it’s just that I personally could have been more satisfied.

Okay, now I am free to gush.

This movie is HILARIOUS. Won’t describe the humour here, you can see it in the trailers on YouTube.

I love the unravelling of the mysteries (police cases). The feelings would not have hit half as hard without them and the exploration of Maomao’s non-romantic relationships (formed during his life) after his death. Even though I highly value a good plot apart from the romance when I read/watch something, I like talking about feelings more, so that’s what I’ll do.

I have Intense Feelings about these guys. They went from being Not Keen about getting stuck with each other to being really cute together—I notice that the movie managed to do this EVEN WITHOUT having them hold hands or do anything physical beyond that. That is crazy. Romantic physical contact is great, but if you can show chemistry without it, and with minimal flirting—that is exceptional.

(Side note: I think it would be harder to convincingly depict a heterosexual pair arriving at romantic feelings the way Wu Ming-Han and Maomao did: (partly) through constant banter and trading barbs. A man looking down on a woman would have come across as a lot meaner because the threat that poses is larger in the patriarchal society we live in.)

Wu Minghan went from casually homophobic to being on track for bisexuality for a ghost, such character development. The scene where Wu Minghan genuinely calls Maomao “my husband” for the first time is AMAZING, unexpected. At that moment I was like, oh my god, he loves him. Or at the very least, he has good potential. It had taken a series of hilarious strong-arming, including a close call with the loss of Wu Minghan’s family jewels, to make this dude marry Maomao, but now he’s calling Maomao husband—in that particular state, at that timing. I cried. I was smiling at many points throughout the movie, I also cried at some points. I said something similar when I wrote my review for Merman’s Fall: a book/movie that makes me laugh and cry will go at the top of my favourites list. Unlike my danmei list, my favourite movies list is too short for me to put Marry My Dead Body at the top or bottom, but it’s definitely in there.

[regularponyfan]

Thoughts on The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday Part 2

“Christmas is officially back on!” And apparently, a city news reporter like yourself has the power to declare a holiday uncanceled. Why is Diane not in this again?

The others’ reactions to Snake getting all touchy-feely 🥹. OMG I WANNA HUG HIM SO BAD!!! (At the same time though, the close-ups on his face during this scene are so off-putting that it kinda ruins the moment for me.)

“That vortex is about to suck in the whole city, we don’t have time to be mad at me.” Sure, Wolf. Act like endangering your only friends isn’t worth getting angry over. You’ve really disappointed me this time. 😔

In all fairness though, at least he does apologize and admits how much the others mean to him. And I love how the other guys pretend to be disgusted but at the same time are moved to tears, while Snake is just like, “Yeah, whatever 😒.” (Even though we all know he’s bawling on the inside.)

The scene right after Shark is tossed out of the vortex without his shirt…the characters look like they’re literally floating off the ground…

That one random guy getting sucked into the vortex is actually pretty funny…in a “WTF is this animation?” kind of way.

“Are you seeing this?” No, Tiffany, all I see is your badly-animated face. Now please get it out of mine. XD

Aww, that’s adorable how the Bad Guys try to save each other from the vortex 😊…Now can we talk about the fact that the animators clearly just took still images of Piranha and Tarantula and moved them around?

How did Shark get his shirt back after all that?

Wolf’s motions as he’s falling out of the Santa bot…again, what is this, the Looney Tunes? Oh and nice dust effect when he lands by the way. I feel like this was made for a PlayStation 2 game, not Netflix.

Wait…so, the promo for this special clearly showed Shark in a Santa suit…but the closest we get to him cosplaying as Santa is him doing a voice. What. 😐

Oh, and since the Bad Guys were exposed to potentially-lethal, freezing temperatures, they all end up sick on Christmas. And Wolf has the gall to complain despite being the reason it happened. Just be thankful it’s only a cold and not frostbite, buddy.

In all seriousness though, I feel bad for them. Like, I wanna make them all better, but mostly Snake. He looks soooo miserable and I can only imagine how as a kid he must have had no one to take care of him when he was sick. That is so heartbreaking. And when he says “Bah humbug” in the middle of sneezing? Awww, poor baby! 🥺

Apparently, Santa really does exist in this universe and the Bad Guys are miffed that they ended up on his Nice List. Which…kinda seems out of character in all honesty. Like…wasn’t them being treated as something other than criminals the reason they turned good in the movie? They’re not disgusted by the concept of good (except maybe Snake); They just don’t understand it. Now I see why people had a problem with this being set before the movie.

And we end with the Bad Guys planning to heist the North Pole…which would have made a much better, much more interesting holiday special. If this does become a series, I hope they make an episode out of that.

And before we get to my final thoughts, let’s see which of my predictions for the special came true:

There will be at least one reference to the Grinch-✅ Yep! And a Die Hard reference, too, surprisingly.

The gang will have a Christmas tree with stolen jewels for ornaments-❌ Nope. I don’t think they had any decorations in their hideout or at least none I could see.

Wolf will get a good tingle from saving everyone’s Christmas-❌ Nope. The opposite happened. He apparently hates the idea of being seen as good now. 🤨

Shark will be a mall Santa-❌ We don’t see him in a mall and the only likeness to the man in red he gives is his voice, so I’m gonna say no.

Piranha will have a holiday-themed musical number-✅ Got that one!

Someone will call Snake a “Scrooge”-❌ Nope. He acts like him and even says “Bah humbug,” but no one outright calls him that.

Also, Snake will secretly hate Christmas because of some past trauma-❌ They don’t say or even imply it, but let’s be honest: we know he has some form of trauma from Christmas.

Diane will only have a cameo-❌ Sadly, no. They were determined to keep her out of this special, apparently.

Luggins and Tiffany will return-Well, this one is half right.

The Bad Guys will have a gift exchange with stolen goods-❌ Nope. Go to luonnonvalinnat for that one ‘cause you ain’t gonna find it here.

Final score: 2.5/10. Wow. Either I don’t know the Bad Guys as well as I thought, or the creators of this potential series don’t know how to write them. Eh. I’m going with the latter.

As for the special itself? It's a 5/10 for me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we got to see the gang again and I'm even more glad we might get to see their shenanigans in a spinoff series some day. And even though it was kinda dumb and there was potential for it to be even better, I didn't mind the story that much. The voice acting is good enough, even if I don't recognize anyone's name except Grey DeLisle. It's the ANIMATION that really kills this thing for me. My god, what a trainwreck. Like, no joke, there were several times throughout this thing where I just wanted to look away because the characters were just...so ugly! I get that this is the result of a low budget, and they couldn't make it as fluid as the movie's animation. The problem, of course, is that the animation in the Bad Guys movie is SO beautifully fluid, even removing like 1% of its fluidity makes it look terrible. They probably should have done what Captain Underpants did and just made the whole thing 2D. At least then it would have looked somewhat appealing.

I don't know, if you haven't seen this special yet and are curious about it, I say just buy the novelization instead, because this alone is not worth a subscription to Netflix. Plus, the novelization includes a bonus chapter of the Bad Guys on New Year's, so there's that. And if you have seen the special, let me know what you guys thought about it. Did you agree with my points? Is there anything I didn't comment on? Let me know that, too.

[writinandcrying]

Bayverse TMNT matchup please. I am a 5,3 female with brown hair, brown eyes and I wear glasses. I like horror movies, HP, Marvel and DC.I am a tomboy, in my spare time I listen to hard rock music, read, embroider and watch youtube and movies. I have a slight anger issue and I bottle up my feelings. I stay up late watching paranormal videos even though I am a skeptic. I tend to accidentally scare people. I collect action figures, movies and books. Thank you for reading this, stay safe. ☺

Hi! I’m so sorry I took so long to reply your match up :(

I match you with…

Donnie!

I almost matched you with raphael not gonna lie, but you two are way too similar, you would def be besties tho!

Usually when I ask for descriptions, I’m not extremely interested into physical appearance, honestly more for me to “imagine” the match up, buuuuuuut I Headcanon that Donnie (specially bayverse and rottmnt) likes people who are not following any trends or “the norm” regarding beauty standards, so goths, punks, tomboys and so own are his thing, people who like to “defy” those norms show they have some spunk into them and he’s heavily attracted to that, as he sometimes feels he’s an outsider from his own teammates and brothers, he feels he will be understood between the “underdogs”, plus: those are aesthetics are hot. So your looks might be the first thing that attracted Don at first glance, your glasses as well, he can finally rant on about how he would love to actually go to a ophthalmologist properly, he might not like his glasses on him sometimes, but on you? He loves it, he learns to see the whole glasses look differently, he hates how both of your glasses sometimes slightly clashes when he goes for kisses tho, Donnie encourages you to open up, won’t pry into it but will let you know he’s always there for you (might ask for alternatives for Raph how he unwinds his anger out, and that’s how you and Raph got a bit closer and so own, specially with knitting and embroidery, it’s kinda funny seeing you two together, Bc those are usually looked down as “old ladies activities” and you both def do not fit the look lol) if you ever did anything for Donnie he would cry his out and treasure it forever, I can def see you both binge watching paranormal shows (calling out which ones are faking it or not) and discussing Headcanons and theories of your shared favorite fandoms, Raph might dive in as well on DC topics; and Mikey on the marvel ones! Heeee doesn’t really understand why people enjoy horror movies at first; but for you he will give it a go! He really enjoyed it part one, for a horror movie wasn’t expecting to be so funny! Eventually he will learn to like some of it, the ones who are unexpectedly funny are his favorite (like the visit from Netflix, the sibling dynamic is so on point and he laughs is ass off every time) also I know you didn’t comment much in your romantic preferences or how you display affection, but I hope you like it cuz Donnie might be a bit shy on the first weeks of dating, but after receiving a green light he loves giving hugs, kisses and snuggles (actually craves it)

Hope you liked it! Match ups are closed

[jasmine-tea-biscuits]

Bc I need a pick me up and I also just had surgery, I give you an AU where Rae manages to get the vipers to the modern world

Here’s some things that I think they’d do

Key wants to teach Rae’s ex a lesson. She has to talk him down from his original ideas. They settle for egging his car to start.

It takes a while, but Marius no longer thinks of cars as these hulking metal beasts to fear. He actually learns to drive and ofc is a big stickler for the rules. What he does fear is Eric’s driving.

After getting over the scandal of it all, Emer takes to wearing pants. Especially sweatpants and leggings now that she’s learned about the gym and the myriad of sports she can try out. She is absolutely not wearing anything with writing on the butt, no matter how much Rae and Eric insist on them all matching.

They immediately take Lia to the optometrist and she gets decision paralysis trying to pick out a set of frames. The other vipers help, Eric and Rae picking a few that are far too flashy in her opinion. She ends up with a simple pair and is elated. The other two convince her to get prescription sunglasses with snakes on them though.

They go to the grocery and are in complete awe of all the options readily available. Marius and Emer are taken aback by the junk food and sweets that the others try at Rae and Eric’s suggestion. Marius, Emer, and Key immediately take to coffee and buy plenty. Marius won’t admit that he bought the huge tub of vanilla ice cream.

Rae has a horror movie marathon with Key. Ofc he calls out all the dumb decisions and says he could defeat the killers easily. Rae doesn’t doubt that he could if he figured out a way into their stories. Key is especially nitpicky when it comes to zombie movies.

They go to the club. Marius guards drinks while the others dance. Some guys make a pass at Lia, Rae steps in, they make a pass at her, and it takes all the vipers to stop Key from committing murder. There’s still a bar fight though. Lia’s tears help them narrowly avoid getting kicked out with the other guys.

They go to a convention and are simultaneously amazed and horrified by the number fans. Eric insists on dressing up as himself so he can properly meet all of them. He also buys plenty of art with himself and Marius. Key doesn’t think that the art of his lady captures her well enough.

They scheme their way into the Eras Tour (Key found a scalper and threatened them). Rae goes in the Reputation bodysuit much to the appreciation of Key who wears black to match. Eric is bedazzled from head to toe and Marius is convinced to wear a tshirt. Lia tries a dress with cowboy boots and Emer decorates a denim jacket. They all wear friendship bracelets. Key shows off the one Rae made him. Meanwhile, Marius refused to wear one till Eric feigned being heartbroken. Lia took to making them very fast, so she and Emer carry basket fulls.

Key gets into video games. He lets Rae win more often than she thinks, just to make her happy. She doesn’t know that he’s quickly becoming one of the top esports players in the country.

Marius learns about Eric’s lost love Netflix. He likes the documentaries and such. He’s horrified by Bridgerton.

Rae teaches them the Hot to Go dance. Lia loves it and Emer takes some convincing. She does like Chapell Roan and Good Luck Babe really gets to her.

Musical numbers aren’t uncommon. No one is surprised when Rae and Eric, or even Lia, burst into song. Everyone is a little surprised when they catch Key singing. Rae isn’t surprised that he likes Heathers of all things.

Feel free to add more~

[strawberryseeded]

i spent the weekend watching various horror movies in netflix (my moms accnt obvs) cos i was too lazy to pir/ate anything. i watched uuh.. konferensen 2023 (it was fine, it was a good time), split 2016 (p good imo tho the superhuman angle was kinda silly to me. but it was interesting. solid. ending was a bit unsatisfying tbh? and the msg quite confusing? like i geddit, empowered victims.. but the kidnapper ended up becoming a perpetrator too? and the fl didnt shoot him in that crucial moment AND they also didnt show what she ended up doing abt her uncle. idk if the plan was 2 make a sequel but it all ended up coming off as.. pretty lukewarm..), the stepfather 2009 (nice. rly straight foward w the premise tho not super focused w its message.. like it was abt family but it gave too much focus to the protags gf? which i thought was a bit juvenile like we get it they are teens in love now lets get back to the dude trying to murder the whole family please.. also i kept thinking the story wud have been fun from the mothers perspective as well.. oh and a bit more bg & development for the killer wud hv been stellar), monster 2023 (indonesian) (plot was p standard (rly reminded me of that free ice cream horror flash game) but i rly liked it visually! rly cool scenography!! it almost had no dialogue & that was rly refreshing and interesting. it really didnt need any), and today i watched longlegs 2024 w my sister (which i did pirat/e)..uuuuummm... ok SPOILERS for longlegs

i rly liked the way it was filmed n the photography. also the music/sound dsgn. the time setting was confusing as hell for me tho?? like idk im not usamerican but the story supossedly took place in the 2000s but it all looked like the 70s to me???? and there are big differences between the 2 eras its not like im THAT period blind. the only scene i thought oh yeah theres no way this is the 70s is a scene in which you can see computers in the bg but anyways. the movie.

it started off GREAT. very eerie.. i had no clue abt the plot or anything btw i went into it completely blind.. so i had no idea if the movie was going for a realistic angle or a more supernatural angle. it rly reminded me of it follows 2014 not bc the fl was played by the same actress (it was) but bc everything that was happening seemed not quite real. like a dream. i loved that..

so ok. its p clear from the beginning that something is p weird (supernatural weird) abt this whole thing. the fl makes my suspicions grow bc shes some sort pf psychic so i though ok the killer is def some kind of hypnotist. i was wrong tho, whatever. lets skip a lot of stuff. plot twist it was the devil all along. i felt kinda silly bc im usually p good/fast understanding movies (esp this type of movies) but i was so confused by the end of this.. i was like huh.. wait what do you mean the devil is real in this story. it was rly easy to catch onto that btw i was just still expecting a psychic weirdo killer angle idk maybe i liked that idea more deep down lol? but it wasnt so my sister was like dude are you serious the devil was right there in one scene and i was like what. she went back to that scene. the devil was right there. oh ok. wait then what about the scene in which the mother shoots the dolls head why did she do that if the deal wasnt over. and what about the surviving victim why did she kill herself after the ball was out of the dolls head. oh god i almost forgot what abt the chief(?)s (no ok i literally cnt remember either his name nor job title im so sorry. yanno lees boss) did not even ONCE say smt like "oh hey my daughter has the same age n bd date than all the other daughters from the victim families. thats peculiar. lets take some measures maybe?" like forget that last part, why wasnt this even BROUGHT UP. another ridiculous thing abt this was the "birthday party" lee was invited to if thats even what you can call it.. most of the movie i was waiting for an actual party, with lots of people (STAKES, yknow?) but lee was literally the only person invited apparently?? what was up w that. also why didnt the fl shoot the dolls head at the bd party in the first place why did she wait until the dad started killing ppl. also the deal was supposed to end with the 13th victim i think so why did the mother say she will keep killing. me & my sister concluded well idk lets sleep on it i guess. yeah.

overall enjoyable and interesting, but i feel like the plot-twist reveal and the ending were a bit idk rushed?? like ill be quite honest i didnt feel anything abt the mother being the accomplice???? it was good in concept but was a bit lacking in execution.. like. why shud i even care.

[lianewark]

1. The friends you have at the beginning of the year can completely change by the end of it. People change, and if they aren’t improving your life in some way, it’s okay to drop them.

2. Take many pictures. Don’t let it take over your life, though. You don’t want to look back and see that you only captured your memories with your camera lens and not within your mind and heart.

3. Find your safe place. Whether it be in the arms of a certain person or on the balcony of Barnes and Nobles with a cup of soup, find it and don’t let it go. You can have more than one safe place.

4. Be nice to everyone. You honestly don’t know what skeletons people are hiding in their closets. Everyone has their skeleton. Every person on this earth has something in their life or past worth collapsing on the ground in uncontrollable sobs over.

5. Reading is so important. Highlight the things that you read that you find intriguing. Read a lot, it can only do good things for you.

6. Writing always helps.

7. The girl with anxiety has the deepest thoughts. The autistic boy has the kindest heart, and the schizophrenic has the ability to put a smile on your face in seconds. Do not judge character based on a mental illness.

8. Music has an indescribable ability to connect and heal. Let it do its thing.

9. Her prettiness doesn’t make your prettiness any less pretty.

10. Getting close and letting someone in is scary as hell. You know what else it is? Worth it.

11. The minute you feel your happiness being dictated by someone else, take a break from them.

12. Adventuring is a must. Sunsets always help the soul, showing that endings can be as beautiful as beginnings.

13. Spend more time with your parents doing things they enjoy. Later in life, you’ll be wishing you’d spent more time with them than on your Netflix account.

14. Home is not always a place, but whatever you love with your whole heart. I have many homes, and it’s okay if one home doesn’t feel like home anymore.

15. Making someone smile and feel genuinely happy has the ability to warm your heart from the inside out. No matter how much pain someone is going through, you made them forget about it for a few seconds. Isn’t that something?

16. Feel everything and let it hurt, but don’t go back to what broke you.

17. Don’t let fear hold you back from what you want. The view from the other side is spectacular.

18. Tell people how you feel. Even if you’re scared it’ll burn your life to the ground. You say it loud.

19. You find the most extraordinary things in the most ordinary places.

20. Swollen lips and sweaty “I want you’s” can make you feel again, but I don’t want to feel anything if it means having to sit there feeling like the wind is constantly being knocked out of me when he stops calling back.

21. Sometimes the way you think of someone isn’t the way they actually are.

22. Never underestimate the amount of joy the holiday season can bring you. Try and find ways to feel that way all year long.

23. Timing is never going to be perfect; if you care about something enough, you’ll make the time. It’s all about priorities.

24. If women used their words to build each other up instead of tearing each other down, our world would change drastically.

25. Recovery can take 2 weeks or 5 years. You aren’t any less of a person if it takes you longer to find a way to let go of what’s hurting your heart.

26. You only need yourself, but having people by your side trying to understand means a lot more than you might think.

27. You find your truest friends in your darkest hours.

28. You can feel the whole world in a month and nothing after 2 years. Time does not define love.

29. Always say yes to dessert.

30. Concerts make life worth living. So does yelling your favorite song along with your best friend in the car with your best friend with hands intertwined. These are things that show you that you don’t need to be on drugs to feel invincible.

31. So does kissing.

”

— emmuuhhhhh, 31 Things I’ve Learned Coming Into 2016

[agentnico]

Cocaine Bear (2023) Review

It’s a bear - on cocaine!

Plot: After a 500-pound black bear consumes a significant amount of cocaine and embarks on a drug-fuelled rampage, an eccentric gathering of cops, criminals, tourists, and teenagers assemble in a Georgia forest.

Honestly, with that ridiculous title this movie only had three jobs - 1) have cocaine; 2) there be a bear; 3) the two combine together. Having seen the movie I can indeed confirm that there is a bear and it does a heck of a lot of cocaine. Like I’m saying this bear is destined to become a hero figure towards druggies all over the world. This bear snorts and eats and breathes cocaine like a champ! It really is a cocaine bear, and satisfyingly enough a kid character in the film even calls it as such. That being said even though primarily this is a cocaine bear, it also has a side hustle of being a murder bear! That’s right, this movie is overly gory, as you see lots of blood, limbs, human intestines and a lot of shocking deaths and the black bear mauls through human meat all in the name of finding another cocaine bag. As character motivations go, I could totally understand where the bear was coming from. The creature only recently discovered cocaine, and obviously enjoyed the high, and to my awareness the bear community lack addiction therapists and drug rehab centres, so the poor bear has zero to no knowledge of finding the support it needs. So its continuous need for more cocaine is perfectly acceptable. As for all its murderous actions? Okay, maybe it shouldn’t have been so aggressive, but look, folks do weird things when on drugs, so honestly can you even blame the bear? In fact this movie is a perfect lesson for kids to not do drugs, as these are the results. That being said there is actually a scene in this film where two kids try cocaine, and both children are completely fine afterward, so the drug lesson may be a bit vague. But to be honest a film titled Cocaine Bear doesn’t really promise many life lessons.

Aside from the titular bear, there are a decent bunch of human characters in the film, and yes, most of them serve to one purpose of falling victim to the bear rage, but overall I actually enjoyed spending time with these characters. They’re all really quirky and over-the-top, and it does feel like the movie exists in its own little detached universe. Not as extreme as Twin Peaks, however think more Wet Hot American Summer, where characters do things just cause. I’m reminded of Wet Hot American Summer as this movie literally opens with Jefferson Starship’s “Jane” song - a definite call-back to the 2001 comedy and its follow-up Netflix shows, and seeing as Cocaine Bear is directed by Elizabeth Banks who appears in that franchise, it all ties up nicely. Again though, the best moments in the film mostly rely upon the titular beast, however most of the cast manage to leave an amusing presence amidst the carnage. Stand outs include Alden Ehrenreich who is much more likeable here than he was as young Solo and his dysfunctional brotherly dynamic with O’Shea Jackson was very enjoyable; Christian Convery as the kid who is so deadpan about everything; character actress Margo Martindale (cheeky Bojack reference there) as the park ranger that exhibits qualities of a grand-nanny and also of course Ray Liotta in one of his final roles. I must admit, it was a bit uncomfortable seeing him at the end be a cause for some deadly intestinal gore only for a few seconds later for the end credits to roll with the statement “IN LOVING MEMORY OF RAY LIOTTA”. 

Shout-out also to Mark Mothersbaugh’s synthetic techno 80′s style music score that really amplified the quirky yet tense moments of the bear necessities, and overall I think Cocaine Bear is a super enjoyable horror comedy, however one that has its specific target audience. Honestly, the way you felt after seeing the movie trailer and hearing of this film’s title is the perfect judgement of if you will or will not get on this movie’s wavelength. Think Studio 666 from last year. I personally did, and am now very much looking forward to the sequel where Paddington shows up and his marmalade gets contaminated with cocaine, resulting in one hell of a party at the Brown residence.

Overall score: 7/10

[twistednuns]

December 2022

A ticket to the planetarium at the kids museum on a bland day in a bland city. Glow-in-the-dark stars and planets, a moving tunnel just like the Hexenschaukel. Golden glitter curtains reflecting the sunlight (El Salvador seems to be obsessed with Christmas). A kitty sleeping in the park. Pupusas. The girl from El Salvador/Texas who called her cousin for me and helped me find out where to buy bus tickets.

Mastering the blueberry challenge - recording a video of me making a blueberry hover over my mouth.

A very plushy and luxurious bus seat on the way to Honduras. A faint rainbow. Green valleys and mountains.

How my friends showed up for me when I told them my mum was very sick. Frank kept asking me how I was, offered support. Was suddenly really there. Doris stayed up very late for me so we could talk on the phone. Compassionate messages and offers.

Talking to my mum via Skype. It helped me accept and understand the situation when I could see/hear/feel her and learned how she felt about her illness.

Blanca picking me up from the bus station, listening to me, getting me back there the next day.

Listening to podcasts for hours and hours.

Palm tree forests with cow herds grazing. Passing a Chiquita banana farm on the way to the ferry terminal in La Ceiba.

The completely artificial and overly syrupy cocktail cherry on my smoothie.

I saw five cats one morning. Obviously they all thought I was there to deliver breakfast. One even tried biting into my forearm to see if I was the snack.

Diving! Seeing a huge puffer fish. Not fucking up. Everything went smoothly.

Being able to almost cross my legs? I'm obsessed. And want to keep losing weight!

Strutz, Jonah Hill's documentary about his therapist. I learned about some interesting thoughts and concepts. But it was nothing new - actually it all comes down to the same work but Strutz has a different way of explaining things. And that was nice to learn as well - I already know what I need to know. I have to stop looking for teachers and guidance and put the wisdom I already have to practice.

I went over to the freediving centre. Didn't get the introduction course right away but was invited to come out on the boat to watch and snorkel. Walter, a red female cat, showed up and was super affectionate. My emotional support animal. We took out the boat, it was raining. Marc gave me his jacket. Everyone prepared for their training and I watched Marc doing line dives. Tried a few myself. I enjoyed using the long fins, how easy it is to get down. The plankton, the air bubbles, like a marine whirl pool. Marc's air rings. The last one was perfect, almost like a hula hoop. Diving some more. Seeing the sheer mass of water and light above me coming up. The blue abyss below me.

Seeing the reflection of the sun and sky in a puddle on the boat deck.

More scuba diving. Seeing a funny fish with some feather headdress in black and white. A spotted eagle ray. Diving though narrow passageways.

Drinks with the divers. Just a bit of socialising. It was good for me not to be alone all the time.

A gorgeous sunset and the last full moon of the year.

Loving kindness meditation.

A very good cup of coffee after lots of Nescafé fails.

A consoling online therapy session. It's nice to have another mum figure in my life.

My first full month of meditation milestone.

Feel Good on Netflix. I'm attracted to Mae Martin. But I obviously identify with her girlfriend in the series.

Music trivia quiz at Sundowners! KC and Alex were very good. Also, I love them as a couple. They seem to really enjoy their life! And I bonded a little with the other Alex, a girl from Texas who works at a space agency and has racoons living under her house. I love her assertiveness and taste in jewellery.

Freediving! Getting my certificate. Successfully "saving" my instructor from drowning twice. A barracuda hanging out with me. All the sexy/tan/heavily tattooed diving folks on the boat. And they were all so nice and friendly. Marlene from Montreal gave us rambutans. Lisa from the UK was extremely lovely. What an awesome community. I mustn't forget Marc and Walter the cat! And the diving is just gorgeous. I love the feeling down there. Just hanging on to a line. The efficiency of wimming with long fins.

A green kolibri just whirring around outside the terrace where I had my Sunday breakfast.

Extra foamy foam on my cappuccino. Cocoa powder. Good scrambled egg with veggies, avocado, cheese and hot sauce.

A tiny little discount on my rambutans.

Getting the plane seats I wanted without having to switch or pay for anything. And finding out that I don't have to pay for checked luggage! What a relief.

I got to know some divers at Chillie's (Ash and her dad Marc) and we all went out for dinner. I had such an interesting conversation with Marc, an older artist and furniture designer who'd recently lost his wife. We talked about life, design, the power of thoughts and breath, karma and so much more. Connecting with Brandon, Ash and Alex over drinks on my last night on the island.

The last Roatan sunset was a good one, too.

Leftover pizza for my airport oddyssee.

Finding out that my belly fits under the fold out table in the airplane by now. Loving this.

Watching old movies. I especially enjoyed 28 Days. I'm having a Sandra Bullock moment.

Annika picking me up from the airport on the coldest day of the year. Everything was frozen and covered in frost or ice. Crunchy steps. She's even brought a hat and gloves for me. We ended up driving around for almost three hours because it turned out I had the wrong keys and needed to get a Covid test for the hospital visit.

Moving in at home. Taking care of my mum. Driving and cooking for the first time in a while. Helping her with everything. Feeling effective and useful.

My mum feels so much better at home. Seeing her on the first day in the hospital was scary.

IKEA veggie hot dogs with Lena and Christian.

Chocolate, herbal tea and truffle mustard from Lena. And Sash gave me another big box of Zotter chocolate for Christmas.

Seeing the Friendzone for dinner.

Cuddling with Do. She visited me on my second day back in Germany.

Meditation with visualization. Visualising a garden in summer. Cats, planting seeds, the sunlight feeling warm on my skin. The smell of the soil. Buzzing insects.

Crosswords and sudoku to pass the time.

Thai massage. Ing triggering a smiling reflex when she hit exactly the right spots.

Making Haluschki for my mum. Baking cheese biscuits.

It was so good to see Becky and Manu and finally talk again after such a long time. Then I picked up Doris from school. We went to Erding, walked around a few stores and had Indian food for dinner. Then we cuddled and held hands at the cinema.

A new puffy bag.

Spending the evenings talking to my mum. Asking questions, listening to stories about her past.

Semolina dessert with cherry jam.

Meeting Lena for long walks along the river.

Visiting Dory at home for the first time. I got so many unexpected Christmas presents and loved every single one of them. We tried out a few toys, had breakfast at the bakery and watched Nous finirons ensemble while eating Nidar Smash.

A quick visit at Sash's parents' house on New Year's Eve. Maya fed me her homemade Russian food. We half-watched a classic movie and toasted with champagne at midnight.